The Way of the Guilty

by Jennifer Stanley

  “I listened to Quinton and Jake’s CD and thought it was just marvelous! Between the music and all the cooking, the hours flew right on by!” Gloria giggled.

  As Quinton received thankful handshakes and thumps on the back from the grateful schoolteachers and staff for the supplies, Gloria quickly introduced herself to the other members of the Sunrise Bible Study.

  “Someone’s missing, right?” she asked, looking around for Trish.

  Bryant waited until his friends were gathered close together before he whispered, “Trish is feeling terrible. She’s been receiving chemo treatments for a month,” he explained to Gloria. “And she’s got good days and not-so-good days.” He looked pained. “This last round has made her awfully sick. I only talked to her for a minute, but it truly upset me. I’ve never heard her sound so weak. It was . . . scary.”

  Cooper squeezed Bryant’s hand. “We’ll check on her later today, after she’s had a chance to rest. Maybe we can bring her some food before the storm arrives. That way, her family can focus on taking care of her without worrying about what to have for dinner.”

  The friends nodded in solemn agreement.

  “No more frowns!” Jake clapped his hands. “If we’re gonna do all this good before we get covered by a layer of ice, then we’d better get crackin’!” He began to distribute brushes and rollers to Gloria and the Sunrise members. “We’re gonna make Savannah’s garden come to life and after that, we’ll paint pictures of healthy food in the cafeteria.” He lowered his voice. “Just as long as I don’t have to paint the broccoli. I sure hate that stuff! Used to hide it in my cowboys boots durin’ supper. I always wore my boots when I smelled Mama cookin’ beets or broccoli.”

  Savannah chuckled. “Never fear, Jake. We won’t make you paint such traumatic veggies. You can make a smiling carrot instead.”

  Looking visibly relieved, Jake followed Nathan, Bryant, and Quinton outside to collect supplies.

  “This is quite a palette you’ve brought,” Nathan said as he gestured at four gallons of different shades of blue. “These walls won’t know what hit them.”

  For the next three hours, the Sunrise members transformed the entrance hall into a verdant paradise. Sunflowers, poppies, tulips, lilies, and daisies lifted their faces toward a glorious sunrise in the middle of an azure sky. Cotton-candy clouds formed the backdrop for a host of soaring birds and butterflies.

  Nathan placed the final dot on a ladybug’s wing just as Cooper painted a curling antennae on a grinning inchworm. Quinton and Gloria’s hands met as they completed the violet stripe of their rainbow arch. As one, the friends stood back to admire their handiwork.

  “Would you look at this?” Gloria made a sweeping gesture down the hall. “I am convinced the Almighty Creator guided our brushes this morning.”

  Cooper had to agree. Except for Savannah, none of them were known for possessing drawing or painting talents, yet the mural they had created together sparkled with color and shimmered with liveliness.

  “Imagine what we can do to the cafeteria next!” Cooper exclaimed.

  “Nothin’ yet! At least not until we fill our bellies!” Jake declared and dumped his brush into an open can of corn-yellow paint. “I gotta refill the well. Especially if we’re gonna paint a bunch of food.”

  Quinton rubbed his round paunch. “I second that motion. How does beef stew sound to you? One of the women’s groups from Hope Street provided us with crock pots full of stew and trays of homemade cornbread.”

  “It’s a good thing we don’t have to drive anywhere for lunch. Look!” Bryant pointed toward the double doors leading outside. Just as he’d predicted on television the night before, the ice storm had arrived.

  Gloria and the Bible study friends walked to the entranceway and watched transfixed as pellets of ice struck the cement walkways and ricocheted off the asphalt parking lot.

  Above the barren trees, the sky was tinged a strange gray-pink.

  “Looks a bit like birthday cake icing,” Quinton murmured and took Gloria’s hand. “I think you picked the perfect cupcake design for today.”

  Intrigued by this comment, the Sunrise members followed Quinton down the hall with the expectant gait of first-grade students being led to recess. Once they’d gathered around the cafeteria table, Quinton carefully eased back the lid of a bakery box and waited for the cries of surprise and delight.

