by Mz. Robinson
“So…where’s my nephew?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Working,” she said, then took a sip from the glass sitting in front of her on the table.
“I’ve been meaning to ask how you feel about that. I always thought Emerson would go off to college and become an engineer or something.”
“Emerson is doing what he knows,” Venetta said. “Leon has built a family empire. It will someday be passed down, and…well, considering that you have no plans to have children—”
“What do you mean, no plans?” I asked. “You know we’ve been trying.”
Venetta looked at me and shook her head. “Leon’s trying,” she said, staring at me, “but you and I both know it’ll take a miracle for that to happen, considering that you’re on birth control.”
“Birth control!? Why would you think that?” I questioned, feigning innocence. “I want a baby just as bad as Gator does! I’d never—”
My dramatic performance was cut short when Venetta reached into her clutch and pulled out a peach-colored case that closely resembled the one I kept hidden under my bathroom vanity drawer.
“What’s that?” I asked naïvely.
“You know exactly what these are,” Venetta said, sliding the case across the table. “I stopped by Madison Drugs to pick up my allergy medication, and they asked me to give them to you. She said you called it in but missed your pickup.”
Ain’t that some shit? I thought, more than pissed that my privacy had been violated. “What ever happened to patient confidentiality?” I grumbled. I slipped the case off the table, opened my bag, and dropped the pills inside.
“Channel, the lead pharmacist, is a friend of the family,” Venetta informed me. “The only concern she has with confidentiality is keeping others from finding out about her little cocaine habit. I normally don’t patronize that location, but today I was in the area. I guess it’s a good thing. I can only imagine what would have happened if Gator had been greeted with that little surprise.”
I thought about that for a moment, and the image made me shiver. Gator would have been beyond pissed off. I knew he’d never lay a finger on me or do anything to harm me, but there would have been some form of consequence for my lying and deception, most likely in the form of my funding and allowance being cut off temporarily. For me, that would have been cruel and unusual punishment. “Listen, Venetta—”
“Don’t worry,” she said, cutting me off. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks,” I said, slightly relieved.
“But keep in mind that when my brother wants something, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it,” she warned. “Eventually, he’s gonna get suspicious, and the truth will come out.”
“I’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” I said. “I just need a little more time.” I looked up and saw Gator and Terrance walking toward the table. “Hey, baby,” I said, nodding in their direction.
The look on both men’s faces concerned me; clearly, something was wrong.
“What is it?” Venetta asked, noticing their expressions too.
“Have you heard from Emerson?” Terrance asked.
“No. Why?”
“He missed an appointment,” Terrance stated.
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” Venetta said calmly. “Did you try his cell?”
“Yes,” Terrance responded. “Gator and I are gonna go look for him.”
I shot a glance at Gator, silently letting him know that I did not appreciate his ass having to leave the make-up party he was throwing to make up for the damn vacation he’d missed. I knew he cared about his nephew, but he was supposed to care about my feelings too.
“It won’t take long,” he assured me, as if he’d read my mind. “Enjoy your guests. I’ll be back shortly.”
What the fuck ever, I thought to myself, but I said, “Okay, baby,” and as soon as he and Terrance were out of earshot, I looked at Venetta. “See? This shit right here is why no one in this line of work needs children.”
She gave me a look of disapproval.
“Sorry,” I said, “but this is exactly why I’ve been taking those pills.”
“I’m sure they’ll be back in no time,” she said calmly, “once they find Emerson.”
I was so caught up in my own feelings that I’d forgotten that my best friend’s son was missing. “I hope E.’s all right,” I said sincerely.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” she said. “He’s probably just running behind. That kid will be late to his own funeral.”
Chapter 9
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” Minister Golston stated.
There were tears forming behind my sunglasses-shaded eyes as I stood there in my fitted black dress and heels, watching as the clergyman opened his palm and allowed grains of dirt to sprinkle from his hand onto the casket that held Emerson’s body. “He’s probably just running behind. That kid will be late to his own funeral.” Venetta’s words echoed in my head.
