by Honey
Madame Katherine sat down on the wooden bench in front of the wall of mirrors and handrails. “How are you so sure, Jillian? There are no guarantees in this thing we call life.”
“I just believe they will do it for the children. There are good people who are willing to do good things for those in need. The production is for the boys and girls of Jamaica. Who will deny them an opportunity to dance?”
Chapter Sixty-two
Zach left Aunt Jackie’s house Sunday evening with a stomach full of good ole soul food and a money bag stuffed with cash and checks. Refuge Pentecostal Temple had been the last contributor to make good on its pledge to Royal Rhythms’s first ever major dance production. Reverend Broadus and the congregation had promised Zach that they would donate one thousand dollars toward the big event. But when First Lady Broadus asked Zach to join her in the pulpit for the check presentation, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The check was for two thousand dollars.
“God had a change of plans, Brother Zach,” she’d announced in her prim and proper voice.
He still couldn’t get over how much financial support his church had thrown behind Jill’s special project in Jamaica. By doubling their pledge, the total American sponsorship had risen to fifty-one hundred dollars. Jill had hoped that Umoja Academy, the church, and her family and friends could pull in at least three thousand dollars in all. Zach couldn’t wait to tell her he had collected much more. She deserved some good news to make her day. But there was just one thing that would make her even happier, and Zach was the only one that could make it happen. He was going to surprise Jill by flying to Jamaica with his sidekick Nahima for the dance production. And then he was going to bring her and Zachary Junior home, where they belonged, with him a few days afterward.
* * *
“Damn beggars,” Jay spat before she crumpled the neatly printed flyer. She threw it to the ground. “They’re the worst part of this beautiful island.”
Jay was referring to the group of little girls running up and down the street, passing out sheets of paper. It was their way of soliciting money, food, clothes, or anything free from hardworking Jamaicans and unsuspecting tourists. Jay despised what she called “poor men’s mentality.” That was how she described a lot of the locals who panhandled and ran scams for a living instead of finding real jobs to support themselves. At least she earned her money, even though it was through gambling. Jay felt justified doing that, because she was a wanted woman on the run from the States. She wasn’t able to put her education to good use by landing a legitimate job. Bums, like the ones she’d run into who were begging for loose change or using kids to do it for them, made her sick.
“It is hot as hell this morning.” Jay opened a bottle of warm water and sipped it. She had done okay at the wheel last night and had spent hours afterward making Charlotte scream and climb the wall behind her bed. Jay was tired and couldn’t wait for a cab to come and take her to the fruit stand.
As if on cue, one of her regular cabbies pulled up to the curb directly in front of her. “Goin’ to Kingston, ma’am?”
“Yeah. How fast can you get me there?”
“Hop in. You’ll be there safely in no time.”
Jay pushed a stack of those pesky flyers onto the floor in back of the cab. Everyone on the island seemed to be distributing them. They were all over the place. Whatever they were advertising didn’t mean a damn thing to Jay. She needed all the money she could get her hands on. So she wasn’t interested in buying any raffle tickets or making a donation to a school, church, or charity. She closed her eyes and thought about how hard she had to hustle for cash these days. Sucking a man’s dick in the front seat of a car was the lowest she had stooped. Luckily, Pierce Murdoch was an engaged American soldier on leave from Stuttgart, Germany. He’d been scheduled to leave Jamaica early the morning after their little rendezvous. That was why she wasn’t worried about running into Sergeant Murdoch ever again.
Exhaustion took its toll on Jay during her ride to the fruit stand. A long night of playing too hard had the tendency to do that to a chick. The flyers she’d refused to read were posted on every business shop, abandoned house, church, and merchant’s stand. Jay didn’t see any of them, because she was sleeping in coma-like fashion. By the time the cab arrived at the fruit stand, she was snoring like a bear.
“We are here, ma’am!” The cabbie chuckled at his sleeping passenger. “Hello?”
