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  She stopped talking, and for a moment, no one said anything; just allowed her to adjust to her pain.

  Then Jim asked, “Why did you go to Mr. Davidson’s house when you left Keith’s?”

  “I wasn’t trying to go over there. But he was staking out my girl Jasmine’s place, and Linda promised me some money. So, I figured that since he wasn’t home, I could go get the money and some of Iona’s clothes, then I wouldn’t have to buy any more when we got to where we were going.”

  “And where were you going?” Jim asked.

  Cynda shrugged. “I’m really not much of a planner. I was going to figure that out once we left Spoony’s.”

  He let that one go. “So, before you could get out of the house, Mr. Davidson showed up?”

  “Yeah. He got mad because I was taking the only thing he had left to hold over me. See, he knew that Isaac was Iona’s father and he knew that I never wanted Isaac to know about her. So he kept me on the street, supplying his drug money so he wouldn’t tell Isaac about Iona.

  “He started knocking me around as usual. But I didn’t care. I told him we were getting out of there. That’s when Linda took Iona to the back.”

  “So it was only you and Mr. Davidson in the front room,” Jim asked.

  “Yeah, he knocked me around the room. At first I thought he was just going to beat on me. I was used to that. But then he started choking me, and all of a sudden I was that little nine-year-old girl again, looking down on my mother’s coffin and hating her for letting some man kill her. I couldn’t let that happen to Iona. I mean, at least I had my grandmother. Who did Iona have?”

  Keith squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. Go on. What happened next?”

  “That’s just it. I can barely remember anything after that. I started blacking out. But I think I picked up the lamp. After that,” Cynda shook her head. “Nothing.”

  Jim wrote down Cynda’s last comments then told her and Keith, “A shattered lamp was found next to the body. I’m going to pick up the autopsy report tomorrow. So, I’ll know more about what the coroner thinks killed him at that point.”

  Cynda glared at him. “You haven’t gotten the autopsy report yet?”

  Lowering his head, Jim confessed, “No.”

  “Look, Mr. Reid, you and I handle business in a similar fashion. We both collect our money up front.” Cynda paused, and then backhanded him with, “But, I do my job once the money has changed hands.”

  Jim put down his pad and put his cards on the table. “You are right, and it’ll never happen again. But, I’m going to be straight with you. I really need your permission to speak with your daughter.”

  “Why do you want to bring Iona into this?”

  “Your daughter brings another aspect to the case. No jury is going to forget how this little girl felt while watching her mother get attacked.”

  Cynda turned to Keith. “I don’t know, what do you think?”

  Keith thought of the ten years she had coming to her if the jury didn’t see eye to eye with her. And he knew first hand that she didn’t have the most loveable disposition. He didn’t say any of that to her, but rather, “Maybe we should at least let Jim speak with her. Then we can decide whether or not we’d put her on the stand. Okay?”

  She turned back to Jim and said, “Okay, but just talk to her. Don’t badger or try to pull stuff out of her that’s not there.”

  Jim’s eyebrow jutted upward and his mouth went slack before he said, “I would never do that.”

  They finished with Keith, offering to travel to Dayton with Jim to introduce him to Isaac and Iona. The truth of the matter was that Keith knew that Jim wouldn’t get past the crack of an open door at Isaac’s house. No way would his friend volunteer his daughter for the sake of Cynda. He had to make Isaac see reason. So he would leave his wife alone and hope for the best.

  When Jim left, Cynda picked up the phone and called Iona. Isaac answered the phone and refused to let her speak to Iona.

  “I have a right to speak to my daughter, Isaac,” Cynda spat.

  “You gave up that right when you smoked your dope and prostituted yourself in front of her,” Isaac told her, then added. “Oh, and just so you know, I received my papers from the family court today. The DNA test is 99.8% positive that I am Iona’s father. So you know that I’ll be filling for full custody.”

  “Put Iona on the phone!” Cynda screamed at him.

  Keith took the phone out of Cynda’s hands and asked Isaac, “Man, why are you acting like this?”

  “How do you think I feel, Keith? That woman kept my child away from me for ten years. I can’t get a single day of those years back, and I’m supposed to bend over backward for her?”

  “No one’s asking you to bend over backward, just put Iona on the phone,” Keith said patently.

  “My daughter is doing her homework and I’m not interrupting that so she can talk a bunch of nonsense with Cynda.” He slammed down the phone.

  Keith hung up and looked at his wife. Cynda rolled her eyes. “That man is insufferable. I don’t know how you have tolerated him all these years,” she told Keith.

  “He’s all right. Just give him time to adjust to the situation. He’ll come around,” Keith assured Cynda.

  She pulled one of the pillows off the couch and threw it at Keith. “You always take his side. When are you going to stop being his boy, and become a man?”

  Keith picked the pillow off the floor. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Cynda. You created this situation when you refused to tell the man that he had a daughter. So you and Isaac are going to have to work through this together.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  Keith didn’t want to argue. He sat down next to his wife and invited her to watch a movie with him. Having no one to argue with, Cynda agreed. They picked, The Gospel, with Boris Kodjoe and Clifton Powell. When it was over, Cynda said, “See, that’s why I don’t like going to church. More mess is in the church than on the street.”

