Nina threw a pair of jeans in her suitcase and then turned to face Isaac with tears in her eyes. “I can’t deal with this anymore, Isaac. I’m pregnant and I have to worry about me and my baby.”
For a moment everything went still for Isaac. Had he heard her right? Did she just say that she was pregnant? Was he going to be a daddy after all these years? A thousand questions roamed through his mind as he imagined Nina’s belly growing with his child. When he was finally able to move from the spot that held him captive, he went to Nina, picked her up and swung her around.
The expression on her face was that of surprise as he put her back on her feet. “You’re happy about this?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? I would love to have a son; and to have him with you. That just makes it all good.” Isaac wasn’t going to wait a week after the birth of his son to go out and buy cigars to celebrate like Leonard had done. He was going to go get them now. He couldn’t wait to call Keith, and truth be told, he wanted to call Leonard too; but they were in different places now and he had to let that go. He moved Nina toward the bed and made her sit down. “Why would you even be thinking about leaving me now of all times?”
Nina wiped away the wetness on her face and told him, “I didn’t think you would want the baby for one thing.”
He looked at her as if she had suddenly grown an extra head. “Why wouldn’t I want my baby?” Isaac was young and successful as a street hustler. He had also gained a notorious reputation for handling his business; but he was no fool. He knew that one day, someone smarter, faster, and more notorious than he would come along. That would be the day he would be required to pay for all his transgressions. This certainty had caused him to yearn for a son since he clipped his first hustler in the back alleys of Chicago.
He knew with certainty that one day he would lay in the spot he’d left many victims. In Isaac’s mind, even if an executioner’s bullet did take him out of the game, he would live on – through his son.
“I want him more than you know, Nina. And you and my son will live with me. I don’t want to be a part-time father. I want to be here – not like how my scum of a father was.”
“I don’t even know who my father is,” Nina said. “I don’t think my mother ever knew either. Maybe that’s why she gave me up for adoption, so she wouldn’t have to keep looking into my face and not know.”
Isaac hugged her. “My son will never have to wonder about who his father is, okay, Nina? Don’t talk about leaving me anymore. We’re together for life now.”
Nina broke free from Isaac’s grasp and asked, “Are you going to stop cheating on me?”
“Nina, I don’t want nobody but you, I’ve told you that time and time again.”
“Tell Valerie, and tell Cynda.”
“There are things about my business that you don’t understand. Valerie and Cynda work for me from time to time. But you’re the one I’m living with, so that ought to tell you something.”
“So you’re not going to get rid of them?”
“No,” Isaac answered point blank. “And I’m not letting you go either, so you might as well unpack your bags and adjust to life with me.”
***
Three of Isaac’s crack-houses got robbed within four weeks of him dismissing Leonard. Workers at two of Isaac’s houses swore that Leonard was the man behind the mask. The take had been a little over a hundred thou from all three houses and Isaac was fuming. He had two houses that still hadn’t been hit and it was Isaac’s bet that Leonard was stupid enough to go after them also. So he armed his last two houses with enough men and ammunition to guard Fort Knox; and he waited.
He was at home in bed with Valerie when he got the call. Nina had left him and Isaac had been trying to take his mind off that when Leonard started robbing him. Needless to say, Isaac was not a happy man.
He went to his location on Blueberry Drive and saw the outwitted gunman tied to a chair with his mask still on. Isaac had told his workers not to take the gunman’s mask off; just tie him up and then call. His instructions had been followed, and Isaac was happy about that. He didn’t need anyone knowing who was truly behind that mask; that way, they wouldn’t be able to say for sure that Isaac must have murdered the guy because he was the last one with him.
“You all did good,” Isaac told them as he leaned next to the gunman and said, “Don’t say a word. I’m going to have you out of here in a second, okay?”
The burglar nodded.
