“No problem, Black. Just do me a solid.”
“What’s that?”
“Make sure all them cops get what they deserve.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I mean all of ‘em. The Black one too.”
“The black one? Did you see something? What Black one?”
“No, I didn’t see nothing.”
“What are you talking about, Brown? What’s the real reason you wanted to talk to me?”
“You the law… figure it out. I done said enough.” Brown jumped up from his seat, grabbed a handful of dinner rolls, and shoved them into his jacket pocket. He guzzled his drink, slammed his glass on the table, and then grabbed the last piece of chicken from his plate.
“Wait a minute, Brown. Let me give you a ride. Where are you going? We can talk about this”
“I’m done talking. Thanks for the lunch, counselor.” he began moving towards the door.
Black pulled out his wallet and dropped a fifty dollar bill on the table. Grabbing his suit jacket from the back of the chair he ran to the exit looking for Brown. His eyes scanned from left to right then up and down the block. The old man was nowhere to be seen. Black cursed as he made his way back to his truck.
Chapter Ten
They’d had been a beautiful afternoon. Teresa felt as if she was walking on clouds. James had dropped her off several hours ago and now she sat staring out the sliding patio door deep in thought.
Morena stood behind her silently watching her as she watched nothing. “How is everything Teresa?”
Startled by Morena’s voice, Teresa quickly turned to face her. She smiled, placed her hand on her chest, and then ran her fingers across the ring she had dangling on a gold chain around her neck.
As Morena approached her smiling she took notice of the engagement ring around Teresa’s neck. She smiled.
“Everything is better,” Teresa replied in an upbeat tone. “Seems to get better every day.”
Morena smiled. “What’s this?” she asked as she gently cupped the ring in her hand.
Teresa pulled the ring from her grasp. Feeling uncomfortable she stepped back. “Oh this….a friend gave it to me.”
Morena stepped back herself. With her hands on hips she sucked her teeth. “A friend?”
Teresa felt herself becoming blanketed in discomfort. She didn’t speak. She nodded yes and diverted her eyes to the floor.
“Would this friend be Black?”
“Yes but…”
“But what? I have gone way beyond anything a woman in my situation would have done to help you and beyond that I was a fool enough to actually believe, despite the circumstances of how we met, that we were actually becoming friends.”
“We are. You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly. You make friends with snakes. Don’t be surprised when you get bit. I should’ve known better.”
Teresa wanted to talk to her about things but this was not the way she pictured the conversation going. “Morena, will you just listen please?”
“I’m done listening. Can you just go?”
“No! Not until I’ve said what I have to say.”
“Let’s not do this, Teresa. Just make it easy on us both and go—”
Teresa cut her off mid-sentence, holding her hand in her face. “You see this?”
Morena stepped back and looked closer at Teresa’s hand through squinted eyes. She was holding up her left hand and on her ring finger sat a diamond engagement ring. Morena remained silent. She didn’t know what Teresa was about to say so she was holding her breath.
“He asked me to marry him today,” Teresa confessed. “James proposed.”
Morena smiled from ear to ear. It wasn’t so much that she was happy for Teresa and James but more so because it was looking more like the chances of Teresa and Black getting back together was close to none existent. Morena still had her reservations though. Women were some conniving creatures. She knew first hand she’d done some things she wasn’t proud of in her past. She kept that in mind causing her to remain cautious of Teresa being around her man.
“You said yes?” Morena asked.
“I told him I was undecided.”
Morena sighed. Teresa gave her a reassuring glance that said she could relax because she didn’t want Black. At least Teresa hoped that message was conveyed in her look. Lord knows she didn’t want to beat that dead horse anymore. Living there with her ex and his current fiancée was awkward enough.
“Undecided?” Morena asked. “You’re wearing his ring though.”
“I didn’t accept it at first. I told him it was a bit much a bit too fast and I didn’t want to give him a false sense of hope or lead him on.”
Morena nodded, keeping silent.
Teresa continued. “He insisted that I keep it. He said that although he’d be disappointed and hurt if I decided I didn’t want to marry him that he’d bought the ring for me and he wanted me to have it regardless.”
Morena chuckled. “You know how these men are, girl… once they give you a gift they damn near feel like they own you. Something like an engagement ring… you never know… in his mind once you took that ring the wedding certificate was signed.”
Teresa laughed. “Girl, I know. But if he goes flip mode on me he can have this thing back and go on about his business. But I have a good feeling about this. I’m taking my time but it feels good.”
Morena placed her hands on Teresa’s shoulders and rubbed her arms. “Well, that’s good for you.”
Teresa smiled.
Morena continued. “If James is your possible new future, why are you still grasping to the past?” She motioned towards the ring dangling from the chain around Teresa’s neck.
