Swallowing the sob that rose in her throat she slowly looked at Neal. “No, I can’t leave her. This is all my fault. If I just cancelled the shoots and stayed with her...”
“Sweetheart, none of this is your fault. She was doing what she thought she had to protect her big sister.”
“I should have been here to protect her!” I heard them say that they think she committed suicide. There is no way my sister would ever do that! Somebody did this to her!”
“I agree, but the only way we are going to prove it is to get out of here and make whoever did do this pay out the ass.”
“You’re right.” Simone slowly laid Peaches back down on the floor. She took a moment to study her face one last time before she kissed her on her forehead and left the house with Neal.
Chapter 16
Detective Rice came in around seven am and kissed Brenda whom was sleeping on the couch in front of the TV.
“Hey honey.” She said with her eyes half open. “How was the conference?”
He plopped his bags down in the back room and came back out and sat down beside her on the couch. “It was what it was; another boring cop conference.”
“Aww, poor thing.” She lifted her body up to kiss him.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He picked up the remote and turned the television up.
“Now our breaking news, Rochelle Carmichael, Simone Carmichael’s younger sister was found dead last night in her home. Police are saying that Ms. Carmichael was found near bottles of empty sleeping pills and this case is being treated as a suicide. She was twenty-four years old...”
“Damn, that’s terrible! I know Simone is a wreck!”
Brenda sat silently staring at the TV in horror.
“Are you okay?”
“Um...yeah, I was just kind of shaken by that.”
“You sure?” He touched her face gently.
“You know, I do feel a little flushed. Do you think you could run to the store and grab me some Motrin?” She felt a terrible tenseness in her body.
“Sure. You lay back down and I’ll be right back okay?”
Brenda waited for him to leave the apartment and ran to her purse, pulled out her cell phone and frantically dialed.
“Hello?” Answered the voice on the other end.
“What did you do?”
“Brenda, it is way too early for this shit. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me Darius. You didn’t have to have her killed!”
“Look, you just worry about keeping the nosey ass boyfriend of yours out of my hair. You need to stay out of everything else.”
“She was your girlfriend’s sister! How sick are you?”
“I know. It’s a shame, but, that’s what happens when you start sniffing around my shit.”
“Look, I want out of this. I hate lying to Dick. ”
He laughed out loud. “So, it’s that easy for you, huh? You just tell me when you’re done?”
“That’s what I’m doing! It’s not the same for me anymore. I love him!”
“Aww well, maybe I should remind you about our little agreement; either you do what the hell I tell you to do or I out your low down, nasty, panty chasing daddy.”
Brenda’s eyes began to well. “I hate you!”
“Aww, now come on, let’s be nice, Ms. Frey.”
“You’re going to get yours one day.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just keep your claws in Rice and keep him in check, or you may be hearing about dear old dad on the news. Got it?”
Brenda hesitated. “Yes.”
“Good girl. Now go have some juice and a muffin or something and calm your nerves. I have better things to do. I have to go and console my grieving fiancée.”
The call ended. She held her head and let out a exasperated sigh. As she turned to put her phone back in her purse, she was face to face with a fury faced Detective Rice.
“Oh hey sweetie, that was fast!”
“Sweetie my ass! Just give me one reason not to throw your lying, tramp ass out right now.”
“Dick, I can explain!” She reached out to touch him, but he pushed her hand away.
“Explain what? That you have been working with the asshole that killed my partner? I must be a real joke to you.”
“No, not at all. Please let me explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain!” He shouted. “You’ve been playing me!”
“Dick, please...”
“What! What can you possibly say to me that wouldn’t make me want to kill you even more than I do now? You have been lying to me for months, years even. Was it fun making me look like an idiot? Did you and Darius get a good laugh?”
“No, we didn’t. It’s not what you think!”
“It’s not? I just didn’t hear you tell Darius on the phone that you “wanted out? And that you hated lying to me?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“But what?” He interrupted her vehemently. “I tell you what, while you are pondering that, you can pack your shit and get out!”
“Umm...first of all, this is my condo, and second, if you let me talk, I’m sure I can explain all this to you.”
“I don’t want to hear anything from you! As far as I’m concerned you are a lying slut!” His voice was cold and angry.
“I am not a slut!”
“Oh no? Is he paying you to lie to me?”
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “As a matter of fact, no he isn’t.”
