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Renee
I got up early hoping to spend a few hours in my office working on my latest erotica, Expose. It was due into my editor the first of September and I was running a little behind schedule. I wasn’t worried—I work well under pressure. In fact, sometimes that’s when I produce my best work.
Moving into the kitchen, I found my schnauzer, Nikki, already waiting by the door.
“Ready to go outside?” She started frantically wagging her tail. “Okay, sweetheart.” I opened the sliding door and she scurried out into the backyard. Smiling, I watched her go take care of business. Nikki had been in our family for years, and as far as I was concerned, she was one of my kids. I glanced out at the clear sky. The pond behind my house was calm and the breeze was cool. It was going to be a good day.
After making a cup of coffee, I went into my office and logged onto my e-mail account. There were over thirty, but none of them was something I had to attend to immediately. While sipping my coffee, I read over the last scene I had written and began to outline details for the next two. I’m not big on outlining, but for someone with adult A.D.D., I’ve got to have an agenda. Otherwise, I never manage to get anything done.
John had already left for a ten o’clock meeting, so I had the house to myself for a change.
Last night, he and I went to dinner at Daphne’s house. Afterwards, we all went into the family room and got busy. While Tyler banged me doggy-style, John screwed Daphne in a recliner. I watched in envy as he dicked her until they both came. Once we got home, John wanted to go over every detail about how turned on he got watching another man fuck his wife. We then made love and I must say it was the best sex we’d had in years. But as I was lying there, I started feeling so cheap, like a ho. It was one thing for me to mess around on my husband, but now that the roles had been reversed, it didn’t feel good at all. I couldn’t help wondering if this was the Lord’s way of telling me something. I had fucked around for so many years without thinking twice about it, and now it was my turn to see what it felt like.
What in the world was I doing with my life?
That was a good question, and I didn’t know how to answer it. All I knew was that something was going to have to change because this new life was not at all what I wanted.
The doorbell rang. I was still wearing my pajamas, so I peeked out my office window and saw three women standing on my front porch toting Bibles. Damn! Jehovah’s Witnesses! I reared back from the window and crept onto the mauve chaise in the corner of my room and waited. They rang the doorbell again.
I shook my head. I don’t understand why it is so hard for them to get the hint.
“Hello?” one of them called through the door.
Oh, no, she didn’t Then they started knocking. And you think that’s bad? I spotted one who had come over to my office window and was peeking through the glass. She looked straight at me and waved.
Now, see, I was trying to be nice, but these Bible-carrying heffas have gone too far. I rose and moved out to the door where they were waiting.
“Can I help you?”
They each smiled, and the one in the middle, wearing a big straw hat, held a pamphlet out to me. “Good morning. We would like to share our publication.”
I shook my head. “Listen, I’m really busy right now.”
She gave me a solemn nod. “Okay, then we can come back tomorrow.”
“No, don’t come back tomorrow. I work from home and don’t have the time or the interest.”
The one on the left with big, beady eyes pointed her finger at me and said, “Did you know that the Lord will be coming to take us home soon?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I may be a bitch, but I do try to respect my elders. “I’m Baptist.”
The one on the right had been sizing me up since the moment I opened the door, wearing a red silk robe. “What kind of work do you do at home?”
“I write erotica.”
She placed a hand to her chest and looked appalled. One of the others started fanning herself with her publication.
Smacking my lips, I continued, “Yes, I write those sex books. And my heroine was just getting ready to give her man a blow job when you rudely knocked on my window.”
Those women jumped off my porch and hurried away like they had just realized they’d stepped through the gates of hell.
I shut the door and chuckled. I knew I was wrong for doing that, but at least I didn’t have to worry about them knocking on my door again. My office phone rang. I reached over and grabbed it by the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Renee, this is Danny.”
“Hey, girl,” I greeted as I sank onto my chair.
“You need to get yo’ ass on the next plane back down here.”
Something in her voice caused a moment of alarm. “Why, whassup?”
“Kayla’s been arrested for murder.”
Chapter 31
Renee
I pulled off the Interstate and headed toward Nadine’s house. As soon as I had gotten off the phone with Danielle, I booked an evening flight to St. Louis. Now it was almost midnight. I was tired and had never been much of a night driver, but it was Kayla we were talking about and it was going to take something stronger than a tornado to keep me from getting to Columbia.
I still couldn’t believe what had happened. Kayla accused of murder. No way. That girl wouldn’t even kill a fly.
I was driving down the road, trying not to speed. My hands were shaking, my chest pounding. I was squirming on the seat, unable to stay still. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life. Danielle didn’t have any more information at the time, but Nadine, who’s a divorce attorney, was trying to get as much as she could. I pulled in front of her large, brown stucco house. Danielle’s car was already in the driveway. I knocked on the door and Jordan answered it.
“Hey, come on in.”
I stepped into the foyer and walked across the oak hardwood floors to the dining room, where Danielle and Nadine were already sitting. We hugged and then I asked for information.
Nadine gave me a grim look. “It doesn’t look good. Kayla went to Leroy’s house last night. She said he tried to kill her, so she grabbed a knife, stabbed him in the shoulder, and ran out the door.”
I was confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Well... the police received a call this morning and found Leroy lying in his kitchen, dead. He had been stabbed seventeen times in the chest.”
I was livid. “Seventeen times! What the hell happened?”
“She has no idea,” Danielle replied.
“Did you get to see Kayla?”
Nadine nodded. “She looks a mess. He definitely did a number on her. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had killed his ass.”
Even though I already knew the answer, I had to ask. “Did she?”
Nadine shook her head. “I spoke to Kayla and she said she only stabbed him once.”
“So, someone must have come to the house after she left.”
“That’s what I was thinking, but there’s no proof. Kayla’s fingerprints are the only ones on the murder weapon. She was seen fleeing from the scene of the crime.”
Damn, what was Kayla thinking?
“I told her not to say another word. I hired a criminal attorney to represent her.”
I was pleased to hear that Nadine was handling things, because I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea where to begin. “Can we at least get her out on bail?”
“Her bail hearing is in the morning.”
I slumped back in the chair. There was nothing else we could do at this point but wait. Danielle was sitting there, staring at me, saying nothing at all. A flicker of annoyance darkened her features.
I gave her a curious look. “What’s goin’ through your head?”
She suddenly jumped out of the chair like a crazy lunatic, screaming, “It’s all yo’ fault!”
Nadine caught her just before she lunged across the table. “Hold up,” she said softly.
I was stunned beyond words. Slowly I rose from the chair. “How is this my fault?”
Danielle pulled away from Nadine and came and stood all in my face. “If you hadn’t been so quick to get back at him, none of this shit would have happened! That videotape is yo’ fault.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t have anything to do with it,” I said to Danielle.
Through her sobs, Danielle responded, “I can admit I was wrong. I should have respected Kayla’s wishes and left that whole thing with him whooping her ass alone. But I didn’t. Instead I helped you video that triflin’ negro in a diaper, then you insisted on giving that video to Tommy so he could circulate it through the church. Only that tape made it to the television stations and the doggone police station. We ruined his life, his kids’ lives, and Kayla’s.” Her fists were balled, and tears were streaming down her face. I know she wanted to kick my ass and I couldn’t blame her.
I sat back in the chair, quiet as a church mouse. Danielle was right. All this shit was my fault. My attempt at rectifying the situation had only made the situation worse.
Nadine was staring me down. Leave it to the lawyer to break the silence. “Renee, is that true?”
I raked a hand across my face before finally saying, “Yeah, it true. It’s all my fault.”
For once, Nadine didn’t bother to comment, and I was glad for that because it’s hard as hell for me to admit when I am wrong. As she went over to the couch, her disappointment was obvious. Danielle shuffled over to the window. Her arms were crossed, and she was holding her stomach. She has this ulcer thing that always emerges whenever she’s upset.
“Everybody, I’m sorry.”
Danielle tsked under her breath. I was tempted to tell her to go ahead and try and kick my ass and get it over with because maybe a good fight was what we needed to get past this. But leave it to attorney Nadine Hill to intervene.
“Look,” she began, her eyes swimming with tears. ‘There’s no point in dwelling on what happened. What’s done is done. What we need to be doing now is finding a way to get Kayla out of this mess.”
I nodded. She was right. “Do you know how much her bail’s gonna be?”
“For murder, probably close to a million.”
Danny swung away from the window. “What? How the heck we gonna afford to get her out?”
