Scandals

by Sasha Campbell

  “Worse than crazy. I watched the video, and sure enough, his murder was on that video. On Monday morning, Trey took me down to the police station so I could give it to the police.”

  “Oh my goodness. You really saw him get murdered!” She took a deep breath. “Does Halo know that you know?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately yes. When I left the panic room I forgot to secure the door. Not to mention Mercedes caught me leaving. I received a text message from him the next day letting me know he knew. That was him that called a few moments ago. He tried to disguise his voice but I know it was him.”

  “That was him! What did he say?”

  I couldn’t even bring my lips to form the words. He was trying to scare me and he was doing a damn good job. “He said, ‘you’re next.’ ”

  “Oh no! Should we call the police?”

  I shook my head. “There isn’t much they can do. I already gave them the video. All I can do now is wait for them to arrest him or for him to come after me.”

  She sat there, eyes traveling around the room, thinking of something she could do to help me. “I hope you kept a copy just in case.”

  See, that’s one thing I liked about Monica, she was smart. “Of course. Matter of fact, I got it right here in my purse. Would you like to see it?” It took her all of two seconds to think about it before she nodded. “You got a computer?”

  I followed her down the hall to an office on the other side of the gourmet kitchen. We stepped into a huge room with books lining one wall and a massive desk at the center of the room. She moved behind the desk and took a seat in front of a large flat screen and logged on. As soon as the desktop was up, I reached inside my purse for the thumb drive and stuck it into the USB port on her computer. After a few moments the video started. I fast forwarded it to after the club was closed, when Halo and two other dudes stepped into his office. After that everything happened so fast that Monica was shaking, and by the time Mannie had been shot, she had run out of the room.

  Damn, I should have known the video was going to be a little more than she could handle. I was getting ready to pull the thumb drive out of the modem when she stepped back into the room. “Wait! Let me see that again.”

  I couldn’t understand why she wanted to see Mannie being executed, but I pressed Play again, and before Halo pulled his gun out of his desk drawer, Monica leaned forward and pressed Pause.

  “I know that man,” she announced.

  “Who ... Mannie?” She shook her head and tried to pull her words together. “No, that man there.” She pointed at the tall, good-looking dude who had stepped into the room with Halo.

  “You do? Who is that?”

  Monica reached inside her desk and riffled through some papers in search of something. I had no idea what she could possibly be looking for, but I was anxious to find out. She finally found a picture and handed it to me. She was right. The picture looked just like the man on the video with Halo. Again, I asked, “Who is he?” What she said blew me away.

  “That man is my ex-husband, Anthony.”

  46

  Monica

  I stepped into the conference room with my lawyer and took a seat. A mediator was already sitting at the head of a long table, looking anxious to get the proceedings started. So was I. Like clockwork, the door opened and Anthony and his attorney stepped in. My lawyer, Bernard, had decided that before we went to court, we should schedule a friendly discussion with Anthony and see if with a little persuasion, he might drop the custody suit. Anthony’s eyes said he was ready to make my life hell.

  I guess we’d see about that.

  I knew there was something about Halo that I recognized, I just couldn’t figure out where I had met him before and now I knew. I had seen him at Anthony’s office that afternoon I went over to beg for money, and once while Anthony and I were still together, we had run into him and a female at dinner. Anthony had introduced him as a client. The woman had been Robin. Talk about a small world.

  Anthony took his seat with his lawyer, and his eyes traveled across the table to me. He had a cocky look on his face and was trying to intimidate me. At one time it would have worked, but not anymore.

  “We are here today to discuss the custody of Liese and Arissa as well as an increase in financial support, but before we begin we would like to show you something.” Bernard reached inside his briefcase and handed copies of the document to Anthony and his lawyer, as well as the mediator. “After some digging, I discovered something quite interesting. Mr. Houston owns property in two countries and also has over three million dollars in an overseas account that was never entered in the original divorce settlement.”

  Anthony jumped out of his seat. “That’s my money!” he shouted. We waited while his lawyer urged him back into his seat.

  Bernard then went on to explain how I had a right to part of those assets and gave an impressive argument that made me sit up taller in my brand-new black pantsuit. “As for the custody of the girls ... before we get started, I would like to show a short video. I think after Mr. Houston sees it, he might decide it’s in his best interest to drop his lawsuit.”

  Anthony looked at his lawyer with a questioning gaze. He simply shrugged and signaled for him to relax. That didn’t last long. The moment the video started and Anthony realized what was on that recording, his eyes looked like someone had stuck his foot in an electric socket. When he glanced over at me, I couldn’t resist a grin. Gotcha! I wished I had a camera to capture that moment because by the time the video was over, Anthony was hanging his head low. The room grew quiet and I noticed his lawyer wiping beads of sweat from his brow.

  “My client is asking for one million dollars and full custody of the girls,” Bernard said, then looked at me and winked.

  “Mr. Boone ... what does your client have to say to that?” the mediator asked after another prolonged moment of silence.

