Beneath The Surface

by Glenn, Roy

“What’s up, Leon?”

  “Leon,” Wanda said quickly. “This is our financial advisor, Meka Brazil. Meka, this is Leon Copeland; a very old friend that recently moved back to New York from Florida.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Meka,” Leon said, and was sure that he knew Meka from somewhere.

  “Same here,” Meka replied. “What part of Florida?” She needed to know right away.

  “Jacksonville,” Leon said, and Meka was relieved that he didn’t say he was from Miami. One of her biggest fears was that, one day her previous life would show up to bite her in the ass. “Maybe you and I can get together some time, and you could give me some financial advice,” Leon said, and Wanda cut her eyes at him. She knew what kind of services Leon would be looking for from Meka.

  Meka quickly dug in her purse and pulled out her business card. “Give me a call and we’ll set something up,” Meka said, and hoped that this would turn out to be something.

  Leon took Meka’s card. “I’ll give you a call in a day or two.”

  “Sounds good.” Meka looked at her watch.

  “Hey, Mike,” Leon said and turned to Black as they walked with Meka to the elevator. “You know who I haven’t seen yet?”

  “Who?” Black asked.

  “Bobby.”

  “That’s right,” Meka said and smiled. “Where is Mr. Bobby Ray today?”

  “Bobby is in Columbia, South Carolina,” Wanda said.

  “What’s he doin’ down there?” Leon asked.

  “Long story,” Black said.

  Meka took that as her cue to leave. “Mike, I will call you before the end of the week.”

  “Take your time,” Black said.

  The elevator door opened. “Leon, it was good to meet you. I am looking forward to talking with you,” Meka said and got on the elevator.

  “Same here.” Once Meka was gone, Leon turned to Black. “I need you to ride somewhere with me.”

  “I thought you needed to see me?” Wanda asked.

  Leon smiled. “I just saw you.”

  “Oh,” Wanda said, and assumed that he was there so he could be introduced to Meka.

  Black kissed Wanda on the cheek. “See you later, Wanda,” he said, and got in the elevator with Leon.

  Wanda shook her head and walked back to her office. She sat in her chair and looked out the window for a while. Then she spun around and picked up the phone. “Hello,” a voice answered on the forth ring.

  “Marcus; it’s Wanda. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No, not at all. I was just getting in from looking for office space,” Marcus said and put down his briefcase.

  “Any luck?”

  “No,” Marcus said and made himself comfortable on the couch. “I was thinking about taking you up on your offer.”

  “Like I said: It’s not the best space in the city, but it will suit your needs until you find what you’re looking for,” Wanda said, playing with the phone cord.

  “I’ll let you know in a day or two.”

  “The offer’s on the table. Anyway, I know this is short notice, but Judge George Posner of the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Professor Richard Fletcher of Columbia Law School, are giving a speech tonight on Global Markets, Domestic Institutions: Corporate Law and Governance In a New Era of Cross-Border Deals, at Columbia. I know it’s not your field, but would you like to go?”

  “Global Markets, Domestic Institutions: Corporate Law and Governance In a New Era of Cross-Border Deals, I didn’t know that was your field.”

  “I am a lawyer, you know,” Wanda said in a superior tone.

  “Well so am I. All I’m saying is that I didn’t know you were interested in that type of law.”

  “You don’t have any idea what I do here, do you, Marcus?”

  He hesitated for a second or two before answering. “No—I guess I really don’t.”

  “Are you busy tomorrow?” Wanda asked.

  “Other than looking for space, I don’t have any plans. What did you have in mind?”

  “Why don’t come down here tomorrow morning, 9 o’clock sharp. You can spend the day observing what I do. I’d be interested in hearing your opinions.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. If nothing else, I’ll get another look at that office,” Marcus said as he loosened his tie.

  “If nothing else,” Wanda said softly. “So I’ll see you in the morning then?”

