by Roy Glenn
As the window went down, Ronnie approached and said, “What’s up, Freeze?” He looked inside and was surprised to see Pauleen in the back seat.
“Nothing personal,” Freeze said calmly and raised his nine.
He shot Ronnie twice in the head and sped away. “Strictly business,” Pauleen said and smiled at Freeze.
Travis and Jackie heard the shots and jumped up. “Stay here!” he yelled at Me’shelle when she called out to him from the bedroom.
They grabbed their guns and ran outside, but it was too late. They got to the street in time to see a truck round the corner. Ronnie’s body lay dead in street.
Jackie dropped to her knees and held Ronnie’s head as she cried. Travis ran back inside. “Call an ambulance! Ronnie’s been shot!” he yelled.
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics pronounced Ronnie dead at the scene.
Chapter Forty-three
On the night before Ronnie’s funeral, Me’shelle waited until Brandy had fallen asleep before leaving the room to call Travis. She asked him if she could come over. Naturally, Travis said yes. He hadn’t seen Me’shelle since Ronnie’s murder. In those three days, she had called once to see how he was doing, but the conversation was a short one.
“You had a lot going on, Travis. I just went through all that with my family. To be honest with you, I didn’t feel up to it again,” Me’shelle explained.
“You don’t have to explain, Me’shelle. I understand completely,” Travis asserted, but he really was disappointed that she hadn’t called more often. After the way he treated her when she needed him, though, Travis felt like he had it coming. It hurt, but like most men, he tried not to show it. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
When Me’shelle arrived, she tried to get right to the reason for her visit that evening. “Wow, where do I start? You know, it’s funny when you have something to say and you go over it and over it in your mind, and you know exactly what you wanna say, then when it comes time to say it, you just can’t get it out.”
“Just say what’s on your mind, Me’shelle,” Travis encouraged, but he was uncertain. Just like she felt the day he admitted he was a robber, he was afraid of what she might be about to say.
“Okay.” Me’shelle took a deep breath. “You know that I’ve been through a lot these last few weeks, and I understand that you have too. My family has been through a lot and—what I’m trying to say is that I’m not going to the funeral with you tomorrow.”
“I understa—”
“Please, Travis, let me finish. I came here to tell you that I can’t see you anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
“I came here to say goodbye,” she answered.
“Why?”
“That night, lying under that car listening to the shooting, I thought I was going to die. And then to see the bodies drop when you killed them—I know that I never want to go through anything like that again.”
“And you won’t have to, Me’shelle. Nothing like that will ever happen again. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You can’t say that. And even if you could, I still have Brandy to think about.”
“What about her?”
“I’ve got to get her away from here. Far away from here, someplace where she’ll feel safe. Where I’ll feel safe,” Me’shelle said softly. “That’s the only way Brandy is going to have a chance at living a normal life. She deserves that after all she’s been through.”
“That’s fine with me, Me’shelle. I want to get away from here too. Where ever you go, I want to go with you. Be with you,” he insisted.
“I don’t want you to come with me,” she said without emotion.
“Why?”
“Travis, you represent—what am I saying? You are everything that I have to get her away from.”
Travis sat quietly.
“You robbed a bank and a grocery store, and those are just the two that I know about. I heard on the news that there were shootouts with the police both times.”
“That’s true. But all that is over. I’ve given all that up.”
“Gave it up for what? For me? For love?”
“Yes, Me’shelle. I love you.”
“And I love you. But what happens when the money runs out? Do you rob another bank? Or what if the police come after you? Do you shoot it out with them? And what happens when somebody comes to kill you like they did Ronnie? Do you kill him too?”
Again Travis had no answer.
“Travis, you’re violent man, surrounded by very violent people. I can’t, I won’t be any part of that. It’s already cost my family too much.”
“I promise you that it won’t be like that.”
“I know that you mean what you’re saying, and sometimes I want so badly to believe in the perfect picture you paint. But I know that promises get broken. Even ones we really mean.” Me’shelle stood up. “I’m gonna go now, before I get weak for you and change my mind.”
Travis stood up and stepped in front of her. “Please don’t go. Don’t do this to us. I love you, Me’shelle.”
She put her arms around Travis and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Travis.”
Travis held her tightly in his arms. When he let her go and stepped aside, Me’shelle walked past him and out the door without looking back. She cried as she walked to her car. She knew she had done the right thing, but it still hurt.
Travis stood in the doorway and watched as Me’shelle got back in her car and drove away. He felt numb all over, like somebody had just kicked his insides out. He walked back in the house slowly and sat on the couch. He stayed there for hours, thinking for maybe the first time about the cost of the choices that he had made.
The following morning, Jackie came to pick Travis up for the funeral. As soon as he was in the limo, Jackie asked where Me’shelle was.
“She doesn’t want to see me again.”
“Where have I heard that before?”
“I think she means it this time,” Travis said as he stared out the window.
