When Memories Fade

by Tyora Moody

  She said very slowly, “It’s good to see you all grown up.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Now that I’m here, I do remember coming over here with my grandfather when I was younger.”

  Fredricka smiled and held her hands together. “Yes, yes. Nick and Lenny. Best friends.”

  Angel returned with glasses of iced tea on a tray. She added a straw to one and placed it in front of her grandmother. Wes liked seeing Angel in this role with her grandmother. He could tell she really loved her and doted on her. Angel turned to him. “Have a seat. I will bring out the sandwiches.”

  Wes pulled out a chair on the other side of Fredricka.

  Fredricka asked, “How’s Lenny?”

  “Not too good. He has Alzheimer’s. He has some good days, but some days he’s confused.”

  Fredricka shook her head. “We are all getting old. Lots of problems. But . . .” She held up her finger. “God is good.”

  Wes leaned forward. “Yes, ma’am. God is good. All the time.”

  Angel brought out two plates with sandwiches. He noticed that she had brought her grandmother a plate that had cut-up grilled chicken alongside a helping of leafy greens and carrots.

  She turned to him and asked, “Would you mind saying grace?”

  He agreed. After he said grace, they dug into their food quietly. Wes was impressed with the club sandwich, which included grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato and Monterey Jack cheese.

  “Are you a chef as well as a videographer?” he asked Angel.

  Angel waved her hand. “Stop. It’s just a sandwich. I did work at Southern Soul Café for a summer. Eddie let Denise and me work in all the areas, but we both liked to be hostess best. Anyway, I learned a thing or two in the kitchen and, of course, from Grams.” Angel grinned at her grandmother, who winked back. “Anyway, this is pretty healthy compared to the Southern fried food from Southern Soul Café.”

  Wes appreciated the lunch and the healthy food. He felt pretty comfortable with Angel and her grandmother. The lunch reminded him that he missed seeing his mother and Pops. He hoped his mother had cooled down a bit so he could stop by and visit without feeling terribly guilty. They had finished their meal when the doorbell rang.

  “Oh excuse me.” Angel wiped her mouth with her napkin. “That’s Ella Mae, the nurse.”

  Angel returned with a round-figured woman with her hair pulled back in a bun.

  Ella Mae said, “Good afternoon, Ms. Fredricka. You almost finished with lunch so I can work with you this afternoon?” Ella Mae looked over at Wes. “Hey, I know you. You are on television.”

  Wes nodded. “Yes.” He wiped his hands and stood to shake Ella Mae’s hand. “Good to meet you.”

  “You too! Angel, you didn’t tell me you snagged one of Charlotte’s most eligible bachelors. You go, girl.” Ella Mae grabbed Fredricka’s wheelchair. “You two, behave and don’t forget we are in here.”

  Fredricka winked as the nurse pushed her wheelchair out of the dining room.

  Wes looked over at Angel, who had turned red around the ears, as she picked up the plates in front of her. He asked, “Can I help you with the plates?”

  She peered at him. “No, I will add these to the dishwasher. You can wait for me in the living room. I’m anxious to hear what you have to share.”

  As Wes entered the living room, he was drawn to the photos of Angel as a little girl, which were displayed chronologically from grade to grade on the wall above the couch.

  Angel came up behind him. “I can’t believe you are looking at those photos.”

  “You were cute.” Wes looked at her and added, “You are still cute.”

  Angel grinned. “Thanks. Oh, and I’m sorry about Ms. Ella Mae. Do you get recognized like that all the time from that article?”

  Wes arched his eyebrow. “You know about the article too?”

  “Yes, my friend Candace told me.”

  “Candace Johnson? She dates Detective Darnell Jackson. So you know each other? Small world.”

  “I know, right? She has become like the big sister I never had. Speaking of a small world, do you remember being at this house when you were younger? Your mom said we played together.”

  He laughed. “I kind of remember now. Funny how memories work.”

  Angel sat on the couch. “Tell me, what have you found out?”