The voice pulled Jay from her sleep. She jerked upright in her seat and wiped the drool from her chin. She paid the driver and exited his cab, longing for her bed. The first thing she saw was one of those damn flyers posted on a tree. The picture of a woman on the front of it grabbed her attention and held it. Lo and behold, it was Jillian Bessette King. She was in Kingston, preparing for a dance extravaganza featuring the students from Royal Rhythms Dance Studio.
Jay’s blood began to boil. A thousand questions crowded her brain at once, but she didn’t have an answer to even one of them. She removed the flyer from the tree, folded it quickly, stuffed it in her pants pocket, and hustled up the hill.
“Nina! Nina!” she yelled as she burst through the door. “Nina, where the hell are you?”
“I’m right behind you. What’s wrong? You’re screaming like you’re crazy.” Nina placed the basket of clothes she’d just removed from the clothesline on the floor. She stared at the piece of wrinkled paper Jay was holding in her shaky hand.
“Do you see this shit? Do . . . you . . . see . . . this . . . shit?”
Nina snatched the paper from Jay and looked at it, in total shock. “I don’t know what to say. Jill is still here? Why? I can’t believe she stayed in this jungle to do a dance recital with some damn kids. Zach and the baby must still be here too.”
“Nah, he’s in Atlanta. I know that for sure.”
Nina raised her brows curiously. “How the hell would you know that?”
“Let’s just say a little bird told me.”
Nina stepped to Jay, with her hands on her hips. “How come that same little bird didn’t tell you Jill was still here on the island too? A bird told you, my ass! How do you know your brother is in Atlanta, Jay?”
“I called his house last night, just to make sure. I hung up in his face as soon as he picked up.” Jay sat down on the sofa. She felt Nina’s eyes glued to her. “I needed to know, okay?”
“I guess we’re back on house arrest until after the show.”
Jay rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “Jill ain’t gonna put me back on lockdown. Jamaica is my territory now. I had to come here because of her and Zach. They can have Atlanta, but this island belongs to me. Jill needs to stay on her side of town, and I’ll stay on mine.”
* * *
The long hours of practicing and conditioning were taxing to Jill’s body, but she was enjoying every minute of it. Then there were the constant meetings with the manager and staff at the Alliance Performing Arts Center in Montego Bay. Every minute detail for the upcoming recital had to be perfect. All the money collected in donations had allowed her to secure the venue and the production crew not only for the performance but also for a week of practices leading up to the show date. She’d also contracted a skillful set designer to build props and create incredible scenes and backdrops to bring the stage to life. With the stylish costumes Gwendolyn Hayes had so graciously designed, the production was going to be off the chain. The designer and seamstress had outdone herself with the dance costumes. They were fit for Broadway dancers. Some of the young girls had cried when they looked at themselves in the mirror at the final fitting.
The sixty-five hundred dollars in donations had covered the entire cost of putting the show together, with money to spare. Ticket prices had been set at the minimum. Even low-income natives could afford to buy them. And for those who couldn’t, Dr. Johnson had purchased hundreds of tickets, so that anyone that came by Royal Rhythms would not be sent away empty handed. Now, with just one week before the live production of Magical Mom
ents in Motion, featuring Kingston’s Jillian Bessette King, all that was left for her to do was perfect her solo performance.
* * *
“Just look at that bitch, Charlotte!” Jay leaned forward in the passenger seat of the car to get a better look. She watched Jill remove a set of keys from her Louis Vuitton bag to unlock the front door of the dance studio. A cabbie had just dropped her off and sped away. Students who’d been waiting for Jill followed her inside. “Everyone on the island is catering to that tramp like she’s Beyoncé or Michelle Obama. That same cabbie drives her here every damn day at the same time. He comes back to pick her up at six forty-five sharp.”
