by Carl Weber
I walked over to the deputy behind the desk and asked the same question for the tenth time. “How long did you say it was gonna take before they release my sister?”
“Actually, ma’am, your sister’s being released right now.” He pointed toward a metal door. I looked up and saw Jasmine coming through the door with her lawyer.
“Jasmine!” I ran up and embraced her. We twisted and turned and cried for a full minute.
“Thank you, Steph. Thank you so much for getting me outta here.” She held me tight.
“Come on, Jazz. That’s what sisters are for. Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to get through my thick skull?” I stepped out of our embrace and looked in her eyes. “But it wasn’t just me.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that.” She inhaled and braced herself for what she thought was coming. “Where’s Momma and Big Momma? I know I’m gonna hear it from them.”
“They’re at home. I didn’t tell them you got arrested.”
“Really?” She looked surprised but relieved.
“Please, you got enough stress right now. You don’t need Big Momma making it worse. I love that old girl to death, but trust me—she don’t know how to let shit die.”
“I know that’s right,” Jasmine smirked. “But if Big Momma didn’t bail me out, where’d you get the money? And who paid for my lawyer?”
“Dylan.”
“Dylan,” she repeated. “Dylan Taylor? Are you serious? He paid for my lawyer?”
“And your bail, too. He put up his house.” I smiled.
She shook her head in amazement.
“That man never ceases to amaze me. What made you call him, anyway?”
“I figured, why not? I couldn’t let you sit in jail. And he was the only one I could think of other than family who might be able to come up with the money. Besides I told you I saw him and he asked about you.”
“Yeah, you did, didn’t you. But just because he asked didn’t mean he would go out on a limb like this. I still can’t believe he did.”
“Look, Jasmine, whether you believe it or not, Dylan still cares about you. He wouldn’t have come here today and sat in that courtroom if he didn’t.”
Jasmine’s eyes darted around the lobby. “He’s here? Where is he?”
“I’m right here, Jasmine. You okay?” Dylan had come up behind us while we were talking. I don’t know how much he’d heard, but I don’t think it mattered. His eyes were glued on Jasmine like she was the only thing that did matter to him.
“Dylan, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you did this after everything that happened.” She was so choked up.
“I’m your friend, Jasmine. When your sister called and said you were in trouble, I knew I had to help. I couldn’t bear the thought of you sitting up in here for something you didn’t do, while Derrick’s roaming the streets.”
“But what about Monica? I’m surprised she let you out her sight.” Poor Jasmine. I know she didn’t really wanna hear about his baby’s momma right now. But then again, as fucked up as things had become for everyone involved, they might as well be up-front about the whole situation.
“I’m not with Monica,” Dylan said.
“You’re not?”
“I never was. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”
“But, what about the baby?”
“Just because she was having my baby doesn’t mean I wanna be with her. Besides, she disappeared with the baby. I don’t know where they are.”
“Oh, Dylan. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. She’s a crackhead. Sooner or later she’s gonna need money to get high, and when she does, I’ll find her. I just hope she takes good care of my baby until then.”
We were all silent for a few moments as we digested that scary thought. That poor baby could be anywhere with that crackhead right now. I think the thought was too much for Dylan, ’cause he changed the subject in a hurry.
“Listen, the important thing right now is that we get you out of this mess.”
“Don’t I know it!” Jasmine shuddered. “Thank God for that lawyer you got me. He thinks he might have a way to get the charges against me dropped.”
“That’s great news.” Dylan smiled. “I knew Robert would do a good job for you. So what about now? What are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know yet. I can’t go back home. I don’t wanna be alone there, just in case Derrick tries to come by. I can’t deal with that now. I might kill him.”
“No, you’re already in enough trouble; you don’t need to kill nobody,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. “But on the serious side, if you need a place to stay, you can always stay with me.”
Jasmine shook her head.
“Thanks, Dylan, but I can’t I gotta do this by myself. I’ve been relying on men all my life. I gotta do me right now. I’m probably just gonna go stay with Becky or my grandmother.”
“Sure is gonna be crowded over there,” I interjected. “You know, me and the kids are moving over to Big Momma’s next week.”
Jasmine shot me a look. She knew exactly what I was trying to do. Dylan had offered her a place to stay. I just thought I’d help move things along between them. But my sister’s eyes told me she wasn’t having it. She didn’t look mad. More like she was begging me to just leave it alone for right now. I knew we’d talk about it later, but for now I just hoped that it didn’t mean she was letting this brother slip away again.
“Well, we’ll all just be one big, happy family then, won’t we?” I said as I wrapped my arm around Jasmine’s shoulder.
We all gave an uncomfortable laugh. There was definitely a lot that Jasmine and Dylan still needed to talk about. Maybe my sister could have the good life that I’d messed around and lost.
“You know, Dylan, Big Momma always did like you,” I reminded him. “When Jasmine is there, we can count on you to come around and visit, right?”
