Royce

by D. Hamilton-Reed

  Joy’s little bump was showing, but she wore her boots, and a little stylish top that concealed it, but he knew it was there and he cherished it. He drove this time, his Mercedes pulled in next to a large pickup truck. The last time they’d been here they ended up making out on Lake Lewisville and he swore that’s the night they made the little bump Joy was carrying. “I will not tell my child he was made in the backseat of a pickup truck,” Joy said and wouldn’t entertain the idea, but he believed it.

  Big John greeted them as soon as they walked in, “Well hello darling,” he said to Lanie and hugged her, and then he went to Joy and Royce, shaking his hand profusely, “She’s a pretty one, just like her sister I swear,” and Lanie loved the country and western scene. Joy had taken her to buy boots and jeans, even though she knew she didn’t need too, she was just trying to go all out for it. “I got us a table over here,” and Big John led them to a private table just for them, he already had beer and champagne chilling in a bucket on the table, “This is to a fun night,” he said eyeing Lanie. “Oooo this is going to be so much fun,” Lanie squealed and Big John smiled big and Lanie took his hand, “Okay Big John show me how to dance country and western,” and they were off and like Royce thought Lanie was going to keep Big John out there and he hoped he could keep up. He saw him teaching her and dancing her around and on one song he saw him pick her up and she clasp her legs around him and he twirled her around the dance floor, both laughing and having fun and Joy gasped and he said, “It’s alright honey,” but he was wondering too, what had they done?

  He took Joy on the dance floor, and held her close as he two stepped with her, she laughed and had fun too, and they heard Lanie and Big John laughing and having fun, and Big John was obviously popular and known because before long the crowd was chanting “Big John! Big John!” And they looked to see Big John dancing his behind off with Lanie, going fast around the dance floor, twirling Lanie, twisting Lanie and Lanie’s face was all aglow and happy. “I thought he was old,” Joy said to Royce as they watched from the side like the others and clapped along, “I did too,” and after that Big John pulled Lanie in his arms, and hugged her tight, he took her hand and led her off the dance floor, bowing and waving to the crowd. Joy and Royce went with them in shock and awe.

  They plopped down at their table, “This is so much fun!” Lanie shouted, she grabbed two beers from the bucket, Big John opened them and handed one to her, “Oh my god John, how’d you learn to dance like that?” Royce and Joy raised an eyebrow, John, she was calling him John now, “All cowboys come out two stepping Little Lanie,” they raised an eyebrow again, Little Lanie, and that was how the rest of the night went.

  They danced and didn’t try to keep up with Big John and Lanie until the DJ said, “Last call,” Lanie squealed, “Nooo, is it over already,” and Big John made his move, “It doesn’t have to be, I got a place off the lake, not too far from here we could continue the party there,” and Joy and Royce both said, “No, thanks, not this time,” and Lanie said, “Sure,” and Joy’s mouth flew open, and Royce had a fake grin on his face, knowing he couldn’t let her go off with a man she just met that his father-in-law would kill him if anything happened to her. “Uh Lanie look, we need to get home. The babysitter has to get home, we can’t this time. Next time you’re in town…” “Hey don’t worry about it I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” Big John said, and Royce didn’t know what to do. Lanie was a grown woman and Big John a grown man he couldn’t tell her she couldn’t go with him could he? This is not what he planned.

  They stood there in an awkward silence then Big John said, “Just come out check it out that’s all I ask, okay,” he said looking from Royce to Joy. “Look John man, we really do need to get home, next time okay. It’s just we didn’t plan on anything like this,” Royce said awkwardly and they headed out into the night air with Lanie looking like a chastised child and Joy the wicked step mother, and him the bewildered uncle.

  “Well at least let me say goodbye to her,” Big John said when they were outside, he took Lanie aside. Joy and Royce sat in the car and waited and waited and finally both turned around to see what was taking so long and from the back window they saw Lanie and Big John lip locked together, he was holding her, her arms wrapped around him and they were heavily kissing. Joy hit Royce, “Oh my god Royce, what have we done?” He laughed, “Don’t look at me, I just thought it might be fun, I didn’t plan on this,” she laughed too, finally Big John walked Lanie to the car and they noticed he held Lanie’s hand and held the door open for her, “See ya tomorrow darling,” Royce saw Joy’s mouth drop.

