by Glenn, Roy
I left a message on her voice mail and asked her to meet me at Sparks Steak House on 46th Street around nine. I was a little late getting there and much to my surprise she was there, looking impeccable as usual. "Hello, Nick."
"Hello, Mrs. Childers. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting very long?"
"I’ve been here about a half hour. But that’s okay, I wanted to get out of the house anyway. Have a seat."
"Thank you." Once I was seated, her smile turned to a frown. I guess she noticed the cuts and bruises on my face.
"What happened to you?"
"I ran into some people who had something to prove."
"It looks like they did a good job. Are you all right?"
"I’ll be fine."
"What have you found out for me, Nick?"
"Well, Mrs. Childers, I don’t think your brother is missing, or that anything happened to him. I think Jake is somewhere hiding."
"What makes you say that?"
"He was involved with Chilly in some type of scheme to develop synthetic crack."
"Synthetic crack?" she looked at me strangely. "I’ve got a good idea, but just what exactly is synthetic crack?"
"Basically, Mrs. Childers, it’s crack without the cocaine."
"How is that possible?"
"I really don’t understand how the formula works, your brother’s the chemist. But the long and short of it is, that it didn’t work. At least seven people have died from it."
"Pamela?"
"Yes."
"That’s not possible. Pamela didn’t use drugs."
"I know that, but I believe that anybody who knew anything about it had to die. Pamela was just runnin’ with the wrong people."
"I’ll try not to take that personally." She rolled her eyes at me and turned away, but she turned back quickly. "If that’s the case, then what makes you think that Jake isn’t dead too?"
"Because Chilly is still looking for him."
"How do you know that?"
"Trust me." I thought about telling her that he gave me five grand to find Jake, but she didn’t need to know that. Or the fact that he had somebody keeping tabs on her account and that Chilly wanted to know about the money that she gave Ben Josephs. "Anyway, as far as I could tell, Chilly hasn’t killed him. But he is nowhere to be found. So I guess that concludes our business."
"I guess it does" Mrs. Childers said and gave me a strange look. "Did you talk to Rocky?"
"That’s something else I wanted to ask you."
"What’s that?"
"What type of relationship do you have with Rocky?"
"He’s a friend of Jake’s. Why?"
"Your friend?"
"Well — "
"Well?"
"Well, not really. Me and Rocky don’t speak to each other anymore. We haven’t spoken since before I left Philly."
"Why?"
"I don’t think that’s any of your business."
"Mrs. Childers, you made all this my business. What happened between you two?" She frowned up and looked away. The waiter finally came to take my order. "Hennessy Martini for the lady, and I’ll have Johnnie Black, straight up." Once the waiter departed to get our drinks, I went back to the question. "What happened, Mrs. Childers?"
She rolled her eyes and looked away. "Do you remember me telling you that I did some things that I’m not proud of to get away from Philly?"
"And?"
"I asked Rocky for the money so I could get away from there. He told me he would give me the money and that I should come by his apartment to pick it up. When I got there he tells me to come in the bedroom. When we get in there, he tells me that I could have the money, but I had to fuck him first."
"Pathetic."
"I was a virgin, Nick, so I told him that I couldn’t do that. I started to leave, but I wanted to get away from there and I knew that nobody else was gonna give me the money. So I did it. I cried the whole time, but he didn’t care. After he was done with me, Rocky said he was sorry and gave me the money. I took it and left."
"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed it." What else could I say?
"No, you shouldn’t have." When the waiter returned with our drinks, Mrs. Childers drank hers down like water. "Can we get out of here?"
"Sure. Where do you want to go?"
"I don’t care, anywhere." She threw some money on the table. "Just come ride with me." She got up without waiting for an answer. I shot my drink and headed out the door behind her.
We drove around for a while and ended up at her house in Nyack. After she opened up the house she went to make us a drink. I sat on the couch and watched her as she poured. I had noticed that she wasn’t making eye contact with me when she talked. There was fear and uncertainty in her eyes. She handed me my drink and sat down across from me and started to talk.
We drank, and like I said, she talked for over an hour and then she stopped. She got up and walked over to the French doors. I walked over to her and touched her arm. It seemed to startle her.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, just wondering what you must think of me."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what do you think of me, Nick?"
"I don’t know, I think you’re nice. Very pretty."
"Is that all you see in me, Nick. A pretty face, — nice. Nice to look at, but not much more, right?"
"I didn’t say that."
"You don’t have to, because it’s the truth. That’s all I’ve ever been, pretty. Oh, look at Gabrielle, she’s so pretty. All my life I’ve gotten by on my looks."
"You ain’t all that now." I knew I had touched a nerve, so I tried to make light of it. "I was just being nice when I said you were pretty."
"Very pretty, that’s what you said, Nick." She laughed. "You said I was very pretty."
"I was lying, ’cause you look like you been hit in the face with a bag of quarters. I bet little children scream and run to their mothers when they see your ugly ass."
"Stop it, Nick. I’m not that bad. And besides it wasn’t a bag of quarters, it was a fist."
"I know, I was trying to be nice about it. But I can see. And I see that make up doesn’t hide everything."
