“Fine, but you got to hurry up. I don’t want to miss them if they leave.” I didn’t want to leave, but I had a feeling Alex and his friend weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The lights went out in the apartment.
Tanie drove back to the hotel. She was right. It didn’t take that long at all. She asked, “You feel okay about driving?”
“I feel like a champ.” I answered. I wasn’t feeling like a champ at all. I was on fire and somewhat defeated at the same time.
“If you have any problems over there, you call me. I’ll catch a cabbie and I’ll be over in a split second. Wait a minute. Maybe, I should stay with you.”
“No, no, Tanie, I’ll be fine. I need to handle this on my own anyway. This is between me and Alex. There won’t be any problems.”
“Alright, are you sure?”
“Positive.” I answered.
She smiled and got out of the car. I went over to the driver’s side, and I drove right back to the apartment building. Both cars were still there. Good.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
I was going insane sitting in the car watching the apartment. I wanted to bust down the door, and go off on them. But I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to let them have their tender moment together. I wasn’t interested in confronting her anyway. She only knew what Alex told her, and she had no reason to doubt him. I decided if this wasn’t Alex’s place, I would follow him and maybe, he will go straight home. I’ll confront him then. If this was his apartment, I would wait until she left, and then I’ll go and see him. Or maybe, they lived together. That meant I had to raise hell with the both of them, but I will wait and see if one of them leaves first. He will have to answer to me eventually and that was the bottom line.
Alex and that girl were in the apartment for about an hour and a half, and I sat in the car waiting and watching. Lights from within the apartment started coming on, and every once and a while I would see a shadow of a person move inside. Finally, both of them walked towards the door, and they embraced one another. He gave her a kiss, and she went to her car leaving Alex in the apartment. She was skipping down the steps, a smile on her face. She was leaving! Finally, my chance to talk to him!
When I was about to get out, I had an idea. The gun! I should take the gun with me to scare him. I reached in the glove box, held the steel in my hand. It was heavy. Tanie left it loaded. Bad idea. Bad idea. I put it back in the glove box. But I could use it to show him I wasn’t playing, to show him that he made a mistake messing around with my feelings. I wouldn’t hurt him, but I would make him fear me. I took the gun out again and checked to see if the safety was on. From what I could tell, the safety was on. There was no way Tanie would leave her gun in the glove box with the safety off. I put the gun in my purse. I didn’t know if that girl was coming back anytime soon or not, and I did not want to waste any more time.
I slowly went to the apartment. My heart was beating fast. This is the moment I was waiting for. My mind was buzzing with so many thoughts and questions. What was I going to say to Alex? How would he react to seeing me?
I knocked on the door. I was going to stand beside the doorway and jump out and surprise him, but the idea sounded juvenile. I wanted to be classy, calm, and under control. He opened the door while talking on his cell phone. When he saw my face, his smile faded to a look of total shock. He closed his cell phone.
I smiled loving his reaction. Alex was silent, scared, and in disbelief. I asked him, “Alex, aren’t you happy to see me?”
He didn’t answer. The same shocking stare.
I asked, “Are you going to invite me in?”
He still stared at me. I decided to walk in, and he moved out the way easily.
When I entered the apartment, I saw a place that was very much lived in and comfortable. The living room was full of beautiful furniture. There were pictures of his family and the girl’s family in the cabinets against the living room wall. The kitchen and dining area was to the left, and the glass door that lead to the balcony was on the right hand side. It looked like it was her apartment, but I could tell Alex lived there, too.
The main thing that caught my attention was two wine glasses on the median in the kitchen. The wine bottle was open, and one glass was empty with only small remnants of red wine on the bottom. The other glass with a lipstick stain was almost empty.
I said to Alex, “This is a nice apartment. Did you pick it out?”
He answered clearly puzzled, “Huh, no, I didn’t. Angela, how did you find me?”
“Does it really matter how I found you? I thought you would be glad to see me, Alex.” I knew he didn’t want me there.
“Angela...” He couldn’t get the rest of his words out. He was visibly shaken. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I had the upper hand.
I turned my back to him and walked towards the wine glasses. I picked up the glass with the lipstick stain. That familiar anger was on the rise. “Who were you sharing a drink with?”
He didn’t answer. His heart had to be racing.
I dropped the glass to the floor and it shattered into pieces. I turned to face him. I wanted answers. “Is this your apartment?”
“Angela, I...”
“Before you answer, I must warn you I am not in the mood for lies. You better come correct every time.”
We stared at each other. I waited patiently for my answer. He finally admitted, “I do live here.”
“She lives here, too, right?”
“Yes, Hannah lives here, as well.” He sounded defeated.
“Oh, that’s right. Her name is Hannah. I guess I won’t ever forget it now.”
“Angela, we need to discuss this someplace else. If you’re here when she shows up, she won’t be happy about it.”
“I could care less about her happiness.” I asked him, “Since the both of you live here, that means you two are in a relationship, yes?”
He hesitantly answered, “Yes.”
