Читать книгу Betrayal In Blood - Michael Benson - Страница 29

CHAPTER 22

Something in Mind

Sometime during the first half of July, a cocaine dealer named Donny “Rocky” Sands (pseudonym) visited the Bryant home and spoke with Kevin. According to Rocky, who apparently knew Cyril, Kevin tried to hire him to kill Tabatha.

Rocky refused; he wasn’t a killer. But, Rocky said, he was willing to help.

“I could plant cocaine in her car and arrange for her to be arrested,” Rocky suggested.

Kevin liked the idea. With a cocaine arrest on her record, Tabatha would be discredited in future divorce proceedings.

But Rocky’s plan never came to fruition.

Sometime during that same time period, either just before or just after the visit from Rocky, Kevin received a visit from Tim Hunter (pseudonym) and Jennifer Larch (pseudonym). He was probably a pimp and she a prostitute. According to Jennifer, she was an “escort” and her boyfriend a “bouncer.”

According to Jennifer, Kevin was a client. They’d met at group coke-and-sex scenes in local motels. She knew Kevin had a bad heart and had had a couple of open-heart surgeries. She’d seen the scars on his chest to prove it. Jennifer was impressed by how little Kevin was—just five foot two tops. One time early that summer, Jennifer was doing an outcall at Kevin’s office. He discussed with her, as he had done with Rocky, his plans to end violently his marital woes. She didn’t get it at first. Kevin, Jennifer said, told her he’d pay $500 up front for the purchase of a good piece, plus $4,500 later “when the job was done.” She asked him if he was planning to kill his wife. He said he was.

The discussion had taken place in Kevin’s office. While Kevin was making his pitch, he had gestured to the picture of his wife on the wall, the one he said needed taking care of. Jennifer took note of the woman in the photo, a pretty blonde. Jennifer didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about unloved wives—it was bad for business—but she focused on this unloved wife for a moment. This face registered: the wife whose sickly husband wanted to bump her off. Jennifer liked the cute blond woman’s face. She thought that Kevin’s wife looked like a nice girl.

Kevin, of course, had wanted sex, but Jennifer was no longer in the mood to become intimate with Kevin. She was creeped out by his deadly business proposition. Later, while Jennifer took a walk, Kevin had repeated his offer to the bouncer Tim. Jennifer’s boyfriend said sure, he’d buy a nice piece. Tim grabbed the $500; then he grabbed Jennifer. They split, never looking back. Kevin was $500 lighter and he hadn’t even gotten his rocks off. Did he think he was all set, that the deal was done?