Protect and Serve (10 page)

“We don’t know yet. We hope so. Do you mind coming with me downtown, to see if you can point out the person who might have attacked Carla?”

“Sure, I’ll go. Just let me change into something presentable and turn off my music. I was getting me a little Sunday service. I ain’t always able to deal with those folks in the church and keep up with all their foolishness. So I have my Sunday service right here at Bedside Baptist most times.”

She gave him a piercing stare. “I guess you can come in and wait. I don’t ’spect you’d do nothing to harm me, being a cop and all. And you one of them Hightowers, too. Most of them would rather die than do something less than honorable. You know, I used to know some of your great-uncles, back in the day. Boy, they were something. Mmm. Most girls had huge crushes on those Hightower boys…” She broke off and shook her head as if she was remembering something.

Jason had seen pictures of some of his great-uncles, his father and the cousins from back in the day. He could imagine what Old Lady Henderson was remembering, given the honorable Hightower heartthrob legacy he and his brothers and all the men in his family seemed bound to uphold. It shocked him that the older woman had been a Hightower fan back in the day.

He entered her home and followed her to the sitting room. Taking note of the windows in the house, he saw how she managed to see everything and get into everyone’s business. He could see the indentations in the curtains, the lifts in the blinds, and all the spaces for her to peep out and watch. He and Penny had never stood a chance, trying to sneak around with this woman living next door. He shook his head and chuckled. Hopefully, Mrs. Henderson’s nosiness would pay off and they’d be able to arrest Carla’s attacker.

After a few hours at the precinct, it seemed as if Jason’s suspicions about Gerald McEarly weren’t going to pay off. Old Lady Henderson seemed quite adamant that Gerald was not the one. Although he was one of Carla’s old boyfriends who had started sniffing around lately, he wasn’t the one she’d seen dragging Carla into the house.

Jason had her look through a bunch of mug shots. But without something more to go on, they were stuck.

He had a feeling Old Lady Henderson was right. But without another firm suspect to go on, he didn’t want to take Gerald out of the running just yet.

Jason dropped the elderly woman back home. Then he made a slight detour on his way to meet Penny at the hospital. Checking up on Gerald McEarly seemed like a good idea. If Gerald wasn’t the attacker, then he’d probably want to know what had happened.

The older man was home and let Jason into his small room at the boardinghouse.

As he stepped into the sparse room, Jason did a quick survey. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, and the bed was unmade.

“Hey there, Detective. To what do I owe the honors of a house call? Is everything okay? Is Penny okay?” A seemingly sincere expression of concern crossed Gerald’s face when he mentioned Penny.

“Penny is fine. It’s Carla who might not make it.” He knew he had to play this one carefully. He wasn’t ready to read the man his rights and arrest him. But he wasn’t ready to give him a clean bill, either.

Gerald’s face went pale and he grabbed hold of Jason’s suit jacket. “Carla? What happened to Carla? I just saw her earlier today. She was fine. What happened to her?”

Jason slanted his eye and removed his jacket from Gerald’s clutches before clearing his throat. “You saw her earlier today? Did you go over there again, starting more arguments with her?”

“No, she came over here. She was trying to get me to agree not to come over there again. But I couldn’t do it. I want to get to know my daughter. And I still…” Gerald faltered. “Where is Carla? I need to see her. I need to make sure she’s okay. Can you take me to her? And Penny just lost her grandmother. Now she’s dealing with this all alone.” He rushed toward the door.

Jason had some misgivings about taking Gerald with him to the hospital. If he was the attacker, then he was the last person Carla needed to see. And even if he wasn’t, Carla clearly didn’t want him around. At least that was what she kept saying….

Yeah, and Penny says the same thing about you, and yet you’re going down to the hospital and you don’t plan to leave her side until the attacker is caught
.

Jason rolled his eyes at the unbidden thoughts in his head. He was not the person to judge Gerald’s misguided persistence, not unless he wanted a big old boulder to roll down the hill and shatter his glass house.

