BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (103 page)

Sniffing, she nodded her head as it lay against his chest, but in her heart - something told her, not even that would be enough. But at least, she would no longer know where she was - that was a start she supposed.

*

L.A.

When Jeremiah pulled up in front of Mr. Eddie Dane's residence it was to be met by flashing lights from police cars, an ambulance and coroners car. He parked and got out of his vehicle, shocked by what he saw. There was a crowd of onlookers from the area standing around watching, being warned back by the police. Stating who he was and the reason he was there, Jeremiah was allowed through to the front door to speak with the officers on the scene who already, so it seemed, had an explanation for the fact that he was now dead.

"Obviously, someone thought there might be more money here to be had, after his throwing it from the roof. We found him over there in the hallway, he must have come in and caught someone here. As you can see, there was a struggle, he was shot and killed. His daughter's room, torn apart looking for more money." The officer explained as Mr. Dane's body was covered and put on a stretcher to be carried out.

"Where's the point of entry?" Jeremiah asked.

The officer looked at him as if he had a problem, answering finally, "When we've done a thorough investigation, and the crime scene has been drafted and marked, a report will be made, and you can then get a copy of that."

Jeremiah stood staring at the officer and then looking around the house, "Mind if I enter to look through a few of his things?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not until we've done a complete sweep of the place. We'll let you know when it's clear."

Not happy, but unable to do anything about it Jeremiah stepped from the house looking around, feeling frustrated and angry. He stared out at a few of the faces standing there, and made his way out to them. Smiling he looked from one to the other asking, "Any of you see anything that happened here leading up to this?" He asked. Most shook their heads, having not a clue of what happened or who might have done it. One young woman who had only moments before been shaking her head, spoke up to say, "I can't see why nobody around here would even mess with him, he been living here forever."

"So you don't think it was anyone from around here?" He asked her.

"He ain't have nothing, like the rest of us."

"Police state that someone broke in looking for more money, like the money he was throwing out earlier. Did you know about that?"

"No, when he was throwing out money? Wasn't throwing no money around here."

Jeremiah stood nodding, then thanked the young woman and turned back to look at the house once more. He considered her words and knew, that her knowledge would be narrow, because he knew that most often, few young persons watched the news if they watched TV - it was usually frivolous music videos or comedy shows. Heading back to his Hummer, he considered the majority there watching and figured it was true, they wouldn't know what was going on. He also theorized that if indeed it was someone who saw him tossing money to the streets and came to his home looking for more, how would they have known where to find his home in such short notice? He'd been arrested from the scene at the District Attorney's office and had been in jail until he'd had him released. No, it didn't add up. A common everyday person, thief or no, would not have located his whereabouts so fast as this. Jeremiah stood about to climb into his Hummer, looking back at the house one last time, to see two officers standing in the door watching him. Because they made eye contact, the officers nodded at him as if to say, "Good evening." But what he read in their eyes gave him a feeling of dread. He had a sickening feeling, that what he might have found in Mr. Dane's daughter's room, would no longer be there when he could return to do a bit of searching of his own. Regardless of the odds, he would come back and search the home anyway. Just in case, whatever had been there that "someone" wanted removed, was missed.

On the way out of the area, his phone rang in the Hummer, with it on hands free, he answered, it was Deidre.

"Charlie's being difficult, she wouldn't allow me to go to your place."

Jeremiah smiled, "No problem, I'll be there shortly."

"Oh good, did you find anything where you were going?"

"I'll tell you about it when I get there, I'm hungry, have something to eat?"

"Dinner will be waiting! See you in a bit."

"I ah, thought I'd go by my place first, pick up a few things, maybe - stay tonight?" He put it out there.

Deidre held her breath a moment, then smiled, "Yes please, maybe, more than a few things... maybe?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, it's going to be a hectic week isn't it? Maybe I will, get more than a few things, see you when I get there."

Upon his arrival, Deidre had servants waiting to take his things up to her room, while they sent him into the kitchen where she stood, apron around her waist, looking as if she were actually cooking something. When he entered the room, she looked up, a huge beaming smile. Charlie sat upon a stool at the center bar across from her, with an unsure comical look on her face, chin propped up as she shook her head. "You see what you got Dee-Dee doing? Cooking, tryin' to get me to taste it. Nooo no!"

Deidre stomped her foot, "Charlie, come on, I followed the recipe to the very last detail - please try one?"

"I can't have the runs and protect you too Dee-Dee!"

"Charlie! Jeremiah, please... try one, don't they look delicious?"

He stared a moment, she had them well arranged on a stainless steel fancy trencher, upon a napkin doily, nicely presented, "What is it?" He asked stepping closer. She poured him a bit of wine answering, "They are called, Gruyeàe Puffs, made with Gruyeàe cheese, a few herbs and hot pepper sauce in choux pastry, try one."

He looked at them, at Charlie, whose expression clearly said,
'I wouldn't if I were you.'
and then back at the appetizer. Taking a deep breath, he took his glass of wine, and one of the puff balls that closely resembled hush puppies, but were entirely different. His eyes rolled up to gaze at Deidre as she bit nervously into her bottom lip, anxiously waiting for him to give it a try. He popped the whole thing into his mouth and started chewing with Deidre and Charlie closely watching his expression, to see a surprised look come over him, then pleasure followed by a, "Emmm, good." He grabbed another, popping it in, "Spicy nice, like the way the heat settles just right on my tongue, nice."

Deidre's smile beamed as she clapped her hands excitedly, looking to Charlie, "See! Now try one Charlie!"

