After RJ finished reading his brother Hank's letters, there was an important question he had that remained unanswered. Although the letters provided an insight into Hank's feelings toward RJ, what the letters didn't reveal were clues as to why Hank never sent the letters to his younger brother. RJ was hoping that he would uncover the truth in the letters, but he had no such luck.As RJ took Hank's handwritten words to heart, he began to feel more adamant about making peace with his older brother. Now that RJ read Hank's long lost letters, he decided he would bide his time in locating the gunman who shot Hank and focus all his strength and attention to his older brother's recovery. RJ paused and pondered about Hank and sighed.
Nora was just as puzzled and yet intrigued as to why Hank would withhold the letters he had written to RJ for so long. She later would offer RJ her support, comfort and company in his time of sorrow and despair. The next day the two of them would go and visit Rachel Gannon at Statesville Prison. When RJ and Nora broke the news to Rachel, she became inconsolable. Rachel couldn't believe that her father was a victim of gun violence. After she hugged RJ and Nora, Rachel returned to her cell where she cried herself to sleep.
Nora and RJ were mad that they were unable to improve the crisis at hand. The only thing the two of them could do was pray. It wasn't long before another unpredictable week comes to an end in Llanview.
In the next week that followed, the gunman who shot Hank remains at large despite numerous leads in the case. Since District Attorney Gannon is hospitalized and A.D.A. Tea Delgado is missing and presumed dead, deputy prosecutor Jared Hall assumed control of Hank's workload until further notice. The LPD was extremely busy with a multitude of investigations----- including tracking the source of the police leak, but so far, Llanview's finest were unsuccessful in their efforts.
RJ continued to visit Hank on a daily basis and check on his health which remained unchanged. RJ prayed to God to give him a second chance to make amends with his older brother. He couldn't bare the thought of Hank dying, since their last chat ended on a negative note.
Later that day, RJ met up with Sophia at the pool tournament. The moment they worked for had finally arrived and RJ and Sophia were ready to compete in the competition.
"Tonight's the night, RJ. Are you ready to do this or what?" Asked Sophia in a confident voice.
"Damn skippy. I live for this stuff." Answered RJ.
"So do I. I thrive on events like this. By the way, I'm glad you're doing all right considering what you gone through and all."
"I appreciate your concern, Sophia. Right now my mind is on this high stakes pool game."
"Well your mind is definitely in the right place."
"Naturally. Before I get my feet wet in this contest, I want the lowdown on all the contestants. I want to know who we're up against."
"I have been going to these tournaments for awhile now and I'm familiar with some of the players here, with the exception of a few new faces. You see those two guys right there?" Sophia points to the two men having a drink. "The man with the cowboy hat is Jaws MacGraw. From what I heard, the guy eats, sleeps and breathes pool. The guy with the rugged beard and the gold tooth is Stingray. When he gets a pool stick in his hand, it becomes a deadly weapon. Over there to the left of them is the clean cut and clean-shaven man named Cannonball or C-Ball. Expect the unexpected with him. So that's the top three players you have to go through." Explained Sophia.
"Well Sophia it's going to take a lot more than colorful names to defeat an untested team like us."
"RJ, I have a feeling that in a sea of poolsharks, we'll come out on top. Let's get it on!"
Sophia and RJ watch and study the competition until the time nears for them to take their turn. The two of them manage to be victorious against their opponents, but the triumphs seem way too good to be true. It isn't long before RJ and Sophia make it into the finals where they win the grand prize. The triumphant duo is delighted to have the big cash prize of a half a million dollars. Little did RJ know that the victory was going to be short lived. Trouble was just around the corner.
RJ and Sophia make their way into his Sonota and drive away from the venue. High on their winnings, RJ and Sophia start a friendly chat.
"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." Smiled Sophia.
"Not that I'm complaining, but that contest didn't seem all that challenging. Those hustlers you spoke about were underrated."
RJ knew something was up with the competition, but he couldn't figure it out.
"Who cares! The important thing is we won. I never had this much money in my life. I'm buying me a makeover."
"With that money you have, you can buy yourself a beauty salon and a clothing store."
"Ain't it grand?" Sophia kisses RJ on the cheek. "This is the type of stuff they base movies about."
"Don't forget TV shows and novels." Added RJ.
"I got a little lost in the moment. This drive is bananas." Remarked Sophia.
RJ and Sophia were enjoying the drive and the day, but their indulgence was interrupted when they saw the red and blue lights behind them. RJ pulled the car to the right and got his license and registration ready for the officer to see.
"Be cool, Sophia. I have everything covered."
"I'm not worried. It's just a traffic stop." Sighed Sophia.
The cop walks up to the car and asks the two of them to step out, so he could search them. RJ and Sophia put their hands against the hood of the cruiser and the cop proceeds to remove their IDs and money. Another officer gets out of the car and goes searching the Sonota and shuts the door of the vehicle. Puzzled by what's going on, RJ questions the officer.
"What's the meaning of this? We didn't do nothing."
"We've been having trouble with car thieves and drug couriers. The car you're driving matches the vehicle we're looking for."
"I bought that car. I was obeying the speed limit......"
The officer decks RJ and he falls to the ground while an appalled Sophia looks on. The officer then looks at RJ and says......"I didn't ask for an explanation or backtalk. You interfere with my job again, I'll run you in. My partner will be taking your vehicle and I'll take your money since we received a report regarding a robbery." The officer walks back to his cruiser. "You two just have a nice night."
The officer drives off in his cruiser with the other cop following behind in the Sonota.
RJ and Sophia are in total disbelief over the whole event.
"I don't believe what just happened." Sophia said with a shocked expression on her face.
"Believe it. Who would've thought the night would've went like this."
RJ knew deep down there was more to this stop than meets the eye. Sophia was a bit uncomfortable by the whole experience.
"Are you alright, RJ?" Sophia said as was she helping RJ up.
"Aside from the punch from the pig, no." RJ said as he got up from the ground and dusted himself off.
Sophia was still nervous around RJ. She knew RJ would in time piece this all together like a puzzle, and that thought scared her. For the time being, RJ was consumed by rage and determined to get to the bottom of this whole fiasco. What he would discover would be more than what he bargained for.
To Be Continued
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