Hate

by Ashley Ahwah

“Mrs. Drake? Mrs. Drake, are you all right? Mrs. Drake can you hear me?” asked the detective worriedly.

“Yes, I’m fine, I’m just still in shock,” stuttered Annie Drake.

“Would you mind telling me exactly the events that occurred from the time you entered the parking lot, please. Don’t leave anything out, we need to find out who’s posing these hate crimes,” stated the detective.

“Okay, I think I can do that,” Annie stated as she wiped a lone tear to the side of her face.

“Actually, before you do that, for the record, can you give me a description of what your vehicle looked like when you found it,” questioned the detective.

“Yeah. Um, well I just repaired the car because someone backed into my taillight just a month ago, in this same parking lot. This time the windows on the driver’s and passenger’s side are shattered. My taillights are smashed and my headlights have red paint on them. Th-th-there’s a rope that’s tied like it’s supposed to go around someone’s neck just sitting on the driver’s seat, and on my front windshield in red paint says, ‘NIGGER’,” stated Annie, shooting her eyes to the cold, cement floor as she described the last part.

“Okay, thank you. Your description will go on the record. Now if you’ll proceed with the events that happened in the day...”

“It was raining this morning, I got to the parking garage around 8:15 AM, so that I would only have to pay $8.00 to park there all day. Pretty good deal, huh? Anyways, there were a bunch of cars going in because of all the high school students arriving for school. I was driving down the ramp when a car that was backing out almost hit me in the side. I honked my horn as hard as I could, and it made a loud echoing scream that made even me jump. I looked over at the car and saw the guy staring at me from the window. The garage had bad florescent lighting there, but I could have sworn his eyes were black, and he gave me this look, like I was in the wrong. So I rolled my eyes and drove down to the bottom floor. I usually park on the right side coming down the ramp, and maybe if I did, this wouldn’t have happened. But all those spots were taken, so I went to the left this time, and parked in the corner. When I got out the car, it was awkwardly quiet, and I looked around but saw no one walking and no more cars were coming down the ramp, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was down there with me. As I waited for the elevator I could hear a bunch of voices, walking closer and closer, but I couldn’t see them. After hearing what they were saying, I got really scared.”

You guys can’t back out now. The plan’s set and we each have a part in this so it can get done quick and easy. Even if you don’t do it, and we get caught, we’re going to say you were there with us. Got it? There’s no way out now, so suck it up. Drink a few beers before if you have to. Okay, so she drives a black SAAB- look it’s right there. Wait, there’s two of the same car. Somebody find out her license plate number or something so we can get this thing done.

“After I heard them, I went up the stairs, quick, but quiet enough that they wouldn’t hear my heels on the cement. When I got to the lobby, I looked around to make sure no one was around, and then I started walking back down the same ramp I drove down, to go move my car. As I was walking down though, I could hear my shoes make noise, and they echoed as I got lower underground. But that wasn’t the only sound I heard. There were more footsteps, walking behind me, directly behind me. I turned around and saw someone in the shadows, and it was that guy who almost backed into me. The garage was pretty dark except for the few spots of fluorescent lighting, but his eyes, they were pitch black with no emotion. I was about to run when he turned around and walked back up the ramp. I instantly took off my heels and ran to my car. I moved it to the other side of the downstairs part of the lot, and took the other exit, the one that goes to the apartments up above the garage, and walked as fast as I could into a group of people walking up to Starbucks Coffee. I had to go there for a meeting, so I spent about 45 minutes in there. Throughout the entire meeting I thought of that creep, but I figured since he left, and I got out of there fast, there would be nothing of it. But looking back at it, he could be the guy, I could talk to a sketch artist if you want?”

“No that’s okay, that won’t be necessary. We pulled the security cameras before the attack, and found your encounter with the guy, and were able to track him down. Unfortunately, the suspects that we’re looking for broke into the lobby office and turned off the video cameras before they vandalized your vehicle, so we don’t have an idea of who this person is. Did you ever have another encounter with the people you overheard talking? Can you tell me the tone and sound of their voices, maybe we can eliminate the age of the person that way,” asked the detective urgently.

“It was more than one person, but the one who was talking for most of the time sounded young. It was like he had just gone through puberty and his voice was beginning to get lower. I remember my 18 year-old nephew went through the same thing when he was about 15 or 16. I could hear something drop on the floor. Maybe if he’s 16 it’s a backpack or something, like he’s possibly a student at the high school,” Annie replied, hoping she helped the police with her description.

“Okay that’s great, I’ll get that information out right now. Detective Morris, look through the security tapes of the parking lot of high school students going in and out, but mostly look for boys traveling in a group, most likely with heavy backpacks.” The detective nodded towards her partner, and then returned to Annie. “Okay, tell me what happened when you left Starbucks.”

“Uh, I left my business partner because he parked on the street, and I walked back to my car. When I got into the lobby I went to the pay machine and paid the $2.50 I owed. While I waited for my receipt, some people came out of the elevator, but I didn’t see who it was. They were laughing though, and I heard quick footsteps so I assume they were walking fast.

When I went down the elevator, I got my keys out so I could get into my car quickly incase that guy was there. I raced to my car, and that was when I saw everything,” described Annie, as her voice trembled at the last statement.

“Okay Annie, you did great. Thank you for your time. My partner and I will continue investigating this crime, and my deepest apologies for having this happen to you. I will call you in a few days with an update,” stated the detective.

****

“Good morning Ms. Drake, this is Detective Andrews calling to give you an update on what happened Tuesday morning,” said the detective when Annie picked up her phone. Nearly a week had passed since the incident.

“Oh yeah. Hi. How are you? Is there any progress in finding out who did it?” asked Annie anxiously.

“Yes, actually, late last night we got a confession out of one of the high school students who vandalized your car. The student claims that your car was never the intended recipient of the message he and his friends gave. When they returned later that morning to destroy the black SAAB you claim they were targeting, they thought the person they were targeting moved their car because her friend tipped her off about what was going to happen. So they went to your car thinking it was the student they wanted to perform a hate crime against. It was a misunderstanding that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” claimed the detective.

“Well did they say why they did it in the first place?” asked Annie.

“Well the main boy, the one you overheard talking, just moved here from out-of-state, and he and his family are very opinionated people towards other races, to say it in the most subtle fashion possible. He has been arrested, along with his partners, and they will go on trial in the next few days,” said the detective reassuringly.

“Okay, well thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve done, really. I just can’t believe someone would have so much hate for people. Nobody deserves to have this done to them. I’m just glad it’s solved, and maybe this child will understand what he’s done,” replied Annie.

“Yes, it’s over,” said the detective hesitantly. “Good-bye Mrs. Drake, and good luck with everything.”

What the detective neglected to tell Annie Drake was the last words come from the students mouth:

It’s not over. It will never be over. My friends and I weren’t the only ones in the school who share my beliefs. There’s a lot more to come. Good luck on your search, Detective.