Soulful Strut

by Emery, Lynn

  “Me, too, girl. By the time I shower and get in my jammies, television will be watching me instead of me watch¬ing television,” Candi said with a grin. She headed for the staircase with Tyeisha close behind.

  “You better watch yourself. Don’t wanna end up back on the cell block,” Yarva said casually. Her expression made it clear her comment wasn’t because she cared. She picked up the remote and switched to a movie channel.

  “We got here on time, remember?” Monette sat back and stretched her legs out.

  “Right, from ‘the movie.’ Better be careful going over to that particular playhouse. Faye ain’t servin’ popcorn and soda pop. Lots of reasons for you to go back to prison.”

  “How sweet of you to care, but don’t bother. I’m awright.” Monette adopted her street persona, the tough exterior that had helped her survive time after time.

  “LCIW is the last place you wanna be. From what I hear, some ladies on the block would love to see you come back.” Yarva let a slow smile pull her mouth at the comers. Her expression was more feral than amused.

  Monette’s jaws tightened. Obviously Yarva still had connections inside to know about the feud Monette had had with another inmate. Pepper Banks was six feet tall and lifted weights to keep her figure trim. She had a mean streak and an intense dislike to Monette. They hadn’t clashed—Pepper had just decided she hadn’t liked Monette on general principle. Pepper’s crew, three other women, had of course fallen in line. They’d taken every chance to bait Monette.

  “Yeah, well I’m here and they’re not. Gonna be that way for a long time.” Monette forced the light tone into her voice.

  “We’ll see.” Yarva stared at the television with a slight smile on her round face.

  “Yeah. You will,” Monette threw back at her and walked out.

  She’d had all she could take of Yarva. Tyeisha met her at the top of the stairs and followed Monette into her bedroom. Candi came out of the bathroom with a towel still around her neck.

  “Lenore hooked up with that no-good boyfriend of hers. She swore she was through with him. He called up, and half hour later Lenore leaves to meet him.”

  “Ramone, the no-good man who likes knockin’ the crap outta her when he’s in a bad mood.” Candi shook her head slowly.

  “And he’s hardly ever in a good mood. At least not for long,” Tyeisha bit her lower lip. “I tried talkin’ some sense into her.”

  “You know she still has his picture in that fancy frame.

  I’ve seen her lookin’ at it.” Candi sat down on one of the beds. “Gotta say he’s one fine hombre with that dangerous sexy Latin vibe.”

  “You don’t think he’d do anything to her tonight, do you?” Tyeisha’s large brown eyes widened. “He must know we’ll miss her if she doesn’t come back.”

  “I’m sure she can take care of herself.” Monette gave Tyeisha a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She was about to go on but stopped when the bedroom door opened.

  Lenore came in. Her face glowed. “I figured Tyeisha was up worrying about me. I’m fine.”

  “You had me goin’ nuts. I oughta whup your butt,” Tyeisha blurted out She hugged Lenore despite her tough talk, then let go of her, still angry.

  “You need to drink some of that herbal tea Sherrial is always trying to push on us and relax. Maybe practice some yoga moves,” Lenore teased. She ducked when Tyeisha aimed a playful swat at her head. She brushed her thick black hair over one shoulder as she laughed.

  “Now that all the kids have made it in, mama hen here can calm down.” Monette gave Tyeisha an affectionate look. “Us older girls need to set a better example.”

  “What fun is that?” Candi quipped.

  “I’m relieved y’all came back okay. Yarva kept makin’ comments about the murder rate and dudes killing their girlfriends.” Tyeisha let out a long breath.

  “She likes yanking your chain to watch you get upset. Learn to ignore her,” Monette advised. She gathered up her toiletries in preparation for going to the bathroom for a shower.

  “So, Lenore. You look satisfied from your hair roots down to your toes. Wanna share some of the hot, nasty details?” Candi leaned back on the bed with both elbows. She wiggled her eyebrows at Lenore.

  Lenore blushed until her cheeks looked like she’d smudged both with rouge. “We had a long talk about things.”

  “Okay, that was after. I’m talkin’ about the first thing y’all did,” Candi tossed back.

