Demontae Sullivan was also the man going against Kaseem’s family. And he had ties to the people that Kaseem was at war with. This was a small world and I was at a loss for words.
Demontae Sullivan was a man that I never wanted to think about again. And here I was.
He’d been feeding information to the DA to keep himself safe while throwing the Carters under the bus.
I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.
This was bad. This was so fucking bad.
I had to tell Kaseem. I knew I had to tell him. But if I told him, then he'd know about Demontae. And if he knew about Demontae, he'd ask how I knew about my past. And if I told him about my past, then I'd have to tell him about everything else. And if I told him about everything, then everything changed.
My palms were sweating bad and I was so scared. I wasn’t ready for where this shit was headed. If this went left…
My marriage changed. My life changed. The way he looked at me changed.
I sat there for another twenty minutes just trying to figure out what to do. But I already knew the answer. I couldn't hide this. This was evidence that could help Zaire. This was evidence that could destroy the case against him completely. This was bigger than my past. This was bigger than my secrets.
I had to tell him.
But first, I needed to use this information strategically.
I created a new encrypted folder on my laptop and compiled everything - the bank statements, the escort service records, the property transfers, the audio file, all of it. I labeled it: "Judge Atkinson Comprehensive File." I time-stamped it. I saved three copies on encrypted drives. This was insurance. This was ammunition.
Then I opened a secure email client and started writing.
I addressed it to the judge at his personal email - the one I'd found in his deleted files, the one he used for his "consulting" arrangements. The email was short and direct:
"Your Honor,
I have copies of everything. The bank statements. The escort service payments. The property transfers to Jessica Moore. The recorded conversation with the District Attorney regarding the Zaire Carter case.
I also have the audio file where you and the DA discussed using an unreliable informant to build a case against an innocent man.
Make those 48 hours become 24 hours. File a motion for immediate bail review. Make a public statement apologizing for the wrongful prosecution and insufficient evidence. And expedite Zaire Carter's release unconditionally.
Do this, and nobody else needs to know about your very expensive secret lifestyle or dirt dealings.
You have 24 hours.
-A Concerned Citizen"
I encrypted the email, set it to send in two hours, and then I called Kaseem.
"Come to the office," I said. "I need to show you something."
He was there in five minutes.
When he walked in, I could see the shift in his energy. He knew I'd found something. He knew by the way I was sitting, the way I was holding myself, that this was serious.
"Sit down," I said.
I played the audio file first. I watched his face as he listened to the judge and the DA talking about using Demontae Sullivan asan informant. I watched as the realization hit him. I watched as his whole body went still.
When it finished, he didn't say anything for a long moment.
Then I showed him the files. The bank statements. The escort service records. The property transfers. All of it laid out in organized folders, easy to understand, impossible to deny.
Kaseem stood up and started pacing. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching. Could see him processing what this meant.
