The headline in the local section of the Chicago newspaper read, “Woman Found Dead in Home,” the day after Johnny left for home. Martha Simpson, mother of songwriting sensation Alexis Simpson was found dead sitting in her favorite chair, with a book in her lap. The story went on to say how she was in good spirits before her husband left for work. Alexis discovered her mother's cold body when Alexis came home for dinner. There were no signs of forced entry and foul play wasn't originally suspected. However, detectives would investigate. There were some accounts of a serial killer in the area, but this case didn't fit the profile. Everyone was shocked.
Johnny was on the road driving back to see his family. Alexis was unable to let him know what had happened. When he arrived home, there was a massage from Alexis asking him to return her call. Johnny took the evening to spend time with his family before returning her call the following morning. He was still upset with her after she turned him down again to be his bride and was in mood to call her quickly.
“John, it's so terrible. Mother wasn't ill or anything. I just can’t believe she died in her sleep. The police have been asking us all kinds of questions. They even took my father down to the station, but they released him after he could prove he was at work all day. I know my father would never harm my mother. The detective found a small feather in her mouth, and he's suggesting she was suffocated with a nearby pillow. Why would anyone want to do something like that to my mother? In her whole life, she never harmed anyone, John. I want to believe she died in her sleep. I need you. Can you please come back to Chicago?”
“I just got back to Mississippi for some rest and some time with my mama, Green Eyes. She will be so unhappy if I leave now. But for you, gimme a day with my family, and I'll catch a train ride back to see you.”
“Thank you, John. Please come as soon as you can make it. My entire family is falling apart.”
Johnny let Clive know about the death. He also told him he was heading back to Chicago the next day. He would meet the band in North Carolina.
“You was quiet as a field mouse on our way home, boy," Clive said. "Plus you was two hours late to meeting me for the ride home. Don’t imagine you know nuttin about the lady being dead now do you, Johnny?”
“Damn, Clive. The woman I love, her mamma turns up dead and you want to accuse me or sumtin? Why you got to have those thoughts in your head?”
“I ain’t accusing you, boy. I’ze only saying that I seen men after they killed peoples in the war and you had that same look in your eyes that night. I didn’t pay it no mind till now. Like I said, you was quiet as a field mouse all the way home and I’ze seen that stare before in the war. You take it anyways you want. Now you get on back to Chicago and take care of that woman of yours.”
“Piss on you, Clive. I ain’t had nothing to do with that woman dying. I was late catching the ride cause I fell asleep in my room. I told you that already.”
“Yeah I know, Johnny, and the bellman told me he rung your room and no one answered. Now you best stop talking to me and go see Alexis.”
As promised, Johnny took the train back to Chicago and arrived the day after the funeral. He went to Alexis’s home and upon his arrival, he found Detective Elliot Nesstor asking probing questions.
“Mr. Jackson, I was told that you were in a car on the road to Mississippi at the time of Mrs. Simpson’s death. Is that true, Sir?”
“I would not know exactly, since I do not know when she died. Why is that important to you?”
“The neighbor, a Mrs. Joan Lamson, claims she was looking out her kitchen window making meatballs when she saw someone fitting your description coming and going from the house all within a fifteen minute time period the afternoon Mrs. Simpson expired. Did you happen to come here that afternoon, Mr. Jackson?”
“No, I was in a car heading back to Mississippi early that afternoon with Clive, my bandmate. You can ask him. He’ll tell you where I was.”
“Yes, we have tried to contact Mr. Johnson, but have not been able to locate him. However, we will.”
Alexis broke out in tears and reached for Johnny.
“John, tell me and Detective Nesstor that you had nothing to do with my mother’s death. You're not the type of man that could hurt her.”
“No, Green Eyes. I don’t know nothing bout any man looking like me here that day. I was in a car riding back to see my mamma and daddy. I didn’t have nothing to do with her being dead. You know baby. I was with you that day too, for lunch. I met Clive soon after I was with you.”
A short, stout woman wearing an apron with hints of sauce entered the room after a knock on the front door. Joan Lamson had arrived.
“Mrs. Lamson, as you know, I am Detective Nesstor. I would like to introduce you to Johnny Jackson. Maybe you've met him before?”
Joan cocked her head slowly. She viewed Johnny. “No. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting such a big star. My granddaughter loves you, Mr. Jackson. Alexis has told me so much about you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lamson. It's nice to meet you too. Alexis has told me all about your fine cooking. I sure am looking forward to push up against your dinner table one day.”
Nesstor frowned. “Ok, Mr. Jackson. We'll let you spend some time alone with the family, but where can I find you in case I have any more questions? Do you have a way of contacting, Mr. Clive Johnson?”
“Clive is staying with his family in Mississippi and they don’t have no phone. Next time I see him we all will be in North Carolina, in bout a weeks time. I can have him call you then. Till then, I guess I’m staying at the place downtown where I been staying. Alexis knows the number, I aint’ got it.”
Nesstor shook Johnny's hand and looked him square. "Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch.”
Things quieted down surrounding the death, but Alexis grew distant from Johnny. She asked him several times about the day her mother died, but he grew weary of their conversations. After three days, Johnny changed plans and left Chicago. He went back to Mississippi to meet the band and spend a couple more days with his family. When he arrived, he immediately met up with Clive at his home.
“Clive, that detective is going to be calling on you. You gotta tell him I was with you early that afternoon. No one wants to believe I was sleeping in my room when that lady died.”
“Johnny, I ain’t looking for no trouble with no policeman. I’ze not a perfect man, but I don’t go round making trouble and I don’t go round lying to the police. I know you rode back with me and all I can tell that man is that we left long before my suppertime. Course my suppertime ain't usually till after ten at night. That’s all I can tell that man.”