Subconsciously, Teresa reached for the ring and held it. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“Black wasn’t lying when he said we have a special connection. I was. I was in denial. I just wanted to move on and forget he ever existed. Not because I was bitter or I hated him, but because it was easier to forget him rather than to recognize that he is special to me and be forced to think of him knowing that I will never be with him again. That make sense?”
“Sounds like you’re still in love to me.”
Teresa grimaced. “Not at all. We were friends before we were lovers. I loved him before I was ever in love with him and the fact that he has come here and risked losing a woman as good as you to make sure I’m okay lets me know that he still loves me. That doesn’t mean he’s in love with me. I’m glad that he’s accepted that. I’m glad that he’s met you. I’m also glad that not only he, but you and James have all made me realize that it’s okay for me to love him back. And that is the reason I’ve kept his ring close to my heart. Will I always keep it here or at all for that matter? No, I’m sure I won’t. But right now it just feels right.”
“It all sounds a little suspect to me but at least you were honest with me.”
“You still want me to leave?”
Morena rolled her eyes. “Girl, your little skinny tail is welcome here as long as you like.”
“Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
“Did you tell Black about James yet?”
“No.”
“Hmmm.”
“Hmmm what?”
“I’ve told Black he acts more like he’s your father than anything and he does not like James at all. Just curious how he’ll react.”
“Can you keep this between us? It’s awkward enough around here already. It’s like you said, these men want to act like they own you and I don’t want to go through this big long speech with him like I did with you.”
Morena bit into her bottom lip. “Okay.” She turned to head back towards the kitchen. Teresa placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder.
Morena stopped and turned to face Teresa. “Yes?”
“There’s something else if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.”
“It’s that whole patien
t client thing again.”
Morena held her arm out gesturing towards the sofa. “Let’s sit.” She followed behind Teresa as she led the way towards the sofa and took a seat. “What’s on your mind?” Morena asked crossing her legs as she sat beside Teresa.
“I haven’t been sleeping…re-occurring nightmares. I was hoping you could tell me what it means.”
“I can try but you know dreams are open to interpretation.”
“I understand.”
“What happens in the dream?”
Teresa inhaled and slowly exhaled. “I’m back in that basement of the police station and I’m being attacked again.”
Morena sat quietly and listened staring back through un-judging eyes.
“I’m whimpering like a weak defeated dog,” Teresa stated.
“You’re no dog.”
“Any way, as I plead with those animals the room becomes mute and off into the shadows I see a figure and hear a sound.”
“A sound?”
“Yes. I know it but I can’t place it. Girl that is the creepiest part of the dream. It’s like my mind is trying to tell me something and trying to figure out what that sound is… it’s driving me insane.”
“Can you describe the sound?”
Teresa drew in a long breath of air through her mouth. “Like that.”
“Like someone sucking through a straw?”
“Never thought of that. Sort of but louder.”
“Like what? A vacuum cleaner?”
“No. We can guess all day what the sound might have been. I need you to tell me what the dream means.”
“How did this dream leave you feeling?”
Teresa stood and began to pace the room. “At first I felt afraid.”
“Why did you have fear? You said you only saw a shadow. Did the shadow harm you in some way in the dream?”
“Physically, no.”
“Then how so?”
“He, if it’s a he… maybe a woman… I don’t know. The thing harmed me mentally and emotionally. I felt violated on another level. I was being watched while being raped. Like it was a matinee.”
“What are the principal emotions arising from this dream?”
“Fear, anger… is creeped out an emotion?” Teresa half-heartedly laughed.
“I can’t truly answer the question of what your dream means. Only you can in your waking hours. You have experienced something that has taken root in your mind and has manifested itself in the form of a dream. All I can say is be honest about your feelings and emotions. In reality, your dreams will hardly ever tell you something that you don't already know on some level. It's just more likely that you have been repressing or pushing something aside.”
“How do I bring it to the forefront and put it behind me?”
“First thing I would suggest is stop looking at it as a negative. It is not here to haunt you. What has happened to you has already happened. That occurrence can’t hurt you anymore. View your dream as a compass to what’s going on in your life at the moment. The key thing to remember is that there are no rules to dream interpretation and so there are no rights or wrongs to the interpretation process. It's all down to your self-honesty, self-knowledge, and your willingness to apply your dream knowledge to your waking life situations.”
“Thank you,” Teresa said unsure of herself. “I’ll try.”
“And take it back to the old school… warm tea and honey before bed always helps. Take your mind to a happy place before bed, reminisce about a happy moment in your life, pray or meditate.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good.” Morena stood and smiled before heading up to her room.
Teresa was left just as she was almost an hour ago, alone with her thoughts. She wanted to believe that what Morena suggested would work but deep down she had a feeling that it wouldn’t.
