Black Viper

by Christopher Speight

  “Really? You mean to tell mean that you think she was acting?”

  “Hey, you never know. I mean, let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute. Picture this. She goes out to his car to tell him about their impending bundle of joy. But when she tells him, he’s not as happy as she expects him to be. As a matter of fact, he gets downright pissed off at the news. She’s shocked at his reaction but after the initial shock wears off, she gets just as pissed off as he is. An argument ensues and he tells her that he feels she should get an abortion. She refuses. He laughs and tells her that it doesn’t matter anyway because he just won’t claim the little bastard. Hearing that the love of her life not only doesn’t want to be a part of her life, but he also doesn’t want to be in the child’s life sends her into a rage and before you know it,” Amber said, as she ended her statement with a throat-slashing gesture. Frank laughed for a few seconds before blowing a hole in her theory.

  “Nice deducing, except for two things.”

  “Oh yeah? And what would they be?”

  “Well, for one, the victim’s neck was slashed from right to left, and two, the killer was standing on the outside of the car when he or she committed the murder.”

  “Yeah, well I’m still working on that part.”

  “Keep working,” Frank said, smiling.

  7

  After leaving the crime scene, Amber dropped Frank off in front of his house. Although he kept an air of professionalism while he was on the job, Frank was slightly perturbed because he couldn’t figure out why Captain Snyder had pulled him in on his day off to investigate a murder. Surely, she could have found another team of detectives to handle the situation. Had his partner called him just fifteen minutes later, he would not have even answered his cell phone because he would have been at a restaurant enjoying dinner with his family.

  As he walked up to his front door, he looked at his watch. It was almost nine o’ clock and he’d missed a date with his wife. It was a standing date that the two of them had every Friday at 7:30 p.m. Although he was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to spend any alone time with her, he was still happy knowing that they would all be together the next day as a family.

  As soon as Frank entered his house, the aroma of baked chicken, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese drifted through his nasal passages. He backed out of the doorway and shot a glance next door. Standing in her doorway, giving him a radiant smile was Sadie. Frank closed the door, walked across his porch, and leaned on his banister.

  “Now, you know you didn’t have to do that, right?”

  Sadie simply shrugged her shoulders. Truth be told, she enjoyed cooking. Outside of spending time with her husband when he was alive, cooking brought Sadie more joy than anything else in the world. To keep her sanity after he died, she started cooking meals for Frank and his family whenever his job called him away. As time wore on, Frank tried to get her to stop. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy her cooking––quite the contrary. Sadie’s cooking skills were better than anyone’s he’d ever encountered, including his wife’s. The truth of the matter was that he was starting to feel guilty. Sadie was cooking for him and his family so much that, in his eyes, it was equivalent to having a full-time job. The last thing he wanted to do was be accused of working an old lady to death.

  “I cooked this yesterday. All I had to do was heat it up. I was going to surprise you guys after the play, but I didn’t know at the time that you were going to take everyone out to dinner,” she laughed. “Just my way of saying thank you for inviting me.”

  “Sadie, as much as you’ve filled our stomachs with your delicious food over the last couple of years, you don’t owe us anything.”

  Sadie crossed her arms and stared at him.

  “Detective Franklin Stone, are you trying to kill me?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You know good and doggone well that, if I tried to eat all of that food by myself it would kill me. So, I figured I’d put it to good use by sharing it with my favorite family.”

  “Well, thank you Sadie. I really appreciate it.”

  “Don’t mention it. I just left your house a few minutes ago. Rhonda was doing her homework and Jr. was on his cell phone talking to some girl.”

  “Talking to some girl? How do you know that?”

  “You’re not the only one with detective skills,” Sadie said, laughing. “Besides, I heard him call the person on the other end of the phone, ‘baby’, so I have to assume that it was a female. . . unless there’s something that you haven’t told me about him.”

