Deadly Satisfaction

by Trice Hickman

  “I believe you. The level of detail you were able to tell me about the things you saw let me know that you were there. Somehow, someway, there’s an unexplained, maybe even supernatural energy that’s trying to lead you to who really killed Johnny.”

  “And that makes sense, because my dream happened right at the time Vivana and her lawyer said there’s new evidence.”

  “Right, and my guess is that whatever evidence they have isn’t concrete—otherwise, a crafty, well-seasoned lawyer like Leslie Sachs would’ve put it all out there and Vivana would be out of prison by now, preparing for Thanksgiving dinner like we’re doing.”

  The wheels were turning in Geneva’s mind. She hadn’t thought about what Samuel had just said, but it was very plausible. “I’m willing to bet that something I saw in my dream is the key to proving Vivana’s innocence, and I know what it is.”

  “The blue box that held the pictures, video discs, and burner phone.” Samuel said.

  “Yes, and the black hat I just saw.”

  “Do you think you should contact Leslie Sachs?”

  “Yes, but before I talk to her I’m going to call Councilwoman Harris, because I want legal guidance, just to cover my back in case things turn upside down and they try to pin something on me.”

  Samuel nodded. “I agree with you. Charlene Harris is a fair and honest woman, and she’ll guide you through whatever you need to do. Having her as a friend is a definite advantage.”

  The lights flickered again and made Geneva jump. “I’m going to call her before it gets too late, and before the electricity goes out.” Geneva dialed Charlene Harris’s number and the woman picked up on the second ring.

  “Hi, Geneva,” Charlene said.

  “Hi. I’m so sorry to bother you so late, and right before the holiday.”

  “Nonsense. You’re never a bother, dear. Besides, the only thing I’m doing is sitting in my family room, and I just lit a candle.”

  “You lost power?”

  “About ten minutes ago. I was in the middle of cooking, too.”

  “The lights have been flickering here, so I guess we might be next.”

  “I hope not, but keep your candles and flashlight handy, and I hope you have a wood-burning fireplace,” Charlene said.

  “We don’t,” Geneva responded with disappointment, thinking about how cold it would get if their electricity went out.

  “Well, you, Samuel, and Gabrielle need to wrap up in blankets so you can keep warm. As a matter of fact, I need to put another log on the fire because it’s going to get cold in here, and Lauren will probably be downstairs any minute because she’s more cold-natured than I am.”

  Geneva walked to the closet down the hall and removed a flashlight and candles. “I guess Phillip can load up the firewood so you two can stay warm.”

  Charlene sighed. “Don’t get me started about him.”

  “Is there something wrong with Phillip?”

  “Nothing that a cold shower can’t cure.”

  Geneva knew exactly what Charlene was talking about because she knew from conversations with Charlene that Phillip was a ladies’ man. “Does this involve a woman?”

  “Bingo!” she said with frustration. “That son of mine left out of here a few hours ago in the middle of this ridiculous snowstorm just to see some woman.”

  “Wow, she must be very special.”

  “That’s what Lauren said. And the crazy thing about it is that he just met the girl.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, last night he went to Sebastian’s to get us dinner, and then to the grocery store after that. The next thing I knew he was back out the door and I didn’t see him again until this morning when he picked Lauren up from the airport, and now he’s gone again. At least he stocked the house with food from the grocery list I texted him last night. Otherwise we’d be in real trouble.”

  Geneva set the flashlight and candles on the kitchen counter and slowly sat on the bar stool in a daze. She started thinking about her conversation last night with Donetta, and how she’d been at Sebastian’s and there had been a good-looking man there who’d stared at her, and then had appeared in the grocery store. She’d even helped him find groceries from a list his mother had texted him. Donetta’s Phillip was Charlene’s son!

  “Is everything all right?” Charlene asked. “I know for you to call this late at night right before the holidays you must have something on your mind.”

  Geneva knew she had to pull herself together so she could talk to Charlene about her dream, and then right after that she planned to call Donetta to warn her.

