Norman's Release (A Brothers Secret 2)

Norman’s Release

A Novel by

K.L. Davis

Norman’s Release

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY: Delphine Publications on Smashwords

Copyright © 2015 by K.L. Davis

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for making all things possible. Without Him, none of this could have happened. I want to thank Him for closing windows and opening doors just for me.

I would like to especially thank my mother, Wilma Ramey, for giving me the ability to read. I would like to thank my sister, Claudia Parks, for the street education and all the firsthand knowledge. Through her, I saw so much and did even more, and now I hope to save someone from those same situations. To my sister, Torrie Ford, and her lovely family, thank you.

Special thanks to my husband William Thornton and my children Keiara Parks and Terrance Davis for believing in me even when I wasn’t sure of myself.

Thanks also, Daddy (Bennie Davis), for believing in me when I was not sure of myself. You never doubted my abilities and that gave me the courage to try. This book is dedicated to you.

To all my little nieces and nephews, please tell a friend about my book. To my nephew Preston Parks Jr., God is good. He will walk you through your healing process just know that He has never failed. You just have to believe He will do it.

A special thanks to my mentor, Treasure E. Blue, for going above and beyond to help bring my dream to life. May you have much success in your endeavors. Treasure, thank you for giving me the information to help with my process. Research is a very important tool and you shared that with me unconditionally. You showed and told me how to go out and sell myself shamelessly.

DC Book Diva, thank you for always making yourself available to answer my many questions and for all the guidance.

Thank you Michelle DC Bookreviewer Rawls for reviewing my books.

Thanks to my sisters: Jackie Washington, Linda Gregory, and Shannon Carroll for making sure they told everybody about my book.

Thanks go out to my Cameron Valley Family for allowing me to sell my books at their affair.

Thanks to all the people who brought my first book and I hope that you will continue to follow me on my journey. Thanks to Maurice Scriber, Gloria Palmer, Charles The Storytellah Burgess, and most of all, my Ohio family.

To the new authors: If you have a dream, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t make it come true; follow your dreams. Dreams do come true. You have to believe it in order to achieve it!

Prologue

On her way to McDonald’s, she stopped to call the police from a pay phone. It was easy as one, two, three. They issued her a call number so if the lead checked out, she would be able to get the reward without anyone ever knowing it was her. She didn’t want them to trace the call back to her phone. Norman deserved what was going to happen; she had thought long and hard about it. He’d raped a sixty-year-old woman, fathered two boys by his own sister, and killed two more women—one of them a co-worker. Joyce knew it was only a matter of time before he killed her also anyway. She’d rather be twenty thousand dollars richer and alive than buried in a five-hundred-dollar, state-issue coffin, six feet deep.

She asked the officer who answered the phone about the reward. When he told her they had to get the children first, but the money would be paid out as soon as possible afterwards, she hung up and continued on to McDonald’s to get the food.

On the way back, she tried to think of a way to get Norman to give the boys back and still be able to get the money. She just didn’t want anyone else to suffer or die. Maybe if she told Norman they had been showing pictures of the boys on the TV in McDonald’s and there were all sorts of Amber Alerts that would scare him into doing the right thing and he would give the boys back. Joyce thought maybe she would get in trouble and not get the reward. What if they charged her as an accomplice? She wasn’t a lawyer, but she knew in the state of Washington a party to the crime carried the same time as the person who committed the crime.

She took her time and thought of another scenario. Maybe she could convince Norman to let her take the boys back then get the reward. That way, word wouldn’t get out she was a rat. That wouldn’t work either; the police weren’t dummies. They would find out Norman had been at her home, they had met in the strip club, and she was his girlfriend. She would surely be considered an accomplice for aiding a fugitive. Norman had her fucked up. She wasn’t going to jail for no crazy motherfucker.

Joyce figured she would just feed the boys and get the hell out of there before five-o got there. The best thing for her to do was collect her reward. Norman would be sitting in Sing-Sing for the rest of his life, unable to retaliate against her. Hell, nobody would stand up for a rapist and child kidnapper. Most likely, he would die in jail at the hands of some sadistic criminal who felt Norman’s crimes were greater than his life.

***

We made it to the police station, and my father ran to the desk and told them exactly who we were. The man at the desk told him they had a lead and squads were on the way to the Days Inn on New York Avenue to check it out. He said a Detective Hanna had radioed in from another jurisdiction and she was on her way there also. We sat patiently—me, Charlotte, my father, and Derek. I couldn’t believe this man wanted to marry me. He had been dragged all over since we’d met, but he still professed his love for me, letting me know I was the only woman in the world for him.

If there isn’t a God then who is there? No one could have made a man as civil as Derek but God. I was just glad to be the one he’d chosen. There were so many pretty women at his father’s church, and half of them were single and looking for a ‘good man’. But me, lucky me, had landed this ‘good man’ before any one of them got their hands on him. He was mine and we were going to seal the deal. I felt like jumping up and down like Derek had in our kitchen, but I held my composure. I would have my chance to jump up and down as soon as God finished answering my prayers. The officer looked over at us.

