by Parker Paige
“That’s right.”
“But everyone at the office had seen you as a red head,” Detective Uhler said.
“I know it was a crazy thing to do, but I was desperate and when I’m desperate, I don’t think clearly.”
“While you were in the stall with Bruce Colby, did you wrap the belt around his neck?” Detective Uhler asked.
“Yes, but I didn’t kill him.”
Detective Lane lowered his head as if to collect his thoughts. Then he lifted his head and peered into Blue Ivy’s eyes. “Why did you wrap the belt around his neck?”
“Why does anyone do anything? For the fun of it.”
Detective Uhler stepped back as if to fully take in her words. “Did you know he had a bad heart?”
“No. Does he?”
“You didn’t know he had a bad heart?” Detective Lane asked.
“I may have heard something about it.”
“How do we know you didn’t accidentally kill him?” Detective Lane asked. “Think about it, Ms. Rose. Think about it really hard. Maybe you accidentally killed him. Let’s suppose you and Bruce were wrapped up in the moment, you had the belt around his neck, it started to get exciting, like you say, and accidentally, with no fault of your own, he died in the act. Then you put his ring and his belt in your drawer so it would look like you were set up.”
She stared down at the table, annoyed. “That is not how it happened,” she said in an elevated tone.
“Why don’t you tell us how it happened then?” Detective Lane suggested.
“I told you already. I didn’t kill Bruce and even if I did─” she stopped herself, not wanting to say too much.
“Even if you did, what?” Detective Uhler asked.
“Not only was Camina having an affair with him, but there was someone else as well.”
Detective Uhler exhaled a breath of confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Laura had an affair with him as well, and she also has red hair.”
Detective Uhler was about to write something, then slapped his pen down on the table. “Let me get this straight. All three of you were sleeping with Bruce? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Blue Ivy said. “I had sex with him once, or almost. It was an ongoing thing for Camina, and Laura used to sleep with him until she found out he was married.”
“How long ago was that?” Detective Uhler asked.
“How long ago was what?”
“That Laura was sleeping with Bruce?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
“There’s some truth in there somewhere,” Detective Uhler said as he glanced over at Detective Lane. “They say there’s truth in every lie.”
Detective Lane chuckled. “They never met Blue Ivy Rose. Isn’t that right, Ms. Rose?”
Blue Ivy stared at him and didn’t say anything right way, then asked, “Are you going to let me leave now?”
“Should we?” Detective Uhler asked her.
Blue Ivy nodded.
“You can leave for now, but like I said to your coworkers,” Detective Uhler said. “We’ll definitely talk again.”
Blue Ivy glanced at Detective Lane then Detective Uhler. “Thank you,” she said before making a swift exit out the door.
She couldn’t believe that they let her go. After having sweat tears under an intense interrogation, it felt good to be free.
Episode 17
LEE AWAITED BLUE IVY AT THE front desk. She hurried down the hall and immediately spouted into his arms, holding him tight. When he pulled away from her, he noticed her hair. “You colored your hair again.”
“Yeah, this morning.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story.”
“But you’re okay?” he asked.
Blue Ivy nodded and said, “Let’s get out of here. Please.”
As they proceeded out of the police station, Blue Ivy turned around and saw Detectives Uhler and Lane. They were watching her, almost studying her, and it sent a frost through her spine. After suffering enough already, she refused to allow their judgmental stares to ruin her moment.
She would have to explain everything to Lee even though she knew it would be embarrassing. It was a necessary evil. One thing was for certain. She could not, and would not, tell any more lies. It was all the lies that made her situation much worse.
In Lee’s Jeep, he and Blue Ivy did not share more than a couple of words as they traveled down Broadway Street. But the silence was just what she needed.
As soon as she and Lee stepped through the front door of her apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t think she would ever see her apartment again. As Lee helped her off with her coat, she absorbed the clutter in her front room. Right away she grabbed the empty glasses from the coffee table and took them into the kitchen.
When she returned to the living room and grabbed the sweater from the chair, Lee stood in front of her. “Why don’t you do that later. Come sit down with me.”
Blue Ivy released the sweater from her hand and sat on the sofa, and Lee joined her. “You want to tell me what happened?
She shook her head, not sure she was ready to talk about it just yet. Everything that had happened to her brought her to this point, this point of enlightenment where she realized the error of her ways.
“It feels great to be home,” she said. “I can tell you that.”
“It’s good to be here with you,” Lee said to her.
“Would you pour me a drink, Lee?”
Lee shook his head and smiled at her. “No, I won’t. You don’t need that. That’s why you have me.”
Though a stiff drink was in order at that moment, she had endured too much to argue with him. “This has been the craziest day of my life, Lee.” Embarrassed to even talk about what happened, she forced herself to recount most of the events that transpired that day. Not only did she purposely leave out the part of her trying to elude the police, but also that the detectives had more than ample reason to suspect her.
“I’m sorry I put you through all of this,” she said to Lee. “Everyone tried to warn me. You, Laura, my doctor, but I didn’t listen.”
“Sometimes we have to learn these things for ourselves.”
She stared into his eyes and scooted closer to him. “I think I’ve always loved you, Lee, I mean, really loved you, just never realized it because I was too busy acting out.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“All the same. Thank you. Sometimes I wonder if I deserve to have someone like you in my life.”
She and Lee shared a warm smile, and when she moved to face him, she kissed him. That kiss brought back memories of the first time they locked lips, but this time was different. It possessed a romantic flavor, not like before when she perceived him only as a dear friend. And for the first time, she found herself attracted to him in a more intimate way, and it felt so good.
All she could think about was why she failed to experience this feeling before. Could it be that her promiscuous endeavors prepared her for this moment?
He peered at her through his dark brown eyes. “I’ll always be here for you, Blue Ivy. Always. Even if one hundred years go by, I’ll always be here for you.”
“That’s so sweet, and it means so much to hear you say that, but I have no intention of going anywhere, even if they do think I did something that I didn’t.”
Blue Ivy snuggled up against Lee and brushed her head against the center of his chest, breathing multiple sighs of relief until she fell asleep.
Back at Whitley & Austin later that afternoon, Stuart having come in late that morning had just learned of the murder and how Camina, Laura and Blue Ivy were all suspects. When he saw that Blue Ivy was not at her desk, he immediately sprung into action and tracked down Laura. He approached her fast. “Where’s Blue Ivy?” he asked her.
“She was in this morning, then left back out,” Laura said.
“Did the de
tectives question her yet?”
“When I talked to her this morning, they hadn’t.”
“Do you know the names of those detectives?”
“Why?”
“I have information for them,” he said to her.
Not only was Blue Ivy his cousin, but he considered her a dear friend. He planned to help her in any way that he could, which would include sharing with the police everything that he knew.
Stuart made his way to the police station on Addison and Halsted, wanting to speak with the detectives before they questioned Blue Ivy. After Stuart asked to see Detective Uhler, the sergeant at the desk escorted him down the hallway, towards Detective Uhler’s office.
Stuart could have kicked himself for not having spoken up sooner. But he had his own reasons for not coming forward. A part of him wanted to just forget about what he witnessed and remain anonymous, but when he learned that Blue Ivy was a suspect, he obligated himself to step in and do everything he could. It was his chance to do something for someone other than himself.
Detective Uhler was on the phone when the sergeant and Stuart reached his tiny office. When Detective Uhler finished his call, Stuart and the officer stepped inside.
Stuart stood at the desk with a serious, concerned look on his face. “I need to speak with you about Blue Ivy Rose.”
Detective Uhler signaled the sergeant to leave and the sergeant closed the door on his way out.
“Have a seat,” Detective Uhler said to Stuart.
Stuart eased down in the chair, not bothering to remove his coat. “My name is Stuart Clark and I have information about the night Bruce Colby was murdered.”
Detective Uhler reclined himself back into his chair. “You do?” he asked as he pushed his glasses up on his nose.
Stuart nodded yes.
“How do you know Ms. Rose?” Detective Uhler asked.
“We’re friends. Actually, we’re cousins, and we work for the same firm.”
Suspicion covered Detective Uhler’s face. “I see.”
Stuart sat forward. “I realize I should have come to you sooner, but...Anyway, I was there the night Bruce Colby was murdered.”
“In the men’s room?” Detective Uhler questioned.
“I was in the handicap stall.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“No, but I saw the whole thing. Well, mostly the whole thing.”
Detective Uhler was silent a moment. “Go on.”
The vivid images were still clear in Stuart’s mind. He remembered that dreadful, revealing night of November 22 and transported himself back.
Thursday night, November 22.
Stuart stood in the handicap stall, facing the closed door in front of him. He inhaled the cocaine from the cellophane bag, then wiped his nose and was startled when he heard─
“Blue Ivy, what are you doing in here?” The male voice said.
Right way, Stuart recognized the distinctive voice as Bruce Colby.
“Say, what are you doing in here, Blue?” Blue Ivy said.
Just as surprised to find Blue Ivy in the men’s room as Bruce, Stuart was stuck and couldn’t even think about leaving until after Blue Ivy left. Stuart then returned the cellophane bag to his pocket and listened with a meticulous ear, hoping that neither Blue Ivy nor Bruce would realize that he was in the very next stall.
Stuart heard every word that Blue Ivy and Bruce uttered. “Quit playing around Blue Ivy. Someone’s going to see us.”
“Not if we’re really careful,” Blue Ivy said.
“Knock it off, Blue Ivy.”
“I have to get you to loosen up, show you how to have some real fun.”
Stuart could only imagine what was happening between Blue Ivy and Bruce who were only a few feet away from him.
“What do I have to do? Put you on a leash and walk you in?”
“Get up, Blue Ivy.”
“Don’t be a killjoy, Bruce.”
Though Stuart witnessed Blue Ivy’s impressive transformation over the last few weeks, he discovered firsthand how she had graduated to such a high level of raunchiness. She was nothing like the Blue Ivy he knew.
Stuart felt like an eavesdropping Tom as he continued to listen in as the words between Blue Ivy and Bruce became more and more intriguing.