“I don’t understand, Alex. She came to your house with your sister. She saw me there with you, and she was very aware that you and I were dating. And now here you are living with her, sleeping with her. What kind of game are you two playing?”
“Angela, there is no game being played here. At the time she came over to the house, we weren’t together.” Alex sighed and he came closer to me. He continued, “I’ve known her for a long time. We dated at one time for a little while, but it wasn’t serious and we both moved on. When you saw her that night that was the first time I saw her in years. She wasn’t upset about you being there because Hannah and I weren’t dating.”
“What about the fair? I saw both of you at the fair. She was sitting with you and your family. You were whispering in her ear. You had your arms around her.”
“What you saw at the fair was just two friends catching up. That is it.”
“Remember what I said. You better come correct, and you just lied to me.” I was boiling. My heart was beating ten million miles a minute.
He looked down at the floor. He was trembling.
I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were moving in with her?”
“I was going to move in with my uncle like I said, but my plans changed when I got here.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Angela, I swear I am telling you the truth. At this moment, right now, right here, I am telling you the truth.”
I asked, “Why did you turn off your phone?”
He was hesitant about answering that question. He actually took a step back.
I asked again but in a louder voice, “Why did you turn off your phone, Alex?”
“Angela...it’s complicated.”
I laughed at his sorry excuse. “Was it because your brother killed my sister? Or was it because you never had any intention of bringing me to Atlanta? I bet it’s a mixture of both, which equates to you being a coward.”
Alex stared at me, and I saw his tears. I didn’t have sympathy. I’ve been out of it for years.
I asked, “Did you really love me, Alex?”
Still, he was speechless. I guess that was a no.
It didn’t matter if he answered the questions or not. I had my conclusions, anyway. I continued, “Were you trying to find out what it was like to sleep with a black girl?”
“Angela, stop.”
“Fuck you, Alex!” I went over to the other side of the living room, and I looked at all the pictures. He was right. She had been in his life since they were kids. There was a picture of them playing on a swing set together. There was a picture when he was younger posing with her family, and another picture with her by herself wearing a graduating cap and gown. Everyone looked so happy, like a perfect fit. I realized at that moment, just looking at the history of that couple through the pictures, I never had a chance. I was only a moment in his life. A girl he will one day recall and just as quickly forget.
Alex remarked, “Angela, please, can we go someplace else and talk?”
I kept on looking at the pictures, ignoring what he said. There was so many. One picture caught my eye. It was Alex and her, and she was leaning back on him at the beach. She was in her swimsuit, and he had on his swim trunks, and he was kissing her face. She had a smile that spoke volumes. Her eyes were closed taking in the moment with him. She loved him, and he loved her. He was holding on to her because she was the world to him. I never had that with him. I thought I did. I tried to stop my tears, but I was in pain. I was hurt.
I asked without turning around, “Why did you ask me out?”
“I...I wanted…” He didn’t finish his sentence. Figures, he ran out of lies to tell.
I said as I picked up the picture of them at the beach, “My girlfriend tried to warn me about you. She warned me from the very beginning to be careful. I didn’t listen to her because I believed in you.” I tossed the picture back on the shelf, knocking down the other pictures. A couple of them fell to the floor. I wanted to knock over that whole shelf. I wanted to destroy the entire apartment. I hated him. I can’t even measure the amount of hate that consumed me. I kicked the pictures on the floor out of the way as I turned to face him again. “I was the dirty little secret your family wasn’t supposed to know about, right?”
“Angela, I never thought of you like that, ever.”
“You should have stood up for us, Alex. I was never ashamed of you like you were of me.”
“You have to understand I had no choice. You knew my family wouldn’t accept our relationship. I would have stayed with you, but my parents would have cut me off. I would be broke. I wouldn’t have anything.”
“Do you understand what you just said to me? You chose your family because being with me meant you had nothing.”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“I don’t think so. I know what I fucking heard.”
He came towards me reaching his hands out and said, “Angela, honey, I wish...”
I dodged away from him. If he had of touched me, I would have absolutely lost it.
He put his hands on his waist and said impatiently, “We have a lot to talk about, and we can’t do it here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I had to ask one more question, but I knew the answer. I had to hear him say it. “Are you engaged to Hannah?”
Alex didn’t answer.
I asked him again, and still no answer.
“You are a lying, cheating ass coward!”
He came towards me again, “Angela…”
I reached in my purse for the gun and pointed it at him. He stopped in his tracks surprised to see what I had in my hands. I didn’t want him touching me, and I wasn’t going anywhere with him. I was mad as hell, and I was so tired of being mistreated.
I couldn’t stand to look at him anymore. I aimed and shot him in the face. The snap of the gun and the sound of Alex hitting the floor made me jump. I was shaking. I went to him slowly to see if he was breathing. I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t bending over to checking his pulse. I didn’t know how. There was blood and guts on the floor and he was lying in it with his eyes wide open. I backed away. I was horrified. The smile he had on his face, the glow, it was all gone. I ran.
