Stepping to a New Day Read online

  Jack smiled. “Liar, liar, pants on fire. I haven’t assigned anything of that nature.”

  Mal said, “As long as whatever they’re up to doesn’t involve the police I’m good.”

  TC knew the mystery had to do with the kids’ Father’s Day extravaganza but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to be known as Uncle Snitch and besides, the men would find out soon enough.

  They talked next about the newly formed fire department, the ground breaking for the pool, and a host of other items. For a small town there was a lot going on and TC was glad to be in the mix.

  When he and Gary got home he went up to his room and called his daughter.

  She answered on the second ring. “Hey, Daddy.”

  “Hey there, baby girl. How are you?”

  They spent a few minutes talking about her job and the weather before he told her about his lessons.

  “Oh, Daddy, that’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you. I think I’m going to cry.”

  He smiled.

  “I’m serious. I’m searching my desk for tissue as we speak. So tell me about the lessons, the tutor, all the stuff.”

  So he did.

  “She sounds great.”

  “She is. I like her a lot. In fact, we’re dating.”

  “Get out! You? Dating?”

  He laughed.

  “Have you told the boys?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Oh my goodness, I may faint now.”

  “You are such a drama queen.”

  “Please. It’s not every day I hear you use the word date in a sentence. In fact, you’ve never used that word. Ever.”

  “Things have changed.” Genevieve’s face floated across his mind and he sighed inwardly. “You’re going to love her, Beth.”

  “Hold up. Listen to your voice. Daddy, are you in love with this lady?”

  He laughed again. “And if I am?”

  Her end of the line went silent.

  “Beth?”

  He heard her blow her nose, then say, “If these people fire me because I scared off the clients with all this mascara running down my face it’ll be your fault.”

  “Stop playing. You are not crying.”

  “Want to bet? I’ll send you a picture after I hang up. I’m so happy for you. When do I get to meet her?”

  “I’d like to bring her to Hawaii with me this summer if she’ll agree, and you don’t mind sharing me.”

  “You know I won’t. Wow. My daddy’s in love. You know Mom’s in heaven smiling.”

  “I know. She made me promise to go on with my life and find someone. Took me a while but I have.”

  “Awesome.”

  They spoke for a few more minutes and after sharing I love yous, ended the call.

  A few seconds later, her picture arrived on his phone—red eyes, runny mascara and all.

  Paula, having all but made her peace with her Blackbird, was preparing for bed, when she got a text from her uncle Calvin. Need you here asap. Lisa’s skull found. Della in jail. Stunned, she read it again and when she could breathe, she called Bernadine.

  Bernadine’s pilot Katie Sky landed Paula at the Tulsa airport the next day. Calvin met her outside the terminal. “Who do you know that owns a private plane?” he asked. “This is the first time I’ve ever been to this terminal.”

  “The lady I work for.”

  “Wow.”

  “I wanted to get here quickly.”

  He stashed her suitcase in the backseat of his truck, and a few minutes later they were on their way to the interstate.

  “So the skull is Lisa’s.”

  “Yes. They found it yesterday morning and used dental records last night for confirmation.”

  Paula shivered. “I dreamt about my mother and a skull a few days before I flew in for Tyree’s funeral.”

  He glanced her way. “You know we country Black folks set a lot of stock in dreams.”

  “I know, but I didn’t want to talk about it.” And didn’t now. It was all too eerie. “So was it found in Tyree’s backyard?”

  “Yeah. Sump pump company found it when they dug up the ground to check on the plumbing. Wasn’t buried very deep. The police think all the lye and chemicals may have dissolved the rest of her body, but they’re still digging.”

  “Why’d they take Della in? Did she confess?”

  “No, but Jeddings apparently talked to the county prosecutor after her performance the day he told us about the will. When the skull was found the police were called of course, and based on what the prosecutor was told by Jeddings he had Della brought in for questioning.”

  Paula was confused. “Did Jeddings know Lisa?”

  “I don’t believe so, but the prosecutor did.”