I looked across the grave at Venetta. She was clothed in a simple black dress, and tears of a mother’s sorrow were rolling down her brown cheeks. Terrance was beside her, dressed in a black suit, with a distant, pained gaze in his eyes.
As it turned out, E. was not just running behind; he was dead. An hour after Gator and Terrance left the party in search of Emerson, Venetta received a call from Terrance, informing her that he needed her to meet him at Huntsville Hospital. We left the country club immediately. When we arrived, the news was heart wrenching: Young Emerson had been murdered. The details of his death were sketchy, filled with so many holes that the news almost seemed like a cruel joke. If I hadn’t been present when they identified his body, I wouldn’t have believed it.
According to police, Emerson had been found in the streets with a man by the name of Victor Henson. Both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Venetta had been an emotional wreck since that night, crying continually and barely eating. In a week’s time, she’d lost at least twelve pounds. Terrance, a once happy and playful man, now mumbled words of hate and revenge. Emerson’s death had shaken the two of them to their core, and it saddened me that they were suffering emotionally as well as physically.
I looked to my left, at my husband. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he was dressed in a tailored black suit and dark sunglasses. Gator had been extremely quiet since his nephew’s death; mourning coupled with deep guilt and remorse. “He would never have been out there if I hadn’t allowed it,” he said, referring to the night of the murder.
I’d never heard my husband speak of any regrets for decisions he’d made, nor had I ever seen him so emotionally vulnerable, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. So, I wrapped my arms around him, my nonverbal way of letting him know we would all get through our time of mourning together.
The minister recited a prayer, then offered Venetta and Terrance his condolences before walking off, leaving the four of us surrounding the casket. Outside of AJ, who stood waiting by Gator’s truck with Jonah, and Darth, one of Gator’s flunkies, we were the only ones in attendance at the memorial service for Emerson. One of the pros of being a part of the Douglass family was the money. One of the cons was that we had to mourn and bury our loved ones in private.
We stood by Emerson’s grave until the sun began to set, until his casket was completely lowered in the ground and covered with dirt.
“Rest well, baby boy,” I whispered, laying a single red rose on top of the grave.
I waited for my husband as he also laid a single red rose on top of the grave and whispered several inaudible words. Once he was finished paying his respects, he turned and extended his hand to me. I slipped my palm into Gator’s and interlocked my fingers with his. We then walked, hand in hand, along the plush green grass, headed in the direction of his car, leaving Venetta and Terrance alone.
AJ opened the car door and stepped back to allow us room to climb inside the vehicle.
I settled against the cool l
eather seat, then turned to face Gator, who was staring out the window, loosening his tie. “Are you okay?”
“No,” he said. “There are too many unanswered questions. I need answers, Diamond, and I plan to get them. That boy was my blood, and nobody fucks with that without justice being served.”
My husband’s connections with the Huntsville Police Department had proven useless so far on Emerson’s case. There were no leads, no witnesses, and no evidence linking Emerson to the other dead man. I’d never questioned or doubted Gator’s pull in our city, from traffic tickets to gaining entrance to private city functions. All I ever had to do was mention my husband’s name, and citations would turn to warnings and locked doors would fly open. We were considered local royalty and were treated as such. However, in one of our family’s most trying and difficult moments, I was slowly beginning to wonder if there was someone of equal persuasion involved, pulling from the other side.
“How do you think you’re gonna find those answers?” I asked.
“I have my ways,” he said flatly.
“You have your ways, huh?” I said, slightly annoyed. “For once, can you actually share your ways with your wife?”
“The less you know,” he said, looking at me intensely, “the better off—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I snapped, cutting him off. “I’m your wife, Gator. What affects you concerns me, not to mention that I loved Emerson too. He was my best friend’s son, for crying out loud, as well as my nephew. I loved that kid like he was my own blood.”