  “None of your business,” Lenore flipped her fingers at Candi, and then gave her a smug look.

  “Don’t matter, girl. I got my imagination to fill in the blanks. Good thing I was about to jump in a cold shower, since I couldn’t get my groove on tonight.” Candi stood.

  “Anyway, it was so good to have a conversation with him, ya know? Ramone really listened to what I want. I think he’s changed this time. For real,” Lenore added when the three women glanced at her.

  “Just be careful, honey,” Monette finally said.

  “I think we’re gonna make it this time. I mean the right way.” Lenore’s face lit up with happiness. “I’m all sweaty. Can I hit the shower first?”

  “I can wait. The other bathroom is free, so it’s all yours.” Monette put her soap and pajamas down on the bed.

  ‘Thanks. You guys are like my sisters.” Lenore gave them all a soft look of fondness. “I’ll be out in no time, then we can watch one of them corny horror movies.”

  They watched her bounce out. Lenore acted like a sixteen-year-old who had just come in from a date with the captain of the football team. She hummed a Tejano song down the hallway. Candi took a deep breath, and then let it out.

  “That’s great, huh? I mean, Lenore looks so happy that Ramone is different now,” Tyeisha said. She looked at the two older women with the hope of a young woman who still wanted to believe in fairy-tale romance.

  “Pit bulls don’t turn into pussycats overnight,” Candi retorted.

  “Anybody can make a change if they work at it,” Monette replied. She and Candi gazed at each other for a few moments.

  Candi looked away first. “I’ll see y’all downstairs in a little bit.”

  Tyeisha’s expression combined worry with puzzlement. She looked at Monette. “Is everything okay?”

  Monette forced a smile that she didn’t feel. “Yeah.”

  Chapter 8

  Two days later, Monette sat in the Baton Rouge branch of Jim’s law office. Even at nine-thirty in the morning, the place was busy. As Monette glanced around at rich, dark cherry wood and leather, she felt a little uncomfortable. A parade of expensively dressed clients did not help. She felt out of place. One legal secretary answered the phone while another tapped away on the quiet keyboard of a fancy gray-and-black desktop computer. The flat-screen monitor was turned discreetly away from prying eyes. The woman read and typed without once checking the accuracy of her work on the screen. Occasionally the women would steal a look at Monette. Lucy Chen started to hurry by with a brown folder in her hands. She stopped when she saw Monette.

  “Hello, there. How’s life treating you?” Lucy glanced at her watch and must have decided she had a few minutes to spare.

  “Not too bad, as a matter of fact,” Monette said and stood to give her a quick hug. “What about you?”

  “Don’t ask. Jim may look mild-mannered, but he cracks a mean whip.” Lucy gave a melodramatic sigh. When Monette sat down, Lucy sat in the chair next to her.

  “I know, but you love it,” Monette replied without a trace of sympathy.

  Lucy gave an impish grin. “You betcha. My friends are green with envy that I got to work with the famous Jim Rand and The Justice Project”

  “Nice thing to put on your resume. Your career seems off to a big start.”

  “That Wall Street Journal article on your case didn’t hurt either. You and Jim were sweet to make sure that reporter included quotes from me,” Lucy replied.

  “Hey, you helped out a lot Instead of being a l
awyer; you should open up a private detective agency. The way you dug up dirt on Winn Barron and his posse was awesome.” Monette smiled at her. “Maybe get your own show on Court TV.”

  “No, thanks. I’d rather be in front of a judge than a camera any day. I love a challenge.”

  “You got one in me, and did great. Now just repeat the performance with this pardon.” Monette winked at her.

  “Uh, yeah.” Lucy bit her lower lip and frowned.Monette’s nose for trouble got a strong scent of it. “That wasn’t the shout of confidence I was hoping for, Lucy.”Before Lucy could reply, Jim came down the hallway. He shook hands with a tall, thin man with blonde hair and said goodbye. When the man was gone, he turned to Monette.

  “Sorry you had to wait. I thought having you come this early would help.”

  “Jim, you have these messages and two faxes.” One of the legal secretaries handed him a manila folder.

  “Thanks Grace. It never stops,” he said to Monette, then led the way to his office past a winding staircase.

