Jefferson couldn’t stop staring. “Does this mean . . .”
“Yes, it means that I want you in my life forever . . . that we were meant to be together and not apart . . . that . . . that I love you, Jefferson. Always.”
“Oh, Margo, I love you, too. I’ve waited for this moment for almost a year.”
“Well, shut up and kiss me.”
Jefferson didn’t waste another moment or another word. He reached over and held Margo’s face in his hands and embraced her with his eyes. Then slowly, he moved closer and softly placed a kiss on her lips, then reinforced the first one, until his head was moving in a slow, circular rhythm with their lips still attached. Careful not to sit on her leg, Jefferson got up and sat even closer and kissed Margo again. Then Jefferson felt the vibration of his phone, but he didn’t bother to get the call.
Margo pulled away first. “Next Saturday.”
“I love you,” Jefferson said in return. Jefferson eased back and pulled out his cell phone. It was Dr. Wright again. “I’ll be here with bells and whistles on my feet. Now, I’ve got to go and handle some business for Dr. Wright, but I’ll be back later this afternoon.”
“All right, baby, and thank you.” Margo smiled.
Jefferson rose from the bed, elated. This moment had come at the right time. All of the mishaps from earlier in the day had all but evaporated. As he walked toward the bedroom door, Jefferson suddenly turned around and went back to Margo and kissed her again. “Don’t ever leave me again.” Then he opened the bedroom door only to find his nosey daughters glued to the other side of it.
“Surprise,” they said in unison.
Seventy-Two
Nothing under the sun could dampen Jefferson’s spirit. He was riding high on a cloud that he had no intention of getting off of, at least no time soon. There was nothing in Margo’s body language or her salty words that prepared him for how he now felt. He sprinted from Margo’s townhouse, got in his car, and drove away with a sense of purpose.
Dr. Shelton Wright was his first order of business, although his mind became fixed on something else he wanted to do. It was a long way to Charlotte, but a couple of hours by car wasn’t too long of a trip to make to purchase something special for Margo for when they renewed their vows next weekend. It would be an expensive trip, but there was nothing too good for the woman he loved for more than half of his time on earth and who brought passion back into his life. So instead of going to Shelton Wright’s office himself, he would send Winston. He headed toward Charlotte, more specifically to Tiffany & Co.
Jefferson cruised down Interstate 85 excited about the prospect of selecting the perfect diamond ring for Margo. He was now on the outskirts of Charlotte having just passed the sign for Concord Mills, a large shopping outlet that drew many to Charlotte. It wouldn’t be long before he hit Interstate 77 that would take him close to his destination.
Smooth jazz oozed from the stereo, and Jefferson popped his fingers as he let the lyrics of the sultry number consume his soul. Only thoughts of Margo roamed around in his head. Just as he neared the exit to enter Interstate 77, the car’s Bluetooth blared. It was Winston.
“Hey, son,” Jefferson said upon answering. “Did you take care of Dr. Wright?”
“Dad, brace yourself because you aren’t going to believe this.”
“Do I need to pull off the freeway to listen to what you’ve got to say?”
“That might be a good idea.”
“I’ll call as soon as I get to where I’m going. It won’t take long.”
“Where are you anyway?”
“In Charlotte.”
“Charlotte? For what?”
“I have to get something for your mother. I’ll call you back in fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Jefferson ended the call, not sure that he wanted to hear what Winston had to say. He didn’t want anything or anyone to spoil his good mood. It seemed that the last couple of weeks had been scripted as a movie starring the Myles family.
His exit was upon him before he knew it; the call to Winston would have to wait. Jefferson took the exit and headed straight for Southpark Mall, and upon his arrival headed straight for Tiffany & Co. In less than a half hour, he found the ring he wanted to give his wife. It was a Tiffany Legacy diamond ring that came with a fifteen-thousand-dollar price tag. Jefferson would have to take out a loan, but he was putting this splendid piece of jewelry on Margo’s finger next weekend. After the ring was boxed and ready for him to take, he prepared himself to hear what Winston had to say because nothing could be worse than the news of Toni’s death and what they had been through as a family.
Back in his car, Jefferson called Winston. “Okay, what was it you had to tell me?”
“Did you get lost? You were supposed to call me thirty minutes ago.”
“Shoot before I hang up.”
“Dr. Wright was arrested.”
“Arrested? Are you talking about our Dr. Wright?”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m talking about Dr. Shelton Wright. They arrested him for murder.”
“What in the hell are you talking about, Winston?”
“Remember Toni Gillette, the woman you’ve been wagging your tongue at?”
Jefferson’s throat went dry at the mention of Toni’s name. “What’s your point? And I’m not wagging my tongue at no one but your mother.”
“Well, the good Dr. Shelton Wright was arrested for her murder.”
“What? Shelton Wright arrested for murder? Why would he want to kill Toni? I had no idea he knew her, although I do recall he spoke about her in the third person blogging about political candidates.”
“Can you believe that Toni Gillette is dead? I don’t know what’s going on. Everywhere we turn, somebody or something keeps trying to break our family down—first Mom, then Ivy, and now this.”