  Anthony’s lawyer started shuffling papers and suddenly lost his confidence right along with his client. And I didn’t think things could get any better until the door opened and a man stepped into the room.

  Bernard looked over and acknowledged him with a nod. “This officer is interested in asking Anthony a few questions about that video.”

  Anthony looked scared, and for a split second, I almost felt sorry for him. I didn’t want to see Anthony in jail, but at the same time, I was willing to do whatever it took to keep my babies at home with me.

  Anthony had a word with his lawyer in private and after a few minutes, which felt like forever, his lawyer finally faced the table. “Bernard ... go ahead and draw up the papers and send them over to my office.”

  The two lawyers shook hands, and while the detective spoke to Anthony, I turned to Bernard. “So ... what happened?”

  He winked. “Don’t worry. You’re going to be able to keep the girls and get the money. The last thing he wants is a fight.”

  I was so happy I sprang to my feet, clapping my hands like a little girl. I was going to be able to take care of my girls. My days as a stripper were finally over.

  I gathered my things and watched Anthony out of the corner of my eyes. The detective said something and Anthony gave a gloomy nod as he watched him walk out of the room. My ex-husband had a lot of explaining to do.

  I walked over to where he was standing. Anthony looked down at me and I wanted so desperately to hate him, but I couldn’t. “Thanks for dropping the fight.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t have much of a choice, now did I?”

  I should have known he wasn’t doing it out of the kindness of his heart. Bernard already said if he refused, we would be going to court and try to take every dime of the three million. Those assets would probably be frozen for a long time if the police discovered it to be laundered drug money.

  “Tell me one thing ... how did you find out I was dancing?”

  For the longest time he just stared at me before he finally took my hand and led me over to the corner, away from eavesdroppers. I glanced at
the door and spotted two detectives out in the hall waiting impatiently for Anthony to exit the room and come with them. They were probably taking him down to the station for further questioning.

  Anthony took a deep breath. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, but I guess the only thing that’s going to help me at this point is honesty.” His voice was low and shaking. I had never seen Anthony so scared before. I figured whatever he was about to say was going to change his life forever. “I had come by the club to discuss business with Halo when he murdered that man,” he whispered. “Then this chick pulled up and Halo demanded she let him load the body in the trunk of her Camry, wrapped in this bear rug. Everything happened so fast, and I must have dropped my wallet into the trunk while I was helping load the body. She showed up at my office a few weeks ago to return it. When she told me she recognized you in a photo I still kept inside of you and the girls, I paid her for the information.”

  “What chick?” As soon as he said the name, I gasped.

  “She works at Scandalous ... her stage name is Mercedes.”

  47

  Robin

  “There she is.”

  Kyle rushed off my lap and ran to greet my sister as she was finally released from jail. Immediately, Deena scooped him into her arms and spun him around.

  It had been a long few weeks. Halo had been arrested for the murder of Mannie, and Mercedes and several others were charged as accessories. When Monica told me about her involvement, I couldn’t wait for them to cart her ass off in handcuffs. Monica’s ex-husband had agreed to testify against all of them in court for a lesser sentence.

  I stopped dancing at Scandalous. After Honey’s funeral, I couldn’t bring myself to return. It was just too sad, and I kept thinking about her dead body being lowered into the ground. That could have been me. Two weeks after her funeral, Jordan had been arrested for Honey’s murder. I guess he finally followed through on his threat.

  I decided I no longer needed that life and enrolled at J. Sargeant Reynolds in their pharmacy technician program. It wouldn’t be the money I was used to making, but anything was better than swinging around a pole, waiting for the next Halo to step into my life.

  Trey squeezed my hand as we watched Kyle and Deena. He was such a good man to me. Last week we’d moved in together. He said it was to keep me safe from Halo’s boys, but I knew he was ready to take our relationship to the next level and I was okay with that. Men like him only came once in a girl’s life, and I was no fool.

  “That boy’s gonna talk her to death.” He chuckled.

  I couldn’t resist a smile. “I know that’s right.”

  Deena walked over to me with tears in her eyes, and as soon as I rose, she wrapped her arms around me. My arms moved of their own free will and before I realized it, I was hugging her back. “Thank you so much, Robbie,” she said between sniffles.

  “Dee ... that’s what family is for.” And then I was crying as I held on to her. I had so much to be thankful for and even more to look forward to. Not only did I have my sister back, but now I had a family.

  “Why are they crying?” I heard Kyle ask.

  “Because that’s what girls do,” Trey replied.

  Deena and I released each other, looked over at them, and started laughing. I was certain that everything from that moment on was going to be all right.

  48

  Monica

  “Monica Houston.”

  I rose from my seat and strutted over to the professor, standing at the far end of the stage, grinning proudly at me.

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” I said as I shook his hand. I accepted my degree, pausing long enough for the photographer, then moved back to my seat. I was so proud. After a year of sacrificing, I had finally graduated.

  I glanced into the audience at Robin who was sitting with Liese and Arissa. They were waving proudly at me. I was beaming from ear to ear because I had finally given my girls a reason to be proud of me.

