A Simmering Dilemma

by Tyora Moody

  Amos snuck in after ten o’clock. I knew this because I heard him creep into the bedroom. I’m not sure what startled me out of my sleep. Maybe the sound of his clothes hitting the floor or the fact that he turned the light on in the bathroom. My eyes were immediately drawn to the clock by the side of my bed. I wanted to jump out of the bed and ask him what was going on, but I didn’t have the energy.

  As sleep snatched my consciousness again, I thought Briana got this thing about keeping secrets from her daddy too.

  Chapter 19

  When I awoke, Amos had already arose, making me wonder if the man even slept. It was Friday and my previous certainties of Briana’s return were waning. Maybe she did really leave and not taking her guitar was symbolic of something else. In fact, the more I thought about it, Briana seemed to have given up on pursuing a career. She still shared her voice with the world, but it was much more scaled back now. I prayed the events from these past two weeks had not stripped Briana of the one true thing where she found joy.

  On my way out of the bedroom something caught my eye out the window. I peered down to see a Simply Safe Security van in our driveway.

  Did Amos call them anyway? Why didn’t he say something?

  Okay, I was ready to get some answers. If that van was here, then Amos was somewhere on the premises.

  Sure enough, when I arrived downstairs Amos was talking to a representative dressed in a blue uniform with the Simply Safe Security badge on his shirt. I decided not to interrupt and moved on to the kitchen. I needed some coffee.

  To my surprise Amos had started the coffee already. I knew he was perfectly fine with starting the coffee, but it seemed to be something I always did. Grateful for the ready-made coffee, I grabbed a cup and slurped with my ear cocked towards the conversation down the hall. Sounded like Amos was discussing cameras.

  A few minutes later, he showed up in the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” I commented, giving him the eye.

  With a sheepish look on his face, he replied, “Morning. You look like you have questions.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You think? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you decided to get the security system, but I’m puzzled by the change of mind.”

  He sighed, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “No, I’m about to get something. Why are you changing the subject? Amos Jones, I know you’re keeping something from me. I don’t like it! We can’t be keeping secrets.”

  He held up his hands. “Woah! I’m not changing the subject. I promise I’m not trying to keep secrets.” He wrinkled his eyebrow, then grabbed my hand. “This past week has thrown me for a loop. I do have something to tell you but we need breakfast first.”

  I rolled my eyes at him before responding, “Now you’re trying to scare me. Let me get something started.”

  A few minutes later, I’d stirred up an old favorite, cheese grits. When I needed some comfort food, it usually involved cheese. Nothing like something that sticks to the tummy to make it all better. Well, at least temporarily.

  I prayed while I nuked the turkey bacon. Prayed for peace of mind. Amos was right about this past week. Life had been almost too peaceful since our wedding this past February. I had plenty of years and experience to know worry didn’t solve a thing. The one ailment I didn’t have and had no plans of ever having was an ulcer.

  Nope. Not me. Keeping up with my sugar levels was enough health conditions for me.

  Despite my determination to remain calm and let God have his way with me, I still almost jumped out of my skin when the toast popped-up from the toaster.

  Ugh!

  All the while I moved around the kitchen trying to busy myself with breakfast, Amos sat with his phone in his hand. I peered over his shoulder as I placed his plate of food in front of him.

  I asked, “So, we have a camera on the front of the house?”

  “Yes, one in the front and the back. And I had two installed on the outside of the house next door too.”

  I tried to eat my food, but anxiety was making it hard to finish. I placed my fork on the plate with a bang, which I didn’t intend to do. “Okay, I can’t take this anymore. What’s going on?”

  Amos peered at me and with a sigh, he pushed his almost empty plate away from him.

  Glad one of us had an appetite!

  “First, don’t be alarmed. But I did look into if there was anyone I put away that could be out for me.”

  I raised an eyebrow, panic already rising. “And?”

