“It’s okay, Sweetheart. I’m not going to let anything ruin this day, not even Detective Bradford,” she said. “Besides, if Brenda can overlook the way he harassed her and her mother when he thought they were guilty, I should be able to overlook his many faults.”
“I realize Mel may be lacking in social graces but he’s been my partner for the past two years. I’d risk my life for him if it came to that.”
Renee cringed. “Honey, I couldn’t bare the thought of losing you to save Melvin Bradford.”
“Well, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment and I know Mel would put his life on the line for me too. That’s just the way we operate. But that doesn’t mean I wanna spend all my free time with him,” he said, showing his dimples when he smiled at her.
Renee noticed the music selection changed to a nice, mellow tune. Suddenly, Cha-Cha strolled over and sat down on the matching love seat facing them. She rested her plate of heavily frosted cake on top of the coffee table in the center of the two complimentary sofas.
“I had to threaten to break both Remy’s knees if he didn’t play my new Erykah Badu CD,” said Cha-Cha, swaying her head to Miss Badu’s soulful voice, “Now I can sit here and chill for a minute.”
“Veda’s daughter, Sherrelle just phoned from her cell phone,” Cha-Cha told Renee, “She’s on her way over with a gift for the new baby. She insisted on using her own money that she gets from helping out around the shop and would not let Veda put her name on the gift she brought. That girl is something else,” said Cha-Cha, shaking her head. “I told her to bring some tunes that the kids are listening to these days. And, when she gets here she can permanently relieve Remy of his disc jock duties.”
“That’s sweet of Sherrelle,” said Renee.
“Yeah, Veda lucked out with that little lady. Makes me almost wish I had settled down and had a kid or two of my own … Almost,” Cha-Cha winked and took a bite of cake.
“I have to admit Veda’s been a great Mom to Sherrelle ever since they reunited,” Cha-Cha added. “I’m really proud of my girl Veda. She’s come a long way thanks to your help, Dr. Renee.”
“That’s what I love about being a psychologist—seeing people make healthy changes in their lives,” said Renee, “I truly believe that people can change if they so desire. It’s gratifying when I see people accomplish what they want to achieve the way Veda has.” Renee looked at Veda out on the dance floor, having a great time with Ana’s date. Cha-Cha followed her gaze and nodded.
“Detective Hamilton, I almost forgot to thank you for stopping by Good Looks last week and schooling me about that lowlife Ian Mathias,” said Cha-Cha, wrinkling her nose as if smelling rotten meat at the mention of her former boyfriend. “Turns out you were right about him.”
“I take it you heard the news bulletin that Agent Santos and I arrested Mathias on Monday, along with his boy, DL, and four other Jett Set crewmembers.”
“Yeah, I read it in the papers and heard it on the news too. But I’d already dumped the thug long before that. I hope he gets the chair for lying to me the way he did.”
“Don’t worry, Cha-Cha, the U.S. attorney’s office has built a solid case against Mathias and his crew,” said Deek, “His hitman, DL took our bait and plea bargained in exchange for testifying against him.”
“Good.” She picked up her plate and took another bite of cake.
“Like I told you before, Dr. Renee,” said Cha-Cha with a deep sigh, “when it comes to men, I always seem to lose out.”
Mel Bradford squeezed next to Cha-Cha on the loveseat. Renee wondered how long he had been listening to their conversation. Bradford leaned closer to Cha-Cha and tilted his head before re-introducing himself but Cha-Cha told him she already knew who he was since he had questioned her about Jerome’s murder.
“A beautiful lady like you. Those guys must be bums,” he said, “Would you like me to get you something from the table, some more cake, another glass of wine?”
Renee stared at both Bradford and her hair stylist. Bradford openly displayed his lust for Cha-Cha in her black, leather mini-skirt and stretchy tight blouse. But what Renee couldn’t understand was why instead of giving Bradford a look of disgust, Cha-Cha offered him a hint of a smile. She even crossed her legs and finger-curled a lock of hair behind her ear.