Charlotte had no idea Jay had been stalking Jill. Obviously, she’d spotted her ex a few times in town. Royal Rhythms was on a main street. They were bound to pass each other from time to time. But Jay’s loose tongue had made an odd confession without her even realizing it. Her hate for Jill had made her a damn stalker. Charlotte regretted borrowing her cousin’s car to drive Jay to stake out the dance studio. There was something wrong with the situation. Jay was obsessed with Jill. Her voice shook and dropped in pitch whenever she talked about her. It worried Charlotte. Everything about Jay had changed since she’d learned Jill was back in Jamaica. Charlotte wanted nothing to do with Jay’s obsession,
“Jay, you don’t need to get all worked up over Jillian. Her time here on the island is short. As soon as her show is over, she’ll bid Jamaica farewell and return home to the States, to her husband. Then maybe you can leave the hills, so we can find a place together. It’s our time, baby.” Charlotte leaned over from the driver’s seat for a kiss.
“Stop it!” Jay turned her face away.
Charlotte started the car’s engine and shifted the gear into drive, with her foot still on the brake pedal. Jay had pissed her off. Her craziness was out of control.
“Wait a minute, Charlotte. I wanna see something. Who’s gonna drive Jill and all those kids to the Alliance Center? Didn’t Desmond tell you they were gonna practice there every day until the show?”
“He did, but I’m leaving, Jay. I have grown bored of this . . . this . . . this foolishness. I won’t sit here while you obsess over Jillian. I played second best to her in the past, but I will not do it now. Get out of the car if you care to stay here, but I’m leaving now.”
Without hesitation, Jay exited the old red Honda Civic and slammed the door shut. She kicked it like a spoiled brat before Charlotte stomped on the gas pedal and skidded off. Jay ducked behind an overflowing trash dumpster and fell to her knees when she heard vehicles coming. Two white vans were headed down the road in her direction. She sneaked a peek after she heard the vans stop and then the doors open and shut. Roy and Littlejohn had hopped out to help the young students pile into the two vans. Jay ducked again. A little boy sitting in the front passenger’s seat of the first van had spotted her. She stayed out of sight until both vehicles had left and were far away.
Chapter Sixty-three
“Uh, I am in desperate need of a massage, but there is no one here to do it. Then again, because I have no husband on the island to take care of me, I have every right to find a boyfriend. I’m over twenty-one now, ya know?” Jill laughed and rolled over, getting closer to her sleeping son in the bed.
“You told me I was the only man for you. Did you lie to me?”
“At the time, I told you the truth, but you left me here. Sometimes I feel so lonely and angry. It still hurts very much, Zachary. I’ve been trying to forgive you, but it’s not easy.”
“I promise we won’t be separated much longer. Like I told you, the FBI installed the tracking device on our home phone and my cell phone the day before yesterday. It’s just a matter of time before Jay calls again. No matter where she calls from, it can be traced with certain accuracy. All I have to do is keep her on the line for forty-five seconds or longer, and I know just what to say to make that happen.”
Jill yawned. “I sure hope so. I’m exhausted, but I feel much better since my long hot bath. Oliver rubbed my aching feet. He is such a wonderful little brother. He’s my personal assistant for the show. He told me something quite funny today.”
“And what was that?”
“He swore that he saw Jay here on the island, hiding behind a garbage container. He says he’ll never forget her mean face from the many times she sat in her car outside this house. The woman he saw has very long braids and wears gigantic hoop earrings. Isn’t that funny?”
“Yeah, that’s funny. Jay wouldn’t be caught dead wearing earrings. And long braids are a major no-no. Besides all that, the FBI has her passport. There’s no way she could’ve applied for a new one. And it would’ve been impossible for Nina to hook her up, because she was transferred from that division in the agency.”
“Oliver is wrong, and I told him as much. But I couldn’t convince him, though.”
“That’s okay. I don’t wanna talk about Jay anymore. What are you wearing?”
* * *
Jay walked away from the young thug without a penny to her name. But what she had depleted her prior night’s winnings on was more valuable. She loved the feel of the pistol in her grip. It wasn’t too heavy or difficult to operate. “Aim and fire,” the dude had told her. He had even given her a simple demonstration. Jay didn’t plan to kill Jill. She didn’t have the balls for murder. Her goal was to keep Jill’s ass off the stage. The show would not go on. Snatching Jill and holding her prisoner for a few days would be easy. Her schedule was like clockwork, branded in Jay’s memory. Nothing would go wrong, because Jill was too comfortable and carefree in Kingston. The chick was clueless and fearless about what awaited her.
