“I am sure that Maceo is going to follow up on what you told him. He is very thorough.”
“Gemini, I’m sorry for the position I’ve put you in. How will I ever be able to repay you?”
“I tell you what; when this is all over, you can take us out to dinner, Miss Aurelia, Antoinette, and me. And that is the only payment I will take from you.”
I asked him if Miss Aurelia knew about the murder and that he had been questioned. He said that he really wanted her to stay in Ghana and work with the clinic. The completion was important to the people of the village and it had been a life dream of theirs. I felt that she should be with him and told him so. I would get in touch with Miss Aurelia and would pay for her to return to the States to be with her husband.
We left the station and avoided the press by exiting the building from the back. I took him home and asked him not to talk with any members of the press. If the police called again or came to the house, he was to call me immediately. I then headed for the office.
Once I arrived at the office, I placed a call to Griff Henderson. If anyone could help me with this murder, it would be him. I wanted to get started with a theory of defense, just in case it was needed. I also hoped that I could see Enoch again. I hoped that another meeting could be arranged for us. Griff answered and told me that he had heard about the murder, and that he had planned to call me to see if there was anything he could do. I told him I wanted him to find out as much information on Pastor and First Lady Day as he could, as well as on Barney Austin. There was someone out there who had a motive to kill Tabitha and with Griff’s help, I was going to find out. Griff also told me that our mutual acquaintance was fine and that they would be in touch as soon as their business here was done. I knew he meant Enoch, and I was glad to hear that he was okay.
I had decided that if Dr. Rodney was going to be charged with Tabitha Day’s murder, I would ask Quinn to represent him. I was going to work on a theory of defense and have Griff conduct an informal investigation; I wanted to be ready, and I wanted to make Quinn’s job as easy as possible. He would have an associate do most of the leg work, which is the process for defending clients. He would then review the evidence, trying to find holes in the prosecutor’s case.
I was also going to ask Quinn to defend Dr. Rodney pro bono. I would be calling in a favor and I knew Quinn would accept. That is one reason why I loved working for Lyman Strain and Webber. It wasn’t always about the money. We had each other’s backs.
Later that day, as I made my way home, I thought about the trip to Africa that he and Miss Aurelia had taken the group on in the summer before I entered my senior year of high school. That trip to the continent was the turning point in my life.
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The plane touched down in the city of Lagos and Dr. Earls’ group had been excited about what lay ahead. They would stay for three months, and this was the first trip outside of Gary for many of them. Gemini had traveled to Tennessee with her parents on summer vacations, and there was that time spent in hell at Mamie Wells’ home, but she considered this her first real trip. Exiting the plane, she had felt the spirit of the country; something Dr. Rodney said he experienced on his first trip here. They would stay in several homes in the city of Ibadan. Most of the Yoruba are farmers, but they lived in urban areas away from their rural farmland. Their stay would include meeting a council of chiefs and the ‘oba’ — the chief of the area. Dr. Rodney’s friend, Robert Owesakwe, had made the arrangements for them. The two had been friends since Dr. Rodney’s first trip to Nigeria. Gemini had done some research on the country and she was looking forward to meeting as many people as possible. She was fascinated by what she’d read, that there was a diverse group of people who spoke hundreds of different languages. Dr. Rodney spoke Yoruba, and he had taught the group a few words and sentences.
The hustle and bustle of the city surprised her. Many people in America believed that Africa was all jungle and that people lived in huts and had a primitive way of life. That was not the case; this city was alive with people moving about in cars, buses, and all types of transportation. Their group was transported by bus, which gave her a chance to see the city. She saw huge markets where a person could purchase anything: food, clothing, carvings, anything and everything you could imagine. She loved how she felt being in Africa, the homeland of her people. A feeling of pride swept over her. She had come at Dr. Rodney’s urging. “To take the road of healing you must start at the beginning,” he had told her at one of their one-on-one sessions. With the help of Dr. Rodney and a medical doctor, he recommended Gemini and her parents to learn the truth about her condition. It was a chemical imbalance that probably started when she witnessed the death of her friend Harvey. Dr. Rodney helped her to realize that she wasn’t crazy, that despite her condition, she didn’t have to be defeated, and that she could and would accomplish much in life if she wanted to. She just had to believe in herself and accept that this condition was a part of her life, and not her whole life.
She was beginning to feel better about herself and it showed in her behavior at school. Although she couldn’t control her mouth, she didn’t make as many trips to the principal’s office as she had in the past. The staff were really impressed with her progress and even suggested that she go half a day to the career center. She liked the idea and her grades improved dramatically.
Her parents were so happy with her progress that they agreed to let her go to Africa with the group. Grants from the foundation had paid for their trip, and it was the parents’ responsibility to provide spending money. Her father, who was usually frugal, gave her a generous amount of money to spend. He told her that he wanted her to know how proud he was of her progress.