  “I’m off to a pretrial conference,” Lucy called after them. “See you guys later.”

  “Bye,” Monette said and waved to Lucy as she followed Jim. She admired the dark polished wood of the banister that curved up two floors. “Beautiful house.”

  “Thanks. It’s an official historic preservation site. My partner’s grandfather built it in 1909 after he made his fortune in the oil and gas industry.” Jim scanned the messages as he walked.

  “I’m impressed. Why does your partner work if he comes from that kind of money?” Monette managed to catch a glimpse of a collection of antique prints on the wall.

  “Gary isn’t the type to play tennis all day. He actually believes in fighting for justice.” Jim turned down a short hall that ended at his office. He stood aside and allowed Monette to go in first and closed the door. Tall windows faced busy St. Louis Street.

  “Rich guy with principles. Now why couldn’t I have hooked up with somebody like Gary instead of Winn?” Monette sat down across from his desk of rich dark mahogany.

  Jim smoothed down his tie, took a deep breath, and faced her. “Speak of the devil. I’ve got some good news and some bad news.”

  “How bad?” Monette already had a clue by the deep furrows in his brow.

  “Winn Barron has moved back to Louisiana. I hear he’s decided to go on the offensive if you keep talking about him. With your book and the media coverage, I guess he figures it won’t go away so he better hit back. Not what I would advise if I was his attorney. I’d tell him to ride it out and keep his mouth shut.” Jim rubbed his square jaw and blinked rapidly.

  “Thank goodness he’s not your client. Winn probably wouldn’t have listened to that advice anyway. He’s gotta be one of the most arrogant bastards on planet Earth. Thinks he’s bulletproof.” Monette remembered how enticing she’d found that combination of arrogance with the money and power to back it up.

  “So far he has been. He sure covered his tracks well enough,” Jim replied.

  “Just enough to stay out of jail. At least the scandal brought him down a few pegs. What’s the worse he could do anyway? I mean, his reputation has suffered. All you have to do is keep track of everything he says. I’ll bet he talks himself into more trouble.” Monette also knew how well Winn could talk himself out of a tight spot.

  “Maybe.” Jim seemed to be calculating the odds. His expression implied that the jury was still out, the results far from certain.

  “At least Hines finally told the truth,” Monette offered. She wanted to see the bright side.

  “He’s got credibility problems of his own, Monette. Hines has nothing to gain by helping you again since he’s already in prison. Besides, I talked to his lawyer. I get the distinct impression Jerry might want to kiss and make up with Barron.” Jim’s long, thin face pulled into a scowl. ‘To think Barron held high positions of public trust. Scary.”

  “Tell me about it. I sat in a prison dormitory because of those two.” Monette examined all the angles, looking at them from Jerry’s point of view. “Yeah. Jerry will bet that Winn comes out on top ’cause he always has before.”“And Winn might forgive and forget if Hines changes his story about you being framed.” Jim rubbed his jaw and rocked his leather executive chair harder as he thought about the consequences.

  “Bye-bye pardon,” Monette put in. She didn’t need to have a deep legal mind to reach the obvious conclusion. “Hell, by the time those two finish, they might revoke my parole.”

  “Not likely. You were eligible for consideration. As long as you comply with the conditions of your parole, we have no problems.” Jim sat forward and planted both elbows on his desk. He gazed at Monette with a serious expression. “That means you have to be squeaky clean. No close calls or even little slips.”

  Monette cleared her throat as she thought about her adventure with Candi. “I’m almost eligible for sainthood I’m being so good. Look hard and you’ll see my halo.” “I’m serious, Monette. Winn has a lot at stake. Bringing you down is probably his one and only hobby right now.” “No way. Drinking and wild women are his favorite pastimes,” Monette retorted.

  “Monette.” Jim’s somber expression did not change. “Okay, okay. Don’t sweat about me, alright? I know how dangerous Winn Barron can be. My survival skills will be working overtime for the next few months.” Monette’s skin prickled at the thought of going back to prison. Being locked up again would be bad enough. Pepper and her gang would probably plan a deadly welcome reception.

  “Just focus on following the rules. In the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing. Pile up the good works. You might want to avoid talking about Barron. No need to poke that pit bull for now.” Jim tapped his ink pen on the desktop.