Isaac loosed him from the chair and then retied his arms behind his back and walked him out of the house and placed him in the back seat of his car. Isaac sped off and, after about a minute, he heard the burglar say, “Thanks, man. I thought those guys were going to kill me.”
Isaac was silent.
“Did you see their faces when you walked me out of there? You spoiled their fun.” The burglar laughed.
Isaac’s heart sank as he thought of the first time he’d heard that laugh. They had only been thirteen; both sentenced to two years in juvee, and nowhere to go once they were released.
They were in the lunch line and Leonard nudged him as Mark Spellman, a fourteen year old convicted murderer, tripped over his own big feet, fell and bumped his head on the concrete floor. “That’s gotta hurt,” Leonard had said as he doubled over laughing.
Mark was so embarrassed that he got off the floor, grabbed Leonard by the collar and swung on him. But something made Isaac grab Mark’s fist before it connected with Leonard’s face.
Isaac pushed Mark and told him to back off.
They were both over thirty now, and Isaac had run out of memories; run out of excuses for his friend’s bad behavior. He couldn’t even hear the laughter anymore. He drove to a wooded area on the outside of town and turned off his car. Isaac pulled Leonard out of the back seat and walked him down a tree lined path.
“Where are you taking me?” Leonard asked.
“Where do you think I’m taking you?”
Leonard started squirming. He tried to pull away, but Isaac’s grip was too strong. Leonard could do nothing but go where he was led. When they reached a spot that Isaac was comfortable with, he snatched off Leonard’s mask, untied him and shoved him to the ground.
Leonard said, “I’m sorry, okay, man? Is that what you want to hear? I needed the money for my family.”
Isaac pulled out his gun. “You don’t take care of your family. Remember?”
Leonard was on his knees now. “Isaac, man, please don’t do this.” Isaac stood over him, gun in hand. “Come on, man. We been through too much together.”
“Guess you should have thought about that before you kept stealing my money.”
Leonard closed his eyes. Sweat ran down his forehead. His hands were shaking like a newborn crack baby. “You’re my son’s godfather. Come on, man. Lenny Jr. needs me.”
Isaac thought about that for a second. Leonard hadn’t been a true daddy to that boy a day in his life. But Isaac was godfather to this man’s son. He promised to look after the little tyke. And that was serious business. “Tell me where my money is, and I’ll put it in a trust fund for my godson.”
“I spent it, man. I spent it.” Leonard started crying. Seriously, he was crying like a little girl with a sprained ankle. He’d always been a punk.
“What could you have spent a hundred thousand dollars on in a month’s time?”
Leonard wiped some of the sweat and tears off his face and bent his head and cried some more.
Isaac cold cocked him with the handle of the gun. “Stop all that crying!” Leonard may be a no good thief, but he and Isaac had been friends. He could at least help this man go out with some dignity. “What’d you do with my money?”
“I bought Tanya a house.”
“You did what?” Isaac couldn’t believe it. He just absolutely couldn’t believe that he was godfather to the Lollypop Man’s son. “You bought a house for Tanya, that trick who is, right now, laid up with Keith in her new house?”
Leonard
shook his head back and forth. “I didn’t know, man. I thought she loved me.”
“You had a girl that loved you, but you chose to be the Lollypop Man to one who’s not even true.” If Isaac kept this fool around, Lord knows how much of his hard earned grip would come up missing. “Good night, old friend. This is where we part company.” Isaac squeezed the trigger and snuffed out a life-long friendship.
Chapter 28
Iona sat across from Diana in the prayer room. Her first instinct when she saw Diana at the altar was to lay into her. But as they walked together toward the prayer room, Iona’s mind drifted back to the prayer journey she’d gone through with her mother and how she felt after rededicating her life to the Lord. She didn’t want to take that feeling away from Diana, but she needed to have something answered. “I’m not going to keep you long, Diana, I’m sure you have things to do.”