  “Nothing has come up yet, but you were right about being proactive. A young woman lost her life right next door. It could have been Briana. Anyways, the boys and I have tried to dig up what we could without Detective Wilkes having a major fit. But, I did come across some info.”

  “Someone who could be the killer?”

  He shrugged, “It came across my mind, especially when I saw the timing. There is a guy who was recently paroled. He missed showing up to meet his parole officer on Monday. Joe and I have been staking out his last known residences and locations.”

  I should have known Amos was up to something with his old partner. Despite retirement, it was hard to completely step away from the profession. Amos wasn’t about to turn down an investigation, but why was he pursuing this when his daughter needed him?

  I frowned, “Shouldn’t the police be doing that? If he’s messed up his parole, then they should be trying to get him back in jail.”

  “That’s the problem. They don’t know where he is.”

  I twisted my hands. “Who was this guy? What did he do that made you decide to get Simply Security out here today?”

  “J.C. White.”

  I paused for a moment as my memory kicked into gear. “J.C.? Wait, I knew a fellow that went by J.C. Is his full name Jermaine Campbell White?”

  “That’s him. You know everybody. Was he a student of yours too?”

  “Yes. I remember him. He was a bit of a class clown. Same class as Theo.”

  Amos nodded. “They paroled him on good behavior. He’d been sentenced about eight years ago for drug possession.”

  “Okay, why are you focusing on him?” Then I sucked in a breath. “Do you think he had anything to do with Sondra’s death?”

  Amos nodded, “They had to have known each other from school. J.C. didn’t graduate but was in the same class with Theo, Sondra, and Briana. When I heard J.C. had been missing since Saturday, I wanted to see if he was tied to Sondra.”

  I nodded. “Interesting. You think he went missing about the same time Sondra was killed?”

  “Not only that, he was last seen at the Black Diamond that night.”

  “Black Diamond? Same place Sondra was at on Saturday. There’s really no such thing as coincidence. I see why you’ve been preoccupied. You always seem to be looking on your phone. I guess this explains why.”

  He smiled, “Reading reports, looking at leads. That Black Diamond one seemed like a big lead for me.” His smile faded, “But J.C. seems to be in the wind. Last night proved to be a complete waste of time. We were hoping to spot him. Joe thinks the guy has fled the state. My priority is to find Briana and keep her safe. Something is going on with this group of classmates of hers. I don’t know what, but I’ve not seen this level of trouble surround a group in a while.”

  I nodded, “It is very strange, especially with this class approaching their tenth high school reunion. Sometimes it takes a small group of toxic people to stir the pot, make it worse for the entire group. I know Briana has to be feeling some kind of way returning back home to all of this. No idea about where she’s gone at all?”

  “Well, I know she hasn’t left the state. I had one lead yesterday although I don’t like it. She was seen talking to Theo Nichols yesterday, who has been officially moved off Wilkes’ list.”

  My eyes grew wide, “No. Why?”

  He shrugged. “I know, and I’m not sure why. He is the last person she should be contacting.”

  I sighed, “I didn’
t tell you about my day yesterday. When I was at the hospital, Gladys practically accused both Theo and Briana of being in cahoots in Sondra’s death. As though they wanted to get rid of her.”

  “I don’t like Theo, but I wouldn’t put this on him to purposely get rid of the mother of his children. Now if they got into an argument of some kind, I can see an accident.”

  I agreed, “That does make more sense. When I talked to Damion yesterday, he helped me gain some perspective. There is more than one side between Theo and Sondra. In fact, after talking to Sondra’s mom and then talking to Theo’s brother, I came up with very opposite reactions. Definitely a case of blood is thicker than water.”

  I noticed Amos’s eyes had grown wide. “You talked to Damion without me?”

  That’s all that man heard.

  “I wasn’t planning on talking to him. I went by the auto shop to find Charlene and Damion was there alone. The shop seemed to be closed for the day. I thought that was strange.”