She looked away from me and stared into her drink. "I’ve never been in control of my life, Nick. I went from my father’s house to Chilly’s. The first day I met him, he told me that I was the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. From that day on, I never wanted for anything. After a lifetime of being told no, you can’t, that’s not for you, Gabrielle. Everything was yes. All because I was pretty. But that’s all I was. All I’ve ever been. I was just something for him to show off to his peeps. To look good on his arm. I don’t have a life of my own. That’s Chilly’s wife, Mrs. Childers, even to you, Nick. To you I’m Mrs. Childers. Well I’m not, my name is Gabrielle. My friends call me Gee. Since I’m not your client anymore it’s time you started calling me Gee too."
"Okay, Gee. Why don’t you get me another drink?"
"I didn’t say you could start ordering me around," she said, snatching the glass out of my hand. "Want any ice?"
"No, just Hennessy will be fine."
Mrs. Childers handed me my drink and sat down next to me. "You’ve never told Chilly that story about you and Rocky, have you?"
"He’d kill Rocky if I told him. I never told anybody. Not Jake, not even Chéz. You’re the first."
"What makes me so special?"
"I don’t know. I’ve told you a lot of things about me, Nick. Shame that none of it is good. But that’s the way it is."
"There must be some happiness in your life."
"You tell me what there is to be happy about? I live in fear, Nick. I never know when Chilly’s gonna snap. Sometimes he can be so sweet to me and other times he’s like a nightmare."
"Maybe it’s time you wake up."
"Maybe. Maybe it is time to get my life back."
She began to cry.
"I never meant for things to turn out the way they did. You ha
ve to believe that, Nick. It was never supposed to happen."
"What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." She got up and poured herself another drink. "I’ve been babbling on like a fool. I am a fool."
"When are you gonna tell me the truth, Mrs. Childers? I mean, Gee."
"I have told you the truth, Nick." The tears were gone.
"I don’t think so. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth."
"There’s nothing else to tell. Jake is gone. You said it yourself, it was all about this synthetic crack."
"Okay, if that’s the way you want to play it." I finished my drink and stood up. I was ready to go. I wanted to call Felicia. But she got up too and took the glass from my hand. I looked at her. I mean really looked at her for maybe the first time. She was miserable. The more she talked about her life, the more I wanted to, needed to talk to Felicia, hear her voice. Hear something positive. Mrs. Childers returned my glass to me full. I thanked her and took a sip of my liquor.
"Maybe now that you don’t work for me, you’ll start paying me some attention."
"Just what makes you think I haven’t been payin’ attention to you?"
"I see the way you look at me."
"I —" she put hand over my lips.
"I’m hot." She stepped closer, resting her chest against me. "And I’m sticky. I’m goin’ to take a shower." I took a moment to contemplate the way her moods took dramatic swings. Not five minute ago she was crying. Now she was almost predatory. She stepped away and turned around. "Unzip me." I unzipped her dress and she walked away as I lost site of her in the darkness. The light came on in the bathroom. I stood motionless, watching as she turned on the shower. Then she looked back at me. I took that as my invitation to join her.
She kissed me. Then she put her arms around me and kissed me again. "Undress me, Nick."
I took my time undressing her slowly. Once I was done, she stepped into the shower. "Aren’t you coming?"
I undressed myself very quickly and followed her into the shower. My presence was met immediately by her arms around my neck and her tongue in my mouth. I picked her up by the waist, and she wrapped her legs around me. I angled her back against the wall and entered her. Despite the lack of foreplay, she was dripping wet. I like it like that.
"Harder, Nick! Fuck me harder!" I pounded her furiously against the wall. "Yes, Nick! Yes!" she screamed her delight. We went at it in the shower for awhile before we got out. Without bothering to dry ourselves, she hopped up on the bathroom vanity and spread her legs. "Come here," she said, motioning with her finger. I quickly complied. I placed my hands on the mirror to steady myself as well as get some added leverage. She lifted her legs and grabbed her ankles.
For reasons which I can’t explain, Ben Josephs crossed my mind. I thought about what Chésará said, "’Cause he can’t fuck. Gee said that he couldn’t keep it up long enough to do anything for her. Gee said she rocked the house two times and he came."
Well, she was rockin’ that house with a vengeance, but I was hanging right in there with her. Then her eyes bucked open, her body began to quiver, and her mouth opened as if she wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
Mrs. Childers picked up a towel and walked out of the bathroom without a word. I grabbed a towel and followed her out, drying myself as I walked. She wrapped the towel around her and headed for the bar. She poured a drink for each of us and handed me one. I drank mine, and watched as she came from behind the bar. She poured her drink across my chest and then she proceeded to lick it off. Once she was satisfied that she had gotten every drop, she led me into one of the bedrooms, and we went for it again. "Your turn now."
Mrs. Childers laid down on the bed and she climbed on top of me. I felt her ease herself down on me. She grinded her hips into mine, pinning my shoulders against the bed and stared in my eyes. I felt paralyzed, I couldn’t move and I didn’t have to. She rode me furiously until I felt myself expand and explode inside her. I had to laugh, because when I came, she screamed louder than I did.