“Okay, she means it this time, huh? If she had meant it the last time, you wouldn’t have gone over there fuckin’ with them people, and maybe Ronnie would still be alive.”
Travis looked at Jackie. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Look, Travis, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I know that this whole thing hasn’t been easy for you. And for her to drop that on you—”
“I’ll be all right,” Travis said. He went on to tell Jackie every word that Me’shelle said.
Since Me’shelle walked out of his door, Travis had replayed the conversation over and over, like a movie in his mind. Sometimes his arguments would change, as he thought of the things that he could have and maybe should have said to make her stay. But Me’shelle’s response would always be the same. And in the end, she would always stand up and walk away without looking back.
Jackie sat quietly and held his hand while Travis talked. He spoke about how wasted he felt. Jackie’s mind began to drift. This is Me’shelle’s fault. If she had stayed away from Travis, this wouldn’t be happening. She used Travis to get revenge for her family. Now that she got what she wanted, she’s gone again.
The thought made her mad as hell. She’ll get hers in time.
Once the funeral was over, Travis and Jackie walked back to the limo. “How do you feel?” Jackie asked.
“I buried my best friend today,” Travis said coldly, and then had to apologize. “I’m sorry, Jackie. I know he was your best friend too.”
“It okay, Travis. I understand.”
The driver opened the door for Jackie. She was about to get in when Travis saw Freeze standing off to the side. Travis grabbed Jackie by the arm.
“What?” she asked.
Travis didn’t answer. He just stared at Freeze. “You know what, Jackie?”
“Tell me, what?” Jackie said as she stared at the man standing next to Freeze.
“I think Freeze kill
ed Ronnie.”
“What makes you think that?”
“It’s just a feeling, that’s all.”
“Come on, Travis. It got to be more than that.”
“Did you know that Ronnie was fuckin’ his girl?”
“No.”
“Freeze always used to tell me that if Ronnie ever put their organization or him in jeopardy, he’d kill him. And it would be business. If anybody knew that Ronnie was fuckin’ his girlfriend, it would make Freeze look weak. That’s bad for business.”
“Who’s that man with Freeze?”
“That’s the reason we ain’t ever gonna talk about this again. That’s Mike Black. Killing Freeze would be a death sentence, and Black would be the executioner.” Travis opened the limo door. “I’m out of this life, Jackie. I’m gonna try my best to put it all behind me,” Travis said. Jackie continued to look at Freeze. “You coming?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, but give me a minute,” Jackie said and walked away from the car.
“Where are you going?”
“To speak to Freeze.”
“Jackie—”
“Don’t worry, Travis. I’m not gonna do anything stupid like accuse a killer of murder. Just wait here. I won’t be long.”
Jackie made her way slowly toward Freeze, thinking about what Travis had just told her. Did he really kill Ronnie? She had looked into his eyes many times and knew that if Freeze said he would, then he would.
“Hello, Freeze,” Jackie said, noticing that she seemed to catch him off guard.
“What’s up, Jackie?” Freeze said as he turned to acknowledge her. “Mike Black, Jackie Washington.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Washington,” Black said. “Sorry it has to be at a time like this.”
“I’m sorry too. Next time we meet it won’t be.”
After making sure that there was no way Travis could see what she was doing, Jackie discreetly handed Freeze an envelope to cover her resent gambling debts. Just as discreetly, Freeze took the envelope and put it in his pocket.
“I just came to pay my respects. I was trying to catch up with Travis, but I haven’t seen him,” Freeze said.
“He’s already gone to the limo.”
“Tell him I’ll catch up with him later. But tell him that the situation he involved himself in is handled.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know,” Jackie said as she left them.
“Jackie!” Freeze called to her.
She stopped to turn toward him.
“See you tonight?”
Jackie paused for a second. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she answered, hoping in her heart the she would find the strength not to go spend her evening gambling. “And there’s a personal matter I know you can help me with,” Jackie said and continued walking toward the limo.
“Mike Black.” A voice came from behind the two men as they watched Jackie get in the limo.
“Detective Kirkland, what are you doing here?” Black asked as he shook the detective’s hand.
“I was just about to ask you the same question,” Kirk said. “Out of work stockbrokers usually aren’t your style. Besides, I hear this one was kind of sloppy.”
Freeze rolled his eyes.
“I’m just riding with Freeze.”
“Really? How do you know the deceased?” Kirk asked Freeze.
“Went to junior high school with him.”
“No shit. I never knew you went to school.” Kirk laughed. “But that doesn’t answer all my questions. We found three dead bodies, and one of the DNA samples matched the DNA of a rape suspect. I did some checking—you know, cop stuff—and coincidentally, the other three were killed on the same night as this poor fellow. Now, that seemed a little more than coincidental, so I came out to satisfy my curiosity. And who is the first person I run into? My old friend Mike Black and his fateful companion, Freeze. What do you make of that?”
