by Kiki Swinson
“Yeah, but I’mma handle it.”
“Yeah, take care of that before shit starts getting good to ‘em.”
“Oh, I’m on it,” Quincy assured him.
“So, how’s business up there? We been getting plenty of cars coming through?”
“Nah, not really. It’s been kind of slow these last few days. And I just had to get rid of that nigga Blake right before you called.”
“What happened?”
“One of our customers caught him stealing quarters out of his cup holder.”
“Ahhh man, no he didn’t,” I heard Syncere yell. “Do you know how that shit makes us look?”
“Yep, that’s why I told him to get the fuck on!”
“You should’ve knocked his bitch ass out for doing that dumb-ass shit!”
“Come on now, you know I wasn’t gon’ let that nigga leave outta here without punishing his ass.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s up,” Syncere commented as if he was satisfied with how Quincy handled the situation.
“So, you say you holding up, right?”
“Yeah, I’m good for right now. But, as soon as I can get that lawyer to get me back in court so I can get outta here, I’m gon’ be a lot better.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. We gon’ take care of it.”
“A’ight. Look, I’mma holler at you later so hold shit down!”
“You know I got it,” Quincy assured him. “Yo Nikki, call me later.”
“All right,” I said and then I disconnected his line.
Immediately after I clicked Quincy off the line, Syncere changed his demeanor.
“Yo Nick, I wantcha to make a trip up to the car wash ‘cause that shit he was talking ‘bout just didn’t sound right wit’ me.”
“Whatcha want me to do?”
“Just go up there and chill out with him for a while and see what kind of money coming through there.”
“When you want me to do it?” I asked with little enthusiasm.
“Go up there tomorrow.”
“All right, but I ain’t gon’ be able to chill up there for a long time because I’ve got a lot of clients to prep for Rhonda tomorrow.”
“That’s cool, but at least try to get up there between one and two o’clock, ‘cause that’s when we get the busiest.”
“All right,” I said. Then the pre-recorded voice message came on to let us know that we had one minute left before our call would be disconnected. Syncere told me that he was going to call me back in about thirty minutes after he took a shower. And as badly as I didn’t want to, I told him I would be waiting.
17
Bad Company
Rhonda Speaks
Tabitha and I were the only two stylists in the shop, along with a handful of our customers, when Nikki walked through the front door. She smiled at me the moment our eyes connected plus she gave her usual greeting and, in unison, everybody in the shop spoke back. I knew she had just come from hearing Syncere’s court case but her body language told a different story. As badly as I wanted to be nosey and ask her about the outcome, I elected not to because of the situation at hand and kept my guard up.
“Rhonda, what time did you get in this morning?” Nikki asked me.
“I got in here a little after nine,” I replied, being really short and nonchalant.
“Did you happen to run across my little black book?”
“Girl, I forgot all about that book,” I lied as I continued to curl my client’s hair. And while I assumed Nikki would come at me with another question, she approached me with the exact same question as she began to search the drawers of her work station. But, before I got a chance to answer her, she found it.
“Good, here it is,” she finally said with a sigh of relief and immediately she placed it inside her handbag.
I didn’t acknowledge the fact that she found the diary because at this point, I could have cared less; I had already read the entire thing.
After a few hours had passed Nikki began to sense something was wrong with me because of the limited conversation between us. I played it off like I was just having a bad day and it was nothing personal toward her. But I could tell she wasn’t buying it because the moment I stepped in the back office, she followed me and gave me the third degree.
“Are you sure I didn’t do anything, Rhonda?” she asked me with concern.
“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s not you. I’m just going through some shit right now.”
“Is it Tony?”
“He has something to do with it but I’m dealing with something else too.”
“Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it because I don’t like the vibe I’m getting from you today. It seems like there’s a lot of tension in the air around here.”
“Girl, ain’t no tension around here.”
“That’s how it feels to me.”
“Stop overreacting. It’s not that serious.”
“All right,” Nikki said, giving me a nonchalant expression.
Ignoring her, I picked up the telephone and proceeded to make a phone call. I did this hoping she would catch the hint that I was going to need a little privacy. Honestly, I didn’t have to use the phone at all. I used this tactic to get her out of my face because I felt the pressure mounting and, just as I had anticipated, it worked like a charm.
“Let me know when you’re done, so I can come in here and go over the books,” she said and then left the office.
Instead of replying, I nodded my head.
Nikki left the shop early today because she said she had to take care of some business for Syncere. I overheard her making a couple of phone calls to different lawyer’s offices so I’m sure that was where she was going. Poor thang! She was about to run herself raggedy behind this nigga. They hadn’t even been together a hot minute and he was making her play the wifey role. I didn’t give a fuck how much money he had, how much dope he sold, or how many businesses he owned - he would have had to go. Not only that but by being on probation, she was jeopardizing her freedom by fucking with him. I sure hope she knew what the fuck she was doing because any way you looked at it, he wasn’t worth it. And that was some real shit!
