Three The Hard Way

by Glenn, Roy

  "Damn! The least she could have done was make the nigga go home in a cab. Show you some respect. She needed to stay there and handle her business."

  "I thought so too. But remember, I’m a fool. What makes it worse is, after she leaves, the neighbor woman walks up to me."

  "The neighbor woman?"

  "The neighbor woman, that’s what we call her."

  "Okay."

  "The neighbor woman says, ‘I’m glad you finally woke up. And don’t let her tell you that this was the first time.’ Then she walked away. Now I felt embarrassed on top of feeling stupid. If the neighbor woman knew, the rest of the block did too. Maybe even the whole subdivision."

  "I don’t know what to say, Marcus." Yvonne stretched and repositioned herself on the couch. "Did Randa come back?"

  "Yeah, she came back. While she was gone I thought about all the things I would say to her. How could you, who is he, how long has this been going on?"

  "Maybe you should have asked the neighbor woman." Marcus cut his eyes at Yvonne. "Sorry. Dagg, it was a joke."

  "When she came back I couldn’t say anything. She tried to explain, telling me that this was the first time. But the neighbor woman cleared that up. Told me how sorry she was. And she promised me if I forgave her it would never happen again. I couldn’t say anything. I thought of a hundred things to say but I was so mad, the words just wouldn’t come out. I sat there for a minute or two, then I just got up and left."

  "I’m so sorry, Marcus. I know that must have hurt." She yawned.

  "Of course it hurt. You know what’s funny about this whole thing?"

  "What’s that, Marcus?"

  "I met her the day after you moved to L.A. I remember thinking that maybe I’d get lucky and find a woman as beautiful and as sweet as you."

  "Oh, Marcus."

  "I love her, Yvonne." Marcus stood up and began to wander around the room, talking while he paced back and forth. "But she betrayed all that. Not just me, but us. Everything about us, everything we meant to each other. She betrayed everything that we were. Everything we talked about. All of our plans. Our hopes. She betrayed our future. That’s what hurt. We used to talk about growing old together. Sitting on the porch watching our grandchildren run around. Grandchildren. We had been talking about having a baby. We had even gone out and started buying stuff we knew that we’d need for the baby. She betrayed all that. While I was building a future for us, she was tearing it down. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without her."

  Marcus stopped talking. "No comment from the peanut gallery?" He walked to the couch. "Yvonne? Yvonne?" She had fallen asleep. "Stop me if I bore you." Marcus went and got the spread off the bed. He laid the spread over Yvonne and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, Yvonne."

  Phase 2

  When Yvonne woke up the next morning, Marcus was already gone. He left a note on the television that said: Gone shopping. Be back around noon. Please wait for me. Yvonne smiled when she read it. Then she picked up the box of hair color and went into the bedroom. When she came out, she no longer had long, black hair. It was now short, and auburn.

  She gathered her things and called for a cab to pick her up. When they asked what her destination would be, she hung up the phone. She put on her sunglasses and left the room through the sliding balcony door and went into the lobby. She asked the desk clerk to get her a cab and said she would be waiting in the bar as she walked away.

  Once the cab arrived, she offered the driver a fifty-dollar bill to take her where she wanted to go if he wouldn’t call it in. The driver quickly promised, and they were on their way. Yvonne told him to drop her off at the Indian Creek Marta station. She would walk from there.

  Yvonne walked down Redan Road and up South Hairston to the Main Street subdivision to the home of Tyisha, with whom she had gone to high school with.

  "Yvonne, I wasn’t expecting you for a couple of days." Tyisha said, giving Yvonne a big hug. "Come on in out that heat, girl. It must ninety-five degrees out there. You’re drenched. What, did you walk here from California?"

  "No, girl. Just from the Marta station."

  "Where’s your car?"

  "Don’t ask. Did you get that package I sent you?"

  "It came yesterday."

  "Good." Tyisha got the package and handed it to Yvonne.

  "What’s in there? You ain’t in no trouble are you, Yvonne?"

  "Better if you don’t know. I need one more favor from you, then I gotta go. And I want you to forget about this package and that you ever saw me."

  "Whatever, girl."