I glanced at Nadine, wondering the same thing. “We need to come up with ten percent, right?” She nodded. That was a hundred thousand. Hell, even John didn’t have that much money lying around to spare.
She sat up straighter on the chair. “Don’t worry. It’s already covered.”
My brow rose. “Really? Who’s got that kinda change lying around?”
“Jermaine,” Nadine reported gleefully.
Danielle and I locked eyes, both surprised.
“Jermaine? Damn!” I sprang from the chair and tossed a fist in the air. “Kayla finally found her someone with some money.” Now we need to make sure she doesn’t lose him because of Leroy.
Chapter 32
Kayla
Kayla clung to Jermaine’s arm as they left the police station. The media was everywhere. The news had spread through Columbia like wildfire. The moment they left the building, microphones were pointed in her direction.
“Kayla, did you kill Reverend Leroy Brown?”
Kayla shielded her face from the camera.
“Ms. Sparks, were the two of you having an affair?”
“No comment,” Jermaine said and pushed through the crowd, steering her to his car.
“The public has the right to know!” a reporter shouted just as she closed the door.
She was going to lose her mind before this was all over. Kayla leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes. It was unreal. She had been accused of murder. A tear ran down her cheek that she didn’t even bother trying to brush away. The ordeal gave her the right to cry, especially after everything she had gone through for the last several hours. Leroy was dead. He had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest and neck. A shudder raced through her body as she recalled the horrible crime-scene photographs the detective had spread across the table. The sight was more than she could handle, and she ended up standing in front of a trash can throwing up. How could someone have done something so hideous? No one, not even Leroy, deserved to die like that.
“Hey, you doing okay over there?”
With her eyes still closed, she nodded. Jermaine reached over and clasped her hand. By the way he squeezed it, she knew he didn’t believe she was okay but was trying the best he could to comfort her, and she appreciated that.
What have I done to deserve someone like him?
She had been committing adultery for four years. Intentionally, she had disobeyed God’s laws, although after each and every time they had made love, Leroy had insisted that they both get down on their knees and ask the Lord for forgiveness. She raised her eyelids. What a fool she had been.
Looking out the window, she noticed Jermaine was going south instead of north. “Where are we going?”
He briefly tore his eyes away from the road. “I’m taking you to my house. The media is bound to be camped out at your place the rest of the day.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
He laced his fingers with hers. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe with me.”
She nodded and relaxed on the seat. Before leaving the jail, she called her mother from a pay phone. After listening to her scream and call her every name in the book, she got her to agree to take Kenya and Asia to Birmingham to visit her folks until everything blew over. The last thing she wanted was for her daughters to be affected by this madness.
Jermaine pulled onto the circular driveway. The garage opened and he slowly entered and lowered the door behind them. Once out of the car, he took her hand and escorted her inside. It was impossible not to feel the serenity radiating around the room. Jermaine turned around and wrapped her in his arms.
“Thank you so much for bailing me out. I don’t know how I could ever—”
“Shhh,” he said, and when he had her attention he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. After a while he pulled back and gave her a long, serious look. “Kayla, I love you and I know you don’t have an evil bone in your body. But I’ve got to know what’s going on. Is it true? Were you involved with this minister?”
Kayla closed her eyes briefly. She had known it was just a matter of time before she was going to have to tell him the truth. She just wished she had done it long before now.
She took his hand and led him into the living room. Once they were seated across from each other, she nodded and said, “Yes, Leroy and I were involved for over four years.”
He gazed at her long and hard before asking her, “Did you know he was married?”
She swallowed and somehow found her voice as she nodded. “Yes. I was once a member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.” Just as she feared, she saw the look of disappointment in his eyes. “I know what I did was wrong, but you have to understand, I was so alone back then. All I’ve ever wanted was for someone to love me. Kenya’s father used me and refused to claim his daughter. I supported Asia’s father for three years while he finished law school and as soon as he joined a law firm, he dumped me. The only name my father knows me by is Ms. Piggy. Men look and laugh at me and call me fat.” She was crying so hard now she could barely get the words out. Jermaine tried to hold her, but she held up her hand. “Wait—please let me finish. I was so lonely, and Leroy started paying me attention. For the first time, someone actually listened to what I had to say. Then he told me his marriage was in trouble and I believed him. He told me that he loved me and was going to divorce her so that we could finally be together, and even though I had doubts, I needed to believe in him.” Pausing, she gazed down at her hands for the longest time. “Leroy was my whole world and I had invested so much time in him and our relationship that there was no way I could allow myself to believe that it was just one big lie.”
“I can understand that.”
Kayla shook her head, then lowered her eyelids. “But I can’t. Not anymore. It makes me sick every time I think about all the times Renee, Danielle... and Lisa,” a sob caught in her throat as she remembered, “tried to tell me the truth about him but I refused to believe them.”
He took her hand. “Baby, you’re not the first woman to become a victim of a man’s false promises.”
“But for four years! Dear Lord, what’s wrong with me? It took finding him in the bed with another woman for me to finally see him for who he truly was. Even when he put his hands on me, I still felt sorry for him.”
“You’re a loving person who sees the good in everyone. There is nothing wrong with that,” he added in a soothing voice.
Kayla wiped her cheeks.
“What happened that night?”
Nodding, she reached for a tissue and wiped her eyes. “Umm...” She took a moment to catch her breath. “Leroy had called shortly after midnight, saying he wanted to apologize for the way he treated me and that he was going home to the Lord that night. I knew he was talking about killing himself. He was crying and I never heard him that way before. I know it was stupid, but I rushed over there to stop him. I couldn’t help it, but I blame myself for what happened to his life. If I had never said anything to my friends, they wouldn’t have videotaped him with Peaches and none of this would have happened.”
“Wait a minute. Your friends made that video?”
“Yes, after he beat me up.”
He squeezed her hand. “So, you weren’t in a car accident.”
Her heart sank as she remembered the lie she had told. “No. I’m so sorry.”
He nodded knowingly, kissed her forehead, then encouraged her to continue.
“Anyway, when I got there, I couldn’t find him, so I was running through the house, and then out of nowhere he came and knocked me across the room. He yelled that I was so predictable, and he knew I’d come over. He kept hitting me until I finally stopped fighting. Then he tried to pull my pants down to rape me. Something told me to keep fighting for once, not to give in.”
Jermaine squeezed her hand and she glanced up beneath the tears and gave him a smile. “I kicked him in the nuts, then got up and tried to get away, but he caught me around the neck. I reached over and felt the knife in my hand and grabbed it and stabbed him in the shoulder. Then I ran out that door.” She looked up at Jermaine, needing so badly for him to believe her. “I swear to you, when I left, he was cussing and going off, but he was not dead.”
“I believe you.”
The look in his eyes told her he honestly did believe her. She threw herself into his arms and held on for dear life. She hated that she needed him so badly, but she did. Her body shook as the tears came and she cried silently against his shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere. When I told you I loved you, I meant it. No games. No conditions. Love to me is being there when someone needs you most. Sharing in their pain and trying to find ways to bring them joy and comfort. Lean on your man, baby, because that’s what I’m here for.”
She pulled back slightly and gazed up at him. Had it not been for the murder charges hanging over her head, life would be nothing short of perfect “Thank you, Jermaine. I don’t know what I would do without you. This has been hard enough as it is. And it is only the beginning.”
His eyes sparkled with compassion. “Just hold on. Everything is going to work out. You’ll see.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
Fat teardrops leaked from her eyes. “I hope so. Someone came into that house after I left and killed him. I’m certain of that.”
He was quiet for a long moment and she could see the wheels in his head turning. “Do you have any idea who would have wanted him dead?”
“Probably quite a few people. The more I’m learning about him, the more I think that. My first choice would be his wife. Lord, please forgive me, but if I was Darlene, I’d want him dead. He has given her every reason. His secret life destroyed her. I heard she has the house up for sale and is planning to leave town. As small as Columbia is, I don’t blame her. Life around here will never be the same again.”
“Do you know if he was messing with other men besides the one on the video?”
“I’ve been hearing rumors for years but never wanted to believe them.” She nibbled her bottom lip nervously. “I wonder how many other women, or men, he used to invite to his house? I was his Thursday girl, Tracy had Wednesday.” She scowled and snuggled closer into his comforting embrace. “There’s no telling how many others there were.”
He clasped his fingers with hers then planted a kiss to her cheek. “Don’t worry, baby. Put it in God’s hands and he’ll make everything all right.”
