The Ghost of Blue Ivy

by Parker Paige

  Blue Ivy delicately placed the palm of her hand onto the mirror, hoping to somehow energetically summon Sandy’s image. “Sandy, it’s Blue Ivy. Are you there?”

  After several minutes, it was obvious that Blue Ivy’s attempts proved futile as Sandy was nowhere to be found.

  When Blue Ivy thought she heard Lee waking up, she stepped away from the mirror fast and headed back towards him. When she saw that he was still asleep, she realized that she wasn’t quite ready to give up on reaching her sister. For several days, Blue Ivy had attempted to reach Sandy with no success and today was no different.

  Desperate to connect with her sister, Blue Ivy removed the mirror from the wall, thinking maybe she just needed to readjust it. Upon replacing the mirror back onto the wall, she heard Lee yawning and as she directed her attention towards Lee instead of what she was doing, the mirror slipped from her hands and shattered into pieces onto the floor. She was certain that all of the ruckus would have awakened Lee, but he was still sound asleep.

  A gush of fear swept through Blue Ivy’s hands as she quickly bent down and studied the broken pieces on the floor.

  This was it.

  She had done it now.

  She would never see her much-loved sister ever again.

  Heartbroken over the broken mirror, Blue Ivy stood at the window and peeked through the mini-blinds. She couldn’t believe it. As quickly as Sandy had reappeared in her life, she disappeared just the same.

  What was she going to do now?

  For moments on end, she pondered the dialogue her sister used. Sandy’s favorite question posed to Blue Ivy was always: What are you going to do about it?

  Though Sandy was gone, never to return, Blue Ivy was comforted by her sister’s words. For all that transpired with Bruce and the investigation, the question to ask herself was the same as if Sandy were there to ask it herself.

  What was she going to do about it?

  About everything?

  About the investigation?

  About Lee?

  About her past behavior?

  About her job?

  What could she do to make things right?

  Blue Ivy pondered for several moments, almost in a hypnotic trance. Several more moments would pass before she snapped back to reality. When she opened the mini blinds, the night sky stirred up old emotions of the day as she studied the new Buick across the street. Though it looked like a detective’s car, she couldn’t be sure.

  Even after the detectives dismissed her, they were still watching, as if waiting.

  What was that all about?

  Then it dawned on her. Still, she was a suspect, and until they could prove otherwise, she would be under scrutiny. No longer could she wait like this on display, hoping that everything would resolve itself. She needed to do something, anything. Though it was that same attitude that brought her to this place, it deserved credit if used modestly.

  Though Camina was the last person Blue Ivy wanted to share space with, Blue Ivy would confront her and learn what mischievous motives scurried around in that hard head of hers. With all the evidence pointing towards Blue Ivy, she reached a point when she actually believed that she had killed Bruce Colby, but that point passed, and she now knew better.

  She was innocent, and all she had to do now was prove it.

  In deep thought, Blue Ivy was finishing up the dishes when the phone rang. She picked up fast, not wanting to wake Lee.

  “Hey, it’s me,” Laura said

  “Hey Laura.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Considering everything that has happened, I’m all right,” Blue Ivy said. “‘What about you?”

  “I just hope it’s over. Wasn’t that scary having them ask us questions like that? I never want to go through that again.”

  “How are you holding up,” Blue Ivy asked.

  “Just barely, but anyway, I found out why Camina left the office the other day in tears.”

  “Why?” Blue Ivy was always in the mood for a bit of juicy gossip.

  “Bruce didn’t want her to work for him anymore. He broke off their relationship and then had her reassigned.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Hard to believe, isn’t?”

  “How did you find out?” Blue Ivy asked her.

  “Who else? Rollie? You know he knows everything. Rumor has it Denise wanted you to work for Bruce and Camina knew about it and you can imagine how that played out. Listen, I have to run. Will I see you at the office next week?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Blue Ivy was spellbound by what Laura said about Camina. Even if it were true that Bruce broke off their relationship and no longer wanted her to work for him, that didn’t seem reason enough to kill him.

  So why was Laura sharing this information with her?

