Deadly Satisfaction

by Trice Hickman

  “No, I’m getting ready to go to the grocery store because there’s nothing here in this fridge.”

  Charlene was confused. “Wait a minute, are you at the house?”

  “Yeah, I took an earlier flight and got here about two hours ago.”

  “Two hours . . . why didn’t you call me and let me know you were home?”

  Phillip chuckled. “I wanted to surprise you. After I got here I took a quick nap and then I showered. I was going to cook dinner for you, but when I came down to the kitchen I couldn’t find any food. That’s not like you, Mom. This place is usually loaded with food during the holidays. What’s up?”

  Charlene gulped, knowing her son was right. She’d had every intention of going to Whole Foods straight from the salon with her Thanksgiving food list in hand, and she had planned to make a quick meal for her and Phillip tonight, and then cook all day tomorrow for their holiday meal once Lauren arrived. But it had taken her much longer at the salon after hearing the breaking news about Vivana Jackson, because Geneva had experienced a mild panic attack and she’d stayed there to help calm her. Over the last two years Geneva had become more than her stylist, she’d become her friend, and Charlene felt she owed the woman that much to offset the guilt of killing her husband.

  After staying at the salon for much longer than she’d planned to, Charlene had left with her nerves in an uproar. She was flummoxed, and shopping for food had been the last thing on her mind. “Sorry, baby,” she said to Phillip as she came up to a stoplight. “It’s been a long week, and I’ve had a very, very long day. I’d planned to go grocery shopping this afternoon but—”

  “I was just kidding, Mom. I know how busy you are. Just come home and relax. I’ll go out and pick up something for dinner tonight.”

  Charlene smiled as she rounded the corner and turned onto her street. She knew that not every parent could say their child was as responsible and thoughtful as Phillip. She knew that one day he was going to make some young woman a fine husband, but sadly, she didn’t think that day would come anytime soon.

  In addition to his physical size, the other attribute Phillip had inherited from his father was that he loved women. He’d been a ladies’ man since kindergarten, sharing his snacks with the pretty girls in his class and then charming the rest with his Play-Doh skills during recess. By the time he was in college he had co-eds and professors alike swooning over him. And now, as a successful, handsome bachelor with a good job at a prestigious law firm, he was a highly sought-after commodity.

  Charlene smiled when she saw Phillip’s rental car parked in the driveway. “I’m home now,” she said as she drove around the side of her Tudor-style home and pushed the button on her garage door opener. “I’ll see you in a sec.”

  When Charlene walked through her back door and into her large eat-in kitchen, she smiled widely at the site of Phillip standing in front of the sink, washing off an apple.

  “Here, eat this. It’ll give you a little boost.”

  Charlene shook her head. “Son, after the day I’ve had, I need that apple to be sitting inside a martini glass.” Her joke made both of them laugh.

  “You might be tired, but you look great, Mom,” Phillip said. He reached for her briefcase, set it on the kitchen counter, and gave Charlene a hug.

  For the first time in hours, Charlene felt a semblance of calm return to her mind. “I’ll take that compliment any day. Especially from a good-looking, good-smelling man. What are you wearing, son?”

  Phillip smiled. “It’s the Versace cologne you got me for my birthday.”

  “I have good taste.”

  They both laughed again and walked into the family room. Charlene sank her tired body into the comfort of her custom-made, oversized couch and kicked off her designer heels as Phillip took a seat beside her. “How was your flight?”

  “It was full to capacity. I’m glad I was able to get out of DC early because the airport was a zoo, and it’s probably a madhouse right now. You know how it is during the holidays.”

  “Yes, I’m just glad you made it here safely. I hope Lauren won’t have problems tomorrow.”

  “Me too. I talked to her this afternoon, and she’s still scheduled to get here in the morning. I told her I’d pick her up from the airport.”

  Charlene sighed with relief. She’d forgotten what it was like to have someone around to help her with things. “Thank you, baby. I appreciate you going to pick up your sister because that will free me up to start cooking early in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “And speaking of food, like I said, I’d planned to make dinner tonight, but now I can do one better; I can get dinner for us from our favorite place.”

  “Sebastian’s!”

  “You got it.”

  “I haven’t been there in a few months.”

  “Well you’re in luck tonight.” Phillip stood to his feet. “You want your usual?”

  Charlene nodded. “Yes, chicken marsala with extra wine sauce on the side. And ask them to put the sauce in a medium container, not those tiny condiment cups that only hold a teaspoon.”

  Phillip shook his head and laughed. “I know the drill.”

  “At least I’m consistent,” Charlene said with a laugh. “And after the day I’ve had, I need something steady like my favorite dish. Food truly is comfort for the soul.”

  “Sure is. I’ll place our order on my way there. Text me the grocery list and I’ll pick up what we need on my way back.”

  “Grocery list?”

  Phillip nodded. “While I’m out I might as well pick up groceries for Thanksgiving dinner, that way you won’t have to leave the house tomorrow unless you just want to. You need the rest.”