“I can only wish.” Kayla had a strong feeling she had already used up all her wishes. Getting her out of this was going to take nothing short of a miracle.
Chapter 33
Renee
It was all over the news and on the front page of every newspaper. I stared down at a recent photograph of Leroy and wanted to scratch his eyes out. Even dead, he still managed to have a hold on Kayla’s life. Well, not for too much longer. Not if I could help it. After she got off work, Danielle scooped me up and we rushed over to Jermaine’s house. There was still tension between Danielle and me, and this wasn’t the first time we’d gotten into it. There was one time we didn’t speak for almost a year over something as trivial as money. She’s my girl and even though she does stupid shit and pisses me off, we’ve been friends for too long to let anything get in the way. Besides, if she still wanted to kick my ass, she’d be more than welcome to try after we found a way to get Kayla out of this mess.
Danielle pulled up in front of a bad-ass house. Daaayum! Jermaine really did have it going on. We moved up the stairs and Kayla greeted us at the door. I hugged her close.
“Girl, everything is going to be all right. I swear to you,” I whispered for her ears only.
She released me, then nodded. “God will find a way. I’m certain of it.”
I wish I had her faith. Although I am a strong believer that the Lord helps those who help themselves, and that is exactly what I planned to do—help her. Kayla signaled for us to follow her through the gorgeous, custom-built home to a large family room.
I wagged my eyebrows. “Gurrrrl, this is nice.”
“Thank you.” I jumped at the sound of Jermaine’s voice. I had no idea he had come up behind us. “Sorry about that,” he said.
“No problem. How are you doing?”
“A lot better now that I’ve gotten my baby out of jail.” He moved over to Kayla and pressed his lips to hers. “I’ll let you spend some time alone with your friends. I’m upstairs if you need me.” She nodded. He kissed her once more before waving at us and turning on his heels.
Danielle and I looked at each other, and the minute he left the room we raced over to Kayla, giggling like two starstruck teenagers.
“Hot damn, girl! Where did you get him?” Danielle screamed.
“I know. Does he by any chance have a brother?” I chimed in. She giggled with us and it felt like we were back in high school, freaking out over the star basketball player. I was glad that we were able to take her mind away from her problems, even if it was just for a few seconds.
Kayla sat on the couch. I moved to a matching chaise lounge while Danielle flopped down in the chair.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“I’m okay,” is what Kayla tried to say, but instead a sob blocked her windpipe. “Really I am. Jermaine has been so supportive.”
“We see,” Danielle and I said at the same time. The three of us laughed, then quickly sobered.
Kayla wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Mom has the girls and the attorney Nadine hired has agreed to take the case.”
“Oh, good,” Danielle said with a sigh of relief. “Do you feel like telling us what happened?”
She swallowed, then shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I was so stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking. Leroy called, threatening suicide. Like a nut I ran over there, trying to stop him. Only I don’t think he really planned on killing himself. I think it was just an excuse to get me over there. The moment I walked in the door, he attacked me.” My stomach churned as she tried to get herself together. “He lost his mind. He tried to rape me ... again. At first, I was going to just lay there and let him have his way, but I prayed about it and the Lord gave me the strength I needed. I kicked him in the crotch and got away long enough to grab that knife, then I stabbed him in the shoulder and ran out the door.” She shook her head. The tears were flowing. “He was still alive. When I left him, he was trying to pull the knife out. You both have to believe me.”
I gave a dismissive wave. “Girl, puhleeze. I know you don’t have it in you to kill someone. Now, if it was me, I would have stabbed his ass a long time ago, for real, for real.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “Nae-Nae, shut the hell up. The last thing we need to hear is you talking about stabbing someone.”
I pursed my lips and bit my tongue. I would have cussed her ass out, but it wasn’t about me. I was here for Kayla. “Why did he go off?”
She hesitated before saying, “He blamed me for ruining his life.” She tried to control her voice but couldn’t. Danielle moved over to her and cradled her head against her chest as she wept.
“It’s not your fault,” Danielle cooed while stroking her back.
She and I looked at each other at the same time. Feelings of guilt assailed me again. Damn! Both of them had every right to be mad at me. All this was my fault. Of course, Kayla would never say that because she was such a loving and forgiving person. I wish I was that way, because if I was, I wouldn’t have plotted to pay Leroy back and none of this mess would have happened. Torn between cussing and bawling like a baby, I just closed my eyes and wished I could take it all back.
Kayla released a heavy breath. “His funeral is scheduled for Friday. I think the whole city is planning to attend.” I know Kayla well enough to know she was wishing she could attend as well. If she thought for a moment that either one of us would go on her behalf, she was crazier than I thought.
We stayed for over an hour before Jermaine came down to see if everything was okay and if we needed anything. Danielle and I decided it was time for us to leave. We shared a group hug, then stood close to Kayla, who stared at our faces through a waterfall of tears. After one final hug, we promised to come back tomorrow.
We climbed back into Danielle’s car and headed to her house. “Girl, this is bullshit You and I both know that Kayla didn’t kill anyone.”
She looked at me out of the corners of her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what we think. The police and the Boone County prosecuting attorney both think she did.”
I nibbled on my lower lip, trying to think. There was no way I could let my girl go down for some shit I started. I was going to have to find a way to help clear her name.
I swung around. “Have you seen Peaches?”
Danielle shook her head. “I haven’t seen her since she was on the news.”
“We need to find her. She has to know something, otherwise she wouldn’t have just disappeared.”
“Maybe I can talk to Tracy.”
I couldn’t stand Tracy. I was once messing around with this fine mothafucka that Tracy called herself liking as well. I was at his house, and he had run to pick up his mama from work. I stayed there, watching television. The phone rang and my nosy ass moved over and read the Caller ID. As soon as I saw her name pop off, before I realized what I was doing, I had picked up the phone and answered it.
“Hello,” I purred.
“Hello? Hello? Who’s this?”
“Who’s this?”
“This’s Tracy. I need to speak to my man,” she demanded with attitude.
“Well, your man’s licking my cootie-cat, and... Oooh, it feels so good.”
I had hung up, laughing and ever since then she couldn’t stand my ass. But she knew better than to step to me, ’cause I would have kicked her narrow ass.
“That’s a good idea. Y’all cool, right?”
Danielle shrugged and frowned at the same time. “Yeah, we speak, but that’s about it.”
“That’s all we need.” Damn, I needed a drink. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. I’m going to try and find out where Peaches is, while you locate Tracy’s ass. Somebody knows something, and if the police aren’t going to do their job, then I guess we’ll have to do it for them.”
Chapter 34
Danielle
Danielle pulled into her driveway. With everything going on with Kayla, she was glad Portia was still staying with her mother. Danielle was ashamed to admit that she didn’t know how to handle the situation. Her daughter had been screwing her man. If Portia had been some ho on the street, she would have whooped her ass. But she couldn’t do that. Portia was her daughter.
She moved into the kitchen and without bothering to check her messages, she looked down at her Caller ID and noticed Calvin had called. She didn’t know what she was going to do with him. After he had taken her to Red Lobster, she had been honest with him when she told him she wasn’t looking for a relationship right now, but she wanted to at least be friends. He had agreed, for now. Calvin was a very nice guy but there was no point in leading him on when she was still sprung over Ron’s ass.
The phone rang, startling her. She groaned when she realized it was her mother. But if she didn’t answer it, she would keep calling until she did. She grabbed the phone and reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of water.
“When are you coming over here?” her mother asked.
“For what?”
“So, the three of us can sit down and work this out.”
“Mom, there is nothing to work out. My daughter is supposedly pregnant by my ex-boyfriend. What am I supposed to do, give her a medal?”
“No, but you can’t turn your back on your daughter, either. She needs you.”
“Then her fast tail should have thought about that before she slept with him.”
“I told you before that Portia don’t keep enough clothes on,” she huffed. “Always walking around with butt cheeks hanging out. He was too young for you, anyway. He was more her age. You shouldna had him in your house in the first place.”
“Mama, please.”
“Please nothing,” Victoria cut in. “Those son-a-bitches ain’t looking for nothing but a place to lay their heads.”
“Shoot,” Danielle pouted. “I got it from you, messing with those young negros.” Her father was nine years younger than her mother.
Victoria sucked her teeth. “You got to pay to be the boss. Besides, your dad and I never shacked up. We went straight to the judge and got married.”