  “Not at all. That boy is all male. As a matter of fact, I have to slow him down sometimes. I swear, that seems to be all that’s on that boy’s mind nowadays,” Frank said as he turned to go back into his house.

  “Frank, are you okay?” Sadie asked. The concern in her voice caused him to stop in his tracks.

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “Because today is Friday.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I’m okay. We have family time tomorrow, so that will make up for it. I just hope she’s not mad at me,” Frank said and disappeared inside of the house.

  8

  Bitter cold bit at Frank’s ankles as he went out to the curb to retrieve his morning paper. He’d tossed and turned all night thinking about Kevin Broadnax. Something about the case that bugged him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Unlike his partner, Frank had no suspicions that Victoria Baker killed her boyfriend. In his opinion, she was a broken woman who was going through her own private hell. However, the one thing that did bother him about her was how she’d hesitated when they’d asked her if her boyfriend had any enemies. A slight hesitation wasn’t unusual, but Victoria’s hesitation combined with the look on her face when he asked her, had raised a few red flags for him. After careful consideration, Frank decided not to press her on the matter at that time.

  After scooping up his paper, Frank went back into his house and headed toward the kitchen. He looked at the clock on the wall and knew that he didn’t have much time before his kids came downstairs looking for their breakfast. It was Saturday, so he knew exactly what they wanted to eat. It took him all of ten minutes to grab the box of pancake mix out of the cabinet, the eggs out of the refrigerator, mix it together in a bowl with water and put it in a hot skillet on the stove. After getting that together, he went back into the refrigerator and took out a pack of bacon. He quickly peeled eight slices out of the pack and put them in the microwave.

  When all the food was ready, he made three plates and set them on the table. No sooner had he done this, Jr. came downstairs, sniffing the air. The traveling aroma had invaded his sense of smell and made its way down to his stomach.

  “Yeah, pancakes! That’s what I’m talking about Dad.”

  “Boy, don’t you know how to say, ‘good morning’?”

  “Oh, my bad, Dad. Good morning.”

  “Good morning. Where’s your sister?”

  “I don’t know. Probably taking off her ugly mask,” Jr. said, laughing. Before Frank could admonish his son for his remark about his sister, Rhonda trotted down the stairs and showed her father that she didn’t need him to come to her defense.

  “At least I can take off my mask. Your ugly is permanent,” she said, bumping his shoulder as she brushed past him.

  “Don’t look at me,” Frank said. “You started with her first,” he added, when Jr. gave him a “Did you just see what she did” look.

  “Man, you get on my nerves,” Jr. said, frowning at his sister.

  “Good,” Rhonda said, sticking her tongue out at him.

  “That’s enough you two. Hurry up and eat your breakfast so we can leave.”

  “Are we going to see Momma today, Daddy?”

  “Why do you ask that every Saturday? Don’t we always go on Saturday?” Jr. asked, annoyed.

  “Ain’t nobody talking to you, big head.”

  “Hey, didn’t I say that was enough?” Frank said, more
firmly this time. “Yes, sweetheart, we are going to see your mother today.”

  The three of them remained quiet as they ate breakfast, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Frank saw the sadness in his kids’ eyes, and it caused his heart to ache. They missed their mother terribly. Although she’d been gone for nearly two years, neither of them had gotten used to her not being there.

  Frank collected the plates when they finished eating, rinsed them off, and put them in the dishwasher.

  “Okay, guys. Go upstairs and get dressed so we can go,” Frank told his kids.

  He waited until they were upstairs in their respective rooms before sitting back down at the table and massaging his temples. Saturday mornings were always a tough time for him. Knowing that he was going to see his wife always put him through a myriad of emotions. Taking a deep breath, Frank got up and made his way to his bedroom to get dressed. Since he’d already laid out what he was going to wear, it only took him five minutes to dress. When he finished, he went into the living room to find Jr. and Rhonda waiting for him on the couch.

  “Okay, guys, let’s go,” he said somberly.

