by Tyora Moody
Chapter 12
When I stepped into Good Eats, Leesa caught my attention at a table near the front. To my surprise, she wasn’t by herself. My daughter-in-law, Carmen was also sitting at the table. These two together made me nervous. I loved how my daughter took to Carmen like an older sister. They weren’t that far apart in age and Carmen had married Leesa’s favorite brother. My oldest boy, Junior, treated Leesa a bit like a second dad, where Cedric had always been Leesa’s support system when she was on the outs with me. It would upset me anytime we were estranged over our mother-daughter issues, but I took comfort in knowing Cedric always had the magic touch with his little sister.
I pulled out a chair from the table, eyeing both young women. “This looks like an ambush.”
Carmen stood and hugged me. “It’s not, Mama Eugeena, but we are concerned. Cedric wanted to call you this morning, but he had two deliveries at the hospital. He’s really worried. And yes, we saw the video.”
I sat down with a huff. “That video. What is wrong with people whipping out their phones over every little thing? That was the last thing Gladys needed yesterday. The woman was distraught.”
Leesa’s eyes widened. “Do you think Theo did it, Mama?”
“I don’t know, but I need a menu. I’m famished. You’re still buying my food, right?” I had to check with Leesa sometimes. It wouldn’t be the first time she wiggled out of paying for a meal.
Leesa rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mama.”
Leesa and Carmen had already ordered. Despite the smells of soul food tempting me, I decided to keep it simple and ordered a large house salad with grilled chicken. I was in need of some protein to energize me.
Once the waiter took my order, Carmen asked, “How’s Amos doing? This all happened on his property.”
I cleared my throat. “He’s worried, especially since Briana found the body.”
Leesa tapped her French-manicured fingers on the table. “That’s awful. I don’t know what I would have done if I found a dead body.”
“Seeing that I have some experience, the first thing you experience is shock at what you are seeing.”
“Did she know Sondra?” Carmen asked.
“Funny you asked. She acts like she doesn’t, but …” I peered around making sure no one was listening to our conversation. “There’s a common thread between the two women.”
Leesa and Carmen glanced at each other and then back at me, waiting for me to continue. But the waiter showed up with our food. I almost wished I had ordered something else besides the salad once I saw what the girls had ordered. Leesa was rubbing her hands together over a plate of chicken and waffles, while Carmen had salmon and grits placed in front of her.
I was too distraught to really enjoy a meal right now and those kinds of meals were not for me anymore. I felt like I was eating just to survive. Once we were all served, I prayed over the food and we dug in, devouring our meals in silence.
My impatient child broke our eating in peace by nudging me, “Mama, you were saying?”
I finished chewing, and then took a swig of my unsweetened ice tea. No doubt I was purposely holding off this conversation. I hadn’t voiced any of this out loud to anyone, especially to Amos. I took a deep breath. “Well, you know the father of Sondra’s kids is Theo Nichols. I found out from Amos that Briana used to date Theo in high school. He’s been coming to the house to visit Briana. In fact, he was just there this past weekend.”
Both Leesa and Carmen’s eyes grew wide.
“What are you saying, Eugeena?” Carmen inquired.
I waved my hand as if I was shushing a small child. “I’m not saying anything. I made a few observations.”
Leesa asked, “What does Amos think?”
I picked up my fork, but placed it back down. I was starting to lose my appetite and that wasn’t a good thing for me. I loved to eat, and I really was hungry when I arrived. “We haven’t talked about yesterday, nor have we talked about Theo Nichols. I will say that we were at the auto shop yesterday to do more than get work on Amos’s truck.”
Carmen looked at me, “Amos was already suspicious of Theo?”
Leesa piped up, “I can’t believe this. They were all in school ahead of me, but I remember them.”
I frowned, “That’s right. You were in school with that crowd. What do you remember?”
Leesa nodded, “I was a freshman, and they were all seniors.” She held up her fingers calling out names with each finger. “The Nichols brothers, Theo and Damion. Sondra. Oh yeah, and Charlene. You know what’s funny? I didn’t remember Briana until you and Amos hooked up.”
I rolled my eyes at that hooked up phrase. “I don’t know anything about hooking up. Amos and I were both two different people back then. I was still married to your father and Amos was married to Francine. They didn’t move into Sugar Creek until after both their daughters were grown.”
Leesa shook her head, “Isn’t it crazy how small the world can be? Anyhow, I remember Damion more so than Theo, now that I think about it.” She giggled, “Don’t tell nobody, but I had a big crush on Damion.”
Carmen laughed, “Ooh, look at you confessing your teenage crush. Why was Damion so special?”
Leesa held her hands under her chin as if she was about to drift off into dreamland. “I don’t know. I mean Theo was on the football team, but he was so popular. All the girls liked him. Damion was kind of popular too, but he was just different. I thought he had more swag than his brother.”
I frowned, absorbing this info. “Damion got into a lot more trouble than his older brother too. Although, Theo had his faults too. He sounded like quite the ladies’ man back then if he had two girls fighting over him. Do you remember him dating Briana?”