  “Wow!” Jake shouted and leaned toward Savannah so that he could describe what he’d seen. “Gloria made penguin cupcakes. The wings are chocolate cookies, the snow’s made of shredded coconut, and there’s even little candy fish tucked in their yellow mouths.”

  “How’d you made the beak and the feet?” Nathan asked.

  “Laffy Taffy,” Gloria answered. “And the penguin’s head is a donut hole dunked in melted black frosting.” She giggled and her bosom shook. “I figured we’d need some sugar and coffee by mid-afternoon. Painting is serious exercise! No wonder the Karate Kid had to paint Mr. Miyagi’s fence.”

  Quinton closed the box and indicated a row of similar boxes. “She made enough for everyone.” Again, he gazed at Gloria with rapture. “If you’re still hungry after the stew, I’ve made a simple cake and my finely tuned nose has detected the smell of fudge.”

  Cooper laughed. “Oh, you’re good! Mama sent raspberry truffle fudge. And I doubt you made a simple cake, Quinton.” She winked at Gloria. “He’s being modest.”

  “It’s just a cinnamon sour cream cake with a vanilla glaze,” Quinton argued, his boyish face rosy with pleasure.

  “I’m gaining weight just listening to you all!” Savannah said. “Let’s eat and then brainstorm about how to spruce up this room. It feels gloomy in here and if this place is anything like other school cafeterias, these kids are eating Mystery Meat and Nameless Noodle Casserole, so the least we can do is give them something fun to look at.”

  “Limit the pictures of cakes and candy, if you will,” one of the teachers sitting nearby pleaded. “Paint more of what the students should be eating, like dairy, fruit, and vegetables. If you saw some of the lunches these kids bring from home, you’d wonder if their parents were food shopping at the 7-Eleven.”

  “Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive,” Gloria pointed out kindly. “Perhaps we could start a fund drive to provide the students with healthy lunch sides during the week. I’m sure the area churches would band together to help . . .” The two women excitedly exchanged ideas.

  Cooper nudged Quinton, who was staring at Gloria’s profile with a faraway smile. “So, Romeo, what are you doing to celebrate V-Day?”

  “I’m cooking for her, of course. Fondue. And then we’re going to play some board games while we listen to Sinatra.” He sighed happily. “The ice and snow can pile up outside. It doesn’t matter to me because wherever Gloria is, the sun will be shining.” Quinton slung an arm around Nathan. “What about you two? Any big plans?”

  “Oh, you know, your run-of-the-mill Valentine’s Day activity,” Nathan replied sotto voce as he buttered a piece of cornbread. “We’re meeting Edward Crosby at Club Satin, where Cooper’s going to play in a pool tournament and then attempt to buy heroin from a dangerous drug dealer. After that, the three of us will try to stay alive long enough to discover Miguel Ramos’s connection to said drug dealer.”

  Jake, who was about to take a bite of cornbread, dropped the square back onto his plate. “Hold the phone! Three of you ain’t gonna stand a chance! Don’t you think a plumber with a pipe in his back pocket might come in handy?” He gesticulated at Quinton and Bryant. “These two can’t blend in with a rougher crowd, but I can.”

  “And I could be your ears,” Savannah said, clearly not happy over being excluded.

  “You can’t hear yourself think over what passes for music in that kind of joint. And even though you couldn’t see what was goin’ on in there, it’s no place for a lady.” Jake looked appalled by the idea. “I don’t know a thing about this adult club personally,” he added for Savannah’s
benefit, “but you’re not goin’ within miles of its pink front door. This is a mean, dirty club filled with mean, dirty people.” He squeezed Cooper’s forearm. “You’re made from tough fiber, my friend. I just pray this turns out like you want it to. This is a mighty big risk you’re takin’.”

  “Have you read the paper lately? There are so many bad things happening in our city,” Cooper answered with quiet passion. “I can’t just sit around when there’s a chance I can stop someone else from being hurt.”

  Quinton looked abashed. “I wish I’d been more helpful. I placed several calls to Double A Auto to try and discover something fishy about Miguel’s employment history, but no one would believe I was with the IRS. As such a terrible actor, I don’t think I’d be any good to you in that club.”