“Whatever,” Danielle mumbled to herself. If she argued, her mother would never let her get off the phone.
“You can’t be mad at your daughter. You need to be mad at him because he knew better.”
“I’m not ready yet”
Then you need to get ready because whether you like it or not, you’re about to be a grandmother.”
Danielle hung up and walked down to her room. Hot ass. She’d raised her daughter better than that. True, she knew she liked them young herself, but that wasn’t the point She just couldn’t talk to her daughter. Not yet
Danielle went into the bathroom. A hot bath was in order. Something, anything to relax her mind, because right now she was mad at the world. Portia. Ron. Renee. Though she didn’t know why she was wasting her time being mad at Renee. Nae-Nae was always going to be impulsive and vindictive. That just was the way she was, which was why it was her job to keep her best friend in line.
She put the stopper in the drain and reached for the faucet to pour a hot bath. I’m. just as responsible for this mess as Renee is, she thought as she walked into her room and started taking off her clothes. She had been taught a long time ago that God don’t like ugly, yet she had gotten a big kick out of making Leroy feel like a fool.
Danielle unsnapped her jean shorts and they dropped to the floor along with her panties. Naked, she reached for her nightgown and went back into the adjoining bathroom. Even though the tub was only half full she climbed in. The house was so quiet, all she could hear was running water, the thoughts racing through her head, and her older sister Constance screaming at her. She lay back against the inflated pillow and squeezed her eyelids tightly together, hoping to block the scene from her mind. But there was no way she could run from her problems. The situation was not going away—instead it was going to linger in the corners of her mind until she decided to do something about it.
Danielle reached up and turned off the water, then pulled one of her knees to her chest while she thought over the situation. She had two problems: a daughter who had a bad habit of “crying wolf’ all the time; and a man whom she loved. Now, if Portia wasn’t always trying to find ways to get attention, she wouldn’t have given her confession a minute’s thought. All it would have taken was one phone call to her brother and the mothafucka would be on the next train out, with a couple of black eyes to take along for the ride. Only that wasn’t the case. Instead, Portia accused Ron of having sex with her, and she had allowed it because she thought he loved her. It was sick and twisted, a grown-ass man sleeping with an underage girl, but she knew that it happened all the time. Hell, she’d had men trying to hook up with her when she was the same age. She also remembered lying on several occasions just so she could see what it was like to date an older man.
Danielle scowled because this time, that was not the case. Ron knew how old Portia was. She allowed her mind to travel back, hoping to remember anything that might make her think her daughter just might be telling the truth. She remembered working late and coming home to find the two on the couch playing a competitive game on Ron’s PlayStation. Ron had even picked Portia up from school a couple of times when she had been unable to do it.
Danielle pressed a hand to her forehead. She was going to go crazy thinking about this. They had been together for over two years and not once could she remember an incident that made her think something was going on between her daughter and Ron.
She released a heavy breath because her mother was right Portia did have a tendency to walk around with her shorts up her ass. With her overweight body, it was nothing nice to look at. On numerous occasions she had to check her on it, and quickly reminded her a man was in the house.
But like Ron had told her, what in the world would he need with a little girl when he already had a grown-ass woman? That’s true, she thought while lathering her washcloth and smoothing it across her body. Day or night, she’d always been willing to satisfy her man’s needs, so he never needed to think about any other woman. Especially not Portia.
She settled back against the pillow and closed her eyes again. “Lord, please help me figure it out” Somehow, she had to find a way to fix everything that had gone wrong in her life.
Chapter 35
Renee
“How was the movie?”
Kayla grinned, then nodded. “Funny as all get-out. Thanks for bringing me.”
I looped my arm with hers. “That’s just the beginning. We’re going to go and see what bargains we can find at JCPenney’s, then go have dinner. I heard there is a new seafood place not too far from here.”
Kayla nodded in agreement and I could tell she was starting to relax, which made me feel good. It had been over a week and the media was still having a field day at my girl’s expense. Kayla had been forced to take a leave of absence from work and was hiding out at Jermaine’s. I was so tired of watching her feel sorry for herself that I had invited her to drive up to Jefferson City for a girls’ day out. It was a Wednesday. Everyone was at work, so the mall was relatively quiet. I treated us to pedicures and then we had our faces done at the cosmetic counter.
“Have you talked to Danielle?” Kayla asked as we were strolling through the mall.
“No. I know she had to work today, but I’ve been trying to reach her for the last two days and she hasn’t returned any of my calls. She’s probably trying to decide what to do about Portia and the baby.”
Kayla stopped dead in her tracks. “Baby? Portia’s pregnant?”
“Yep, but you didn’t hear that shit from me.” I signaled for her to come over and look at a gorgeous sapphire necklace I spotted in the jewelry store window. I wasn’t big on wearing much more than gold loops and a ring or two, but every now and then I saw something that I thought I should have.
“Oooh, Renee, that’s beautiful!”
“Yes, it is.” I reached inside my purse to see if I had bothered to bring my platinum Visa and was pleased to find it in my wallet. “Come on. I think I’m going to buy it.”
We went around to the door and practically ran into a woman with her hands full of bags. “Oops, my bad.” I reached down for the Victoria’s Secret bag that had fallen onto the floor and handed it to her.
“Thank you. I—” Her words startled both of us when we realized it was Darlene. Wife of the dearly departed Reverend Leroy Brown. As soon as she realized who we were, she gazed up toward the ceiling and shook her head. “Lord, please give me strength.”
Kayla stepped forward. “Darlene, please believe me,” she pleaded. “I had nothing to do with Leroy’s murder.”
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to stand here and tell me you’re not responsible for my husband’s brutal murder. How dare you!” She bored evil eyes into Kayla.
I could tell Kayla was frustrated. “Mrs. Brown, please ...” She allowed her voice to trail off as defeat slumped her shoulders.
While giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, I suggested softly, “Kayla, why don’t you go over to that bench and have a seat.” She shook her head. Damn, why now, of all times, does she decide to be stubborn? “Do it, please.”
Reluctantly, she turned and walked over to a bench at the center of the mall and took a seat.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home and get down on my knees. If I wasn’t a Christian woman, I would have scratched her eyes out.” Darlene turned and started walking away, but I moved into step beside her.
“Mrs. Brown, can you please give me just a few moments of your time? I’m tryin’ to help clear my friend.”
She stopped dead in her tracks and started spitting her venom. “Clear her? She killed my Leroy. The two of them have been messing around for years and finally they both got what they deserved.” Her tone was cool and detached.
“I’m quite aware of that. I’m also told that you’ve known about it for years and didn’t seem to care.”
“How do you think it makes me feel to know my husband was messing around with someone who looks like that, when he had all this at home?” Her skinny ass struck a pose so I could see what all this meant. Truth be told, Darlene was one homely bitch. Dark-skinned with that ashy look that no amount of Vaseline could cure. She had a serious overbite, a thin, sunken face, and bulging frog eyes. I was tempted to tell her Kayla was more woman than she could ever be, but I know when I need to shut the hell up.
“It’s one thing to mess around, but it’s another to disrespect me. Now, I know a man is going to be a man. And it ain’t nothing but that devil that was tempting my Leroy with those women.”
And let’s not forget about his craving for men, but I wasn’t about to go there. “I can tell you Kayla stopped seeing Leroy weeks ago.”
“Weeks? Is that supposed to make me feel better? I was quite aware of my husband slipping out a couple of hours here and there. But all those weekends he pretended to be going out of town to be a guest speaker and insisted that I stay at home, now that’s another thing.” She paused and shook her head. “All those fishing trips he and Deacon Williams were supposedly taking, I knew something wasn’t right. It wasn’t until three weeks ago I went into the garage and discovered he’d forgotten his tackle box.”
“He wasn’t with Kayla. He must have been with another one of his women.”
“There weren’t any others,” she bellowed. “Only her.”
I laughed in her face. “Mrs. Brown, I know you don’t believe that. He was sleeping with that slut Tracy Branch, and I know you’ve seen the videotape...he was also screwing a man.”
“Miss, don’t disrespect my husband or me!” she cried, drawing the attention of several bystanders. “Hasn’t your friend already done enough? My family is in shambles and I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t know how I’m going to manage to live another day without him.”
I glanced down at her bags. “It looks to me like you’re doing a pretty good job of getting on with your life.”
