by Noel Obiora
“You remember Kenneth,” Amy said, holding Thomas’s arm.
“Of course,” Thomas said, “I watched you in court. Well done, counselor.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kenneth said and shook hands with Thomas before Amy led Thomas away. Kenneth turned to Angela, who told him that Thomas offered them his own jet, and they thought it was too nice a gesture to refuse. Kenneth and Edward loaded the vehicle with bags. Amy returned from seeing Thomas off and got in the back of the car to sit with Angela.
Kenneth took the wheel and Edward sat in front. They started out toward Alana’s place in Hollywood. Suddenly driving was stressful for Kenneth. His fingers griped the wheel so tightly. He wondered if he was driving too fast, too cautiously, or annoying, but gradually relaxed as they included him in their conversation.
“I heard you two were breaking the law by seeing each other while you were trying a murder case,” Edward told him after Kenneth had inquired about their flight.
“Not quite breaking the law, but we were required to disclose it to our clients.”
“And you won, I heard,” Edward said.
“Edward!” Amy and Angela shouted simultaneously, and Edward laughed.
“We’ll talk later, I guess.”
“Okay, let’s change the subject,” Angela said.
“You guys hungry?” Amy asked.
“Yes,” Angela said.
Kenneth got on the freeway. Their discussion proceeded in such a light-hearted manner until they were waiting to be served at the restaurant later that night.
“Tell us about yourself, Ken,” Angela said to Kenneth.
“What do you want to know?” Kenneth inquired.
“Tell us something that Amy doesn’t know,” Angela said.
“Amy doesn’t know a lot about my background,” Kenneth explained.
“Yes, I do. I mean, I put it together from our discussions over the past ten years or so, but I know a lot.”
“Did you say ten years?” Edward asked.
“Yes, this is the same guy from college,” Angela explained.
“So, what part don’t you know?” Kenneth asked Amy. Amy averted her eyes and shrugged. “No, really, I want to tell you.” Amy gestured dismissively that it was not important.
Dinner was served and everyone was quiet as the waiter placed the food. Kenneth and Amy kept looking at each other.
“Well, here it is,” Kenneth said as soon as the waiter left. “I hope you don’t mind me asking in front of your brother and his fiancée.”
“Asking me what?”
Kenneth stood up and reached into his pocket. Angela brought her hands up to her chest as if to hold her heart still. Amy began to smile reflexively. Kenneth got down on one knee and opened his hand to reveal a small black box, which he opened for Amy. Amy covered her eyes with her right hand, the left hand pinned to her breast with her right elbow.
“Amy Wilson, will you marry me?” he asked. Amy slowly stretched out her left hand for him and he slid the diamond engagement ring onto her ring finger. People sitting at tables next to them began to clap and so did Angela and Edward. Amy took her hand away from her eyes to reveal her tears. She held on to his hands and pretended to pull him up, but she never actually answered him.
“Are you sure about this?” Amy said through her tears, such that it came out almost as a whisper.
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Amy turned to Angela, as though she was looking for her help. Angela in turn looked at Kenneth like she had discussed this previously with Amy.
“You know she’s pregnant, right?” Angela asked.
“Yes, I do.”
Edward slowly put his drink down, his eyes briefly locked on to Amy’s.
“What if the child is not yours?” Angela asked.
“If she would let me, any child of hers is a child of mine.”
There was a prolonged silence amongst them, none of them yet eating. Edward poured himself more wine.
“Then ask me again,” Amy said, and Kenneth started to get up. “Don’t get up, just ask me.”
“Amy Wilson, will you let me, Kenneth Brown, be the father of your child?”
“I will,” Amy said in a barely audible voice and got up. Kenneth got up to meet her. They embraced to the applause of everyone in the restaurant, again.
48
The Future is Pregnant
Early the following morning, between the hours of one and two, Kenneth came out of the bedroom in the suite at the hotel. The concierge had given him a message from Big when he arrived last night with Amy, asking him to call anytime he got back to the hotel. The number on the message was Cool Jo’s Café, and Kenneth knew they would still be at the nightclub, probably until the break of dawn.