* * *
Chapter Eighteen
Mrs. Childers dropped me off at my apartment about two in the morning. She was nervous during the ride about what Chilly might do if he were home when she got there.
I had drunk my share of Hennessy and could feel the makings of a serious hangover coming. I popped a couple of aspirins, took a shower, and crawled into bed. I went to sleep thinking, not only about what I just did with Mrs. Childers in the shower and in just about every room in the house. But I thought about Felicia mostly. Although I found Gee, now it felt funny saying it, very attractive, I missed Felicia. I just had sex with Gee and it was great, but in some strange kind of way, Gee’s sex made me long for Felicia’s touch even more. I wanted to see her face, hear her voice, to see her smile and be excited by her touch. I rolled over, I didn’t understand it and I was too buzzed to try.
Tuesday July 21: 8:03 AM
The sound of somebody’s fist making contact with my door, or maybe it was their foot, I’m not sure which, woke me from my sleep around eight the next morning. "Stop fuckin’ bangin’, I’m coming!"
I dragged myself out of bed and made my way toward the door. What I found was two uniformed cops informing me that Detective Kirkland wanted to see me at the station right away. Once I got through cursing them out for makin’ all that noise so early in the morning, I told them to wait, and I would be right out. I gave some thought to getting back in the bed. But that would only make them bang on the door some more. Still, I took my time about getting ready.
An hour later, I found myself sitting alone in an interrogation room waiting for Kirk to show up. But as luck would have it, Richards walked through the door.
"What happened to you, Simmons?" Detective Richards asked.
"I walked into a door?"
"Yeah, right. Looks to me like that door worked you over pretty fuckin’ good, Simmons."
I didn’t see any point in commenting, so I didn’t. Richards was an idiot anyway. Finally Kirk came in and slammed the door behind him. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He stopped in his tracks when he saw me. "Shit, what happened to your face? No wait. Let me guess, you cut yourself shaving."
"No, he walked into a door." Richards laughed.
"Had to be one or the other." Kirk said, and took a seat next to me. "Anyway, Nick, I had you brought down here to see if you found out anything more about Jake Rollins."
"Why do you want to know, Kirk? What do you care about my missing persons case?"
"Because your missing persons case may be tied to several drug cases and a murder."
"I know about the drugs. What murder are you talking about?"
"Pamela Hendricks," Kirk said.
"Wasn’t that one of the people who you told me died of this mysterious drug overdose?"
"That was our first impression." Richards chimed in.
"Why are you calling it murder now?"
"Nick, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re the police. That means we investigate." I guess Kirk was trying to be funny, but he wasn’t successful. "That investigation has led us to come to a different conclusion."
"What brought you to that conclusion?"
"As near as we can tell, this Hendricks woman didn’t use drugs." Kirk asserted. "There were signs of a struggle in the general area where the body was found. So, I’ll ask you again, what have you found out about Rollins?"
"Nothing really. I’ve been working on another case. The more I talk to you guys, the more I’m convinced that I don’t want any parts of this. As a matter of fact, just last night, I told my client that I don’t think Jake wants to be found."
"You can say that." Richards laughed, and Kirk shot him a look. The more he talked the more the sound of his voice annoyed the shit out of me. Maybe Kirk felt the same way. "Your client thinks her husband, Chilly, is involved, doesn’t she?"
"I’m not at liberty to say."
Richards jumped out of his seat. "You’re startin’ to piss me off with that privilege shit, Simmons."
"So."
Kirk looked at him and shook his head. "Sit down, Richards."
"Like I said, Kirk, that’s all I know."
"What about Felicia Hardy?" Kirk asked.
"That’s the roommate, ain’t it? Wasn’t she a cop?"
"Yeah, you talk to her?"
"No."
"What were you doing in California?"
"I told you, I have another case. Why, is she in Cali?"
"We think so," Kirk said. "Her and the Hendricks woman grew up there. I think maybe she went back there."
"Hmm. Sorry I can’t be any more help to you, Kirk. But like I said, I backed off of this."
"Then you wouldn’t be interested to know that Jake Rollins body was found last night. He was shot, once in the head with a heavy caliber weapon. At fairly close range."
"Has anyone informed my client?"
"Somebody is taking care of that as we speak."
At least I didn’t have to be the one to tell Mrs. Childers that I was a fool. Or at the very least, I was a lousy detective. Yesterday I told her that her brother was alive and hiding somewhere from her husband. Now the cops were there to tell her he’s dead. She’s probably screaming Chilly did it right now.
Maybe I was just kidding myself into thinking I could be a detective. I had to start facing the reality that I’m not a detective. I’m a trained killer, that’s what I am.
If it wasn’t for Reggie, I would have never have found Felicia, and I wouldn’t know anything about this whole synthetic crack thing. "Where was the body found?"
"Behind a dumpster at a restaurant on Third Ave. The body had been there awhile."
"You know how long?"
"Not yet. Few days at least. People at the restaurant said they’d smelled it for days before they finally checked it out. Here’s what makes this whole thing a little more interesting. It seems that Rollins worked for the same company as another body we found three days ago with his throat slit from ear to ear."
