A Good Excuse To Be Bad

by Miranda Parker

  “What about the armor bearers?”

  “Who?” Willis grimaced.

  “The . . . never mind.”

  “Very well,” Willis said before walking toward the jail.

  “Willis . . .” I called after him.

  He stopped, turned around, and tapped his watch. “Time is billable, people.”

  I nodded and tried not to seem thrown by what he just said to me. There was no time to cry, mourn, sleep, or think at this point. To make matters worse, Ava and Devon’s church had given me an ultimatum: Get out the way or Ava was on her own. I didn’t have funds to pay for a defense lawyer as good as Willis. Besides, if Big Faith wasn’t in her Amen corner at the trial—if it got down to that—a juror would equate the church’s indifference as a sign of guilt. She would lose without them. But if I didn’t find Devon’s killer, then what? She’d take the fall to save Devon’s persona?

  Unh-uh. No way. I couldn’t let that happen.

  Where would I start? Time had slipped away too much already fooling with surly Willis. I could still snoop around without them being the wiser. How dumb did he think I was?

  I wasn’t sure if he was playing me for a sucker, but he seemed not to know anything about the armor bearers. I wondered if the church had spoiled my name to them already? If not, I definitely could start there. I just need to figure out how without throwing up any smoke signals. Hopefully after Willis talked with Ava he would have a change of heart about me like she had. I didn’t have anyone else to talk to regarding Ava and Devon outside of Elvis. I doubt he would talk to me now, but what else did I have to work with? Definitely not stupid Terry.

  “Thank you, Roger, for your advice, but Ava made it clear to me in her yard, in front of Detective Tinsley and almost the entire Dekalb County Police Department, that she wanted me as far away from the case as possible, so let the church say amen on that. They don’t have to be concerned about me.”

  “Is that true, pastor?” Willis asked Justus.

  I held my breath.

  “I’ve lost count of how many people have asked Angel not to interfere with this case tonight.”

  Willis smirked. “Pastor, before you start claiming our dear Angel as your Eve, ask her to share the story about the last good man who lost his soul to protect her.”

  A swirling of spitfire rage, sorrow, and horror enveloped me. Before I could stop myself, I lunged forward. Justus grabbed me and swung me away from Willis. I wanted to claw that joker’s grin off his face.

  “Go home, Evangeline. Think hard about what I said, because I won’t proceed if you’re lurking under my shadow or trying to stab me in the back.”

  I waved back and watched him disappear down the path toward the entrance.

  Justus placed his hands on my shoulders.

  I began to cry; then I stopped myself. “What?”

  “Do you want to grab some breakfast before Elvis calls?”

  “I want to go home and hold my child.”

  “I thought you wanted to meet Elvis.”

  “Did you hear Roger Willis?” I asked.

  “I did.”

  “Then understand that our play detective adventure is on a tentative hold, at least until Ava gets released or charged. I need that guy to free her.”

  “So you’re not dropping the case?”

  “Not even. Why would you think that?”

  “Well, you look defeated after your match with Attorney Willis.”

  “That’s because I’m tired. I haven’t gotten any sleep in a few days. Bella was sick earlier this week, then my time at the ER, now Ava . . .” I pivoted and began walking back toward my car. “I don’t want to speak to Elvis. He’s not going to tell me what I need to know. Willis is right. They’re probably brainwashing him right now. “

  “Don’t say that.” He walked behind me.

  I guessed my pace must have been pretty fast. He was panting a little once we reached my car.

  “Give me my keys. I’ll drive home.” I held out my hand.

  “As your sidekick, it’s my duty to ignore you.” He unlocked my door. “Now get in.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Nowhere. Well, not yet. Not until you see the light.”

  “And what exactly does that mean?”

  “It means pull out your pen and paper, and let’s mind dump everything that happened tonight so we won’t forget what you need to say to Elvis once he calls.”

  “Mind dump?” I twirled the word in my head. I liked it. I smiled at Justus. “How do we start?”

  “Over smothered and covered, diced and sliced.”

  14

  Friday, 7:00 AM

  The Waffle House

  “There’s something you don’t know about me that may change the way you feel about me being your sidekick,” Justus said.

  He had hid most of his face behind the white laminated Waffle House menu, which was stuck to the table when we arrived. He should have hid his eyes. It charmed me in the way that the old Eastern Diamondback snake that lived in Aunt Doe’s collards and cucumber garden did to Ava’s pet rabbit Shirley the summer we were ten years old. An intoxicating danger.

  I placed my menu back down flat on the counter. “You killed Devon? Case closed.”

  “No, guess again.”

  “Can you do that after I take your order?” the waitress said to both of us.

  Her tone of voice rubbed me the wrong way. I checked her with my eyes until her neck stopped rolling at me. Her name tag said Cherlie ironically. She smacked her lips when she chewed her gum. I eyed her some more. She pushed the gum under her tongue or swallowed it. I don’t know, but whatever she did with it made it disappear. Good. Because I wasn’t in the mood to be dealing with a salty chick.