Jill had adjusted to her former environment. Jay had seen her sitting on the front porch of her parents’ small home, laughing at her son and Angelina, who were playing in the dirt. Her four brothers were close by, kicking a soccer ball around the clucking chickens and the malnourished dog. Jay had stood behind an abandoned house and had watched Jill for over an hour, even as the sun had started to lose its brightness to dusk. She wondered now how anyone could be equally comfortable in a pathetic shanty in Kingston, a five-star resort in Montego Bay, and a suburban community in Atlanta. Jill was flexible. In contrast, Jay would never get used to the way she was now living, and she had no intention of being poor much longer. Once she kidnapped Jill, she would force her to hand over all the money from the ticket sales and the donations for the recital. People all over the island were talking about how business owners in Jamaica and Atlanta had given thousands of dollars to sponsor the event. That money was Jay’s ticket off the island. She planned to steal it from Jill so she and Nina could hop on a boat and lay low somewhere for a little while. Then they’d make their way to Mexico and live with Juan, Nina’s drug-smuggling cousin, and his family.
* * *
“Okay, Auntie, I’ll call you in the morning, after I pick up Nahima. I know she’ll wanna speak to you before we board our flight. I love you.”
Zach placed the receiver in the cradle on the nightstand. He was almost finished packing for his surprise trip to Jamaica. He needed to add a few more T-shirts to his suitcase, but they were in the dryer downstairs. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on Jill’s face when he showed up at her parents’ house unannounced. He hadn’t even told Faye or Orville about his plans. The whole Bessette clan would be surprised to see him and Nahima. Only his man Roy knew he was coming. and Zach had sworn him to secrecy.
He laughed when the phone rang again. Aunt Jackie always called him back seconds after ending a lengthy conversation with him. There was usually something she’d forgotten to say. It was probably some church gossip or something crazy going on in her neighborhood.
“Talk to me, Auntie,” Zach answered, still amused by his thought. With the exception of the caller breathing on the other end, there was silence. It was Jay. Every cell in his brain told him so. “I know that’s you, Jay. Why don’t you get a life and stop fucking with us? You’re so damn evi
l. I can’t wait until they catch your psychotic ass. You belong in a jail cell, because you’re wicked and crazy as hell. That’s exactly why Venus and Jill left you.”
“Go straight to hell, Zach! Yeah, it’s me, motherfucker! And ain’t nobody gonna catch me. While you’re worrying about me, you need to check up on your wifey. Someone might snatch her ass and make her disappear.” Jay broke out in a fit of laughter.
“Hell, I don’t give a damn about you! And I ain’t worrying about Jill. She’s safe and sound, and so is our son, you stupid bitch. I just want you to leave us the hell alone. I’m serious as a heart attack. Stay away from me and my family, Jay, or I’ll blow your ass away.”
When Zach ended the call, Jay was still cursing and screaming like a maniac. Just like he knew he could, he had pushed all the right buttons to make her talk, prolonging the call.
The phone rang again. This time Zach checked the caller ID screen before he answered it. Someone was calling from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Hello?” Zach’s heart was beating so hard and fast that it made him dizzy.
“Mr. King, this is Agent Adam Wooten of the FBI. We have a location on your sister, thanks to you. You did a great job keeping her on the line.”
“Thank God. Okay, talk to me. Where is she?”
“She’s in Kingston, Jamaica.”
Chapter Sixty-four
Jill squeezed her eyes shut tight and thought about Zachary Junior. He was giggling, cooing, and clapping his little hands when she’d left him in her mother’s care earlier that day. Now she wondered if she’d ever see her son again. Even with her eyes closed, tears still escaped and spilled down her face. The ropes Jay had used to tie her wrists behind her back were pressing painfully into her flesh. And whenever she moved, it hurt worse. Jill looked around the small room, hoping to spot a window. If she continued twisting her face and moving her lips, she believed she would eventually loosen the wide strips of duct tape Jay had placed over her mouth.