  Could it be that Laura was hiding something?

  For every minute that passed, the whole situation became more and more bizarre. At this point, Blue Ivy didn’t know who killed Bruce Colby.

  It could have been Laura.

  It could have been Camina.

  Or like Laura said, it could have been a man dressed as a woman, wearing a wig. Moments later, Blue Ivy threw out all of her suspicions. The killer could be only one person. It wasn’t Blue Ivy. It wasn’t Laura, and it was no man dressed in a wig.

  Episode 18

  BLUE IVY STORED THE DISHES AWAY in the cabinet and wiped down the kitchen table. She reminisced about how she behaved over the last few days, and she was not impressed.

  How could she have been so childish as to go after Bruce just to spite Camina? And even worse, how could she have run from the police like that, making herself look twice as guilty?

  Instead of pursuing someone like Lee who lay fast asleep on her sofa, someone so easy to love, she went after a married man, a man who she held no respect for, who now lay cold in some morgue. Regrettably, she erred to the fullest capacity.

  On a much deeper level, maybe she wanted to be a suspect as if it was all part of the ride of adventure. But the ride had come to an end, and she was ready to exit. Her habit of running away came to haunt her in the worst possible way.

  Everything she did in the last three weeks was done out of fear.

  Fear of who she was.

  Fear of accepting her misfortune.

  And most of all ─ fear of the future. But she didn’t need to return to therapy as her present dilemma proved therapeutic enough.

  Blue Ivy glanced at Lee’s jacket and Kangol hat on the coat rack and an idea came to mind. She grabbed his coat and hat and tiptoed into the bedroom. After stepping into her black jeans she slid on her black boots. She stepped in front of the bathroom mirror and stripped off her earrings. She then placed Lee’s Kangol hat on her head as she was meticulous about hiding every strand of her brown hair. A masculine look was her goal. It was an attempt to elude the police just in case her suspicions of them outside watching her proved true.

  She slipped into Lee’s jacket and the sleeves were almost too short for her long arms. It proved to be a tight, snug fit, and that was good enough for her. She then grabbed Lee’s keys from the coffee table and left the apartment.

  Upon reaching the outside of her building, she raised the collar of her jacket and didn’t look in the direction of the Buick. She hurled into Lee’s silver Jeep and drove off, hoping not to be followed. She traveled down Clark Street, continually checking her rear view mirror to see if she was being followed.

  She wasn’t.

  In just a matter of minutes, she reached Camina’s two flat apartment complex. Only having gone to Camina’s apartment once when she and Laura attended a baby shower, Blue Ivy didn’t know the exact address, but remembered the building. It was unlikely Camina would invite her up, so Blue Ivy waited in the lobby, hoping a tenant would come in or out of the building and give her the opportunity to hustle upstairs.

  Minutes later, a gentleman exited the building with his Labrador. Casually, Blue Ivy entered an
d made her way up two flights of stairs. With her hands in her pockets, she stood outside Camina’s apartment. She placed her ear against the door and heard the chatter of Camina’s whiny voice.

  Blue Ivy knocked on the door.

  Seconds later, Camina swung the door open. She was wearing a skimpy skirt and top and held a cell phone against her ear. Camina’s eyes shot to Blue Ivy. “What do you want?”

  Blue Ivy removed her Kangol hat, then barged past Camina inside the apartment.

  “I’ll call you back,” Camina said, right before she disconnected the caller.

  With the front door still open, Camina pivoted over to Blue Ivy. “I don’t remember inviting you in here. You know I could have you arrested? Again?”

  Blue Ivy was ready to tell Camina what she really thought of her dirty tactics. “Do you really think I’m going to take the wrap for something you did?” Blue Ivy asked her.

  Before Camina could answer, Blue Ivy continued. “I know you put that ring and that belt in my desk drawer.”

  “Did you come here for a confession of some sort, Blue Ivy? I sure as hell hope not.”

  “I came for much more than that.”

  “You don’t frighten me, Blue Ivy. I can’t believe they let you loose. You might have everyone else fooled by your little innocent act, but I’m not. I know you’re crazy, I’ve known it ever since we were in high school. Look at you. What happened to the red hair?”