Gator looked at me with eyes as bright as the stars in a night sky. “As your husband, it’s my responsibility to protect you,” he said.
“I don’t need your protection. I knew what I was signing up for when I married you. I can handle anything thrown our way, and I think I’ve proven that.” I looked at him and shook my head.
“Diamond, do you think for one moment I would’ve asked for your hand in marriage if I didn’t see in you some of the same characteristics I possess? I knew within three seconds of speaking to you that you’d turn out to be the love of my life. I knew within thirty-six hours that you’d be my wife. I also knew you’ll always do whatever is necessary to maintain the security of our family. Sweetheart, I know what you’re capable of, but as your husband, it’s still my responsibility to take care of you and prevent whatever I can before it becomes your problem.”
“Your problems are my problems,” I argued.
“Right now, my problem is that my wife refuses to honor my request,” he said, raising his voice. “Do you think you can solve that one?”
I looked at him, slightly pissed at the rough tone in his voice. I was ready to render my response when the car door opened. I watched as Venetta climbed in, sliding into the second row of seating, followed by her husband.
“Where to, Boss?” AJ asked, climbing behind the wheel.
“Home,” Gator answered.
Thirty minutes later, AJ pulled up in front of our home, with Darth and Jonah following behind. I decided to disregard my husband’s earlier abrasiveness, reminding myself that he was emotional and going through a difficult time. After we all exited the vehicle, I led the way to our front door, relieved that the day’s events were over and that our family could now attempt to get back to normal.
* * * * *
I lightly dabbed at the corners of my mouth with my linen napkin and looked around my dining room table. Venetta was sitting next to me, blankly staring down at her plate. Terrance was to her left, finishing off what I’d counted to be his third glass of brandy. My husband was at the head of the table, where he always sat, watching his sister closely.
After the members of Gator’s team departed, Gator had called in a private chef to provide dinner for our family. Chef Javier had prepared a delicious spread consisting of steak, rice pilaf, green beans, and a Caesar salad. I usually did all the cooking, unless we ordered in or went out, but I was far too mentally exhausted to stand over a hot stove, and from the expressions on the faces around my table, it was clear that I was not the only one experiencing mental anguish.
I placed the napkin down on my plate and turned to my sister-in-law. “You should really try to eat something, hon’,” I said gently.
“I’m not hungry,” Venetta mumbled.
“I know,” I said, “but you need to keep your strength up. Emerson would want you to.” When she had no response for me, I added, “You know how he felt about bony women.” I hoped the remark would lighten her mood.
“Yes, my boy always hated thin women.” She sighed and looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “He always said, ‘I need me some junk in the trunk.’”
“Or ‘some goods under the hood,’” I said, smiling.
“Yes. That boy was a trip.” She laughed lightly. “He liked curvaceous women, even though he was built like a pole.”
I laughed, nodding my head in agreement. “We never knew what he was gonna say, did we?” I said. “He always found a way to make me laugh.”
Venetta continued to smile as tears fell freely down her cheeks. I’d grown accustomed to seeing her cry, but these tears were happy ones, and I welcomed them. “My baby was somethin’ else,” she said, smiling brightly, “but I loved him.”
“We all did, boo,” I said sincerely.
“Yeah, we all loved him,” Gator agreed.
I looked across the table at my husband and gave him a sweet smile.
“Right. We all loved the kid, but now he’s gone,” Terrance blurted, stating the obvious. “Why is that, hmm? Somebody tell me why my damn son is gone!”
The lighthearted feeling that had filled the room quickly dissipated, and we all fell silent.
“Right. Y’all got plenty of love for the dead boy, but ain’t nobody got answers,” Terrance ranted, slamming his glass down on the table. “My son is dead and no one has a fucking clue why, not even the damn police!”