  “Me, either, my friend.” Bryant slapped Nathan on the back. “I’d be right by your side, but my face is too famous and I’ve got a date with Jane that includes playing Pictionary with two kids.”

  Nathan grinned. “We’ll be okay. Just send any extra guardian angels you run into our way.” He brushed cornbread crumbs from his hands and picked up a clean paintbrush. “I think I’ll start by painting a pizza slice. I know it’s not the pinnacle of nutrition, but I’ve never met a kid who didn’t like a slice of cheese pizza.”

  “Pepperoni’s better,” Cooper playfully countered. “If I could choose my last meal, it would be pepperoni pizza.”

  “Don’t talk about last meals,” Nathan whispered. “I want mine to be manlier than a cupcake shaped like penguin!”

  13

  “. . . Sodom and Gomorrah and

  the surrounding towns gave themselves

  up to sexual immorality and perversion.

  They serve as an example of those who

  suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”

  Jude 1:7 (NIV)

  Because Cooper had planned on the ice storm’s arrival, she’d brought two changes of clothes with her. One to wear to Club Satin, as well as a pair of dress slacks, underwear, and a twin set to wear to Hope Street the next morning. A second, smaller case held a custom cue for use in the pool tournament. She and Nathan had agreed the night before that it made more sense for Cooper to drive straight to his house after their day of painting and then sleep over at the conclusion of their late-night adventure.

  They spent what was left of the afternoon snuggled up on the sofa as the fire crackled in the grate. Afterward, they ate a quiet dinner and then tried to while away two hours watching When Harry Met Sally.

  “I cannot focus on this movie,” Nathan said as he returned to the living room with a bowl of popcorn. “I never thought it would take so long for ten o’clock to arrive.”

  “I can’t relax, either.” Cooper ate a few handfuls of popcorn but her stomach was too unsettled for much more. She passed the bowl back to Nathan. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and figure out what you’re going to wear.”

  He touched his blue and white checked button-down and frowned. “What’s wrong with this?”

  “Not seedy enough,” Cooper commented and turned the television off. Upstairs, she searched through Nathan’s closet until she found dark, acid-washed jeans and a black sports coat. “Add a black T-shirt and your loafers and you’re set.”

  “Those shoes pinch my feet.” Nathan sighed and began to unbutton his shirt.

  Cooper placed her hands over his. “Leave that to me,” she whispered. She kissed him as she pushed each button gently through its hole and then slowly lowered the shirt off his shoulders. “I’m so glad you’ll be with me tonight.”

  “As if I’d let you be alone with Edward. I’m done sharing you,” he murmured into her hair and slipped his hands beneath her sweater. “Your turn.”

  Nathan’s arms tightened around Cooper’s bare back and their kisses grew in hunger. It took an intense effort for Cooper to detach herself from the embrace. “We don’t have that much time.” She smiled and turned away to finish dressing. Groaning, Nathan followed suit and then sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Cooper zipped up her knee-high black leather boots.

  “You’re beautiful. No, you’re downright sexy. And those boots?” He ran his hand up her leg. “Do I get to take them off later?”

  Cooper swatted him. “Stop it! I still have to put gobs of makeup on and tease my hair until I look like the frontman for an eighties rock band.”

  Holding his hands up in surrender, Nathan laughed. “That’s a surefire way to stop me from trying to seduce you. Now I’m thinking about Jon Bon Jovi.”

  “Good. Keep him in mind until we’re alone again.”

  The roads were slick and treacherous, and Nathan maneuvered Sweet Pea through the nearly deserted downtown streets with care. Club Satin wasn’t far from his Fan District house, but the prevalence of black ice forced him to drive with extreme caution. By the time they arrived in the public parking lot where Cooper had planned to meet Edward, they were fifteen minutes late.

  Nathan parked alongside Edward’s cab, which was idling beneath one of the lot’s few streetlights.

  “I see you brought back-up,” was Edward’s only comment as he opened the passenger door and held out a hand for Cooper. Before she could answer, he pointed at the black carrying case on her lap. “Is that your own cue?”