“It’s the only way I would have it,” Dylan answered. “That okay with you, Jazz?”
“I’d like that,” she answered before her lawyer approached.
“Hey, Dylan, how are you?” He stuck out his hand to shake Dylan’s.
“Good, Robert, but I’ll be better if you get my friend off.”
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to do,” he sighed, turning to my sister. “We’ve got to speak to the Commonwealth attorney now.”
“Okay.” Jasmine turned to face us. “I can’t thank you enough for being here with me today.”
Jasmine’s eyes got misty, and she gave me a hug. Then she turned to Dylan.
“Thanks, Dylan. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re here.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. The tension in her shoulders seemed to relax for just a second when she leaned into his embrace. She took a step back, gazed into his eyes, and said good-bye.
Things were still not perfect. Jasmine was still gonna have to fight to get herself out of this mess. She was still gonna have to deal with getting Derrick and his shit out of her life for good. But I saw the way she and Dylan were looking at each other as she left with her lawyer. I had a good feeling about them.
39
Jasmine
Seeing Dylan and Stephanie after I was released made me feel a hell of a lot better. That feeling didn’t last long, though, once my attorney took me to meet with the assistant Commonwealth attorney, Anthony Green, the man in charge of my case. On the way into the room, Robert explained to me what I could expect. He said they’d already met with Mr. Green to discuss the possibility of dropping the charges, but he didn’t tell me how he’d gotten them to agree to that. So at least things looked a little more hopeful, but not enough to keep my knees from shaking as I sat down in front of Anthony Green. I hadn’t even gotten comfortable before he started drilling me with questions.
“Miss Johnson, do you know Derrick Winter?”
That question caught me off guard. And I wasn’t sure if I should answer i
t, so I glanced at my attorney. That upset Mr. Green.
“Mr. Smith, did you explain to your client that if she cooperates with us we are willing to drop the charges against her?”
Robert patted my shoulder. “It’s all right, Jasmine. You can answer Mr. Green’s questions.”
“Well, Miss Johnson,” Mr. Green continued, “do you know Derrick Winter?”
“Yes, I know him. He’s my boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend. We broke up last night.”
“And did you know he was a drug dealer?”
I glanced at my attorney again and he nodded.
“Yes, I knew he was a drug dealer,” I told him, flowering my head. “But I’m not. Derrick knew better than to bring that shit around me.”
This answer put a smile on Mr. Green’s face. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on the table. “So, does he know you were arrested?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. The only ones who know I was arrested are my sister and my friend Dylan.”
“So as far as you know, he thinks the drugs are still in the car?”
“Yeah. There’s no chance anyone in my famity would have talked to that motherf—uh, I mean, to Derrick.”
“Well, Miss Johnson”—the Commonwealth attorney was looking happier by the minute—“it appears you are in a position to help us.”
“Help you how?”
“We’ve been aware of your boyfriend’s activities ever since he was released on parole. He’s only been out a few months, and he and his boys have taken over the West End from the Dominicans. It won’t be long before they go after the Browns in Southside and Big Boy Johnny Ray in Pesters-burg. We wanna stop him before he does, and this time we wanna put him away for good. Have you ever heard of the ‘three strikes’ law?”
“I think so.”
“Well, under that law, Derrick already has two felony convictions. If we can somehow arrest him for a third, your ex will be going away for good.”
Damn. Now I knew where this conversation was headed. I felt like I was in an episode of Law & Order. This man was about to ask me to set Derrick up.
I looked at Robert, but I couldn’t read any expression on his face.
“So you’re asking me to help you get Derrick, is that it?”
“No, Miss Johnson. I’m asking you to help yourself.”
“How is this helping me? You don’t know him. If he finds out I had something to do with his arrest, he’ll have someone kill me. Even if I wanted to testify against him, I wouldn’t make it to the stand without a bullet in my head.”
“We need some assurances, Mr. Green,” Robert finally chimed in. “My client cannot agree to anything unless we have absolute certainty that Mr. Winter will not know of her involvement.”
“We understand,” said Mr. Green. “What if I can guarantee that no arrest will take place in the presence of your client? Her part will be done before we take him into custody.”
I looked at Robert for some kind of reassurance. Maybe he was comforted by what the lawyer had just said, but I wasn’t. This guy would say anything to get me to agree. For all I knew, he’d make these promises and then I’d be standing right next to Derrick’s ass when the cops came to get him. That would be the end for me. I guess Robert trusted this guy, because he nodded and told me the deal was okay.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, hating Derrick even more for getting me into this position in the first place.
Mr. Green handed me my cell phone, which they had taken when I was arrested. Now I knew why they hadn’t given it back to me with my other things when I was released. I figured some crooked guard had stolen it.