Darlene tilted her chin defiantly. “Shopping makes me feel better. Besides, Leroy always said not to mourn death but to celebrate life and that’s what I’m trying to do.” Her sour face then twisted into a devilish smirk. “I guess I shouldn’t be too mad at Kayla. After all, she did make me an extremely rich woman. While she’s rotting in jail, I’ll be living in Florida and riding around town in my new Mercedes.” She winked. “Excuse me, but I’ve got some more shopping to do.”
I watched her swish her little narrow ass around the corner before I joined Kayla, who was waiting eagerly to hear what I had to say. “That crazy bitch thinks Leroy walks on water.”
“What did she say?”
I scowled. “Nothing worth repeating. Although she is under the impression Leroy used to pretend to go fishing and instead was spending the weekend with you.”
“I wish. All he ever gave me was a quick, cheap screw,” she returned with a dejected look.
I could tell she was about to get depressed again. I rose and pulled her up to her feet. “Come on. Let’s not let her ruin our day.”
We still went to dinner, but I could tell her heart was no longer in it. I wanted to go find Darlene myself and give her a piece of my mind for messing everything up.
After I dropped Kayla off at home, I decided to go by Danielle’s house unannounced and see why her ass hasn’t been answering the phone. I made a left onto her street and before I even reached her house, I spotted the Impala in her driveway. Ain’t this a bitch. Don’t tell me she let Ron’s freeloading ass back into her house. I climbed out and walked up the driveway. The door was open and as soon as I stepped onto the porch, I could see straight through the storm door into the living room and neither of them were in sight. Knowing Danielle, they were probably in her bedroom getting busy. It takes a ho to know one, and I know my girl will drop her drawers for a thug in a heartbeat.
I rang the doorbell repeatedly, knowing good and well it was going to piss her behind off. I didn’t care, because it was the only way I knew she would hurry to the door. I heard footsteps and thought it was her, but instead Ron came around the corner.
“Hey, Renee, come on in.” Ron’s honey-coated voice oozed into my head and I couldn’t help smiling as he unlocked the door and I stepped in.
“Where’s Danny?”
“She’ll be right down.”
I tried not to stare, but damn, the brotha looked good. He had come to the door with no shirt on and had a body that very few mothafuckas could hold a torch to. In fact, in a pair of jean shorts, he showed off the sexiest set of calves I have seen in years. Shit, maybe I need to find me a thug. Not to date, just to fuck.
Ron reached for a white tee on the couch, lowered it over his head, then grabbed a set of keys off the coffee table and headed toward the door. “Tell Danny to hit me on my cell later.”
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled. My eyes followed him out the door and down the driveway. He hopped into the Impala and started the car. Music blared, bass thumping as he peeled around the corner.
“Hey, girl.” Danielle came bouncing down the stairs, taking them two at a time in a slamming two-piece shorts outfit.
“What you all smiles for? You must have gotten you some.”
Blushing, she moved over to the couch and took a seat.
“Girl, I don’t blame you. As fine as he is, I don’t think I could stay mad at him, either.” I gave her a high five and we started laughing.
“You seen Kayla?” she asked.
I nodded, then sat in the chair across from her and told her about our shopping adventure, including running into Mrs. Brown.
“She’s crazy.”
“Yep. I wouldn’t be surprised if that anorexic bitch didn’t kill him herself,” I said.
Danielle’s eyes grew large. “Daaayum! Me, either.”
“Crazy as she is, she at least gave me a clue.” I told her about the fishing trips. “I don’t think they were fishing. I bet you Deacon Williams was covering for Reverend Brown so he could be with another one of his skanks.”
I agree.
“Now I just have to find out who she is.”
“Or he,” Danielle corrected.
“Right.” I leaned back in the chair, trying to make some sense out of everything that was happening. “Deacon Williams and my grandfather go way back. I’m going to drop by and see if maybe, now that his boy Leroy is gone, he’ll tell me what really happened. He’s a Christian man so I’m sure he’s ready to cleanse his soul.”
Nodding, Danielle added, “While you do that, I’ll keep trying to reach Tracy. I left her two messages at her mama’s house and she ain’t bothered to call me back yet.”
“Then drop in on her ass. She don’t work and got four kids. How far can she be?”
Danielle cackled. “I know that’s right.” She laughed, then asked, “Have you seen Peaches yet?”
I gave her a grim look. “I’ve been asking around. Even Tommy is trying to find her.”
“She’ll pop up eventually,” Danielle replied confidently.
But personally, I wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know, Danny. I’m starting to think that maybe Leroy might have done something to Peaches.”
She gave me a worried look that I was amazed to see, considering she and Peaches never cared much about each other. “Do you really think so?”
“Right now, anything is possible.” I glanced up the stairs curiously. “It’s quiet. Where’s Portia?”
Danielle looked down at her acrylic nails, “I put her hot ass out.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Why’d you do that?”
Her voice was cool and detached. “Because she lied and said she was pregnant by Ron.”
“What!” I sprang from the chair like a jack-in-the- box. “Hold up! Wait a minute. My goddaughter told you she was pregnant by Ron, and you put her out?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Yep, sure did. She’s staying over there with my mama.”
“What is Ron saying about all this?”
She drew in a deep breath. “He said she’s lying.”
Is this bitch stuck on stupid or what? “Of course, he’s gonna say that. Do you think he’ll admit fuckin’ around with your daughter?” I shook my head in disbelief. I’d met some dumb women in my lifetime, but Danielle takes the cake. “How the hell you gonna take some negro’s word over your daughter’s?”
Danielle gave me a dismissive wave. “’Cause she lies too damn much.”
“How you know she ain’t telling you the truth for once?”
“Because I know.”
“No...because you don’t want to know. Whatever. There is no way in hell I would believe dick over blood.”
She looked at me with those slanted eyes of hers and tried to get me to understand. “You don’t know how Portia is, but I do. She lies all the time to get attention, and I know she’s lying. She just doesn’t want to see me happy.”
“First off, how the hell can Ron make you happy? That mothafucka may be fine, but he ain’t got a pot to piss in.”
“He may not have much, but at least he’s trying. He got a job and is planning to start paying bills around here.”
“Ain’t you heard this sad love song before? Come on, Danielle. How can you turn your back on your daughter?” I rolled my eyes. “See, if it had been Tamara, all she’d have to do is tell me once some nigga was trying to touch her and I’m gonna do a Lorena Bobbitt on his ass.”
Danielle shook her head. “You don’t understand. Yo’ daughter doesn’t act like mine. Portia is off the chain and driving me crazier by the day. All this sneaking out and meeting men on the Internet and pretending someone raped her. Now she’s pregnant and claiming that my man is the father.”
“Wait a minute. Yo’ man ... What happened to Calvin?”
She pursed her lips with attitude. “I thought you didn’t want me being with Calvin.”
“I told you I didn’t care if you were with him. I just wished you had given me a heads-up. But, I’d rather you be with him than with Ron’s ass. Come on, Danny, he might be screwing your daughter.”
There was a long moment of silence. “How do I find out for sure?”
I can’t believe this ho. She is more afraid of losing a man than her own child. What is wrong with this world? “What does Portia say?”
She gave me a disbelieving look. “She says she loves him, and he promised her they would be together after the baby is born.”
I can honestly say I can’t blame Portia for falling for his fine ass. Ron is a chocolate bar definitely worth sampling. I can see any teenage girl falling for him. “Well... what’s something that only a person who’s fucking him would know?”
Danielle gave me a long, thoughtful look before finally saying, “He’s not circumcised.”
My jaw dropped. “Ewww! You’ve been messing with a dirty dick.” I started waving my hands in the air like they were on fire.
“He’s not dirty,” she replied defensively. “Ron’s the cleanest man I know.”
“But he ain’t circumcised. Yuck!”
She rolled her eyes. “Girl, whatever.”
I could tell I had pissed her off by talking about her man, but so what. “Okay, so then all you have to do is have Portia describe his dick.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she said, unconvinced.
“What do you mean, you guess?”
“I mean, I guess you’re right.”
“Damn straight I’m right. Is his thing long, fat, does it have a curve?”
Her jaw twitched with amusement “Ain’t you nosy.”
“No, but you need to have her describe it. We already know she knows what the rest of his body looks like. Hell, I saw that when he came to the door.” And damn, did that shit look good. “But no one should have seen his dick but you.”
“Okay, I’ll ask her.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Why not now?”
“Because I need a moment to prepare,” she informed me.
“Prepare for what? Putting the mothafucka out? Girl, please.”
“Renee, just let me do this my way.”
