“What if this person decides to hurt someone you love? Your mother? Your sister? Will you still stand by the don’t snitch creed?” It was all Jason could do not to try and shake some sense into the boy.
The street code of silence made his job as a police detective difficult at times, but he dealt with it. This time, however, things were different.
What if Penny had been home? What if she’d been attacked? What if whoever attacked Carla came back and attacked Penny?
The little man-child shrugged. “We ain’t see nothing. You might want to ask Old Lady Henderson, though. She sees everything.” The boy walked back to his friends and started playing with the football.
For a brief minute, Jason contemplated continuing to question the young men. He was pretty sure he could break one of the silent ones if he got them talking. But he realized he’d never be able to do that if their little leader was there. It was clear that they deferred to the smaller young man with the mouth. There were lots of things he could have done to make them talk, all of which would have further ruined their already nonexistent trust of the police. So he decided to leave it alone for now.
He might have a better chance with Old Lady Henderson. She lived right next door to Big Mama’s house, and he remembered her well. She’d been the one who always made sure Big Mama knew if Penny had any boys in the house when Big Mama wasn’t home. Even when they thought Old Lady Henderson wasn’t looking, she was always looking.
He walked up to her small brown and white Colonial home, which, except for the color, was the same as Big Mama’s yellow and white house next door. He could hear gospel music playing in the house, so he knew she was home. He just hoped she could help.
“Well, hello.” She kept the door cracked and eyed him through it. She had shrunk over the years. But she still wore those floral housedresses and kept her hair wrapped up in a color-coordinated terry-cloth head wrap. Today she had on a tropical design with bright oranges and yellows and a bright yellow wrap on her head. She stood about five feet, if that. But she still had a large presence.
He took out his badge.
The door didn’t budge. She glanced at the badge over her cat-framed glasses and then looked at him again. Everything in her expression seemed to say, So what? You have a badge.
He put the badge back in his pocket. “Mrs. Henderson, I’m here because your neighbor, Carla Keys, was attacked in her home, and I wanted to know if you saw anything, or saw anyone suspicious around the premises.”
“Well, with Carla around, you know I have to keep my eyes open…ain’t no telling…Especially when she was on them drugs…Things had a tendency to go missing, if you know what I mean. The oddest of things, too—”
“Right. But did you happen to see anyone entering or leaving the house today?” Jason had to cut her off, because he could tell she was about to go off on a tangent and who knew how long it would take him to reel her back in.
She narrowed her eyes at him, and for a minute he felt almost chastised for being rude to an elder.
When she gathered he had gotten the message she intended, she continued. “Well, I saw a man pulling her in the house. One of those boyfriends of hers Doreen had to keep from ’round here years ago. Lord, Carla seemed to pick the worst apples in the bunch to mess around with. They just seemed to get worse and worse. Poor Doreen, God bless her soul, she tried with that Carla. She sure tried. You know Carla was her change-of-life baby? Lord, Doreen didn’t think she was gonna be blessed with children, and then she got pregnant at such a late age. That’s why Carla is so spoiled. Doreen spoiled her to death, especially once her husband passed. ’Course, now, he was a good bit older than Doreen. I don’t suppose he was expecting any children—”
“So, do you think you would be able to pick this man out if you saw him again?” Jason cringed inwardly as he cut Mrs. Henderson off yet again. But he needed to keep her focused.
She pursed her lips and squinted before answering. “Sure would. He done got a little older since the days when he used to hang around here. But I’d know him anywhere. And he’s been over here before lately. He came by and saw Doreen before she passed. If they hadn’t said it was natural causes, I would have pegged him for harming Doreen. She used to have words with him, and had to get a restraining order to keep him away, back in the day. But that foolish Carla went off with him anyway. Is she gonna be okay?”
“We don’t know yet. We hope so. Do you mind coming with me downtown, to see if you can point out the person who might have attacked Carla?”
“Sure, I’ll go. Just let me change into something presentable and turn off my music. I was getting me a little Sunday service. I ain’t always able to deal with those folks in the church and keep up with all their foolishness. So I have my Sunday service right here at Bedside Baptist most times.”
She gave him a piercing stare. “I guess you can come in and wait. I don’t ’spect you’d do nothing to harm me, being a cop and all. And you one of them Hightowers, too. Most of them would rather die than do something less than honorable. You know, I used to know some of your great-uncles, back in the day. Boy, they were something. Mmm. Most girls had huge crushes on those Hightower boys…” She broke off and shook her head as if she was remembering something.
Jason had seen pictures of some of his great-uncles, his father and the cousins from back in the day. He could imagine what Old Lady Henderson was remembering, given the honorable Hightower heartthrob legacy he and his brothers and all the men in his family seemed bound to uphold. It shocked him that the older woman had been a Hightower fan back in the day.
He entered her home and followed her to the sitting room. Taking note of the windows in the house, he saw how she managed to see everything and get into everyone’s business. He could see the indentations in the curtains, the lifts in the blinds, and all the spaces for her to peep out and watch. He and Penny had never stood a chance, trying to sneak around with this woman living next door. He shook his head and chuckled. Hopefully, Mrs. Henderson’s nosiness would pay off and they’d be able to arrest Carla’s attacker.