"You ain't lying just to get one of them things in my mouth are you?" She asked Jeremiah with distrust.

"Hey, leave'em, I'll eat'em!" He grabbed another.

Charlie then took one and bit into it, and with surprised wide eyes complimented, "You go Dee-Dee, that ain't bad girlfriend - gettin' all domestic and shit! The things a man will make a woman do, who'da ever thunk it!"

"That's not all, I've actually prepared a full dinner! All very healthy, dishes from an incredible recipe site. Look, Portobello Mushroom Burgers along with Rice & Chicken salad. Ready to eat, have a seat next to Charlie and I will serve us. Charlie, go get Samuel - I told him that I was cooking and that he would join us."

Charlie looked up making a face as Deidre prepared a plate in her incredibly pristine kitchen. There was a larger one for the chef she hired and a more cozier one for her, the one they all sat in at the dinner bar, enjoying the meal she prepared, every one of them impressed with it as Jeremiah went into the concluding events of the day.

"You thinking he was killed to cover something up?" Deidre asked right away.

"What do you think?" He asked her.

Deidre sighed shaking her head, "I think there will be no end to my humiliation from them." Her eyes met his, "What if, it is just a coincidence? What if, this has nothing to do with him? Your mother?"

"Then, that's that - it has nothing to do with him. However, I don't believe that, not for a second."

"There's no proof, to tie him in with this, but a hunch you have."

"Exactly, and I believe that is the reason Mr. Dane died tonight, to make sure I didn't get my hands on anything that would tie him, or anyone else to his daughter, and now, him."

Deidre nodded her head, "Regardless of what you find, I'm with you on this. If he is behind it, he needs to be found out, before someone else is brought to harm, or killed." She felt as if she would choke on the words. However, there was the fact that someone had set her up, to kill her. As ugly as the notion, something deep within told her, that he was behind it. He was the only one with something to gain should something happen to her, to her mother - to Angela.

Other side of town...L.A.

"Where you get money?"

"Got some work part time, you get paid by the day. A temp service, see, finally got a job, aren't you proud of me?" Moniqua smiled setting out the Popeye's chicken for Max and her son, Lil'Kenny.

"I love me some Popeye's chicken, thank - you - mama!"

"Eat up baby, now that I got work - we'll be eating whatever we want - whenever we want it."

Lil'Kenny smiled, biting right away into the chicken that landed on his plate and then remembered his shoes, "Look Max, ain't they cool? Mama got me these too!"

Max leaned to the side looking at the expensive trainers, and then back up at Moniqua. "So you made enough money in a day-..."

"Last four days." She corrected him.

"Okay, so - you made enough to buy him those?"

"And I got new clothes too,
sharp!
See my fade, look good don' it?" Lil'Kenny went on to brag, enjoying his dinner, popping fries into his mouth.

Max eyed the young man and his shiny new appearance and then slowly turned his eyes to Moniqua, who had just finished fixing her own plate. They were at his place, where she and Lil'Kenny had just shown up with the chicken in hand. As he stared at her, he noted that she was twitching and shifting in her seat, looking a bit uneasy with his gaze so directly on her thinking. She glanced at him smiling, "Eat baby, for it gets cold."

"So where is this job at? What exactly is it that you doing? Obviously the money is good."

"Well it's not
that
good," She corrected, she tried not to look him in the eyes, as if he could read her thoughts, "I just wanted to spend the first checks on my baby, is that so wrong? And be the one to treat us for once. Anything wrong with that?" She smiled at him and then looked back at her plate.

Max sat still, unable to touch the food. He knew her. She was the last person he would expect to get up and actually do something in terms of getting a job. She liked playing the role of being somebodies woman and thus, begging money and what she needed out of that one, stupid enough to give it, such as himself.

"Why are you staring at me? You don't like Popeye's chicken?"

"You still ain't said where the hell you work? What you doing? How much you gettin' paid?"

"Manpower." She stated quickly off the top of her head.

"Manpower?" He parroted.

"Yeah, you've heard of Manpower, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard of Manpower, got my job I'm working now through them, and uh, they don't pay you daily, not last I heard."

"It depends on the job." She came again, feeling stupid for not planning a head with what to tell him if he started questioning her.

"It don't matter what the job is, Manpower pays you. They pay you by the week, always have; I'm thinking, always will."

"Well the one I work for pays you by the day." She lied, growing more nervous.

"I see." He sat a moment more, growing more and more agitated as the seconds ticked by. "So what do you do? Where they got you working?"

"Why all these questions?" She snapped, hating that he felt the need to dig.

"Hey, you got a new job and thangs, buying expensive shit for Lil'Kenny, treating us to Popeye's chicken, shit - I would think, you'd be happy to talk about it. Most people that work, come home and talk about it one way or another. The work they got you doing, what you learned today - some bitch that's already on your shit list, stuff like that. So what, you ain't got no stories like that? You just so happy with your work, you wanna keep it all to yourself, right?"

"It's no - big deal! It's just - a temporary - job, nothing - to brag about, nothing to talk about." She fumed, barely able to restrain herself from doing a head shift on him.

"Yeah, okay. It's just that, most people I know, human nature being what it is - if one hasn't been working, and finally gets a job, you can't stop them from going on and on about it. That's just something I've observed in my brief lifetime about broke ass unemployed people who finally get that J.O.B. But hey, you different - it ain' nothin' but a thang to you, right?"

"Yeah, right - so let's drop it, okay? Foods gettin' cold. You know, I don't make a big deal about where you work."