  I decided to let Justus respond, since his mouth was already open from watching me and Cherlie. He gave Cherlie his eye-lock thing, ordered their bottomless cups of coffee, and then apologized for keeping her from her other nonexistent customers. She told him she would give us a few more minutes and walked off whistling. I wanted to take my shoe off and throw it at the back of her head.

  I shook my head. “Please tell me you’re not a woman whisperer.”

  He chuckled. “Not like that.”

  “Then tell me quick because I’m starving and I don’t want Cherlie spitting in my food; then I really will be going to jail tonight.”

  “I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that.” He poured coffee into my cup.

  I watched him pour. “I guess that is a sidekick job?”

  “It could be or something more, but not a job, a perk for being my friend.” He grinned.

  I blushed and lowered my head. “It’s getting a little warm in this hot box.”

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

  “Do you mean if I’m still sad, confused, and defeated?”

  He reached across the table and held my hands. “Yes, all of that.”

  “First, tell me this secret of yours before I give you an answer.”

  Cherlie coughed. I looked up at her. She had returned and now she had her hands on her hips. I looked around the small rectangle of a dining hall, to see if there were any witnesses just in case I dove into her chest. We were the only ones there except for two Decatur policemen sitting in the station near the door. They were busy reading an Atlanta Sentinel and chopping it up with each other about its contents. I sighed. I still missed my old job.

  Normally, I would have checked Cherlie’s attitude despite their presence, but I didn’t have the heart to do it. Instead, I ordered. As hungry as I was, I didn’t have an appetite. I chose, instead, another bottomless cup of coffee, a bowl of grits, two slices of raisin bread, and a plate of bacon. Not my customary batch of hash browns or waffles on my plate. I observed Justus’s plate. It was sparse. I couldn’t imagine a man his size and masculine build would eat so little.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m good.” He picked around his plate with his fork.<
br />
  I sipped some coffee. “Are you going to tell me your issue, or do I have to add that to my long to-do list?”

  He wiped his mouth, glanced at the sheriff, then responded, “I told the detectives how we really got inside Ava and Devon’s home.”

  “What did you tell them?” I reached for another sip.

  “I could have told them that you jammed the keypad to disarm the security gate.”

  I sprayed some of the coffee over my pajama top. I looked around. Cherlie giggled.

  I winced at her and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “How did you know that, Justus?”

  “I know a lot of things. That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Justus said.

  One of the policemen glanced at us, then waved for Cherlie to service them. She sucked her teeth and walked toward their station.

  “Well, at least you waited until I ate to tell me.” I wiped the spilled coffee off the table. “What else do you know?”

  He leaned forward. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were banned from the McArthur estate?”

  I tensed. Willis was right. Salvador did think I had something to do with Devon’s death. What if my shenanigans further add to evidence to support the DA charging Ava for Devon’s murder? I felt more defeated than ever now. I pulled a napkin from the dispenser, to wipe the tears falling from me again.

  “I’m sorry. I was worried about Ava. I thought her life was in jeopardy. After what you told me about Kelly and your concerns for her, I know you understand where I’m coming from. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, especially Ava.”

  “If that’s the case, then why do you continue to lie to me?”

  “Why are you doing this to me? Why confront me about this now and here? I thought we were supposed to be mind dumping or whatever that is?”

  “We are. We’re clearing the air and cleansing our souls with the truth.” He outstretched his hand to me, but I didn’t take it.

  “I told you not to sneak your sermons on me.”

  Cherlie had returned. “Are you done with your order?”

  “Very . . .” I stood up, grabbed my purse, and walked toward the door.

  I needed some air. I’d catch a cab to Big Tiger’s or take the bus. I had to get out of here and away from Justus.

  “Angel?” Justus called after me, but I wasn’t responding.

  As I bounded for the door, I glanced at the Sentinel in the officer’s hand, then stopped. The headline read: THE PASSION OF A MURDERED PASTOR. Then I fainted.

  “How are you feeling?” Justus asked.

  “Foggy. What happened?” I looked around. We were in the car.

  “You fainted in the Waffle House. You came to before I was about to take you to Dekalb Medical,” Justus said.

  “Dekalb Medical?” I sat up. “There’s no time for that.”

  “I knew you would say that, so I’m taking you home.” He looked at me while he drove. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, let’s get this mind dump down before something else weird happens.”

  “Good.” He handed me my notebook and a pen from his pocket. “Let’s run down what we know so far before we get there.”

  I thanked him for the pen and opened my notebook.

  “Why does my sister care more about her husband than her kids?”

  “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

  I looked up at him. “She could have stayed at my house with me instead of going to the McMansion, and now she’s playing sleepover at the Dekalb County jail. Sounds simple to me, right?”

  “Wrong. Not when you’re in love with someone. You’ll do anything to protect them, to protect what you have together. A woman and her man have to put themselves first.”

  “I don’t know if you know this or not, but you have a way with words.”

  “No, I don’t know, but you can tell me about it when you call in that rain check. Now rest. It’s going to be a long day.”

  “Okay, but I have one question.”

