chapter seven
Two days after the confrontation and the death of Tracey Marshall, Tabitha noticed that her husband had become distant and barely spoke to her. The newspaper had Tracey’s death as a suicide. The story also stated that Tracey had recanted her story upon the advice of her family, who were all concerned about her mental stability. She had also contacted Dr. Rodney Earls, the person she had falsely accused, offering her apologizes for the whole affair. Her family had been deeply concerned about her and were investigating the person or persons responsible. They were certain that she had been coerced into making that statement.
A separate story reported that Barney Austin had resigned from the paper. The reason given was a dispute with the owners, who had decided not to renew his contract. This prompted the reporter’s immediate departure. These events infuriated Tabitha. Her plan to ruin Rodney Earls had failed. Tracey committing suicide really pissed her off. That was certainly an act of selfishness.
A sense of fear was beginning to take hold of her over the actions of her husband. Did he suspect that she was behind the plot to ruin Rodney? If it became necessary, she would lie to him as she had always done throughout their marriage. She would steer him into creating a new project for the community that would keep him occupied until she came up with another plan.
The phone in her office rang and she answered it, only to find it was Mattie Lightfoot. The pastor needed to see her in his office ASAP. Now she was really concerned. He had never called her on the phone; he had always come to her office giving him an excuse to see her, to kiss her before their many scheduled meetings throughout the day. He would come to her office to go over his sermons with her, to get her input. He trusted her.
He had changed his routine; he’d summoned her like a low-level employee, and it pissed her off. But she was going to remain calm. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well today. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she would wait and see.
She wasted no time getting to his office. He and Sister Lightfoot were talking quietly, and both looked up when she entered the room. He did not rise to greet her. He asked Sister Lightfoot to join him later because he needed to speak to his wife alone. Tabitha noticed that Sister Lightfoot didn’t make eye contact with her nor did she speak.
Without asking her to sit down, he told her that he had made the decision not to pursue building the film studio. Instead, he was going to ask the city council to donate the land to Rodney for his halfway house. And the church would assist Dr. Earls with the project once the home was built. The death of Tracey Marshall lay at the doors of this church and this was their atonement.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It took all her mental strength not to fall over. She had to take a seat and let what he had just announced sink in.
“We have to take responsibility for her death. We didn’t have the experience to deal with her mental instability. We should have insisted that she get professional help. You coaxed her to make those accusations, and you will atone for your part as well. I don’t know what made you do what you did to that poor woman, but neither you nor this church will prosper from her death. And if you had anything to do with that reporter writing that story, shame on you! The Bible says ‘Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.’”
Tabitha could feel the anger rising in her, but she wanted to remain calm. She thought that she still had a chance to change his mind.
“Pastor, there are other ways to atone for what happened to Tracey. I thought I was doing the right thing giving her the courage to come forward with her story. I thought she would feel better coming out with what I thought was the truth. I have an idea, why don’t we purchase some land and give it to the Earls, and help fund the building of the house?” She would say anything to get him to change his mind.
She had no intention of helping Rodney Earls, she just needed time to set her Plan B in motion.
“Why did you insist that she do this? Were you so unsure that we were not going to get the land? I told you we would! The Lord spoke to me and said that the land was ours. I had it on the best authority that the land was ours! We can’t keep it now, knowing what we did to that poor woman. And she did it to Dr. Earls because of our lack of knowledge on mental illness and our insistence!”
He was shouting at her and that was new. He had never shouted at her in all the years they were married. She didn’t like this, and he didn’t know how close he was to leaving this world. Her Plan A had failed, so she would resort to Plan B. His death was of little concern to her. She could play the mourning wife and looked forward to it. He could certainly be replaced; there were plenty of young men in the church waiting for their turn to shine. She had molded him, and she could do it again.
“You waited around asking for God to make this happen, WELL, I MADE IT HAPPEN! THAT IS WHAT I DO! I SECURED THE LAND FOR THE STUDIO AND I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU OR ANYONE SABOTAGE MY DREAMS! I CAN BUILD THIS STUDIO WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!” She was out of control with rage and knew that her voice could be heard, but at this point, she didn’t care.
“You aren’t going to build anything. I have already called the council president and asked to meet with him. I intend to relinquish the land and recommend that it be given to Dr. Earls.”
The look that his wife gave him frightened him for a moment, but he regained his composure.
“You’ll be in hell first!”
Tabitha picked up the cross-shaped paperweight from his desk and was about to strike him when they were interrupted. Someone had entered the room. Tabitha turned around to see who had come in. It was that ex-con Artis Jones, one of the men responsible for the upkeep of the building. He was the one who had attacked Rodney as he left the church that night. She made a mental note to thank him for defending her and the pastor. It was the loyalty that he displayed that she knew would come in handy later. For now, she was thankful for the interruption because she was certain that she would have killed her husband and that would have put a stop to her dream. She wouldn’t be able to run a studio from a prison cell. Brother Jones apologized for the interruption and said something about the gardens and fruit trees being fertilized, then quickly closed the door.
