Davis woke up early the next day to get a head start. He had a busy day ahead of him.
He showered and slipped on a pair of black jeans and a fitted, button down, red, black, and white flannel shirt.
It was risky, but he needed to go by Ansley’s house to get another check. It had been two days since his failed attempt at the check cashing store.
He hadn’t heard from Ansley, and neglected to return her call after everything went down. He thought it was best to lay low. He would call her soon, but right now he had other matters requiring his attention.
Davis had spent the past few days working to get Johnny out of state. He called Beau to let him know that he would be late with his money, only to receive an earful about Johnny still being careless, and discussing Beau’s business with those outside of their circle. Davis found out that the stripper he saw talking to Johnny often traveled for out of state appearances. Davis arranged for Johnny to join her when she went to Charlotte, but his plan was for Johnny to go there and never returned. So far, his plan was working.
Davis figured his plan would work best if he had a man to man conversation, and he let him know that Beau had a hit out on him.
Johnny agreed that it was for the best that he relocate considering his life was in jeopardy, and he took the money and left with no argument.
With a stack of cash, he’d taken from Beau’s secret stash that he shouldn’t have known about, he paid for Johnny’s travel and accommodations in North Carolina. He had to break off a few dollars for the dancer as well, and her silence was not cheap, but he made it happen for his cousin.
Problem solved.
Davis walked out of his extended stay motel room just as his neighbor was leaving.
“Aye man, you had some visitors yesterday,” the man announced.
“Serious?” Davis was instantly on guard. “What did they look like?”
“Two suits. Looked like some Law and Order type jokers.”
“They couldn’t have been looking for me,” he responded with a forced chuckle. “I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
His neighbor laughed. “Sure. Aren’t we all?”
Heart beating rapidly, Davis returned to his room where he hurried to pack a bag. He wasn’t planning to return to this place. If it was one thing that he learned from Beau, with the life they lived routines were trouble. It was Johnny’s routine that got him caught up. He would’ve been an easy target for Beau to find. He did the same thing every day. Visited the same people. He was a walking target. Davis wasn’t planning to be an easy catch.
His cell phone rang.
He didn’t recognize the number, so Davis didn’t answer.
What if they are watching me? He was in panic mode, looking around the parking lot and across the street at the motel adjacent to the one where he was staying. Seeing a taxi pulling up to let someone out in front of the lobby, Davis picked up his bag and took the steps down, two at a time. He flagged the driver down, and got inside, giving the driver Ansley’s address.
On the way over to Ansley’s house, Davis tried calling and texting her. She never answered or responded. Davis hoped her silence didn’t mean that she knew that he had stolen money from her. He let go of that theory. She must have been busy or perhaps she was mad that he didn’t call her back. It had been a few days.
Shaking off the thought, he began to formulate alternatives to his financial needs. Davis thought that it might be a good idea to steal some of her credit cards out of her wallet as well. Then when she realized that cards were missing—she would just assume they were stolen along with her checkbook.
The more he thought this over, the more it made sense to him. In fact, he planned to call Beau and see if he could arrange a burglary at her place. He didn’t want Ansley hurt, but it really needed to be authentic. As he thought it over more, it would look even better if the job was done while she was with him. That would give him an alibi and it would help in proving his innocence, pending she suspected that he stole from her.
He tipped the driver and asked him to wait while he ran inside.
Davis walked to the door and pressed the button to be let into the building.
He looked over at the doorman and waved, but the elderly man peered at him over his glasses, picked up the phone and turned his back to Davis.
A thread of apprehension snaked down his back. This was a bad sign.
She knows.
Ansley must have known, that was the only way he could explain why the doorman was acting as if he didn’t just see Davis waiting there for him to open the door.
Davis muttered a curse. What am I going to do now?