What a day this had turned out to be. First Charlotte and Curtis had gone to see Attorney Vellman to see what he thought about their case, but they actually hadn’t sat with him for more than a half hour because Curtis had agreed with Charlotte’s mother. He, too, felt it might be best to try to settle things with David out of court and on a more personal basis. Attorney Vellman had told them he was all for having them do that, and if they could come to some sort of agreement, he’d work with David’s attorney to draw up the paperwork, outlining the details.
However, the downside of what Attorney Vellman had told them was that if for some reason David wasn’t willing to cooperate, they were going to be in for a tough fight. Partly because the DNA testing for Curtis and Matthew had been performed six years ago and Charlotte had never told David, partly because her daughter had fallen to her death in their household and she and Curtis were with her when it happened, and partly because there was a chance Matthew might tell a judge and medical experts that he wanted to be with David—thus leaving a judge to believe Matthew wasn’t happy in his current household. Attorney Vellman had also made it clear that David’s attorney was going to use all of this along with the Tabitha Charles scandal to discredit her as Matthew’s mother and Curtis as his stepfather. David’s attorney would use everything he could find, but at least the good news was that Attorney Vellman was going to do the same thing when it came to David’s personal life. He’d promised them he would dig as deep as he had to if it became necessary.
But now, of all the things that could have possibly happened, they were sitting face-to-face with two of Mitchell’s finest. In their family room. In the privacy of their own home. And all Charlotte could think was how happy she was that Matthew had begged to stay with her parents for a few more days.
The six-foot-two-or-more detective flipped over his notepad to a new page. “So can you tell us where you were last night around midnight?”
“Still in New York,” Curtis answered. “And we didn’t fly home until this morning. You can check our itinerary, which I have in my briefcase, and you can also check with the airline.”
“When was the last time you spoke to Ms. Charles?”
“Five nights ago. First, when she mysteriously showed up at the restaurant where my family and I were eating, and then she called very late, saying someone had cut her tires and then broken the glass window in her front door.”
“She mentioned that, and according to her, both of you were behind that as well.”
“This is ridiculous,” Charlotte said, and then regretted it because now the second detective, who was browsing the photos on the fireplace mantel, turned to look at her and the questioning detective stared at her as well.
“So, Mrs. Black, when was the last time you spoke to her?”
“Friday afternoon, when she just so happened to show up at Macy’s department store at the same time I was there.”
“And you were talking to her because…?”
“She started harassing me. And this wasn’t the first time we’ve been in the same place because about a week ago, she showed up at the salon I’ve gone to for years. She’d never been there before, so what she’s doing is stalking us.”
“Was there a confrontation? Did she speak to you directly?”
“No,” Charlotte lied and already felt as though she was digging a hole for herself.
“Is there a reason you haven’t reported any of this, Reverend Black?”
“Yes. Because we didn’t want my connection to Ms. Charles to become public knowledge. Of course, now, after this weekend, none of that matters anymore.”
“Has she showed up other places?”
“The church. She joined a few Sundays ago, and she ended up at a gas station I was at.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“Yes, she apologized for trying to come on to me and pleaded with me not to stop coming by to see my daughter.”
“That was it?”
“Pretty much, and then I left.”
“We found a report that was filed by one of our officers, and we see that someone recently threw a rock through one of your windows.”
“Yes—” he said, and then Charlotte interrupted him.
“Someone could’ve gotten hurt. Our son could’ve been standing right where it happened, so if anything, Tabitha is the one who needs to be questioned.”
“Well, in order for that to have happened, you would have had to tell us about her and why you thought she had something to do with it.”
Charlotte saw the silent detective glance at her—the one who was no longer looking at the photos and was now standing a few feet away, stretching his neck and looking into various rooms of the house. She didn’t like him, and she could tell he was purposely sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, trying to make them uneasy. What he should have been doing was worrying about the five o’clock shadow he was wearing, the one that definitely didn’t become him.
“Reverend Black,” the first detective continued. “Do you also think Ms. Charles was responsible for the rock incident?”
“It’s possible, but there’s no way to know for sure. We didn’t see the vehicle well enough before it sped off.”