  Sure enough the next day Big John drove up in his truck to their house, and by now Joy knew anyway since Lanie had to tell her, “He’s taking me to the airport tomorrow,” and they let him in and he took Lanie and her suitcases. Joy kissed her and hugged her tight, “Call me when you get home,” and they watched them drive off and two hours later Lanie called, “I’m staying a few days with John, I just thought you should know, I’ll call you when I get home." “You know what you’re doing Lanie?” “Of course big sister, I found myself a real cowboy,” and Joy knew Big John was in trouble. Lanie was surely going to break his heart.

  She went into the family room where Royce was watching TV with Justin laying across him. She sat down next to him, and leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Lanie’s at Big John’s for a few days,” and she had to reach over and close his mouth. And that was the start of their relationship with Big John.

  In March Joy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy they named Christopher Thomas Harrington, he had Justin’s dark and curly hair, his father’s smile, and his mother’s dark eyes, and Royce couldn’t have been happier.

  Royce was in a meeting when Ms. Severs interrupted him, “Mr. Harrington you have an urgent call.” He looked at her, his heart lurched and worry set in, “Who’s it from?” He asked as they walked to his office. “The police,” she said. “The police!” He was scared now. Something must have happened to Joy, an accident, he sat down, bracing himself for bad news. He’d already gone pale Ms. Severs could see that, “Yes, this is Mr. Harrington.”

  “Mr. Harrington, this is Detective Jackson we need you to come down to the station right away there’s been an incident involving your wife.” “Tell me, tell me she’s alright, tell me she and my boys are alright.” Royce didn’t want to drive there and hear it. “We need you down at the station Mr. Harrington, how soon can you get here?” “Oh god, please tell me, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said when they wouldn’t tell him anything. He was shaking, but he went out and drove to the station.

  They led him back to an interrogation room, “My wife, where is my wife?” He asked over and over. In the small interrogation room Royce was sitting in a grey chair behind a grey table and the detective was wearing a grey suit. Everything around him was grey, the detective, the room, the desk and his world, if something happened to Joy grey would be the color of his life. “Your wife is fine Mr. Harrington.”

  “Oh thank god, oh thank god, what happened, what happened?”

  “I’m Detective Jackson, and we need to ask you a few questions Mr. Harrington.” “Yeah sure,” “What is the nature of your relationship with your wife? …Is it strained are you on good terms?” And Royce didn’t understand why the detective was asking these questions. “I love my wife, love her very much. What has happened here? Where is she? Let me see her!” He pleaded, “Not yet Mr. Harrington, but she is fine…”

  “My boys, where are my boys?” “They are fine too Mr. Harrington.” “Is there any reason anyone would want to harm your wife?” He looked at him stunned, “Harm my wife, harm my wife…No I can’t think of anyone…Harm her how?” He asked, what was he getting at? “Well someone tried to harm your wife today Mr. Harrington and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it, so tell us what’s going on here, tell us who would want her harmed?” And Detective Jackson gave him a look like you know what I’m talking about, and Royce got it. The
y thought he wanted to hurt Joy.

  “Are you insane?” He jumped up and paced, “Someone tried to hurt her, someone tried to hurt her! Oh god, if anyone wanted to hurt her it’s not me, I love her, I love her!” He was past the point of being upset. “You need to look into her ex-husband, he’s the one who might want to hurt her!” But even he couldn’t fathom Michael hurting Joy. “What happened, what did they do?” He wanted to know, “You tell us Mr. Harrington, you tell us who you hired to commit this crime?” He was stunned. “How are your finances Mr. Harrington, are there money problems you can’t handle?” He was seething. “Did you put a hit out on your wife?” Detective Jackson was so nonchalant as he implied the unthinkable.