“Fine, I’ll take you with me to the hospital. But if Carla doesn’t want you there, then you will have to leave. And if she says you’re the one who attacked her, I’m taking you right to jail.”

W
hen Carla opened her eyes and looked at her, Penny breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to keep Carla overnight, and she had needed more than a few stitches, but she would live.

Thank you, Jesus,
Penny thought as she looked toward the ceiling.

Seeing her small, vulnerable mother in that hospital bed really made her question her resistance to moving the woman to Los Angeles.

With Carla’s light complexion, every single bruise seemed amplified. And they each seemed to be screaming,
Take care of your mother.

The thought that her mother could very well have died was not lost on her. In fact, it was the only thing that stopped Penny from thinking about how much she hated hospitals. She especially hated this hospital, the place where she’d lost her baby and been given an emergency D and C.

She had a general aversion to hospital rooms. And this one, with its stark white beddings and overly antiseptic smells, pushed every one of her buttons.

Penny forced a smile and willed the bad memories to the back of her head. She was not going to start tripping. She refused.

“So, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?”

Carla winced. “Like a truck ran over me.”

Penny reached out and smoothed Carla’s soft, curly hair, which had taken on a pretty wild look with all she’d been through. “They can give you some more medicine for the pain. I’ll buzz the nurse—”

“No! No more drugs than necessary, please. I can manage. I have to manage. I don’t want to risk—”

“But, Carla, if you’re in pain, then you need to take them. If you don’t take them the way you’re supposed to, then the pain will become too much and you’ll take them to get rid of it and—”

“Is it time for a new dose yet?”

“No, but…”

“Well, then, I’ll wait.” Carla winced again, and then she looked at Penny with a devilish gleam in her eyes. “So, it’s back to Carla, huh? No more
Mommy?
”

Penny narrowed her eyes. Carla had heard her. Leave it to that woman to use her frantic pleas against her.

“I don’t know why you’re looking all evil ’cause you love your mother and you don’t want her to die. That means you’re a good daughter, Brat. And a good daughter would take her mother out of this dangerous environment and move her someplace safe, like California.” Carla shut her eyes and plastered a big, cheesy grin on her face.

Penny tried to remember that the woman had been attacked.

Someone had gone upside Carla’s head. She had the stitches to prove it. She might very well be suffering from a concussion.

So Penny gritted her teeth.

“It’s really no big deal that I called you Mommy. You are my mother. And as for California, let’s not go there today. You need to save your strength, and it’s an argument you can’t win.”

She didn’t know why she said that, when she’d just been thinking she would indeed move Carla to Los Angeles. It was just another example of the way her mother was able to push her buttons and often get negative and hurtful results.

Carla opened her eyes again and stared at her. There was such a mix of fear and hopelessness present in her gaze for a moment that it gave Penny pause.

What has Carla so afraid? And who did this to her?

Penny didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. But she wanted to know. Whoever had done this to her mother had to be caught.

“What happened to you? Who attacked you? Was it one of your crackhead friends?”

“No. I don’t have any crackhead friends. How many times do I have to tell you that?” Carla sucked her teeth and then quickly placed her hand on her black-and-blue bruised jaw.

“Then who did it? Tell me.”

“That’s not important. What is important is, if you really don’t want me to die, then you best get me out of Paterson, and fast.”

Carla in California
…

Penny tried to let the very idea run around in her head. Selling Big Mama’s house and setting Carla up in an apartment as far away as one could possibly be and still be in Los Angeles could work.

But without Big Mama as a buffer, the two of them didn’t stand a chance in the same city. They had so much healing to do. She didn’t know if they could find their way to a sane and normal mother-and-daughter relationship.

“I’ll tell you what.” Penny sighed. “You tell me the truth about who did this to you, and I’ll consider moving you to L.A.”

Carla’s face lit up, but then went cold. “What’s
he
doing here?”

Penny turned around and saw that Gerald had walked into the room with Jason.

“Well, hello to you, too, Carla. I see your mouth is working fine and the attacker didn’t mess up your evil streak.” Gerald’s word sounded warm and friendly, but he had a look of extreme fear on his face. He seemed genuinely concerned about Carla.