  "No, Ty. You never saw this box or me. Now, you promise me, Ty."

  "Okay, okay, I promise. Now what you need?"

  "I need some clothes and I could use a shower."

  "No problem." Tyisha got Yvonne some clothes and Yvonne disappeared into the bathroom, taking the package with her. She turned on the shower and began to get undressed, then she sat down on the toilet and lit a cigarette.

  Yvonne opened the box and removed its contents. The box contained a bag intended for a laptop. She opened the bag and took out a 9-millimeter automatic and laid it down on the vanity. She looked in the bag at the legal-size envelope and the money.

  She shook her head and wondered how things could have gone so wrong. Yvonne opened the envelope, took out the papers and stared at them, wishing she knew what it said or what language it was. She returned the papers to the envelope and put it and the gun back in the bag. She finished undressing and got in the shower.

  While she was in the shower, she thought about Marcus and Randa. She felt badly for him. And as much as she hated to involve him in all this, she needed an ally and Tyisha wasn’t the one. Marcus wasn’t exactly James Bond, but he was all she had. Now he was the only one she could trust.

  Yvonne asked Tyisha to call a cab for her, but she insisted that she could take her anywhere she needed to go. "All right, Ty, take me to the New China Buffet."

  "Are you hungry, Yvonne?" Tyisha said on the way to open the door. "I could have made you something to eat."

  "That’s okay, Ty. I’m just meeting someone there." She hated having to lie to Tyisha; she was her best friend before Yvonne move to L.A, and they managed to stay friends, real friends, in spite of the money. Once the word got around that Yvonne was to receive a large sum of money, most of her friends changed. But not Tyisha. She always kept it real, which was exactly why Yvonne wanted her to have no part in this.

  When they arrived at the restaurant, they got out and Yvonne said good-bye to Tyisha. "Thanks for everything, Ty. You take care of yourself, and remember, you never saw me."

  Tyisha hugged her friend, "Girl, you too much. Why everything with you got to be some big secret?" and returned to her car. Yvonne stood at the door and watched Tyisha drive away. When she was out of sight, Yvonne came out and started walking down Memorial Drive, heading for the post office. On the way, she made a mental note of the name of an apartment complex she passed and kept walking.

  Yvonne was hot and tired when she reached the post office. She went to the counter and asked the clerk for a box big enough to send a laptop and some tape. Yvonne looked around the post office for a secluded spot where she wouldn’t be seen by people or surveillance cameras and proceeded to pack the box. She took the gun out of the bag and taped it to the bottom of the box, then placed the bag with the papers and money on top of it. She sealed the box and then she retrieved Marcus’ card from her purse. Yvonne addressed the box to herself in care of Marcus, and marked it for next day delivery.

  With that taken care of, Yvonne went to the pay phone and made arrangements to get a new fake ID and passport. Then she called a cab. She had the cab meet her at the apartment complex and take her back to the Residence Inn. When she arrived she didn’t see Marcus’ car, so she let herself in through the sliding door. She turned on the television, laid down on the couch, and went to sleep.

  Yvonne was awakened by a knock at the door. She had started to open the door, but s
he paused for a minute. It might be his wife looking for him. The peephole revealed nothing so Yvonne reluctantly said, "Who is it?"

  "It’s me, Yvonne, I forgot my key." Yvonne opened the door and was shocked to see the two men that were waiting by her car in the parking lot the night before.

  "Good to see you again, Yvonne." The first man said as he slapped her. Yvonne fell to the floor and tried to crawl away. The second man snatched her up from the floor, "Love what you’ve done to your hair." He slapped her too, picked her up and threw her on the bed. "Where is it, Yvonne?" The first man said pointing his gun at her.

  "Where is what? I don’t know what you’re talking about." Her heart pounded. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  "Check the room. But don’t make a mess." The other man searched the room and found nothing. "I’m not going to ask you again, Yvonne. Where is it?"

  "I don’t know what you’re talking about!" she screamed. The man grabbed Yvonne by her hair and punched her in the eye. He drew back and was about to punch her again. "It’s not here!" Yvonne yelled.

  "Where is it?"

  "I can’t get it until tomorrow."

