Fayth
Angelica McCoy is working against time to prove a young teen innocent of
murdering a Port City police officer in cold blood. Ever since Sargent Larry Patel
landed in their quiet city, racial profiling and intimidation of African
American males on the Southside of town are
on the rise. The people stand united in
wanting this cancer removed from their city, but no one is willing to speak up
against the injustice until a young boy
finds himself in the strongholds of the justice system. In her pursuit to
expose Sargent Patel’s dirty dealings, Angelica risks her and her families’
safety. Now with two kids to protect, she has to make the decision to chance
it all for the sake of ridding her city of the toxic pollution of crime within
the Port City PD. Or turn a blinds eye as a young teen faces life in prison or death if he reveals the true killer’s identity.
Jasion
is not happy with the high profile investigation his wife, Fayth is working on. With the near burning of his youth center
and their home broken into, he’s concerned that she is ruffling the feather of
some powerful and dangerous men.
With
vengeance in her heart and a score to
settle, Nicole Swaggart leaves the mental institution in New Orleans, Louisiana
after serving only five years. Her sights are now
set on Port City, Louisiana, where the man who broke her heart lives
with his wife and kids, which should have been hers. While institutionalized, an
unknown visitor with the same agenda of taking down the McCoy’s, gains Nicole’s
trust. They put their plan into action to
destroy the people who ruined their lives, using their children as collateral
damage.
With
opposition from Sargent Patel and Nicole Swaggart, will Jasion and Angelica
survive the evils that are set in motion
against them?
Chapter One
Nicole Swaggart sat straight-faced in the
recreational room at Whispering Pines Mental Institution. With her back turned
away from the other residents, she flipped through the pages of a Louisiana, Christian
Magazine. A picture and article about the McCoy’s slapped her in the face. Her
hands began to tremble, and eyes
twitched, as she read about the couple who were responsible for her arrest. Revenge
started building in her heart against
them.
The judge sentenced her to five years in prison,
but after several doctors testified that she was mentally insane, she was
ordered to be placed in a mental
institution where she could receive help and serve out the remainder of her
time. Because of her last daring escape where she took down two armed guards at
Forest Oak Mental facility, the judged ordered her to be transferred to Whispering Pines, a maximum security mental institution
in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
A photograph of the happy couple that ruined her
life, posing with their two kids, made her want to puke. Visions of her standing
next to Jasion, holding their three-year-old daughter, while their five-year-old son stood in front of them made
her envy Angelica. “This is supposed to be my life. My family,” she whispered
in anger. Jealousy, hate, and rage filled
her heart like a flood. Ripping the page out the magazine, Nicole balled the
article up and tossed it on the floor in front of her.
With eyes as dark as
night, she stared out of the window, replaying the events that led her
to be locked up for five years. A place,
she thought, was filled with weirdo's. In
her mind, she believed that she was above such a
place. Retaliation surged through her veins as she vowed to get even. “Jasion and Fayth Angelica or whoever she wants
to be called. Will regret the day they
ever laid eyes on me.” Clothed in white pajamas, she wrapped her arms around
herself, rocking back and forth.
“My serving five years in this dump will be up in a
month. I have to come up with a plan and fast to get my family back from that man
stealer. Jasion will see that he made a
mistake in marrying her.”
Nicole broke from her trance, stood from her seat,
and retrieved the article that she had balled up earlier. She headed to her
room, ignoring the delusional conversations from some of the overly medicated
residents. Slamming the door behind her, she
threw her body on the bed. After a moment
of wallowing in self-pity, she pressed out the articled balled up in her hand.
Since the facility did not allow them to have sharp objects in the room, Nicole
took her hand and methodically tore Angelica’s head out of the family photo and
placed the remaining article of Jasion and
their kids in her pocket.
“You won the
first round, Angelica. But Jasion is mine,
now and forever.” She sat on the edge of
the bed, combing her long, straight black mane with her fingers. Fantasying
about getting Angelica out of the way so that she, Jasion, and the kids could be a family was going to take some doing.
“What man can resist me?” She made seductive faces in the dresser mirror in
front of her. “We could have had it all if that reporter had stayed out of the
way. No worries though, I got something for her. Any woman who steals my man
will live to regret it. And Angelica, in just a few days, you will be sorry
that you ever came between the man I love and me.”
A knock at the door startled Nicole. She rushed to
remove the pieces of the torn article from her bed and hid them in a drawer. If
the charged nurse noticed any strange behavior in her, the court might revoke her release date. So, for now,
Nicole had to act as sane as possible. She had been a model patient, except for
one incident, which she had been provoked.
An inmate began bullying her, which she tried to walk away until she was jumped from behind and had to defend herself. Once
the other residents witnessed her taking down the oversized woman, they understood
to stay out of her way.
She cleared her throat, “Come in,” she sang with
sweetness in her voice.
“Good morning Miss. Swaggart. Don’t you look
amazing,” Dr. Palmer pronounced, as she entered the room. “You are a perfect example for the other female inmates here at
Whispering Pines.”
“Good morning and thank you, Dr. Palmer, for your kind words.” Nicole would say anything as
long as it helped her to get out of this nut house. If she stayed there a
moment longer, she just might start acting out like the others.
“It’s true. You have been a model patient. The
incident that you were in when you first arrived
five years ago wasn’t your fault. And the courts removed it from your record,
stating that it was self-defense.”
Nicole smiled, trying to say as little as possible.
Dr. Palmer took a seat in the chair beside Nicole’s
bed. “Please. Sit.” Her hand motioned toward
the bed. “And let’s discuss your release date and who will be picking you up.”
The good news of getting out of that place was like
music to Nicole’s ears. She dropped her butt so fast on that bed as if it had been packed with bricks. The thought of getting
closer to freedom and sweet, glorious revenge
made her insides leaped with joy.
“Nicole, the judge and I are happy with the progress
you have made here. We feel confident releasing you back into society.” Dr. Palmer
patted Nicole on the knee like she was some prized project.
“I realized that I had some unresolved issues with
anger that I had never dealt with. And
Whispering Pines staff has taught me how to keep my emotions intact without
hurting myself or others.” Nicole would say the sky was green if that was what
they wanted to hear.
“That’s good
to hear, dear.” Dr. Palmer gave her a
satisfied smile. “Sister Calhoun told me that you have been attending Bible
study and church every week since you’ve been here.”
“Oh yes. I don’t think I could have made it without
the Lord.” Nicole knew the drill. Get jailhouse religion and find favor with
the judge and the facility staff. Her dating Jasion
taught her how church folks act. Quote a
few scriptures and people would consider you a Bible scholar.
“The staff and I are so proud of you. We just hope
many of the other women will follow in your footsteps.” Dr. Palmer’s chest
stuck out like a proud mother.
“Thank you,” she tried hard sounding sincere.
If only they knew what I am really thinking and plotting.
“Nicole. Who
will be picking you up on Friday?”
“My mother.”
Dr. Palmer scribbled on Nicole’s release papers,
“Great. I know she is proud of the progress you have made.”
Nicole knew her mother could care less about her
well-being. She just needed this one last favor from her mother to continue her
charade until she is off Whispering Pines property. Then, they all can eat her
dust as she traveled back to Port City, Louisiana, like a ball of lightning to rain
fire down on Jasion and Angelica’s lives.