Before I closed down the shop for the night, I sat down and had a quick chat with my stylist Tabitha who was sitting down next to her station waiting for her ride to pick her up. She was a pretty girl with a close-cut, tapered hair style. She was also very petite like Jada Pinkett Smith but she was quiet and kept to herself so I knew that whatever I discussed with her tonight would remain between us.
“Tab, you’ve been working here for a while now. Be honest and tell me what you think about Nikki?”
“She was all right in the beginning but now she walks ‘round here like her shit don’t stink!”
“Oh, you noticed that too, huh?”
“Hell yeah! Everybody ‘round here be talking about her ass, saying she wants to be Kira so bad and that’s why she drives her Lexus and wear all her clothes.”
“Tell me how you felt about her raising the booth rent?”
“Shit! You knew how I felt about it. You saw how I pissed a bitch after she opened up her mouth at our meeting two weeks ago, talking about we gon’ have to pay thirty dollars more a week. I mean, what kind of bullshit is that?”
“I know y’all were mad because I was too.”
“Well, can’t you do something about it? You are part owner, right?”
“Yeah, but Nikki is filling Kira’s shoes so it’s like she has more say so.”
“Well, if you wanna know the truth, I wish we could figure out a way to get rid of that bitch! ‘Cause I’m sick of her walking around here with her nose stuck up, trying to tell me what the hell to do. That shit just don’t sit right with me.”
Hearing Tabitha’s true feelings about Nikki, gave me the urge to confide in her about what I read in Kira’s diary. “If I tell you something, you
promise you won’t say anything?”
“Yeah, I promise,”
she replied with sincerity.
I took a deep breath and said, “I just found out she snitched on some niggas who were doing some major shit on the streets?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. I also believe the same guys had something to do with Kira getting killed.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Tabitha’s eyes nearly burst out of her head. “Do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, I know what it means and so does Tony.”
“What did he say?” Tabitha asked.
“He just told me that if I didn’t hurry up and get her out of here, the same niggas could run up in here and kill everybody in sight trying to get to her.”
“Shit. She needs to go now because she’s putting all our lives in danger.”
“Yeah, I know. But, like I told Tony, I can’t stop her from coming in here because the shop doesn’t solely belong to me.”
“So, what we gon’ do?” Tabitha asked.
“I don’t know. But, for right now, I want you to keep this conversation to yourself. Okay?”
“Okay,” she assured me and then turned her attention to the front door when we heard someone tap on it. We both realized it was the person she was waiting for. Before she got up to leave, she looked back at me and wanted to know how I heard about Nikki supposedly snitching. I leaned forward and said, “I read Kira’s diary and it was mentioned in there, along with a lot of other shit.”
“Where did you find her diary?”
“Me and Nikki found it hidden between the drawers of her nightstand the day we went over there to move her things into storage.”
“Where is her diary now?”
“Nikki has it. But between me and you, she doesn’t know that I took it home last night and read it.”
“Did Kira mention anything in her diary about me?”
“Nope. The only people she talked about in this shop was me and how much she couldn’t stand the sight of Sunshine after finding out Ricky was fucking her behind her back. Other than that, she mainly talked about her and Nikki snitching on Ricky.
And then she mentioned how she ended up fucking around with Ricky’s partner, Russ.”
“Damn, I sure wish I would have read that because I could definitely use some entertainment in my life right now.”
“Well, if entertainment is what you need, then her diary would have served its purpose.”
“Damn! I guess I missed out on that one,” Tabitha commented as she stood up from the chair. “But, do me this one favor,” she said before she took a step to leave.
“What’s that?” I asked her.
“Figure out what you’re going to do before I walk through these doors tomorrow morning. Then call me and give me a heads up because if shit doesn’t go according to plan, I might have to call in sick.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“You damn right! So, holler at me,” she replied and then she vanished into the night.
18
Street Certified
Nikki Speaks
I met with Quincy immediately after my last appointment ended with the second attorney. He told me to meet him at the car wash and when I pulled up into the parking lot of the service area, I found him posted up inside of his 2005 7-series BMW, looking like a true baller. When he saw my car approaching his, he motioned me to pull up beside him.
“Come get in my car,” he yelled from his window.
It only took me a few seconds to step out of my vehicle and get into Quincy’s car. The moment I sat down he smiled and said, “What’s the word?”
I gave him a look of uncertainty and said, “The last lawyer I talked to, Broccoletti, said he would charge Syncere three grand for a bail hearing and fifteen grand to represent him on the gun charge.”
“Damn! What the fuck can he guarantee for that type of dough?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Well, what did the other attorney say?”
“He said he would charge me fifteen hundred to get him a bail hearing and seven grand to pick up his case. But, if it goes to high court, his fee will go up another three grand.”
