Fourth Of July **** Chapter Sixty-Six

My marriage became a game of truth or dare, I paraded his ring and dared a bitch to look at that obsessive compulsive muthafucka. He remained the seemingly caring man but his dark side still existed. Flawless in every aspect, he could charm his foe and they would remain unaware of danger. Had I seen him kill? No.

I would eerily walk through the large home in the Kimonos he suggested I flaunt, and I hadn't understood his aim when he hired the sexy 29 year old tutor, he was an educator by day and an angel by night. I would refuse his eye contact, Trenton couldn't have possibly known how effective Chad's gaze was. I was a married woman though and I loved my husband.

Why had his secrets taunted me as they had? I prayed my theory was wrong, he hadn't fed my children the apples had he!? I thought back on Ryella and the twins, they had loved him. I had known why Deuce hadn't cared for the apples, I hated the sight of them when I carried him but why hadn't he fed them to TJ2? I hadn't understood, was this a sick revenge plot? He just wouldn't talk, I demanded him to talk, I could not stay unless he had! I had known Twan and Tobias would come to Ethel and stay during the summer, but what happened on July 4th, 1995? He had mentioned it in a drunken slur and said I knew. Maybe I had. His ability to change his character was disturbing, "Deny me sex if Im inebriated," he said. My heart fluttered as I redirected my attention toward him without saying a word. "Oh, I mean I won't pull out," he said. I could tell he was relieved of any investigative duties, he began to live on the wild side as if his career had hindered him.

When harvest time rolled around we began to visit the Orchard more frequently and since we were closer it wouldn't take as long to get to Ethel. I was trying to be the model wife, the business was successful and he said if it hadn't been for me it couldn't have been as prosperous. "U know Haze, just like apples, u are supposed to be fruitful and multiply" he said looking at the row.

I replied, "Another baby will kill me."

"Trees wither everyday," he said before putting his arm around my shoulder, and leading me to the candy apple stand he was building for Ryella. I welcomed his warm embrace. He sent me to retrieve the credit card statements for the last six months and fax them to Charles Schwab for his portfolio. I couldn't help but notice a towing charge billed the night he went to Virginia from Ten Tows Down in Ethel, I instantly thought back to Tobias' car and wondered where Lawrence had taken the body. I refused to let that nigga make me crazy. Ryella walked in and startled me, she anticipated her birthday and spoke of a skating rink party. I dismissed her while trying to collect my thoughts but noticed an apple in her hand. I lost it, I had told her to leave the apples alone! I slapped her hand and the apple hit the wall and knocked down a military picture of his Grandfather that hang in the office. The old metal frame broke in 3 pieces and the glass shattered in half. With intentions to drive quickly to get a frame to replace it, I picked it up but when I did the article slid from behind.

Ethel teenager missing, last known whereabouts were at Oakhill Lake. It was dated July 6, 1995.

14 year old LaTrena Myers was last seen on July 4 around 5 p.m. at Oakhill Lake, officials say that her brother Trenton Carter notified police of her disappearance, 'she was walking behind me and suddenly disappeared, I thought she had fallen into the lake.' Latrena suffers from epilepsy and various mental health conditions. Law enforcement is asking for participation in finding the East Feliciana High School student and if anyone knows of her whereabouts we urge u to contact---

A number 11 day.

I had felt Trenton's shadow cover me when he came to the door, Ryella had ran and said I'd hit her, he come to defend her but saw me with the article. "Where'd u get that?" he asked with a distorted face. I explained the apple hit the frame, it fell and the article fell out. He began to yell at me, "JUST GET OUT! GET OUT NOW! RYELLA, GO PLAY!" He yelled for me to get out but was closing and locking the door. I was somewhat frightened because what I had just read hadn't coincided with what he had told me about Trena. He walked toward me and began apologizing for yelling. I backed up against the wall, he pressed his body against mine and demanded I look at him with his hand around my neck. He could see tears welling in my eyes, and I could feel his erection down his leg. When the tears fell he told me to dry my face. I just wanted him to talk to me! His secrets were no worse than mine! He had known them! "Sometimes we need our secrets known, but can't tell them. That's what makes them secrets. Every secret eventually gets told, but never by the person it belongs to."

I was trembling, his handsome face was so haunting. He rubbed my belly and for some reason I began to weep, I knew he wanted to impregnate me again! I had a very sick daughter, I could not go through another pregnancy! I had already begun to research for Tubal Ligation near me, but what I would do online was limited. I was not a fucking apple tree! I could hear Deuce cursing at Ryella, he had the filthiest mouth and Trenton thought it was funny. He finally released his grip around my neck, I could tell my fear turned him on. He kissed his handprint on my throat and told me to fix my dress. I obeyed, but I wouldn't for long, and I was tired of fucking dresses!