Penny couldn’t figure out what the deal was between her parents, but she found herself increasingly intrigued.

“Hi, Carla. I’m glad to see you’re okay. You had us worried there for a minute.” Jason stood beside Carla’s bed. “I’d like to take a statement from you about what happened. We need to get the person who attacked you.”

Carla bit her lip, and her eyes started dancing around in her head.

Penny recognized Carla’s shifty-eyed gaze, and it made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. How many times had she seen that look when Carla was hooked on drugs?

Oh, please, God, don’t let her be back on crack
.

“Did you know your attacker?” Jason’s eyes darted from Carla to Gerald. “Can you give me a name? Mrs. Henderson from next door said she saw one of your ex-boyfriends around the house today.”

Carla rolled her eyes. “That old biddy needs to mind her own damn business.”

“Carla, you’re being very hostile. You need to stop it. Jason is trying to help. He’s trying to get the person who hurt you.”

“I ain’t asked for nobody’s help.” Carla glared at Gerald as she spoke and then she turned to Penny. “The only thing I need is for us to hurry up and move to Cali. You’re the only person who can help me, Brat. Everything will be fine once we get away from here.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “So, you aren’t going to file a complaint or help in any kind of investigation? You’re just going to let the person who beat you up get away with it, and possibly come back to harm you again—or, God forbid, harm Penny?”

Penny felt her heart still at Jason’s mention of her name. She inhaled and exhaled, then touched Carla’s arm. “Mommy, you need to cooperate with the police and tell Jason who did this to you.”

“And you need to stop holding a grudge and let me come and live with you. But people never do what they’re supposed to do, do they?” Carla shot Gerald another harsh stare. Then she turned to Jason. “Sorry, Mr. Policeman, I can’t give you any information. I can’t remember a thing. It’s all a blur. They say that happens sometimes when folks get head injuries. Can’t help you.” Carla closed her eyes. “I’m feeling tired. Can you take Penny home and get this man out of my room, Mr. Policeman?”

“I’m staying.” Gerald planted his feet in a manner that suggested that nothing short of an arrest would get him to leave Carla’s side. “But I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on our daughter while I look after her mother. Make sure whoever hurt Carla doesn’t hurt Penny, too.”

Carla opened her eyes and pinned them on Gerald as he took a seat in the chair next to her bed.

“Urgh! Why are you so hardheaded? I don’t need you to look after me. It’s too late!” Carla huffed, and then winced. She placed her hand on her head.

“Calm down, I promise I won’t bother you. But I’m damn sure not going to let whoever hurt you come in here and finish the job.” Gerald sighed. “Just relax. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Are you sure it’s all right? I can stay here with her,” Penny offered.

“No, you go on home and get some rest. You’ll need it once they let this one out.” Gerald laughed at his own joke.

Penny frowned. Heck, Gerald was right. A sick Carla was worse that a sick child. She would have her hands full, caring for her and settling Big Mama’s estate. She glanced at Jason and knew that adding his never-ending presence to the mix would make things all the more taxing.

“You know, Jason, I really appreciate all you are doing to help. I couldn’t ask you to trouble yourself and take me home, too. I can catch a cab, if Gerald is going to look after Carla. Carla, I’ll go get a rental car and be here in time to get you when you’re released tomorrow.”

“It’s no trouble, Penny. In fact, I plan to stay pretty close to your side until we figure out who did this. So let’s go.” Jason gave Carla one last look. “Carla, is Gerald the person who attacked you today?”

A shocked expression crossed Carla’s face, and then she twisted up her lips and the devilish gleam glazed her eyes again. “What if I said he was? Would you make him leave?”

“I’d arrest him for assault and expect you to press charges and make a formal statement,” Jason answered, with a serious tone.

Carla glanced at Gerald. “Y’all don’t have no laws against people annoying folks to death?”

Jason shook his head. “No, Carla. Sorry.”

“Mmm…like I could count on you to tell me if there was. Look at the way you’re going after Brat. Fine, I’ll handle Gerald myself.”

