The reckoning, p.13
The Reckoning, page 13
“Me too, Mr. P.,” Philyaw said.
“He’s really a nice guy,” Lamar’s dad said after Philyaw left.
Lamar headed back to his room to finish downloading. When he checked his computer, there was a new email. But he couldn’t identify who it was from. He didn’t recognize the email address and there was no subject line. At first, he thought it was a marketing ploy or someone trying to pull a scam. His parents always cautioned him about inappropriate emails. Just as he started to delete it, something told him not to, that he should open it. When he did, he saw in all bold, capital letters the words IMPORTANT AND CONFIDENTIAL.
Below it was a link. Again, Lamar thought it might be a scheme to hack into his computer. But again, he got the feeling that he should click on it. The link was to a video. After it opened, he watched it closely. Two cars were parked about five yards apart on the side of a highway. Two men stood between the cars. They seemed to be arguing. The more they argued, the angrier each seemed to get.
One of the cars seemed familiar to Lamar. It looked like Gramps’s old blue car. Lamar enlarged the image. One of the men looks like Gramps, he thought. Suddenly, the other man, an elderly White man, rushed to his car and pulled something from it. He rushed back to the elderly Black man and pointed the object at him. Three popping sounds followed. The Black man fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Lamar was so shocked, he stumbled over his chair.
Did I just see Gramps get killed?
“DAD! DAD! COME HERE! COME HERE! YOU GOT TO SEE THIS. HURRY UP!”
Lamar ran to the door of his room, yelling for his father.
“Dad, you got to see this!” he said when his father entered the room. “YOU GOT TO!”
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Lamar’s dad asked.
“Watch this,” Lamar answered, and started the video. He moved to the beginning.
“What is this?” his father said.
“Just watch,” Lamar told him.
After the shooting, the White man holding the gun looked at the Black man and then got into his car and remained there. Two sheriff’s deputies drove up. One bent over the Black man on the ground. He stood up again and walked to the car where the other deputy stood talking to the White man who had fired the gun. Then he walked over to the blue car. After looking inside, he pulled a tire iron from the back seat and placed it on the ground next to the Black man. The second deputy moved quickly to the patrol car. It looked as if he was calling in a report.
“I’ll be damned!” Lamar’s father yelled. “Where did you get this?”
“I don’t know, Dad. It was a link in an email someone sent. But I can’t tell who sent it.”
“This is what we’ve been looking for! This is the evidence that we need to show that Papa was murdered and there was a cover-up! You don’t know who sent it?!”
“I really don’t.”
“There was no name or nothing?”
“No. I don’t even recognize the email address. I don’t know who sent it.”
“Bring that laptop, Lamar. We have to take it to Attorney Smith. We have to show it to him. This video can change everything. I mean everything!”
“Shouldn’t we let Mom and Kyra know?” Lamar asked as he and his father raced out of the room.
“You can phone them on the way to the motel and tell them to meet us there. I’m calling Mr. Smith now. Thank God. Thank God! Thank God!”
When Lamar and his father pulled into the driveway of the Morton Motel, they saw Ms. Phillips’s car. She and Kyra had beaten them there.
“I can’t wait to see this video,” Lamar’s mom greeted them. “I know this is God’s hand at work.”
“You don’t know who sent it, Lamar?” Kyra asked.
“No, Kyra, I don’t. I wish I knew.”
“This is a miracle, I tell you!” Lamar’s mom declared. “This is a miracle.”
Attorney Smith greeted the Phillipses at the door. He had been staying at a motel room in Morton so he could be more accessible. The family hurried inside the room with Lamar clutching his laptop underneath his arm.
“What’s the great news?” Attorney Smith inquired.
“We have something that just might be the answer to our prayers,” Lamar’s father told him. “Show the video to him, Lamar!”
Lamar placed his laptop on the desk near the bed.
“Hurry up and open it,” Kyra insisted.