  "I guess we’ll just have to keep you company until then." He grabbed Yvonne by the hair again and pulled her to the door. "Now, we’re going to walk through that lobby. If you scream or try to run, I’ll kill you. It don’t matter to me, I’ll still get paid."

  At 9:00 Marcus returned to his room, armed with a new wardrobe and a bottle of Hennessy. "Yvonne. You here?" He put down his packages and looked around. He had thoughts all day about Yvonne and hoped that she would be there when he got there, but she was gone. He sat down on the couch. He could smell the scent of Yvonne’s perfume. It made him smile.

  Throughout the day, Marcus allowed himself to slip into the fantasy of Yvonne standing by and supporting him through his divorce from Randa, and then they would get married. "Maybe she’ll be back." He poured himself a glass of Henny. He stayed up, waiting for Yvonne to come back until he fell asleep after two in the morning.

  The following morning, Marcus woke up and slowly came to the realization that he would never see Yvonne again. He tried to shrug it off as if it didn’t matter. But it did. The truth of the matter was that nine years ago he had fallen in love with Yvonne. He thought that her coming back into his life on the very day that he left his wife was some kind of sign. He put his dream down and prepared to go to the office.

  He arrived at his office after 1:00 to see his first client. After they left, Janice told him, "This package came addressed to Yvonne Haggler. I was wondering why you seemed so happy today."

  Marcus took the package from Janice and carried it in his office, closing the door behind him. He was overjoyed. He jumped up and down and danced around like a kid on Christmas morning. This meant he would see Yvonne again. He put the package in his desk and locked it.

  At 4:00 Yvonne called.

  "Hello, Yvonne. How—"

  Yvonne had no time for pleasantries. "Did a package come for me?"

  "It came about an hour ago."

  "Marcus, I need you to bring it to me right now."

  "What’s wrong, Yvonne? Are you in trouble? Should I call the police?"

  "Marcus, everything is fine. I just need that box as soon as you can." Yvonne said, trying to sound as calm as she could with someone listening on the other line and a gun pointed at her head. "I’m in the West End on Peters and Whitehall. There’s a warehouse on the corner. Just come inside, I’ll be waiting there for you. When do you think you can get here?"

  Marcus looked at his watch. "I should be there in about an hour."

  "Good, I’ll see you then."

  "Yvonne."

  "Yes, Marcus."

  "Maybe when you get finished with your business we can have dinner."

  "Marcus." She said frantically. Then she calmed down. "I’d like that."

  "Then it’s a date. I’ll see you in an hour." Marcus hung up the phone and called Janice. He told her to clear his calendar for the rest of the day. "For the rest of the week, Janice. I need some time off. Maybe I’ll take a trip."

  "Marcus, I know you’re hurt. I know you want to get back at Randa for what she did. But give yourself a chance to heal."

  "Thanks, Janice. Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without you."

  Marcus finished up his paperwork as quick as he could in anticipation of seeing Yvonne. He drove downtown, stopping on the exit ramp to buy a red rose for Yvonne, wondering if she would like to go to Aruba with him. Won’t that piss Randa off? Marcus thought and smiled. Not that I care. She gets what she gets now.

  He arrived at the warehouse and went inside. When he came through the door, Yvonne came to meet him. Marcus saw her swollen eye. "Yvonne, are you all right?"

  "Thanks for bringing this to me, Marcus." Yvonne said loud enough for her new friends to hear. She took the box from Marcus and whispered, "Wait for me outside. Have the car running." She looked over her shoulder. "Sorry I can’t do dinner, but call me tomorrow and we’ll do lunch." She took the rose and kissed him. "Please, Marcus, just go." She whispered and turned away.

  Yvonne looked back as Marcus walked quickly to the door. Once Marcus made it safely out the building, she tried to hand the men the box. "Open it."

  They watched closely as Yvonne put the box down on the table and opened it. She handed the bag to them. The bag was opened. While one busied himself with the papers, the other smiled at the money and Yvonne removed the nine from the box. She fired two shots, returned the papers to the envelope, put them back in the bag, picked up her rose and headed for the door.

