by Debbie Civil
Chapter 22
Carmen
Tia is insane. That’s the conclusion I’m coming to. She’s in my room, her blue eyes wild and hopeful. I’m at the table finishing off the remains of what had to be the best French toast ever when she barges in.
“Carmen, you have to do me a favor!” Her enthusiasm is aggravating. I sip the coffee that is a little chilly now and frown at her. Tia sits across from me her bangles jingling in the silence between us.
“What is it, Tia?” It’s 8:30 in the morning, so I’m not overly thrilled about seeing her. Okay, I am a morning person. But I usually have the strength to deal with my older cousin later in the day.
“What do you know about Donald?” she asks as if I don’t know who she’s talking about.
“A lot.” Donald is a sweet man with a big heart. We’ve bonded over the last two years.
“Is he dating anyone?” Tia asks. I frown and think about it.
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“I need you to do two things for me.”
“Wait, I thought that you wanted me to do a favor for you?” I ask, feeling agitated.
“Okay, so I need two things.” To be honest, I’m bored enough to do ten favors for Tia. What does it matter? Since I’ve been demoted to bridesmaid, not much has to be done. I’m not offended by the change. Eli’s mom had something to do with it. My cousin lost control of the wedding soon after she announced that she was having it. My thinking is that Aunt Shelly is making the process as difficult as possible so that her daughter would dismiss the idea altogether. But Eli is determined to meet her mother and get her inheritance. No one will stand in her way.
“What is it?” I ask, before drinking the last of the coffee.
“Okay, so you have to understand something Carmen. I can’t do this on my own. It will make me look bad. But you aren’t even involved in the trials. You don’t have to testify anymore since Adam is dead.” A bolt of guilt hits my chest. Those e-mails led to Adam’s demise. Adam really did a number on that poor man. He had to have five surgeries.
“I know, Tia,” I respond, not feeling particularly patient. Downfall.
“Okay, so I need you to visit my sister. I think that she’s getting out soon. I…”
“Amber?” This is a terrible idea. I could be disinherited for this. But I suppose that it doesn’t matter. Even if Grandmother did cut me off, Dad never would. He is one of our only relatives to become a millionaire all on his own. Pride flashes through me at the thought. Dad’s rim and tire production company does really well.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to help her,” Tia gently corrects.
“How?”
“You helped Chelsea. Can you find a way for Amber to be taken care of?” It took me months to figure out that Justin Philips was intending on giving Chelsea a quarter of his fortune. Chelsea was fortunate enough to have two uncles who wanted to see her do well. My father doesn’t want to even deal with Tia. I can’t imagine how he feels about Amber. She shot the daughter of one of his best friends and the son of the reverend. What can I do for her?
“I’d have to do some major snooping. And even if I did, I probably won’t find much.” Tia’s face crumples and fat tears run down her cheeks. This isn’t her theatrical fake cry, which is more shrieking vocals and shaking than actual tears. The girl is crying quietly as if she’s lost all hope.
“Grandma… Grandma told me that if I took Amber in…. She said that she would disinherit me. I… Please Carmen. Help her.” If Chelsea won’t help her. She has a thing against murderers who shoot people in cold blood. Tia’s mother’s parents are still in Connecticut, but they aren’t going to be much help. They haven’t even been in contact with Tia since it was revealed that she was pregnant. Who would help someone like Amber? She’s a cold blooded killer.
“Tia, I’d have to do a lot of thinking.” There has to be a solution to this problem. I’d have to monitor a few e-mails and eavesdrop on Grandma and my Aunts and Uncles. Maybe, I can visit Amber. If I asked her why she did what she did, maybe if she showed at least some remorse, Dad will help her. He can’t want his niece to be in the streets.
“What are you thinking?” Tia asks.
“What’s favor number two?” Maybe this one will be easy enough. A blush fills Tia’s cheeks.
“My birthday is coming up.”
“I know,” I say, thinking about the gift that is hidden in my closet.
“Maybe I should have a tea party and invite Donald. Do you think that he’ll go?” The thought of Donald going to a tea party makes rich laughter fly out of my mouth. I start slapping the table when I can’t catch my breath. Since I was laughing so hard, I don’t notice that we aren’t alone until I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“What happened?’ Dad asks. I smile up him and say” Tia wants a tea party for her birthday, and she wants to know if Donald would go to that sort of thing.” Dad shakes his head.
“Donald is a simple kind of guy,” he tells Tia.
“What do simple men do?” She asks the question as if a middle-class guy is a different species.
“Ask him,” Dad says.
“Fine.” The room is silent. It's clear that he wants to talk to me and Tia gets the hint. Without even a goodbye, she flees from the room. Dad sits in her vacated chair and glances at my empty plate.
“You’re feeling better?”
“Sort of. It’s hard, but I’m starting to get over it.”
“What’s been going on with you, Carmen?” His eyes are so kind and scream, tell me everything. I know that this may sound strange, but my father and I have a special bond. It’s as if he can fix all of my problems. I know that I need to grow up and conquer them on my own. But, he has the knowledge that I haven’t gained yet. But where do I start?
“I’m in love with Jake Jones.” He smirks then nods.
“So you finally noticed that the boy is crazy about you?”
“He’s dating Jillian Mace, America’s Darling.” The words are bitter when I spit them out. Dad gives me a disapproving look.
“That’s just a strategy that James Jones is being forced to use. Carmen, welcome to the world of politics. He has to date America’s Darling to make up for slugging Sharp Michaels.”
“Sharp Michaels hit him first,” I argue, feeling more abandoned than I ever did before. This may sound selfish. But, I feel like Jake has chosen his Uncle’s political career over me. Okay, the man has worked years to build respect in the community, and we have only had a couple of stolen kisses.
“He doesn’t love her?” is the question that’s full of pain. Dad sighs.
“No, he doesn’t.”
“What should I do?” My father gives me a sympathetic look before caressing my cheek.
“Carmen, you’re only eighteen years old. I highly doubt that you’ve found the one. Maybe if Jake is the one, maybe you two need time to find yourselves. I think that you should live your life and try to find out what school you want to go to.”
“I want to go to school in MA,” I blurt out. Dad shakes his head.
“Carmen, give me a reason other than being closer to Chelsea, and I’ll agree to fund it,” he tells me. As of right now, I don’t have a logical reason for going to school in Massachusetts. But I will find one. Being a couple states away is too hard. I felt disconnected from everyone while I was at NYU. The college is amazing. I enjoyed the courses. But I missed everyone.
“I will, once I decide what I really want to do.
“What else is going on?” I think about Sandra and Bob and what they know. I also think about how my father doesn’t care for Kate all that much. Maybe he will be her next target. Maybe she struck out of pure vengeance. I don’t know. But this is huge. Telling my father will change things.
“Dad,” I begin, my pulse pounding. “Aunt Kate killed Amy.” After I explain how I know everything, he doesn’t say anything. His face goes pale for a moment, then his
shoulders sag.
“Lay low,” he softly tells me. “Don’t interact with anyone. Don’t tell anyone. You aren’t going to get involved with this mess. After Eli’s wedding, you are coming home with me. I don’t know what this woman is capable of. You will not hint that you know. The wedding is only three days away. Do you think that you can behave for that long?” he softly asks.
“Yes.”
“I’ll tell your mother that you aren’t hanging around for the trial.” He is dead serious, and there’s nothing I can do about this. Part of me hate’s that I’ll be apart from Jake, but dad’s right. This is too big for us. If we speak against Kate and the officers don’t take us seriously, we could be her next targets.