“I’m on my way back to Raleigh. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this turn of events. I refuse to believe that Dr. Wright had anything to do with Toni’s death. He doesn’t have an evil bone in his body. Not the man I know.”
“All that means is that you can’t judge a book by its cover. I believe everyone has two faces—their real self and their alter ego. I hate to say it, but Dr. Wright’s campaign is over. It must be some kind of conspiracy. First Malik and now Dr. Wright. This must be the workings of the Republican party.”
“Okay, Winston. It’s time for you to get off of the phone and redirect your energy. This is a damn shame. Why would Shelton Wright want to kill Toni?”
“Good question, Dad. See you back in Raleigh.”
“Yeah, later.” Jefferson ended the call. His body shuddered all over—an appropriate reaction to such horrific news. Jefferson reached over and lifted the Tiffany bag from the passenger seat. Dr. Wright, Toni, or Malik weren’t going to steal his joy.
Seventy-Three
Malik walked nervously about his condo, waiting to hear from Perry. It had been more than twenty-four hours since he last heard from him, and now Malik was afraid that Perry might have taken his word as bond and done something crazy after they talked about doing something to get back at Toni Gillette.
Malik had also attempted to call Ivy more times than he could count, but she hadn’t bothered answering—not even one phone call. His world was crumbling around him, and it was all because of his lust for one woman. If he hadn’t been so bent on having Margo as his, there wouldn’t be a baby and he’d still have his wife. Now he had nothing—no wife, no campaign, or his dignity.
He turned around at the sound of pounding on the door. Maybe it was Ivy wanting to give him another chance. Malik flew to the front door, jerked it open, and stood petrified as he looked out at an angry Sterling Garrison standing on his front porch.
Sterling pushed Malik with his powerful hand, a hand that could hold a regulation-size basketball in its palm. Malik stumbled backward, surprised at this display of violence for which he had no earthly idea what caused it.
“Nigga, I know you had something
to do with it.”
“Something to do with what, Sterling? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play me, Malik. I know you had my cousin killed.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up. What in the hell are you talking about?”
“You heard me, fool. You had my cousin, Toni Gillette, killed because she wrote that stuff about you and sold it to the press and the tabloids. You weren’t going to win anyway.”
“Toni Gillette is dead? And you think I did it? Not in a million years. My God, what else is going to happen?”
“Don’t put on a show for me, you crooked wannabe politician.”
“So you’re Toni’s cousin. I’ll be damned. But get this straight, brother, I didn’t know that Toni was dead and I sure as hell didn’t have anything to do with it. Now you need to get your ass up out of my house before I call five-o on you for trespassing. Maybe I should do it anyway so you’ll know what it feels like to have the bottom fall out of your political career.”
“That won’t be necessary; I’m going. Be warned, though, that if I find out that you had anything to do with my cousin’s death, your body is going to be floating down the Cape Fear River.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Interpret it however you like.” Sterling left the way he came in and slammed the door behind him. Malik shook like Mount St. Helens when it spewed its lava all over Washington State.
• • •
“I’d like to make my one phone call,” Dr. Shelton Wright said, as he sat at the conference room table in the interrogation room.
“What were you doing at Ms. Gillette’s home yesterday afternoon? What made you so angry that you’d kill her?” the detective asked, pounding his fist on the table.
“I’m not answering any questions until I get my lawyer. I didn’t hurt Ms. Gillette.”
“So you admit you were at her residence yesterday.”
“I didn’t admit to anything. I’m not saying a word.”
The detective slammed his fist on the table so hard Dr. Wright jumped. “Boy, you are going to answer my questions, and if you don’t, you won’t have a chance in hell to get that phone call.”
Dr. Wright clammed up and refused to speak. A frustrated detective all but clobbered Dr. Wright for what he perceived to be insubordination. After thirty minutes of silence, the detective left the room and let Dr. Wright sit there for the next two hours without food or a potty break. Wearily, Dr. Wright looked up when an African-American detective walked into the room.
“Somebody was praying for you,” the detective said. “Your wife is outside with your attorney. You’ve made bail. I’m going to send him in.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Wright said, sitting up straight but obviously aware that the mirror that covered one wall was a two-way mirror.
Dr. Wright’s attorney entered the room and patted him on the back. “We’ve already posted bail and you’re free to go.”
“I didn’t kill that woman,” Dr. Wright said. “I was at her house; she’s one of my patients, but I didn’t kill her.”
“Enough, don’t say another word,” the attorney warned. “Let’s go.”
Seventy-Four
Betty Wright stood at the entrance of the magistrate’s office in an ashen-brown, linen pantsuit with a frown on her face—by no means the look of a happy woman. Her eyes pierced her husband’s frame as Shelton Wright, flanked by his attorney, walked toward her, a little worse for wear.
Dr. Wright sighed when they were in front of Betty. “Hi, honey, what an ordeal I’ve been through. I was treated like scum in that place; I’m a respected doctor after all.”
“Save it,” Betty said in a voice barely above a whisper, holding up her hand. “I hope you can explain what you were doing at that woman’s house, especially since you stopped making house calls a long time ago.”