Kenneth went out to the hallway to make the call. As soon as the phone rang, Paul answered. He had been released on bail that evening and wanted to know why Kenneth was not at his celebratory party. Kenneth apologized. Paul wanted to see Kenneth immediately, but Kenneth told him that wasn’t possible and promised to see him later in the day.
Cool Jo’s Café was down the street from the hotel, about a mile to the south. Kenneth hung up the phone believing he had convinced Paul to wait and meet later in the day, but less than thirty minutes after he hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door of the hotel suite. Amy had just entered the bathroom. Kenneth felt sufficiently alone to answer the door. He hurriedly put away Amy’s purse and shoes, which were in the antechamber and opened the door to find Paul standing in the hallway reeking of alcohol.
Kenneth could hardly hide his frustration with Paul. He tried to keep Paul by the door, but Paul pushed him aside and walked into the suite.
“Let me see what the money from my defense is paying for, Kenny? My money!” Paul said in a very loud voice.
Kenneth continued to restrain himself, and even managed a smile.
“It’s good to see you out Paul, but this isn’t a good time,” Kenneth said.
“Why not Kenny? Is she here?” Paul asked.
“Go home, Paul. You’re drunk,” Kenneth said because it was the only thing he thought he could say.
“As you should be, Kenny. We are celebrating my success.”
“Paul, I will come and celebrate with you, just go, and give me time to change.”
Paul considered Kenneth for some time, then appeared to relax. He hugged Kenneth coldly and sat down.
“You’re right, Kenny. But I gotta get this off my chest. I couldn’t sleep without talking to you.”
Kenneth remained standing. He was convinced Amy had heard Paul, but he wasn’t sure Amy could hear them when Paul spoke in a normal voice like he had begun to do.
“It’s almost three in the morning.”
“Kenny, I’ve been in jail the past few months and you won’t give me some freedom at three a.m. You know what that feels like?” Paul asked.
“No, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be here. I’m just saying we don’t have to talk about nothing right now,” Kenneth pleaded.
“No, Kenny. This experience has taught me to seize every moment of freedom and leave no business undone. Now, you my number one business, Kenny. I wasn’t even out of jail and you’re back on a date with Ms. DA. You are letting this woman change your priorities, man. This is serious,” Paul said with indignation.
“I told you we were together before your case started. I brought in Professor Rayburn and we got the job done—” Kenneth said.
“But the job ain’t done, Kenny. The job ain’t done at all. I’m facing another trial for murder, harder than the first one,” Paul said.
“They haven’t charged you yet, Paul. When they charge you then we know you’ve got another case.”
“Bull, Kenny. You heard her say she was gonna refile. I’m as good as back
in court with a new trial. Now, I’m grateful for the one you done, but the work ain’t done, Kenny. The work ain’t done yet.”
At this point, Amy had been in the bathroom a very long time. Kenneth became convinced that the only reason she remained in the bathroom was because she did not want to come out with Paul in the suite. He wanted to tell Paul that the two of them should take the conversation outside, but he knew it would convince Paul that Amy was in the suite. If he had told Paul there was a completely different woman in the suit, Paul was certain to open all doors to see who it was, anyway. Kenneth felt trapped, not because he didn’t want Paul to know Amy was in the suite with him, but because he knew Amy wouldn’t want that. He sat rubbing his sweaty palms.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked Paul.
“Nothing,” Paul said, “Don’t make the same fucking mistake I made. The way you win my case has got the whole country reading about you like you won the O. J. trial. Hell, I bet Jonny is gonna be reading about you by Monday morning. Don’t let this woman take it all away, Kenny. This woman ain’t some starving artist looking to do you because you can help her make it. She’s John Wilson’s daughter. These guys own third world countries. She ain’t gonna take you more serious than people they exploit over there. Give it up, because when you realize she’s played you like a plantation banjo, you just might strangle her,” Paul said.