  Amos fumed, “I don’t like this. I can’t believe you went over there alone. I don’t care for Theo’s involvement with Briana, but I have to admit he’s a decent guy. A ladies’ man, but he’s also a shrewd businessman and has deep roots to his community. Now his brother, Damion is just bad news.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know Damion has done some time. People do change. If you want my opinion as a former teacher, I believe Damion’s way of escaping the shadow of his older brother resulted in him being the exact opposite.”

  Amos eyed me. “I agree they are definitely exact opposites. Even if you were his teacher, you didn’t need to go by yourself.”

  “Well, Amos, unbeknownst to me, you went traipsing off with Joe to do your investigation.” I pointed my finger at him. “You know me by now. I had to do my own digging. Besides, it was the middle of the day and he seemed amiable to having a conversation. I definitely know that he didn’t like Sondra. He didn’t have one good thing to say about her. On the flipside, he was complimentary about Briana.”

  Amos grunted. “You said you were looking for a girl named Charlene. Is this the girl that was at the auto shop the other day when we were there?”

  “Yes. If you can recall, she mentioned hanging out with Sondra Saturday night. I want to reach out and talk to her. I figured since she was a former student of mine maybe she would be willing to talk. She certainly seemed to want to that day in the shop. If I can reach out to her, maybe we can find out who was around Sondra that night. You said we needed to trace Sondra’s steps from when she was at the Black Diamond. Where did she go Saturday night if she didn’t go home? Have you been able to find out anything?”

  “I’m afraid J.C. had me preoccupied the past few days.”

  “I could be wrong, but when you told me about the events from Briana’s past and what’s happening now it just seems like this ties together somehow. Charlene is the sister of Yvette, the girl killed that night. I’ve been nosing around. Charlene didn’t have the best relationship with Sondra either. I remember Sondra being abrasive. She just rubbed people, sometimes even teachers including me, the wrong way.”

  “I agree it would be good to nail down what happened that night. Charlene doesn’t appear to be on Wilkes’ radar though.”

  “I wonder why because here’s where it gets really weird. Jocelyn said that Sondra left the cafe with a woman. From the description, that woman had to be Charlene. I believe Charlene recorded the fight, but I don’t see why she would share it unless this is her way of getting back at Briana. You said people were blaming Briana for Yvette’s death.”

  Amos frowned, “Yeah, I can say that’s suspicious of Charlene recording the fight. Maybe she did it to protect Sondra if things got ugly.” He looked at me, “What are you thinking? Are you seeing Charlene for doing something? Why would she kill her own friend though?”

  I shook my head, “I have no idea. This is your area, reading people. I find it peculiar that Sondra and Charlene hadn’t been in each other’s lives until recently. What changed? Could Yvette’s death have driven a wedge into their friendship? Remember Yvette and Briana were fighting over Theo. Yvette’s dead. Briana moves on. Who ends up with Theo? Sondra. After talking with Damion, Sondra didn’t exactly win over Theo. She had this really weak connection to Theo only through their kids.”

  Amos rubbed his hands across his head. “That’s too much drama to process. This is what I solidly know. Sondra’s death strikes me as someone reacting in a fit of passion, probably real anger. I haven’t given up on Theo being angry enough to shove Sondra down. Sounds to me like Damion only supported the theory that Theo had enough hostility built up to hurt Sondra.”

  “I admit Theo does seem like the more likely subject. But there’s no evidence. Do they know if Sondra was struck with an object?”

  “More like she fell on something. She was probably shoved hard.”

  “So it could be a male or female?”

  “That’s right. Her clothes will not be processed until a few weeks. It’s possible forensics could pick up something from the other person having contact with Sondra.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes, letting everything we talked about settle in.

  I finally broke our quiet moment of reflection. “You said there’s a few weeks on the forensics and they let Theo go for now. How long is it going to be before they start to bother Briana again?”

  Amos heaved a sigh. “Not long.” He turned his phone in my direction. “We have company.”