Tabitha put down the paperweight and returned to her office. She was going to place a call. Her husband ordered her to stay, but she ignored him; she had to put Plan B into action. She was about to place the call when she spotted an envelope addressed to her. It was a message from Barney Austin. He needed to speak with her. He told her to meet him at the hotel crosswalk at ten o’clock that evening and he would explain. He promised her that she was not going to regret it.
She then placed a call to her lover, apologizing for calling him. She knew his circumstance and told him what her husband had planned. She also told him she had a Plan B, though she didn’t give him any of the details. She told him she was meeting Barney Austin at ten that evening and wanted his blessings to move forward with her other plan. She smiled when he told her she had his blessing. Ten minutes later Tabitha exited the building. She wanted to go home and dress to meet Barney Austin at the hotel crosswalk later that evening.
An hour after Tabitha received her message and was at home preparing to meet with the reporter, Barney Austin was doing as instructed—he placed a call to Rodney Earls and asked if the two of them could meet. He said it was important, that he had some information that would help secure the land he wanted for the halfway house. When asked if they could meet at Rodney’s home, Barney was adamant that they meet at the hotel crosswalk. He did not want to be seen arriving or leaving Dr. Earls’ home, so they agreed. It was quiet and there would be very few people on the walkway since the convention center wasn’t being used. Barney hung up the phone and felt that his pants began to soak up the urine that ran down his legs. He was scared and feared that there was more that would be expected of him. He would have t
o give up his life.
“You did very well, Mr. Austin,” his soon-to-be-killer said. “But you have a lot to atone for, don’t you? Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. You have treated people viciously in your articles. But you are now able to correct your past. You shall be purged of all your wrongdoing. All things are by law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Barney knew what that meant; he was going to die. Realizing that, the fear rose in him like the feeling of ecstasy he would feel whenever he finished a story on a politician he didn’t like or other public figures that he thought were not part of his agenda. He loved finding dirt on people and using it to gain his reputation as a hard-hitting reporter, and the paper had paid him well for his work. But now he was going to die, and as a Catholic, he would not receive the Confession and Viaticum. He was going to be executed; he would die alone without absolution and no opportunity to confess his sins. And he would die without Christ, who had promised him eternal life.
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Tabitha arrived at the crosswalk at the appointed time, entering from the hotel lobby. She was wearing a big black jacket and hat, hoping that no one would notice her. The crosswalk was dark, but the lights from the street made it possible for her to see.
She didn’t notice the figure behind her until it was too late. The killer grabbed her from behind covering her mouth. The last words she heard frightened her, but she was powerless to fight and waited in terror as she met her fate.
“And Jehu looked up and saw Jezebel at the window and shouted, ‘Who is on my side?’ And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. ‘Throw her down!’”
The killer tossed The First Lady of The Fishers of Men Community Church out of the section where the window needed to be replaced. She hit the street just as Lawrence Wilburn was driving his eighteen-wheeler down the street. He would later tell the police between sobs that he saw her fall but could not stop in time. The truck rolled over her and her blood splattered over the wheels and into the street.
The killer watched from the crosswalk and ran towards the Genesis exit. It was nighttime and there was no one on the street. The letter sent to her asking her to meet Barney Austin had been retrieved shortly before her being thrown out the window.
“And when they went to bury her, all they found were her skull, her feet, and her hands,” the killer said.
Dr. Earls arrived at the crosswalk and saw the truck and police cars, just as the killer was leaving. The killer knocked Dr. Earls to the ground. He struck his head on one of the steel columns, temporarily confusing him. The killer then took off on foot towards Fourth Avenue. As Dr. Earls regained his composure and stood up, he saw the policeman’s gun in his face.
Gemini
“Savannah, I’ve lost him, I’ve lost Bookie! I miss you so much my sista’. How do I go on without him? I know he is better off without me. A body is healthier if a limb is removed from it, but that doesn’t mean that the body doesn’t miss that limb.”
Savannah is sitting on a rock by a beautiful body of water, she smiles at me and I feel the hurt freeing itself from my body. “Deal with your past, Gemini. Love is part of your future.”
“I miss you, my sista’, are you happy there?”
“Peace has come to me and it will come to you. I’m always here. Deal with your past, Gemini, for all of us….”
I woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing and looked at the clock. If was six o’clock and I realized that I had slept soundly through the night. The first time in a while. I felt so peaceful as I tried to remember my dream. I sat up in the bed, but by then the phone had stopped ringing. Surprisingly, it started ringing again and when I picked up the phone, I heard Antoinette’s voice.
“Turn on the TV. Tabitha Day is dead. They are questioning Dr. Rodney for the murder. He was at the scene.”
“What the hell happened?”
“She was thrown from the hotel crosswalk and run over by a semi. Dr. Rodney was arrested near the entrance, the police said he was trying to leave the scene. Hurry up and turn on the TV!”