  Camina stepped towards Blue Ivy, and sized her up from top to bottom. “You colored your hair because you wanted to look like me, dress like me. Someone like that is not innocent, and I hope you get exactly what you deserve.”

  The anger stirred in Blue Ivy’s temples, but she said nothing.

  Camina backed away slowly and didn’t say another word for a long time. “Now get out of here before I throw you out.”

  Blue Ivy’s first response was to leave as she stepped towards the door, but her reflexes came alive and she lunged at Camina, grabbing the top of her hair. It was no surprise when the curly, red wig slid off into Blue Ivy’s hands. This was something Blue Ivy wanted to do for a long time. Finally, the day had come.

  A whispering shriek escaped from Camina’s mouth, and Camina grabbed the wig from Blue Ivy’s hand and tossed it to the floor.

  Blue Ivy had done it now.

  The sight of the small patches of hair dispersed across Camina’s narrow head sent Blue Ivy into a state of shock. Though she always knew Camina wore a wig, it was the first time she ever saw her without it. And it was a scary sight.

  Camina threw herself at Blue Ivy and pulled at Blue Ivy’s ponytail, but Blue Ivy caught Camina’s hand in time and was able to push her away. Again, Camina hurled at Blue Ivy, this time knocking her to the floor. While Blue Ivy recovered from her fall to the floor, Camina maneuvered her thin body onto Blue Ivy’s. She pulled at Blue Ivy’s hair when Blue Ivy thrust her fist against Camina’s cheek. It was just enough time to slide from underneath Camina’s long torso. Immediately, Blue Ivy jetted towards the front door. Camina rose from the floor, grabbed the table lamp and threw it towards Blue Ivy, but Blue Ivy ducked in time and the lamp shattered to the floor.

  Camina was an animal.

  Blue Ivy never before witnessed this brutal side of Camina, and she was terrified.

  For her life.

  Episode 19

  BLUE IVY’S ONLY THOUGHT WAS TO reach the front door and escape the madness of this woman, this woman who seemed capable of anything. The door was a long way off, and she would have to bypass Camina in order to reach it.

  A tall candlestick on the coffee table caught Blue Ivy’s eye, and she grabbed it fast and threw it at Camina. The blow to Camina’s head only stopped her a moment, for an unstoppable woman. But it was the look in Camina’s eye that caught Blue Ivy off guard. It was the most frightening glare she ever saw. Her heart raced, thumped, pounded and she wondered if she would ever make it to the front door.

  Without thinking about it any further, Blue Ivy zipped towards the door, hoping the thrust of her speed would bypass Camina’s fury.

  Unexpectedly, everything went black, and when Blue Ivy opened her eyes, she was down on the floor, feeling a knot on the back of her head. Camina’s body was toppled atop of Blue Ivy, her hands around Blue Ivy’s neck.

  Blue Ivy gasped for air, and tried to free herself from Camina’s clutches, but she couldn’t. Continually Blue Ivy struggled to release Camina’s hand from her neck as she pried, scratched, pushed, pulled, but nothing seemed to work.

  “Bruce tried to fuck me over and look what happened to him,” Camina said. “It wasn’t enough that I had to share him with his wife, but now you, too.”

  Blue Ivy’s eyes lit up. It was Camina’s statement that sent terror throughout Blue Ivy’s entire body while Camina’s hands pierced Blue Ivy’s neck,

  Blue Ivy tried desperately to breathe and keep from going under, and then, out of nowhere, Blue Ivy heard a male voice.

  “Let her go.”

  To Blue Ivy’s surprise, she saw Detective Uhler and Stuart standing over her.

  Finally, Camina released her grasp from Blue Ivy’s neck, and Blue Ivy gasped and coughed, her head spinning.

  Stuart was quick to help Blue Ivy up from the floor. “Are you okay?”

  Blue Ivy nodded, still coughing as Camina so casually picked up her wig from the floor and positioned it on her head.

  All eyes on Camina.