I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you all this, but I just got word that the lead was good. Detective Hanna is on the scene now, he said.

They found Norman? my father asked.

Yes, sir; they have a young woman in custody who was coming out of his room, he replied.

Are the boys all right? I asked, really nervous about asking the question.

The woman said she was the one who tipped us off. She said the boys are fine. She got them something to eat and the little one was sleeping like a newborn bird.

I smiled for a second, knowing Devon could sleep through an earthquake. I think children know more than we give them credit for. When Norman would snap, those were the times Devon would sleep and snore like a grown man. Maybe he knew I was being hurt and there wasn’t anything he could do about it, so he just slept.

My father told everybody to come on. We didn’t hesitate; we got back into his truck and he burned rubber heading out of the police station. I wanted to call Ms. Sarah to tell her we had found the boys. I knew she would be happy. I also wanted to call Nina to let her know she just needed to put her foot down with Sherron, and if he wasn’t going to commit, there were plenty good men in the church. But I didn’t dial anybody, not yet.

***

Inside the room, Norman peeked out the window. There were flashing lights everywhere. He had come to the end of the road and in front of his own boys, nonetheless. He saw the police had Joyce in a squad car and she was pointing to the room where he was hiding. He watched the boys eat then Devon burped and fell right back to sleep. Norman smiled and hugged Jalin.

Remember when I told you your mommy wasn’t coming back any more? he asked.

Yes, Uncle, I remember. You said she gone; she in the ground, working her way up to heaven, Jalin answered.

Well, I have a good feeling she’s coming back.

Mommy’s coming! Mommy’s coming!

I think so, Norman said, removing his gun from his backpack. What I need you to do is take real good care of her and your brother, okay?

Where you going, Uncle Norman? Jalin asked.

Well, it won’t be to jail, that’s for sure.

Jail? That’s a place for bad people, Jalin replied.

Boy, you are one smart kid. You’re just like your mother. I used to tell her she thought she was smarter than me. I always knew she was smarter than me.

NORMAN JACKSON! GIVE YOURSELF UP! RELEASE THE CHILDREN AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP! the voice said through the bullhorn speaker.

***

As we came up on New York Avenue, I got butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Normally, that isn’t a good sign. We came over the little bridge, and I saw the McDonald’s and knew we were close to the Days Inn. When we were a couple of blocks away, I could see the flashing lights and yellow tape. I thought yellow tape was only used when there had been a death. Tears started to fill my eyes, thinking my brother had killed our boys. We got out the car there, but an officer out front stopped us.

I saw all sorts of people gathered around, pointing at the hotel. I saw Detective Hanna with a bullhorn issuing commands at the room door where Norman was staked out with my babies. I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was Derek. When he whispered in my ear, I just nodded my head in a yes motion.

***

Inside the room, Norman had wakened Devon. He put on the boys’ coats and bent down to tie their shoes. On the bed, he had placed several little figures of Batman and all the bad guys Batman had ever chased. The Joker had a smile on his face, and the Riddler wasn’t telling any riddles. Next to the figures, he had two pictures. One was of Carrie, his ex-girlfriend. She had on a white summer dress with a flower in her hair. The other one was of Trina. It was a portfolio shot from her catalog of pictures. She was stripping to make enough money to get to Hollywood to try to be in motion pictures.

THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING, MR. JACKSON. PLEASE RELEASE THE CHILDREN AND MAKE THIS EASY ON YOURSELF.

***

I saw a woman sitting in one of the squad cars. I looked at her to see if she was familiar, but I had never seen her before. Since the police had her, I figured she was the one who had led us to the kids. She didn’t look like Carrie or Trina; in fact, she rather resembled me. I didn’t know if she’d played a role in any of this going on with my boys, but I was grateful she’d help end the whole thing.

I looked up and the door to the room had opened slightly. The police all their guns aimed at the room, and I even saw a few on the rooftops like in the movies. I just hoped they didn’t shoot my kids. Then I saw it with my own eyes. God was so real. Jalin came out holding Devon’s hand like I’d taught him. They were walking slowly and Jalin had a McDonald’s cup in his hand.

Detective Hanna dropped the bullhorn and ran to them. She grabbed both my boys and put them behind her, backing up with her chest exposed. It was a precautionary measure in case shots came, they would hit her vest, not my boys, but no shots came. I broke through the police barricade and ran toward boys. That’s when I heard a loud noise.

BANG!

I stopped and closed my eyes peacefully. It was over.

Detective Hanna rushed the boys over to where I was standing, silent and scared. Tears ran down my face as I kneeled and grabbed Devon and Jalin, spinning them around, making sure Norman hadn’t hurt my children. We all gathered and hugged the children, double-checking them from head to toe, making sure there weren’t any visible wounds. I would have killed Norman myself.

After hearing the bang, Daddy stepped to one of the officers. What was that gunshot we heard?