“You married?” she asked him.
“Not any more.”
“Then another glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay would be nice, Mel,” she said sweetly.
Bradford nearly tripped over his feet trying to rush to the kitchen to pour Cha-Cha some more wine.
After he left, Cha-Cha cooed seductively, “Your partner’s as cute as a teddy bear with those sad, brown eyes, that round tummy, and those three little pieces of hair sticking up on top his head.”
“If you say so, Cha-Cha. Somehow, I never pictured Mel in that regard but to each his own,” Deek chuckled.
“So Detective Hamilton, is your partner telling the truth about his marital status?” she asked, “I’ve had enough of married men to last a lifetime.”
“Um hum,” Deek nodded, “His wife divorced him last year.”
Renee thought about warning Cha-Cha about Detective Melvin Bradford then decided to mind her own business. Besides, who was she to give advice about love? She was just discovering the true meaning of love for herself. Knowing Bradford, it wouldn’t take him long to show his real personality and completely turn Cha-Cha off. His single status couldn’t help him there.
“Yeah, I think an older, more mature man like Mel might be just what I need right now.”
Bradford returned with the wine and plopped back down beside Cha-Cha. She lifted her glass to Renee in a toast. Bradford followed suit with his glass of bourbon.
“Here’s to Dr. Renee, a great therapist, now a new mother, and to top it all off, heroine of the day.”
“That’s right, Doc,” said Bradford, “We gotta hand it to you for nailing Odessa Dillon the way you did. She was a big girl for you to handle all by yourself.”
“I didn’t do anything but try to get away from her. And thank God I did.”
“I read where Odessa’s accomplice confessed,” said Cha-Cha, “It’s hard to believe that dude was supposed to be Jerome’s best friend. And, to top it off, turns out he was the same bigmouth old dude who came into the shop sometimes to get Whittni, one of the girl’s in my beauty shop, to wash his hair. Unbelievable,” said Cha-Cha, shaking her head.
“Yeah, Jerome Johnson had one friend too many,” said Bradford, agreeing.
“I wonder if Jerome knew before he died that it was his best friend who betrayed him?” said Cha-Cha. “But then again, I guess it does happen,” she said thoughtfully with a sad look.
“Hard to say. According to his confession, Alonzo Woods followed his boss’s orders like a boot camp maggot,” said Bradford, “and if that wasn’t bad enough, the guy’s own wife called the station to tip us off while Dr. Renee was out battling in the woods with the wildebeest.”
“After Alonzo’s wife called, we got a search warrant and found so much evidence at his home we didn’t even need his confession.”
“That’s right, the uniforms found his black Coogi jacket in the closet with burn marks on it. Plus, the gas receipt for the gasoline he used in the arson was still in one of the pockets,” Deek said.
“So you see Doc, Mel and I would have eventually caught the bad guys. There was no need for you to risk your life going after them,” said Deek, with a serious tone.
“I’m just glad the people responsible for such a vicious act were caught and brought to justice,” said Renee, “I hope that finding and convicting Jerome’s murderer will give Brenda closure now.” During their conversation, Renee didn’t hear the doorbell ring but looked up when Chizuko suddenly came rushing towards her, visibly distressed.
“M
iz H, Mr. H at front door!” she shrieked while waving her arms in the air.
“Calm down, Chizuko. I’ll take care it,” said Renee and got up to go talk to him but before she could reach the hallway to speak to him privately, he walked through the living room.
“I didn’t know you were throwing a party, Hon. Guess my invitation got lost in the mail. Bill spotted Angel in the corner, licking her already clean, white fur even cleaner. He called her to come to him but Angel ignored him. “Looks like my cat belongs to you too now,” he said with a pained expression on his face.
“She always did. You gave her to me, remember. Listen, Bill, just because I didn’t get around to changing the locks, doesn’t give you the right to barge in as if you still live here,” she said. “Don’t forget, we’re now legally separated and you moved out.”