  Chapter 28

  CHARLENE

  Charlene sat motionless on her couch, watching the flame flicker back and forth on the candle she’d lit as she listened to Geneva tell a story so real it gave her flashbacks and chills at the same time. When Geneva’s number had appeared across Charlene’s phone screen, she’d known right away that the call wasn’t going to yield anything good. Ever since Vivana’s jailhouse interview yesterday, things had been turned upside down, and now they were about to do a backward flip.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” Geneva said, “but, Charlene, I promise you, what I’m saying is true. It was as if I was there and I saw everything happening just as it surely did the night Johnny was murdered, and I know without a doubt in my mind that Vivana didn’t kill him.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I saw her.”

  Charlene’s hands started shaking and her mouth turned so dry she began to cough.

  “Are you okay?” Geneva asked.

  “Um, yes. I’m fine. I had a tickle in my throat.” Charlene was afraid to ask Geneva to continue, but Geneva resumed her story and Charlene’s blood pressure began to rise.

  “Like I said, I heard the sound of the gun, even though the killer used a silencer. When I was finally able to walk into the kitchen, I saw Johnny’s body lying on the ground, and it was awful, just awful.”

  Charlene didn’t know if Geneva was trying to play mind games or if the woman was experiencing a mental collapse brought on by stress, but one thing was sure, and that was the fact that Charlene was more nervous right now than when Shartell had sent her the cryptic text. Charlene quickly tried to think about what Geneva’s angle might be, but she drew a blank. Geneva wasn’t the type of person who played games. She was kindhearted and honest. She was a woman of integrity whom Charlene had great respect for. But right now that woman of integrity had Charlene petrified. As she listened to Geneva on the other end of the phone, Charlene knew she couldn’t sit in the dark, cold and afraid. If Geneva had hard-core evidence against her, she needed to know. “Not to be too blunt, but why are you calling me with this information?” She held her breath.

  “Because I want to get your legal advice before I contact Leslie Sachs, first thing Monday morning.”

  If Geneva knew that Charlene was the real killer, Charlene wondered why Geneva didn’t just come right out and say it? Why toy with her nerves by threatening to go to Vivana’s lawyer. She knew the only way to find the answers to her questions was to ask. “Who killed Johnny?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But you said you saw the killer.”

  “I did, but she was hidden by a large shadow. I know she was slim, she was wearing all black, and she had on a black hat.”

  Charlene thought she was going to pass out. She’d dressed in all black when she’d left the drug-laced cupcake on Vivana’s doorstep. But a few hours later when she was preparing to go kill Johnny, she’d decided to tuck her asymmetrically cut bob under a small black fedora.

  “Wait,” Geneva said. “It just came to me. The killer was wearing a fedora.”

  Charlene closed her eyes as her stomach turned in knots. How in the hell does she know this? Charlene’s slim frame had been dressed in all black, she’d been wearing a fedora, and the center light in Johnny’s kitchen had been dimmed, which had cast a shadow over the room.

  “Char
lene, are you still there?”

  “Yes, I’m still here.”

  “I don’t think the new evidence that Leslie Sachs has is concrete; otherwise, she would’ve already presented it and Vivana would be free. I think she staged the interview to draw out the real killer in hopes she’ll slip up. The way she looked into the camera during the interview, it was almost as if she was talking directly to the killer, trying to send her a message. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knows who it is.”

  Charlene knew that Geneva was right, because she’d felt as though Leslie had looked through the camera yesterday afternoon and positively identified her as the killer. And now Charlene knew for sure why Leslie wanted to have coffee with her Monday morning. The shrewd attorney wanted her to slip up. Leslie would most likely engage her in a conversation about the trial, and ask questions that would tie in to whatever new evidence she’d uncovered, in hopes that Charlene would make a mistake and incriminate herself.

