Cold

by Sha Jones

  He looked at me with apologetic eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  While we were hugging and kissing, my phone began to ring. I reached in purse and grabbed it. I looked at the screen and couldn’t believe what the fuck I was seeing. It was like a blow to my jaw. In big bold letters it read unknown on the screen. I stood there like a statue with my phone in my hand. I changed my number today so that only meant one thing. It was definitely somebody I knew.

  Chapter 7

  I felt so helpless. It’s like I took one step forward just to take two steps back. I felt like somebody had dropped a bomb on me. Michael looked at me in disbelief.

  “Who the hell could it be? He asked rhetorically.

  I buried my head in my hands and sighed, “I don’t know. It has to be someone I know. I sent a text to everyone giving them my new number so the list is wide. It could be anybody in my circle of family or friends fucking with me.”

  The fact that it was someone I possibly knew sent chills down my spine. I was so emotional due to the fact that all of these weird things were happening, and then Melanie turns up dead. I talked to Michael about getting the cameras installed all around the house. At first he didn’t like the idea but later decided we could do it.

  Tonight was another sleepless night. I wasn’t worried about losing too much sleep though. I handled all of the cases that I had and I wasn’t taking anymore until I was feeling better, so I decided to take an early vacation from work. While I was asleep, I kept hearing this constant banging noise. It seemed to get louder as I drifted out of sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that the banging was coming from downstairs. I put on my robe and rushed down the stairs.

  “Who is it?!” I yelled.

  I looked through the peephole and I could see a man standing there in a security uniform.

  He put his face towards the door and yelled, “I’m here to install your cameras.”

  I opened the door and let him in. He walked in the house and looked around. He went to each room and examined them. We walked into the garage and he looked at the top corners of the walls. I watched him carefully.

  “I want to have the cameras set up to where I can see who’s walking up to my driveway. I also want a camera put in each room in the house as well,” I told him.

  Hell if someone keyed my car, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to break in our home while we were away. As we walked outside, Michael pulls up and parks in the driveway. I could tell he was at the gym by what he was wearing and how sweaty he was. I walked up to him.

  “He just got here about ten minutes ago. I have to make a few phone calls so can you take it from here,” I asked.

  He shook his head and started talking to the man. I went in the house and grabbed my phone. I had two missed calls. One was from the unknown caller and the other one was from Carl. I forgot to call him when I got home yesterday so I immediately retuned the call.

  “Hey Carl, sorry I forgot to call you. I’m having cameras installed in my house,” I explained.

  “It’s okay Tiff. Is everything okay?”

  I didn’t want to talk about it, but I had a habit of telling Carl all of my problems. We’ve been confiding in each other since we were children.

  I sighed, “No, I’m not. After I changed my damn number, I received another private call.”

  He gasped as if someone took his breath away and responded, “You need to go to the police and have them investigate this immediately. You could be in serious danger.”

  I cut Carl off and told him I would call him back because I didn’t want to face the fact that he could possibly be right. If the police couldn’t help me after my car was vandalized, then I knew for sure that they wouldn’t be able to investigate a private call. Getting the cameras put in was me starting my own investigation. I was going to put a stop to all of this shit. It had been days since the cameras were installed. I made sure to check them every time I got home, but there was no type of strange activity going on. I made sure I parked my car in the driveway every day. Whoever was responsible for fucking with my car would eventually be caught; just like the rat that they are. I decided to check the camera one more time before Draya and I headed out for drinks. There wasn’t much on the camera; just neighborhood kids playing and my neighbors walking their dogs. I was glad that nobody was doing anything strange but at the same time, I wanted to catch someone fucking up. I sighed and grabbed my keys from the counter and left.

  I pulled into the restaurant and parked next to Draya’s car. I walked inside and I could see Draya waving her arms all over the place trying to flag me down. I looked at her and shook my head.

  “You could’ve just called me to let me know which table you were at,” I said sarcastically as I sat down.

  “Well I didn’t feel like wasting my phone battery,” she laughed.

  I was relieved to see her. I needed a good laugh and I haven’t seen her since I took a vacation from work. We talked on the phone occasionally, but I wanted to spend some time with her. While we waited for our drinks to arrive, we talked for a while.

  “So you know work sucks without you right?” Draya sighed.

  I poked my lips out and replied, “Yea I’m sure it does. I just needed a break especially after Melanie’s sudden death.”

  Draya put her head down and took a deep breath.

  “It’s been so quiet around the office. I think everyone is so shaken up because we don’t know who did it. It could’ve been a crazy criminal or something.”

  I was expecting to have a good time today. I wanted to talk about good times and have drinks, but I knew we would have to talk about this. I looked at her and my eyes got low.

  “That’s the same thing I was thinking too. That it could be some psycho out there killing off lawyers one by one.”