  “I’ll be there at nine sharp,” Marcus said enthusiastically.

  “Good. Now what about tonight?”

  “What time?”

  “Eight o’clock at the Columbia law library.”

  “See you there,” Marcus said as a call came through on the other line. “Wanda, I need to take this call. I’ll see you tonight at eight.”

  “See you there,” Wanda said, and gently placed the phone in its cradle. “I love it when a plan comes together,” she said aloud, and gathered her things to go home and get ready for the evening.

  Chapter Twelve

  On the way down in the elevator, neither man said anything. Black thought about the fact that before Leon asked him to ride, his intention was that he was going to try to get with Carmen. Before they reached the ground floor, Leon turned to Black and laughed a little. “That went well.”

  “I think so too.”

  “You think she knew I came there to meet her?”

  “No, but Wanda does.”

  “She’ll be all right,” Leon said as the doors opened. “But tell me what Bobby is doin’ in Columbia, South Carolina?”

  “Bobby’s wife Pam is from there,” Black said as they walked to the car. “She left him and took the kids with her. She moved in with her grandmother. He’s down there tryin’ to convince her to come back.”

  “How’s that goin’?”

  Black shook his head. “I don’t know. Pam seems done to me. Anytime a woman says fuck the money, she’s pretty much done. But Bobby loves her and his kids, so he’s down there tryin’.”

  “I know I ain’t really gotta ask, but why she leave him?”

  “That’s a long story too. But bottom line: women.”

  “You know, when I heard that Bobby got married, I didn’t believe that shit would last a year. Bobby’s a ho—always has been.”

  “Bobby is who he is, so I ain’t knockin’ him; especially since I ain’t too much better.”

  “I was shocked when I heard you got married. I didn’t think Mike Black would ever say ‘I do’.”

  “Neither did I, Leon; but Cassandra was an exceptional woman. I fell in love with everything about her. I never thought I’d say that either. When she died, part of me died with her.”

  They drove in silence for a while as both men dealt with their feelings of loss. Memories of his beloved Cassandra flooded his mind, and Black knew that he needed to think about something else. “So where we goin’, Leon?”

  “You know a nigga named Rico?”

  “Yeah, I know that nigga. What you goin’ to see him for?” Black asked.

  “Angelo said it was a good idea.”

  Black shook his head. “Why you got me ridin’ to a drug deal?”

  “We just goin’ to talk. And besides, you used to go with me all the time. Now you got damn near pious on me,” Leon reminded Black.

  “Things were different then, Leon. I was different.”

  “I know, and you know I understand. But Vickie did what she did. She was on a path to self-destruction without any help from you. And even though she died in your apartment, you didn’t kill her.”

  “So what are you trying to say?”

  “That it ain’t gonna hurt you to ride with me and talk to this nigga. That you been punishing yourself for not saving Vickie long enough; time to let that go.”

  “You know what time I think it is?”

  “No; what?”

  “I think it’s time you turn this car around and take me home. And before you ask, I’m gonna tell you why.”


  “Okay, go ahead,” Leon said and smiled. He was glad to be back in New York and back with his old friend.

  “Here’s how the shit is gonna go: This nigga Rico is gonna say or do some stupid shit, ’cause he’s a stupid, like-to-pull-his-gun mutha fucka, and he does stupid shit.”

  “Probably can’t help himself,” Leon threw in.

  “No, he can’t. We go down there and one of us is gonna end up shootin’ him. Probably me—’cause shootin’ ain’t really your thing.”

  “That’s true. I am a business man.”

  “Let me tell you what happened. See, Rico is one of Stark’s people. Now that Stark is dead, I’m bettin’ he been buggin’ Angelo to do business. But Angelo already told me that he don’t wanna fuck wit’ none of his people, so he plays him off on you.” Black thought for a second. “Angelo knows, just like I do, that you gonna end up killin’ this nigga sooner or later, ’cause that’s the kind of nigga he is. Rico will make you wanna shoot him. It was Angelo’s idea to get me to ride with you, wasn’t it?”