“You know that was a mistake,” he said, with a menacing stare at Deek.
“Bill, why are you here?” she placed her hand on his arm, and spoke gently in order to diffuse any possible conflict. She was close enough to detect the alcohol on his breath. “I’m glad everything worked out for you and the FBI believed your story. Now that Shaw has been arrested for his connections to that drug dealer isn’t it time for you to make a new start and figure out what you want to do with your life?”
Bill turned serious. “I already know what I want. I wanna get back what I had. If it wasn’t for me listening to Shaw I would’ve never given you those divorce papers. It was a mistake, Renee.” He reached out to her and moved closer, but she backed away. He snatched her by the waist without warning.
Renee jerked free of him before he had a chance to kiss her. It was only one o’clock in the afternoon but the liquor was heavy on his breath. At that moment, Deek leaped up from the sofa and stood next to Renee but she waved him back.
“Let’s go talk in the kitchen,” she told Bill and grabbed his hand to lead him out of the room.
Once they were out of earshot of everyone, she spoke softly. “Bill, your things have already been packed and labeled with your current address. The movers will see to it that all the boxes get to where they’re going,” she said. “All you have to do is be home tomorrow between noon and five when they arrive. This is happening and there’s nothing you can do to change it. I don’t want us to be enemies.”
“Looks like you’ve thought of everything, My Dear.” He pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. “I don’t want to be enemies either. In fact, I still love you,” he said without being able to look at her.
“Bill, I really would appreciate it if you’d leave now. I don’t want a scene with all these people here.”
“Neither do I, Sweetheart. That’s why I’m asking you nicely if we can get back together. I'll try harder this time.”
“Renee asked you to leave,” said Deek, suddenly appearing at the kitchen doorway. “I think you need to respect her wishes, don’t you?”
“I think you need to mind your goddamn business, Hamilton,” said Bill, jumping up from his chair and now only inches from Deek’s face. Both men looked at each other with unblinking coldness then Bill spoke, calmly. “Renee and I may be temporarily separated but we’re not divorced yet. Just so you know, I’m not giving up. I’m not scared of you, Hamilton—with or without your police-issued weapon.”
“Look man, if you wanna discuss this outside, let’s go now,” Deek said, trying not to lose his temper, “But I’m not going to disrespect Renee and her guests by arguing with you in her home.”
“Such a gentleman,” said Bill, with a sarcastic undertone. “Let me make this perfectly clear, I intend to get my wife back.”
“No, Bill, you won’t,” said Renee, gently pushing Deek to one side and stepping between the two men, “I no longer want what you thought you were giving me for the last fourteen years. Please leave quietly. There’s nothing else to discuss.”
Bill elbowed pass Renee and moved closer to confront Deek, his adversary, once again. At that moment, Bradford appeared in the kitchen and stepped up to Bill. He held out his shield and dangled a pair of handcuffs.
“Don’t worry, Doc. No need to call law enforcement on your former husband ‘cause there’s enough of us already here,” he said wearing a sarcastic grin. “Don’t be stupid, asshole. Seems to me you’ve already stayed past your welcome.”
Bill smiled weakly at Renee and started towards the door. “No need to show me out, Babe. I know my way.” He turned back around and narrowed his dark eyes at Deek. “This isn’t over, friend,” said Bill, with a chilly smile. Then, he turned to look at Renee. “I will be back,” he said and left through the front door.
Chapter 44
October 24,
Later that evening, Renee dressed for dinner, completely alone in the empty boxed up house. By the time Deek returned to the house to pick her up, Chizuko had gotten everything cleaned up and back to normal before she left to go home. Other than the unpleasant confrontation with Bill, the entire day had been wonderful. She anticipated an even better evening alone with Deek with the hope of many more evenings just like it to come. And, in just a few days after she moved into her new home, she would pick up her baby! She still couldn’t get used to how unbelievable that sounded. She finally had what she thought would never be hers.