  I then started to wonder if I was next with all of the crazy shit that was happening to me. Draya looked at me as if a light bulb went off in her head.

  “Did you ever find out why she was calling Michael?”

  I shook my head and replied, “No.”

  The waiter finally arrived with our drinks and as I turn to thank him, I could see a woman in my peripheral vision. I turned my head and I blinked twice to make sure I was seeing correctly. It was Tangy walking in with a man and he didn’t look like Carl.

  I leaned forward and whispered to Draya, “Remember Carl’s wife? The one you met at the Christmas party last year?”

  Leaning her head in closer to mine she looked at me and whispered back, “Yes, I think so.”

  I pointed my finger in Tangy’s direction and replied, “Well she’s here with another man and it isn’t Carl.”

  I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I found it very strange that Tangy would be at a restaurant with another man in the middle of the day. He was also good looking. Draya and I only had one drink and I decided to cut the date short and return home. I kept pacing back and forth in my kitchen. I didn’t know whether to tell Carl that I just seen his wife at a restaurant with a man. He was still at work, so I definitely wasn’t going to upset him in the middle of him teaching a class. As soon as Michael walked into the door, I greeted him with a hug and a kiss. He could tell by the look on my face that I was disturbed by something.

  “What’s wrong baby?”

  Biting my nail, I looked at him and said, “I saw Tangy today while Draya and I were out having drinks today. She was there with a guy and it wasn’t Carl.”

  Michael shrugged his shoulders.

  “Ok so what?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “Should I call Carl and tell him what I saw? He’s my best friend and I don’t want to leave him in the dark.”

  He shook his head at me and said, “Tiff, mind your business. That’s not your problem. Just because she went to a restaurant with a man, does not mean she’s cheating. It could be a friend. I mean look at you and Carl.”

  I was surprised by his comment.

  “What does that mean? What do you m
ean look at me and Carl?” I asked with an attitude.

  “I’m just saying that you and Carl spend time together. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he sighed.

  I just rolled my eyes and said whatever. Maybe Michael was right. I should mind my business. I didn’t want to start no shit in their home because I was having issues in my own home. I decided to keep my mouth closed and let the situation go for now.

  Chapter 8

  Although I was on vacation, I still made sure I was keeping up with work. I opened my laptop, and checked my email and when I was finished, I went upstairs. When I entered the room, Michael was on the phone. As soon as he saw me, his tone changed and he hurried up and got off the phone.

  With a puzzled look on my face I asked, “Who was that?”

  He shook his head and said, “It was just a client.”

  He then got out of bed and went downstairs. I was too tired to ask him a million questions so I just blew it off. After I got out of the shower, I laid down and before I could get comfortable in bed, I was already asleep.

  Like every morning, the rays from the sun shined throughout my room. The smell of bacon was taking over. I walked downstairs and saw Michael standing over the stove in an apron.

  He turned to me and with a smile on his face said, “Good morning.”

  I was pretty impressed. I can’t remember the last time Michael cooked breakfast. He poured me a cup of coffee and sat it on the kitchen bar. I could hear my phone ringing. A part of me wanted to leave my phone up there, but it could’ve been an important call so I went upstairs to get it. It was Carl. I answered with caution.

  “Hello?”

  He seemed to be in a good mood.

  “Hey, I was wondering if you and Mike wanted to double date later.”

  I thought about it for a minute and replied, “I don’t know about later but Michael is cooking breakfast. If you guys want to join us, we would love to have you.”

  He paused for a minute.

  “Okay well let us get dressed and we’ll be on our way.”

  After we got off the phone, I went back downstairs and sat at the bar.

  Keeping his eyes focused on the stove, Michael asked, “Who was that?”

  I didn’t even realize that I didn’t consult with Michael first.

  “That was Carl. He wanted to know if we wanted to join him and Tangy for a double date later but instead, I invited them over for breakfast.”

  I expected him to complain but he didn’t.

  He just smiled and joked, “I guess I have to cook a whole pack of bacon now.”

  Minutes later, I went to the door and greeted Tangy and Carl. We all sat at the table and began eating. Carl looked up and all around the dining room.

  “I see you got your cameras installed,” he said.

  “Yeah, after some psycho fucked up my car, I didn’t have a choice,” I sighed.

  Carl nodded his head.

  “I understand. Whoever’s been fucking with you will pay.”

  He then changed the subject.

  “Oh Tangy told me she saw you yesterday.”

  I had no clue that she saw me. She didn’t speak and we didn’t make eye contact. I wondered what all did she tell him. I wondered if he even knew she was with another guy. To bring it up in the middle of breakfast would be awkward so I just nodded my head and said, “Yep sure did” with a smile on my face.

  Tangy looked at me and didn’t say anything. After breakfast, I excused myself leaving everybody in the living room. I went up to my bedroom and decided to lie down. I didn’t understand why Tangy claimed she seen me but didn’t bother to speak if she wasn’t doing anything wrong. There was a knock at my door.

