by Glenn, Roy
“Aunt Juanita, this is Travis Burns, the man I’ve been telling you about. Travis, this is my aunt Juanita.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I was just telling your sister that Me’shelle talks about the two of you all the time, and how she has so much love and respect for you both,” Travis said
Juanita rolled her eyes just like Miranda did. “Huh. So you’re the reason that Me’shelle can’t come have Sunday dinner with us old ladies anymore,” she said, looking at Me’shelle. “You know, the ones that she has so much love and respect for.”
“I guess I am,” Travis said softly.
“Let’s go see Brandy, Juanita,” Miranda said. Juanita followed her to Brandy’s room. Before they entered, she stopped and turned back to face Travis. “I guess that means that you have to come to Sunday dinner with her now, since she can’t seem to do anything without you,” she said.
“It may be the only way we get to see her again,” Juanita added then the pair disappeared into the room.
Travis turned around and reclaimed his seat. “That didn’t go well.”
“Yes, it did,” Me’shelle said as she sat down next to him. “I think they like you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“When they first met Trent, Aunt Juanita told him he had a big head, and Aunt Miranda, well, she didn’t even speak to him. They were both looking forward to meeting you. I told them that you were the perfect gentleman and that you know how to treat a lady.”
“I’d never have known it from that response.”
“They invited you to dinner, Travis.”
“So they can fatten me up for the kill. A punishment for taking their Me’shelle away from them.”
As the day wore on, Me’shelle left Travis sitting in the hallway while she went in the room to be with her family. When she came out and sat down, Me’shelle noticed two men at the nurses’ station. The nurse pointed in her direction and the two men came down the hall.
“Who are they?” Me’shelle asked.
“Cops,” Travis answered.
“How do you know?”
“I can spot ’em a block away.” Travis wasn’t really feelin’ being this close to the cops, but he didn’t want to leave Me’shelle’s side or look suspicious to the cops. They both stood up to meet the officers.
“Ms. Lawrence?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective Richards, and this is my partner, Detective Kirkland. We just came from your brother’s house, and I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Ms. Lawrence, but your brother and sister-in-law are both dead,” he said
Me’shelle fell into Travis’s arms and began to cry.
“They were murdered sometime last night, we believe,” Richards continued. “The murders may be drug-related. I understand that your niece was raped. Do you know if she was in the house last night?”
“I don’t know. The doctor told me she’s in shock and hasn’t told anybody anything,” Me’shelle answered.
“Yes, I know, but I thought that maybe you could tell us something.”
“I don’t know,” Me’shelle said tearfully. “I don’t know.”
While Detective Richards tried to get answers from Me’shelle, Detective Kirkland stared at Travis. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was any possibility that this cop recognized him. Travis avoided making eye contact with Kirkland, choosing instead to focus his gaze on Me’shelle and Detective Richards. The detective’s eyes on him made Travis nervous, but he tried not to show it.
Kirkland put his hand on his partner’s shoulder. “I know this is a bad time for you, Miss Lawrence, but we’re going to need you to come in and talk with us.” With that, Richards took out one of his cards and handed it to Me’shelle. “So, when you feel up to it, please give me a call.”
Kirkland continued to stare at Travis as Richards turned and walked away. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“No. I don’t think so,” Travis answered.
“What’s your name?” Kirkland asked. Richards turned around and returned to his partner’s side.
“Travis Burns.”
Kirkland looked Travis up and down then finally walked away.
Me’shelle looked curiously at Travis. “What was that all about?” she asked, wiping away her tears
“I have no idea,” Travis answered as he watched the two detectives leave. But now he was worried.
Me’shelle called her aunts out into the hallway and told them about Bruce and Natalie. They cried together while Travis looked on helplessly. He was really shaken by his encounter with the detective. The thing to do now was to remain calm and call Freeze. He would wait a half an hour before he got up and left the area.
“What was that all about?” Detective Richards asked when they got on the elevator. “You know that guy?”
“Nah,” Kirkland answered. “Never seen him before in my life.”
“You think he might be involved?” Richards asked.
“I don’t know, and to be honest, I really don’t think he is. But you know how these things are, Pat. At this point, we don’t have shit. So, sometimes you gotta shake shit up and see what falls out.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Travis paced back and forth outside the hospital, waiting for Freeze to call him back. It had been almost two months since Travis had spoken to him. When Freeze called back, Travis told him where he was and what was going on, then informed him of his encounter with Detective Kirkland.
Freeze listened to what Travis had to say and told him not to worry. “Kirk is a homicide cop. His thing is drug-related murders. You wouldn’t be on Kirk’s radar. But he’s a smart cop, as far as cops go, so stay out of his way.”
“I plan to do just that,” Travis said, but it was clear that he was still shaken by it all.
“So, what’s goin’ on, Travis? I haven’t seen you around lately. You into something I should know about?”
“Been taking your advice and keeping a low profile.”
“That’s good, but you could still come by the spot and holla at a nigga. Let him know you all right and shit.”