  “I told you I used to play,” she answered cryptically.

  Edward studied her for a moment. “We’ll keep an eye on Albion and his crew as we shoot. If things go well and we kick ass on the pool tables, we’ll end up talking to our big fish.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” Nathan inquired. “I admit to being out of my league here, but an extra pair of eyes might be useful.”

  “Our friend Jake’s coming, too,” Cooper added. “He’s probably inside already.”

  If Edward was surprised or displeased by this revelation, he didn’t show it. “You go in separate from us and hang out with Jake,” he told Nathan. “Buy some drinks, get some food, and pay attention to the girls. Pick one to spend some money on and tell her you were a friend of Miguel’s and that he always talked about the club. See what she’s got to say.” Edward unzipped his leather coat, revealing a tight shirt emblazoned with a smoking pool cue and the text, “Shut Up and Shoot.”

  “What if she gets suspicious?” Nathan asked.

  “Then she’ll squeal to Albion and we’ll know for sure Miguel was one of his runners. It’d be a lead, but not a good one, so you should try to play it cool and leave the tricky stuff to me. We don’t want Albion paying attention to any of us until the time is right,” Edward explained. “If the girls blow you off, we’ll find a way to send Cooper into the viper’s pit. Albion likes blondes. You get what I’m saying?”

  Nathan nodded and Edward seemed satisfied. “If I need to tell you something, I’ll approach you. Just be regular Joes in there. Watch the women and drink your beer.”

  “Be careful,” Nathan told Cooper and then kissed her on the mouth as though Edward wasn’t watching. “Listen to your gut. If something feels wrong, then leave. Finding Miguel’s killer is important, but don’t risk your own safety tracking him down.”

  “I’m not backing down now,” Cooper insisted firmly. “But I promise not to do anything stupid. You’ll have to settle for that.” She softened the strength of her words by squeezing his arm reassuringly.

  Once Nathan was out of sight, Cooper was forced to face Edward’s dark, questioning gaze. “He’s my boyfriend, okay? He wasn’t going to sit at home while I hung out at a strip club.”

  Edward shrugged. “I wouldn’t think he was much of a man if he did. Now, get your game face on. Here we go.”

  Hands clasped for support, Edward and Cooper picked their way over the slippery parking lot. Twice, Cooper lost her balance and had to cling to Edward, but she no longer yearned to linger in the crook of his arms as he held her upright. The temptation had passed.

  “You’re different tonight,” he murmured as they made it to a portion of the sidewalk lit by the pink ne
on arrows pointing the way to Club Satin. “Why?”

  Cooper stopped and turned to him. “I have been trying to figure out what I felt for you, Edward. You’re intriguing. You’ve got a background that’s so foreign to me and ever since you’ve been released, I’ve been in total awe of your courage and determination.”

  “Here comes the ‘but’ . . .” he said, his eyes unreadable.

  “You’ve been like some kind of shadow guardian since the night Ashley found Miguel. I am very grateful to you for looking out for me.” She hesitated. “But I love Nathan and I can only offer you friendship. And whatever you think you feel for me . . . it’s not real. You see me through a tinted lens that makes me better than I actually am.”

  Edward reached out and touched her cold cheek. “I may not know your favorite color or book or damned ice cream flavor, but I see you. I’m not the type of guy you’re used to and I get that. I get that you’ve got a man and you’re gonna stick with him.” He smirked. “But let me be straight. I’m not here tonight because I’ve got a thing for you. I’m here to see that right’s done, because I owe you one and I’m looking for a way to even the score, so let’s go in before they start the contest without us.”

  Tongue-tied over Edward’s abruptness, Cooper followed him past a stretch Hummer limousine. The elongated side of the ridiculous vehicle had been painted with the figures of two bikini-clad women with full lips and enormous eyes. One girl was stereotypically Scandinavian with her round, blue eyes and white-blonde hair while the second was distinctly exotic in appearance. She had fathomless dark brown eyes, shiny cascades of black hair, and nut-colored skin. Both women were positioned so they seemed to be crawling toward the viewer. Cooper had a hard time tearing her gaze from their open mouths and come-hither expressions.