They were also going to make the seven-hundred-mile trip by plane to visit the country of Ghana and its Door of No Return, also known as Cape Coast Castle, which is a 17th-century structure overlooking the Atlantic on the coast of the country. The castle had been built for use in the trade of timber and gold. But along the way it became a warehouse for Africans as they were rounded up and shipped to the New World and into lives of servitude. Dr. Rodney felt that this trip would help them understand the human toll on their ancestors due to the slave trade.
No amount of medicine or counseling helped her as much as that summer in Africa. A healing effect came over her that she had never been able to explain to anyone. Dr. Rodney was the only person who understood what had happened to her. She had spiritually awakened, and she knew that her life would take a new direction. She understood who she was and that she had a purpose. And whatever her purpose was for this world, she was going to take it on with a vengeance.
She had learned the culture of a people who looked at life differently than what she experienced here at home. Life wasn’t viewed as a series of timetables. She learned that life should be taken at a steady pace. There were no deadlines for achieving goals in life. If you didn’t achieve your goal in one year, there was always the next year. The importance was to let life play itself out, stay positive and continue to be who you are. There was also the inclusiveness of the people that she found comforting. In Africa, she found a love of self, and while it had always existed to a certain degree, it had intensified because of the peace that had entered her soul.
The trip’s climactic event was the Osun River Festival, which plays an important role in the life of the people of the Osogbo community. The festival pays homage to the goddess who is seen as the guiding light of the people. She is the giver of life and is responsible for the progress of the people and the city. Dr. Rodney explained to the group that the river plays an essential part in the celebration because the water is regarded as possessing both healing and purifying forces. Gemini, like many in the group, felt peace and tranquility while in the city of Osogbo. The trip ultimately brought Gemini the healing she needed to return home and to her life.
She returned a better Gemini. She was not cured of her chemica
l imbalance, which would always be a part of her, but she was ready to live her life with a greater knowledge of self and a new level of confidence that she hoped would radiate from the inside out. She would continue to work on herself from the inner to the outer beauty. She would always be indebted to Dr. Rodney for his help in her road to self-discovery.
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Gemini
I received a call from Dr. Rodney when I got home. He asked me if I was watching the news. I told him no, but turned on the television to see what the press was saying about the murder. To my surprise and shock, the story was not about Tabitha Day. The body of Barney Austin had been found in a field off Martin Luther King Drive, between Midtown and Glenn Park. Some men who had gone fishing in the creek, which was a runoff from the Little Calumet River, had discovered the body early this morning. Police were not sure when Austin had been killed, but if he had contacted Dr. Rodney, then he was killed sometime after Tabitha Day. Would the police try to tie the two murders together? And if so, would they try to tie both to the same person? It appeared that the reporter had been strangled and taken to the field.
“Gemini, do you think they will suspect me of this murder as well?”
“My guess is yes, since he was reporting on the fight you had with the Days, and it appeared that he was taking their side. And you told the police that your reason for being at the crosswalk was because of the call you received from him. I think I know why Maceo said your story didn’t make sense.”
“He called me and asked me to meet him, just like I said before. He had to be killed after I talked with him. The police have to see that.”
“Not if they don’t believe that you were contacted by him. They may think you made the story up to have a reason for being at the crosswalk when you were found.”
“You think that whoever killed Tabitha killed Barney Austin also?”
“I don’t know, Dr. Rodney, Austin had a lot of enemies. Maybe it is just the timing of the killings. Maybe the two aren’t related at all.”
“I hope they are not related. Gemini, I think you’re right; Barney Austin being found is the reason why Detective Weaver thought my story didn’t add up.”
“I think he knew about the discovery of Austin’s body when I saw him this morning. He was on his way to a crime scene, I just assumed it was Tabitha’s.”
The phone rang and I saw that it was Quinn. I hung up from my call with Dr. Rodney and clicked over to talk with Quinn. I told him that Dr. Rodney had been released; there was not enough evidence to hold him. I asked if he had seen the story about the Austin murder. He said he had and wondered if the police would try to tie the two murders together. At least we were on the same page, I thought as I hung up the phone. I was going to wait and rely on Griff’s street investigation before I approached Quinn about defending Dr. Rodney. This was going to be an uphill battle and I had to be mentally prepared.
I am glad that I have pets that help to comfort me. I played with Charlie and Marley before bed, did my meditation exercises, and took a long hot shower. I was feeling good, but a nagging thought kept me up at least an hour before sleep came. I was sure that the two murders were tied to the same person. Who hated Tabitha Day and Barney Austin so much that they committed a murder? Was someone trying to frame Dr. Rodney for both murders? I felt there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but would there be time to get the answers?
I was in the office the next day when I received a call from Griff. He had some information for me and wanted me to meet him. We met at the parking lot at Marquette Park.