“Oh, so you are betraying me for free? That’s great. You know what? I will leave.”
No, will you please listen to me?” She grabbed his arm.
He yanked his arm away. “What?”
She held her head down and took a deep breath. “He has information on my father that he said he will make public if I don’t do what he says.”
“Your father? You told me he was dead!”
“I know.”
“So what else is a lie, huh? Is Brenda your real name?”
“Of course it is!”
“I mean,” He scoffed. “With all this, I can’t be sure.”
“Dick, please know that when I agreed to be your wife, I meant it. I truly do love you. I just don’t want the info D-Smooth had on my father to get out.”
“Okay, what type of information is this that is so bad that you had to lie to me?”
She hesitated.
“Okay, I don’t have time for this. I think I may just get your lying ass arrested then, maybe you’ll talk.”
“No, okay. He has some photos and proof that my dad has a fetish for young black girls.”
“What!”
“Not little girls. He tends to go for the eighteen and nineteen year olds.” She turned her back in shame.
“What a pervert!” Detective Rice said as one side of his mouth curled in disgust.
“Trust me. I know. He has been like this since as far back as I can remember. He would even make passes at my friends.” Her voice began to quiver. “I never told him that I knew. It was just too embarrassing. Do you know how embarrassing that is to have your friends tell you that your dad was pushing up on them?”
Detective Rice could feel a slight tinge of pity for her through his seething anger, but held it back. “I guess that would be. That still doesn’t excuse the fact that you lied to me.”
“I know, I know. I just didn’t want him to out my father. It would destroy him. I also didn’t know I would fall so hard for you.”
“Bullshit! You knew all this fucking time that I was searching for evidence to bury this bastard!” He walked up to her and grabbed her by both her shoulders. “I tell you what. You are going to tell me everything you know, right now.”
“Okay! Okay!” Tears rolled down her face. “I’m tired of covering my father’s ass. I’ll tell you everything.”
Simone woke up still clutching a photo of her lost little sister. She burst into tears once she remembered after a few seconds of being awake that she
was gone. She still felt so guilty and helpless. She wanted her back. She missed her laugh and her smile. She laid there in Neal’s bed staring up at the ceiling, tears running down the sides of her face and filling her ears, wishing it could have been her instead. She stayed at his apartment because she couldn’t stand to be alone.
“Hey sweet pea.” Neal walked into the bedroom with a small tray of bagels and orange juice. “How did you sleep?”
“Not well.” Her voice cracked as she wiped the tears from her swollen tired eyes.
He tilted his head as he gently pushed her hair back over one ear. “I know.”
“I just can’t believe she’s gone. It’s all my fault.”
“No, I told you. Now, you and I both know that once Ms. Peaches decided to do something there was no way anybody could stop her.”
“I know. I just know that if I find out that somehow Darius was behind this…”
“I know. How are we going to prove it though? Whomever did this probably took whatever it was that she had.”
“I don’t know.” Simone laid back on the pillow, just as there was a knock on the door.
“Now who the hell could this be at this hour?” Neal got up off the bed and headed towards the front door and swung it open.
“Good morning Neal. I take it Simone is here with you?” Darius said from the doorway. He always stood a few steps back from Neal. He wasn’t really comfortable being around him because he was gay.
“Yes she is. How can I help you?”
“Well, first you can get out of my way.” Darius pushed past him and walked inside the apartment.
“You can’t just barge in here!” Neal shouted.
“It’s okay, Neal.” Simone said softy as she walked out of the bedroom.
“Baby, I was so worried about you!” Darius gave Neal a dirty stare as he walked over and hugged Simone tightly. “I’m so sorry to hear about Peaches. I wish you would’ve come home last night.”
She was full of conflicting emotions as he held her. On one side she loved him with all her heart and wanted to just fall into his arms, but on the other, she felt doubtful and contemptuous at the fact that he had lied to her so badly and possibly killed her sister. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were back yet and I didn’t want to be alone.”
He ran his fingers along the side of her face. “Well, I’m here now. How about we get home, so I can take care of you now?”
“She is just fine right here.” Neal interjected.
“What’s your problem, fairy boy?”
“My problem is…”
Simone just looked at Neal and put her palm up at him. “Sure sweetie. I would love to go home and crawl into my own bed. I’m really tired. Why don’t you go ahead to the car and I’ll be right down.”
“Sure thing.” He kissed her as he walked back out the door.