I couldn’t start the car. Then I realized the gun was still in my right hand. I pushed it back in my purse and squeezed my hands together in hope they would stop shaking. Just as I started the car, his girlfriend came back. I had to get out of there. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breathe. I started the car and slowly drove off trying not to catch her attention.
I had to get back to the hotel in one piece. My eyes were filled with tears. I killed another ex-boyfriend! What was I going to do now?
It seemed like it took forever to get back, and after I parked the car, I sat behind the wheel. I was in shock. That whole thing was just a dream now. It wasn’t real. Alex wasn’t shot. It couldn’t be true.
No matter what I said or asked or wished, I needed to stop denying reality. I shot him without a doubt, and he was dead. I went to the room, and Tanie was wrapped in a towel, her hair wrapped in a plastic cap, and she had on cushy house shoes. The music was playing, and she was humming along to it and laying out clothes to wear. I was about to ruin her evening.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2009
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
I was alone in the hotel room. It was after midnight, and my mind kept going back to a few hours ago. The gun went off and the bullet tore into his face leaving blood all over him. When I first met Alex, I never thought the relationship would have gotten as far as it did and ended like it did.
Honestly, I didn’t feel bad about killing him. I had that same numb feeling that I had when I killed Jason. The anger was still burning within, but the sense to feel something for Alex wasn’t there. He should have just loved me. It wouldn’t have gotten this far, but he was weak.
The room was dark with only the outside city lights gleaming from near and far distant buildings. Even at that time of night, the city was still alive. In Colum, the streets would have been empty. Everyone would have been in their beds or simply at home. I went to the window. I heard sirens, car horns, screeching tires, and all the sounds in between. It took me a while to realize that I saw the parking lot at the apartment where Alex was. The police was still there, lights still flashing. All that time, I could have been watching, but it wasn’t like I had a sideline view. I could only see a distant view of the police and ambulance lights in the parking lot, and the apartment building itself was blocked by another tall building.
Tanie came back from where ever she came from. She left the hotel four hours ago; not long after I told her I shot Alex. I thought she was going to be angry about it, but Tanie was calm. She simply asked for the gun. She told me not to leave the hotel and she got dressed and left the room. She didn’t call or anything. I didn’t think she abandoned me, but I didn’t think she would be gone a long time like that. Tanie came in tired, her eyes were heavy. She came over to stand beside me. She gave me a reassuring smile.
“It’ll be okay, Angela.”
I was glad to have Tanie at my side.
I sat at the window for most of the night watching the distant sirens. I don’t know what I thought I was going to see so far away, but still I didn’t move.
By the time the sun began to rise, I decided to clean myself up. When I came back out, Tanie was at the table near the window setting out plates. She had some kind of push cart beside her, and there was warm food.
I asked Tanie, “You ordered breakfast?”
She answered, “Room service. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I am.”
Tanie began pouring a glass of orange juice for both of us. I sat across the table from her.
I took only one bite before I said, “I’m sorry.”
She asked, “About what?”
“We were supposed to go out last night.”
“We still have a couple of days left. Don’t worry about it.” Tanie was peppering her eggs and mixing it with her fork. She was acting like
nothing was wrong.
I remarked, “I wasn’t thinking last night, but I was so mad...”
Tanie stopped me by saying, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Angela. I don’t think any less of you because of last night.”
“So, do you think the police will come for me?” I didn’t want to go to prison.
“I don’t know. If someone saw you leave the apartment after you shot him, they might come for you.”
“I don’t think anyone saw me.”
“Then, you might be okay. I wouldn’t worry about it until the time comes, or if it comes at all.” She remarked.
I asked, “Do you think I should tell Roscoe?”
Tanie thought about it and then answered, “I’ll let you decide.”
“What if I don’t tell him and he finds out that Alex and I were dating and I was here in Atlanta during the time of the murder? Do you think he’ll make the connection?”
Tanie sat back in her chair staring out the window. She finally answered, “I don’t know if he’ll make the connection, Angela. That’s a good question.”
“But you would definitely tell him even if it meant your life.”
“Yes, you know I would. He wanted two things from me, honesty and loyalty. He wants the same from you.”
I nodded taking in her advice, but I didn’t know if I was going to tell Roscoe. He trusts Tanie more than me, and he may not take the news well. I asked, “What if I tell him, and he tells the police?”
“He won’t tell the police, Angela.”
“I don’t think he’ll be too happy about what I did.” I was afraid to face Roscoe.
“I honestly don’t know, but you have time to think on this. I can’t make this decision for you.”
“Where did you…”
“If you’re going to ask about the gun,” Tanie interrupted me, “Don’t. Okay?”
“Okay.”
When we finished eating breakfast, Tanie and I put the dirty dishes on the cart and she wheeled it into the hallway. She took a shower afterwards, and I turned on the television. I had no idea what to watch. There were cartoons, talk shows, news, and infomercials. I flipped through all the channels several times before landing on news that showed the apartment where Alex was shot. The volume was too low.
The Ex Killer Series Page 28