“Whatever.” I rose from the chair, pissed off and ready to go get my cousin Murphy and have him whoop Ron’s ass. “You need to handle your business—otherwise, I’m gonna ask my goddaughter myself.” I turned on my heels and headed back out to my car. This shit gets crazier by the second.
Lisa, girl, shit is crazy down here. Kayla’s been charged with murder. Danielle’s man is fucking her daughter, and me, well, I don’t know what to say about my fucked-up situation except to say that this shit has got to come to an end soon.
Chapter 36
Danielle
Danielle slept late the next morning, not at all ready to face what she was about to do. Renee had made a good point. Some way, somehow, she had to know for sure if her daughter was lying.
“Boo, you up?” Ron mumbled as he stirred in the bed beside her. Turning on his side, he swung an arm around her waist.
“Yeah, I’m up.”
“Good, can yo’ man get some attention this morning?”
Her hand traveled down between his legs to find him hard as a rock. She rolled over and straddled him, then took every inch with one push. “Ooh!” she moaned. Every time he was inside of her, he made her feel so complete. A perfect fit. Danielle rocked her hips slowly at first, then sped things up.
“Yeah, boo, that’s what I’m talking about. Ride this dick,” Ron managed between groans.
She rocked hard while he joined in and moved beneath her.
“Tell me you don’t like this.”
Like it? That was a stupid question. She loved it. Danielle made a sound in her throat but didn’t answer. How could she give all this up? It had taken her years to find the perfect dick and now she might have to let it go. She rose up and down and plunged hard, wanting it like a hungry woman trying to get a meal. There was a chance that she might not ever have this again and she wanted to get all she could.
Ron tapped her lightly on the butt. “Roll yo’ ass over.”
Obediently, she got down on all fours and Ron positioned himself behind her and pushed inside. She sucked air between her teeth at the contact. He pumped his hips until he had her screaming and speaking in tongues. Danielle came, then came again. While he stroked, he slapped her ass and gave her a thorough spanking. Oh, was it good, and she couldn’t get enough.
“Yes, baby, fuck me!” she cried.
Ron smacked her ass again. “Whose pussy is it?”
“It’s yours. Only yours.”
“You promise not to give my shit to some other nucca?”
He didn’t have to worry about that. “I promise. This pussy belongs to you.” And she meant it.
Ron reached for her hair and pulled it while his body tensed. Trembling violently, he came long and hard, and she right along with him, until they collapsed on the bed together. After a while he reached across her to the nightstand.
“Boo, here’s two hundred.”
Danielle sat up straight on the bed and glanced from him to the money and back. “For what?”
“What you think? To help wit’ the bills. I told you I’m gonna start doing right by you,” he announced proudly.
Danielle lowered her head to his chest again. She loved him so much, she didn’t know what she was going to do. “Can I ask a question?”
“Yo, you can ask me any thang.”
She wrung her hands nervously before saying, “Has Portia ever seen you with ... with yo’ clothes off?”
Ron pushed her head off his chest and sat up so he could look down at her face. “What kind of question is that?”
“One that requires an answer,” she replied with a roll of her neck. “I want to know if my daughter has seen you naked.”
His eyes shifted nervously before he finally shook his head. “Nah, boo. That girl ain’t seen my shit. Damn! I thought we squashed this thang.”
She hugged him close. The last thing she wanted was to mess things up between them. “I know, I know. But she is my daughter.”
“Yeah, and your daughter has a serious problem. What the hell do I need with a kid when I got a fine-ass woman lying right here?” He winked, then tickled her underarm and she squirmed and screamed.
“Okay, stop it!” Danielle tried to push his hand away, but he pinned her hands at her side and straddled her.
“Damn, Danny. I know I’ve fucked up in the past, but I’m tryin’ to do right by you, boo. Give yo’ man a chance.” He kissed her and she moaned. “Man, you got my dick hard again.”
“Oh, really?” she cooed. “So, what we goin’ do ’bout it?”
“Watch and see.” He pushed her thighs apart and slid all eleven back in, banging and pumping until she thought she would explode because it was so good. She wrapped her legs around his neck and Ron stroked her long and deep. She clung to him; her breath jagged. Finally, when she didn’t think she could take another second, he exploded inside her.
He lay there holding her for the longest time. Something in her heart told her that her man was telling her the truth. Ron had been serious about trying to change. But the maternal part of her said she needed to talk to her daughter and give her a chance to explain before passing judgment. Danielle breathed a deep sigh. Before the day was over, she was going to have to choose between her man and her daughter.
The phone rang and she pushed Ron’s snoring body off of her so she could grab the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, this is Veronica.”
It took a second for her to recognize her cousin’s voice. “Why are you whispering?”
“’Cause I don’t want no one to hear me. You still looking for Tracy?”
Danielle instantly sat up straight. “Yeah, you seen her?”
“She’s here right now, waiting to get her toes done.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a flash.”
“A’ight.”
Danielle hung up the phone and dashed to take a shower.
Dressed in white capris, a red midriff blouse exposing her flat, pierced belly button, and wearing white strappy sandals with rings on all her toes, Danielle strolled into the nail salon. Glancing around, she was pleased to see Veronica sitting in front of the foot tub, scrubbing Tracy’s feet.
“What’s up, girl?” Veronica said when she glanced toward the door.
“Nothing,” Danielle replied, then made eye contact with Tracy and acted surprised. “Girl, I didn’t even recognize you. What’s goin’ on?”
“Nothing. Just treatin’ myself. What’s been up wit’ you? I haven’t seen you in ... a long-ass time.”
Her grin widened. “Same here.”
“Cuz, you can go ahead and take that seat there and I can get started on your feet in a minute.”
Danielle gave Veronica a puzzled look, then noticed she wanted her to play along. “Oh, yeah. Okay.” She slipped off her shoes and took the seat beside Tracy and waited while Veronica poured her water.
After a while Danielle said out of the blue, “It’s first Sunday, so I am going to try and go to church this weekend.”
“Aunt Bea will be happy to hear that,” Veronica chimed in.
While she scrubbed the bottoms of Tracy’s feet, Danielle watched her expression as she asked, “Tracy, you still attend Mt. Carmel?”
She nodded. “Yeah, girl, but we’ve got drama at our house.”
“Yeah, I heard Reverend Brown was murdered.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, all loud.
“I was reading in the paper they now have a possible suspect,” Danielle paused, then snapped her finger and faked ignorance. “What’s that girl’s name?”
“Kayla Sparks,” she spat, loud and ghetto-like. “I know that bitch did it, too.”
Danielle gaped. “What?” She tried to act like she loved to gossip. “Why you say that?”
“Because she was mad when she found out I was getting some of that, too.”
Danielle had to try and hold it together. “Wasn’t he married?”
“And?” she rolled her eyes and watched as Veronica painted her toes red. “Darlene knew I was screwin’ her man. Came up to me and made sure I knew she knew. She had the nerve to laugh and said she could care less who was getting that, because wasn’t nobody getting his check but her.”
“Shit, no! Girl, she sounds crazy.”
“Crazy ain’t the word. All that wench cared about was the status she received bein’ married to Leroy’s ass.”
“She’s better than me because after I saw that video, I would have stabbed his ass.”
Veronica’s eyes grew large and round. “Girl, wasn’t that some jacked-up shit!” She clapped her hands and laughed louder than was called for. “I think I watched that video three times. Tracy, girl, what you doing messing with that fool?”
She sucked her two front teeth. “I didn’t know he was messing with Peaches. I seen them talkin’ a couple times, but I never put two and two together ’til I saw that tape. I remember dropping by his little home away from home—that’s what he called it—and saw all these cars out front. Girl, he was having this party. It was on a weekend he told me he was going fishing. I thought a couple of those cars looked familiar, but before I could get inside, Leroy met me on the porch and told me he and his wife were entertaining and I had to leave. It wasn’t until after the video that I realized that raggedy Ford Escort parked out on the curb had belonged to Peaches.”
So that explained the fishing trips. He was entertaining a bunch of gays.
Veronica shook her head as she applied polish to her toes. “Tracy, you’re a better woman than me ’cause there ain’t nothing a fag can do for me.”
Danielle splashed her feet in the warm water. “I heard Leroy wasn’t workin’ with much.”
“Shoot, that man might not be working with much, but he could lay it on you. And he could eat some good pussy.”
Danielle laughed along with her, then gave her a high five. “I know that’s right. I’m surprised his wife didn’t have the po-po knocking down your door.”
