“I don’t know if you met Sweets before, but he was Chubby’s inside man in the building that we took off, but he and his girl named Chubby their son’s god-father too. They had their baby like a month before you.”
Jessica nodded her approval and enjoyed the rest of ride home.
Over the next two months, Jessica and baby Silver bonded as if they never were apart. Kenny stayed with Jessica and the baby from the day they got out and decided that they could now go away on the much needed trip alone together in the Poconos.
Kenny arranged everything, and they were scheduled to leave that Thursday for a three-day excursion to catch up on the time that they desperately needed together. Before they left, Jessica, ever so cautious, left her mother all the information that she would need in case an emergency should arise. Jessica gave her mother the location, directions, and which cottage they’d be staying in. Kenny and Jessica were all packed and kissed their daughter goodbye and were off to the Poconos.
Vonda was on her way to school when she opened her front door and was surprised to see Sweets, his girlfriend, and their newborn baby standing there. It was Vonda’s first time seeing Sweets since the night of the robbery and she was happy to see him. Sweets and his girlfriend had just gotten out of their programs recently and came to see Chubby to thank him for setting them up with a nice apartment as he promised.
Vonda smiled widely and embraced him and his girlfriend as they introduced her to their newborn son. Vonda peered inside the stroller and said, “Oh, Sweets, he’s gorgeous, what’s his name?”
Sweets beamed proudly and answered, “His name is Chancellor. We name him Chance for short.”
Vonda nodded, and said, “Oh, that’s a beautiful name. How’d you come up with it?”
Sweets looked at his girlfriend and admitted sadly, “When your brother came by to see me before we did that job, he saw that my girl was still smoking crack while she was pregnant.”
They both put their heads down as he continued. “Well, your brother was pretty disgusted and basically threatened my life and told me to put her in a rehab so our child would at least have a chance at life. I never forgot those words. So when he was born healthy, we decided to name him Chancellor, short for chance at life. If it wasn’t for you brother, he wouldn’t have made it. We wouldn’t have made it.”
Vonda was smitten and invited them in. She called out for Chubby who was in his room.
“Chubby, your god-son is here.”
Chubby came out his room smiling widely and shook Sweets’ hand and hugged his girlfriend. He went to the stroller and picked up his god-son Chance and began playing with him.
Sweets suddenly remembered, “Oh, yeah, Vonda, I forgot to give this to you.” He reached in his coat pocket and handed her a letter. “Your friend, the one who died, gave this to me to give to you the night of, you know, the night all that went down. I forgot I had it until I was released from the program a week ago and they gave me everything I came in with.”
Vonda looked at the letter and ran to her room and ripped it open. She read it quickly and dropped the letter as her hands flew to her mouth. She ran out of the room and yelled, “Chubby!”
**********
Kenny and Jessica arrived at the Cottage Inn four hours later. They got there just as snow began to fall heavier and checked in the main office to get their keys. They didn’t worry about getting their things out of the truck; they just hurried inside to see their living space. Just as they’d seen in the brochures it was spectacular. An indoor fireplace, an oversized plush bed, a Jacuzzi, and a stock of alcohol and snacks.
Jessica noticed that there wasn’t a phone in the cottage and was disappointed because she wanted to call her mother to tell her they got there safely. She said, “It’s nice, Kenny, but you didn’t tell me they didn’t have a phone in the room.”
Kenny picked up Jessica and swept her off her feet and kissed her deeply and while carrying her toward the bed. He laid her down gently while they began removing their clothes never missing a beat. Caught up in the moment, they soon were totally nude and made love to each other for the next four hours and slept the night away in each other’s arms.
When Jessica awoke, she was surprised to see that Kenny had brought in all their luggage. She called out for Kenny but he didn’t answer. She went to her luggage and found her house gown and put it on and searched the bathroom and kitchen for Kenny, but he was gone.
