by Lynn Emery
“Fine. You’ve had my husband. Might as well take over the rest of my life, too,” Willa mumbled. She growled when Shaun and Dion smothered laughs.
MiMi blinked as though hurt. “Uh, no thanks. I won’t be staying. Maybe this was a bad idea.” Her bottom lip trembled as she pressed her purse to her tummy.
“Sit down, child. How far are you along?” Mama Ruby took MiMi’s arm and led her to one of the chairs around the breakfast table.
“Just over nine weeks. Thank you so much.” MiMi accepted a glass of grape juice from Aunt Ametrine. “But Willa is right. I shouldn’t stay long. This is family time. She’s lucky to have y’all standing by her.”
“Yeah, we hang tough.” Papa Elton grinned at his foster sons and Willa. “Just like your people probably fuss over you. Especially now.”
“Not really. My family isn’t all that close,” MiMi said in a tiny voice. Then she stood. “I’ve intruded for too long already. Y’all have a good evening.”
Her parents, brothers and aunt shot glances at Willa. Aunt Ametrine made sharp jerking motions with her head while mouthing silently for Willa to speak up. Much as she hated to admit it Willa felt a prick of guilt. MiMi looked like the foster kids Willa had gotten to know; she wore a sad expression of loneliness, of wanting to belong but being isolated.
“Sit and drink your juice. It’s good for you.” Willa tried to smile, but gave up. Instead she just nodded. “I’ve had a hellish day.”
MiMi recovered quickly. “Girl, I know what you mean. When I saw that news story about Jazz and the body I just about passed out.”
“Did you say news story?” Willa broke in before MiMi’s usual rapid-fire mouth got started.
“The five o’clock news. And when they mentioned Jack I was too upset.” MiMi gaped at their shocked expression. “Y’all didn’t see it?”
“Damn.” Dion shook his head.
MiMi got up and went to the flat screen television in the kitchen. She grabbed the remote. “Let’s find channel twenty. They repeat the Channel Two newscasts all day. Shoot they’re on the sports section, so we’ll have to wait for it to repeat in fifteen minutes.”
Willa groaned in frustration. “Maybe I don’t want to know. Just tell me what they said, MiMi.”
MiMi hit the mute button. “The Police Beat reporter, you know that smart ass Barron Blanchard, was at the scene. He made some comments about black on black crime and young people. Then they talked to Miller. Blanchard says they’ll have more details about a possible suspect in a related crime tonight on the ten o’clock newscast.”
Dion rubbed his jaw. “I’ll bet they’re talking about Jack’s murder and Anthony being questioned.”
“But they can’t say his name. He’s a minor.” Willa’s heart skipped.
“If he’s charged as an adult they can,” Shaun said in a grave tone.
“Yeah.” Dion nodded in solemn agreement.
“But that will stick to him like a permanent stain for the rest of his life,” Willa whispered. She closed her eyes and fought off the urge to cry.
“Now we don’t know all this for sure.” Aunt Ametrine put an arm around Willa’s shoulder.
“Can you boys find out some information from your pals on the street?” Papa Elton tilted his head to one side. “Things folks might not tell a reporter or the police.”
The twins exchanged a glance. They had ways of finding out information from a network of sources, on both sides of the law. Their days of lawbreaking were long over, but they still knew people.
“Let us see what we can find out. In the meantime maybe don’t let the kids watch the television news tonight,” Shaun said.
“Or on the Internet,” Dion added.
“Doggone. Back in the day it was easier to keep kids away from harmful stuff.” Papa Elton shook his head.
“No it wasn’t, Elton,” Mama Ruby said. “Just seems that way with all the technology now. Kids always know more than adults liked to think.”
“For sure,” Willa agreed. “I always knew when something was up. Like I was about to be moved from a foster home, or my mother had relapsed again.”
“That’s why it’s best to be upfront with kids, especially kids his age.” Mama Ruby looked at Willa. “Might as well have that talk with him, baby.”
“I just don’t know if I can deal with one more thing today, Mama.” Willa’s voice shook despite her effort to be strong. “But I know you’re right.”