“Well, getting back to the reason we’re here this afternoon. Is it my understanding that neither of you knew anything about what happened last night at Ms. Charles’s residence?”
“That’s right,” Curtis confirmed.
“We knew nothing about it at all,” Charlotte added. “Not until we arrived home and saw the midday news.”
The detective closed his notepad and slipped his pen down the inside pocket of his blazer. Then he gave Curtis one of his cards. “We’ll be going forward with the rest of our investigation, but we may have more questions at a later date. Also, if either of you thinks of anything else, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
“We will,” Curtis said.
Charlotte and Curtis escorted both men to the door, and Mr. Five-O’clock-Shadow said with no emotion, “You folks have a real nice evening.”
When they were gone, Charlotte and Curtis returned to the family room and Curtis flipped on the television.
“I really don’t like the fact that the police were just here,” he said.
“Neither do I, and we owe every bit of this to Tabitha. That woman will stop at nothing when it comes to trying to ruin us, and she’ll never be over you.”
“It’s been one thing after another, and all I can hope is that those detectives don’t think we were involved in some kind of criminal activity. I’ve done a lot of things, but destroying people’s property is not something I would even consider doing. Not to anyone I can think of.”
“I’m not going to worry about it because in the end, everyone will realize that Tabitha is only doing this because you’ve cut her off. She’s telling one lie after another, and eventually all of her lies are going to be exposed.”
“That may be true, but it’s like you said earlier, when people hear negative claims like the ones Tabitha is making, they’ll definitely question whether we’re innocent or guilty.”
“But not forever. Not once the truth comes out.”
Curtis didn’t say anything else, so Charlotte said, “I’m going upstairs to change into something more comfortable and when I come back down I’ll warm up some dinner. I think Tracy made some sort of potato soufflé and baked some chicken.”
“Well, I’m too tired to move, so I’ll be here.”
As soon as Charlotte went upstairs she closed the bedroom door and called Dooney.
“What’s up?” he answered.
“Where are you?” she whispered.
“Just comin’ back from gettin’ a little somethin’-somethin’ to eat.”
“Did you see the news today?”
“Yeah, I saw it. And just before I ran out, I saw it again on one of those national cable channels.”
“Well, worse than that, two detectives just left here a little while ago.”
“Five-O? For what?”
“They were interrogating us. Didn’t you hear Tabitha tell that reporter that we were behind what happened?”
“So what? She can’t prove one thing.”
“I don’t care. I think you may have gone a little too far.”
“Look, Cuz, it’s like I told you before. If you want that trick outta here, it’s gonna take a lot more than just playin’ a few head games with her.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t think I can take any more chances. And I don’t want you taking any more chances either because they’re definitely going to be watching Tabitha’s house from now on. Especially since there were two episodes in one week. And hey, why’d you end up going over there last night and not on Monday? Did something happen?”
“She had company. There were lights on in the house and a car was in her driveway until well after midnight, so I figured I should wait.”
“You did the right thing. But like I said, we can’t take any more chances, so let’s just end this while we’re ahead.”
“So that’s it? You just gonna keep lettin’ her treat you any way she wants? You just gonna let her go scot-free with no repercussions?”
“For now. But I’ll call you if anything changes, and I think it would be best if you leave here as soon as you can get your things together.”
“Whatever you say. But if you do call me, you’ll have to call Mom’s number because I’m ditchin’ this c-phone in the river as soon as I get back to the city.”
“Good. And, Dooney, hey. Thank you.”
He laughed. “You’re welcome, but it’s not like I really did anything. To be honest, I feel like I robbed you or somethin’.”
“You put your freedom on the line for me, and I won’t ever forget that.”
“It was nothin’.”
“You take care of yourself, Cousin. I mean that.”
“You, too.”
Charlotte set her phone down on the bed, and wondered if she’d done the right thing by sending Dooney back to Chicago. She certainly didn’t want either of them getting caught, but what bothered her was the fact that after all that Dooney had done, Tabitha was still there. Living right there in the same city and only a few miles away.
Living far too close to her and Curtis.