  “How you know?”

  “Take Mikey with you,” Black said imitating Angelo.

  “That’s exactly what he said,” Leon laughed.

  “’Cause Angee knows I’ll shoot that nigga,” Black said and laughed.

  “So if I’m gonna end up killin’ this nigga, anyway, let’s go kill him and be done with it."

  “’Cause I don’t feel like killin’ nobody today. Tomorrow, maybe; but not today. I have something else in mind for today,” Black said, and thoughts of Carmen rolled around in his mind.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Determined to make her opportunity count, Carmen decided to get some background for her follow-up story. She got in the car and looked at the clock. She had hoped that she would have gotten a call from Black by then, but since he hadn’t called, and Marcus said that he was going to a lecture with Wanda, Carmen went to the victim’s apartment. She knocked on the door and hoped that someone would answer. If not, she would start knocking on her neighbors’ doors.

  “Who is it?” came a female voice from the other side of the door.

  “My name is Carmen Taylor. I’m a reporter for channel four. I was hoping to talk to somebody about Tangela House,” Carmen said and the door cracked open.

  “What do you wanna know?”

  “Can I come in?”

  The woman opened the door a little wider and looked Carmen up and down. “Sure,” she finally said, and stepped aside to allow Carmen to enter.

  “Thank you,” Carmen said, and followed her into the living room. “I’ll try not to take up a lot of your time.”

  “What do you wanna know?” the woman asked again.

  Carmen smiled. “I just want to know who she was. But let’s start with your name?”

  “My name is Robin, Robin Waller.”

  “I take it you and Tangela were roommates; how long did you know her?”

  “We just about grew up together,” Robin said, and tears rolled down her cheek. “We’re from the same town in Pennsylvania. Place called Lower Paxton; its right outside of Harrisburg. We were best friends until we graduated. Then I went to college and Tish took off for New York. After that, I didn’t see her again until about a year and a half ago.”

  “Here in New York?”

  “Yeah; I ran into her on the street one day. We talked for a while, exchanged numbers, you know, and that was it until I got a call from her late one night about six months later. Tish said that she was in jail and asked me to get her out.”

  “What was she in jail for?” Carmen asked.

  “Hookin’. By that time Tish was homeless, hookin’ on the streets, and hooked on meth. I mean, I was shocked at how far she had fallen so fast. I mean when we met the first day, she looked great. I’m ashamed to admit that I was a little jealous of her; you know, she was dressed real nice, hair was done up. She looked like she had money. But when I got her out that night, I could barely believe that it was the same person.”

  “What did you do?”

  Robin looked at Carmen like her question was stupid. “I took her in, helped her get clean; got her into an outpatient rehab program. I bought her some new clothes and then I got her a minimum-wage temp job that she hated. Tish was doin’ good; started to look healthy again. But that job wasn’t enough for her, so Tish began hanging out with old friends; started dancin’ at a topless club.”

  “When was this?”

  “About three, maybe 4 months ago.”

  “You know the name of the place she was dancing?”

  “It’s called Lace.”

  “Where is that?”

  “It’s on 7th Avenue, between 48th and 49th.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Couple of weeks ago. She came by here to pick up something and left,” Robin lit a cigarette. “Cops know who killed her?”

  “No, not yet,” Carmen said and stood up. She was about to leave, but then she got an idea. “You mind if I take a look at her room?”

  “No, go ahead. It’s the one on the left. I’ma get around to packin’ up her stuff; take it home to her mama. But I just haven’t had the energy.”

  “I understand. After my sister died, it took me the longest time to get to her things. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Carmen said and headed for the room. “I promise not to be long.”

  “Take your time, honey,” Robin said, and Carmen closed the door behind her.

