Abnormal Lives (32 page)

There was a chance that the case was outside of his jurisdiction. He had heard talk of it but had never heard of it being assigned to anyone. He shrugged his shoulders. No matter, if it wasn't in his jurisdiction, it would only make the fact that he found the perpetrator that more plausible.

A dark cloud formed over the city as the news of Stefan's death spread. Rain poured from the sky as if the universe itself was mourning Stefan's death.

Simone and Paris sat on the sofa, holding each other as they cried, attempting to console one another.

Eugene flicked through the channels on his TV while his new female friend gyrated on his tool, making her best effort to please him. Eugene thought he heard Stefan's name when skipping past the nightly news and flipped back to that channel. He couldn't believe it. The murder scene was in the alley behind Stefan's house. They showed Simone's car and once again the news reporter said his name; Stefan Brown. