The Robinsons

Chapter 40

"You got some nerve showing up here after what you did!" Trice walked onto her mother's porch.

"I'm trying to figure out what's going on." Brent stood confused.

"You stole my money and I'm calling the police."

"Police? For what? I didn't steal anything." He shrugged. "What money are you talking about?"

"The money from the house! You wiped our fucking account!"

"Baby, I promise I didn't take any of that money."

"Then who took it?" She questioned. "It was taken in Tennessee and last I check, you're the only one that I know that lives there. What the hell?" She yelled.

"When did this happen? I had no clue. I didn't touch that money."

"Well somebody has that damn money!"

"Let me call the bank and see what's going on." He pulled his phone out and leaned on the bannister.

"I just don't understand. I didn't touch that money and if you didn't, who the hell did it?"

For hours, Brent and LaTrice sat on the porch for hours talking with the bank to resolve their money issue.

Brent was getting ready to leave when he finally got off the phone. "How about you come live with me?"

"In Nashville?" She asked.

"Yes. I don't want you going through stuff here with no home. We're gonna get the money back and move into a beautiful home. We'll get to the bottom of this, but I want you with me." He explained, kneeling before her.

"Brent," LaTrice let out a sigh, "I can't keep doing this with you. Either we're gonna be together or not. I can't be going back and forth to Nashville like this. Our son needs to be stable."

"He will be stable in Nashville with both of his parents."

"I'm serious. I'm not going out there just the be in more drama with Kendra or whoever else. If you want to be with me then you need to man up and make some serious decisions."

"Trice, that's what I'm trying to do. I want you and Brice to be there with me. We can finally be that family that you and I both wanted for each other." He gently held her hand.

"I'm willing to be that. Brice does need to be with both of his parents in home. I just want to get to the bottom of who took our damn money."

"Me too. I'm definitely gonna be on that." Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Let me take this, it's Kayla."

He stepped away and Shirley came out the house with her purse on her shoulder. She took one look at Brent.

"Do I need to call the police?" She asked.

"No, mama. We're working something out. He didn't take that money, but we're gonna find out who did."

"Okay, Brice is still inside watching tv. He'll be running out here in a moment, looking for you."

"Hi, Ms. Shirley." Brent said, he'd just ended his call.

"Hello, Brent." Shirley walked straight to her car without saying another word.

"Can I get y'all stuff?" Brent asked.

"You're serious?" She asked.

"I'm not playing games. I want this. I wasn't us."

A slight smile appeared on her face. "The first thing we're gonna do when we get to Nashville is see about this money." LaTrice said.

A few days later, the three of them were back in Nashville and it was an unpleasant visit to the bank.

"Mr. Hamilton, we rolled back our security cameras and found who made that transaction." The banking associate told them as they patiently sat in his office.

Another man, wearing an all black suit walked in with a laptop in his hand and sat it on the desk.

The associate opened the laptop, facing the screen to Brent and LaTrice and the video was already up.

"Do you know this young lady?" He asked Brent.

"Are you kidding me?" LaTrice stared at the face on the screen. "How could she have any access to our account?" She looked to Brent for a response, but he stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Kayla?" He mumbled.

"Yes, it's Kayla! Your own damn daughter. What the hell Brent?"

"This has to be a mistake. That can't be her. My daughter wouldn't steal my money. How on earth did she get access to it or even know about it."

"First of all, that's my damn money. It was my house. Secondly, that's clearly Kayla thieving ass on that screen."

Brent was speechless that his oldest daughter is this one who stole all the money out the account.

"Sir, what legal actions can be done as of now because there's no way she's gonna get away with this."

Brent stared at her for a moment. "Let's not just jump to conclusions, let me cal her first and see what this is about."

"What this is about?" Trice tilted her head to the side, glaring at him. "This is about your daughter stealing my money. It's not like it was thirty dollars, or a hundred, no. That's a lot of damn money. Way too much for a twenty-year-old."

"Like I said, let me call her." He stood up to walk out the office and LaTrice stood after him.

"Ms. Robinson? If you guys need anything else, please fell free to give me a call." He gave her his business card.

"Thank you. I will." She took the card from his hands and followed Brent out the office.

Walking outside, Brent headed for the car with his phone to his ear. "She's not answering."

"Okay, we can go pick up Brice. I don't want him to get in Briana's way too much." LaTrice said, referring to Brent's second daughter who is eighteen years old. "But you need to call Kayla or find her or whatever before I have her arrested."

Brent called Kayla several more times and left voicemails but there was no response.

After picking up Brice and going to Brent's house, LaTrice stayed on Brent about getting in touch with Kayla and they argued about it all night.

The following morning, LaTrice left the house early and was gone for hours. She came back just before six in the evening.

About three that morning, Brent got a call from Kendra. He ignored the first call but answered the second one.

"Hello?" He hated to be answering the phone for his ex-wife with LaTrice next to him asleep.

"Brent, we have a really serious situation going on right now." Kendra's tone made him alert and concern.

"What's going on? The kids okay?" He asked, sitting up, causing LaTrice to wake up but she didn't move.

"Kayla was arrested." She said as if she were crying.