  Wes joined her on the couch. “Well, let me ask you a question first. Were you aware that your mother sang background vocals for a very popular song?”

  “Yeah, I was. My granddad couldn’t stand the song. Of course, he wasn’t a fan of rap. I remember that song playing at my birthday party.”

  Wes made a note of that and asked, “Are you familiar with the rap artist who sang that song? He was killed not too long after the song came out.”

  “I forget his name.”

  “K-Dawg. His real name was Kelvin Dentin, and he grew up here in Charlotte. That night . . .” Wes tried to carefully word what he was going to say. “There are theories he had a beef with another guy and he was killed over a woman.”

  Angel looked at him, her eyes full of questions. “How does this relate to my mother?”

  “K-Dawg was on the same record label, Royal Records. I had sources confirm that K-Dawg liked your mother. Now, hear me out. This is just a theory, but it’s possible your mother could have witnessed K-Dawg’s shooting and may have known who was responsible.”

  Angel jumped up from the couch, her eyes wide and alarmed. “Are you serious?”

  Wes held his hands up to calm her down. “It’s just a theory. She went missing a few weeks after the shooting.”

  Angel slowly sat down on the couch and began to rub her forehead. Wes could see she was trying to process what he’d told her. Finally, she said, “This is pointing back to my father if you are saying some jealous guy killed K-Dawg.”

  Wes remained silent.

  “I’m not buying it.” Angel shook her head. “Now that you bring this up, I should tell you that I looked more into my dad. He was a boxer. If he had had any beef with a guy, he would have fought him, not pulled a gun on him.”

  Wes nodded. “You are right. That’s a good point. Plus, your dad wasn’t anywhere near the club.”

  Angel said, “I know my mother was focused on her singing career, but if she was there and she saw something, I don’t think she would have let the person get away with murder.”

  “She could have been scared, Angel. There were lots of people outside that club. No one came forward.”

  Angel looked at him. “Okay. Let me get this straight. You’re saying if my mom did see what happened and she was scared, she must have told someone. That someone probably did something to shut her up.”

  “It’s just a theory, but there’s a bit more.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I talked to Minister J.D., the pastor of Kingdom Building Church. K-Dawg was his cousin. They all were a part of the same group, grew up together. K-Dawg was, like, the first one of the group to come out with an album. Get this. Melanie Stowe’s dad, Larry Stowe, better known as El, he was the group’s hype man.”

  Angel dropped her mouth open and sat up straight. “What are you saying?”

  Wes threw his hands up. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s a coincidence here, but I have had this gut feeling about Melanie’s dad. When I found out all these guys were connected, I just . . .” Wes expressed his frustration by groaning.

  Angel said, “Maybe you are trying to make too many connections. These are two different women that went missing twenty years apart.”

  “But . . .” Wes didn’t get to finish his answer. A man came through the front door.

  Angel called out, “Uncle Jacob?”

  Jacob stood at the living room threshold and stared at both of them. He seemed to be disoriented. “Hey. Sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” Her uncle blinked and focused his eyes on Wes. “Do I know you?”

  Angel answered, “You should. This is Wanda’s son.”

&nbs
p; Jacob stared and broke out into a grin. “Wesley. Wow, I haven’t seen you since you were a kid.”

  The phone rang. Angel reached over to pick up the receiver. “Hello.” Wes watched Angel’s face. She said to the person on the other end, “Can you hold for one moment?” She held her hand over the receiver and said, “I will be right back.”

  Wes watched her take the cordless telephone to the other room. He turned his attention back to her uncle, who had sunk down into one of the chairs. The man looked like he could use some sleep. “I heard you and my mom were good friends.”

  Jacob responded, “Yes, we had become buddies from when our dads played in Southern Soul. Still stayed friends even after your grandfather left the band.”

  Wes was reminded of the topic of conversation Pops had brought up the other night. “Yeah, I’ve always wondered why Pops left the band.”