“Clive, that detective can make lots of trouble for me and that means the band too. We doing so good now. The other guys and you is paying your bills, and Mr. Amison says we got more money coming. Damn, Clive, you gotta tell that man I was with you that afternoon.”
“I ain’t gotta do much in this world, boy. Like I say, lying to that man, that’s not something I plan on doing. Now, if you got some confessing here, maybe I can help you.”
“I aint got no confessing to do, Clive, I was sleeping in that room.”
“You best stop all this lying to me, boy. I know you lying to me now. I can see it in your face. It got lies written all over it. Now, you want my help in telling that man we left long before my suppertime when he comes calling on me, you best know it’s time to tell me the truth.”
Johnny scratched his face, looked away, walked a few paces then walked back with his head staring at the ground.
“I went to see her that day, but not to kill her. I liked that woman. I surely did. I had seen Alexis earlier in the day and asked her to marry me again. She said no, again. When I asked her why, she told me some reasons and one was cause her mamma and daddy tells her she is too young, and I ain’t no marrying type. I went to her mamma’s house to see if I could talk sense into the woman. When she refused to help me, I dunno. I got all angry and put some pillow tha
t was in my lap up against her face till she promised to change her mind. She didn’t seem to struggle a whole lot and when I took the pillow away, she didn’t move no more. I didn’t want to kill nobody Clive. I wanted that woman to listen to me. I wanted her to tell Alexis to marry me and next thing I know, she stopped her breathing. I put a book in her lap and traveled back to my room. I cried some tears for her. I wiped my face, then I come down to meet you. Now, you promised to help me, Clive. I had no plans on hurting that woman. It was an accident.”
Clive let out a deep sigh, “Boy, you in a fine mess. I still ain’t looking to lie to no police. They don’t take too kindly to us colored lying to them, especially with a dead white woman, who don’t harm nobody. I'll tell that man we left long before my suppertime but I won’t say no mo. You right. We all making mo money now than we was before we met Mr. Amison. Me and the boys need that money to use for our kids to eat. But if that man gets close to finding out, I ain’t gonna tell him you killed that woman, but I will tell him about the real time we left.
Clive was torn. If Johnny was locked away for murder, Clive could once again be the bandleader. But on the other side, the band would quickly return to playing small church halls in rural Mississippi with little money to show for it. Johnny was the star attraction, not Clive “Fingers” Johnson.
The next morning, the band was on their way to North Carolina. It was hard for Johnny to know if Clive had told anyone else or the other band members, since he sat up front on the train. Johnny sat in the front of the train, the rest of the band traveled in a separate car towards the back. Even though they were a band, this was still the south during segregation, so they did not travel in the same part of the train.
When they arrived in North Carolina, Johnny tried to call Alexis and make things right with her. She refused his first two calls. She called him back a day later.
“I don’t feel right about something, John. I know you've told me over and over that you were with Clive, and I know you were with him later that night. I know it. But I can’t help to think about how upset you were with me that afternoon. I want to believe that you would never harm anyone, especially my own mother. However, I've seen you lose your temper, John. Please tell me one more time that you didn't harm my mother. Tell me, John. I need to know today. It's important that I know today. Right now.”
“Green Eyes, why would I want to harm that woman? Did she ever harm me? And I done told you over and over, but why do I have to tell you again and why right now?”
“Detective Nesstor never could track Clive down in Mississippi, but he called here the other day asking about all the places your band is playing this week. I think he intends to find Clive there and once he does, the truth will come out. It's important for me to know the man I loved would never harm me or my family. I need the truth, John.”
“My beautiful Green Eyes, I done told you so many times. I would never want to harm you.
“But, John, I worry because I remember now on the day she died, I told you that my mother and father are against us being married and so is Mr. Amison.”
“Stop right there. You never told me nothing about Amison talking all bad about me too.”
“He didn’t talk bad about you, John. He looks out for me. He only said that he thinks maybe someone better will come along one day.”
“Damn, girl. I got all these people running their mouths against me. I ain’t never harmed these people. What do they have against me?”
“Last chance, John. Tell me you were in that car when my mother died.”
“For the last time, girl. I done told everyone I don’t know when she died, but I was in that car after I seen you for lunch. I gotta go.”
Johnny left his room to track down Clive. He knew Clive liked to find the local parks to sit on the benches and, “sniff the air round me.” He found Clive sitting on a bench just after dark.
“Clive that detective is coming all the way from Chicago to talk with you. I need to know for sure what you're going to tell him.”
“I done told you, boy. I'm going to tell him we done left on the road long before my suppertime. If he asks when my suppertime might be or something else, I will do what I can, but I aint going to lie to no police. I ain’t going to take no beating from no police for lying. Maybe you need to pay for your sins, boy. I won’t be the one putting them on you. That will be between you and your God and that policeman. But this here, this is your problem. This ain’t mine.”
“That’s not right of you, Clive. You told me that if I confessed, you would help me. All I'm asking is that you tell him you don’t remember the exact time. It was long before the sun set. That’s all I am asking, Clive."
Clive laughed in Johnny’s face. “I did help you, boy. I got you to tell your sins to your God out loud and stopped all your lying. Maybe that God will let you keep your soul and find your way to Heaven, but I can’t promise you that, boy.
“Funny thing is, Clive. Without you, I wouldn't be famous. Nobody would be knowing Johnny Joe Jackson. I know that and you know that. I do want to thank you for all you have done for me and let you know in some way, I will always love you. But now, it is time for you to die.”
CHAPTER Seven
Soul Intentions Page 7