Looks like we have a suicide attempt, sir, the officer replied, listening to his radio as he talked.

Derek, who was standing next to my daddy, looked back at me. I hadn’t heard what the officer said so I didn’t know Norman had tried to take his own life. What I would have wished—and I know it is wrong to wish death on someone, but Norman isn’t human—is that he had succeeded.

I could see the SWAT team had gone into Norman’s room; they called for the medics once it was safe for them to enter. What I heard next lifted a lot of weight off my chest. The call had come across Detective Hanna’s walkie-talkie.

Suspect is down with a gunshot wound to the head.

I have never wished death on anyone before, but I had just done so in my mind. I had wished Norman had killed himself. He didn’t deserve to live after what he had done to the children and me, what he had done to poor Ms. Sarah in that basement.

I could see the woman in the back of the police car crying heavily, and it seemed to me the tears she was shedding were tears of relief. I figured she must have been a decent human being to even call and tip the police off about Norman and where he had my children. I felt sorry for her. I knew my brother well; she must have gotten caught up in his rapture.

Norman is sick, and on top of being sick, he is a cold-blooded killer. He doesn’t care about anything in the world except his own fantasies, and I knew that was all my mother’s fault.

Finally, the medics came out with Norman on a gurney; his body was completely covered up except for his head. They had wrapped the wound in white bandages that were now blood-soaked. Norman had on an oxygen mask, and I could plainly see they were trying to keep him alive. My first mind told me to run over there, grab one of the cops’ guns, and finish him off—make sure he didn’t live to tell anyone about what he had done to me and the children. Prison for Norman was just going to be a vacation, where he could plot his revenge for when he was released. Norman needed to meet his demise; that really was the only punishment that would suffice.

They didn’t let any of us near the gurney; not even my daddy could see Norman right now. A short officer in plain clothes stepped over to where we were and informed us Norman was still alive. I wanted to die myself when I heard that, but I looked at Daddy and saw relief on his face. I knew it was hard wondering if you’d lost a child. I knew because of what I had just gone through myself. However, it didn’t negate the fact that it was me who had suffered at the hands of my own sibling.

It’s over, baby; it’s over. We can go on with our lives, Derek said as he hugged me tightly.

I hope so, baby; I really do, I replied.

Just then Jalin said, Mommy, is Uncle Norman going to the place where Batman sends the bad people?

***

Two Weeks Later . . .

I think Derek and I were the only newly-married couple to ever take the whole family on the honeymoon. My father used his timeshare and we all went to South Carolina. Hilton Head is a beautiful place. I stood on the beach with the white sand under my feet and watched my brother Brian as he swam in the beautiful blue water. Tammy had the kids and Ms. Sarah was sitting in her lounge chair drinking an Arizona Ice Tea. Derek’s father was next to her, reading her a verse from his Bible. Nina and Sherron had gone into town to look for a jewelry store. Charlotte and my father were on the balcony, looking down at the whole family, smiling.

I turned to my husband. Hey, ‘good man’, what do you say we go get some privacy?

What do I always say? God is good!

Part 1

Chapter 1

Norman had been sentenced to a mental institution. After he got out of the hospital for shooting himself in the head, the judge said jail wouldn’t help him. He said my brother needed a specialist, not a prison guard. Daddy was relieved the place they were sending Norman has some of the best doctors in the United States, and there was a chance that, one day, he could be a normal person again. There were those letters again. For some reason, my life wouldn’t let me shake N-O-R-M-A from invading my space—Norma, my mother; Norman, my brother; normal, something Norman would never be.

The children and I were doing fine now that I was married to Derek and he had adopted my two boys. We’d had our own daughter three years ago and named her after both of us—Demyira. My father had opened up another restaurant in a busy neighborhood and I ran that one. For our wedding gift, my father and Charlotte had put the down payment on our house. It’s a big house with a huge back yard where the boys can play while I do the cooking and gardening.

My father and Charlotte have brought the boys so many things; it was like every time Derek and I turned around, they were buying them something. Just a year ago, they’d brought them a slide-and-swing set that they play on every chance they get. Now they want to buy them a swimming pool so they can keep cool in the summer. You would never guess who we’d hired as the nanny—yep, Ms. Sarah. Our home is sizeable enough to where she even has her own living corridors. My sister and brother are a great help with the children also.

My husband is now the pastor at his father’s church—his father stepped down due to illness—and things are really looking up for us. I never thought I would have a chance at a decent life; Norman had treated me so awful. He’d stolen most of my teen years with his mess, telling me over and over that nobody else would ever want to be with me. He’d said it so many times I had begun to believe it myself. Yes, my brother—who’d fathered two of my children—had me convinced he was the best thing since sliced bread for me.

It’s now coming up on the fifth year since Norman was safely locked away. I need to check, just to be sure, if there have been any changes in his status. The last report my father received from the doctors was Norman’s was progressing quite well and might be ready for release to a halfway