I remained shrouded by the web of fear, now more for the troubled young man that had just fled the scene. I heard a commotion at the door. One deputy bypassed me, probably seeing Damion fleeing out the back of the house. Another one saw me.
I waved my hands, “She needs help. I think she hit her head. This woman had a heart attack last week. I know she can’t be doing good.”
The female deputy walked up to me. “The ambulance is on the way. Ma’am, are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.” I was still worried about Damion taking off.
I wanted to collapse, so I sat down heavily on the bed and prayed.
I’m not sure how long I waited before two paramedics came through. One walked over to me, but I swatted him away. “I’m fine. She needs your help.”
“Eugeena.”
I looked to find Amos in the doorway followed by Detective Wilkes.
I’d never been more happy to see two people.
Amos reached down and hugged me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Damion took off. I hope they don’t hurt him.”
Detective Wilkes responded, “Damion is fine and in custody.”
“What, you got him that fast?”
Amos answered, “There was backup outside, he wasn’t going to get too far.”
“Well, did you hear anything?” I suddenly remembered my phone.
Amos grinned, “I heard, but you didn’t dial my phone number.”
“What?” I pulled my phone out to see who I had dialed. My mouth fell open. “Detective Wilkes?”
She nodded, “Your call came just as we were looking for Damion anyway.”
“You knew he killed Sondra?”
“No, at least not until your phone call which we heard from one side. I guess I owe you for helping us solve another murder.” Wilkes looked at Amos. “I need to question Damion down at the station. Be sure to get your wife home. We can catch up tomorrow with statements. It’s good your lawyer was able to get Briana released today. Of course, the charges will be dropped.”
Amos nodded, “Sounds good, Wilkes.” He turned to me. “You heard her, let’s get you home, woman. I thank the Lord for watching over you. You don’t seem to know how to avoid trouble.”
I was thankful too. I held onto Amos’s arm until we reached his truck. Then I remembered, “What about my car?”
“Don’t worry. I called Cedric. He and Carmen will get your car back to the house. You best be prepared for your children to get on you.” He sighed, “I guess they will be all over me too since all this started with Briana.”
Once we were down the road, “Why were the cops looking for Damion even though they hadn’t connected him to Sondra?”
“For J.C.’s murder. It seems those two guys had been at each other’s throat since high school. Both have been in and out of prison. Something went down last Saturday at the Black Diamond and Wilkes suspects Damion ended the dispute, fatally.”
“Was Damion caught on the Black Diamond’s cameras?”
Amos nodded, “Yeah, not for the murder. Damion was seen getting into an altercation with J.C. The owner, Mac Porter, had asked him to leave.”
“So Damion left and came back?”
“More like he never left. I believe he sat in the parking lot seething and waited on J.C. to come out.”
“But no one heard or saw the shooting outside?”
“No one has come forward.”
“He had a gun.”
Amos glanced over at me, “You saw a gun? He had it out while you were there?”
“Yeah, I’m thankful to the Lord. For some reason Damion spilled his story to me at least towards the end, then he got agitated again about something.” I thought back. “I wonder if Sondra knew what Damion did? She was there the same night. He mentioned something about her being a snitch.”
Amos shook his head, “It’s possible, but we will never know.”
I frowned, “If it wasn’t that, I think Sondra had something on Theo and probably Damion. He broke into the house, Amos. He had to be there looking for something. I don’t know what Sondra had, maybe it was a photo or a diary. You should let Wilkes know.”
“That makes sense. I was wondering why he was there.”
“He also explained his bond with Charlene. Damion felt responsible for her sister getting shot. The bullets were meant for him. I wonder if J.C. White had anything to do with what happened a decade ago.”
Amos shook his head, “There was a lot of hate traveling around with this group of young people. I hope the remaining classmates find some peace.”
I added, “Especially Briana. I’m so glad she can put all this behind her now.”
Amos smiled, “Thanks to you. She told me earlier that she really appreciated you stepping up and helping her out. I think things are going to be alright. I know they’ve been awkward since we got married, but I’m feeling better now. How about you?”
I grinned back, “Much better. Now maybe we can get back on track with a few things.”
“I hear you, Mrs. Jones.”
I threw my head back and laughed.
It felt so good to laugh.
Thank you, Lord!