  “What? A hit? Like a mob hit? I don’t understand?” He didn’t know what a real hit was. He only knew by what he’d seen on TV, from movies, did someone put a mob hit on Joy, why? He didn’t understand. “You think I…I would never… I could never…,” he was so upset he couldn’t even say the word. “Where is my wife? Where is my wife? I want to see my wife! Is she okay, is she okay!” He didn’t know what to think, maybe Joy wasn’t alright, a mob hit. Maybe that’s why they weren’t letting him see her. She wasn’t okay. “Where is my wife? I want to see my wife!” He was crying now, “I want to see my wife! Where is my wife? Where is my wife!” “Calm down Mr. Harrington…” “I demand to see to my wife now!… I will not answer any further questions until I see my wife!” He wasn’t going to play cat and mouse games with them, someone tried to hurt Joy, someone put a hit out on Joy.

  “Alright Mr. Harrington,” Detective Jackson said.

  Royce was crying and upset and he wanted to see Joy. He heard the door open and she walked in. Joy held Christopher in her arms and Justin was holding her hand and he went to her. He took the baby and held them. He kissed her and hugged her to him, “Oh baby what’s going on? Oh baby, baby, I’m so glad you’re alright,” he held on tight to her and his boys, “I don’t understand Joy the police tell me that someone tried to hurt you, but I don’t know what’s going on? Who tried to hurt you? What happened?”

  Joy wiped his eyes, “Someone broke into the house today that’s all I know.”

  “What? In our neighborhood! What did they do? Why do the police think it was a hit, what did they do?”

  “A hit? I don’t know, the police think it’s a hit? I don’t know why they would think that. Some guy broke in and I took the boys and ran out the front door while he was breaking in the office,” she kept wiping his tears, trying to be calm for both of them. This was getting crazy, the police were asking her strange questions. Royce was clearly upset and crying, what was going on here? “I don’t know anything about a hit.”

  “Oh thank god you’re safe. You’re all safe, I just don’t understand what’s going on here Joy,” he said still visibly shaken. “I know baby, and I want to go home, I need to pick up the kids in a bit, but they keep asking me questions about us and I don’t know what to think baby,” he held her. “I don’t know either but get this I think they think I’m involved,” and he let out a sob. “Joy I can’t even breathe hearing them say something like that…that I would hurt you,” he was so visibly shaken and upset. It was heart wrenching to see him like this. “I can’t even think the thought without it hurting so bad.”

  She went to him and they held each other, “I don’t understand Royce why would they think it’s you?” “I don’t know, instead of trying to find out who did this they’re looking at me! It’s unbelievable, that’s what this is!” He was worked up again. “I know baby, I know, they don’t know us do they,” she kissed his brow, his lips, wiping his tears. “Well I tell you what, if they can’t help us I know someone who can. I’ll get to the bottom of this!”

  As he spoke to Joy the detectives watched through the two way mirror. “Well if he’s involved he’s a helluva actor. He really acts like he doesn’t have a clue and if I wasn’t thinking he was involved I’d believe him,” Detective Morell said, “Yeah, he’s believable, but in these cases it’s always the husband, nine times out of ten it’s for money.” “Well what about the ex-husband he mentioned,” Detective Marx asked. There was something about the way the husband held her, like his life depended on it and the way he was so baffled, utterly baffled that didn’t sit right with him in his gut, his gut told him the guy was innocent. “Yeah we’ll check it out, we’ll split this, two on the husband and two on the ex,” Detective Morell said. She was the lead on this case Detective Marx knew that and she was set on this guy. “Alright let him go,” she said, “But get your paper work in we’ve got an investigation people! Move we need to crack this case!”

  They let them go. Royce was beyond upset, he called Jameson before he even calmed down he was frantic, “Jameson, I need your help! It’s my wife, someone put a hit out on her. I need you to find the son of a bitch!” He said hurriedly. “Okay, I’ll be glad to help you sir, but who is this?” “Oh sorry man,” Royce hadn’t spoken to Jameson since he had him investigate Michael and that had been over a year ago now, “It’s Royce Harrington, I need your help man. This is something crazy I can’t even fathom.” “Okay Mr. Harrington, meet me at The Meridian and we’ll talk.”