  “But you stayed in the street, even with all the mess you had to deal with, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, but God wasn’t on the streets watching me do my dirt.”

  Keith shook his head. “You’re wrong, Cynda. God is everywhere. The Bible says that God sees both the good and evil we do. And I think you missed the point of the movie. What they were trying to show was that although we are not perfect and we slip up from time to time, we can turn back to God and He will forgive us.”

  “If you say so,” she said as she yawned and walked toward their bedroom.

  Keith lingered in the family room, bowed his head, and asked the Lord to help Cynda see it His way. He joined his wife in bed and picked up his Bible.

  “Why do you read that thing every single night?”

  Smiling he answered, “It gives me strength. Helps me to see things the way God sees them.”

  She turned toward the wall and drifted off to sleep. But before Keith was finished studying his word, Cynda started tossing and turning, flailing her arms.

  “No! Get off me. Get off me!” Cynda screamed in her sleep.

  He shook her. When her eyes focused on him and she stopped swinging he asked, “What was that about?”

  Cynda closed her eyes tight but didn’t respond.

  Keith put the Bible back on the night stand. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Ain’t nothing to talk about,” she shrugged.

  “Who did you want to get off you?”

  “Look, I don’t know nothing about nobody getting off me. What I do know about is this crick in my neck and how bad my back is aching because of this rotten mattress.”

  He let her change the subject. “The mattress on the bed is old. It was passed down to me when I first got out of prison. I just never thought about replacing it.”

  “Well, you need to think about it. Got my back aching and carrying on.”

  “Where are you in pain?”

  She pointed to a spot just above her buttocks.


  “Lay on your stomach,” Keith told her. She did as he asked and he began working his magic on her back; rubbing and kneading where it hurt.

  “Ah, yeah, right there,” Cynda moaned.

  He continued massaging her back until desire for her overtook him. He pulled her hair back and lowered his lips and kissed from the nape of her neck to her earlobe. “How ‘bout that, baby? How does that feel?” Keith asked Cynda.

  “Feels like you know what I like,” she cooed.

  He turned her over and kissed her soft cheeks. He leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He took her face in his hands and forgot about what might have been with someone else – anyone else. There was only one woman for him and she was beneath him – soft and warm.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he told her while tracing kisses from her eyebrows to the tip of her chin. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel. “I love you, Cynda Williams.”

  Her eyes shot daggers through his heart. “You ain’t got to say all that, Keith. I’m gon’ give you some. Just stop lying. Okay?”

  His body went stiff. He had gotten caught in the moment. He’d forgotten that she wasn’t yet his. But those words brought it back to him loud and clear. There were certain parts of her he wasn’t able to touch.

  “What’s wrong?” Cynda asked after Keith slowly pulled away.

  He got off of her and situated himself on his side of the bed.

  She shoved him. “What’s the matter with you? Why’d you stop?”

  “I’m your husband, Cynda. It’s okay if I love you.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned toward the wall.

  18

  “You’re worried, aren’t you? Think that once you leave I’ll have some wild party in your house and your neighbors will call the police. And before you know it the police will come to Dayton and arrest you for running a brothel?” Cynda said.

  Thoughts like that had crossed Keith’s mind, but he was determined that he would live his life. He wasn’t going to keep close tabs on her; rummaging through the trash to see if she’d thrown away evidence of lascivious acts. He wasn’t going to install a nanny cam. He was just going to let God do a work in her and step out of the way.

  “Are you worried that you might do something like that while I’m gone?” Keith turned the tables.

  Keith had his duffel bag open and was headed to the drawer to get necessities for his overnight trip.

  Cynda blocked him from opening the drawers. “Let me do that. It’s how I earn my keep around here, remember?”

  He smiled at her and sat down on the bed, watching his wife pack his duffel.

  “Anyway,” she continued. “I already told you that I won’t use your house to entertain clients again. And I’ve been drug free for two weeks. I’m good.” She put his socks, toothpaste, and a toothbrush in the bag.

  She was still trying to prove to him that she could kick the stuff without God. He hoped she could kick it, but knew that if she did, it would be because of the mercy of God.

  “Can I ask you a question, Cynda?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why’d you throw that black nightgown away?”

  Silence filled the room. Keith wasn’t sure if she was going to answer him. Then she said, “It was the way you looked at me when I had it on. Iona had given me the same look when she told me she didn’t want to do the type of work I do. It made me feel dirty. So I threw it away.” She averted her eyes. “Guess that makes you feel superior – knowing that you could make me feel bad about my line of work?”

  “It’s not your line of work anymore, baby.”

  He kissed her, and she held onto him. “I’ll give Iona your love. Oh, I almost forgot. A new mattress will be delivered tomorrow. So make sure the house is clean.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” she said with her hand to her forehead military style.

  ***

  Nina and Iona sat in one of Nina’s favorite Mexican restaurants eating fried ice cream and talking about the movie they’d just seen. Nina thought it had way too much adult stuff in it to be considered PG, but Iona didn’t have a problem with all that. She told Nina she’d seen more stuff than that just sitting on Spoony’s porch.