“We can’t, Blue Ivy. People are still in this office.”
“So, what are they going to do, arrest us?”
Stuart stood there, his ear locked with the stall wall. He heard them move into a stall and he was certain of what would come next. Being so close, he began to feel aroused himself, and though he could not see a thing, his imagination ran full force.
“Take it easy, Blue Ivy.”
Several seconds passed before Stuart heard, “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Blue Ivy said.
Stuart envisioned what they were doing when out of nowhere he heard the voice of a second woman.
“You son of a bitch.”
Damn, Stuart thought. “How many people are in this men’s room?”
Though Stuart hardly ever worked late, he thought perhaps he should if this was what he could expect every night.
The drama continued and Stuart was uncertain of the newly entered female voice.
“Oh, shit,” Bruce said.
Stuart heard someone leave the men’s room, but he didn’t know who.
“What are you doing?” Blue Ivy asked. “You can’t just stop. “What are you going to do? Go after her?”
“I have to.”
“You can’t just stop in the middle and go after her. Who do you think you’re fucking with? You’re going to stop what we’re doing to go after that bitch? You can’t leave me for her. I won’t allow it.”
“Get a grip, Blue Ivy.”
It seemed Blue Ivy and Bruce remained while the other person left, and Stuart felt a chill just being there, so close to the drama.
The heated porn saga had now turned ugly. So much Stuart wanted to peer his head above the stall wall to see what he had listened in on for several minutes, but it was too risky.
One minute of silence and the last word Stuart heard from Blue Ivy’s mouth was. “Okay,” before she left.
Stuart stood motionless, eager to leave at just the right moment. He heard the click of high heel shoes come through the door. His first thought was that it might be Blue Ivy returning. He couldn’t know for sure unless he heard the person’s voice.
After debating back and forth, he finally lifted his head above the stall. He could no longer just listen. He needed to see for himself.
Very cautiously and with keen precision, he stood up on the toilet seat and peeped his head over the stall wall. He saw Bruce taking a spill at the urinals. Stuart’s eyes panned left, and he saw a woman with a full head of curly red hair move towards Bruce.
He couldn’t be sure if it was Blue Ivy or not.
Blue Ivy, Camina and Laura all looked so much alike; it could have been either of them. Then he saw the side of her face.
It was not Blue Ivy.
Stuart had Detective Uhler’s full attention as he continued with his story, conveying all that he remembered the night Bruce Colby was murdered.
From what Stuart saw, a red haired woman tapped Bruce on the shoulder and Bruce turned around to see her face.
From the bathroom stall, Stuart watched them stare at each other. The woman threw Bruce a punch to the face and it caught him off guard because before Bruce could retaliate, she threw him another one before she kicked him in the groin. Again. And again.
Losing his balance, Bruce fell to the floor, unable to move. Now, Bruce was on the floor, Stuart observing with widen eyes.
The woman straddled herself on Bruce’s bruised body and Bruce struggled to overpower her, but it was no use. Moments later, she removed his belt from his pants and wrapped it around his neck. Stuart stared in disbelief, wanting to do something, but was too paralyzed by it all.
Stuart witnessed the woman str
angling Bruce until Bruce moved less and less. Bruce tussled to stop her as she pulled the belt tighter and tighter around his neck until he could struggle no more. In a quick move, Stuart jolted his head down behind the stall wall, his heart racing and his hands shaking after just witnessing a murder. Stuart heard the clacking high heels disappear through the door and inhaled a deep breath as he wasn’t sure if it was safe to leave. Finally, Stuart forced himself from the stall, glanced over at Bruce’s lifeless body on the floor before making a quit exit.
Stuart finished his recount of the murder and wondered if Detective Uhler believed him or not.
“And that’s what happened?” Detective Uhler asked.
Stuart nodded his head. It was because of Stuart’s tainted record with the law and rehab that he chose not to come forward. However, when he learned that Blue Ivy was a suspect, that changed everything. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her, and not just because she helped him obtain his job, but because she was family.
“You refer to her as the woman,” Detective Uhler said. “Who was this woman?”
Stuart did not hesitate. “It wasn’t Blue Ivy Rose.”
“And you’re sure, absolutely sure because they do look an awful lot alike.”
“Positively sure,” he said.
“Why didn’t you say something before?” Detective Uhler asked.
“Scared I guess.”
“So who was it?”
Blue Ivy awakened in Lee’s arms on the sofa, her head against his chest as Lee was still asleep. It was only a three-hour nap, but very much needed. Careful not to wake Lee, she eased herself from underneath his arms and glanced at her watch. It was 8:30 p.m. She grabbed a red blanket from the bedroom, and spread it over his body.
While Lee was asleep, she tried her best to reach her sister, Sandy. So much had happened, and she wanted to share it all with her. Blue Ivy stood in front of the hall mirror, in the same position as always, and in a whisper, she called out to Sandy. “Sandy? Sandy?”
When she received no response, she moved her face closer to the mirror, her lips almost touching it. “Sandy? Are you there?”