Her eyes grew round and wide like she thought she knew something she didn’t. “Girl, they came, and I told them all about my relationship with Leroy, then I gave them my alibi. I was in St. Louis kickin’ it wit’ my girls. There’s this new club called The Loft that is off the hook.”
The bell over the door rang and Danielle’s cousin Nina came through the door. As soon as she spotted her, she went over to where she was sitting.
“Whassup, cuz? I heard about your girl being arrested. Y’all get her out on bail yet?”
Danielle swallowed and tried to give her cousin the signal to shut the hell up. “Yeah, she’s out.”
Curious, Tracy looked from Danielle to Nina. “What friend?”
Before she could respond, Nina answered for her. “Kayla, you know, the one they think killed that minister.”
Quickly, Danielle rose and removed her feet from the soaking water. It was time to go.
“Oh hell, nah! You been sittin’ here all this time shooting the shit wit’ me so you could go back and tell yo’ friend?”
“Yep,” Danielle replied without hesitation. “I’m tryin’ to clear my girl’s name.”
“Your girl killed my man.”
“She didn’t kill him, but someone did. I was tryin’ to find out what else you knew ’bout him.”
“All I know is that my man is dead and yo’ girl’s big, fat ass killed him. I hope she rots in that jail.” Her neck rocked as she spoke.
Tired of listening to her talk bad about Kayla, Danielle reached out and snatched the wig from her head, then headed toward the door. Tracy started cussing and screaming, but Danielle ignored her fake ass and kept right on going.
Chapter 37
Renee
I went over to catch Deacon Williams at work. He owns a small copy shop near campus. I knew him from back in the day. He and my grandfather had been really good friends, and Big Mama used to be a very active member of their congregation.
I parked my rental in the lot next to a blue VW Bug with a sticker on the back window that read, he is the answer. I strolled inside the air-conditioned building and glanced around at the rows of copy machines. By the summer traffic in the lobby, I could tell business was definitely good. I walked to the desk, asked if Deacon Williams was in, and was escorted to his office in the back. The second he saw me, his beady brown eyes sparkled with laughter. “Well, if it isn’t little Nae-Nae. I haven’t seen you in years.” He came from around the desk and hugged me.
“It’s good seeing you, too. How are the twins?” I asked, referring to his albino-looking daughters.
“Fine, fine. Please, have a seat.” He sat behind his desk and pointed to a group photograph on the end. “We took this last year. That’s Norita’s two children and those are Cappy’s.”
Good Lord, three generations of ugliness. They definitely took after their mother because for an ol’ head, Deacon Williams wasn’t half bad. Salt-and-pepper curls, paper-bag-brown skin, and a tall, medium build.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, getting right to the point.
I cleared my throat and tried to put on my most pitiful expression. “I’m sorry about Reverend Brown. I was told the two of you were very close.”
“Thank you,” he replied with a solemn nod. “His death was a shock to all of us. But he’s in a better place now.”
“The reason why I’m here is that Kayla Sparks is my best friend.” I watched his face change. “Please, hear me out.”
He took a deep breath, then nodded grimly.
“I’ve known Kayla for years and so have you. She was a member of your church for over a decade before your boy preyed on her vulnerability. Now she’s being accused of murdering him and I’m trying to do everything I can to help clear her name,” I explained.
Deacon Williams fingered his mustache as he spoke. “I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but in this case, I prefer not to take sides. Instead, I’m leaving it in the hands of the Lord.”
“Sorry if I can’t do that. I know Reverend Brown was messing around with both women and men.” He squirmed at that bit of information.
“Listen, I wish you all the best in helping your friend, but I prefer not to discuss Reverend Brown’s extramarital affairs because they are all lies.”
“Lies?” I gave a quick short laugh. “Didn’t you see the videotape?”
“Yep, and it was a fake, just like the one that framed R. Kelly.”
Oh, he was definitely touched in the head.
“Listen, all I want to know is who else was he messing with?”
“How would I know?”
“Because you were ’posed to be with him on those alleged fishing trips.”
“Young lady, you’re on a goose hunt,” he replied impatiently.
“I don’t think so. I’m curious about those fishing trips the two of you took.”
He glanced down at his watch. “What about them?”
“Was he really going fishing with you, or were you just covering for him and his gay parties?”
He looked vaguely amused. “He and I were fishing.”
I frowned. “Then how was it that three weeks ago he forgot his tackle box?”
Deacon Williams hesitated for a moment and refused to meet my gaze as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. “We shared mine,” he retorted defensively. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work to do.” He sprang to his feet and so did I.
“I don’t believe you. I think he was meeting some woman or man and you covered for him—unless, of course, the two of you were involved.”
He was practically foaming at the mouth. “I bet your grandmother is turning in her grave. What Leroy chose to do when he wasn’t in the pulpit was his business and he’ll have to answer to God for that. Now, if you’d excuse me.”
I walked back to my rental car. His ass was lying, and I was going to find out why.
Chapter 38
Danielle
Danielle pulled into her parents’ driveway. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and prayed for the strength to go through with what she was about to do, then climbed out and went inside.
“Hey, Mama.”
Victoria turned around, a hand on her hip, and glared. “About time you got your narrow behind over here. I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”
She groaned. This was the reason why she had suggested to her mother that Portia come over to the house to talk, but no, her mother refused to let her grandbaby out of her sight until she was sure everything had been squared away between the two of them.
“Mama, that’s why I’m here now,” Danielle whined as she sank into a seat at the table.
“But it shouldn’t have taken you this long. That’s your daughter in the other room. Your flesh and blood. You never turn your back on your child for a piece of meat, because thugs come a dime a dozen.”
“He’s changed,” she replied defensively. “Ron has a job now and even gave me money to help pay the bills.”
“Whoopty-do.” She pointed a fork at Danielle. ‘That’s because he’s trying to get back in your good graces. Once he starts getting comfortable again, then everything is gonna change, mark my word.”
“Mom, I didn’t come over here for this.”
“Just answer one question for me. How could you take the word of some lowlife over the words of your own daughter? Huh?”
“Mom, you and I both know that Portia lies all the time to get attention. I can’t separate fact from fiction with that girl. Just last month she was accusing a college student of raping her.”
“And as her mother, it was your job to stand by her. Now, hear me out. That’s what mothers are for. We fight our children’s battles. We try to protect them from harm.” She paused long enough to take a seat across from her. “Do you remember that yellow man your Aunt Donna used to date?”
Danielle nodded.
The minute you told me that sleezy bum put his hand under your skirt, I went upside his head with a skillet. I didn’t go asking questions, because there wasn’t a damn thing to think about.”
Danielle never forgot “Uncle David.” He was a fabulous piano player. Every time she visited Aunt Donna, Danielle would sit on the bench beside him and watch his fingers glide across the keys. One afternoon he decided to teach her how to play “Chopsticks.” Danielle skipped over to the bench in her new pleated skirt and patent leather shoes and sat beside him. He showed her the first two bars and it wasn’t long before she had it down pat. Next thing she knew, he was telling her how beautiful she was and sliding his hand up her knee. Her mother had taught her as a child that if a man, no matter if he was even her “damn daddy,” touched her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, to come and tell her. The second his hand slid across her crotch, she sprang from the bench and into the kitchen, where her mother was picking collard greens.
Blinking, Danielle returned to the present and gazed over at her mother’s determined face. “Mama, I know what you’re saying, but if I was to jump every time Portia cried wolf, I’d be in jail.”
“I’m not saying come out swinging, but side with your daughter until you discover the truth. Men come and go, but your children are forever.”
“Mom, I just don’t know.”
“Then you’d better figure it out quick, because the longer it takes you, the harder it’s going to be to mend the mess between y’all.” She shook her head. “Your daughter’s been over here crying her eyes out while you’ve been over there entertaining. I thought I raised you better than that. How would you have felt if I had turned my back on you the first time you got pregnant?”
“I wasn’t...” She stopped short when her mother glared at her, then suddenly remembered a time in her life she had tried to block from her mind. How quickly we forget. She had just turned sixteen when she had discovered she was pregnant by her boyfriend of three months. Ryan Jackman was her first. Danielle thought he would stand by her, but instead he dumped her, claiming the baby wasn’t his. She had waited six weeks before she finally broke down and told her mother she was pregnant. Instead of screaming and hollering, her mother had pulled her into her arms and said, “We all make mistakes.” Her mother told her whatever she decided about the baby, she would stand by her. She didn’t want it but couldn’t see depositing the embryo at the nearest Planned Parenthood, either. After weeks of praying to the Lord for guidance, she started spotting and eventually miscarried.
