The moment was intensely awkward as Joanna suddenly realized she was standing there in sheer panties and a tank top, her bathrobe forgotten in the bedroom. The attire hid very little, all her goodies on full display. She cussed as she spun on her heels and hurried back in the other direction. Behind her, she could hear Mingus chuckling softly.
* * *
Minutes later Mingus could hear her in the other room, still muttering under her breath. Her reaction had been priceless and he was amused. Despite his best efforts he couldn’t stop thinking about the visual she’d blessed him with. The form-fitting garment she’d been wearing had flattered the round of her buttocks and the hint of cleavage between her pert breasts. Her skin was a rich, warm, gingerbread brown and with the length of black hair that hung past her shoulders, she’d been quite the sight to behold. But it had been her bright smile pulled from ear to ear that had him still grinning. He liked seeing her happy.
He had cracked the eggs into the glass bowl and seasoned them with salt and pepper. A second trip to her fridge produced cheese and an assortment of vegetables to complete the morning meal. He was sliding omelets onto two plates when she returned. This time she was wearing denim jeans and a white-and-blue button-up shirt. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail that hung down her back. She was still just as stunning. He ignored the rising sensation quivering for attention in his southern quadrant, instead reaching for the coffeepot to fill two cups with brew.
“I hope you’re hungry.”
“I usually don’t eat breakfast, but it smells really good.”
“It’s the most important meal of the day. I always eat breakfast in case I don’t get to eat for the rest of the day.”
Joanna moved to take a seat at the table as Mingus pointed to her plate. “Does that happen often? That you don’t get to eat?”
“Sometimes.”
Mingus suddenly reached across the table, motioning for her hands. For a brief moment the gesture caught her off guard. She eyed him questioningly, her brows raised. He waved his fingers a second time until she extended her arms toward his. He clasped her hands beneath his own and lowered his head.
“Father God, thank You for the food we are about to receive for the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.”
Joanna was still eyeing him curiously as he let her go and leaned back in his seat. He reached for his fork and began to eat. She reached for hers, poking at the two-egg omelet filled with cheese, spinach, onion and tomato. She rested her fork against the plate and reached for her coffee cup. After splashing it with hazelnut-flavored creamer, she took a sip, her eyes closing as she savored the rich flavor.
“Coffee’s really not good for you,” Mingus said as he took a sip of his own brew.
Joanna smiled. “So, breakfast is good and coffee isn’t?”
“That’s what they say.”
“So why are you drinking it?”
“I never pay much attention to what they say. I do what I want, when I want.”
Joanna took another sip. “Works for me,” she said, tossing him a look of complicity.
Mingus resisted the urge to smile, his game face sliding into place. He swallowed a forkful of eggs, the melted cheese and vegetables bursting with flavor in his mouth. For a moment they both sat savoring the meal, neither saying anything until Joanna spoke.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?”
“I’m going to take you to Ellington’s office, so we can figure out his next steps. After that, you’ll come back here.”
“I need to get my personal belongings from my classroom and I need to pick up my car.”
“You can’t do that. I’ll get your things for you. If you go within ten feet of the school, it will violate your bond.”
She suddenly thought about the news segment, her face plastered across the television screen. People thinking she was a criminal when that was farthest from the truth. “I was on the news this morning. They called me a predator. A child molester. And they posted my picture. Suddenly, I’m guilty before I’ve even had the chance to prove my innocence.”
There was the faintest hint of sympathy in Mingus’s tone as he answered. “I know.”
Joanna sighed softly, took up her fork and began to eat. She suddenly paused, the utensil stopped in midair. “You said we’re going to figure out your brother’s next steps. What are you going to do? And what am I supposed to be doing?”
Mingus narrowed his gaze, amusement sweeping across his face. “You are going to sit tight and say out of trouble. And you’re not going to worry about what I do.”
Her gaze skated across his face, trying to read the emotion staring back at her. She finally shook her head, rising from the table as she grabbed his plate and hers. “Well, I can tell you now that’s not going to happen, so try again, Mingus Black. I need answers and I don’t plan to leave your side until I get them.” She tossed him one last look as she turned, moving to drop the plates into the kitchen sink.
Mingus watched as she rinsed the dirty dishes and moved them into the dishwasher. Her pronouncement came with much attitude in her tone and her body language showed she didn’t care whether he agreed or not. Her expression was stoic, her emotions tightly contained. She was learning not to show her hand and he was impressed. He appreciated her determination, even though he sensed she was going to be a royal pain in his ass.
Chapter 4
The law office of Black, Turner and Hayes was in the three hundred block of LaSalle Street, occupying the sixty-fourth floor of a glass-and-steel skyscraper. The office boasted floor-to-ceiling windows in the exterior offices, expensive interior contemporary decor, and a library and conference room reminiscent of an old English library with polished wood-paneled walls, hardwood floors and three walls of leather-bound law books lined meticulously on shelves.
