Chapter Thirty-eight
Lenora sulked for the rest of the afternoon. She looked back at the list she had written last week and crossed off the victim. Jack Sellars. She vaguely remembered the name after Darnell stated it out loud. It was a bit ironic that she hadn’t remembered his name. She recalled catching a glimpse of the man on the news when he was released. Now that she thought back, he hadn’t revealed his face. Almost as if he didn’t want the media attention.
At the time, Charmayne had laughed and stated, “See, he’s fine. He’s going on with his life, and we will do the same.” That they did.
That’s what bothered Lenora. There was someone else who knew. Someone who used a time in both of their lives when everything was going well. Charmayne was a media darling up until after her father died. Then she seemed to have become the black sheep of the council, unwilling to budget on a project her father had created. Why did this all happen after Bishop Hudson’s death?
Lenora knew somewhere this had to do with him. The bishop covered and protected Charmayne. On many occasions, Lenora had been encouraged to keep quiet by the bishop whenever she found Charmayne in one of her drunken stupors. He would always look at Lenora and thank her for being such a good friend. Behind that statement, he was basically saying to her, “I’m glad you keep her secrets safe.”
There was a knock on the bedroom door. Jonathan walked in. Lenora pushed herself up from where she had lay sprawled across their bed. Jonathan sat down and asked, “Are you all right?”
Lenora shifted her eyes upward, and then stared at him. “Of course not. Stop asking me that question like I’m about to have a nervous breakdown or something.”
“I just need to know you’re okay. We did just have a health scare.”
“It’s more than that. You think I need to get over Charmayne’s death.”
Jonathan rubbed his head. “I know you’re having a hard time with what happened. I know there are a lot of questions left open, but you need to allow yourself time to mourn, and then move on with your life. You have a wedding coming up. That young man that was just in our house is the groom.”
Lenora bit her lip. “I don’t have anything against Darnell. I know he did the best he could in a short amount of time to find out some answers. I’m looking forward to going back to work. In fact, I plan to be there first thing in the morning.”
“Good. I think it’s time you get back to the things that are important to you. It’s what Charmayne would have wanted, don’t you think?”
She lashed out before she could stop herself. “Charmayne was important to me. I know we had an interesting friendship and you never really liked her, but I’m not just going to let this go. She would have wanted some type of justice.”
Jonathan frowned. “You just heard from law enforcement. What type of justice do you hope can be found?”
She held her hands to her heart. “There has to be something I have missed that could help them.”
“Are you talking about the accident when you were younger? You can’t do anything about that night now. The man’s dead. Goodness, it was what . . . almost twenty-five years ago.”
Lenora fell back against the pillow. “I don’t think anything going on now has to do with that accident. I believe this person involved went fishing for some skeletons to pull out of Charmayne’s closet to use against her.”
She sat up. “You know the development project that has been on the news. That reporter came by the boutique asking about the project. Charmayne said herself it felt like everyone was against her. Jonathan, suppose someone was trying to set Charmayne up for some fall. This could be someone with a political agenda.”
Lenora placed her feet on the floor. With her hands on her hips, she started to pace. “In some ways, Bishop Hudson was untouchable, but people would strike out at Charmayne to get to her dad. Suppose this was the same thing going on here?”
Jonathan shrugged. “What you’re saying is since the bishop was gone that someone saw an opportunity to pick apart Charmayne? Why? I mean, the woman could have her own enemies.”
“Yes, you’re right. Mayor Carrington certainly has been bent on thwarting her reelection. I bet he’s still encouraging you to run for the district seat, is that true?”
“Lenora, stop.” He stood. “This is crazy. Do you hear how you sound? You’re trying to accuse people of being responsible for Charmayne’s death. Look, we don’t know what led her to sit in that car with the garage door closed, but you have to be careful here.”
“I’m just asking questions, Jonathan.”
He stood in front of her. “You’re the first lady of Victory Gospel. You grew up at Greater Heights, and you are a well-known businesswoman in Charlotte. I’m begging you to let this go. Let the police continue their investigation and you concentrate on your upcoming responsibilities.”
Jonathan walked out of the room and swung the door closed behind him. The loud thud against the door frame jolted her. She wanted to run after him and tell him not to tell her what to do, or, for that fact, even how to feel. But the steam that had built up over the last hour dissipated as her body went limp. Lenora plopped down on the bed. In the back of her mind, she knew that Jonathan was right. She had a wedding coming up that she had planned for over a year. It was time to press on.
Still, it upset her that it appeared the investigation was leaning toward the end of her friend’s life as a suicide. Lenora thought back to when she heard the sounds of the car in the garage. She had picked up the rock and threw it at the garage window. What was her first thought? What did Charmayne say to her the last time she saw her?
I’m sorry, Lenora. I will take care of it for both of us.
Lenora pulled her feet closer to her body and tilted forward, then back. She rocked for a long time, trying to figure out what could have been Charmayne’s game plan. In Lenora’s mind, the truth had been overshadowed by a very big lie.