“Terrance, honey, we can’t change the fact that Emerson is gone,” Venetta said, placing her hand on top of his. “If we could bring him back, we would, but all we can do now is talk about him and hold on to the memories and remember—”
“I don’t want memories!” Terrance barked, snatching his hand away. “I want justice. I want whoever is responsible to look me in my eyes and tell me why they did it, and then I wanna see them suffer in such a way that the only relief they crave is death.”
“Terrance, the police say Emerson and Victor died from gunshot wounds inflicted on each other,” Venetta attempted to reason. “That’s all we’ve got to go on now, baby, and—”
“It’s not enough,” Terrance raged, breathing heavily. “We deserve retribution for what we’ve lost. I want whoever did this, and I want them now.”
“Vengeance isn’t ours,” Venetta said. “That’s the problem with this family. We’re all so…we take things into our own hands. Look where that’s gotten us! We’ve lost my baby, one of our own.”
“Venetta, we do what we have to in this family,” Gator corrected her, “just as we always have and we always will.”
“And just what are we gonna do now?” Terrance snapped. “Sit here and do nothing?”
“We’ll pray,” Venetta said.
I looked at her with raised eyebrows, as I’d never heard her mention prayer, faith, or anything even slightly religious.
“This is a sign of what’s to come, a sign that we need to do things differently. We’re reaping what we’ve sown, and—”
“Then we shouldn’t be the only ones to reap,” Terrance said.
“We won’t be,” Venetta debated. “Everything will come to light in due time.”
“Due time? The time is already well overdue,” Terrance spat angrily. He stood, threw his napkin down on the table in a huff, then quickly exited the dining room.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Gator said, rising slowly. He hurried out of the room, leaving Venetta and me alone.
“He sounds like a madman,” Venetta said, shaking her head. “All this
talk about vengeance and justice. It just…it scares me. I don’t wanna lose Terrance too behind all this foolishness.”
“He’s hurting right now,” I said. “Give him some time. I promise, it’ll all work out.”
“I know.” she said lowly. “I just hope it works out in our favor.”
Chapter 10
Two months had passed since Emerson’s death, and Terrance was still volatile. He carried a gun wherever he went and seemed ready to snap at any moment. The change in his demeanor was scary sometimes, so much so that I attempted to keep my distance from him whenever he came around. He and Gator were spending more time together than ever before, and the two of them, along with Gator’s team, were constantly on the go. Somewhere deep in my heart, in my soul, I knew they were working on something sinister, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it was a plot for revenge.
Venetta, on the other hand, had become an extremist of a whole different kind. She was now a scripture-quoting, Bible-toting, self-proclaimed Christian. The death of her son had led her to a spiritual 360. I questioned where the paths she and Terrance had chosen were going to lead and what it would mean for their marriage. The two of them were now living by two completely different principles, with far different priorities and goals in life and no child to knit them together, and they appeared to be growing farther and farther apart.
“They’ll find their way back to one and another,” Gator said when I mentioned my concerns.
As confident as he seemed, though, I wasn’t at all convinced. I knew that in order for two people to share a life, they had to be on the same page or at least be willing to compromise. How can you maintain a marriage if you aren’t even reading the same damn book? I wondered. I was as optimistic as could be about most things, but I knew my hubby was delusional or at least naïve or in denial about his sister’s marriage. Their relationship was turning to shit, and mine wasn’t faring much better.
Gator was keeping AJ busy, and that meant there was no time or opportunity for us to engage in any sexual activity. In the course of the last two months, we’d only managed to hook up once. I knew it was probably a good thing, because the less time AJ and I spent together, the less I thought about or lusted after him. Besides that, my hormones had been all over the place lately. I’d become a late-night junk-food junkie, and damn near everything had started to severely annoy me. There were times when my stomach felt incredibly weak and I couldn’t so much as swallow without getting nauseous. I chalked my emotional instability up to the current chaos surrounding my family and my husband’s lack of availability, knowing that stress could take quite a toll on a woman.