Ellington Black greeted them in the front reception area then asked the young receptionist to direct all his calls to his secretary’s desk. “Were you able to get any rest last night?” he asked as he guided Joanna and Mingus to the oversize conference room.
Joanna shook her head. “No, not really.”
Ellington nodded in understanding. “Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to one of twelve high-backed, tufted brown-leather executive chairs.
Mingus ambled into the room behind her, moving to hold up the wall as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Joanna tossed him a look but didn’t bother to comment. His brother didn’t react one way or the other to Mingus not joining them at the table. But Joanna didn’t miss the look that passed between the two men, a silent conversation she wasn’t privy to.
“Unfortunately,” Ellington started, “we’ve hit a snag in the case that isn’t going to help us with your defense.” He gently placed the folder he’d been holding on the table as he took a seat. He took a deep inhale of air before he continued. “The state is levying additional charges against you. They’re adding twenty-one counts of distributing pornography to a minor.”
Joanna’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry...pornography?”
Ellington nodded. “It seems they found photos of you on Mr. Locklear’s cell phone. Very explicit photos.”
Joanna was suddenly shaking her head vehemently. “That’s not possible!” she exclaimed, her words coming in a low hiss. “I never took pictures with that boy! Never!”
Ellington took another deep breath. “They are executing a warrant on your home this afternoon.” He shot his brother a look. “I’m going to ask Mingus to keep you away while they do their jobs. I’ll head on over after we’re done here and stay until they’re finished. I’m sure the district attorney is going to petition to have your bail revoked, or increased, based on the new charges. I’ll appear before the judge to answer if they do. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep you out of jail.”
Joanna jumped from
her seat, spinning in a tight circle around the chair. “This is crazy! I would never do something like that! Never! Why is this happening?”
She shifted her gaze to Mingus, who hadn’t reacted, nothing in his eyes showing how he’d received the information or what he thought of it, or her. Frustration furrowed her brow and her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth. She suddenly shouted, “Say something, damn it!”
Mingus stared, his eyes narrowing as they locked gazes. The moment was suddenly tense and awkward. He didn’t budge, giving her nothing.
Saline clouded her view, tears welling behind her thick lashes. Joanna shook her head, fighting the wealth of teardrops threatening to flow. She turned back to Ellington. “May I use your restroom, please?”
Ellington stood, extending his hand as he pointed toward the door. “I’ll show you where it is,” he said as he turned the knob and led her from the room.
He returned promptly, throwing a quick glance at his brother. “It’s not looking good for her,” he said, reaching for the thick file on the tabletop.
“She didn’t do it,” Mingus answered. “I believe her.”
Ellington nodded, pulling a photo from inside the manila folder. He passed it to his brother, watching him intently.
From the moment they’d arrived and he and Ellington had exchanged gazes, Mingus knew something was amiss. Something that had his brother more than concerned. As he gawked at the photo, he was taken aback by the image, but he didn’t show it. He never let his blank expression break.
The young man in question was wrapped naked around a woman, clearly in the throes of some serious sexual passion. Arms and limbs were exposed but you couldn’t see the woman’s face well enough to say it was Joanna or not. But what you could see clearly was a tattoo on the woman’s upper thigh. The same tattoo Mingus had been able to glimpse just an hour or so earlier as Joanna stood barely dressed in the center of her kitchen.
* * *
The silence in the car was stifling and it took everything Joanna had not to scream at the top of her lungs. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Mingus was thinking. Even she was beginning to have doubts as the evidence piled, making her look guilty.
She had seen the photos, the graphic images stunning her into silence. None showed her face, but the tattoo was identical, the brown skin the same tone as hers. The woman in the photos was even wearing her favorite nail polish, OPI color Barefoot in Barcelona. But even as she’d professed her innocence, doubt had punched her hard, knowing no one was going to believe her.
Now they were ransacking her home and there was nothing she could do about it. The police had already confiscated her cell phone and Ellington had warned that her computer, iPad and all her other electronic devices would be taken, as well. Despite knowing she’d done nothing wrong and had nothing to hide, knowing someone was searching through her personal possessions infuriated her.
“Why you?” Mingus cut his eye in her direction, suddenly disrupting the blanket of silence. “Why have you been targeted?”
Joanna shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Do you have any enemies? Have you been beefing with someone lately?”
“No. No one.”
“Really think about it, Joanna. Who would want to hurt you?”
There was a stillness in the air that seemed to rise and fill the car with angst and turmoil. Joanna was drawing a blank, unable to fathom how anyone could hate her so much. She was a good person, or at least she tried to be. She treated people decently, had wonderful friends and had never been ugly to anyone, even when it might have been warranted. She shook her head, no soul coming to mind. She suddenly felt deflated, blowing a heavy gust of air past her thin lips. She had no answer to his question, so she didn’t bother to reply.