  This outing was Nina’s attempt to finally become a part of Iona’s life. They’d gone shopping before the movie and now, as Iona took her third scoop of ice cream, she told Nina, “I didn’t think you were going to take me with you today.”

  Matching Iona scoop for scoop Nina said, “Why? I told you yesterday that we were going to have a girl’s day – shopping and a movie, remember?”

  Iona twisted her lips, lowered her head. “I know. But, my mom always promised that we would go places and then she would have some excuse why we couldn’t go.”

  Nina put her hand on top of Iona’s. “You can trust me, Iona. If I make a promise to you, I will keep it. I learned the hard way with Donavan that your children can be taken from you in the blink of an eye. So, we’ve got to make the most of every moment we have.”

  “You don’t have to make the most of any moments with me. I’m not your child,” Iona reminded her.

  Sadness filled Nina’s eyes, but she shook it off. “I know that, but if you let me, I’d like for us to become friends.” She heard Isaac’s words and plodded on. “And then one day maybe you will even think of me as a second mother.”

  “Linda was like another mother to me. She was nice.”

  Conviction rested on Nina’s shoulders and she had to release herself from it. “I want to apologize to you, Iona. I wasn’t nice to you like I should have been when you first arrived.”

  “It’s all right, I know the deal. You don’t like me because of my mother.”

  Iona was way to grown for the ten years she’d been on this earth. But maybe that came from all she had been through. Their waiter stopped to check on them. Nina assured him they were fine, then leaned closer to Iona and said, “Your mother has nothing to do with this.”

  “She already told me what went down between you, her and Isaac. So, I know you hate her.”

  Tears that Nina couldn’t hold back filled the corners of her eyes and drifted down her cheeks. “I’ll admit that I have a problem with your mother.”

  “See, I told you.” Iona said triumphantly. “That’s why you hate me.”

  Nina held up her hand and continued. “I don’t hate you, Iona. But, from this time forward, I promise you this, I’m going to do everything in my power to make you feel like a wanted member of our family.” Nina held out her hand for Iona to shake it. “Can we start over?”

  “Will I still be able to call my mom?”

  Nina nodded, then put her hand down. “Yes, of course you can call her. We have to wait until a certain time when the rates are cheaper, like I asked you to do before – but that’s the only stipulation I have on phone calls to your mom.”

  Iona rubbed her chin, pondering compliance or defiance. “I guess that will be okay.”

  They sat in silence, finishing up their fried ice cream, and then Iona asked, “Nina, can you tell me something?”

  “Sure, honey, what do you need to know?”

  “It’s about my mom.” She hesitated for a moment. “Do you think she will go to prison?” She held up her hands. “And don’t give me the little-kid answer – tell me the truth.”

  Nina scrapped her plate, then put the last of her ice cream in her mouth before answering, “The truth is, she might go to prison. Killing someone is a serious offense.”

  “But what if she had help?”

  Nina put down her spoon. “Iona, do you know something that you haven’t told us?”

  She hunched her shoulders and averted her gaze. “I was just asking.”

  Nina put her hand on top of Iona’s. “Baby, if you know something that will help your mother, you need to speak up.”

  19

  Isaac was at the church, in his office working out the final details for the tent revival when Keith walked in. Isaac stood and they clasped hands, “
Hey man, what brings you to Dayton? Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” Isaac asked Keith.

  Keith smiled at his friend. “I figured a sneak attack would be better for this one.”

  Isaac looked over Keith’s shoulder and noticed the man standing in the doorway with briefcase in hand. “What’s up?”

  Keith motioned for Jim to come forward. “Isaac, this is Cynda’s attorney, Jim Reid. He needs to speak with Iona about what happened that day.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  Keith and Jim backed up a bit as Keith held up his hands. “Look, Isaac, you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

  Isaac sat back down behind his desk. “Look, Keith, you can bump your head over Cynda until the white meat shows, but I’m not about to expose Iona to more of that woman’s drama.”

  Keith and Jim sat down in front of Isaac’s desk. “She’s Cynda’s only hope, man.”

  Isaac reviewed some papers on his desk as if Keith hadn’t said a word.

  “She’s Iona’s mother, for God’s sake. Do you want your daughter to know that her mother went to prison because you refused to help her?”

  Flinging the papers across his desk, Isaac asked, “Would that be the same woman who kept the knowledge of my child from me for ten years? Would that be the same woman who is responsible for the fact that I don’t even know the child that is in my house? Is that the woman you’re asking me to help?”

  Keith leaned closer to Isaac. The desk was still between them, but their gazes locked on each other. “Isaac, as long as we’ve been friends I’ve known that you have a problem forgiving people. It’s why you still keep your father at arm’s length--”

  “My father has nothing to do with this.” Isaac’s father had beaten his mother to death when he was only thirteen. Isaac also blamed his father for his brother’s death. The way Isaac saw it, if he hadn’t been in juvee for attacking his father, his brother wouldn’t have been in that alley shooting craps. Isaac just wouldn’t have allowed it.