Diana put her hand on Iona’s shoulder and said, “Let’s be straight with each other. I know that you don’t like me; and I understand. So I don’t want you to feel as if you have to be nice to me. Just go ahead and ask me whatever you want to know.”
The calm and humble way Diana addressed her made Iona realize that a change had taken place in Diana’s life. She was not the same conniving woman Iona had once pegged her for. Iona began to feel comfortable with this woman.
“Diana, there’s something I’ve wanted to know since you and Donavan were caught together.”
Diana lowered her head.
Iona held up her hands. “I’m not trying to throw that in your face. My question is about the email my father received. Daddy thinks that Donavan emailed him, but I say that Donavan wouldn’t have wanted my father to catch him in a position like that in a million years.” She hesitated for a second, then asked, “Did you email my father from Donavan’s computer?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do it?”
Diana tried to turn away, but Iona put her index finger on Diana’s cheek and said, “Stay with me, Diana. I need to know why you did it.”
Diana’s eyes watered as she admitted, “I was being black mailed.” She wiped her eyes. “Before I came to work at the church I had been arrested for prostitution.”
“Let me guess,” Iona said, “The prosecutor offered you a deal if you did a number on my brother?” Diana nodded. “And would that prosecutor happen to be JL Tyler?”
Diana nodded again.
“My God.” Iona stood up and paced. “What does that man have against my family?”
“I honestly don’t know, Iona. But he was adamant about bringing your father down and was willing to use me, Donavan and anyone else to do the trick. He thought that once Pastor Walker caught us together, he would fire me and protect his son. But it didn’t happen that way. I told him that I would not file suit against a man that had done nothing wrong, he never called me again.”
“But why is he so fixated on my family?” Iona wanted to know, and was determined to get to the bottom of this before nightfall. She thanked Diana for her honesty and headed toward the door.
Diana said, “Wait. There’s something else.”
Iona turned and looked at Diana quizzically.
“Someone was emailing me, giving me details about Donavan; like what he was interested in and the things he didn’t like in a woman. I would receive those emails about once a week. Always in the evening, and always on a Thursday.”
“How do you know JL wasn’t sending the information to you?”
“Because I mentioned it to him once, and he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.”
But why? Why? And who? Iona continued asking herself as she walked from the prayer room to her father’s office.
***
Isaac, Nina, Keith, Cynda and Johnny were in Isaac’s office. Johnny was behind Isaac’s desk working the computer. Isaac and Keith had just told Johnny about their past history with Leonard and the fact that Isaac now believes that Leonard’s son was behind the killings. “After each murder, the killer sent me an email that reminded me that I don’t like thieves.”
“You do know that I am a police officer,” Johnny reminded Isaac. “And that I have to investigate any crime you tell me about, right?”
“Johnny, I’m not afraid of paying for the things I’ve done in the past, but I would be a coward to allow one more person to get killed if I didn’t try to stop this. And I think I know why these things are happening.”
“Okay, now the way I understand this situation is, this guy named Leonard got murdered, and now you think his son is after you because he believes you did it?” Johnny asked.
Actually, Isaac had told Johnny that he had killed Leonard, but Johnny was having selective hearing so Isaac played along and asked, “Do you think you can find out what happened to Leny Jr.? Leonard was never much of a father to him, but you never know. Leny might still feel that it’s his duty to avenge his father.”
“Like I told you Pastor, you can google anybody. What was his last name?” Johnny asked.
Isaac looked to Keith for help. Keith said, “As I remember it, Clara’s last name was Jones. And you and I both know that Leonard didn’t sign the birth certificate, so I’m sure the boy’s name would have been Jones also.”
Johnny typed a few words into the search engine. Leonard Jones, Dayton, Ohio, Criminal record. Several entries appeared. He clicked on the one that said Criminal Records, then typed in Leny’s name, city and state. There were about seventy five criminals with the name Leonard Jones, but only one with a relative named Clara Jones. Johnny clicked on that entry and Isaac’s expression became very somber.