  “I know this sounds crazy,” Geneva continued, “but I believe I had the dream for a reason, and I believe that the details I saw, along with whatever Ms. Sachs has, will prove Vivana’s innocence. And although the thought of Vivana roaming free scares the daylights out of me, the thought that a cold-blooded killer got away with murder while an innocent woman sits in jail, is something I can’t live with.”

  Charlene knew she couldn’t let Geneva talk to Leslie, at least not before she did. “Geneva, I’ll meet with Leslie first thing Monday morning and I’ll talk to her myself.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes, and as a matter of fact I’ll ask her to meet me for coffee, that way she and I can have an informal chat. We used to work together many years ago, so I’m sure that, in addition to the fact that I’m an elected city official and a concerned resident, will warrant a meeting.”

  “You would do that for me?”

  “Of course I will.”

  “I’m so, so very thankful for all your help.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “There’s one other detail I need to tell you . . . oh no . . . hold on, Charlene,” Geneva said.

  Charlene could hear Geneva talking to her husband in the background.

  “Our lights just went out,” Geneva said in a quick panic. “I’ll call you back tomorrow.”

  “But Geneva . . .” Before Charlene could ask Geneva what she wanted to tell her, the phone went dead, and Geneva was gone.

  If Charlene thought she was worried before, she was disturbed now. Not only was Leslie hot on her trail, Geneva was, too. A thousand things were going through Charlene’s mind. “What have I gotten myself into?” she whispered to herself. She looked up when she saw a bright light coming her way.

  “I got out of the shower just in time,” Lauren said as she entered the room, guided by the flashlight app on her phone. “I was upstairs getting things together so we can camp out by the fire.” She was holding a set of blankets and sheets under one arm and pillows under the other.

  Charlene watched as her daughter placed the blankets and pillows on the floor and then walked over to the fireplace. She placed several logs inside, moved them around with the poker, and made sure the fire was ready to blaze.

  “I’ll be right back, Mom.”

  Charlene moved from the couch to the floor and made a pallet of the sheets and blankets. She looked at the fire that had begun to roar, and she smiled. Just a few minutes ago she’d been worried out of her mind, and now she felt as happy as could be, because her daughter seemed like her old self, and it occurred to her how quickly life could change in the blink of an eye.

  “Here we go,” Lauren said as she returned with a bowl of popcorn. “We had cocoa, which is my favorite, and now we’ll have popcorn, which is yours. It’s from a bag, but it’ll have to do for now until the lights come back on and we can use the microwave.”

  Charlene looked at her daughter, dressed in her flannel pajamas with her hair tied up in a bright yellow scarf. “Awww, thank you, baby.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do for the way I’ve acted. I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “Baby, there’s no need to apologize.”

  “Yes, there is. You’ve been nothing but good to me, and you loved me unconditionally, even when I purposely did things that I knew would hurt you. But that never stopped you from being there whenever I needed you. Like now, even though I’ve messed up royally, and I know you’re disappointed in me, you told me right away that I’m welcome to stay here as long as I need to. You’re going to help me with the baby, and with medical school. That’s more than anyone else would ever do for me.”

  “Lauren, I’ll do anything, and I mean anything, to protect my family and make sure you have what you need.”

  “I know that, and I appreciate you so much.” Lauren’s voice trembled, and tears began to fall from her eyes. “Ever since we had that talk while we sipped your cocoa, I’ve felt so much better. It’s like a burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I’m no longer scared of what the future’s going to hold because I know that as long as I have my mama by my side, there’s nothing I can’t achieve. I just hope that I can be half the mother to my child that you are to me. I love you, Mom.”

  Charlene’s heart was bursting with love. She reached for her daughter and rocked her in her arms the way she used to when Lauren was a child. This holiday had started off with gloom and doom, but right now all Charlene felt was gratitude at the fact that she had her daughter back. And as she held her baby girl, who was on the road to having a child of her own, Charlene knew she had to protect her family at all costs. She could no longer be afraid, and she couldn’t hover in fear. Just as she’d taken measures to rid the world of scum like Johnny Mayfield, she was equally determined to make sure the truth about what she’d done never saw the light of day—and she was prepared to do anything she had to in order to guarantee that happened, by any means necessary.