“Are you crazy?” Neal walked over to Simone and grabbed her hand as she turned to go get her things.
“Neal, we can’t let on that we suspect him. What if he did do it?”
“That is just the point! Who’s to say he won’t take you out next?”
She slipped her ballerina flats on. “He won’t. That’s the one thing I am sure of right now, is he truly does love me. He won’t do anything.”
“How can you be so sure of that Simone?”
She stood up and gave Neal a kiss on the cheek. “Trust me okay? Thank you for letting me cry all over your three hundred dollar sheets, okay?”
“You know that’s not a problem.” He gave her a tight hug. “You be careful, okay? We may not have any proof yet, but I know that weasel had something to do with all this.”
“Well, until we have concrete proof, we can’t let on that we know anything.”
“You’re right. I just can’t lose my other best friend.”
Simone smiled as she gave him another big hug and kiss. “I promise you won’t. I’ll call you later okay?”
“Okay.” Neal stood in his living room terrified as he watched Simone walk out the door.
Chapter 17
The past week had been the hardest for Simone had ever had. She stood over the open grave, staring down at the casket below that held her little sister and felt as if she was going to die herself the from the pain.. She could barely see the casket because her eyes were so clouded with tears. She dropped a small bunch of roses down the grave that she had been holding for the whole service.
“Honey, are you ready to go?” Neal walked up to her and whispered.
She just simply nodded because that is all she had in her at that moment.
Neal just gave her a caring smile, grabbed her hand and walked her away from the grave.
“I just still can’t believe she’s gone.” Neal said with a quivering voice.
“I know.” Simone wiped her tears with her handkerchief. “If she was here she’d be telling us to stop all this whining and boo-hooing.”
“She sure would.” Neal laughed. “I can hear her now.”
Simone’s laugh slowly transformed into a sob. “I am going to miss her so much Neal. What do I do without her?”
He pulled her to him and hugged her. “We are going to do just what she would want us to do, live and be happy.”
They started to make their way through the grass towards the limo where Darius and Big J were waiting for them; he wanted to give her time alone to say goodbye to her sister. Simone’s phone rang on her way to the waiting limousine. “Hello?”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Carmichael. This is Detective Rice.”
“Hello Detective Rice.”
“Look, first of all, I want to extend my condolences for you’re loss.”
“Thank you. How can I help you, Detective?”
“Well, I have some information that you will want to hear.”
“Really, and just what kind of information is that?”
“Information that could prove to you that D-Smooth had something to do with you sister’s death.”
Simone stopped in her tracks and looked at Neal with wide eyes. “Well, what exactly do you have?”
Neal looked at Simone’s face and silently mouthed, “What?”
“I feel it’s better if we talk in person. Is there anyway possible that we could meet today?”
Simone looked at Neal. “Actually, today would be the perfect day to find out if Darius killed my sister. I’ll be at your place in one hour.”
“That’ll be fine. We’ll be here.”
“What? What did he say?” Neal asked as Simone put her phone back in her pocket.
“Detective Rice has proof that Darius killed Peaches.” She churned with anger and humiliation at the fact that she had allowed this man in her life.
Rage almost choked Neal as he responded. “What? I knew it! That dirty bastard!”
“Shh!” Simone grabbed his arm as he started to dart towards the limo. “Trust me, right now, I could kill him too, but we have to be smart about this. Obviously, he is crazy enough to kill his own fiancée’s sister to keep whatever he is hiding a secret, so we don’t want him to know that we suspect anything.”
Neal gathered himself. “You’re right. What are we going to do? We have to do something about this!”
“Just follow my lead.”
They walked over and got into the limo where Darius and Big J were waiting.
“Hey Sunshine, how are you doing? I was about to come out and check on you.”
“I know, sweetie.” She held the side of his face and gave him a kiss. “You’ve done so much already.”
“Baby, it was the least I could do to try to help you through this.”
Simone could feel her body temperature rising as she sat next to him. She wished it was him back in that cold, lonely grave and not her sister. She never hated anyone as much as she hated him at that very minute. “I know. You have been so wonderful and helpful through all of this. I truly don’t know what I did to deserve a man like you.”
Neal thought he would
throw up listening to the crap Simone was throwing out at Darius. “I just can’t get past the fact that she would take her own life. There was just no warning at all!”
Diamond Lives, Platinum Lies Page 12