After a few hours at the precinct, it seemed as if Jason’s suspicions about Gerald McEarly weren’t going to pay off. Old Lady Henderson seemed quite adamant that Gerald was not the one. Although he was one of Carla’s old boyfriends who had started sniffing around lately, he wasn’t the one she’d seen dragging Carla into the house.
Jason had her look through a bunch of mug shots. But without something more to go on, they were stuck.
He had a feeling Old Lady Henderson was right. But without another firm suspect to go on, he didn’t want to take Gerald out of the running just yet.
Jason dropped the elderly woman back home. Then he made a slight detour on his way to meet Penny at the hospital. Checking up on Gerald McEarly seemed like a good idea. If Gerald wasn’t the attacker, then he’d probably want to know what had happened.
The older man was home and let Jason into his small room at the boardinghouse.
As he stepped into the sparse room, Jason did a quick survey. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, and the bed was unmade.
“Hey there, Detective. To what do I owe the honors of a house call? Is everything okay? Is Penny okay?” A seemingly sincere expression of concern crossed Gerald’s face when he mentioned Penny.
“Penny is fine. It’s Carla who might not make it.” He knew he had to play this one carefully. He wasn’t ready to read the man his rights and arrest him. But he wasn’t ready to give him a clean bill, either.
Gerald’s face went pale and he grabbed hold of Jason’s suit jacket. “Carla? What happened to Carla? I just saw her earlier today. She was fine. What happened to her?”
Jason slanted his eye and removed his jacket from Gerald’s clutches before clearing his throat. “You saw her earlier today? Did you go over there again, starting more arguments with her?”
“No, she came over here. She was trying to get me to agree not to come over there again. But I could
n’t do it. I want to get to know my daughter. And I still…” Gerald faltered. “Where is Carla? I need to see her. I need to make sure she’s okay. Can you take me to her? And Penny just lost her grandmother. Now she’s dealing with this all alone.” He rushed toward the door.
Jason had some misgivings about taking Gerald with him to the hospital. If he was the attacker, then he was the last person Carla needed to see. And even if he wasn’t, Carla clearly didn’t want him around. At least that was what she kept saying….
Yeah, and Penny says the same thing about you, and yet you’re going down to the hospital and you don’t plan to leave her side until the attacker is caught.
Jason rolled his eyes at the unbidden thoughts in his head. He was not the person to judge Gerald’s misguided persistence, not unless he wanted a big old boulder to roll down the hill and shatter his glass house.
“Fine, I’ll take you with me to the hospital. But if Carla doesn’t want you there, then you will have to leave. And if she says you’re the one who attacked her, I’m taking you right to jail.”
Chapter 8
When Carla opened her eyes and looked at her, Penny breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to keep Carla overnight, and she had needed more than a few stitches, but she would live.
Thank you, Jesus, Penny thought as she looked toward the ceiling.
Seeing her small, vulnerable mother in that hospital bed really made her question her resistance to moving the woman to Los Angeles.
With Carla’s light complexion, every single bruise seemed amplified. And they each seemed to be screaming, Take care of your mother.
The thought that her mother could very well have died was not lost on her. In fact, it was the only thing that stopped Penny from thinking about how much she hated hospitals. She especially hated this hospital, the place where she’d lost her baby and been given an emergency D and C.
She had a general aversion to hospital rooms. And this one, with its stark white beddings and overly antiseptic smells, pushed every one of her buttons.
Penny forced a smile and willed the bad memories to the back of her head. She was not going to start tripping. She refused.
“So, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?”
Carla winced. “Like a truck ran over me.”
Penny reached out and smoothed Carla’s soft, curly hair, which had taken on a pretty wild look with all she’d been through. “They can give you some more medicine for the pain. I’ll buzz the nurse—”
“No! No more drugs than necessary, please. I can manage. I have to manage. I don’t want to risk—”
“But, Carla, if you’re in pain, then you need to take them. If you don’t take them the way you’re supposed to, then the pain will become too much and you’ll take them to get rid of it and—”
“Is it time for a new dose yet?”
“No, but…”
“Well, then, I’ll wait.” Carla winced again, and then she looked at Penny with a devilish gleam in her eyes. “So, it’s back to Carla, huh? No more Mommy?”
Penny narrowed her eyes. Carla had heard her. Leave it to that woman to use her frantic pleas against her.
“I don’t know why you’re looking all evil ’cause you love your mother and you don’t want her to die. That means you’re a good daughter, Brat. And a good daughter would take her mother out of this dangerous environment and move her someplace safe, like California.” Carla shut her eyes and plastered a big, cheesy grin on her face.
Penny tried to remember that the woman had been attacked.
Someone had gone upside Carla’s head. She had the stitches to prove it. She might very well be suffering from a concussion.
So Penny gritted her teeth.
“It’s really no big deal that I called you Mommy. You are my mother. And as for California, let’s not go there today. You need to save your strength, and it’s an argument you can’t win.”
She didn’t know why she said that, when she’d just been thinking she would indeed move Carla to Los Angeles. It was just another example of the way her mother was able to push her buttons and often get negative and hurtful results.
