Between the Lines – Part Four

Recap:

“You deserve this. Goodbye Devin Lee Cummings.” Two more pushes and he’d have been in the water… but I noticed something. As I went to unbutton his shirt, I was interrupted.

“Stop! Police!”

I froze.

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“I’ve got a pulse, get me paramedics!” one of the officers yelled.

“Kim Cummings,” a male officer grabbed my arms, put them behind my back, and placed the cuffs on me. I was still squatted in the position they had found me in.

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Kia Kirk and attempted murder of Devin Cummings. You have the right to remain silent…” His voice faded out and everything became a blur as he read me my rights.

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Two years later

Every day I replay the actions that caused me to be where I am today. As the handcuffs were slapped on my wrists, my only regrets were not making sure Devin was dead and being caught. Now here I am, two years later and my biggest regret is letting Kamia down. Betrayed and broken, I still had a child to think of. Another life to care for. Back then, I assumed I’d eventually get caught I just didn’t think it’d be while in the act. I was charged with second degree murder and attempted murder. I knew from my prior work as a paralegal that these charges combined could come to at least 30 years.

I was so out of touch with reality after catching Devin and Kia, I hadn’t realized that each move I’d made was being tracked. The 911 operator heard my gun go off that night and dispatched officers out to the location. By that time, I was gone. After killing Kia and leaving her car to be found, I was living on borrowed time. Once the police found her car and were made aware of the events that transpired the day before, they began an investigation. Starting with the two McDonald’s employees who worked the graveyard shift. They’d given different descriptions of the female suspect that had been with Kia. Next, instead of tracking me down and coming straight for me… they went to Devin. Thinking he’d possibly have been in on her sudden disappearance. When he proved his innocence, he’d remember the location tracker on our phones. It had slipped my mind that I was still sharing my location with him, so he’d literally saw my every move. That’s how he knew I was at my mother’s house and how he knew Kia and I were both in the same area where her car was found. He wasn’t just fucking my sister, he loved her and the thought of losing me and her, he figured he needed to save at least one of us. So, he worked with the police to set me up, hoping I would lead them to where she was. What they didn’t know was that I had already sent her to her maker.

The day he met me at the lake was supposed to be the day Kia was found, alive. For me, it was supposed to be the day I gave Devin what he deserved. Clearly none of it had gone as planned.

Images flash

“You deserve this. Goodbye Devin Lee Cumming.” Two more pushes and he’d have been in the water… but I noticed something. As I went to unbutton his shirt, I was interrupted.

Devin was wired. The goal was to lead the cops to me, which he did but nearly got himself killed in the process. The cops weren’t there quick enough because they couldn’t park near the lake without me noticing, so they hid a few streets over. They said after the blow he took to the head he should have died. Truthfully, I know they were secretly praying he would just so they could add on more charges. Not that I could serve anything more, I was in here for life.

Images Flash

It was the day of my trial; my attorney and I had spent months preparing and he’d been honest about what I was looking at serving. He’d also informed me prior to my court date that if recovered, they’d ask Devin to testify against me. Fortunately for me, he’d suffered severe brain damage resulting in him slipping into a coma for months, memory loss, and other brain injuries. While I was behind bars for his injuries, his parents who had been by his side every day, looked to sue the police department because their plan didn’t go as it should have and left their son nearly lifeless.

Walking into the courtroom, my stomach dropped. Not because Devin and his parents were there but because he was in a wheelchair. My attorney hadn’t mentioned anything about this and as I looked at him, I realized that while he couldn’t testify against me the mere fact he was in a wheelchair, gave them leverage. I was fucked.

The male judge spoke of Devin’s infidelity as though it was an honest mistake, claiming that it’ll never justify what I did. He spoke as if I was beneath him and his face showed disgust while the murder of my sister was brought to light. They had found Kia’s body at the bottom of the lake.

I’ve called Kamia numerous times throughout the years, she never answered. Eventually I called so often that the last time I tried, her number was no longer in service. My mother took over when I got arrested and while she visits, I might as well be dead to Kamia.

I often wonder if it was worth it…could I have moved on and started over after the ultimate betrayal? Back then, I didn’t see how. My world came crashing down within a matter of days. But at least I still had my child and freedom. It feels as though there’s nothing left to live for. I’m two years into my sentence and I break a little more every day. I contemplate suicide and pray that one of the women I’m locked up with will find a reason to take me out. Some days I’m angry that Devin lived. Hell, I’m thrown under the prison while he lives? I rarely miss who him and Kia turned out to be, just who they once were, before I uncovered the truth.

My thoughts are interrupted.

“Kirk!” The guard unlocks my cell.

“You’ve got a visitor.”

I guess my mother was coming today instead of Saturday. As we approached the visiting area, I saw a set of eyes I hadn’t seen in years…

“Kamia.” I cried.