by Roy Glenn
“How long did you do this?”
“Four years.”
“What went wrong?”
“Otis Grimes. We were about to get paid on a real estate scam, and we were supposed to meet the mark for dinner and get the check. Who does the mark show up to dinner with?”
“Otis.”
“Right. Aisha would still see Otis sometimes when she was low on cash. So he knew right away something wasn’t right ’cause we were using fake names.”
“What happened?”
“At first, he just smiled at us and played along until we had the check. But once the mark went to the bathroom, he said he didn’t like the guy anyway, so he wasn’t gonna tell. But then he flipped on us and said he wanted all the money or he would tell and make sure he went to the police.”
“What’d you say?”
“We told him he had a deal. We would give him the money in exchange for his silence.”
“It’s not like you had much of a choice.”
“That’s what I said.”
“How much money was it?”
“A hundred thousand. We were supposed to give Otis the money and leave Houston. Set up somewhere else. But Aisha had other plans.”
“She decided to kill him.”
“Yeah,” Panthea said as she dropped her head. “I didn’t know that she was gonna kill him. You have to believe me, Marcus. The plan was to cash the check and meet him that next night at his car dealership. When we got there, Otis was sitting behind his desk. Aisha handed him an empty briefcase. When he opened it and saw it was empty, he looked up. Aisha shot him. Marcus, I was furious. I was screaming at her, and it was like she wasn’t paying me any mind. She just wiped off anything we might have touched and said ‘let’s go.’ The next morning, I took half the money out of all of the accounts and left Houston. I finally ended up in Atlanta. I met Scott and I thought I’d put that part of my life behind me.”
“Why’d you kill her?”
“It was an accident, Marcus. I didn’t go over there to kill her. When you showed me her picture, I knew it was her and what she was up to. She was getting ready to con Scott out of some big money.”
“Your money or at least half of it.”
“Right. So I went to see her, like a friend and asked her to at least back off him until the divorce was final.”
“For old time’s sake,” Marcus mused.
“Then she could clean him out for all I cared. Shit, I even told her I’d help. You know, show her how he was hiding his money.”
“Because as your divorce lawyer, I would have told you where his money was and how much there was,” Marcus commented.
“That was my plan.”
“But Aisha wasn’t going for it.”
“Told me to get out her house with that nonsense. Told me that I better freeze his assets quick because she was about to take a chunk of it.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. What could I say? I was going to take her advice and have you proceed as quickly as possible. So I started to leave, but then she brings up Otis.”
“She was still mad about you leaving her and taking half the money.”
“Very. So we started arguing. She pushed me, I pushed her back, but she tripped and fell into the coffee table.” Panthea started to cry. “It was an accident, Marcus. You’ve got to believe me. It was an accident. Please say you believe me.”
But Marcus had no words for her.
32
“Have you reached a verdict?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honor, we have,” the jury foreperson said as she stood and handed their verdict to the bailiff, who in turn handed it to the judge.
The judge looked it over carefully and then looked briefly in the direction of the prosecutors. “Will the defendant please rise.” Panthea and Marcus stood up. The judge turned to the jury. “On the first count of the indictment, murder in the first degree, how do you find?”
“We find the defendant, not guilty,” the foreperson answered.
Panthea threw her arms around Marcus and squeezed him with everything she had. She was free. “You did it, Marcus. I’m free.”
Marcus gave her a halfhearted hug and freed himself from her embrace.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Marcus said as he gathered his papers and prepared to leave. “Congratulations.”
Panthea didn’t say anything, she just looked at Marcus and hoped that this was just more of his, we’re out in public posture, but she knew that wasn’t true.
Marcus looked at her. She looked the same but he wondered if he ever actually knew Panthea Daniels. He tried to reason that it was an accident, or at least that’s what she said. The facts fit her explanation, but it didn’t change the facts. Marcus had been duped by an old pro.
Now, Marcus had to ask himself was the love and affection that Panthea showed him all part of some plan? Had she, like her former partner, made him fall in love with her so he would do whatever it took to acquit her?
How could he love her? How could he trust her? The answer, of course was; he couldn’t.
Once the last person had filed out of the courtroom, Panthea took a step closer to Marcus. “What’s going on here, Marcus?”
“You’re a free woman, now, Mrs. Daniels. You have nothing to fear from the police. Attorney client privilege prevents me from telling what I know about you.”
“You know what I’m talking about, Marcus. I mean what’s going on with us?”
“There is no us, Mrs. Daniels. Maybe there never was,” Marcus said sadly.
“But I love you, Marcus. I want us to be together,” Panthea pleaded with him.
“We can’t be together, not now. Not after this,” Marcus said and walked away with a heavy heart, leaving Panthea alone.
Panthea stood in stunned disbelief as she watched Marcus walk away. Everything in her being told her to cry out to him, rush to his side, drop to his feet and attach herself to him until he realized that this was simply not the answer. But she couldn't move. Instead, Panthea stood there, squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her hand to her open mouth to stifle a sob.
Marcus was going to be her Mr. Right. He was going to be what Scott could not, but now he had walked away and out of her life like she and what they had meant nothing. When she opened her eyes and found herself still alone, the realization hit her like a massive wrecking ball swinging at full speed.
“Noooo,” Panthea yelled.
Her legs suddenly began to feel weak, and she held on to the table to steady herself. The burning sensation that began in the pit of her stomach like heartburn picked up momentum and built up in her throat. She could no longer suppress the tears that flooded through. He was gone and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to bring him back.
“Oh God, what have I done?”
Marcus was gone, had walked out and left her alone. But still, she wouldn't believe it. He couldn't be serious. She told herself it just wasn't real. This wasn't the way their story was supposed to end. Hadn't he fought so vigorously for her freedom so that they could be together?
Where was her freedom now that he was gone?
Marcus Douglas returns in Ulterior Motive