Far too close for comfort.
Charlotte and Curtis had just finished eating dinner, and now she was waiting for David to answer his phone. She’d put off calling him for as long as she could, but she and Curtis had agreed she should speak to him tonight.
“Hello?”
“David, this is Charlotte.”
“Uh-huh.” His tone was definitely not a warm one.
“I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, and I really want us to settle this situation regarding Matthew without having to go to court.”
“I’m listening.”
“I was thinking that maybe we could figure out which weekends he can be with you, which holidays, and then instead of him being with you the entire summer, maybe he could be here with us for at least a couple of those weeks, too. That way we all get to spend quality time with him.”
“You know, Charlotte, maybe I didn’t make myself clear.”
“I don’t get what you mean.”
“My time with Matthew isn’t negotiable. I told you I want every weekend, every holiday, and the entire summer, and I’m not accepting anything less than that.”
“Why are you being so unreasonable about this?”
“I’m not. He’s my son, and I have every right in the world to see him on a regular basis.”
“But what about Curtis and me? What about our relationship with Matthew?”
“That’s not my problem. You deliberately kept him from me, and every time I think about that, I get angry all over again.”
“I’m sorry, David. But I really thought I was doing the right thing.”
“I’m sure you did, and that’s why I did the right thing this morning.”
“Which is what?”
“I drove over to Mitchell and met with my attorney. I decided to find representation there because I want someone who’s familiar with the county Matthew lives in and someone who’s familiar with that particular court system.”
“I can’t believe you’re really going to hurt Matthew this way.”
“How am I going to hurt him, Charlotte, when he’s been calling me every day, wanting to know if I would come pick him up from his grandparents’?”
Charlotte couldn’t remember feeling more defeated, and she didn’t know what else she could say.
But David continued, “You have no idea how badly I wanted to, and the only reason I didn’t was because I figured it was best to handle all of this in a proper way.”
“So you’re really taking us to court?”
“Yes. And just so you know, my attorney filed the papers this afternoon and he’s requested a speedy hearing date.”
“Based on what?”
“Everything. You, your history, and the type of man you’ve had Matthew calling Daddy all these years. I thought Curtis was a pretty good guy, but now I know differently, and it’s time Matthew had a more positive male figure in his life.”
“No matter what you think, Curtis has been the best father to Matthew, and Matthew means everything to him.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Look, I have to go.”
“You are so, so wrong for doing this, David.”
“No, actually this is the best decision I’ve made in a long time. Now you take care.”
Charlotte hung up the phone and told Curtis everything David had said.
“It sounds like his mind is completely made up, so what we have to do now is call Attorney Vellman and then go from there,” Curtis said. “We’ll call him first thing in the morning.”
“All of this really scares me, but what I mostly don’t understand is why Matthew seems to be so taken with a man he just met. He’s acting as if he’s known David since birth.”
“I’ve thought about that, too, but I guess every son wants a father. Matthew’s had me for a long time, and I don’t think he loves me any less, but I’m sure he’s found a certain amount of pride in getting to know his biological father. Plus, he’s only thirteen and the newness of the situation hasn’t worn off yet. And it probably won’t for a while, not until David has to do more than just have fun with him. Because believe me, the first time he has to punish Matthew or tell him he can’t do something he wants to do, I think we’ll see a whole change in Matthew’s attitude. He’ll finally start to see David as a real parent and not just as some new playmate he can have hours and hours of social time with.”
“Maybe. But that still doesn’t change the fact that by then, David might already have custody.”
Curtis drew Charlotte closer to him and placed both his arms around her. “If he does, then, baby, we’ll just have to deal with it. We’ll deal with it the same as we’ve dealt with every other obstacle we’ve had to overcome. And who’s to say David is going to win anyway? Especially since you and I are going to pray that God favors us instead.”
Charlotte rested her head against Curtis’s chest and closed her eyes. She was thankful for the way he was trying to encourage her, and she truly did want to believe in the power of prayer, but still, she had to be realistic about all of this.
The reason: she knew it was going to take an absolute miracle for this to turn out the way she wanted it to.