  Chapter 29

  DONETTA

  Donetta and Phillip sat in silence on opposite ends of the couch because Donetta had told him it would be necessary for what she was about to say.

  “Who did you used to be?” Phillip asked, repeating her last statement. “I’m thinking it must be pretty bad if you don’t want to be near me?”

  “I think it’s the other way around. It’s you who might not want to be near me.”

  “You’re starting to worry me. You’re a straight shooter who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. So tell me what’s so bad that we need to sit a mile apart in order for you to tell me.”

  Donetta took a deep breath and looked into Phillip’s eyes. It was a heartbreaking moment, because she realized in those brief seconds that she loved this man, and that she was also in jeopardy of losing him. She hadn’t wanted to tell him under these circumstances, but now her hand had been forced. She’d always stood true about who she was, and now she knew she needed to share it with Phillip. “I’m a trans woman.”

  Just as a long pause had hung in the air when she’d told him that she couldn’t have children, it returned, and now it was hovering in the space between them. Phillip tilted his head and chuckled light-heartedly. “That’s a good one, Donetta. You got me with that one,” he said as his laughter subsided. “Now that you’ve played a cruel joke on me that almost gave me a heart attack, please tell me what’s really going on.”

  Donetta didn’t blink or flinch. “I told you, I’m a trans woman.”

  “This is no longer funny. Stop playing around and tell me what’s up.”

  Donetta looked deeply into Phillip’s eyes. “I’m going to tell you my truth, and some of the things I’m going to say are going to startle you, and might even make you angry . . . but I hope you’ll fully listen and hear me.”

  “Donetta, this is really starting to upset me.” Phillip eased his body to the edge of the couch as he’d done when he’d been talking to his mother. “Are you involved in drugs?”

  “No, I’m not!”

  “Then what the hell
are you into?”

  “I told you. I’m trans.”

  Phillip looked deep into her eyes. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I was born Donald Eric Pierce.”

  “Wait a minute. You’re a dude?”

  “No, I’m a woman, and as far back as I can remember, I’ve always known that. Even though I was born into a body that didn’t match who I am, I’ve never, ever questioned that I’m female.”

  Phillip shook his head and raised his voice. “This is fuckin’ unbelievable. This is some bullshit!”

  For the first time since their conversation had started, Donetta began to feel afraid. “If you think you’re going to become violent, I want you to know that I’m fully capable of defending myself, and I have weapons in this house that I can use against you.”

  Phillip stared at her. “What the fuck are you talking about? First you tell me you’re a dude, and now you’re threatening me?”

  “I’m a woman, and I’m not threatening you. I’m just making you aware.”

  “Fuck!” He placed his head in his hands. “I can’t believe this . . . we had sex!”

  Donetta felt a stab at her heart. “And it was a beautiful experience. And Phillip, you can clearly see that I’m a woman.”

  Another pause loomed in the air, and Donetta could see that Phillip was thinking so hard that a crease had formed in the middle of his forehead. She prayed that she wouldn’t have to use the pistol she kept under the couch, which she was glad was beneath the section where she was sitting. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but from the look on Phillip’s face it wasn’t going to be good.

  “If you’re a transgender woman, and you have a vagina, that means you had surgery?”

  Donetta nodded. “A little over a year ago.”

  “Why didn’t you fucking tell me you used to have a dick?”

  “When was I supposed to tell you? In the produce aisle at the grocery store? In the lounge at the prestigious Roosevelt Hotel?”

  “How about somewhere in between the time I said hello to you and when we were in your bed!” Phillip yelled. He jumped up from the couch. “I can’t believe this shit! You made me believe that you were an honest person. I thought you were special, but you’re nothing but a liar. I don’t even know who you are.”