Renee clamped on the three-diamond necklace that Deek had given her for her birthday. It settled just above the crevice of her breasts and gleamed against her skin. She wore tiny, diamond drop earrings that matched the necklace perfectly and complimented her scoop necked, red chemise dress. She swept her shoulder-length, Egyptian-sable hair to the left side, revealing only one of the diamond earrings.
“You look absolutely gorgeous,” said Deek when she opened the door.
Dressed for the evening, he looked as fine as any runway male model in black wool slacks, taupe jacket and black Stacy Adams shoes. A glimpse of taupe, silk necktie paired nicely with the taupe vest over a black dress shirt. He stepped inside the foyer just long enough to hold out her coat. Folding his dark gray trench coat over one arm, he followed her out. Neither one seemed to be able to wipe the permanent smile from their faces as they walked hand-in-hand down the long driveway to his car.
“Where are you taking me tonight, Detective? Not that it really matters because all I need is to be with you.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see. Several weeks ago, I asked to take you to dinner and as I recall, you turned me down,” he said, opening the passenger side door for her.
“That won’t happen again,” she smiled and leaned into his arms for a quick kiss before climbing in the car.
They headed downtown and when Deek approached 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Renee suddenly feared that he planned to make a detour at the FBI Building. After all he was still assigned to the DC Joint SOS Task Force and might have something important to take care of before their evening together could begin. Her worries subsided when he parked at 10th and Pennsylvania in front of the Asian-inspired TenPenh Restaurant and got out to open her door.
They crossed the threshold that separated Washington’s swarming nightlife from an exotic haven of diffused, romantic lighting, soft music, and tantalizing aromas of Asian-Pacific cuisine. A hostess dressed in a floor-length, embroidered, silk tunic greeted Deek as one of their frequent customers and led them to a semi-private dining area, secluded within an etched glass enclosure. Moments later a waiter brought the bottle of champagne that Deek had requested and poured their glasses. Against the backdrop of teak furniture, Asian silk and woven wall hangings, soothing instrumental music resonated pleasantly throughout the restaurant.
The waiter came over to take their order. Deek suggested they try the restaurant’s signature dish of Chinese-style smoked lobster with fried spinach. After the waiter left, Deek grasped Renee’s hand from across the table.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry I wasn’t there
when Odessa Dillon tried to kill you. Can you forgive me, Baby?”
“If you can forgive me for playing detective and almost getting myself killed.”
“Renee, promise me you’ll stop chasing down criminals by yourself. That’s my job, remember?”
“Yes, Darling. I promise.”
“Good. I know I can be a bit overprotective at times,” he said. “Even though I was born and raised in Chicago, my maternal grandparents immigrated from Martinique and brought my mother to the States when she was a girl. My grandparents kept their Martinican traditions, so I guess I inherited a touch of my grandfather’s West Indian male chauvinism.”
“I can tell. Just don’t get too macho on me. I’m not some helpless female type, you know.”
“I know and I’m glad you’re not,” he said. “Anyway, not to worry. I like strong, assertive women. I just want you to be careful, Baby, when I’m not there, okay?”
“I understand, Darling. And the next time I decide to go chasing criminals, I’ll tell you first,” she smiled and winked.
“I can see I’m going to have a difficult woman on my hands. Maybe, I should just talk to Chief Frye about assigning you a piece and a shield.”
“I don’t need that to be a PI,” she said teasingly.
“I hope you’re joking, Renee.”
“Of course, I’m joking, Honey. You know very well, I’m not interested in becoming a private investigator … at least, not now,” she said. “All I want is to be a good mother to Katia, help my patients, and keep you in my life.”
Deek closed his eyes and leaned forward across the table to kiss her gently and accepted her return kiss. They ignored the stares of other diners.
“The last time I remember being this adored by someone was with my first boyfriend when I was only sixteen years old. I forgot what it felt like to be cherished,” said Renee. She grew silent for a moment when thinking about the time she fell in love for the first time and got pregnant at sixteen.
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