Black laughed. “Nothing, Kirk. Like I said, I’m just riding with Freeze.”
“See you around, Black. You look good. Island life seems to agree with you,” Kirk said as he walked away.
Black and Freeze watched the detective until he got in his car and drove away. “Let’s go, Freeze,” Black said. “By the way, you heard anything from Nick?”
AN URBAN DRAMA
AN URBAN DRAMA
BY ROY GLENN
An Urban Drama
By Roy Glenn
Escapism Entertainment
Atlantic Beach, Florida
Copyright 2011 Roy Glenn
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locals are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
One
“So, it all comes down this?” I asked my lawyer, Wanda Moore.
Wanda looked over at me and slowly nodded her head. “All there is now is to wait, Nina.”
Wait for a grand jury to decide if I was going to have to stand trial. I didn’t wanna go to jail, but who does? And if I had to go, I couldn’t blame anybody, but myself. I chose to be where I was in life, and I chose to be doing what I was doing. Still, sometimes life leads you to make choices that you think you normally wouldn’t. At every point where I should have turned right, I went left.
It was my first day back from Virginia. My girl, Teena, came and picked me up just like she did every time I came home. Only this time I was home for good. After five years I had finally graduated from Hampton University with a degree in business administration. It took five years ’cause I lost my mind and went wild my freshman year. First time away from home, first time away from my parent’s control—shit, I thought college was a social activity. You couldn’t have a party and Nina not be there.
I got a little more serious about it my second year. I never was a great student, but I did enough to graduate. I figured I’d hang out for the summer, you know, have some fun—okay, have a lot of fun—then I’d get serious about getting a job in September. Maybe even October. After all, I had earned that break.
Teena had been my girl since I could remember. She was very pretty, and just the nicest, funniest person to be around. If there was trouble to get into, we got into it together. When I went away to college at Hampton, Teena, who always hated school, decided college wasn’t for her and stayed in New York. For the last five years she’d been hanging out. Teena didn’t work, and to my knowledge never had. She said her job was getting niggas to give her money. “The trick is doin’ it without fuckin’ everybody. That’s what makes it an art form,” Teena always told me. But it was working for her, ’cause everybody loved her.
Teena had taken some guy’s Escalade to pick me up while he was sleeping. She said she met the guy a couple of days ago. “He likes to smoke weed, right, but he gets real sleepy when he does. So I told him when he picked me up that I wanted to borrow his truck, you know, so I could hang out with you or whatever.”
“He probably thought you were crazy,” I said.
“He laughed and says, ‘We’ll see.’ So we had been ridin’ around smokin’ weed all day. Now, you know I can handle mine, but I know he’s gettin’ fucked up. So we get back to his house, right, and I say, you know, like, let’s smoke another blunt. So we sittin’ there smokin’ the blunt, watchin’ TV, and I ask him about the truck again, but he don’t really answer me ’cause he’s fallin’ asleep. So I’m tellin’ him, like, what a good driver I am and how I’m gonna take good care of his truck and shit, right. But by now he’s breakin’ his neck tryin’ to stay ’wake. So I’m like, look, if you fall asleep on me, I’m takin’ the truck,” Teena said.
“What he say?”
“All he could do at that point was smile. He fell asleep; I got his keys and was gone. Then I called thi
s other guy, told him that I needed some money to hang out with you, and said I’d come by later. Not!”
That’s just how she carried it. So, now we were riding in some man’s Escalade, spending another man’s money. We hit the clubs.
We were hanging at this spot uptown when Teena says, “Hey, Nina, don’t that guy look like Lorenzo?”
“What guy?” I got excited just hearing his name. I turned around quickly and saw him making his way through the crowd toward the bar. It was him, Lorenzo Copeland, my boyfriend from high school. My first lover, my only real boyfriend. I hadn’t seen him in five years, and damn, he looked good. I told Teena I’d be back, went to the bar, and posted up where I knew he’d see me.
“Nina?” he yelled over the music as he got close enough to recognize me.
I turned around slowly like he was bothering me. I looked at him and made like I didn’t know him. “Yes.”
He stepped a little closer. “Don’t you recognize me?” He snatched off his sunglasses. “It’s me, Lorenzo.”
I took a step closer to him and slowly put on a little smile. “Lorenzo? Lorenzo Copeland.” I held out my arms. “Come show me some love.” He stepped up quickly and threw his arms around me. “How are you, Lorenzo?” I gave him a friendly hug and took a step back.
“I’m chillin’, you know. But damn, Nina, it’s good to see you.”
“Really? I’m glad you feel that way, ’cause I was just thinkin’ about slappin’ the shit outta you.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“How come you never answered my letters?”
“Nina, I swear I never got your letters.”
“Sure,” I said and turned away.
“A lotta shit happened after you left. Gimme a chance to explain. Come on,” he said and touched my hand. I pulled away. “Can we go someplace where we can talk?”