  Paula’s eyes shot to his. “How?”

  “His name is Jeff Case. He’s a member of the Case family that Tyree worked for. Lisa was his babysitter when he was growing up.”

  “Oh my lord.”

  “And because Della is relying on a lazy court-appointed lawyer, she agreed to take a lie detector test, which she failed.”

  “Can that be used against her?”

  “I don’t know, but they have charged her. Second-degree manslaughter for now.”

  “She needs a good lawyer.”

  “Tried to tell her that, but she just cussed me and told me to get out of her face.”

  Paula sighed. “Has she made bail?”

  “No. She wouldn’t let me help with that either, so she’s still locked up.”

  “Where’s Robyn?”

  “With my mama.”

  “Is her dad around?”

  “Yeah, but his wife won’t let Robyn stay there. I talked to him earlier. He’s perfectly willing to sign papers to let her stay with you until she’s eighteen if you’re willing to have her.”

  “Of course, she’s welcome to stay with me if she wants. Poor baby. Probably feels like no one wants her.” Paula remembered feeling that way while staying with Tyree.

  “Good. I’ll let him know, and you can talk to her when we get back.”

  “What an awful mess.”

  “You got that right.”

  The moment Paula entered Anna Lee’s house, Robyn ran to her and Paula held her tight while the teen cried as if her heart was breaking. “It’s okay, baby,” Paula whispered. “It’s okay. You’re going home with me.”

  In a voice raw with anger and pain, Robyn said, “She killed my mother. I hate her.”

  “We don’t know that for sure. It might have been an accident. Please don’t add more hate to this, Robyn, please,” Paula pleaded.

  Paula and Anna Lee eventually calmed Robyn down enough to convince her to go and lie down. Once she was asleep, Paula closed the bedroom door softly and rejoined the concerned-looking Calvin and his mother. “I’d like to go and see Della.”

  Anna Lee said what Paula already knew. “She’s not going to want to see you. You may as well get Robyn’s things and go on back to Kansas for now. We’ll keep you posted on the court dates and all that. Trial probably won’t be for months.”

  “I still want to see her and pray with her. Maybe she’ll surprise me.”

  Anna Lee said, “I doubt that, but Cal can run you over to the jail. I’ll stay here with Robyn.”

  On the drive with Calvin, Paula asked the question she most wanted answered. “If she did kill Lisa—why? The day of the funeral she made it sound as if it might have had something to do with Tyree.”

  Cal shrugged. “Who knows? Like you said, maybe it was an accident and she or they panicked.”

  Paula wondered if the truth would ever be learned.

  To Paula’s surprise, Della agreed to see her. Escorted out of the back by a deputy and wearing gray prison garb, she took a seat behind the glass and picked up the phone so they could communicate.

  “Came to gloat, did you?” Della asked acidly.

  “No, Aunt Della. I came to ask if there’s anything I can do to help, and to pray with you.”

/>   She responded with a bitter chuckle. “I don’t need your damn prayers. All I need is for you to take your pious ass back to wherever and hope I never have to see you again.” She replaced the phone and without sparing Paula another glance had the guard take her back.

  Hurt and disappointed, Paula walked with Calvin out of the building and back to the car.

  On the flight home to Kansas, while Robyn stared out the window at the darkening sky, Paula replayed the visit in her mind. She’d done everything she could to offer Della an olive branch, only to have it slapped aside. She could’ve helped her aunt find a good lawyer and maybe make bail so she wouldn’t have to be locked up until her case came to trial, but Della was in charge of her own life and she’d have to accept that. Getting Robyn back and settled in would be her priority going forward. Della’s future was now in the hands of God.

  CHAPTER

  18

  Warm weather ushered in the month of May and all the flowers Sheila Payne planted around town a few years back were in bloom once again.

  Kelly continued to pick up Riley on the days he worked and although he was still blue over Cletus and sleeping on the floor at Eustacia’s place he kept his nose to the grindstone.