Griff informed me that Tabitha had a lover. He hadn’t found out the identity of the man, but discovered that she planned that the two of them were going to run the studio after it was built. She had blackmailed a councilman and one of her board members to help her with her smear campaign and fight with Dr. Rodney. He also suggested that I talk with Mattie Lightfoot. Word on the street was that she and the pastor are close, although no one suggested their relationship was intimate. The word was that Mattie was loyal to the pastor and protected him. According to Griff, the first lady was ambitious and greedy. The pastor had no clue how ruthless his wife had been, and he was serious about his ‘calling.’ Griff himself had great respect for the pastor, and that spoke volumes to me since he never struck me as a religious man. Griff was going to find out the identity of the dead woman’s lover and suggested that I talk with Mattie Lightfoot as soon as possible. He was also going to have a ‘talk’ with the councilman and the board member Tabitha Day had in her pocket. He also informed me that our mutual friend would be with him at our next meeting. I was happy about that.
I asked him to find out all the information he could about Barney Austin’s death. Griff was two steps ahead of me; he had gotten in touch with his source at the coroner’s office and would get back to me as soon as he got the report. He also thought that the police would try to tie the two murders together, since Austin had been helping Tabitha Day with her smear campaign against Dr. Rodney. According to Griff, the reporter had some very expensive habits and a lifestyle that was well beyond the salary he received from the newspaper. He was in the pockets of some very wealthy people and had made a lot of enemies. Maybe one of them had gotten to him and killed him. If that were the case, the timing was bad for Dr. Rodney.
I hung up the phone with Griff and the phone rang again. The person on the caller end surprised me, as if she’d read my mind. It was Mattie Lightfoot. I told her I was about to call her and asked the purpose of her call. She asked if I could come to her home for a chat. She needed to talk with me; she was worried about Dr. Earls. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk with her and get some insight on the Days and their marriage. If Griff was right, I could gain a lot of information out of her. It would also allow me to find out how the pastor was dealing with the death and the press.
Mattie Lightfoot’s house is in the Tolleston neighborhood. It is a small, yet charming house which sits in the middle of the block. Someone is parking a car in front of her house as I drive up and I see that it is her. She spots me and motions for me to park behind her. I get out of the car and we walk to her front door together. The house is very neat and warm inside. I like the way it is decorated with soft colors of yellow and cream. The living room and dining room are combined and there is a kitchen to the left of these rooms. She asks me to come into the kitchen and says that she is home for lunch and invites me to eat with her. The food is already prepared; there is a salad with grilled chicken, homemade potato soup, and iced tea. I find her to be gracious and very pleasant. I can understand why Pastor Day depends on her and can also understand if the first lady was jealous. We make small talk while she prepares our food, and after she sits down, she blesses the food and starts the serious conversation.
“Attorney Jones, I want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me today. I have toyed with calling you for some time, but now, under the circumstances, I find it necessary to talk with you. I need some advice.”
“That might be a little difficult, depending on your question.”
“I have some information that might shed some light on First Lady’s death, but I don’t want to hurt the pastor.”
“Are you willing to share that information with me?”
“It depends. Would you go to the press with it or the police?”
“As far as I am concerned, this is a conversation between two people who are concerned about the pastor. May I ask how he is doing?”
“He is doing as well as to be expected. The death of his wife has been a shock to him and most of the congregation. So, this conversation stays between us?”
I skirted around the answer to her question because I noticed that she said “most” of the congregation, and I decided that I needed her to expound on that statement. Plus, it allowed me to take charge of the conversation.
“You say ‘most’ of the congregatio
n. I take it that means there are some who were not surprised about her death?”
“Let’s just say that there are some of us who knew the real Tabitha Day and are not surprised that she met a foul end.” My ploy worked, at least for the moment. I decided to press on.
“Are you one of those members?” I asked. I knew I was on dangerous ground, but I needed to know.
“I and a few others. We knew what she was doing behind closed doors, but no one had the nerve to tell the pastor. No one wanted to hurt him. So, we fought his battle for him and tried to stop her every chance we could get. Our offices shared a wall and there was a vent that we shared, so that made it possible for me to hear her talking on the phone and with others who came to her office.”
“I suppose you were disturbed by the things you heard?”
“Yes, the first lady was shameless in her pursuit of what she wanted. I could hear her making phone calls to people who were willing to do her dirty work, yet I never told the pastor. I’m afraid to do it now. It would destroy him. He is holding up for the sake of the congregation, but his emotions are fragile now, and I don’t want to do anything to push him over the edge.”
“Do you know of any criminal activities the first lady was involved in that you think the police should know about?”
“She bribed Barney Austin to print that story about Tracey Marshall and Dr. Earls.”
My heart stopped for a minute. If she knew that the first lady had bribed Barney Austin and she went to the police, Dr. Rodney was going to be suspected of killing both Barney Austin and Tabitha Day. The police would say that he had a motive for killing them—that somehow, he had found out what they had done and sought revenge. I needed to know exactly what she knew.
“Were you present at any meetings between the two of them, where this plot was discussed?”
“Well, no, but I did hear her conversations with him on the phone.”
The Future of My Past Page 15