“Since your arrest, your phone’s been ringing quite a bit. We figure he’s been looking for you. Do you know any of these numbers?” He handed me a piece of paper.
“The top one’s his cell phone and the second one’s his mom’s number. I don’t know who the third number belongs to, although it does look familiar.”
“Do you know a Wendy Wood?”
That sleazy motherfucker. I should’ve known when I kicked his ass out that he’d end up back over there with that ho. And now he had the nerve to be calling me from her place.
“Yeah, that’s his baby’s momma.” I answered. “When we broke up, I kicked him out my place. He probably went to stay with her.”
“Well, we’d like you to call him back and set up a meeting.”
That made me nervous. Not only did I not want to be involved in this sting, I didn’t want to see Derrick face-to-face. I was still so pissed at him for that video, there was no telling what I would say when I saw him. But from the glance my lawyer gave me and the determined look on Mr. Green’s face, I knew I had no choice. Not if I didn’t wanna be the one behind bars. I had to get over my fears and do what they were asking.
“What should I say to him?”
“Call him on his cell. Tell him you want to see him, to talk about your fight. Tell him you’ll meet him in a Starbucks in the West End.”
“Alone?” I didn’t like the way this was sounding.
“Well, he’ll think you’re alone, but we’ll have undercover people stationed throughout the shop.”
“And what am I supposed to say to him once we’re there?”
“Ask him for your keys back. Tell him you hate him. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that he knows where you parked your car, and that you don’t leave with him.”
“Why does he have to know about the car?”
“We assume he’ll go looking for the drugs after your meeting, so park it in an obvious place. Once he’s been spotted with the drugs, we’ll arrange an arrest away from the coffee shop.”
This whole thing made me nervous. I was feeling sick to my stomach. What if Derrick got there and I chickened out? He had a way of talking me out of some of our biggest fights, and no doubt he’d be trying to do it this time. It was not gonna be easy, getting him to leave without me after I told him to fuck off. He would put up a good fight, for sure. I prayed I’d develop some real courage to deal with him, before I had to face him. I turned on my cell phone reluctantly and dialed Wendy’s number with trembling fingers.
I was sitting in the back of Starbucks, drinking my third cappuccino. It was decaf. My nerves were already a wreck, so I didn’t need any of that high-potency Starbucks coffee to make things worse.
There was a couple next to me holding hands, poring over the real estate section of the newspaper. They looked so totally in love, searching for a home. Actually, they were there for my benefit. They were undercover officers, ready to pounce on Derrick if things got out of hand. I was just praying that wouldn’t be necessary. I wanted to avoid it at all costs, actually, ’cause I was still terrified that Derrick’s boys would kill me if they knew I was doing this to him. A car with two more undercover officers sat outside in case they were called in as backup. My lawyer was in the car with them, and he’d promised me he’d be in there with me as soon as Derrick was gone.
Derrick was supposed to be there at 3:00, and it was now twenty-five after. I wondered if he was making me wait as a punishment for kicking his ass out the other night When I talked to him on the phone, I played it as cool as I could. I didn’t beg him to come meet me, but I also didn’t give him shit. I just told him we had a lot of things to talk about, and we should get together in a neutral place to decide how we were gonna handle our “little issues.” He was so damn cocky.
When Derrick finally walked in at 3:30, I put my drink down.
“What’s up?” he asked. “You been here long?”
My mouth was dry, and my mind was a complete blank all of a sudden.
“I hate you,” were the only words I could get out.
I wanted to slap him right about then, but I pulled myself back together and did my little act for the benefit of all the officers who were eavesdropping. Actually, there was no acting necessary here. Tears formed in my eyes as I remembe
red the images I saw on that video.
“I know, Jasmine. I never meant for you to see that tape.”
“You never meant for me to see it? How ’bout you never meant to do what you did with my best friend? That shit should’ve never happened.”
“C’mon, baby.” He tried to win me over with one of his puppy-dog looks. “You know I never wanted to hurt you. I made a little mistake, that’s all. Can’t we just forgive and forget?” He reached out for my hand. I pulled it away.
“Hell, no. I ain’t forgiving and I damn sure ain’t forgetting. I just wanted to know why. Why would you do this to me after everything I’ve done for you? Why would you fuck Sabrina?”
“Look, Jazz, I’m sorry about what happened with your friend, but it’s partly your fault.”
“My fault?” I shouted. The cops at the next table shifted in their seats to remind me where I was and what I was supposed to be doing.
“Yeah, your fault.” His dimples retreated into a hard frown. “Everything woulda been cool if you would’ve been a little more open in the bedroom. And you shouldn’t talk so much to your damn friend.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you should have never told Sabrina how big my johnson is. That woman was coming over every day, talking about she just wanted to see if you were lying. Finally, I just showed it to her.” My stomach lurched when I heard that. Shit, I knew Sabrina was a ho, but I thought our friendship was sacred ground.