  TC worked diligently on his lessons. Gary and the girls helped by ordering books like Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss and others geared toward new readers, and listening to him read aloud. He had a ways to go to be as proficient as he needed to be but his reward was the time spent with Genevieve. They went to the Friday night movies, had dinner at her place and the Dog, went for drives in his truck, and yes, there was kissing.

  The Ladies Auxiliary meeting was held at Gen’s place one evening during the first week of May and once the old and new business items on the agenda were dealt with, President Lily said, “Okay, time for a life check. What’s going on with everyone?”

  Roni spoke up first to tell them about a two-week summer tour of South America that was in the works and that she’d be taking Zoey with her. “She’s never been there. Now that the new CD is done, I think we’re due for some mama and daughter time.”

  Gen and the others thought that a great idea.

  Lily then asked, “Marie. How’re things going with your son, Brian, and the family?”

  Genevieve loved the way Marie beamed every time the subject came up. “I speak with my granddaughters at least twice a week via Skype and a few days ago his adoptive mother Janice and I spoke on the phone for almost an hour. We’re both educators.”

  Sheila asked, “Are they still coming for Mother’s Day?”

  Marie began to cry. “Yes. And I can’t wait.”

  She was sitting on the couch next to Gen. Gen put an arm around her and hugged her like the BFF that she was.

  Marie said through her tears and the tissue in her hand, “I’m so happy.”

  “We’re happy for you,” Tamar said.

  “Thanks for putting up with me this past winter. You have no idea how much it means to have you all as friends.”

  Gen said, “Through sickness, health, and craziness.”

  Everyone laughed and a few of the ladies wiped away their own tears.

  Luis Acosta’s mother-in-law, Anna Ruiz, asked, “Paula, how’s Robyn settling in?”

  “She’s settling. Painfully shy, though. Leah and Tiff had her over for a sleepover this past weekend. She did okay, Leah said, but my aunt kept her away from stuff like the boy bands and the Internet, so the Clark girls are helping to bring her up to speed on pop culture stuff, too.”

  “And how’s school going for her?” Bernadine asked.

  “Jack says she’s incredibly smart and there’s no reason for her not to graduate with Eli and Crystal. We’ve been looking at colleges but I’m not sure if she’s confident enough to go away yet. We’ll see, but I’m giving her all the love and support I can. Counseling her, too.”

  Gen asked, “And your aunt?”

  “Still incarcerated. Trial will be sometime in the fall.”

  Tamar said, “I know you’re a very strong woman, Reverend, but don’t try and carry this burden alone. If you need help I expect you to throw up a hand.”

  Paula smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Gen thought Paula needed to hear that. Women tended to suffer in silence under the weight of their lives, often to their detriment, and sometimes until it was too late.

  Lily asked, “Anything else?”

  Gen took in a deep breath and said, “Yes. How do you know when you’re in love?”

  Later, once her friends were gone, Gen sat in her now quiet living room and smiled, thinking back on the looks on their faces when she first popped her question. She knew it would throw them for a loop. After they recovered from the shock, their answers ran the gamut from silly to profound but each one served to verify what she herself already knew. She was in love with Terence. She loved his smile, his strength of character—the vulnerability he showed by seeking help with his reading. She also loved that he made her smile and most of all she loved that he wanted her to be Genevieve. He’d never tried to force her to be anyone else. He’d taken who’d she’d presented herself to be and been as okay with her as she was with herself, and that meant the world. And no, they hadn’t known each other long, but she could spend her remaining days learning as much about him as he was willing to share and offer him the same. What to do with her revelation was yet to be seen. She’d sworn her friends to secrecy; however, this was Henry Adams, and for all she knew everyone in the tri-county area now knew how she felt about Terence Christopher Barbour.

  As if cued, he called, “You ladies done plotting to take over the world?”

  “Yes, so I hope you have your bunker dug?”

  “On my to-do list,” he replied, sounding amused. “In the meantime, do you have plans for Mother’s Day weekend?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Stevie Wonder’s coming to Kansas City. Figured I’d ask my best girl if she wanted to go?”