“How long have you been teaching at Riptide?”
“My entire career. I graduated from Riptide and after college it just felt right to come and give back. They had an opening and I took it.”
“Is that normal? I mean...do a lot of teachers do that?”
“I don’t know about a lot, but a few.”
“How many teachers did you work with who also graduated from Riptide?”
“There were three of us. Marion Talley, who teaches English, and Donald Patterson, one of the administrators. Marion and I were classmates and graduated the same year and Mr. Patterson actually went to school with my father. He’ll retire this year, I think.”
“Your dad graduated from Riptide?”
“He and my mother. And my great-grandfather.”
“Interesting...” Mingus seemed to drift into thought as he considered her comment. “So, you and this Marion Talley were friends?”
“I wouldn’t say that. Personally, I can’t stand her! She’s just mean and nasty for no good reason. And I don’t doubt that she likes me even less.”
Mingus shot her another look. His brows were raised, his gaze questioning.
Joanna continued. “Long story short, James Pratt asked me to prom and not her. She’s resented me for it ever since.”
“Enough to want to frame you for something you didn’t do?”
There was a moment of pause as Joanna stared at him. “You believe me? That someone’s trying to set me up?”
Mingus had come to a stop behind a line of traffic, waiting for the stoplight to change from red to green. He shifted his eyes to meet hers. “Yeah, I do! Something about this doesn’t feel right. I just need to figure out why someone would go to so much trouble.”
* * *
Riptide High School was one of eighty-five public high schools in a system that supported some four hundred thousand students. The rivalry between some of the Chicago schools was renowned, but he was discovering that Riptide had recently been in the news about everything but the success or failure of its sports teams.
Two previous scandals at the high school involving teachers already had parents on edge. A former cheerleading coach was fired the previous year for posing naked in a men’s magazine, the images hanging in more than one young boy’s locker. Just months later an administrator had been terminated for racist views published on social media. Both incidents had made the front page of the Chicago Tribune, a host of national news outlets and had been the focus of school board meetings for longer than most would have thought.
Just weeks prior, that same school board had listed it as one of ten schools under consideration for redistricting and a potential closing. People were talking about Riptide and it wasn’t at all positive, despite its graduate success rate and the high number of college acceptances. They also had a stellar football team, frequently placing in the top 2 percent of all high school conference districts. But even that wasn’t enough to keep the clouds casting dark shadows over the school’s reputation at bay.
Mingus took a deep breath as he observed the rush of students moving from their last class toward home. They were loud, slightly obnoxious and he couldn’t begin to imagine having to deal with the lot of them all day. The office secretary seemed to read his mind.
“They can take some getting used to. Most of them are really not that bad. It’s the end of the day, though, and they’re all ready to be done and out of here.”
Mingus turned to meet the look the older woman was giving him. He smiled slightly. She reminded him of someone’s grandmother. Her head of thick, gray hair was tinged a strange shade of pale blue. Crow’s feet adorned the edges of her bright eyes and she wore her age across her face behind the barest hint of makeup. He gave her a nod.
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
“Twenty years in November. I was at the elementary school before that.”
“So you’ve known Ms. Barnes since she started?”
“I’ve known her since before her church confirmation. Her mother and I go way back. Joanna and my second son are the same age and our two
families have been friends since forever.”
“Is she well liked here?”
“Immensely. She’s one of the more popular teachers at the school.”
Mingus started to ask another question when they were interrupted by the school principal. Valentina Donato looked harangued as she rushed into the room. Her face was flushed a brilliant shade of red and perspiration beaded across her brow. She threw Mingus a quick look, her eyes widening. She took a deep breath and then extended her hand.
“I’m so sorry. You must be Mr. Black. The district office called and told me to expect you. I understand Ms. Barnes’s attorney made the arrangements.”
He shook the woman’s hand, her palm slightly clammy. “I appreciate you accommodating me.”
“This is such an unfortunate situation. Between you and me, I’m glad Joanna has hired outside counsel to protect her interests. This is completely out of character for the woman I know and respect.”
“So you don’t believe the allegations?”
“I honestly don’t know what to believe. And, of course, I’m not in a position to offer a formal opinion that goes against the statement issued by the school district.” She and the other woman exchanged a quick look before she focused her attention back on Mingus.
The exchange didn’t go unnoticed. Mingus nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see her classroom.”
“Not at all. Most of the students are gone for the day. Ms. Graves was asked to pack up Joanna’s personal possessions. The two are good friends, so she may be able to provide you with information that I can’t.”
“And Ms. Graves is...?”
“One of our English teachers,” Principal Donato responded.
Tempted by the Badge Page 5