“Which guy was this?”
“Taliaferro.”
“Oh yeah, Syncere will be all right with him, ‘cause he’s a beast.”
“So, do you think we should hire him?”
“Talk to Syncere first and see what he says. If he says okay, then let’s go for it.”
“All right,” I said and grabbed the door handle, indicating that I was about to get out of the car.
Quincy stopped me in my tracks by saying, “Why you in a rush? You got somewhere you got to go?”
“No, not really. I just wasn’t trying to hold you up, just in case you had something to do. I mean, you were sitting in the car like you were getting ready to go on a mission.”
“I ain’t got nowhere to go. I’m just chilling.”
“Yeah,” I said sucking my teeth. “Okay, you’re chilling now but as soon as one your women call, you’re gonna be right back on the fast track.”
“I don’t have women like that. The chicks I fuck with are just my friends.”
“Why all men say dumb shit like that?”
“I can’t speak for the rest of the cats out here. I can only tell you about me and what I told you is some real shit!”
“Yeah, right! I remember when you used to fuck with my cousin Kira, so I know what type of nigga you are.”
“You should never believe everything you hear.”
“So you say,” I commented sarcastically and smiled.
“Yo, you looked just like Kira when you just made that smile.”
“You know, everybody tells me that,” I replied and put my head down.
“You a’ight?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just get like this when somebody brings her name up.”
“Did the police ever find out who killed her?”
“Nope, they’re still investigating it.”
“Do they have any suspects?”
“No.”
“Damn, that’s fucked up. But, I will say that whoever did it knew how to get in and out without leaving a muthafucking thing behind or without being seen.”
“I’m almost positive I saw him.”
“You did? When?”
“The day she got killed, I went to her house and when I was walking up to her apartment building, I noticed this Hispanic-looking guy who I had never seen before walking from the direction of her apartment wearing an old maintenance uniform. When I looked at him to say hello, he looked away from me. I didn’t think much of it. I just brushed it off and thought that maybe he didn’t speak any English.”
“Did you tell the police this?”
“Yeah, I told ‘em.”
“What did they say?”
“That didn’t say anything. But, they did find out that the apartment complex didn’t have any Hispanic employees working in their maintenance department. He would be a suspect if they knew who he was.”
“Did you see what kind of car he was driving?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t think to look.”
Quincy shook his head in disbelief. “Damn, that sounds like whoever did it is going to get away with it.”
“No they won’t,” I replied with certainty and changed the subject. “Let me get out of here before one of your chicks try to run up on us.”
“I told you, it wasn’t like that.”
“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” I began to make my way out of the car.
“I told you to stop believing everything you hear.”
“I’mma hold you to that,” I told him and then I closed the door behind me.
“Where you on your way to now?” he asked me after rolling down his car window.
“Home to wait for Syncere’s phone call.”
“A’ight. Hit me up tomorrow and let me know which lawyer he wants to get, so I can get you the dough.”
The moment I left Quincy, I suddenly got up the urge to drive by Kira’s old apartment. I don’t where this insane thought came from but I do know that I had been missing her like crazy. So, I went back to the place where she spent most of her time, hoping it would give me comfort and help me deal with the fact that she was gone.
Feelings of anxiety crept into my stomach the second I arrived inside the apartment complex. But as soon as I drove up to the building in which she had lived, my whole frame of mind changed. I could honestly say that a feeling of calmness overpowered me the instant I got out of my car. It felt like a breeze hit my face and took all the weight off my shoulders. What a feeling that was! As I moved toward her apartment, I started walking very slowly, giving my eyes a chance to look at the area surrounding the building. Everything on the outside looked quiet and normal. But just as I started walking down the sidewalk, I noticed that the yellow police tape was still taped across her door seal and around the entire entrance to her apartment. Seeing this quickly reminded me of how Kira was violated in her own house and that thought alone sent chills down my spine. I immediately turned around and headed back to my car.
Before I actually got a chance to open my car door, that worrisome detective decided to pull up and wreck my damn world. As badly as I wanted to haul ass out of there, I stood there and leaned against the driver’s side door of my car, waiting patiently for him to get out of his car and ask me a whole bunch of questions. I knew his first question was going to be what was I doing there? I watched him open his door and exit his vehicle and I began to wonder why was he out here himself. It dawned on me that maybe he had been following me because Rhonda spilled the beans to him about me having Kira’s diary and now he was here to confiscate it from me. But, I couldn’t let that happen.
As the cracker detective approached me, he gave me this big ol’ smile and asked, “How you doing?”
“I’m doing fine,” I replied nonchalantly. “What about yourself?”
“I’m okay. You know, trying to do my job and catch a few criminals.”
“Caught any today?”
“Not yet. But, I’m sure you can help me,” he responded.
“I wish I could,” I told him and then I looked down at the ground and kicked at a small rock by my feet.