“I’m going as fast as I can, Kyra.”
“He’ll get there,” their mother told her daughter. “Show some patience, Kyra.”
“That boy is so slow,” Kyra added, getting in the last word.
Lamar ignored her and started the video. When it began to play, they all moved in even closer. No one said a word until the gun was fired. When the video ended, Lamar’s mom had already moved away, sobbing.
“That was Gramps,” Kyra declared. “That was him, and Rutherford Thigpen just shot him. It was an execution!”
“Everyone’s sure that was Mr. Phillips?” Mr. Smith questioned.
“That’s him, all right,” Lamar’s father declared.
“And did you see what those deputies did? They went to Gramps’s car, got that tire iron and placed it next to him.” Kyra started pacing.
“This is big. Real big!” Mr. Smith told the Phillipses. “If this video is authentic, it will be like dropping a bomb in the middle of town. Not only is there murder, but there is a cover-up by those deputies. And all of it is on this video.”
For a while, no one said a word.
“Gramps didn’t do anything wrong!” Kyra said, finally breaking the silence. “They just lied on him!”
“Lamar, are you sure you don’t know who sent the email?” Attorney Smith asked.
“No, Mr. Smith. I don’t. There’s no name in the email. I don’t recognize the email address.”
Lamar’s mom turned away as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Why was it sent to you?” she asked her son. “Why would someone send it to you?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” Lamar answered. “I don’t have any idea.”
“Whoever sent it had to be there when it happened. They had to have witnessed the whole thing.”
“Maybe so, Ms. Phillips,” Attorney Smith said. Now he was pacing like Kyra.
“Or maybe someone gave the video to whoever sent it,” he suggested. “We have to get this video to someone we can trust,” he said, turning to Lamar. “If we take it to the prosecutor, or even to the police here in Morton, there is no telling what they will do with it, or what they will say about it. We need someone on our side. Or, at best, someone who is neutral. If there’s someone in the media we can trust, they can probably help find out who sent the video and let us know whether it’s authentic.”
“What about Drayton Wilkerson, the reporter for WKCU News 6?” Lamar offered. “He’s been covering the protests and everything. I’ve talked to him a few times. He gave me his business card.”
“I think his coverage has been fair, considering it’s here in this state,” Kyra interjected. Coming from her, that was an endorsement.
“Yes, he has been fair,” Lamar’s dad added.
“Let’s give Wilkerson a call,” Attorney Smith said.
Lamar pulled the business card from his back pocket and dialed the number on the card.
“Hello,” a voice answered.
“Mr. Wilkerson, this is Lamar Phillips. You know, the kid from Morton with the video camcorder. We got something important—”
Before Lamar could finish, Mr. Smith had taken the phone from him.
“Mr. Wilkerson, I’m Attorney Henry L. Smith. I think we’ve seen each other a few times during the last week. As you know, I represent the Phillips family. Listen, we have something extremely important to share, and we want to give you the scoop on it. I can’t tell you over the phone. But I can assure you it could be a bombshell…. When will you come to Morton again…. You’re already here?…We’re at the Morton Motel, room 312…. All right. See you soon.”
After ending the call, Mr. Smith gave the cell phone back to Lamar. “I’m sorry, Lamar. But I wanted to make sure Wilkerson understood what we have here. He’s arriving in ten minutes.”
When there was a knock at the door, everyone knew it was Drayton Wilkerson and Victor. Drayton nodded to everyone, but Lamar received a smile from him. Lamar smiled back.
“Come in,” Attorney Smith welcomed him. “Thank you for coming. We have something to show you that I think you’ll find very, very interesting. Lamar, can you please show him what we have?”
Lamar played the video for Drayton, who couldn’t believe what he had just seen.
“Where did you get this?!” he asked, his mouth open.
“Someone sent it to Lamar,” Mr. Smith told him. “Anonymously.”
“Has it been verified?”
