Days of Revelation Read online

  Four days later, the Clydesville Police Department arrested a suspect in William Solomon’s murder. His name was Terrance Bell, also known as Boo Boo. He was a Southside gang member witnesses placed in the area the night Will was shot and killed. When the police found him, he had a nine-millimeter Glock, and one quarter of a gram of crack cocaine in his possession.

  When his trial began, the prosecution told the jury about his criminal history as a juvenile, his threat of violence the night of the murder, and about the weapon and drugs in his possession the day he was arrested. Some people from Hades Street testified they saw Boo Boo shoot William. Other people said they thought he did it, because of where he was standing on the street.

  The only witnesses the suspect’s lawyer could produce were the four boys who were with him that night. The jury couldn’t take their statements seriously because they were in the same gang. When the prosecution cross-examined them, they perjured themselves numerous times.

  Despite the odds against him, Boo Boo took the stand and swore that he did not shoot William. He said he saw another man standing alone near the right side of the house. He was the only one who mentioned the mystery man being there.

  After two hours of deliberation, the jury found Terrance Bell guilty of first-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

  William’s death motivated Paul to pursue a career path where he can be a positive influence for people in his community. He stopped hanging out in the streets. After he graduated from high school, he filled out an application for the Maryland State Police Department. He was hired and sent to the MCPD Academy in Montgomery Village, Maryland. Paul graduated at the top of his class. He became a state trooper and was stationed in Annapolis for ten years. After that, he moved back to Clydesville to become a detective for their police department.

  Three years later, he decided to run for mayor in the 2016 local election. He had a lot of support within the police department, and from the civil servants working in the city. The people in the city respected him because unlike some detectives, he never disrespected anyone. They also liked him because he always showed concern for the victims he dealt with.

  He was even respected by some of the known criminals in the city. A man interviewed by a journalist from the Clydesville Dailey was quoted as saying, “you know what, I never liked the police, but Detective Solomon, I respect him. He never came around here like he was big and bad. He did his job. After he questioned me about something I didn’t do, he shook my hand and respected me like a man. So, if I could, I would vote for that brother.”

  Paul ran against George Perkins, the mayor at the time who was known more for implementing policies that worked against the working class. It was rumored he was taking bribes from big corporations and well-established business owners. A lot of people believed he only cared about his wealthy friends’ interests.

  Paul Solomon, along with his friends in the city and his family, ran an effective grassroots campaign. He had people going to every house to garner support. He had the police union’s support. He also had the support of one wealthy donor who funded his television advertisements. Along with his good reputation, he was an excellent public speaker, and he was heavily involved in his father’s church. In his speeches he sometimes would quote scriptures from the Bible to articulate his vision for the city.

  His opponent George ran a negative campaign against him. In his commercials he said that Paul was soft on crime, and the crooks would run the city if he was elected. He also said that Paul was in a Northside gang when he was a teenager, which was not true. In the two debates at the Clydesville Colosseum, he raised his voice at Paul in an attempt to win over the crowd.

  The people were not impressed. Paul won the election by a landslide. The people were fed up with the former mayor’s antics. The voters also didn’t approve of the slander and the negative campaigns against Paul, who stayed professional and respectful throughout the campaign.

  Once Paul Solomon became mayor, he immediately went to work on implementing his policies. He created a Business Corruption Task Force to look into any unethical complaints against the local businesses and factories within the city limits. He created policies that ensured that any police shooting would be thoroughly investigated. He lobbied for tax breaks for any company and organization that donated to a good cause in the local communities. He also got rid of anyone in the city council who were unethical or neglected to do their jobs.

  His staff loved him because he always treated them with fairness. The governor of Maryland even liked him because he always showed him the upmost respect, despite the fact they represented different political parties. The people within Paul’s political party believed he could run for governor one day due to his popularity.

  Instead, he decided to run for a second term as mayor of Clydesville. He believed his work as mayor was not done. He wasn’t satisfied that the unemployment rate in his city was at six and a half percent. He wasn’t satisfied with the crime rate either, which was seventh per one thousand residents. He believed if he were given a second term, he would lower the crime rate in Clydesville to the lowest in the state of Maryland.

  This was one of the things currently being discussed by his staff and him at the Mayor’s Office. His new political opponent, Harry Stern, has accused him of being soft on crime. David was afraid Harry would use the current crime rate to prove his argument.

  Overall, Paul believed that he’d greatly improved the lives of residents in Clydesville. Because he was raised there, he felt like it was his duty to finish the work he’d started when he first got elected. As a Christian, he felt like it was necessary for him to keep the promises he made to the people during his first campaign. With more time, he believed he could successfully do that.

  The concept of time really bothered him, because in the back of his mind he felt like he didn’t have much of it left. It felt weird to him because he was healthy, he had bodyguards, and during his time as mayor no one tried to harm him.