  When Marcus heard the shots coming from the warehouse, it only served to increase his already heightened sense of anxiety, to say the least. He got out of the car and had just reached the door when Yvonne came out. "What happened in there?"

  "Not now, Marcus, we gotta get outta here. Get in the car and let’s go!" Yvonne shouted as she walked quickly behind Marcus.

  Marcus got in the car and drove away quickly. "What happened? Are you all right?" he said to Yvonne as he looked in the rearview mirror.

  "I’m fine, Marcus, just drive."

  "Where to?"

  "I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go. Just drive."

  "Okay, we’ll go back to my hotel."

  "No, they know about that. That’s where they found me."

  "Who is they? What are you involved in?"

  "Not now, Marcus, please. I need to think. Go to a hotel near the airport."

  "Did you kill those men?"

  "Yes, Marcus, I killed them. Now, please just let me think for a minute."

  "Why, Yvonne? Why did you kill them?"

  "They would have killed me and you too!" Yvonne yelled. "Is that a good enough reason for you?"

  "It has something to do with that box, doesn’t it? What have you got me mixed up in?"

  "I don’t know, Marcus. I really just don’t know what this is all about." Yvonne took a deep breath. "Please, Marcus, I’ll tell you everything as soon as we get settled."

  Marcus looked in the rearview mirror again. "Well, it doesn’t look like the police or anybody is following us." He said, not really sure if he said it to reassure Yvonne or himself.

  "This isn’t a movie, Marcus. The police aren’t on our tail."

  He looked at the bag at Yvonne’s feet. She had just killed two men over that bag. Marcus said nothing else as he drove to the Hilton near the airport. As they entered the hotel Yvonne stopped.

  "What’s wrong?" Marcus asked.

  "Do you have cash?"

  "No. I was going to put it on my credit card."

  "No. Let’s go to an ATM."

  "There’s one." Marcus said, pointing at the ATM in the lobby.

  "No. They can track your credit card transactions. Go to a bank; and not one close to here either." Yvonne said. They left the Hilton and got back in the car. Marcus drove past three bank ATM machines before stopping at a Bank of America. With cash in hand,
they returned to the Hilton. Once they got in the room, Marcus went straight to the mini bar. He poured a drink and downed it. He poured another drink.

  "I’d like one too, if it’s not too much trouble." Yvonne lay down on the bed and Marcus brought her a drink. "Thank you, Marcus. And thank you for my rose. It was sweet of you."

  Marcus lit a cigarette and sat down on the bed. "You’re welcome. It’s not everyday I give a woman a rose right before she kills somebody." Marcus posted an uneasy smiled. Yvonne let out a little laugh. "What’s going on, Yvonne?"

  "Give me a drag of your cigarette." Marcus handed Yvonne his cigarette and she inhaled deeply and blew out the smoke.

  "I’m a courier, Marcus. Those men were assassins sent to kill me and recover the contents of that bag. There’s a hundred thousand dollars and some papers in there. I don’t know what’s on the papers. It’s in some language, I don’t know which. I think that just about covers it."

  "A courier?"

  "I travel to different places and pick up things from one person and deliver them to another."

  "I know what a courier is, Yvonne. Why do you do it? Is it excitement?"

  "No, I do it for money."

  "Money?"

  "Yes, Marcus, for money. Isn’t that why most people do things?"

  "I know that. But you’ve got money."

  "I’m broke, Marcus."

  "Broke? What do you mean broke? The way I had you set up, you should have been able to live comfortably."

  "It’s a long story, Marcus."

  "We seem to have plenty of time. We’re not going anywhere."

  Yvonne and Marcus lay on the bed quietly for the next two hours, sharing cigarettes, drinking and thinking. Marcus thought about how the events of the day would affect him. He was now an accessory to murder. Not only was he going to jail, but also he would be disbarred. In two days, he had lost his wife, his career, and his freedom. He looked at Yvonne, eyes closed, smoking the cigarette he had just handed her.

  She opened her eyes and noticed him starring at her. She handed him the cigarette and closed her eyes. Marcus desperately wanted to know what was going on. Not only to satisfy his curiosity, but also to begin planning their defense. If those men were actually trying to kill her, then their deaths were, in reality, self-defense. But Yvonne had shut down.