  Jacob shook his head. “You know, people change. I think some of the band members were having issues. They were like a family, and they could get on each other’s nerves. But mostly your grandfather wanted a more normal life. He wanted to be home with his family. I admire your grandfather for doing that. My dad wouldn’t sit down from the band until the diabetes got to him. If he was alive today and was in good health, Nick Roberts would still be playing.”

  Jacob looked in the direction Angel had gone and then turned back to Wes. “We saw Wanda at Trinity Home Health Care the other day. I guess she is in the same boat as us. Taking care of a loved one is hard. How is she doing?”

  Wes nodded. “It has been hard on her, taking care of Pops.” He didn’t know his mom had gone through with seeking outside care for Pops. Given all that had happened, he’d hoped she would follow through. As much as he loved Pops, he wanted his mother to enjoy her life again.

  Angel returned to the living room. She smiled, but her eyes betrayed that she was troubled. “Hey, you two catching up?”

  Jacob said, “Yes, we were catching up.” He stood. “It’s good to see you and your mother again. I will leave the two of you. Glad to see you have touched base again.”

  “Thanks, Jacob,” Angel said softly, but she didn’t look at her uncle.

  Wes also stood and said, “Well, I hate to run, but I need to head back to the newsroom. I have to finish a story and submit it to my producer. I appreciate the lunch.”

  Angel smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  He leaned over closer to her and lowered his voice. “Is everything okay?”

  Angel looked over her shoulder and then back at him. “Why don’t I walk you to your car?”

  Outside, Angel closed the door behind them.

  “What’s up? You seem upset by that phone call,” Wes prompted.

  “The call was from Jennifer, from the Bring Them Home Foundation. My granddad kept in touch with them over the years. Every so often they will send updates if something comes up.”

  “You mean if they found some information about your mother.”

  “Yes. Well, mainly if a Jane Doe or an unidentified body has been found in the area. Jennifer said at some construction site—she didn’t say where—they found parts of a skeleton. DNA has to be processed, entered into this big database, but they believe it’s a woman.” Angel swallowed. “Suppose it’s her?”

  Without thinking Wes reached over and placed his arm around Angel. “Let’s just wait and see. I will be right here. I know how important it is to you to get to the truth.”

  Angel leaned into him. For a brief moment, Wes forgot his surroundings and enjoyed being so close to her. It felt right to him. Until he noticed that Angel’s uncle was watching them through the living room window.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Angel guzzled down the water from her bottle. It was very hot today, despite it being only May. She looked over at the couple she was filming today, who were clowning around. Angel still couldn’t believe they had met on Facebook a year ago and were now getting married. They were the first couple Angel had worked with that had met online. John and Maria were like any other couple, in love and into each other. Angel still wondered how well you could really get to know someone via the computer.

  John was tall, with blond hair and startling blue eyes, while Maria was a vibrant redhead with freckles. Most of her wedding video packages were ordered through Lenora, but this couple had contacted her directly through her Web site. Another first for her. It made her feel good to see her business grow by being online, but she wasn’t feeling being out in nature, traipsing around in the woods with this couple.

  She wasn’t really gung ho about being outside, but Angel had put on her mosquito repellent and had dressed accordingly for the adventure. Me, bugs, and nature don’t mix. Not to mention snakes. Angel had got some great B-roll of the couple but was constantly looking on the ground for any creepy crawlies. If she saw one, this video shoot was so over.

  Her overactive imagination was in full force despite it being morning and despite the sun shining through the trees. Still, some areas were so shaded, it felt like they were in a different world. John and Maria were in a carefree mood, running and chasing each other through the trees as Angel let the camera roll. She prayed she didn’t catch something on film that would scar her for life. She’d watched her share of “young people in the woods” slasher movies.

  As Angel stopped and examined what she’d shot today, her mind was excited and weary. This was going to be a long week too. The Southern Soul Talent Show was on Friday night, just a few days away. Thankfully, she would have Daniel’s assistance on Saturday morning with editing and uploading the contestant videos to VidTube. Last night, while they went over the details at Candace’s house, Daniel had added a photo that Angel had taken of Southern Soul Café. The photo made a beautiful background for the talent show page. People would have the following week to vote for their favorite performer. Eddie was offering a pretty generous prize of two thousand dollars to the winner to pay for studio time to record a demo. Angel hoped someone’s dreams would come true.