“That’s why we called you. You can help determine that. We believe it is authentic and that it shows what really happened between Mr. Phillips and Mr. Thigpen.”
Drayton turned to Lamar. “You don’t have an idea who sent it, Lamar?”
“No! No!”
“Perhaps you can look into it, Mr. Wilkerson,” Attorney Smith told the reporter. “If it’s authentic, will your station run it? We would rather make it public that way before turning it over to the authorities.”
“You don’t trust them?” Drayton asked.
“No, Mr. Wilkerson, we don’t. Would you if you were us?”
Drayton Wilkerson hesitated for a long moment, pondering the question. He looked at Victor, who just shrugged, then turned to Mr. Smith again.
“I understand,” he answered. “I understand. Lamar, can you forward the email to me? My email address is on the back of the card I gave you. You still have it?”
“Yeah,” Lamar answered. He quickly forwarded the email to Drayton.
“I thank you all for your trust,” he told the Phillipses and Attorney Smith. “I’m humbled by your faith in me. I assure you I will get on this. Like you, I think this is an authentic video, too. And that means someone out there witnessed the incident. I hope to have news for you soon.”
Drayton smiled at Lamar again. “I think I have you to thank for this scoop, Lamar.”
Lamar smiled back.
“I’ve been checking him out,” Drayton told the others. “He’s ready.”
“But I ain’t a professional like you guys.”
“You will get there. Believe me, you will get there.”
Drayton and Victor left the room, closing the door behind them. Lamar’s mother moved to the motel window and watched them walk back to their car.
“I told y’all we have to have faith,” she said. “You have to have faith!”
“We must keep this video to ourselves for now,” Attorney Smith warned everyone. “We must be sure that everything lines up. So, let’s wait until we hear back from Drayton. We can’t afford a misstep. I’m hoping that with the staff and resources the station has, they’ll be able to find out who sent the video.”
“Whoever sent it must be scared to death,” Lamar’s father said. “They must know what making this video public will do.”
“And if they sent it, that means they must have a conscience,” Lamar’s mom added.
“I wonder if it’s coming on first,” Kyra said to no one in particular.
“I would think so,” her father said. “It’s a big deal! Can’t be anything bigger than this.”
Following another day of protest, the Phillips family sat in their living room, anxiously watching for the ten p.m. news to start. Drayton Wilkerson had kept his word. The video would be shown as a breaking news story.
“I’m nervous,” Lamar’s father admitted.
“You’re not alone,” his wife replied. “I think we all are, but it’s a good nervousness.”
Suddenly, the news theme began.
“This is WKCU News 6 at ten with Andrea Alleman, Grant Bloomberg with the weather and Chad Foxworth with sports,” the announcer said above the blaring music.
“Good evening,” Andrea Alleman welcomed the viewers. “The mayor makes an important decision, a local college receives a major grant, death on the river—these are three of our leading stories tonight. But first, we have a WKCU News 6 exclusive on the ongoing story out of Morton. With more, we turn to Drayton Wilkerson, who has followed the story from the beginning. Drayton.”
“Thank you, Andrea. As you know, we have been covering the killing of Joshua Phillips, the elderly Black man who was shot and killed by Rutherford Thigpen just outside of Morton a few weeks ago. Authorities have not pressed charges in the case because Mr. Thigpen has claimed self-defense and because no witness to the incident has emerged. Well, WKCU News 6 has unearthed a video of the incident that will certainly change everything about this case. The video was sent anonymously to the family of Mr. Joshua Phillips. The family called this reporter yesterday to submit the video to WKCU News 6. After hours of careful examination by our staff and by outside experts, we have determined that the video is authentic. We are still trying to determine who sent it. And we will continue to investigate. I warn you that the video is quite graphic. So, parents, you may want to move young children away from the screen while it plays.”