Penny cringed. Carla was a piece of work. She had half a mind to tell her mother to apologize to Jason. But she remembered whom she was talking about.

“Carla, you should apologize to both Jason and Gerald. They’re just concerned about you, and you’re acting like—”

Carla cut her off. “Oh, brother! Bye, Brat. I’ll see you in the morning.” She gave Gerald the side eye. “What time are visiting hours over?”

“Woman, be quiet and get some rest, or at least let us get some rest. Penny, I’ll make sure nothing else happens to your mother, even if it kills me. And the way her mouth is going, it just might. I’ll be here when you get back.” Gerald leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Carla rolled her eyes and turned her head to face the wall.

Feeling adequately dismissed, Penny turned to Jason. “Well, I guess I can take a ride home, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all. And for the record, you’re getting more than a ride home. I’m hanging around, just in case the attacker shows up again.”

Once Penny and Jason left, Carla sat up in the bed. Her entire body ached, and it hurt to move. She guessed she should thank the Lord she was alive. But the fact that Gerald seemed determined to keep showing up meant she probably wouldn’t be alive for long. C-Money didn’t make idle threats. And C-Money did
not
want her with Gerald.

She glanced at Gerald. Sitting in the chair with his head back and his eyes closed, he looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Meanwhile, she had to shoulder everything, all the burden of making sure that C-Money never hurt anyone else she cared about.

Sure, she shouldn’t have been stupid enough to get involved with Gerald’s biggest rival back in the day, when Gerald got sent away on that murder rap. But C-Money had come at her hard. And before she knew it, she’d gotten caught up, first in his game and then in his drugs.

When C-Money struck her daughter, Carla had finally got the strength to leave him alone. But he’d threatened her child’s life. So she’d stayed. She’d broken her mother’s heart when she chose to stay with C-Money.

Now, if she didn’t find a way to get Penny to get her out of town as soon as possible, C-Money might make good on his threat after all.

“You have to go, Gerald. Please.”

Gerald opened his eyes and stared at her. He just looked at her for what seemed like forever, and her heart felt as if it were going to explode.

Why did she have to give him up again, when he was back and it seemed as if he still loved her, in spite of everything she’d done? Why did he have to look at her so lovingly?

“Who did this to you, baby? Please tell me what happened. Tell me who hurt you. Let me help you.” The earnestness in his voice would have been her undoing, if she didn’t have Penny to worry about now.

It was one thing when C-Money was just threatening her, a whole other thing when it came to her child. She might not be the best mother in the world, but she loved her daughter, in her own way.

“You can’t help me, Gerald. The only thing that can help me is if I get out of town. The only person that can make that happen is Brat.”

He cringed. “Why do you call her that? That doesn’t seem like a very loving nickname for your child, Carla.”

Her eyes narrowed.
Here it comes, the guilt and blame
. “I call her Brat because I have always called her that. Believe it or not, I know I can be pretty spoiled and childish. My mother always gave me everything I wanted. Even when I got pregnant at a young age and the father of my child went to jail and I got hooked on drugs, she raised my child for me.”

Carla shrugged. “But guess what? Mama spoiled Penny, too. And my child is very smart and can be a bit self-righteous. She always had those traits. When she was a kid, she would tattle and tell Mama everything I did, so I started calling her a brat, because heck, I was still a kid myself. And maybe I was a little jealous of all the attention she got that used to be mine.” She sighed.

It sounded bad when she explained it. But it was what it was. He asked, so she answered.

“The name stuck. You know black folks and nicknames,” she continued, with a shrug that tested her sore shoulder.

Gerald had a weird expression on his face, and she couldn’t tell if he was judging her or not.

She realized then and there she couldn’t take it if he was casting judgment. She had dropped the ball big-time when it came to raising their child. But so had he.

He smiled. “She called you Mommy once today.”

Carla couldn’t believe he actually seemed pleased by that. She knew it made her heart feel ten times lighter to hear her child call her Mommy, but what did he care for?