  Justus rubbed his forehead. “One.”

  “So you think that Ava was trying to protect the kids by bringing them to my house?”

  Justus placed his arm over my headrest. “What do you think? She’d been calling you repeatedly the last couple of days. She swung by your house and scanned the place before she brought your niece and nephew. I think she was seeing if it was safe for them.”

  “Yeah, she was making sure that they would be okay. That makes good sense, sidekick.” I nodded. “She waited until they were asleep before she brought them over. Didn’t put on any travel clothes. Didn’t waste any time . . .”

  My heart became heavy thinking about the lengths Ava took and what was going through her mind on the drive to my house. I should have figured this out sooner.

  I sat up. “Justus, she wasn’t leaving Devon like Terry told Salvador. No, she was coming back. Why remove the children unless Ava knew something was going down last night.”

  I closed my eyes and squinted. I used to do that when I wanted to visualize a sticky situation. But even through that I still couldn’t get a full view of Ava’s yesterday.

  “Have a clue what that was?” Justus asked.

  I shook my head and opened my eyes. “No, but Terry or Elvis might.”

  “Don’t forget, Elvis should be contacting you and you don’t have Terry’s contact information.”

  “Yes, I do.” I slid my phone out of my pocket, texted him, and put the phone back.

  “Should I ask how you got his number and what did you text?”

  “I would, but I think now’s the time for me to follow Willis’s advice and not wreck anything. I want to also see what he can do for Ava first.”

  “You’re that confident in Willis?”

  “I don’t like him, but I respect him. He has contacts in both high and low places, something a murder defense needs. And a church as large as Greater Atlanta can’t take two huge scandals in less than five years. They’ll get Ava off.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “I’m too tired to think anything else.”

  “What does your heart tell you?” Justus asked.

  That my crush on you has become more complicated . “To sleep on it. I’m not good when I don’t have four good hours.”

  He laughed. “Four, huh?”

  “Yep, from two to six. The hours of mom power.”

  “You need more than that.”

  “Not going to get that today either, but thanks for showing your concern.”

  He smiled. “Good to see you calming down. The kids will need that today.”

  I nodded. “I’m curious. You’re just as bright and bubbly as you were at yesterday’s Communion. Aren’t you the least bit exhausted?”

  “Angel, I’m the pastor of a small church. I’m always exhausted.”

  I looked at him. I wanted to thank him, kiss him, something for going all out of his way for me and for talking a little sense into me. I missed having someone like that in my life. Oh my. I turned away from staring at him and focused on our mission.

  “Justus, I have a friend who knows the city well, even the part we don’t see. He may know if Devon was in some sort of trouble. I’ll call him on the way home and ask him to do a little digging. That way you can get back to the church and I can get to the children.”

  “Would that friend happen to be Big Tiger?”

  I looked at him. “What is it with you and Big Tiger? You haven’t met him.”

  “Don’t need to. The fact that he wasn’t waiting at your bedside in the emergency room after you were almost killed to keep his money in his pocket was all I needed to know about the guy.”

  “You don’t understand, Justus. Everything isn’t as black and white as you make it out to be.”

  “There’s no gray area for protecting the women in your life, regardless of the nature of the relationship. It’s a man thing that you don’t understand, Angel.”

  “Sounds like you’re jealous to me.”

>   “That’s what’s wrong with society today. Women read into things that aren’t there. It is my job to protect you. It is every man’s job. If they don’t believe it, then they’re punks.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll add you to my prayer list before I take this nap, because you need some.”

  “True. After a week like this, I know I need it.” Justus nodded. “That reminds me. I have to pray over the soup kitchen this morning.”

  I gasped. “Justus, I’m sorry for keeping you out this late.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not your fault. Crap happens.”

  “Crap . . . I know a better term, but out of respect for you, I won’t say it.” I scoffed. “But I’ll say this. Devon’s death is more than crap. It’s just not fair.”

  “Angel, you of all people know that life isn’t fair.”

  “I do, but he didn’t have to die like that. No one deserves to be treated like that.”

  “Think about the rest of this world and how they’re treated, huh? Africa, Asia, places where children die every day because they haven’t eaten anything since the moment they got here. Don’t get me wrong. What has happened to your family is tragic, but we can’t let it break our spirits. Your brother-in-law wouldn’t want that.”

  I looked at him. He had some nerve. I felt more tears rising up in me. I huffed and puffed them back down. After all, he did have a point. “What do you know about anything?”

  “I know that Sugar Hill is a slice of heaven compared to the last place I served.”

  “Where was that?”

  “Darfur.”

  I took my eyes off the road to glare at him. “Say what? You gotta be kidding me.”

  “No, I’m not. Three long, soul-searching years. That’s the reason why I’m in Sugar Hill right now. I thought I needed some time to restore my soul. That my sister and her family are here is a bonus. They need me, especially the twins, and honestly, those kids make me happy. Little did I know that you were here waiting to help me rub the rest of my hair out.” He chuckled.

  “You think my situation resembles that madness over there?”