Leesa thought for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t remember Briana being with Theo, but then again Theo was with a lot of girls. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Carmen commented, “Sounds like Theo should definitely be considered a person of interest. Does anyone know if he was at the house on Sunday? ”
“He was definitely at the house.” I answered. “But we know on Saturday, Sondra had been hanging out at a place where she’d just started working. Black Diamond?”
Leesa almost choked on her ice tea. After recovering from a coughing fit, she blurted, “I know that place.”
I arched an eyebrow, “You do? You’ve been there?”
Leesa grimaced. “No, Mama. I haven’t been to a nightclub in forever. But I know one of the owners. Mac Porter. He’s Chris’s cousin.”
“Really?”
Chris has family in Charleston. That’s good to know.
I wasn’t going to mention anything about Chris, but this was the second time in the same day that my daughter mentioned him. I’d been curious about the arrangements of Chris’s visits since he and Leesa weren’t married, but I knew how Leesa hated me being in her business so I kept my curiosities to myself.
I started eating my salad again, letting the munching drown out my thoughts. Food was my greatest comfort, but I still found myself wanting to return back to what Leesa mentioned, “Sondra started working there a few months ago too.”
“You think her death has something to do with the club?” Carmen suggested.
Leesa jumped in, “Maybe she saw or heard something she wasn’t supposed to?”
I shook my head. “Okay, you two are just as bad as me with all these hypotheses. Even if your suggestions have some truth, the girl was killed next door. We are still trying to figure out who Briana had over at the house. Apparently, she had some guests she didn’t know.”
“Sounds like she could have had some really shady characters in the house.” Carmen reached down in her pocketbook. “Did you and Amos ever consider the alarm system that Cedric suggested?”
“The one with the cameras? Y’all have a camera it feels like in every window.”
Carmen laughed and then placed a pamphlet on the table. I peered down to see Simply Safe Security on the front of the
pamphlet. I flipped it open to find a smiling multicultural family inside their home.
Carmen’s voice soothed, “It feels that way, but we don’t have a camera on every window. We have one in the front, the back and on the sides of the house. I really like having the one in the front because when someone rings the doorbell, I can see who is at the door on my phone app. And it works great to see when deliveries have been dropped off at your house while you’re at work.”
“That sounds like a lot. And these days usually Amos or I are home during the day.”
“Yes, but think what you could have caught on camera if you guys had the security system, not just at your house, but on Amos’s property as well.”
Carmen brought up a good point. My son bragged about his elaborate system, but I’d been living in Sugar Creek for thirty years and never had a need for an alarm system in the house.
“Mama, why is Briana inviting these types of people in Amos’s house? I mean how does she know them? She’s been living in California all this time. I don’t get her at all.”
Leesa was asking some pertinent questions, and I wish I had the answers. I commented, “With the Nichols brothers and a few others, I’m assuming she’s mainly connecting with classmates from high school.”
My daughter rolled her eyes, “Well, they get together too much. I wouldn’t want to see some of the people I went to high school with that much. If I’m not mistaken, Briana’s class is due for their tenth year anniversary soon. Why not wait until the reunion?”
“Is that right?” Something else came to mind. I’m not sure why I didn’t bring it up before. “Leesa, we were talking about girls that Theo dated. There was a girl who was a part of this same class that was killed. I believe her and Sondra were friends. Do you remember?”
Leesa waved her hands around in excitement, “I do remember. Charlene Hunt’s sister. Yvonne, no Yvette was her name. They were twins, but they weren’t identical.”
I nodded, “So they were fraternal twins? What do you remember about Yvette?”
“She was a cheerleader like Sondra. I don’t know why I didn’t remember her earlier. Yvette was a real pretty girl. She wore her hair short and had darker skin than her sister Charlene. I want to say she was taller than her twin too. There was some random shooting. I remember for about a week it was so sad at school. A lot of people were crying in the hallway and in class. No one ever found out who shot at the house. Why are you asking, Mama?”
I didn’t want to get more into the weeds right now. I’d already shared too much. “No, reason. I saw Charlene yesterday and remembered her being best friends with Sondra.”
Leesa frowned. “This is all coming back to me, Mama. Sondra, Yvette and Charlene. Sondra and Yvette were both cheerleaders.” Then she added, “They were also known as mean girls.”
That sparked my interest, “Really?”
Leesa cocked her head. “Yeah, you know what? Now I remember they used to pick on this one girl all the time. Yvette and that girl finally got into a fight.”
I leaned forward, “Leesa, that girl was Briana.”
My daughter stared at me. “What? Briana. Wow, I guess I did see her in school, but I didn’t really know her name. Mama, why are you bringing up all this old history? What does Yvette’s death years ago have to do with Sondra?” Leesa sucked in a breath, “Mama, you don’t believe Briana did anything?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know what I believe at the moment. I just know there is no such thing as a coincidence.”
Carmen had been listening intently with her arms folded on the table. “No, Ms. Eugeena. I don’t believe there is a coincidence here. I hate to say this, but Amos should get Briana a lawyer if he hasn’t already. If these women were mean girls as Leesa said, there could be some bitter memories for Briana. Either she’s guilty of getting some kind of revenge or someone is still messing with Briana all these years later.”