She looked out the window and saw that the car was also gone and figured he went out to get breakfast. She decided to go take a shower first and unpack her things later. She smiled when she entered the bathroom because it was as big as her living room with every amenity she could think of—bubble bath oils, in every scent, body lotions, bath crystals, and scented candles. She thought back to just a couple of months ago how she’d had to shower with other women on a regular basis in prison and smiled when she realized how far she’d come.
The bathtub was huge. It was pure white marble and large enough to fit five people. It took her nearly twenty minutes to fill it up fully, and she added her favorite oils and crystals in it. When she entered she closed her eyes and savored the moment, enjoying her quiet time alone. She stayed in the soothing tub for nearly an hour when the door opened and Kenny’s smiling face peeked in.
“So, you going to take a bath without me?” he joked.
Jessica smiled and said, “No, I saved the Jacuzzi for us tonight, babe.”
Kenny smiled and said, “Good point. Listen, come on out ’cause I got us breakfast. I don’t want it to go cold.”
Jessica nodded and lifted herself out of the tub. Kenny stared at her glistening, well oiled body and said lustfully, “Well, maybe breakfast can wait.”
Jessica blushed and grabbed a nearby towel and said, “Boy, we going to eat breakfast, I’m hungry and sore after the way you wore me out last night.”
He laughed and exited the bathroom. When Jessica exited the bathroom, Kenny had all the food and beverages set out on the table and he was on his mobile phone talking to someone in French. Jessica smiled because she now could understand what he was saying. From what she gathered, he was talking about one of his buildings that were costing him a small fortune to repair and how costly the fines were becoming. When he finished, he pressed the phone off and sat down at the table with Jessica.
As a joke, Jessica asked, “What was that about?”
He waved her off and answered, “Oh that was nothing, just some business, that’s all.”
“Is everything ok?” she asked.
Kenny smiled and said, “Nothing I can’t handle.”
They ate breakfast and talked the rest of the morning. Kenny told her that he’d even set them up to take some skiing lessons later that afternoon.
“Skiing lessons, Kenny? I can’t ski.”
“That’s the reason we going to take some lessons. It will be fun.”
Still not convinced, Jessica frowned. “I don’t know. Kenny. People be breaking their legs and falling off of cliffs skiing.”
Kenny chuckled. “You be watching too many movies. I checked out the resort already and the hills are not steep at all. We came up here to have fun and do things we never did before, so trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to my baby.”
Kenny always knew the right words to say, she thought, and when she looked in his eyes she could never resist him. “Ok, but if I fall and bust my butt, don’t be laughing at me.”
“I’ll try not to laugh too hard, I promise.”
After they finished breakfast, Kenny took a quick shower as Jessica unpacked their clothing and began to get dressed for their fun filled excursion. While Jessica was unpacking their things, a small bottle fell out of one of Kenny’s bags and she picked it up and read it. Jessica shrugged and put the bottle back in his bag and continued unpacking.
When they both were finally dressed, they headed out the door and noticed it was snowing again. They got in the car and drove about two miles north to
the ski lodge. When they arrived, it was mandatory for all new skiers to take an hour lesson in skiing before they could get on the slopes. After an hour, Jessica, to her surprise, was quite good her first time out and was enjoying herself. She couldn’t wait to actually go skiing at that point. But, to their disappointment, the sudden downpour of snow caused hazardous conditions and they shut down the slopes and everyone was notified that it would be closed until further notice. Jessica couldn’t believe their luck, but Kenny assured her that they would return the next day.
They were ready to leave when Kenny spotted a ski shop and told Jessica he wanted to check it out. Kenny looked around the store and saw a salesman and asked, “Excuse me, sir; I’m looking for some good skis for my wife.”
“Yes, over here, sir.”
Jessica looked at Kenny and asked, “Why would you buy me a pair of skis when we can rent them?”
“Because, I saw their skis and they looked cheap.”
“But, Kenny, we only going to use it one time. Why spend all that money on a new pair of skis?”
Kenny shook his head as they continued to follow the salesman.
“I’m not going to have my baby get hurt with some cheap ski’s. You’re worth it aren’t you.” Jessica smiled and let him have his way.