“We’ll talk to Anthony, sis,” Shaun said. Dion nodded and followed him into the hallway to find their nephew.
“So what’s up with Jazz?” MiMi looked at Willa.
Willa winced at the mention of another problem family member. “That’s the million dollar question.”
“She’s not in touch with us,” Mama Ruby said to MiMi as a quiet aside.
“So you’re not just protecting her from the police? You have no idea where she is? That’s messed up.” MiMi gave Willa a sympathetic glance.
Shaun walked in with one arm around Anthony’s shoulder. Dion followed. All three were smiling and talking.
“Man, you’re dreaming. My team can beat the Miami Heat this year,” Anthony said. He gave his Uncle Shaun a playful shove.
“Hornets ain’t just underdogs. They dogs, as in losers.” Shaun slapped closed fists with his twin brother.
“You old dudes need to quit.” Anthony shook his head.
“Since when did twenty-nine get to be old, man?” Dion looked at his brother.
“Since we stopped being sixteen,” Shaun replied with a grin.
“That food smells good. Let’s eat.” Anthony went to the stove and lifted a lid from the big stockpot.
Aunt Ametrine tugged at his shirt. “Get away from that, boy. We got to bless this food first.” Anthony, Mama Ruby and Aunt Ametrine teased each other.
Willa gave Shaun and Dion a discreet nod. They followed her to the hallway toward the front door where they could talk.
“He’s cool,” Dion said then glanced over his shoulder at his nephew.
“He’s not upset?” Willa stared at Anthony. He seemed genuinely at ease.
“Nah. His friends are probably gonna think he’s Mr. Big. I know what you’re thinking, sis,” Dion said, his hand help up.
“Yeah, but that’s the way kids think. Anthony is like most teenagers, feels like he’s indestructible. I don’t think it’s sunk in that he could be in serious trouble.” Shaun shrugged.
“I hope he’s right to be so confident.” Willa rubbed her forehead. “I sure as hell wish I could be.”
***
The next day Willa was in her office trying not to think about jail sentences, shoe prints and murder trials in connection to her son and sister. Willa huffed out a sigh and rocked back in her chair. The morning sunshine through her window seemed to mock her. There was nothing to be cheerful about. She’d spent the night alternating between punching her pillow hoping to find some way to sleep and getting up to pace in the bedroom. So she had tired feet to match her aching back and head. The knock on her door made her sigh.
Cedric opened the door, entered then closed it behind him. “Can we talk?”
“Might as well. I’m not getting much done.” Willa looked at him. “What’s up?”
“First, don’t worry about Anthony. Shoe-print evidence is shaky. That brand of shoe is real popular. I guarantee a lot of gang-banging drug dealers wear them.
“Wow, I feel so much better knowing my kid is following their trend,” Willa said dryly.
“I mean that hang around in Brookstown. Just as many good kids buy those shoes, too. Or at least their parents do. I wasn’t implying that Anthony is a thug,” Cedric replied.
Willa gave him a tired smile as she waved at him. “I know. Ignore my bad mood. So shoe-print evidence isn’t all that solid. Thanks. Okay you said first, which means there is a second.”
“Something interesting happened.” Cedric wore a slight frown.
“Like I need more inte
resting events in my life.” Willa opened her desk drawer and took out a bottle of pain reliever for her headache.
“Don’t take too many of those. What you probably need is a neck massage. Much better than taking a lot of pills.” Cedric pointed to the plastic bottle in her hand.
“Right, I’ll just zip down to the spa,” Willa quipped. Still she decided against taking three of the capsules. Instead she washed down one with the remains of her cold coffee.
“I learned massages when I played sports in college.” He held up both hands.
Willa’s body responded to the suggestion. She stared at his long, tapered fingers. The gold of his fraternity ring looked warm against his dark brown skin. She remembered being part of a couple and having someone to share the load. How wonderful would it be to be hugged by a man who wasn’t a relative? To be comforted that way again? A tingling ache to be touched started at the base of her spine and spread all over. She sat straight and avoided his searching gaze.