“We’re engaged, Paul,” Kenneth said. Paul muttered something unintelligible and got up as though he was about to walk away then quickly picked up one of the side tables and sent it flying against the wall away from Kenneth. Then he forced a laugh. “You are fucking kidding me because you don’t wanna represent me, ha?”
“I’m serious, Paul. You can call my mother and ask her,” Kenneth said.
“Your mother is in on this?” Paul asked.
“I proposed to her yesterday, and we called my mother to tell her. She’s given me her blessing,” Kenneth said.
“How about my trial?” Paul asked.
“You’ve got Omar Jones, Paul. Your dad always wanted him anyway.”
“Fuck Omar!” Paul yelled. “I don’t need another lawyer, man. You can’t leave me hanging like this, Kenny.”
“Paul, you gave me this case because you couldn’t afford the big shots and they wouldn’t take the mortgage arrangements. Now you’ve got the money to hire them,” Kenneth said. “I got you the money for a big law firm. The insurance company will pay for your defense again.”
“But nobody knows the case like you.”
“They will have the transcript of the trial.”
“When were you gonna tell me?”
“Soon,” Kenneth responded. “Paul, I’ve never felt this way my whole life and I’m not about to give it up for anything or anyone. I’m sorry.”
Paul was quiet for a long time. He covered his face with his palm. Kenneth took the opportunity to look toward the bathroom. He could see, the door was slightly ajar, and the lights were off. He wondered if Amy was looking back at him. Without raising his head, Paul began to speak.
“That’s exactly how Goldie made me feel. Then she met Didi and broke it off because he told her to do it. Just like that, and I almost went insane—I never begged—”
“We don’t have to talk about this now, Paul,” Kenneth pleaded.
“I never begged a woman in my life, Kenny, but after a few months without her, and she called that week she died, I begged. And she was real nice again. We had this thing we used to do when we fought; the person that wants to make up will ask to borrow the other’s car and then they would return it really late, like one in the morning, then sneak into bed and say they brought the keys back, if you know what I mean. When I called Goldie, she was being so nice, I thought maybe I’d take the chance and ask her if I could borrow her car—”
“Stop, Paul, stop please.” Kenneth shouted. “I don’t wanna hear this, not now!”
“Well, you should,” Paul shouted back at him. “You’re about to make the same damn mistake.” His next words were very slow and in a low voice. “I killed her, Kenny. I never committed a crime in my life before, not even stealing candy from a store, but this woman made me kill her. I went back to return her keys like we used to do when we made up after a fight. I got into the apartment and she was going at it with some son-of-a-bitch. I couldn’t believe it. She set me up to hear it—she knew she had me over the barrel for leaving me, she wanted to finish me off. At first, I was so ashamed of myself I didn’t know what to do. I went into the guest bedroom to wait them out with beer and I don’t even recall when I fell asleep. She saw me there early in the morning and called me a pervert. She said I should have left when I noticed someone else was in her apartment. I couldn’t believe it. She took her keys and told me to show myself out. Then she went into the bathroom to clean up her filth—”
“It wasn’t Goldie having sex in her bedroom,” Amy said from behind Paul. Paul turned to look at her.
“It wasn’t Goldie in the room that morning. She wouldn’t do that to you.” For a moment Kenneth was not sure whether Paul would go after Amy or come at him. He readied himself for either fight, knowing he was too tired for even a walk in the park. Paul turned and ran out of the suite.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Amy said, but Kenneth was still mortified. “It didn’t matter that he confessed, Ken, we already had everything we needed to nail him. When the jury asked for Conrad Wetstone’s testimony again, we contacted Conrad and told him his testimony was about to let a guilty man go free. That’s when he told us you were right. Someone told him Goldie was dead and he went to her apartment to see for himself. It was Mr. Arnot, the French man, except he was not French, he was Russian. He put those devices in Goldie’s room for Rachel because her sister was staying at her apartment. Goldie wasn’t comfortable with it, but she was no longer using her apartment anyway. Well, the listening device Mr. Arnot placed in Goldie’s room picked up Paul’s argument and possibly Goldie dying. For some reason, he did not want to get involved and skipped the country altogether. But we’ll get him back,” Amy said.