“You’re right, Freeze. My bad. I’m just gettin’ into some other things lately.”
“So I heard. Your girl Jackie tells me you don’t hang with them like you used to. Says you always busy, got something to do or whatever.”
“It’s fucked up, but she’s right. But I got with them both this morning. You know, told them what they wanted to hear.”
“You and me go back some years, don’t we?”
“We sure do.”
“Hey, you remember the time we hopped the turnstile and that cop grabbed you just before you could make it on the train?”
“Yeah, I remember that. He took me to the precinct to teach me a lesson. My pops had to come get me and shit.”
“I remember you said he was sweatin’ you pretty hard to tell him who was with you. But you was a man about it and kept your mouth shut.”
“I wasn’t about to give you up. I got caught and you didn’t. But the next time you see who went over the turnstile first.” Travis laughed, but Freeze didn’t.
“You always was loyal—and smart too. So, I gotta ask you a question, and I want you to think about what I’m askin’ and answer me honestly.”
“No doubt.”
“I don’t even like havin’ to ask you this, but I got to. And understand if it was anybody but you, Travis, I would just come to my own conclusion and do what I gotta do.”
“Ask me what you wanna ask me, Freeze.”
“Hang up the phone and turn around,” Freeze said.
Travis turned around quickly and saw that Freeze had pulled up in front of him and was sitting in his truck waving for Travis to come to him. Travis walked toward the truck. “Get in,” Freeze said.
After they exchanged pleasantries, Freeze drove off. Travis noticed that Freeze had a gun sitting in his lap. “What you wanna ask me, Freeze?”
“I need to know what�
��s goin’ on with you. See, a man in your position, havin’ done the things that you’ve done, who don’t hang out with his partners no more, only does it for two reasons. Either he got caught and he’s talkin’ to the cops about givin’ somebody up, or he got a woman.”
Travis laughed. “Her name is Me’shelle.”
“I’m glad you said that.”
Travis looked at the nine in Freeze’s lap. “I am too.”
“You really diggin’ this ho?”
“Yeah, really.”
“She the one whose niece got raped?”
“Yeah.”
“She know anything about what you do?” Freeze asked, trying to get a sense for how much, if anything, Me’shelle knew.
“Nothing. As far as she knows, I’m a programmer.”
“How long you plannin’ on keeping up that front?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know she’s gonna feel betrayed when she finds out. Let me give you some advice: be real with her about who you really are and what you really do,” Freeze said as he pulled up in front of the hospital again. “I know this might not be the best time, but I want to meet her. Bring her to Cuisine for dinner one night. We’ve made a lot of changes since the last time you were there, so call ahead for reservations.”
“I’ll do that. Maybe we’ll do that tonight if she’s up to it. Me’shelle loves to eat out,” Travis said as he got out of the truck.
As he walked inside the hospital, he thought about what had just happened. It scared him. He knew Freeze would have shot him if he felt he had rolled over. Travis thought about how much the detective’s conversation had scared him, and now this. He thought back to how he panicked and ran to the Caymans after he saw himself on television. He was starting to realize that he wasn’t built for this life. Travis knew that he had to get out.
Chapter Twenty-six
It was late when Me’shelle finally left the hospital. She asked Travis drive her to Queens to stay with her aunt. She didn’t want to be alone, and felt she needed to be with family at a time like this. Travis understood, and dropped Me’shelle off at the door. “You sure you don’t want me to come in and sit with you for a while?”
“No, that’s all right. It’s late and I just feel so drained. Besides, she’s probably already gone to bed.”
“Can I at least walk you to the door?”
“Of course you can.”
Without another word, Travis quickly got out of the car and came around to open Me’shelle’s door. She thanked him and they walked hand in hand to the front door.
“Good night, Travis, and thank you for being there for me today.”
“Where else would I be? I always wanna be by your side, Me’shelle.”
“I just wanted you to know that it meant a lot to me, that’s all. I really needed your strength today,” Me’shelle said. Travis gave her a hug.
“I know today wasn’t easy for you. Anything you need, anything at all, you just have to ask. Okay?”
“Okay.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Travis.”
“Good night, Me’shelle,” Travis said as Me’shelle un-locked the door.
She stood in the doorway and watched Travis get in his car. Once he had driven away, Me’shelle went in the house.
Her intention was to go straight upstairs to bed, but those plans changed when she walked past the living room and found that both Juanita and Miranda were still up waiting for her.
“Hello,” Me’shelle said quietly. “What are you two still doing up? I hope you weren’t waiting up for me,” she said as she plopped down on the couch next to Miranda.
“We were just sitting up talking,” Miranda said. “But we were kinda waiting for you to get here.”
“So, how are you, Me’shelle?” Juanita asked.
“I’m okay. I just feel drained, that’s all.”
Miranda looked at Me’shelle; she did look drained, which was to be expected. But Me’shelle was like a daughter to her, so she could tell that there was something else. “You should get some rest. It’s been a long day. We all should.”