“Forget it. You’re not going to start rubbing my neck.”
“Sure?” Cedric’s mouth lifted at the corners. “I come dirt cheap.”
“Positive. Now if that’s all.” Willa got busy with papers on her desk.
“No, there’s more. What about the account in the Caymans? We need to find out if that is company money. Reviewing those records would be a start.”
“I’d like to zip down to a tropical paradise, but I’ve got a few things going on here.” Willa scowled.
“So let’s examine your choices. You could let me go, but you’re not sure of me. Wait, maybe MiMi Landry could go.” Cedric raised an eyebrow at her.
“The account isn’t a priority. Could be dirty money anyway. I’m worried about my family,” Willa said.
“We need to find about one hundred fifty thousand dollars. I think maybe Jack diverted some funds to finance his other, uh, activities,” Cedric replied. “We need that money for a few little things, like payroll, rent.”
“You said we were fine. We have new contracts.”
“The books were cooked. Jack must have had an accountant help him with this one. A crooked, but sharp one, too.” Cedric grunted. “I wouldn’t have believed he’d play that close to the edge of breaking the law.”
“Jack studied accounting in college, Cedric. He probably didn’t need much help. He owned this company. He didn’t need to get anybody’s okay to pull money out of it.” Willa slapped the arm of her chair. “I’m not going to cry. I will not.”
“You’ve been through hell this week.” Cedric wore a sympathetic expression. He started toward her, but Willa stopped him with one raised hand.
“I’m fine,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I’m not the enemy,” he said quietly. When she only stared out the window. He sighed. “Okay. You’re fine.”
“So we have operating capital for how long?” She faced him, again in full control.
“Six months easy. The new contracts give us a cushion, assuming clients pay their bills on time. This is a challenging time for businesses, especially small and medium-sized firms. Which is the majority of our clients.” Cedric shrugged when Willa frowned.
“We can’t afford to play the ‘check is in the mail’ game. We need to get on any outstanding invoices fast. Got it?” Willa shot back.
“That’s a tough line, but I got it,” Cedric said.
“These are tough times. So what can we do?”
“Let’s work up a strategy to get enough big accounts to balance the risk. We can talk about it later since you’ve been hit with so much.” Cedric studied her.
“We can talk about it now. I said I’m okay,” Willa said firmly.
“It’s not that.” Cedric cleared his throat. “I did a skip trace on your sister. Don’t slice and dice me. I saw the news last night and figured maybe you’d want to know at least as much as the police before they catch up with her and— ”
“You found her?” Willa stood and leaned on the desk with her palms flat.
“She used her gas card along I-10 through Lake Charles and Beaumont, Texas.”
“Houston,” Willa cut him off. She wanted to throw something but controlled herself. “That little witch is going straight to Houston. That’s the last place our mama landed. Far as I know anyway. But Vivienne isn’t exactly the ‘bridge over troubled water’ type maternal figure.”
“Oh really.” Cedric seemed to be trying to keep his tone neutral.
Willa glanced at him. “Don’t act like you don’t know my pedigree.”
“No judgments from me. I climbed out of the hood myself.” Cedric crossed his arms.
Willa looked at him in surprise. He had the solid, handsome look of a man women would want to trust. She was no exception. Maybe she was trying too hard not to trust him. She shook her head.
“Then you know the type. She had too many kids too young, never gave up hanging in the clubs. The usual ghetto rap song, same lyrics different beat.”
“And daddy didn’t step up. I recognize that song for sure.” Cedric sat on the edge of her desk.
Willa waved a hand and sat down again. “Who knows which man floating in and out was daddy? I sure don’t, and neither does Vivienne. Didn’t matter because none of them was worth a damn.”
“My father has always been missing in action. Paid child support sometimes, but he never wanted anything to do with me. Forget him.” Cedric’s tight jaw line indicated the subject was unfinished business.
Willa nodded in empathy. She had her own mama drama issues lingering. “Vivienne would let her hide out for awhile, for a price of course.”
“Either your sister eats a lot or she’s not alone on her road trip.” Cedric added. “I lost her after Beaumont.”