  “Right.” Monette forced her hands to relax their grip on the arms of her chair. Despite her show of bravado and bad jokes, Winn still inspired a primal sense of dread in her. None of the ghetto thugs she’d known had frightened her as much.

  “Listen; let’s not make Barron out to be invincible. The good news is we’ve still got a lot on our side. Hines spilled way too much. He can’t take it all back at this point. If necessary, we’ll pull out the stops to throw every sordid detail back in Barron’s face. His reputation is permanently damaged. His self-righteous denials will be taken with more than a few grains of salt,” Jim said with enthusiasm, as though to counter the grim situation. He stood and came around the desk to put a hand on her shoulder. “If Barron wants a fight, we’ll give him one.”

  “Sure.” Monette nodded and forced a smile. “He’ll be sorry if he messes with me again.”

  Jim was right about one thing—Monette needed to maintain her focus. Not just because of the hearing, but for her own good. Jayson’s solemn, handsome face came to mind with that thought, and she blocked the image. She concentrated on listening as Jim told her about the hearing process and what to expect. He went over a few other legal details, and their meeting ended. He walked her to the reception area. Monette maintained her assured façade right up until they said goodbye. She stepped into the sunshine and put on her sunglasses. Now all she had to do was live up to her gutsy words. Jim had implied it, and Monette knew it was true. The one person who could really ruin her chance to start over was Monette Victor.

  ***

  Monday morning Monette met Jayson in the radio station lobby. She smiled at the way he was dressed. He wore a red-and-blue-striped tie, a starched, pale blue shirt, and neat navy blue slacks. A glance at him would lead anyone to believe he was a high school teacher instead of a mechanic. Not a spot of grease could be found under his fingernails.

  “Hi. Hope I’m not late or anything.” Jayson rubbed his large hands together nervously.

  “Good morning. You’re actually early,” Monette replied.

  “I’m used to getting up before sunrise. My day starts at six down at the garage. If it’s a problem I could come back.” Jayson seemed ready to bolt

  “No, it’s okay. Come with m
e. We can have coffee and chat in the meantime.” Monette tried to put him at ease with talk about the weather and local news.

  Jayson looked around him as they walked. He kept up his end of the conversation, but Monette noticed that his intelligent brown eyes took in every detail. She led him to the station lounge. Two of the male on-air personalities were there, and she introduced them. Jayson talked baseball with the men, one of whom had a sports show on a local-access television channel. Fifteen minutes later they went to the studio. The producer of Monette’s show joked around with them for a few minutes before he had to go back to his controls.

  “Feeling okay?” Monette asked. Jayson looked more relaxed.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what I expected. More wires and stuff I guess.” Jayson smiled and lifted a shoulder.

  “We’re living in the age of cool technology. I’m still catching up on everything that’s changed in the past few years.” Monette shuffled articles on automobile repair. Then she took out index cards with notes.

  “Uh, you seem really prepared. I didn’t write down anything.” Jayson shifted in the gray vinyl chair. Worry lines appeared over his dark eyes.

  Monette looked up at him. “Just my cheat sheets. You’re the expert, not me, so 1 had to study. Don’t tense up on me now.”

  Jayson gave her a faint smile. “I promise not to pass out.”

  “Please don’t. We’ll have so much more fun if you’re conscious,” she wisecracked. When the producer waved to her, Monette nodded back. “Here we go.”

  When jaunty music from a real estate commercial went off, her producer pointed at Monette. She flipped the switch on her microphone and went through her usual intro routine. Jayson seemed fascinated watching her. Monette kept an eye on him to see if he looked woozy at all. When he smiled, Monette gave him a wink of encouragement

  “Good morning, Baton Rouge. This is Monette Victor. I’m your guide to the real deal. Today we’re going to talk about cars. One of the biggest investments we make is buying a car, whether it’s used or new. We’ve got a pro in here to give us the story on how to avoid auto repair scams, take care of our cars and more. That’s just a start. Then we’re going to talk about the challenges small-business owners face. Listen up while we pay the bill with some commercials, and then we’ll jump on in.” Monette turned off her microphone.