  “I saw the whole thing, Camina,” Stuart said to Camina.

  “What?” Camina questioned.

  Stuart stepped to Camina and said, “I said, I saw the whole thing.”

  Camina’s eyes locked in with Stuart’s as if she was staring at Satan, and Blue Ivy stood there, just as surprised.

  “What are you talking about?” Camina asked. “Saw what whole thing?”

  “The murder. I was in the bathroom stall the night Bruce Colby was murdered,” Stuart said. “I saw him. I saw you. I saw everything.”

  The detectives escorted Camina to the station, and Blue Ivy and Stuart headed towards Lee’s Jeep. As soon as they climbed into the Jeep, Stuart said, “I’m sorry I didn’t go to the police sooner.”

  “I’m just glad you did when you did,” she said to him.

  Blue Ivy started the engine, but she didn’t move. There was something about Stuart’s confession that baffled her. She was about to pull off, but the curiosity of Stuart witnessing the murder gnawed at her. “How could that be?” She shifted the gear back into park. “How is it that you saw everything? How can that be possible?”

  “I was in the bathroom from the time you came in,” Stuart said.

  Immediately, Blue Ivy thought about that night, remembering. In her mind, she retraced her steps, and, still, it did not compute. “But I checked all the stalls, and there was no one in there.”

  “Did you check the handicap stall?”

  Blue Ivy’s eyes lit up as she remembered. He was right. She had checked every stall but that one. “So you actually saw Camina, and she didn’t see you?”

  “I didn’t actually see her face. I never saw her face. I just assumed it was Camina. I knew it couldn’t have been you.”

  Blue Ivy smiled and smiled and smiled some more. “So you don’t actually know for sure?”

  Stuart smiled. “In my heart, I knew it couldn’t have been you.”

  Blue Ivy shifted the gear into drive. “So you weren’t completely truthful with the police.”

  “Not completely.”

  “So it could have been Laura,” Blue Ivy said.

  “Laura is a sweetheart. It couldn’t have been her either.”

  “So you really don’t know who killed Bruce Colby?”

  “I know it wasn’t you.”

  Stuart smiled at her, and she smiled right back.

  Maybe Camina killed Bruce, and maybe she didn’t.

  Maybe Laura killed Bruce, and maybe she didn’t. Maybe it was a man dressed in a wig, or maybe it wasn’t. It really didn
’t matter at this point. What was most important was that Stuart exonerated her. Though Blue Ivy knew she was innocent, it was nice to know that even if she wasn’t, her cousin was on her side.

  After Blue Ivy dropped Stuart off at his place, she made her way back to her apartment. Not much time passed since she left Lee asleep on her sofa. He would be awake when she returned, wondering about her disappearance.

  Resuming her snuggled position with him on the sofa brought a smile to her face, and she wanted to continue where they left off.

  She came through the front door, and her eyes scanned the room for Lee, but he was nowhere in sight. She called to him and closed the door behind her. Because she was wearing his jacket and hat and held his keys in her hand, he could not have gone far.

  Again, she called to him, but before she could call his name a third time, she saw Lee step across the exit of the bedroom. He didn’t seem suspicious of her disappearance, and he didn’t look worried. Instead, a warm smile glowed across his face.

  “Hi,” she said. “I was looking for you. I suppose you’re wondering where I’ve been.”

  “Now, what makes you think that?” he said to her.

  She admired his cool subtleness, seemingly not concerned at all. If only he knew what she had just endured.

  Blue Ivy released the ponytail ring from her hair and shuffled her fingers through her hair. “I want to tell you where I’ve been and everything that happened to me tonight, but first, I just want to lie down next to you. Can we do that?”

  At first Lee wore a stern look on his face, then it turned to a gentle smile. At that moment, she wanted to make love to him, share her bed with him and her body, but somehow it didn’t seem right. The timing was off.

  After all of her risqué acts with Bruce and the infamous Rod Bigg, it wouldn’t feel genuine. It would feel more like a continuation of where she left off in her endeavor to be someone else. And she wanted her experience with Lee to be a real, lasting one, one that would continue for many years to come.