Chapter Eleven
As Black pulled up to the government building where his office was located his vehicle was swamped with not only news reporters but also protesters. He stepped out of his vehicle and began to move towards the entrance. With his head held low and cameras flashing, he ignored the questions being hurled at him. From the corner of his eye he spotted a bus pulling up with what he presumed to be more protestors, possibly from out of state. Officers wearing riot gear armed with batons, mace, and police dogs advanced on the crowd. Black found himself in the middle wedged between the police and the protestors. None had made a move on the other and Black was praying that neither would, at least not with him in the middle. He felt a tug at his left arm and a tug at his right as if he was being sandwiched in. His head swiveled from left to right. He spotted Waeltz to the left of him and James to the right. They were acting as shields, escorting him to the entrance. The sound of police on bullhorns and protesters yelling, “No Means No!” filled the air.
Just as he reached the door a glass bottle shattered against the wall. Black was shoved into the building and the door was closed. James watched as Waeltz and Black joined the other officers trying to contain the crowd. Black stared in awe as a fire truck pulled up and the water cannons were released on the chanting crowd of men, women, and children. He didn’t know what to do. He had a strong yielding to rush out into the crowd and join the protestors but his more sensible side felt as if it were a losing battle. He wanted to win the war and knew that his battle would be fought soon enough in the court room.
He marched down the hall towards his office, walked in, and immediately paused. The lead District Attorney for Vermillion County, Jordan Benton, sat in his office. She was young, attractive, smart, and ruthless. The height of a runway model with the stature and build of an Olympic runner, her frame filled out the two piece skirt and jacket suit she was wearing perfectly. The skirt was black with pencil thin white stripes. The jacket was the same color. She wore the top button unloosened showing off her bosom perched perfectly above the v-line. Her brunette hair was pulled back in a bun and her strong Greek features were prominent in her almost bronzed skin tone. They had gone to the University Of Illinois College Of Law in Champaign Illinois together. They were friendly rivals, often engaging in mock law debates against one another. They pushed each other to be better. During their last year in school they had a friendly romp in the hay. It never went past that. They both agreed it was just to blow off some steam and relieve stress before they took the bar exam. The friendship never faltered or changed but they never spoke of the incident again. Eventually they graduated and went their separate ways but never lost contact.
“What is this about, Jordan?” he asked his boss/colleague, calling her by her first name, while staring out the window at the ruckus between the police and protestors.
“You haven’t heard?”
“Heard? Heard what?”
“The State Attorney General has strongly urged that the case be transferred to a different county for trial.”
“On what basis?”
“You serious, Love?”
“Outside? That’ll die down in a day or two.”
“State Attorney General doesn’t believe it will and frankly neither do I.”
“Aren’t we jumping the gun here? Charges haven’t even been brought up.”
“And probably won’t be… that’s another reason the State Attorney General wants to transfer it to another county… a less bias jury pool for the grand jury to see if we’re even going to bring up charges or not.”
“Less bias my ass. This thing is all over the news and social networks. There will always be bias. Let’s call it what it is, Jordan. We’re just passing the buck hoping this will go away.”
“Before we started this thing you assured me that if I let you on this case you wouldn’t be too emotionally involved.”
“And I’m not.”
“You sure about that, Black?”
Black took a step back and stuck his hands in his pockets. He needed to re-assess the direction of the conversation. It was looking more and more like his case was about to be stonewa
lled. “Don’t mistake my passion for a liability, Jordan. You know me.”
“I do know you, Black. That’s why I agreed to let you on this case. I know you’ll give it your all and I know I owe you one but if the state’s Attorney General really pushes this thing I’m going to have to back his play.”
“Aren’t you a fun date. At least you kiss me before you bend me over and stick it to me.”
“Just giving you a heads up, Black. It’s the least I can do.” With that she rose from the seat and strutted past him out of the office.
Black walked to the window and looked out. He felt a pang in his heart as he stared out at the violent clash between the protestors and law enforcement. It looked like a scene from some 1960’s civil rights protests news footage. Something needed to change in his favor and it needed to happen fast.
***
James posted up at the back of the bar nursing a beer with his back to the wall as he watched the patrons come and go. Jason Aldean’s Burnin' It Down came streaming through the radio speakers. He took a sip from his beer. He had no idea why he was there. He knew he shouldn’t be seen with the two but he felt it was something he needed to face. It needed to be dealt with one way or another only he had no idea how he would handle it. He would have to play it by ear and see what they had to say. It wasn’t long before they arrived. Officers Foster and Hunter stepped through the door. They spotted him and approached his table where they promptly filled the empty seats.
“James,” Foster said sitting across from him.
Hunter nodded.
“You’re probably wondering why we asked you here,” Foster said with her arms crossed. She leaned back in her seat rocking on two legs. James didn’t respond so she continued. “We’re just wondering why you didn’t show up that night?”
“What night?” James asked now on the defense.
“Come on, man. You know… that night,” Hunter said leaning in close to James with his silly grin covering his face.
“You two asked to meet and I’m here. So you going to tell me what you want? If not I’m walking out of here.” James stood.
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