“I never even tried to help him,” Isaac said as he viewed robbery, armed robbery and kidnapping convictions. One after the next.
Iona opened the door to her father’s office and saw her mother and Keith seated on the couch. Nina was in front of the open refrigerator grabbing bottles of juice and water. Her father was standing behind his desk, in conference with the traitor, the deceiver – Johnny the heartbreaker.
“What are you doing in here?” Iona demanded as she closed the door behind her.
“Hello, Iona,” Johnny said as he turned his attention away from the computer. “Your father told me that you rededicated your life to God last week. Congratulations!” he said the words in such a warm, jovial tone that Iona almost believed he was truly happy for her.
But then Iona came back to her right mind and decided his remark was meant to remind her that Christians were forgiving people, but as far as Iona was concerned, forgiving ain’t forgetting. She said, “Yes, it was a wonderful experience. You should try it.”
“Iona!” Isaac admonished.
Iona’s hand went to her hip. “Daddy, Johnny is trying to have you arrested for embezzling the church’s money. He probably even believes that you had something to do with those murders, and you let this Judas back into your office and give him access to your computer after I warned you to have nothing to do with him.”
“Johnny explained everything to me, Iona. We can trust him,” Isaac said.
She folded her arms across her chest and said, “Well I’m your lawyer, and I say we can’t trust him.”
Johnny put his hands on her father’s desk and raised himself into a standing position. “We can go over this later, Pastor. Just give me a call when-”
“No. I need to know about this now. Iona needs this information as well, so let’s just all try to get along.” He looked at his daughter and said, “Okay?”
Iona glared at her father, then turned and stormed out of his office, slamming the door.
Nina ran after her. “Iona, wait.” But Iona started running so Nina yelled, “Your father remembered something from his past. He just wants Johnny to check into it.”
Iona heard Nina, but couldn’t bring herself to turn back around. The sanctuary was almost empty now so she was able to get through without bumping into anyone. She went straight to her car and got behind the wheel, banged her head on the steering
wheel and let the tears flow. She was angry with herself for acting such a fool, and she knew it was only because her heart still ached over being played by Johnny Dunford.
“Lord, please help me forget about Johnny.” She didn’t want her heart hung up on a deceiver.
There was a knock on the driver side window. Iona wiped the tears from her face and looked up.
“Roll down the window, Iona,” Johnny said.
“No!” she screamed at him and then noticed that she hadn’t locked the car door when she got in. She reached for the lock at the same time Johnny reached for the handle. She hit the button a millisecond after he opened the door. “Leave me and my family alone, Johnny. Haven’t you done enough to us yet?”
He knelt down. As his knees touched the ground, he took her hand off the steering wheel and held it. “You were right about me, Iona. I did start seeing you just to get closer to your father; but it was part of my investigation.”
She pulled her hand from his grasp.
He went on. “But you’re wrong about the reason I stopped seeing you.” He reached for her hand again, but Iona held it clenched. He gave up and told her, “I fell in love with you, Iona.”
Another tear trickled down her face, but it was not from joy. She was angry. She put her key in the ignition and turned it as she hollered, “How dare you. You dumped me. Do you remember that? People in love don’t just walk away.”
Johnny lowered his head and told her, “I stopped seeing you because I was ashamed of what I had done. I didn’t think I deserved you, but I didn’t stop loving you.”
“You don’t know how to love and you don’t deserve me, Johnny. You will never throw me out like useless thrash ever again.” She sped off with her door open as Johnny tried to lean in closer to her. She stopped to close her door when she reached the end of the driveway. She looked back and saw Johnny falling head first to the ground. A smile creased her lips as she thought about the concussion he would suffer.
Iona put Johnny out of her mind. She looked into her glove compartment to ensure that her Glock was in there, then she turned out of the parking lot and headed for Interstate 75. She needed to get to the suburban side of town because she needed to visit a certain prosecutor.
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