  9

  Sunlight splashed through the window of Cleveland Clinic Hospital and illuminated the cheeks of Marilyn Stone. She’d once had one of the most beautiful faces in the entire city of Cleveland but lying motionless for the last twenty-two months had robbed her of her once stunning beauty. The angelic face Frank looked forward to waking up to every morning to was now ashen and dry. Her eyes were sunken into her head. Her lips were now cracked and dehydrated. But none of that mattered to Frank. Not in the least. In his eyes, she was still the same beautiful woman that had walked down the aisle to join him in holy matrimony all those years ago.

  Unbeknownst to anyone but God, coming to visit his wife had always been bittersweet to Frank. Although it wasn’t his fault, he still harbored guilt over asking her to pick up Frank Jr. from his boxing lesson that night. Frank and a few of his coworkers had stopped off at a bar to have a few beers, so he called his wife to see if she wouldn’t mind doing so.

  “No problem at all, dear,” she’d told him.

  “Thanks babe. And don’t worry about cooking tonight. I’ll pick up a couple of pizzas after I leave here.”

  “The kids will be happy to hear that. You know how they love pizza.”

  “Is that right? Seems to me like their mother loves it just as much as they do.”

  “Whatever, jerk,” Marilyn said, laughing. “Hey, I was thinking about leaving Rhonda here while I go pick up Jr. What do you think?”

  “I think it’ll be okay. She’s thirteen years old, so she’s not a baby anymore. But to be on the safe side, ask Sadie to keep an eye on things while your gone.”

  “Okay. See you when you get home, honey. I love you.”

  “I lava you too, honey,” Frank said, changing the pronunciation of the word like he always did when he told his wife he loved her.

  It always caused Marilyn to smile when he said it, and that time was no exception. Frank had no idea that it would be the last time that exchange between the two of them would be made.

  After grabbing her keys, Marilyn walked out of her house and went next door to ask Sadie to keep tabs on her daughter while she was gone. She then jumped in her car and headed toward I-90 West. She hated driving on the freeway and for one brief second, she contemplated driving through the city. But it was quickly getting dark, and she didn’t want Frank Jr. waiting outside. The gym closed in fifteen minutes and the only way she would get there in time was to take the freeway. She was halfway there when her back tire blew out and she lost control of the car, causing it to slam into a concrete median. Marilyn suffered extensive head trauma and had been in a coma ever since. It was a burden that continuously weighed down Frank’s soul every second of every day. He’d tried to convince himself that it was an act of God, but in the end, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that he and he alone was responsible. The only thing that kept Frank going was his children.

  The longest walk that Frank ever had to make in his life was the one he was making now. Rhonda had a tight grip on her father’s hand as they walked across the parking lot and made their way toward the hospital’s entrance. Once inside, they made a quick right and got on the elevator.

  “You guys all right?” He asked his kids.

  Neither of them spoke, opting instead to nod their heads. Their expressions were total contrasts of each other. While Frank Jr. was stone-faced, Rhonda had already begun to tear up. It broke Frank’s heart to see his little girl so sad. Although he felt guilty about what had happened to his wife, Frank often thanked the good Lord above that he and Marilyn had decided to leave Rhonda at home that fateful night. Small sniffles could be heard coming from Rhonda the closer they got to her mother’s room. Frank released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Just as they got to the entrance to her room, he stopped.

  “You guys ready?” he asked. Once again, they both just nodded.

  As soon as they entered the room, Frank Jr. and Rhonda quickly made their way over to their mother’s bedside. It was a routine that Frank had now gotten used to. He would stand back and allow his kids to have their time with their mother before taking his turn. As he stood there in the doorway, a nurse appeared next to him. She was an older woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties. She had short black hair that held a hint of gray around both edges. Black-framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. After staring at his kids for a few seconds, she looked at Frank and gave him a warm, sympathetic smile.

  “Good morning Mr. Stone. How are you today?”