After the video ended, Drayton spoke again. “As you can see, Mr. Phillips appears to be unarmed when he is shot. The two sheriff’s deputies who investigated the incident appear to be involved in a cover-up. One of them gets a tire iron from Mr. Phillips’s car and places it near his body. There are so many questions that need answers. We will keep you informed as this story continues to unfold. Back to you, Andrea.”
“Drayton, what a development! Congratulations to you for uncovering the truth.”
“Andrea, I must thank the Phillips family for reaching out to me and trusting me to report it. We have a call out to the DA’s office in Morton and are waiting to get their response. We’ll certainly stay on top of this.”
“Thank you, Drayton. That’s some reporting.”
“I’m just doing my job, Andrea. Just doing my job.”
Kyra lowered the volume on the television just as her father’s cell phone rang.
“Drayton did an excellent job, don’t you think?” Attorney Smith asked Lamar’s father on the other end.
“He certainly did,” Lamar’s father answered.
“I’m going to set up an appointment with the district attorney for tomorrow morning,” Attorney Smith advised. “I want you all to meet me at his office. I know they are aware of the video. I want to see what they have to say now. I’d like Kyra and Lamar to go, too. I think it’s more impactful to show up as a family. Can the children skip school?”
“School won’t be a problem. We’ll be there. Oh, and thank you. I think things are starting to turn around.”
“Get a good night’s sleep. All of you. You need it.”
“We will. You have a good night.”
“You ready?” Lamar’s mother asked, already dressed in her favorite blue pantsuit.
“I’m ready, Mom.”
“You better grab a bowl of cereal before we leave. I don’t want you to go on an empty stomach.”
Lamar ran into Kyra, who was dressed in a long white skirt and matching white top, on the way to get his breakfast.
“If Philyaw could see you now,” he joked.
“Get out of here, boy! You want a smackdown?”
Soon the Phillipses settled into the car. A neighbor shouted to them as it pulled out of the driveway.
“I’m sho’ glad y’all got that video!”
“So are we, Geraldine,” Lamar’s mom answered. The neighbor waved as the car moved down dusty Jones Street.
Attorney Smith had already arrived at the DA’s office and waited at the entrance.
“Are you ready?” he asked them.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Lamar’s father answered. Lamar held his laptop tightly as they entered the building.
A middle-aged White woman greeted them. Looking up from the desk, she asked, “What can I do for y’all?”
“We’re here to see District Attorney Caulfield,” Mr. Smith told her. “We have an appointment.”
Lamar looked around the room. Nicely framed photos of former district attorneys adorned the walls. None were Black, and none were female. The receptionist directed them to a large room where a thin, middle-aged White man sat behind a large mahogany desk. He examined Mr. Smith and the Phillipses closely.
“Come in. Come in,” he told them, finally acknowledging their presence. “I’m just finishing something here.”
He stood and extended a hand to Attorney Smith.
“You’re Attorney Smith? You look just like you do on television.”
“Yes, I am,” Attorney Smith responded, and then turned to the Phillips family. “I’m sure you know the Phillipses, too. This is Mr. and Ms. Phillips, their daughter, Kyra, and son, Lamar.”
“Glad to meet y’all. Now, what’s this I hear about a video? Why didn’t y’all bring it to us?”
“Well, Mr. Caulfield, we thought our best move was to give it to someone we knew at the television station,” Attorney Smith answered.
“I see. So, y’all don’t trust the district attorney’s office? Is that what I’m hearing?”
No one answered. Mr. Caulfield moved on.
“Okay. Now how did y’all come by this video? Neither the sheriff’s office nor the Morton Police Department have been able to turn up anything.”
“As the news reporter said, someone emailed it to Lamar,” Attorney Smith answered. “Anonymously. Will you explain it, Lamar?”
“Uh…uh…I just checked my email messages and there it was,” Lamar told the DA, nervous that the spotlight was on him. “At first, I thought it was someone trying to scam me. But when I clicked on the link, there was the video. That’s about it.”