  Jameson had taken the case, but this turn of events had him shook up. Joy Abrams the woman who started his association with Mr. Harrington was now his wife, and it didn’t surprise him she divorced Michael he was screwing everything in sight, but married to Mr. Harrington, he knew that shouldn’t surprise him but it did. From the minute he saw her standing there holding that blue eyed baby he knew there’d been something between them and from the intimate detailed way he described her he knew Mr. Harrington was in love with her, but married now and someone put a hit out on her? Okay first things first, check out the perp, see who and what they’ve got.

  Jameson called in his female operative, Valerie Timmons, “I need you to get in a few places for me. They have cleaning crews I’m sure, I need bugs in two downtown locations Abrams, Holmes & Holsted and Harrington-Rhodes,” he gave her the addresses, "And two residences, 1805 Burberry in Oak Cliff and 23 Chaucer Street in Dallas," sorry Mr. Harrington I can’t count you out just yet, got to cross my t’s and dot my i’s, "I need you on it tonight if you can swing it, if not as soon as possible, hit Abrams first though if you can.” She left, she was good, she was short, blonde and determined, ex-military with the tenacity of a bulldog, kind of like him he was told.

  He dressed like a lawyer, a suit, tie, then he put on a fake mustache, pulled his hair back in a ponytail and combed it sleek, tucked it down under his collar so it looked short from the front, put a notepad in a briefcase, called the county jail to see what public defender had been assigned to the perp and was told he hadn’t been assigned yet, that’s good , “Well it’s me and I’m on my way,” and gave his fake lawyer name and fake company name but a name that was close to public defender’s office to sound familiar and headed out, “John Gaines to see Charlie DeWitt,” he said.

  Charlie came in in handcuffs, “You my lawyer?” He asked gruffly. “No I’m his assistant, I’m here to get everything started, I take your statement,” he waited for Charlie to sit and for the guard to chain him to his chair. Jameson looked at him a long moment before he said, “Now Mr. DeWitt, I take your statement, your lawyer will take your statement, the police will take your statement. I might even come back to take your statement again. I’m saying all this to say tell the truth, the statement you give me should be the same statement you give the five times you tell it, and the only way to make sure of that is to tell the truth. I’m telling you the minute your statements don’t add up you’ve got a problem, not me, but you, are we clear?” He saw his face, Charlie nodded and Jameson knew he was going to tell the truth. The perp usually did after he told them that, they knew the time for bullshitting was over.

  He took his tape recorder from his briefcase and his notepad, “Begin,” he pushed the record button, “I’m not the person who made the contact, I just got the job you se
e.” “Okay, who gave you the job?” “Aw man you know I can’t tell you that…” “Okay for now, what was the job?” “Off the lady and her two kids, the half-breeds,” Jameson looked at him, “The lady and her two kids.” “Yeah, someone with big money wanted them gone.” “How much?” “One hundred thousand,” Charlie DeWitt said. Jameson looked at him again, “One hundred thousand for the lady and her two kids?” “Yeah, that’s a lot of money, I got bills,” and Jameson looked at him again, “Why this lady and are you sure it was this lady?” “Yeah…” “Go on tell me how you knew she was the one?” “I had her name, address…and a picture.” “You had a picture? Where is the picture?” “I burned it once I made her as instructed.” “Okay, what was the plan how were you going to off her?”

  “I was going to make it look like a burglary gone bad, you know typical, but I was to make sure the lady and the kids were done for, no survivors,” and Jameson wanted to punch him in the face talking so callously about killing a woman and two kids, two kids? Two kids, what two kids? “You said two kids.” “Yeah she has two mixed and two black kids in the house. I wasn’t to touch the black kids just the mixed ones,” and Jameson nodded, Mr. Harrington might be right, it sounds like Mr. Abrams after all, Jameson turned the recorder off.