  Carmen looked around the room at Tangela’s stuff. There wasn’t much, and it was obvious that Tangela hadn’t actually stayed there in awhile. She checked the closet: a few outfits; probably stuff that Robin had bought for her that didn’t fit her new lifestyle. Carmen walked over to the mirror when she noticed a newspaper clipping hanging there. It was a picture and an article about Congressman Terrance Redding, who was being praised for proposing legislation that, if passed, would bring coal mining investment to his western New York district.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After enjoying a very interesting lecture, Wanda and Marcus spent the day together at her office, and he got a chance to observe what Wanda did.

  Marcus took a second look at the office that Wanda had for him, and decided that it would do until he needed more space. Wanda had to contain her excitement when he told her that he was going to accept her offer. With that out of the way, Wanda led Marcus to the conference room so he could sit in on her morning meeting. He listened while Wanda got a report on their real estate, entertainment, finance, automotive, and construction enterprises, from each of the department heads.

  The focus of that morning’s meeting was the entertainment division. Recent issues with one of the rappers that their company managed, forced the need for them to start their own record company. At this point, Wanda was frustrated and wondering why it was taking so long.

  “There’s a lot more to it than just buying the building, equipment, their contracts, and opening the door,” Ritchie, the head of the project, explained to Wanda. “I have some distribution items to put in place and supply chain issues to iron out before we’re ready to launch.”

  “I want to see something we can move on in two weeks, Ritchie.”

  “You got it.”

  Marcus was impressed; not only with Wanda, but also with everything that their company was involved in. He had a totally different impression of what she did. And at the end of the day, he told her. Marcus was sitting alone in what was now his office, when Wanda came in and sat down. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I have to say that I owe you an apology. I had no idea that you were involved in so many businesses.”

  Wanda smiled a very satisfied smiled. “Did you think you were going to spend the day at one of the gambling houses? Or maybe you thought we were going to the strip club?”

  “That would have been fine with me, but no, I guess I didn’t know what to expect. But I wasn’t expecting all of this. And all of this is legal?”


  “One has nothing to do with the other,” Wanda said proudly about the business that she had built over the years.

  “You guys are doing big things,” Marcus said.

  “We’re not doing as well as we were,” Wanda said, and thought about Meka and the money they’d lost. “Changes in the market, you understand. But we’ve managed to make money in this economy.”

  “Well, Wanda, I am very impressed.”

  “Impressed enough to buy a woman dinner?”

  Marcus looked at Wanda and smiled. “I can do that. But can I meet you somewhere in an hour? I have something I need to take care of.”

  “I have a few more things that I need to take care of here before I go, so that’s fine,” Wanda said and got up.

  “Where do you want to meet?’

  “At The Gotham Bar and Grill on 12 East 12th Street. Say six?”

  “Six it is,” Marcus said and followed Wanda out of the office.

  After finishing up her work, Wanda left her office and headed for The Gotham Bar and Grill. While she waited, she thought about how Marcus was walking into the trap she was laying for him. She took a minute to think about whether she really wanted Marcus, or if she was just using him to get over Nick. And did it really matter in either case? Wanda decided that it was a little of both, and that it didn’t matter. She just wanted to be happy.

  Wanda thought back to the last conversation that she’d had with Nick. It was after Kenny’s funeral and she was somewhat intoxicated. They talked about his relationship with Rain Robinson and what really happened between them, and how it led to their breakup.

  Through her own sources, Wanda found out about Rain selling drugs and the robberies. She told Nick that she understood what he was doing, and why he had to do things the way that he did. Wanda forgave him for not telling her what was going on, but she still refused to believe Nick’s continued insistence that there was nothing going on between him and Rain. Her real issue was that he’d lied to her, and that, she couldn’t forgive. When Wanda got up to leave, she stumbled a bit. “I’m a little tipsy,” she giggled and balanced herself.

  “You want me to drive you home?” Nick asked, noticing that Wanda was a little unsteady on her feet. “No, Nick, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”