  “Yes! Oh my goodness!”

  He laughed. “Then I’ll get the tickets. You find us a hotel since you probably know the city better than I do. Separate rooms of course, and because this is my gift to you for being such a great teacher, I’m footing the bill.”

  Gen didn’t know anything about his finances. She almost asked if he was sure about paying for the entire weekend, but she swallowed that and instead asked, “What kind of hotel?”

  “Fancy. Room service. The works. I want this to be special.”

  For her it already was. “Okay. Fancy it is. I haven’t seen anything about him coming to town. How’d you find out?”

  While they discussed that, Eli and Crystal were seated outside on the Dog’s back dock savoring the end of their shift and enjoying the warm clear night. The moon was out and the stars sparkled like bits of bling on black velvet.

  “So, how was the trip to Cali?” she asked.

  “Good. Amari’s grandparents are super nice. My dad and I toured the school and checked out the apartment I’ll be staying in. They have an old Honda in the garage they never use, so they’re going to let me buy it for a dollar.”

  “Sweet.”

  “Yeah. Their place is near the ocean so I’ll get to surf again, too.”

  “Since when do you surf?”

  “Since I was about ten.”

  “Never knew that. What else don’t I know about Eli James?”

  “That I’ll miss you a lot when I go.”

  “Nah. You’ll meet some tall, tanned, lanky blonde and be like, Crystal who?”

  “Never.”

  She turned to him, held his gaze for a long few moments before focusing back on the night.

  Feeling his emotions starting to twist, he changed the subject. “So what have you decided? You staying here in town?”

  “Yeah. Going to work on bringing my grades up and then see about going east. Maybe to Pratt.”

  “You could always come west to Cali with me in the fall.”

  “I know, but I figure I�
�d stick around—keep Amari and Preston in line, make sure Devon doesn’t get any more insufferable than he already is, and watch over Miss Miami. Being big sister is a lot of work, but somebody has to do it.”

  He nodded.

  There was a long silence.

  He looked at her and she at him and she said, “Even after you find that blonde, I’ll still have your back anytime, anywhere. If you ever need me just send up the bat signal.”

  “Will do,” he said softly. “Same goes for you.”

  She leaned over and kissed him gently. “I’ll miss you too, Eli.”

  As he sat there stupefied and reeling, she went inside.

  As Mother’s Day weekend approached, the kids went to the mall with their dads to pick out gifts and with the help of those same moms and the Ladies Auxiliary, continued working on their super-secret Father’s Day event. Trent kept pressuring Lily to tell him what they were up to and she kept insisting he was imagining things. Marie was going crazy getting her house cleaned and ready for her special guests, and Gen was given a fancy homemade apple pie by Mrs. Rivard on the day of her last lesson. Gen had a surprise for her, too—a tote full of brand-new books to read to her granddaughter and Mrs. Rivard thanked her through her happy tears.

  In anticipation of her weekend in Kansas City with Terence and Stevie, Gen made an appointment with Kelly to get her hair done. When she walked into the shop, Riley was seated in his barber chair waiting for his next customer. Gen nodded. He nodded in reply and she took a seat on the couch to wait her turn. Taking out her e-reader she went back to the story she’d started a few days before, but couldn’t help but take a peek at Riley while she read. He’d lost weight. The black suit he used to wear so proudly looked as run-down as he did. Karma had obviously taken its toll. Because her life was so spectacular she wanted everyone she knew to be just as happy, so she felt bad that he wasn’t, even though he’d stolen from her and been nothing but a pain in the rear during the last few years of their marriage. “Riley?”

  He looked up.

  “I heard about you losing Cletus. My condolences. I know how much you cared about him.”

  He nodded tightly. “Thanks, Genevieve.”

  To her surprise he walked over and said, “And I want to apologize for doing you so wrong. If there was a way I could make it up to you, I would. You didn’t deserve what I put you through.”