The last child to be picked up from the afterschool program was Amani. Instead of her mother arriving, Rosemary stepped inside the church fellowship hall to pick up her granddaughter. Before leaving, Rosemary asked, “Is everything still going okay with the wedding plans?”
I smiled, displaying a confidence I didn’t feel. I’d not been in touch with Cedric or Carmen since the debacle on Sunday afternoon at the restaurant. I held up my fingers and counted off everything that had been done. “Bridal fitting is done. Cake ordered. Deposit down on the reception location.” I took a breath. “Rosemary, I’m doing everything possible to make sure this wedding moves forward.”
She gave me a wry smile. “You haven’t changed a bit, Eugeena. I remember when we were kids, you were always the one to bring everyone together. I hope your future daughter-in-law knows how special you are.”
I winked. “She’s not so bad herself.”
I returned home quickly after closing the church. I climbed out of my car and noticed Amos stepping out onto his porch.
Was he looking for me?
I waved. “How are things going?”
He waved back. “When you have a minute, I have some information for you.”
“No need to wait, come on over.”
I let Porgy out the back door, while Amos came in and sat at the kitchen table. I poured a glass of water. “Would you like some water?”
He shook his head, “No, thanks.”
I glanced out the window and saw Porgy turning around in circles. Since I didn’t need to be concerned with my pup taking care of his business, I went to sit across from Amos.
I realized I hadn’t seen Amos since yesterday either.
He seemed to sense what was on my mind. “How’s everyone doing after our adventure yesterday?”
“Adventure?” I raised an eyebrow. “That was drama at twenty on a scale from one to ten.” My shoulders dropped, “Sweet Mama’s Kitchen had become a favorite restaurant for Sunday dinners, and it’s been so long since I had us together on a Sunday. We’re probably banned from the restaurant forever.”
Amos chuckled. “I’m sure the restaurant manager understood you didn’t invite trouble.”
“No, I would have never imagined a scene like yesterday. For once, I’m keeping my nose out of Cedric and Carmen’s business.”
“You haven’t called to check on them?”
“No, Monique’s outburst towards Carmen was bad enough, but even after I warned Cedric to tell her, he still didn’t. The woman he’s about to marry was left in the dark. She had no clue who Monique was until yesterday.”
I took a breath and went to the door to call Porgy.
I’d almost forgotten him. He raced inside as soon as I opened the door. “Got lonely out there or something?” Porgy stared back at me and then looked over at Amos before heading toward the front of the house. I imagined he was about to settle down for a nap. Something I could use.
“Oh, I need to tell you about my visit with Monique’s friend.”
Amos peered at me. “Still investigating, I see.”
I held up my hands in protest. “This was pain free investigation. I actually learned a lot. Do you remember the young woman who was with Monique yesterday?”
Amos frowned. “Vaguely. Was she blonde?”
I sat back down. “Yes. One of Monique’s longtime friends. According to her, Darius broke up with Monique a few weeks ago, but she hadn’t caught the hint. I might say that didn’t surprise me due to her past behavior when Cedric broke up with her.”
“She also provided further proof that Monique is definitely unstable or at least has been in the past. Seems she tends to go over the edge when faced with rejection, and a few years ago, Monique spent some time in a facility.”
Amos nodded. “You’re thinking she killed Darius?”
“She had motive, Amos. They had a fight Monday night. He pushes her away and reminds her within earshot of others that it’s over between them. Now she didn’t show her face Tuesday because she was with her dad, but suppose this breakup had started to sink in.”
Amos clasped his hands behind his head, his eyes focused on me. “So you think she planned to confront Darius, but it ended wrong for her?”
I tapped my fingers on the table. “Darius had to have a conversation with whoever came to his room. Wouldn’t you think an argument could spill over a few days and end with someone arriving in Darius’s room, wanting a face-to-face?”
“All of this is possible, but the only problem is nailing down someone else prior to Carmen’s arrival. I had a chance to talk to some of the staff at the Charleston Place Hotel.”
I gulped the rest of my water and sat the glass down on the table. “Did you? Anything interesting?”
“You were on to something. Darius was an early riser. He received the same breakfast everyday right around six-thirty in the morning.”
“Did the person who brought him breakfast notice anything?”
“No, she didn’t notice anything in the hallway, but she said Mr. Randall was on the phone when she brought his breakfast on Wednesday morning.”
“The phone? Well, then Detective Wilkes should have the man’s phone records. She would’ve connected with whoever Darius was talking to that morning.”
“You’re right, she would have made the connection. At least I hope she did.”
“How can we find out?”
“That would be where my contacts come in.”
I eyed him. “You have people at the police station who would share with you? How can you do this without Detective Wilkes finding out?”
Amos smiled. “I have my ways. In fact, what are you doing for breakfast tomorrow?”
I cocked my eyebrow. “Are you asking me out?”
He held up his hand. “Well, maybe it’s time you meet a few people.”
Meet a few people. I had mixed feelings about the sound of this. On one hand, it excited me to have the opportunity to meet other people like Amos, who had professional skills that I certainly didn’t possess. On the flip side, it occurred to me that Amos had this other life, other people outside of who we fellowshipped with at church and in the neighborhood. He was letting me into the world where he’d spent thirty years of his life.
I smiled back. “I will be up and ready to go at seven o’clock.”
Amos winked. “Sounds like a plan.”