They found a nice sturdy pair of ski for Jessica, and Kenny purchased them and headed back to the car. Since it was getting late, they decided to go to a local restaurant and have dinner. They ate and enjoyed each other’s company when Jessica began to think about her daughter. “Kenny, call my mother and check and see how Silver is doing.”
“Now Jessica, this is supposed to be our weekend. Your mother is taking good care of her, and she is fine.” He took her by the hand and said in French, “This is me and the love of my life’s time to be alone.”
Jessica understood every word and smiled. She wanted so badly break her cover, but she wanted to wait until their wedding day to surprise him. “That sounded so beautiful, what did you say?”
He repeated every word in English and reached over and kissed her. When they finally arrived back at the cottage Kenny said excitedly, “I’m going to light up the fireplace and then heat up the Jacuzzi and we are going to have some drinks and continue what we did last night.”
Jessica smiled and said, “That sounds romantic to me, but Kenny, you know I don’t drink. I haven’t had a drink since the night of the prom, and you know what happened to me after that.”
Kenny walked over to her and said, “That was a long time ago. You got to learn to leave your past in the past if you’re ever going to move forward. We are together now, having our moment. We’re just going to have a drink to relax and enjoy ourselves, that’s all.”
“Ok, only for you, but I’m just having one drink. I don’t want you taking advantage of me,” she joked.
Kenny bent down and kissed her and then went to the fireplace and began to light it to set the mood. After he had the fire going and the Jacuzzi heating, they sat at the table and Kenny prepared their drinks.
“Baby, do you want vodka or rum?”
Jessica shrugged and answered, “It doesn’t make a difference. I never tasted them before, pick one for me.”
He nodded, and unscrewed a fresh bottle of vodka and began filling both glasses. “What do you want to chase it with? Orange juice or cranberry juice?”
“Orange juice is good.”
Kenny finished preparing the drinks and placed one in front of Jessica and another one beside him when suddenly his phone rang. He quickly ran to retrieve it out of his coat pocket and pressed talk. Kenny once again spoke in French apparently to the same person he was talking to earlier that day.
Jessica was just about to try her drink when her heart skipped a beat. She immediately put her drink down and stared at Kenny, who smiled back at her and continued talking for next five minutes. He hung up the phone and quickly returned to the table and lifted his drink for a toast.
“I dedicate this night to the two ladies of my life, my soon to be wife, Jessica, and my beautiful daughter, Silver.”
Jessica smiled and lifted her drink and tapped his glass.
Kenny smiled and suggested, “Let’s drink it all down. The Jacuzzi is about ready for us to get in.”
Jessica nodded and they both drank it down quickly until it was all gone. Kenny smiled at Jessica widely. Jessica fanned her mouth and said, “Wow that was strong. How much liquor did you put in there, Kenny?”
Kenny only smiled and remained silent. In an instant, Jessica suddenly began to get light-headed. “Kenny, I don’t feel so good. My throat feels like its burning.”
Kenny walked over to Jessica slowly and kneeled down beside her. “Just relax, baby, it won’t be long.”
Jessica’s eyes began to blink rapidly and she asked through a heavy, confused tone, “Kenny, did you put something in my drink?”
Kenny stood up and answered coldly, “Yep, you caught me.”
“Why?”
It was if Kenny was irritated by the question and said, “Why? You really want to know why, Jessica?”
She nodded.
“You think I was going to allow a person like you to raise my daughter? What do you think I am? Stupid?”
“So, you are doing this because you don’t want me to raise my daughter, Kenny?”
Kenny shrugged and answered, “Well, partly. Jessica, I been using you and your friends from the very beginning. I happened to have a problem with my building on 129th Street.” Kenny paused and smiled, “You might know it as the Castle of Greyskull. Since you told me all about you and your buddies in prison, and how you were so good at handling things, I simply put two and two together and decided to use you to my advantage and clean up my problem buildings in Harlem.”