  Right now she was ready to call it a day. She couldn’t remember sweating this much on a video shoot. Her T-shirt was stuck to her back. Plus, she noticed her camera’s battery was running low. She held her head up from the camera. Wait a minute! Angel had been so engrossed in the camera, John and Maria had disappeared around the trees ahead. Not sure how she’d ended up so far behind them, Angel sped up. She felt a twig snap under her feet.

  A woman’s scream from up ahead jolted Angel, causing her to stumble. She caught herself, stood still, and clutched her camera. Sweat poured down her brow, and an insect buzzed close to her ear, almost touching her skin. Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest.

  Angel yelled to the couple, “John. Maria. Is everything okay?” Okay, she thought, the online psycho isn’t supposed to come out until after the wedding. Certainly not with the videographer present.

  Angel moved forward on her toes to catch up with the couple. When she peered around a tree, she saw John leaning down over Maria, who was sitting on the ground, grimacing. She appeared to be holding her leg.

  Angel sprinted toward the couple and stopped in front of them. Maria’s leg was bleeding. Angel asked, “Oh no, are you okay? What happened?”

  John looked up at her. “We were playing around a bit too much. Maria stumbled over these rocks, I guess. They were covered up by leaves.” He reached for Maria’s arm and said, “Babe, can you stand?”

  Angel stepped back as John helped Maria stand to her feet. Maria gingerly stepped forward. She looked at John and then at Angel. “I think I can walk. It’s probably just a scrape.”

  “Are you sure?” Angel asked.

  Maria nodded.

  Angel said, “Okay, well, I guess you guys don’t want any more footage today for the video.” She was sorry Maria had got hurt, but she was so ready to get out of these woods.

  John grinned. “No, we’re good. Thanks for doing this for us. I know this was a bit of a workout. Did you get her stumbling on video
?”

  “What! I hope you didn’t!” Maria shrieked. “If you did, please don’t include that in the video. I’m so embarrassed !”

  Angel held up her hand. “I promise I didn’t see a thing, and there is no history on my camera.” Through the trees the sun’s rays were sharp, and they pierced her skin like laser beams. She was glad she’d had sense enough to put some sunscreen on too. Between the sunscreen and the mosquito repellent, Angel thought she would have a meltdown if she didn’t get to a shower soon. She asked, “Can we head back to the cars?”

  To her dismay, John and Maria walked a lot slower than before. Maria appeared to be limping. Angel thought Maria probably didn’t feel anything now, but those types of injuries could hurt a lot later. The couple’s wedding ceremony was two weeks away, so hopefully, Maria would have her injuries behind her before she walked down the aisle.

  Angel looked through the woods and saw a cabin. It didn’t look as well kept as the other cabins she’d seen this morning. They hadn’t traveled far outside of the city limits, but it felt like they were in another world.

  She asked John, “Hey, what is the reason this place is so special to you?”

  John said, “My family owned a cabin up here. I loved to come up here during the summers. Maria and I talked about renting a cabin for the honeymoon. It’s not far, and it’s a great getaway, being near Lake Wylie.”

  Angel pointed to the cabin. “So do many people stay up here at this one?”

  John answered, “No, this place actually isn’t open as much. I guess they have a few people who still own cabins, but the guy who owned all this property disappeared a few years ago. It’s rumored he was killed because he owed a lot of money to some interesting people.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was the uncomfortable state of her skin, but Angel felt like something had just crawled up her back. “Are you for real?” Angel asked as she pulled her T-shirt away from her back.

  “Yes. I remember that my dad used to talk to the owner all the time. Really nice guy. His family wasn’t really into keeping this place up. I don’t really know who owns it now. Anyhow, it’s not the way it was when I was a kid.”