  Lately, he’d been feeling what he describes as a darkness hovering over him. The only ones he talked to about this was his wife, Victoria, and his father. The darkness he felt was not something that would turn him into a bad person. It wasn’t like his family’s lives were in any immediate danger. He wasn’t having nightmares about something bad happening to him. It was just a feeling that something was going to stop him from completing his future plans as mayor and beyond.

  When his mood got too bad, he would go somewhere to pray alone, which was what his father advised. Paul just assumed it was anxiety, even though it felt like something more. He prayed for the Lord to protect him, his wife and kids, and his family. He also prayed for the Lord to protect him from the impending darkness descending upon him.

  Chapter 4

  David Christian arrived at his job at the Town Hall Insurance Company building at 8:28 that morning. He thought he was going to be late because of the traffic and the road work on the Route 14 highway. To make matters worse, one northbound lane was blocked off a mile away from his job because of an accident. Despite this, he thought he did a good job making it to his job on time.

  He thought about the nightmare he had that morning. He’s had scary nightmares in the past, but this one bothered him more. It felt so real to him — like it was actually happening. He cleared his mind of the thought before walking inside of his company’s building.

  He greeted the manager, Scott McKennel, and his fellow coworkers. The manager asked him, “where is your mask?”

  “Uhh…sir, I left it home,” David replied.

  “Maybe if you weren’t in a rush to get to work, you would have remembered it.”

  “I have an extra one back here!” Harold Smith, one of David’s coworkers, yelled from his desk.

  “Thank you,” David said. “You’re a life-saver.”

  “David, you know that I can’t let you work unless you have a mask,” the manager said. “I’m alrea
dy short two employees — the last thing I need is for everyone else to be out of work.” The manager went back inside his office, and David walked to Harold’s desk with his hand over his mouth and nose.

  “It’s not like you to get here at this time,” Harold said as he handed him his spare medical mask. “Is everything alright?”

  “I just woke up late that’s all. I had the strangest dream last night, and I guess I was trying to play it out until the end. The alarm clock didn’t even wake me up.”

  “What was it about?”

  “It was about Paul, the mayor. I dreamt he got assassinated.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that last part,” Harold said.

  David hated wearing the face mask. He knew it was necessary because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but when he talked it was hard for people to hear him, and it made him sweat. He rolled his chair closer to Harold and repeated, “I dreamt the mayor of Clydesville got assassinated. The dream felt so real.”

  Harold’s eyes widened. “Hey, you better pay attention to that. My aunt used to tell me that there are times when our dreams come true. It might not happen the same way it does in your dream, but it will happen in some way.”

  “Maybe it will — maybe it won’t,” David said, now trying to dismiss the thought. “All I’m saying is that’s what almost caused me to be late.”

  David saw the main entrance door open. Harold looked at the woman coming in the building with a big smile on his face and said to David, “Here’s your favorite client.”

  The woman’s name was Tammy Parsico. She was a beautiful, short, shapely woman. She had dark brown hair that went down to her shoulders, and an olive-colored skin complexion. Her most impressive physical features were her breasts, which was a 36C cup. David thought they looked luscious and magnificent on her short, but firm physique. They were mesmerized by the sight of her cleavage.

  “Good morning, David,” she said in a New York accent. “Do you have a good life insurance deal for me yet?” Connie, one of David’s coworkers, rolled her eyes at Tammy from a distance.

  Still staring at her cleavage, David said, “No ma’am, I didn’t…find anything that would suit you yet. Did you want to take a seat and look at some of our rates?”

  “Eyes up here, big boy. I don’t have time for that now. I’m about to go to work. Can we talk about it later during my lunch break?”

  David straightened out his tie because he was getting warm. The way Tammy talked and moved her body tore his nerves up. He tried his best to disguise his infatuation for her.

  “Yeah, I can meet you on your lunch break.” He turned his head in the direction of his manager’s office.

  Tammy looked at the office and saw the manager looking out of his glass office door. She turned her attention back to David and said, “See you later, big boy.” She sashayed to the front entrance door, switching her hips hard enough for David to notice.

  After she left, Harold turned to him and said, “Do you two have a thing going on? She is always coming in here to see you, and she only wants to talk to you.”

  “Nope. I’m a happily married man. I don’t mind if she wants to talk about life insurance. After all, I am trying to get a sale. She works at the café across the street, so I can meet her there on her lunch break and talk to her about it.”

  “It’s none of my business,” Harold said in a dismissive manner. “But you got to watch women like that. She might be flirting with you to see if she can take you away from your wife. I know she saw that ring on your finger.”

  David lowered his mask from his face and said, “I don’t have to worry about her. The only thing I’m going to allow this to be about is insurance.”

  Twelve o’clock that afternoon, David walked out of the building to go on his lunch break. He looked across the street at the café where Tammy worked. A few minutes later, he watched her get inside of her red Nissan Altima parked in front of the shop. She drove by him, slowing her car down just enough to wave at him before speeding off toward the highway.