  Once again, Charlene was grateful to have a child as thoughtful and unselfish as Phillip. Unlike a lot of men she knew, including her ex-husband Reginald, Phillip didn’t go overboard with fancy words or expensive gifts to show his love. Instead, he demonstrated it through the little things he did that added up in big ways. Getting her dinner and picking up groceries meant more to Charlene than any holiday gift he could buy her. And what made his gesture even sweeter was that even though she knew Phillip liked to cook, he detested having to actually shop for food. He was a regular with Peapod, and had groceries delivered to his house once a week.

  “Phillip, are you sure? You hate going to the supermarket, and you barely know where anything is located once you get there.”

  Phillip laughed. “True, but if I can write an interrogatory, I think I can figure out what aisle the ketchup is on.”

  “Well, I know you’ve got to be tired from going in to the office this morning and then taking the early flight home.”

  “Mom, I remember growing up you used to work all day, take Lauren and me to piano lessons and soccer practice, and still manage to cook dinner, help us with our homework, and whatever else we needed. I don’t do half that, so I think I can handle dinner and a walk down the grocery aisle.”

  Charlene smiled. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You’re gonna make some woman a very happy lady one day, and I hope that day comes soon.”

  “I know you’re determined to drag me out of bachelorhood, but believe it or not, I’m doing just fine.”

  “I’m not saying you have to get married right now, but . . .”

  “Here it comes.”

  “Don’t you think it’s time for you to start considering the idea of having a committed relationship? You date so many random girls who fly in and out of your life that I can’t keep up with them all.”

  Phillip rose to his feet, clearly not wanting to have this conversation. “I’m having fun, and I’m honest with all the women I see. I don’t lead anyone on, and I’m straight up about where I am as far as a committed relationship goes.”

  “So they’re all fine with being one of many?”

  “You make it sound like I have a harem or something,” Phillip joked.

  Charlene raised her brow. “You said it, not me.
”

  “I’m being careful, and above all, I’m being honest. I thought that’s what women want.”

  “We do . . . but trust me, no woman wants to be one of many. If you date a woman who doesn’t mind being placed on a list, she’s not wife material.”

  “That’s my point, Mom. I’m not looking for wife material. I’m dating and I’m having fun, and the only list I’m thinking about right now is that grocery list you need to text me.” Phillip smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on Charlene’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  Charlene shook her head as she watched her son walk out of the room. She used to stay out of her children’s business when it came to their relationships. But ever since the fiasco two years ago involving Lauren’s ex-boyfriend, which ultimately led to the unraveling of Charlene’s marriage, she’d been very concerned about who her children dated. When Lauren had brought her college boyfriend home to meet the family, they learned that the young man was actually her half brother, the result of an illicit affair that Charlene’s husband had carried on years ago.

  She sighed. “I hope that boy settles down.” Charlene knew she shouldn’t worry so much because Phillip was a grown man who was capable of making his own decisions, and so far he’d made good ones. But there was something that she knew she needed to worry about, and that was the breaking news interview with Vivana. She picked up the remote control and turned on her television.

  She looked at her watch and noted she had five minutes before the interview was set to air. She quickly sprang to her feet and headed into the kitchen. “I’m going to need this,” Charlene said as she reached into her refrigerator for a bottle of chardonnay, and then pulled a wineglass from the cabinet above her head.

  With her wineglass and chilled bottle in hand, Charlene returned to her place on the couch just in time to hear the evening anchorwoman’s voice as she began the broadcast with the breaking news segment. This was the moment Charlene had been stressing over all afternoon. As soon as Vivana’s face appeared on the screen, Charlene’s breathing became shallow. Unlike when she was in the salon earlier today, she didn’t have to curtail her reactions, and she could take more time to fully digest what was being said.

  Charlene listened closely, paying careful attention to every word coming out of Vivana’s mouth, but more important, her lawyer’s. Charlene knew from firsthand experience that Vivana was a loose cannon who was subject to say and do just about anything. The woman had no impulse control, which had made it very easy to frame her. But Vivana’s attorney was a different matter, because she was the complete antithesis of her client. Leslie Sachs was composed, direct, purposeful, and above all, she was very smart and extremely careful. Leslie was so smooth in her approach that people never felt her bite until after they were bleeding. She was skilled and ruthless, and she never took a case unless she knew she could win. This knowledge made Charlene more afraid than ever.

  Charlene had first met Leslie more than thirty years ago when the two of them had worked together at a prestigious, good ol’ boy law firm in downtown Birmingham. Leslie had been a mousy, timid young woman who didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the rising stars at the firm. Charlene had been the only first-year associate who’d befriended Leslie, partly because she felt sorry for the woman, and partly because being the only African American associate on staff, Charlene knew what it was like to feel like an outsider. The two women formed a bond and they looked out for each other.

  Leslie’s timid streak came to a halt on a hot summer night that ended in murder. She’d been working late with one of the senior partners, and he’d invited her into his large corner office for a drink to ease the tension of their long workday. One drink turned into five, and friendliness turned into unwanted advances. By the end of the night the senior associate was dead, and Leslie had blood on her hands.