  “Come in!” I yelled.

  Tangy walks in and surprised me.

  “Are you busy?” she asked with a grin on her face.

  Tangy and I were cool but we weren’t close. The only time we talked or even interacted with each other was when Carl was around. I gave her this stare and welcomed her in. She sat on the bed next to me and with her eyebrows raised she asked, “Tiffany is everything alright?” You seem a little off.”

  I nodded my head and replied, “I’m fine. Are you alright? You seem a little off yourself.”

  I guess she could sense my attitude because she got up from the bed.

  Before she walked away, she turned to me and with a smile on her face she said, “Before you assume shit, just ask me and if I was going to cheat on my husband, it wouldn’t be with the man you seen me there with. Trust me.”

  She winked at me and then strutted out of my room. ‘What the fuck just happened?’ I wondered to myself. This bitch had a lot of nerve. She came into my room and called herself checking me. I immediately went downstairs and walked up to Tangy.

  “You need to leave.”

  Carl looked at me as if he was confused and asked, “What’s going on?”

  I turned to him and pointed my finger in Tangy’s direction.

  “Why don’t you ask your wife?”

  Carl then looked at Tangy.

  “What is Tiffany talking about?” he asked with anger in his voice.

  Tangy shook her head and said, “I don’t know. Let’s just go.”

  Carl didn’t even press her for more answers. He just left without even saying bye.

  “What the fuck was that about?” Michael asked in anger.

  I ignored him and poured myself a glass of wine. I was a little disappointed in Carl for not getting to the bottom of the situation. Ever since I showed up at their house the night of me and Michael’s argument, she’s been having an attitude with me. All I knew was she needed to get over it. Days went by and there was still no word of Carl. I tried calling him but Tangy would answer his phone and say he’s busy. I usually spoke to him on a regular basis, so I wasn’t sure if he was angry with me or if he was just trying to stand behind his wife. I had to return to work in the morning and I wasn’t sure if I was actually ready to go. Melanie’s funeral had passed and I chose not to attend it but Michael did. In a way I felt bad for not paying my respect but at the same time, I didn’t want to be involved with the situation.

  They hadn’t caught the criminal and I’ve handled so many cases where the killer showed up at their victim’s funeral. I already felt like I was being stalked so the last place I wanted be seen was at a damn funeral. Michael, on the other hand was taking Melanie’s death pretty hard. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive, but I felt like he shouldn’t have taken it so hard. He knew what I was going through but it’s almost like he didn’t care. I still wanted to know what was going on with this client of his who popped up on at the gas station. I just didn’t trust him. He looked strange and he looked very familiar to me. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

  I was seriously thinking about getting a gun. I realized that I didn’t check the cameras today so I went downstairs and checked for suspicious behavior, but there was nothing that stood out to me. I thought it was funny how the minute that I get cameras installed, there was no strange activity going on except for the private calls. While checking the cameras, I could hear the door knob turning so I paused. The door knob then starts to jiggle hard. Michael usually had his keys so I didn’t know who the hell was at my door. I stood still. I then heard banging so I slowly walk to the door and looked through the peephole and saw Michael standing there like a lost kid. I opened the door and just stared at him.

  “Why didn’t you just use your key? You scared the hell out of me.”

  He laughed and replied, “You need to stop being so damn paranoid. I don’t know what I did with my keys. Thank God for a spare key to my car.”

  I shook my head and walked off. He follows behind me and pulled my arm.

  “Tiff, let’s go to the movies tonight since this is your last day of vacation,” he insisted.

  “Yea okay, that’s sounds good,” I responded with a smile on my face.

  I rushed upstairs and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and we headed out
. Michael and I held hands as we walked into the movie theater. We decided to watch a horror film. While I was ordering popcorn and drinks, Michael excused himself to the bathroom. Minutes later, he returned and we went to see our movie. I thought this was going to be a romantic movie date, so I chose a horror film so that I can hold on to Michael while we watch it but when I looked over, his ass was asleep. I wanted to take my drink and splash it on him. After the movie was over, I shook Michael to wake him up.

  “You missed it,” I said with an attitude.

  Blinking his eyes back into focus, he apologized which wasn’t nothing new. As we were walking toward the car, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and Carl and Tangy was standing a few feet behind Michael and I. I was very surprised.

  “What a coincidence,” I whispered to Michael.

  They walked up to us and Carl looked a little surprised as well.

  “Wow we weren’t expecting to see you guys here,” he said with a stunned look on his face.

  Tangy stood there staring at me with this cold look on her face. ‘I know her ass still wasn’t upset about the other day,’ I thought to myself. I quickly dismissed them and Michael and I walked back to the car. ‘What were the odds of them showing up to the movies,’ I wondered.