“You have allowed yourself to stray too far from the church. Have you even bothered getting down on your knees and asking the Lord for help?”
“No,” she mumbled.
Clearly disappointed, Victoria shook her head. “See, that’s the problem. Any Christian woman wouldn’t have dreamed of choosing a man over her only child. Now march your butt right down that hall and make things right!”
Danielle went down the hall to her daughter’s room. Growing up, the room had belonged to her. Portia was curled up on the bed with her headphones on, sound asleep. As she watched her, Danielle’s heart softened. She remembered all of the nights she had strolled into her daughter’s room to tuck her into bed long after she was asleep. Danielle watched her for what felt like forever before she took a seat on the end of the bed, then tapped Portia lightly on the arm. “Portia, wake up.”
Disoriented, Portia mumbled something Danielle didn’t understand before she shot up straight against the headboard. Her eyes were wide with surprise that quickly changed to fear. “Hey,” she finally said.
Danielle briefly closed her eyes. Lord, please forgive me for striking my child. She believed in discipline, but the last thing she had ever wanted was for Portia to be afraid of her.
“How have you been feeling?” When she reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face, Portia flinched before she relaxed.
“I’ve been okay,” she replied weakly.
She nodded. “Don’t forget you have an appointment next week with the gynecologist. We’ll get to see how far along you are.” Danielle lowered her hand and sighed. “I guess I need to be getting the spare room ready for my grandbaby.”
Portia’s eyes grew round with surprise at the smile on her mother’s lips, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Danielle’s own eyes swam. She pulled her daughter into her arms and held her while they both cried. “I’m sorry,” she whispered near her ear. “I’ll never put my hands on you again.”
Sniffling, Portia eased out of her arms. “No, Mama. I’m not mad at you. I’ve been giving you a hard time lately. If it was my daughter, I would have knocked her out a long time ago.” Shrugging, she continued. “I don’t know why I do the things I do.”
Danielle patted her back lovingly, then slowly dropped her hand. “I just wished that you would try to work with me. I love you, Portia, and I want you to know that if there is something or someone bothering you, you can come to me.”
“Okay, Mama.”
Reaching over, she grasped her daughter’s hand, then took a deep breath. “Right now, I need you to tell me the truth. No matter how you answer, I won’t get mad.”
Portia nodded. “Okay.”
Danielle swallowed hard and asked the most difficult question of her life. “Is Ron the father of yo’ baby?” she asked, although deep down, she already knew the answer.
Her bottom lip quivered, then heavy tears flooded her cheeks. After a moment, Portia nodded. “Yes.” She started crying hard. “Mama, I’m so sorry. I know it was wrong, but he was so nice to me and made me feel so pretty. It only happened once. I swear!”
The pain of the truth was like a knife to her heart. She pursed her lips to keep from crying again and held out her arms. Portia threw herself against her and held on tightly. Danielle’s heart started to pound fast. She couldn’t believe this was happening. But this was her baby and if she didn’t stand by her, who would?
“I believe you. But if I’m going to put him out, I have to have something to make him stop lying to me.”
Portia looked at her with sad, confused eyes. “Something like what?”
Danielle swallowed. She still couldn’t believe what she was about to ask, but she didn’t have much choice. “What’s his thing look like? If you can tell me that, I can catch him in a lie.” Deep down, Danielle knew she needed something else to back up her daughter’s story.
Portia sat there for the longest time, wringing her hands together, and Danielle could tell she was uncomfortable with the question, but she had to know.
“Well... he has that skin on his thing.” Her words were barely above a whisper but loud enough for her mother to hear, nevertheless. Danielle sat there for the longest time, stunned as the truth had finally sunk in.
“Pack yo’ things. I’ll be by to pick you up in the morning. Right now, I’ve got some business to take care of.”
Portia looked scared. “Please, Mama. I don’t want to get Ron in trouble. I-I let him touch me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said reassuringly. “You are a kid and Ron’s a grown-ass man. You can’t consent to shit.” Pissed as hell, Danielle rose. “I’ll see you later.” From this point on, the only part Ron would ever play in her life would be through the blood of her grandbaby.
Chapter 39
Kayla
Kayla swallowed thickly, but the frog in her throat refused to budge. “I love you, Kenya.”
“I love you, too, Mommy.”
She was choking with tears when she lowered the phone to the cradle. Kayla slowly crossed the living room, her arms folded across her chest for comfort. Things weren’t looking too good. She didn’t have an alibi for the time after Jermaine left her house until Leroy’s body was found. She was so scared that she was going to spend the rest of her life in jail, she had called her mom in Birmingham and asked her to bring the girls back so she could spend as much time with them as she possibly could.
Kayla glanced around with a look of despair. She had met with her lawyer this morning, then dropped by her house to pick up her mail and spend a few moments in her own home alone. Jermaine was against the idea and would have a fit when he found out, but it was something she felt she needed to do. Afraid there were still reporters lurking in the corners, she had parked around the corner and snuck in through the back. The first thing she did was retrieve her cell phone that was left when the police carted her away. She checked her voice mail messages and instantly, she wished that she hadn’t. Murderer, homewrecker, and fat slut were just a few of the obscenities. Appalled, angry, and wounded, she didn’t even bother listening to the next seventeen messages. The mail was just as bad. Letters with no return addresses, threatening her life and the welfare of her children. Sinking to the couch, Kayla cried softly. What in the world was she going to do? She was touched that Nadine and Renee were taking care of her legal expenses. And extremely grateful they had retained one of the sharpest lawyers in the city, especially when her own life and freedom were at stake. But her legal representation was the least of her worries. If only she could say the same about the rest of her life.
She hadn’t killed anyone, and the whole situation and all of the accusations only added to her frustration. Someone came into that house shortly after she had left and killed Leroy and, in the process, had framed her for his murder.
“Why, Lord!” she shouted, then slammed her hand down onto the coffee table. She paid her tithes every month. Every night she was down on her knees in prayer. She even tried to live her life according to the Good Book. Almost.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Swallowing, she was unsuccessful at removing the lump from her throat. She was wrong for getting involved with Leroy and now she was paying for it. But the only one who had the right to determine her fate was God, not a courtroom with a jury of thirteen.
Falling to her knees, Kayla bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Lord, I come to you as your humble child because what I did was a foolish act. Please cleanse and make me whole again.” For the next twenty minutes, she prayed for forgiveness.
Kayla rose and paced around the room, feeling slightly better but worried just the same. With each passing hour, her day in court drew nearer. This morning she and her lawyer tried to come up with names of folks who might be able to shed some light on Leroy’s recent behavior and help clear her name. So far they hadn’t been able to come up with any evidence to prove she wasn’t responsible for killing him. All they had was a list of references who could vouch for her character, although their testimonies would carry very little weight against the evidence the prosecuting attorney’s office had already collected. DNA, Leroy’s blood on her shirt, the witness she almost ran her car into, her admitting she stabbed him, and—oh yeah, let’s not forget her fingerprints on the murder weapon. The rest of their evidence was circumstantial but damaging just the same.
Tears flooded her eyes. She hadn’t even been able to come up with any other possible suspects because everyone she thought of had an alibi. Everyone has an alibi but me. She had one, all right. She was at home in her bed asleep. Unfortunately, she had no way to prove it, or her innocence, thus far. Kayla knew that if they didn’t come up with something soon, she was in very hot water.
The phone rang, startling her. She listened to cell phone ring, too afraid to answer it. Moving over to the window, she stared at the neighborhood children out in the playground behind her house. She had spent years, right in this house, watching her own girls out back while she prepared dinner. Tears raced down her cheeks and fear pounded her heart at the thought of never being able to see them again. She couldn’t bear losing her children, and her mother having to raise them for her. She wanted to see them grow up, go off to college, and someday fall in love and start families of their own.
Think, Kayla, think.
She had been thinking. For the last several weeks, that’s all she had been doing, and she couldn’t come up with a single possibility. According to her lawyer, two hours after she had stabbed Leroy in the shoulder, Deacon Williams had arrived at the house and found the body, lying on the kitchen floor. For the longest time she sat there wondering what the deacon was doing at the pastor’s house at one o’clock in the morning. Maybe if she found out the answer to that question, she might be able to find out who really killed him.