“You will never use anything Paul said here?” Kenneth asked.
“We know the truth already.”
“Promise me, you won’t repeat a word he said,” Kenneth insisted. “Amy, promise me.”
“It is probably still privileged anyway, since I eavesdropped on it.”
“Promise me anyway.”
“I promise,” Amy said. “Where are you going?” Amy asked as Kenneth started to walk toward the door.
“I have to talk to him,” Kenneth said.
“No, you don’t, Ken. He knew I was here. He is deranged. To him, that was a performance he wanted me to watch. He’s not stupid. He knew what he was doing,” Amy said.
“He’s drunk,” Kenneth protested.
“No, he isn’t. Ever since the judge declared a mistrial, it was like he was dying to tell me he did it,” Amy said. “Please don’t go.”
“I feel terrible just leaving him like that,” Kenneth explained.
“How about leaving me like this, Ken? Please don’t go,” Amy pleaded.
“I won’t be long, I promise,” Kenneth kissed her hurriedly before running out.
“I’ll be right here waiting,” Amy shouted after him. “Naked,” she added, but Kenneth was too far down the hall to hear her.
By the time he ran out to the street, Paul was nowhere in sight. He looked down Olive Street in the northerly direction and back down south, but there was no sign of him. Opposite the hotel was an elderly retirement condominium and between the elderly retirement home and the civil courthouse was a large space that served as one of the parking lots for the civil courthouse.
Kenneth asked the valet attendant if he saw which direction Paul went, and the attendant pointed Kenneth in the direction of the courthouse. Kenneth ran that way, and as he turned eastward, he saw
Big walking toward him.
“What happened?” Big asked.
“Where’s Paul?” Kenneth asked.
“He just ran past me like a mad man and I’m supposed to drive him back. What’d you do now?” Big asked Kenneth.
“Nothing,” Kenneth said.
“What’d you mean, nothing?”
“Can we please find him first, I need to explain something to him,” Kenneth pleaded.
“We’ll go in my car and you can tell me what happened in the car,” Big said.
“Yeah,” Kenneth agreed.
Big led him to his car in a dark parking lot against the north walls of the retirement home condominiums.
“Start talking,” Big said as they walked toward his car.
“Paul confessed how he killed Goldie,” Kenneth explained. Big stopped but seemed unable to say anything to Kenneth.
“To you?”
“Yeah.”
Big stood looking at him in disbelief.
“So what? You his attorney. Whatever he tells you is privileged anyway,” Big said and started walking again.
“I think Amy heard him. That’s why I’m trying to tell him that it is still privileged regardless of who heard it.”
“Amy the DA, Amy? She’s with you tonight?” Big asked.
“Yes,” Kenneth said.
They entered the parking lot and Kenneth went to the passenger side of the car. Big opened the driver’s door and reached over the passenger seat to open the passenger-side front door. Big then unbuckled his belt and pulled it out in one swift pull as Kenneth was getting in the car. He got in the car and threw the belt over Kenneth’s neck as Kenneth sat in the front seat of the car. Kenneth struggled and kicked, trying to get a hold of the belt around his neck, with what felt like his last breath, he muttered, “Think of ma, Big, think of my ma, please,” and almost immediately the belt slackened. Kenneth pushed away and ducked underneath and out of the chokehold. Coughing, he hurriedly tried to open the door. Big landed a punch on his head knocking him against the door, which Kenneth had managed to unlock but not open. He was dazed. Leaning over him, Big opened the passenger-side door and shoved him off the passenger seat out of the car, but Kenneth’s legs were still in the car. Big started to back the car out with the passenger door still open. Kenneth’s leg slowly fell onto the lot. Big reached over and closed the passenger door but did not drive away. In the darkness, Kenneth could only hear the rustling of his car, idling on the road. Kenneth laid still, convinced that Big was looking at him. He muffled the choking coughs he could not contain.