“Probably her latest man. That guy the police arrested at her place told me she was going ‘on vacation’ with him. I can’t believe Jazz didn’t figure out using the debit card would give her away.” Willa rocked her chair back, the motion helping her think. “How’d you do that?”
“Databases I subscribe to, all legal. Called a buddy in Lake Charles. He’s going to send me a store video. Maybe we can recognize the person she’s with.” Cedric rubbed his jaw. “I have an advantage over the police. I can get background information from you.”
“Right, like my biological mother being in the picture.” Willa nodded. “Okay. She’ll be able to stay with Vivienne for a while. Jazz knows she’ll need money to get the welcome mat.”
“Touching.”
“That’s dear old mom. But she might not stay with Vivienne. Jazz ran away to Houston back in the day and survived on her own for almost a year. She might not need Vivienne.”
“Okay, we’ve got two projects today: our strategy to increase business and to trace your sister.” Cedric put both hands on his narrow waist. “It’s going to be a long day. I could do most of the grunt work. That way you can get home to the kids.”
“My family will take care of them if I have to work late.” Willa looked at their picture on her desk. They’d spent hours last night surrounded by family. “I wouldn’t have even come in today if I thought they needed me.”
“Having strong family support is a blessing,” Cedric said.
“Believe it or not, even Jack’s family has been in touch. Ryan offered to spend time with Anthony. He’s taking him to his sports club and for pizza. Male bonding, the old cliché.” Willa grinned. “And Mikayla is being treated like a spoiled princess by Jack’s mother.”
“I’m sure Miss Mikayla is right in her element.” Cedric laughed.
“Yes, and she’ll be hard to live with for the next two weeks,” Willa added. “So let’s get to it. Let’s meet in your office. I’ll just ask Kay to help us prepare. We’ll need snacks. Maybe even dinner like take-out pizza?”
“No pizza. I watch sodium, fat and calories.” Cedric patted his tight abs.
Willa allowed her gaze to travel from the handsome face, down the broad chest to the rest of his fit body. “Yo
u’re a good influence then. I should hang around you more often.”
“Yes, you should. I’m a fresh fruit and fiber guy.” Cedric walked close to Willa.
“Sweet and regular, huh? Every girl’s dream.”
His deep laugher sent shivers down her neck and to all the wrong places. Willa worked hard on ignoring the scent of his aftershave lotion and the heat from his body. Or maybe the heat came from her. To avoid danger Willa led the way out to Kay’s desk in the lobby. Good thing they were headed to a public part of the office.
“What y’all need?” Kay looked up from a stack of papers in front of her. Like any good administrative assistant she was almost psychic in anticipating her bosses.
“Healthy snacks. We may be working late,” Willa said.
“I’ll hustle over to the Whole Foods deli.” Kay dug through her desk drawer. “Ah-ha, here is their menu. Tell me what you want.”
Minutes later they had ordered up enough protein to keep them going until midnight. Kay bustled off to make sure the fridge had enough room. Willa and Cedric headed to his office. Unlike her late ex-husband, Cedric’s office was neat. Except for his degree and certificates from law enforcement classes, there were no pictures. Willa realized that Cedric rarely talked about his family.
“Lucky you. No family drama to drive you bat-shit crazy.” Willa wanted to probe, but her comment was sincere.
“Oh I could have plenty of drama, but I don’t play that. So how much information do you have on Jazz? A date of birth I’ll bet.” Cedric sat down at his desk.
“Sure, August fourth, nineteen eighty-one.” Willa stood behind him as he signed onto a subscription search website.
“Now if we had her social security number— ”
Willa rattled off the numbers before he could finish. When Cedric looked up in surprise she shrugged. “I’m real good at reading upside down. When we were in foster care the social workers used to have our files with them. Once I managed to read up on us, even stole a couple of forms.”
“You were a little rascal, huh?” Cedric turned back to the computer screen.
“Hey, when you’re a foster kid you become a survivalist. Anyway, that was my misguided attempt to find my biological father. I had this dream he would rescue me.” Willa felt a sharp pang at the memory.