  “I’m okay, I guess,” Frank said, his eyes still trained on his children. He was trying very hard to keep the tears from falling. He wanted to remain strong for his children, but he struggled to do so each time they visited his wife. When he was finally able to tear his gaze away from Frank Jr. and Rhonda, he turned to the nurse and asked the same question that he’d been asking for nearly two years.

  “Has there been any change?”

  “I’m afraid not, Mr. Stone. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” Frank said. He looked at all the machinery his wife was hooked up to and shook his head. Although he knew that it was the machines keeping her alive, Frank just couldn’t bring himself to permit them to disconnect them. When a doctor told him that Marilyn would probably never recover, his heart sank. He had a meeting with his kids after that and they’d all unanimously decided that they would not give up on her recovery.

  After spending time with their mother, Frank Jr. and Rhonda went and sat down. This was Frank’s cue to go over and spend time with the love of his life. Slowly he walked over to her bedside and looked down. In his eyes, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. Frank then reached down and grabbed Marilyn’s hand. A feeling of love quickly washed over him.

  “Hey honey. I’m sorry I couldn’t come up here yesterday, but my boss ordered me to go check out a crime scene,” he said, smiling down at her. He continued looking down at her for a few more seconds before motioning for his daughter to join him.

  “Honey, did you know that we may have a star on our hands? Did your daughter tell you how impressed her drama teacher was with her acting skills the other day? I think we may be looking at the next Angela Bassett.”

  Rhonda smiled as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

  “Come on over here, Floyd Mayweather,” he said, waving his son over. Jr. pushed himself up from the chair and made his way over to his father’s side. “And this boy here? Now I know that you were skeptical when he first started boxing, but I think we have the next world champ on our hands. Of course, he ain’t got nothing on his old pop here,” Frank said, as he planted a soft jab on his shoulder. Frank and his kids stayed there for another hour before Frank leaned down and kissed his wife on the forehead with the promise that he’d be back next Saturday. As always, his car was silent for most of the ride back home.

 
“Daddy, do you think Momma will ever wake up?” Rhonda asked.

  “I don’t know baby. That’s up to the man above.”

  “Yeah, right,” Frank Jr. said, frowning.

  “What’s that supposed to mean, Jr.?” Rhonda said with an attitude.

  “Nothing baby. He didn’t mean nothing,” Frank said, cutting his eyes at his son.

  Although Frank was a God-fearing man, he had never tried to force his beliefs on his children. The day his mother was nearly taken away from him was the day Jr. had stopped believing in God. Frank tried to talk to his son, but it was no use, so he let it go. However, Rhonda still believed that her mother was going to pull through and Frank wasn’t going to tolerate Jr. destroying her faith.

  Once they were inside the house, Rhonda ran into her room and closed the door. Frank Jr. had the same idea. He was on his way up the stairs until his father stopped him in his tracks.

  “Jr., come back down here and sit down, son. I want to talk to you,” Frank said sternly. Reluctantly, Jr. turned and started back down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the steps sat down on the last one. He remained quiet as his father slowly walked over to him and stood in front of him. Frank stared at his son for a few seconds before saying anything.

  “You know, if you don’t believe in God, okay. I’ve never tried to force my religious beliefs on you before and I’m not about to do it now. But do me a favor son. Don’t try to destroy your sister’s faith because you don’t have any.”

  “I’m not trying to do that, Dad.”

  “Regardless of whether you’re trying to do it or not, that’s what the hell you are doing! And I want it stopped!”

  “Dad, you said that you’re not going to try to force your religious beliefs on me, but it seems like you’re getting mad at me because I’m not a believer.”

  Frank took a deep breath. He needed his son to understand that that wasn’t the case. He placed his hand on Jr.’s shoulder.

  “Son, I’m not mad at you because you don’t believe. That’s your choice. But if you sister wants to believe then let her. Stop with the snide remarks and grunts whenever she asks me something about God. Got it?”