  I turned my attention to the camera display on his phone. “Oh boy.” Sure enough Detective Wilkes was standing outside her car looking directly at our house.

  Chapter 20

  Lord, Jesus help us. Please don’t let it get ugly in here!

  I prayed my desperate pleas as I followed Amos to the door. We already knew Detective Wilkes had to be here looking for Briana. What would Amos say?

  We stood by the door, barely breathing in anticipation of the detective ringing the doorbell. We had enough drama going on but the last thing we needed was to try to push this woman away. With our track record, Wilkes might want to throw both of us in jail.

  Even though I was expecting her, looking over Amos’s shoulder as the detective approached our front door, I still practically leaped out of my skin again when the doorbell rang. I stepped back, watching as Amos opened the door.

  “Good morning, Detective. Can I help you?”

  Detective Wilkes peered in through the screen door, her eyes scanning behind us as if she knew we were hiding something. Or rather someone. “Can I come in, Mr. …er, Detective Jones?”

  I arched my eyebrow. Amos had been retired from the force for five years. Knowing she wanted him far away from her case, the acknowledgement of his former title was highly suspicious.

  “Why, sure. Come in, Detective Wilkes.” Amos opened the screen door, allowing the diminutive woman passage into the house.

  Wilkes continued to let her eyes roam as she stepped further into the house. I met this woman about two years ago and she hadn’t changed a bit. She kept her red hair tied in a ponytail. The only thing different was the woman had given up on her blazer. We were in the middle of July, and even the calm, cool detective had the sleeves of her white shirt rolled up to her elbows. I noticed a slight shine on her face. It was indeed a hot one out there.

  Amos stretched his arms towards the living room chairs. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’m assuming you have some updates.”

  My husband was one cool cucumber, having a conversation with Wilkes as though there wasn’t anything wrong. I followed suit and sat down on the couch next to him as Wilkes seated herself in one of the chairs across from the couch. I decided I would do something I didn’t normally do. I would keep my mouth closed. This was Amos’s daughter’s life on the line and I didn’t want to mess up anything.

  “Thank you for inviting me in. Unfortunately, I can’t share too much about the ongoing case. I know you know by now the identity of the young woman.”r />
  Amos nodded.

  Wilkes smiled, “Of course, knowing you and my dad, I’m sure you are aware of a lot more than you’re letting on.”

  I didn’t see a problem with Amos hanging out with his old partner, Joe, but ever since I found out Lenny Wilkes, a former detective himself, was Detective Wilkes’ dad, I’d been a bit sketchy about the man. I hoped Amos hadn’t been talking too much to Lenny. It didn’t seem like a good idea if the man shared anything he knew with his daughter.

  Amos grinned, “You know Lenny and I meet up on occasion to share war stories.”

  “Mmmm, yeah, I’ve heard about those war stories. My dad is also not shy about asking me questions about cases, which brings me to the reason why I’m here.”

  Uh oh!

  Silence settled over the living room after her statement. Amos and I waited. I wanted to fidget, but I matched Amos’s calm demeanor as best I could. It was like Detective Wilkes wanted to create the most impact by taking her time to state her reasons. I don’t know why; all three of us knew she could only be here because she was looking for Briana.

  She cleared her throat. “Jones, I’ve been trying to get in touch with your daughter, Briana. Any ideas where she may be?”

  Amos cocked his head as though he was thinking. “Unfortunately, my daughter is a grown woman. I can’t say I keep up with her whereabouts.”

  Wilkes’ facial features changed as if she was disappointed in his answer.

  I don’t know why! Nobody was going to give up their child to the police.

  “It’s really important that I speak to her. We have had some developments in the case.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard. And I’ve seen the video, Wilkes.”

  I was surprised by Amos’s directness.

  “I’m sure you have as well as a lot of other people.” Wilkes shook her head. “Your daughter didn’t reveal to us that she knew the victim. We need to question her again now that we know she had an altercation with the victim.”