Trenton was calculating, I had known, but I waited for alone time at the Orchard I wanted to see inside of the vault. The suspense was killing me, I wanted to see her. I had known it had all began to make sense. What role had Trenton played I wondered! I had known Twan and Tobias returned home after Trena's disappearance, but Trenton stayed at the Orchard. His grandfather died on July 4, 1995 the same day he told police she disappeared. That girl was inside of the vault and she deserved a proper burial, that's just all it was to it, but it wasn't my business. I wondered if Trenton really knew I had been inside, if he had then he didn't want his sister buried.

Days went by after I'd seen the article, he watched me like a hawk watching a damn chicken. Ryella was still mad and it pissed me off because they would whisper. After a week of tutoring I decided to let them go to Mississippi for Nakia's daughter's birthday party, Trenton and I needed to be alone. I was puzzled, did he know if so who the fuck had I married? I found myself grieving my Daddy at times, I remembered I had once loved him, I hadn't known what he was doing to me and Kerri was wrong! I loved him! People could change, he deserved life in prison and a chance for salvation, not to be gunned down! What Trenton made me realize was people will go great measures to protect people they love, and I loved my Daddy. He would be so angry when I would say it. My babies had no grandparents!

"Who is in the vault Trenton!"

"Who have u been talking to? Did Antwan tell u that someone was in there? He don't know!"

But I did.

"I saw her Trenton! I SAW A DEAD DECOMPOSED BODY!"

WHO?!

"Your sister! She is in the shed!"

I tried to read him, "Ok, what do u mean, how did u get---"

"I unlocked it! There is a body down there."

He stood up from the bed where he had sat on it's edge and said, "Well, whats the code."

The adverb he had used at the beginning of his statement made me stutter, "I don't remember Trenton, I was just punching numbers and it unlocked."

I knew he didn't believe me, and I saw anger in his eyes instead of grief or relief he knew where his sister was, I had fucked up. "Let's go, I want u to unlock it." That was one day I wished we were in Keithville. We were only about an hour and 45 minutes away from the orchard. I saw him grab a bottle of whiskey and turn it up before tucking it in his back pocket, I knew it would be a long night. We turned on Orchard Lane at 1:15 a.m. Trenton was drunk, and he had experienced a breakdown, I was convinced he didn't know how to get inside by the time we made it. "I saw your letters and became infatuated, I knew u could get inside. I knew it, I was right Baby, I was right. I searched for u forever." He was talking crazy. We drove through the gate and got out. I instantly remembered the car that sat beside the road the night Tobias came and felt I shouldn't trust Trenton. I dismissed the thought because I knew he loved me. After a couple of tries I heard the safe unlock, and watched his demeanor. He had stood in disbelief, the alternate persona is a muthafucka. He had known she was inside and couldn't get her out, he didn't know the code. He said he could only trust a killer. I wanted to know what would happen next, he only closed it back and said he would bury her after saying I could have everything else down there. What hadn't made sense was if he had gone to get help, who helped him? Why was Granddad burying her the day she went missing? I still needed more of the equation, I wished Twan was alive.

I decided to call Pam one evening, Trenton had said he buried his sister and he'd cleaned out the shed.

"Trenton tried to say Twan Tobias and his friends raped that girl. They might have fucked her, u know how young girls are and they were young boys, but Trenton got mad because she liked it and did something to her with a brick, Twan saw the whole thing. He saw that old man throw her in a hole right before he fell dead. That old man loved Trenton and would do anything to protect him. Trenton didn't come back with Tobias and Twan, I thought he was with his mother until she went missing too."

I ended the call without ending it. I had been caught up in a fued between two brothers, how could I have been so stupid. I remember getting into the Cruz, cranking up and taking Interstate 10 to 49 and exiting in Shreveport. My phone had rang, I had thrown it out of the window. I went inside of the bank and withdrew every penny, I had no longer wanted Trenton's money, it was blood on it. I had planned to go back and get my children, I would file for divorce and move to Florida. I knew I could find a job, and survive leaving the past behind. I pulled to a Raceway, began to pump my gas and I heard someone say, "My call dropped, someone has a tracker on their car." I stopped in my tracks. I was afraid to get back in, I stood at a liquor store across the street and watched the car for hours, I had a large amount of money on me, I could have went anywhere but something happened, the voices were coming strong. I had snapped and as people talked to me I just stared at them. Soon I heard a familiar voice, "U know they don't sell yogurt in there, right?"