“We wanted to make sure that you were all right. I know this day couldn’t have been easy for you,” Juanita said.
“Losing family never is, Juanita,” Miranda said.
“I know that, Miranda. All I’m saying is that the violence involved with what happened hasn’t been easy for any of us to take. I know it’s been hard on me. Even though I knew this day would come.”
“Juanita!” Miranda shouted.
“What?”
“We don’t need to talk like that.”
“Miranda, would you listen to how you sound? Yes, we do need talk like that. We have to talk about what happened and what we’re going to do next. What arrangements need to be made, that type of stuff. What’s going to happen with Brandy? I know we’re all very concerned about that. But what’s most important is that we all do one thing. We all need to deal with the fact that Bruce and Natalie were murdered and poor Brandy was raped.” Juanita stopped suddenly. “Do you think Brandy saw her parents get killed?”
There was silence in the room as the three searched each other’s faces and contemplated the questions Juanita had posed.
Since there was no way of knowing until Brandy was well enough to tell them, Juanita went on while Miranda and Me’shelle just shook their heads. “It probably happened because of something that Bruce was involved in.”
Finally, Miranda cut her off. “You’re right. We do need to start dealing with the fact that—I still can’t bring myself to say it. We need to deal with what happened, but do we have to do it now?”
“The sooner the better. And there is never a better time than now. Look at you, Miranda. You can’t even say it. They were murdered. Brandy was raped.”
“We know,” Me’shelle said softly. “Bruce and Natalie are dead. They were murdered. My brother is dead.” Me’shelle began to cry and Miranda touched her hand. “He’s with Mommy and Daddy now. I know we all have to deal with it, and we will, but give us time.”
Juanita could feel the anguish in Me’shelle’s voice and in her tears. The feeling took her back to her sister’s death and to all the pain she felt. She thought about all the death Me’shelle had to deal with in her life. “If I came on a little too strong, I’m sorry,” she said.
“You always were just a little insensitive, Juanita. From the time we were little,” Miranda scolded.
“I was not.”
“Yes, you were. Anything is liable to come flying out of your mouth.”
“You must be talking about yourself, ’cause I’m not like that,” Juanita came back quickly.
“Yes, you are,” Miranda said just a quickly.
While the debate raged on between the two sisters, Me’shelle got lost in her thoughts. She thought about Juanita’s question. Did Brandy see what happened to Bruce and Natalie? Could that be part of the trauma that Brandy was trying to reconcile? Whatever the case, if Brandy saw them or not, it didn’t change what Me’shelle was feeling.
It’s my fault. I could have helped them, but I didn’t. Now Bruce and Natalie are dead, and Brandy is traumatized.
And for that, Me’shelle blamed herself.
After a while, the combination of her thoughts and her aunts bickering became too much for her, so Me’shelle excused herself and said goodnight.
Being alone in her room was no better. The next morning, she lay across the bed, still fully dressed from the night before, staring out the window. It was going on 7:00 in the morning and she still hadn’t gotten very much sleep. She’d spent the night thinking of Bruce. When she did drift off to sleep, her dreams were the same as her waking thoughts.
“Please, Me’shelle, just get me the money.”
“No, Bruce, I’m not gonna do that. I’ll take you and Natalie to a treatment program to get yourselves together. Brandy can stay with me until you two got it together, but I won’t ask them for any money so you can get high.”
“Bruce, if somebody is gonna kill you, the best thing for you to do is leave Brandy with me and you and Natalie get out of town. I’ll buy you two bus tickets to anywhere you want to go.”
“Thanks for nothing, sis. But how you gonna live with yourself when I’m dead?”
It was those words, How you gonna live with yourself when I’m dead? that echoed in Me’shelle’s mind throughout the night and haunted her dreams.
She wondered how she would live with herself knowing that Bruce came to her for help and all she did was offer him a bus ticket. If she had only given him the money when he asked for it, none of this would have happened.
But it did happen, and Me’shelle would have to put that behind her. Brandy would need her now, and she would be of little use if she couldn’t cope with her own issues. She thought about Brandy being raped, most likely by the same men who wanted money from Bruce and killed him for it. The thought made her angry, not only with the rapist, but with Bruce and Natalie for not protecting her.
She was angry with herself as well. She thought about her constant pleas to get Brandy away from that environment where things like this could happen. Now she knew she should have done more than just talk.
Stop it!
Chapter Twenty-seven
After Travis left Me’shelle in Queens, he made the long ride back to the Bronx. When he arrived at his house, he was surprised to see Jackie’s and Ronnie’s cars still parked in the same spots.
He walked through the door and was met by Jackie’s eyes, cutting through him like a knife. “Wake up, Ronnie. Travis is back,” she said, shaking Ronnie out of his sleep.
“What’s up, y’all?” Travis asked as he sat down on the chaise.
“What’s up? That all you gotta say? What’s up?” Jackie said.
“You wanna tell us about it, Tee, or what?” Ronnie asked.