“Let’s wait until we’re miles away from this place. The only thing you need to know is that I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Okay, it’s time to go,” the attorney said. “This isn’t the place to have this conversation.”
Shelton Wright returned Betty’s gaze. Without another word, he turned and walked along with his attorney and Betty the few feet to the car that was parked down the street. He wasn’t able to assess Betty’s anger fully, but whatever information she was privy to had put her in a bad mood. How could he tell her that Toni Gillette was blackmailing him to the tune of twenty thousand dollars to keep their affair out of the tabloids?
Malik jumped when he heard the doorbell ring. This time he wasn’t going to be careless and rush to the door without finding out who was on the other side. He crouched down like a hunter getting ready to attack his prey, then eased up when he approached the door and looked out of the peephole. He jumped when the doorbell rang again but breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.
“Where in the hell have you been, Perry? The world is spinning out of control and you can’t be reached.”
“Relax, Malik. I’ve been running interference for you.”
“What kind of interference? Not the kind of interference that ends in murder I hope.”
“Man, what’s up with you?”
“Toni Gillette is dead—murdered. I’m surprised you aren’t in possession of that bit of news since you’ve got all of these connections. Man, Sterling Garrison showed up at my door about thirty minutes ago and accused me of the dirty deed.”
“Toni Gillette . . . dead? Damn, dawg. So why did Sterling come to see you?”
“Remember, Sterling is Toni’s cousin. And I guess he figured I was the one who did it.”
“So, she set your tail up. Damn, damn, damn. But . . . you don’t know anything about it?”
“Do I look like a murderer to you, Perry? Give me a break. I’m a sad blues tale if there ever was one. I lost my wife, my son, my unborn child all in one week. What would I gain by killing Toni?”
“Satisfaction?”
“You’re not funny at all, Perry. Did you hear anything I said? My life has spiraled out of control, and killing Toni wouldn’t fix a damn thing. You’ve been gone awhile, maybe you know something.”
“Okay, Malik, what do you think I was going to do? Kill her? Look, I have no plans of going to jail for you or nobody else. I can’t believe you allowed that thought to cross your mind.”
“So, where have you been? You said you were going to fix things.”
“I got some goods on Toni, and I didn’t get it from Anissa. I heard from a very reliable source that Toni was having an affair with a good doctor in Raleigh who’s also running for a senate seat.”
“Please, Perry, I know you’re not talking about Shelton Wright. That man is so straight-laced, I couldn’t imagine him going into Victoria’s Secret to get a pair of lacey underwear for his wife. She probably wears cotton panties.”
“Whatever, but Dr. Wright is the kind of person who’d do his work undercover—sneaky. I’m telling you, my source is reliable.”
“Even if it is, what are we going to do with the information?”
“It doesn’t matter now since you said Toni is dead.” Perry scratched his head. “I wanted the bitch to get payback, but killing her never crossed my mind.”
Malik sighed. “It doesn’t change things for me. My political career is over.”
“Not quite yet, young man. That’s why I rushed over. I wanted to give you this good news in person.”
“Don’t keep me waiting. I’ve been dying for some good news since all of this mess with Margo.”
“Is your hand out?”
“Why?”
“Malik Mason, you’re about to get a big endorsement. Dawg, your campaign is not over. The mayor is putting his chips on you. In spite of all the things that have gone on with you, the mayor, as well as a lot of people in this city, are aware of all that you’ve done for this community. You’re an honest businessman, and you were a single man when you slept with Margo . . .”
“Who begged for it, by the wa
y.”
“Well, it depends on whose story you listen to; however, it was before you entered into this senate race. Also, you didn’t know that she was pregnant and conceived a son by you.”
“For some reason, Perry, I’m not feeling that good about your assessment.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that we all make mistakes and hopefully we can learn from them. The main thing is your campaign isn’t dead. There are people who believe in you.”
Malik sighed. “I hurt my wife, Perry. I love Ivy. I was caught up in the fact that Margo bore me a son . . . a child who had my genes, and I lost it.”
“I get that, dawg, but now you have an opportunity to redeem yourself. If you love Ivy, you’ve got to pull out all the stops and make her understand you love her. You’ve got to go and fight for that girl and let her know that you want to be the best damn husband to her that you can be. I’m not only saying that so that you could look good as you continue your campaign, but it’s a reality check about what’s most important in life . . . about being a good person, and as you’ve said time and time again, be the right person for the people of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.”
“Thanks, Perry, I needed that pep talk. I only hope that Ivy will believe me.”
“Make her, dawg. Even I can see that you do. Also, she may be the only person who can redeem you at the polls.” Malik stared at Perry. “I’m just saying, dawg. Call it as I see it.”
“When I left the hospital the other day, I had hoped that when I looked in my rearview mirror I’d see Ivy running after the car, shouting for me to come back. Instead, I saw nothing . . . no one. Ivy won’t take any of my calls, and she certainly hasn’t called me. However, I’m going to be optimistic about the whole thing and pray that she’ll let me back into her heart.”
“Well, you need to get on bended knees now and ask God for divine intervention. You’re going to need Him for this task.”
In My Rearview Mirror Page 29