Jessica couldn’t believe her ears. “So, why’d you have to kill Lynn? She wouldn’t have caused you any harm; she was just trying to get away because she was scared.”
Kenny chuckled and said, “Oh, she never tried to run away, I just needed something to get your full attention. So I tracked her down and killed her. You all were expendable to me, damaged goods. Do you really think I would want to marry a fucking convicted murderer?”
“If you didn’t want me Kenny, why did have a baby with me?”
Kenny grew irritated and cursed her. “You think I wanted to get you pregnant, Jessica? That shit was a mistake. I was going to kill you after you finished the job for me, but your stupid ass got arrested and had the baby in jail. But I’m glad you did have her, because I really do love her.”
“You’re not going to get away with this, Kenny. Everyone knows I’m with you up here.”
Kenny smiled again. “Women skier falls to her death off of a cliff. It took three days for officials to find her body, because she went skiing alone when the ski lodge was closed. It was the fifth such incident to happen this year.”
Jessica only stared at him and realized that was the reason he’d bought her the ski set in the first place—he’d been planning this for a while.
Kenny nodded and read her mind, “Oh, yes,” he began to cough, “I’ve been planning this for awhile.”
Kenny’s cough grew louder as he began to perspire through his shirt. He batted his eyes rapidly when his sudden cough began to grow uncontrollable. When he looked at his hands, they were speckled with blood. He looked up toward Jessica who was now smiling wickedly at him.
She spoke to him in French and said, “I overheard you tell your uncle over the phone that you had just put the poison in my drink just now. When you turned your back, guess what I did?” Jessica nodded her head and continued, “I switched my drink with yours.”
Kenny’s eyes grew wider, and when he saw his fate, he panicked and reached over the table and began choking the life out of Jessica with all the strength he had left. Jessica fought, but he was still too powerful as the air in her lungs began to diminish and the whites of her eyes began to burst bright red. She could no longer fight as her eyes began to
fall to the back of her head. She felt life leaving her body when suddenly she gasped as air once again returned to her body.
The first thing Jessica saw when she opened her eyes was her friend Vonda, who had her cradled in her arms. The next thing she saw was Chubby brutally beating Kenny to a bloodied pulp.
“No, Chubby!” Jessica managed to scream. “He’s dying anyway, and I don’t want you to be blamed for it.”
Chubby looked down at Kenny as his chest heaved in and out as he spat on him.
“I never like your pretty ass anyway!”
**********
They told Chubby that he had to leave before they call the police because of his extensive record and it would not look good for any of them. Vonda stayed to provide Jessica with support. The local police arrived and took Jessica’s statement and collected the evidence. After they took Kenny’s body away, they took them both to the station to continue their investigation and ran both of their records. It didn’t look good for either of them at that point.
Suddenly, a lawyer appeared in the room where they were being kept and showed the detective his credentials. He announced that the two girls were his clients and were not answering any more questions. He waved for the girls to follow him and they were out of the room.
He handed his card to the lead detective and said, “Here’s my card, and if you want to contact my clients for anything else, you give me a call first.”
As they walked out of the sheriff’s office, the lawyer shook both their hands and said, “My name is Irwin Greenberg and I was hired by a man that only went by the name Mr. Chubby. He supposed to be your brother?”
Vonda raised her hand and said, “That’s my brother.”
“Oh, he said both you were his sisters, but, he is a good man. He came to my office about few hours ago and paid me two thousand dollars cash and said his sisters were in trouble and make it go away.”
Jessica quickly asked, “So we not going to be charged with anything?”
Mr. Greenberg stopped in place and said, “For what? Defending yourself against a suspected murderer?”
Jessica and Vonda were confused and Mr. Greenberg explained further. “They failed to inform you the deceased was under investigation for the murder of two of his former real estate partners who died under mysterious circumstances. They both were found to have potassium cyanide in their systems at the time of their death. There was a clause in their partnership that if any partner would happen to die, his share of the property would revert to the remaining owners, who happened to be Kenneth Duboise and Langston Duboise, who happens to be Kenneth’s uncle.”
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