I exclaimed, “That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Good to know that you both are seeing what I’m seeing. I’m really worried, it doesn’t look good for Briana.”
If my daughter could remember conflicts from almost ten years ago with some prodding, it’s like Amos said, other people probably had long memories too. Suspicion around Briana would only get worse. Thinking back on the list of people who were at the house, I wondered who else could have had a grievance against Sondra that ultimately led to her death.
For Briana’s sake, one of her classmates needed to rise to the top of the list.
Chapter 13
Even though I had ordered a salad, my stomach felt full from finally demolishing the rest of it before I left the restaurant. Leesa insisted I finish it or take it home since she was paying for the meal. I had to laugh because I knew that was something she learned from me. I did not believe in wasting food or money.
On the way home, my energy dipped low again, either from the summer heat, the meal or the week’s events. Probably a combination of all of the above. There was a time when I used to only take naps on Sunday afternoons. A good nap after Sunday service and a good meal, now that was heavenly. But with my retiree schedule, I took a nap anytime of the week. I needed some downtime right now, but when I rolled into my driveway I could see a nap would not be coming my way anytime soon. Amos’s truck was in the yard. Now that he was home, we had to have several conversations, starting with where he went this morning.
Before I could get out of the car, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to find my neighbor, Louise Hopkins, waving at me from her porch. Sitting next to her was her granddaughter, Jocelyn Miller. Louise had been through some things the past few years including the death of her son and being placed in a nursing home. When her long lost granddaughter came along, Louise’s life took a change for the better, gaining a whole new family and her beloved home back. Before I became head of neighborhood watch, Louise held the role. Despite being seventy-two years of age, she still kept a sharp eye on things.
I kind of was surprised Louise hadn’t ambushed me yet about the activities earlier in the week. I knew it had to be the aches in her body keeping her more still than usual. She was adamant about staying in the home she’d almost lost and had no intentions of returning to a nursing home. I didn’t blame her. I missed my friend dearly and knew she was good where she was, here in Sugar Creek.
I walked up on the wraparound porch steps and reached down to hug the woman I’d known as long as I lived in Sugar Creek. Her blue eyes sparkled at me. “It’s good to see you, Eugeena. Come on, sit a while so we can catch up. I’ve been meaning to come check on you, but the arthritis has been something else the past few days.”
I sat down in one of the white rocking chairs Louise had on her porch. Her porch had bamboo ceiling fans that swirled slow and easy, making the hanging ferns sway. I helped myself to some of the lemonade Louise had sitting on a table between the rocking chairs. This woman was a true southern belle, always ready to be hospitable to guests. I guzzled the cold lemonade, “Mmm, this is good.” I pointed to the glass, grateful for the cool liquid. “I didn’t realize I was thirsty.” I placed the glass on the table and turned my attention to the two ladies who were waiting patiently for me to share. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by, I know you must have questions.”
Jocelyn must have arrived home from her job shortly before I arrived. She sat on the other side of her grandmother still dressed in her uniform, a caramel blouse emblazoned with the Sugar Creek Cafe logo and her brown pants. She peered over at me, “We know you have your hands full. Me and Grams have been talking.” Jocelyn rubbed her hands together as if they were cold.
I raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like you two should share first.”
Jocelyn grimaced, “This has to be a sensitive time for you.”
“Sensitive?”
Louise whispered, “Amos’s daughter. We heard she found the body.”
I was wondering how many other people knew Briana found the body. “Yes, she did.”
Louise
scrunched her nose, “The parties, Eugeena. We’ve had college kids renting houses in this neighborhood for years and they get loud from time to time. Now Briana seems like a good woman, but does she need to have all those people over every weekend? And on a Sunday this past time.”
“Believe me, Amos has talked to her. It’s a precarious situation with her coming back home after all these years to live around her one remaining parent, the one she’s been at odds with the past few years. He doesn’t want to rock the boat and have her leave. To be honest, I think she does a lot of what she does to get under Amos’s skin.”
“She’s definitely being difficult.” Jocelyn stated.
Usually Jocelyn was in a bouncier mood. She could have been tired from work or even exhausted from the heat, but I had a feeling she had more to say after that statement. “How’s Briana doing at the cafe, Jocelyn?”
Jocelyn tilted her head down as if to prepare herself. She shifted her attention towards me, her eyes appeared sorrowful as if what she was about to say pained her. “Eugeena, I’m not sure things are working out for Briana at the cafe.”
“Oh no.” I had begged Jocelyn to help Briana get a job at the Sugar Creek Cafe. The girl needed something to do. Jocelyn came through a month ago with a part-time position for Briana. At first Briana seemed to want to refuse, but Amos encouraged her to take the job. Plus, I knew the cafe hosted singers and musicians for music night on occasion. It was a perfect opportunity for Briana to acclimate herself to the community.
“She’s not been on time the past few days she’s been scheduled. She called in sick yesterday, which I understood after what happened Sunday night.” Jocelyn peered around me down the street as if she was expecting to see Briana. “There’s more. She begged me not to tell her dad, but after what went down Sunday night I feel like I needed to at least tell you.”
My shoulder wilted, “I see, so I can be the one to break it to my husband.”