  The last few weeks had been crazy. The investigation had been all over the news. Richmond Investments had been laundering millions of dollars in drug money. Anthony’s partner, Greg, denied knowing anything about Anthony’s dealings with Halo and apparently several others, but the jury was still out on that verdict. All I knew was Anthony was in a lot of trouble and could possibly serve some jail time, although the prosecution seemed more interested in Anthony helping them put Halo away for the rest of this life. I wished him all the luck in the world, but I had my girls to worry about. Thank goodness they didn’t seize his overseas assets—I now had over a million dollars in my savings account and no one was ever going to try and take my girls away from me again.

  As the rest of my classmates went up to the podium one by one, I allowed my eyes to travel around the room, and who I saw sitting to the far left of the room made my heart leap to my throat.

  Tremayne.

  I had invited him to my graduation way back when we were still together, and I hadn’t expected him to show up. But he had.

  After the private detective discovered Anthony’s involvement with Halo, Bernard revealed that Tremayne had been instrumental in discovering Anthony had been hiding assets. I had planned on thanking him when I got a chance. I guess I finally had the perfect opportunity.

  As soon as the ceremony was over and all of us finished hugging and promising to keep in touch, I made my way off the stage. Liese and Arissa raced into my open arms.

  “Mommy, you look so pretty!”

  “Mommy, does this mean you’re now a nurse?”

  “Yes, it does.” It felt good. Nurse Monica Houston. I still had to pass my boards in two weeks, but I had already tentatively landed a job at Southside Medical Center. Robin had given me a pair of purple scrubs as a graduation present.

  “Congratulations,” she said as we hugged. She had been such a good friend through all of this. It was still amazing how much we had both gone through in the last few months. However, we were proof all things prevail. She had enrolled in school, given up dancing, and I was so proud of her.

  “Did you notice the sexy man in the third row, staring at you?” she whispered as she released me.

  I nodded because I knew she had also noticed Tremayne. “Yes, I guess I better go over there and thank him.”

  “Yes, I guess you better, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She gave me a saucy grin.

  “That leaves my options wide open,” I said with a wink and headed down the aisle. As soon as Tremayne noticed me, he rose from his chair and walked down to the end, meeting me halfway.

  “Congratulations,” he said.

  “Thanks for coming.” I grinned.

  Shaking his head, I watched him take in my cap and gown and black four-inch pumps. “There was no way I was missing your graduation.”

  That meant a lot to me, considering we were no longer together. We stood there not saying anything. I could tell he wanted to say something, and I found it weird for a lawyer to be at a loss for words.

  “Bernard told me you won your case.”

  “I did, but it never would have happened without your help. Thank you. I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you.”

  “How about letting me take you and the girls out to dinner to celebrate?”

  My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he wanted to spend time with me. “Why would you wanna do that?”

  “Why not? Today’s your big day. Besides ... I miss you.”

  My heart was beating so hard it took me a few moments to pull it together. “I miss you too.” He appeared relieved by my response. “Listen ... you never gave me a chance to explain before, so I want to apologize for deceiving you. I should have been honest in the beginning.”

  “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed off to find my woman stripping. But what pissed me off the most was not that you were dancing, but that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. All that time I thought you loved me.”

  “I
did ... I do. I just didn’t know how to tell you I was shaking my ass three nights a week.” Even now it was hard to admit.

  Tremayne reached down and clasped his fingers with mine and stared in my eyes for a long time before lowering his lips and kissing me. “The only man I want you shaking your ass for is me. Can you do that?”

  “Yes.” Was he saying what I thought he was saying? I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.

  He was staring at me, looking so serious. I couldn’t have looked away if I had wanted to. And I didn’t. “I love you, Monica. My feelings haven’t changed.”

  My heart was pounding so hard I don’t know how I found the words to speak. “And I love you.” And then we were kissing like there was no tomorrow until I heard someone whistling. I guess we were making a scene.

  Laughing, I finally released him. “Come on. Let’s go and get the girls.” Tremayne took my hand, and together we went to join the others. I looked over at Robin and she winked. Yeah, everything was working itself out, and both our futures were starting to look even brighter.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Put yourself in Monica’s shoes. What would you do if you had no other means to support your family? Would you consider stripping? Did Monica really have no other option?

  2. Do you feel that Robin was a product of her environment? Was she stripping by choice or by chance? Since she was sleeping with men for money, would you consider her a whore, or are there exceptions to the rule?

  3. Was Reyna living vicariously through Monica? Was she needy or just a good friend?

  4. What would you do if Trey showed up on your doorstep with a little boy, claiming he was a nephew you knew nothing about? Would you take him in even though you didn’t want anything to do with his mother? Was Robin wrong for hating her sister?

  5. Deena said she did everything she could to try to help Robin get away from Ms. Ernestine. Do you agree?

  6. Deena and Robin hadn’t seen each other in years only to discover they had been hanging in the same circle all along. Robin left Halo and no longer wanted to be a part of that life. If you were Robin, would you have gotten involved with Halo again in order to help Deena clear her name?