  He got inside of his car and followed her. Ten minutes later, he approached a one-story white house on Carson Road, which was three miles south from the mall in northern Clydesville. He pulled into the driveway and parked behind a red car. He opened the unlocked front door of the house and went inside.

  He walked past the living room and went to the opened bedroom door on the right side of a small hallway. He stood in the doorway to admire the sight of what was now in front of him.

  “You took long enough, big boy,” Tammy said as she laid across her bed in a black one-piece gown. “Come over here and let me see your ‘insurance policy.’”

  David took all of his clothes off and climbed on top of Tammy. “I’ve been waiting for this all day,” he said before giving her a passionate French kiss.

  He kissed and sucked on her shapely body. After seeing the look of anticipation in her eyes, he thrust his pulsating penis deeply inside of her. He passionately made love to her for what seemed like an eternity before releasing his appreciation for her inside of his condom.

  He got off of her and laid on his back with a smile on his face. After he took off the condom, Tammy laid her head on his chest.

  She looked up at him and said, “Baby, how long are we going to do this?”

  “What do you mean? We can do this for as long as you like.”

  “I’m serious, David. We’ve been doing this for a month now. I see you almost every day and I like being with you. I know you’re married, but I’m starting to get a little jealous. Ti amo.” She kissed him on his lips.

  “What did you say? You know I don’t understand Italian.”

  “I said I like you, and I like being around you.” She raised her head from his chest and laid on her back. “You know what, just forget it. Do you wanna watch some TV?”

  “Sure, I got about thirty minutes left on my lunch break.” Tammy turned the television on and put it on the cooking channel. The chef on the show was preparing a chicken Marsala dish.

  “Do you see that, babe? I’m gonna cook that for you one day. You’ll love it!”

  She continued to talk, but David wasn’t listening. He knew being here with her was wrong. He got involved with her about a month ago after his wife and he had an argument one night. They both wanted children, but after years of marriage they were still unsuccessful. They were both drunk that night, and a usually pleasant occasion turned into a terrible moment.

  “I don’t know why I married a woman who can’t have kids,” he told his wife that night.

  “What in the hell did you say to me, you John Cena wannabe?” Samantha yelled. “It ain’t nothing wrong with me — it’s probably those blanks you’re shooting!”

  David and his wife didn’t speak to each other for the rest of that night. The next day on his lunch break, he started flirting with Tammy. He ate at the café every other day, sometimes with his coworker Harold. He loved the way she looked at him, but in the past, he tried his best to ignore her. After the argument with his wife, he allowed himself to be overtaken by Tammy’s hypnotic gaze.

  He started seeing Tammy shortly after, even though the situation with his wife was getting better. He was upfront and told her that he was married. She didn’t care because she was physically attracted to him, and she wanted someone to fulfill her sexual needs without being in a committed relationship. She knew commitment would be unlikely with a married man.

  A month later, however, her feelings changed about the situation. She enjoyed making love to him. She loved looking at his handsome face, and feeling on his hairy, muscular chest.

  She also liked the way he talked. She thought he was so articulated, so educated. She would sit at his desk and admire how distinguished and professional he was. It used to drive her crazy when he sometimes switched it up and talked like a black guy. He didn’t pretend, she thought — he did it naturally. Now, she wanted more than sex from him. What she wanted was a relationship.

  As much as
he liked being around her, he was not going to leave his wife for her. He ignored the emotional pressure she was applying to him as he laid by her side.

  “Hello?!” Tammy yelled. “Are you listening to me?”

  David rubbed and caressed her smooth, silky brown hair. “I hear you. I would love for you to cook that for me, but now I have to get back to work.” He got out the bed to put his clothes back on. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “I got to go back to work, too,” Tammy said. “My boss is gonna have a fit if I’m late. Come here, babe.”

  With his tie loosely hanging from his neck, he got close to her and gave her one more passionate kiss. “Gotta go. Be safe on your way back to work.”

  “Aww, he cares about me,” she said with a big smile on her face and her hands on her hips. “You be safe, too. Ti amo.”

  “Ciao bella,” he replied with no understanding of what she was saying.

  On his way back to work, David said to himself, “This ain’t good, this ain’t good.” He was conflicted about his marriage, and he blamed himself for being in this situation. He looked in his rear-view mirror to make sure he looked presentable. He saw a long strand of dark brown hair hanging from his white, buttoned-up shirt. He pulled it off of him and said to himself I have to end this when I get the chance. Nothing good will come from this!

  Chapter 5

  Cain looked out of his bedroom window at the green house across the street. It was occupied by Reggie, one of the local drug dealers in the neighborhood. He was known to show off in front of his friends and accomplices. One day, Cain saw him showing off some weapons he owned in his yard. He was particularly interested in the assault rifle he saw him brandishing.

  This is the opportunity we have been waiting for.

  He didn’t see anyone walking around on the street. He decided to attack tonight under the new moon light. He put on his navy-blue hooded jacket and placed his nine-millimeter Glock in the interior of his pants near his waist.