Carla opened her eyes again and stared at her. There was such a mix of fear and hopelessness present in her gaze for a moment that it gave Penny pause.
What has Carla so afraid? And who did this to her?
Penny didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. But she wanted to know. Whoever had done this to her mother had to be caught.
“What happened to you? Who attacked you? Was it one of your crackhead friends?”
“No. I don’t have any crackhead friends. How many times do I have to tell you that?” Carla sucked her teeth and then quickly placed her hand on her black-and-blue bruised jaw.
“Then who did it? Tell me.”
“That’s not important. What is important is, if you really don’t want me to die, then you best get me out of Paterson, and fast.”
Carla in California…
Penny tried to let the very idea run around in her head. Selling Big Mama’s house and setting Carla up in an apartment as far away as one could possibly be and still be in Los Angeles could work.
But without Big Mama as a buffer, the two of them didn’t stand a chance in the same city. They had so much healing to do. She didn’t know if they could find their way to a sane and normal mother-and-daughter relationship.
“I’ll tell you what.” Penny sighed. “You tell me the truth about who did this to you, and I’ll consider moving you to L.A.”
Carla’s face lit up, but then went cold. “What’s he doing here?”
Penny turned around and saw that Gerald had walked into the room with Jason.
“Well, hello to you, too, Carla. I see your mouth is working fine and the attacker didn’t mess up your evil streak.” Gerald’s word sounded warm and friendly, but he had a look of extreme fear on his face. He seemed genuinely concerned about Carla.
Penny couldn’t figure out what the deal was between her parents, but she found herself increasingly intrigued.
“Hi, Carla. I’m glad to see you’re okay. You had us worried there for a minute.” Jason stood beside Carla’s bed. “I’d like to take a statement from you about what happened. We need to get the person who attacked you.”
Carla bit her lip, and her eyes started dancing around in her head.
Penny recognized Carla’s shifty-eyed gaze, and it made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. How many times had she seen that look when Carla was hooked on drugs?
Oh, please, God, don’t let her be back on crack.
“Did you know your attacker?” Jason’s eyes darted from Carla to Gerald. “Can you give me a name? Mrs. Henderson from next door said she saw one of your ex-boyfriends around the house today.”
Carla rolled her eyes. “That old biddy needs to mind her own damn business.”
“Carla, you’re being very hostile. You need to stop it. Jason is trying to help. He’s trying to get the person who hurt you.”
“I ain’t asked for nobody’s help.” Carla glared at Gerald as she spoke and then she turned to Penny. “The only thing I need is for us to hurry up and move to Cali. You’re the only person who can help me, Brat. Everything will be fine once we get away from here.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “So, you aren’t going to file a complaint or help in any kind of investigation? You’re just going to let the person who beat you up get away with it, and possibly come back to harm you again—or, God forbid, harm Penny?”
Penny felt her heart still at Jason’s mention of her name. She inhaled and exhaled, then touched Carla’s arm. “Mommy, you need to cooperate with the police and tell Jason who did this to you.”
“And you need to stop holding a grudge and let me come and live with you. But people never do what they’re supposed to do, do they?” Carla shot Gerald another harsh stare. Then she turned to Jason. “Sorry, Mr. Policeman, I can’t give you any information. I can’t remember a thing. It�
�s all a blur. They say that happens sometimes when folks get head injuries. Can’t help you.” Carla closed her eyes. “I’m feeling tired. Can you take Penny home and get this man out of my room, Mr. Policeman?”
“I’m staying.” Gerald planted his feet in a manner that suggested that nothing short of an arrest would get him to leave Carla’s side. “But I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on our daughter while I look after her mother. Make sure whoever hurt Carla doesn’t hurt Penny, too.”
Carla opened her eyes and pinned them on Gerald as he took a seat in the chair next to her bed.
“Urgh! Why are you so hardheaded? I don’t need you to look after me. It’s too late!” Carla huffed, and then winced. She placed her hand on her head.
“Calm down, I promise I won’t bother you. But I’m damn sure not going to let whoever hurt you come in here and finish the job.” Gerald sighed. “Just relax. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“Are you sure it’s all right? I can stay here with her,” Penny offered.
“No, you go on home and get some rest. You’ll need it once they let this one out.” Gerald laughed at his own joke.
Penny frowned. Heck, Gerald was right. A sick Carla was worse that a sick child. She would have her hands full, caring for her and settling Big Mama’s estate. She glanced at Jason and knew that adding his never-ending presence to the mix would make things all the more taxing.
“You know, Jason, I really appreciate all you are doing to help. I couldn’t ask you to trouble yourself and take me home, too. I can catch a cab, if Gerald is going to look after Carla. Carla, I’ll go get a rental car and be here in time to get you when you’re released tomorrow.”
“It’s no trouble, Penny. In fact, I plan to stay pretty close to your side until we figure out who did this. So let’s go.” Jason gave Carla one last look. “Carla, is Gerald the person who attacked you today?”
A shocked expression crossed Carla’s face, and then she twisted up her lips and the devilish gleam glazed her eyes again. “What if I said he was? Would you make him leave?”
Protect and Serve Page 11