  Leslie had made what everyone had thought was the colossal mistake of representing herself in the murder case. But it turned out to be the best move the timid young woman could have ever crafted. She successfully argued her case, was acquitted of all charges, and became a legal star. She’d been successfully representing accused killers ever since.

  By the time the five-minute interview was over, Charlene had drunk half the bottle of wine and her nerves were even more frayed than before. Neither Vivana nor Leslie had said much, and that was what made Charlene’s heart race. She knew this was Leslie’s strategy—bait the hook and then reel in the fish. Leslie knew her client was innocent; otherwise she wouldn’t have taken Vivana’s case, and that meant she knew that the real killer was still out there, and that they were probably watching the interview for clues—just as Charlene was doing.

  Charlene pressed the power button on the TV, turning it into a black slate of silence so she could think. “I need another drink,” she said as her unsteady hand struggled to pour more wine into her glass. She was about to guzzle the chardonnay when she was startled by her ringing cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and nearly dropped her glass when she saw Leslie Sachs’s name flash across the screen.

  Charlene temporarily stopped breathing as her lungs filled with panic instead of air. A million thoughts raced through her mind, but the one thing she knew she had do to was snap out of her haze and answer Leslie’s call. She took a deep breath and pressed the Answer button. “Hello, Leslie,” Charlene said in a voice so calm it surprised even her. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

  “How are you, Charlene?” Leslie asked, sounding as polite as a concierge.

  Over the years Charlene and Leslie had drifted apart as their lifestyles and careers changed. The high respect they had for each other still remained, and they kept each other’s number in their phones, but these days the only contact the two women had was when they briefly saw each other at political functions or women’s networking events. They would chitchat and catch up on each other’s lives in polite but quick conversation. Now Leslie was calling her in the early evening on the eve of a holiday, out of the blue. But Charlene knew this wasn’t really out of the blue, that there was a purpose attached to Leslie’s call. She responded with caution. “I’m well, Leslie. And you?”

  “I can’t complain.”

  Charlene didn’t follow up on Leslie’s response. She’d already asked the woman why she was calling, so the ball was in Leslie’s court. Charlene decided not to say another word. She took a quick sip of wine as five seconds of silence passed before Leslie spoke.

  “Did you see the breaking news tonight?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “What did you think?”

  Even though Charlene was shaking inside, she kept her composure. She didn’t want to say too much, but she also didn’t want to beat around the bush trying to figure out Leslie’s angle. Charlene prided herself on being a woman of purpose, and she liked to confront things head-on. “Leslie, do you need my assistance with anything?”

  Leslie paused for a moment, and Charlene knew it was intentional. “As a matter of fact, I do,” she finally said. “I need your help on the Mayfield murder case. Both the victim and my client were your constituents.”

  Charlene gulped. “Yes, they were, but I’m not exactly clear how I can help you.”

  “I’ll fill you in when we meet. How does coffee next Monday morning sound?”

  Charlene bit her bottom lip. That was five long days away, but she knew she had no choice. “Sure, where and when do you want to meet?”

  Leslie hesitated again. “The Whole Bean Café, at ten.”

  Charlene’s heart began to race again. The Whole Bean Café was where she’d first met Johnny. She nearly gasped, but instead she smiled into the phone. “Sounds good. I’ll see you there.”

  “Oh, and Charlene . . . have a happy Thanksgiving with your family.”

  “You too, Leslie.”

  Charlene leaned back into the couch and drank the rest of the wine in her glass. She wanted to run and hide, but she knew that was out of the questio
n. She wondered what Leslie had up her sleeve, and intuition told her that whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. “Calm down, calm down,” she whispered to herself.

  Charlene breathed in deeply. She wasn’t sure what her next move was going to be, but she knew that whatever she did, she had to use her head, just as she’d been doing ever since she’d killed Johnny Mayfield and framed Vivana for the crime.

  Chapter 4

  DONETTA

  Donetta picked up the remote control and turned off her TV in pure disgust. “That crazy-ass woman is nothing but trouble, and she looks even more deranged now than she did on the witness stand during her trial.”

  Donetta had just finished watching Vivana Jackson’s prerecorded jailhouse interview. Every time she thought about the woman, her blood boiled and then ran as cold as ice. She knew from direct experience that Vivana was the type of person who could make you mad enough to slap her, but also make you think twice about doing it because she was more dangerous than poison.

  “Geneva has finally gotten her life back together, and now this heffa has to come along and turn it upside down again.” Donetta shook her head as she thought about the sheer havoc that Vivana used to wreak upon everything and everyone she came into contact with. She was a devious, conniving snake, and although Donetta was one of the very few people who’d never been fully convinced that Vivana had killed Johnny, she knew the woman was very capable of murder and much more.

  “I wonder what kind of evidence they have?” she said with curiosity. Donetta knew that if Vivana was truly innocent, and the real killer was still out there, justice needed to be served. But at the same time, the thought of Vivana roaming free was a scary proposition.