I turned on Channel 7 and watched the story. According to the police, Tabitha Day had been thrown from the crosswalk and upon hitting the street had been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. The driver was taken to Methodist Hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was identified as Lawrence Wilburn of Merrillville. The police would not bring charges against him. They were holding Dr. Rodney Earls, who was reportedly leaving the scene of the murder. He was at the Gary Police Station and was being questioned by the police. According to Detective Maceo Weaver, Dr. Earls was cooperating with the investigation. The cameras showed Pastor Day leaving the church, surrounded by members of his congregation. His spokesperson Mattie Lightfoot said that the pastor was in shock over the death of his wife. She was a God-fearing woman and well-loved in the church. He didn’t know what lay ahead for him, but that God was in control. He also stated that he knew Dr. Rodney Earls was a good person and that he would continue to pray for him and his wife.
“What are you going to do to help him, Gemini? You have got to help him!”
“I’m going to go to the police station and see what I can find out. I’m hoping they don’t have enough information to charge him. I’ll try and talk to Maceo while I’m there.”
I got off the phone with Antoinette and the phone rang again. I was not surprised to hear from Dr. Rodney. He said that he didn’t know who else to call and wondered if I could come to the jail and see him.
I hung up, showered, fed the dogs, got dressed, and left my house to go to the police station. I would speak to Dr. Rodney, and if Maceo Weaver was still on duty, I would have a chat with him. I really felt the day was going to be a good one, despite the dismal beginning.
I arrived at the police station. The reporters were everywhere except for Barney Austin. When they saw me walk towards the building, they swarmed like flies and started asking questions. Was I here to see Dr. Earls? Would I be representing him? I kept my eyes straight ahead and didn’t answer any questions. I ignored the one question that I am always asked, usually by Barney Austin. Was the crazy attorney back in action?
I told the officer seated at the front desk that I was here on behalf of Dr. Earls and I needed to talk with Detective Weaver. I was told that Detective Weaver was in his office. The officer called him and let him know I was there, and he agreed to see me. I have known Maceo Weaver since I was a child. I lived across the street from his grandmother and would see Maceo and his older brother when they came to visit her. She was the sweetest person. All the children on the block loved her. She gave out the best candy at Halloween, which is why I now try to buy good candy for the holiday. I want children to experience the same good feeling I had as a child.
Maceo spotted me and motioned me to sit at his desk. He looks the same except for a few gray hairs around his temples. I have always considered him a friend, although we have worked on opposites sides of the law.
“Attorney Gemini Jones, something told me I would be seeing your face! I take it you want to talk with Dr. Rodney? This is a bad situation for him. He was at the scene of Tabitha Day’s murder.”
We’ve known each other for years and hugged each other. He knows how I feel about Dr. Rodney and has the utmost respect for the work he has done in the community.
“I’m here as a friend. Is he the only suspect that you have, and do you have enough evidence to hold him?”
“I still have people at the crime scene; we have a better chance of continuing our investigation this morning. I am on my way there now. We can’t hold him. He’ll be released soon. Someone must talk with him, because his story doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to believe he’s lying, but the story just doesn’t make sense. Talk with him, Gemini, nothing is making
sense.”
“What did he say that makes you think his story doesn’t add up?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you, Gemini, sorry. But you’ll find out soon. Stay here, I’ll get Dr. Rodney and you can take him home. But you really need to talk to him.”
A few minutes later, Dr. Rodney walked up to me. He looked a little out of sorts but a smile was on his face, and knowing him, he was going to make the best of a bad situation.
“Gemini, Tabitha is dead. It was horrible. Who would do such a thing to her? And the poor guy who ran over her, would you make sure that he is okay?”
“I’ll check on him, but first, what were you doing on the crosswalk? Did you go there to meet her?”
“No, I went to meet Barney Austin. He called me and said that he needed to see me. He said that he wanted to mend fences and that he had some information that he wanted me to know. He also said that it would help me get the halfway house. I asked him to come to the house where we would be more comfortable, but he said that it would be best if he were not seen at my house. So, I went to meet him. I was about to walk up the stairs to get to the crosswalk when someone coming down the stairs knocked me to the ground. I could swear the person deliberately punched me in the face. I hit my head on one of the steel columns and was temporarily dazed. The person didn’t stop to help me; he or she, I couldn’t tell, just took off on foot towards Fourth Avenue. By the time I got myself together, the police were pointing a gun in my face, asking me if I had killed Tabitha. Maceo Weaver oversees the case. At least I know he is an honest cop.”
“…who thinks that you are lying somehow.” Then I added, “He thinks that your story doesn’t add up. He knows your reputation in the community, but he is a cop and they have a different way of processing information. They’re releasing you because they don’t have anything to hold you on. By the way, if you are arrested for this, I can’t represent you. But don’t worry, I have a plan.”
“What about the person that knocked me down when I arrived? Aren’t they going to try to find him or her?”
The Future of My Past Page 14
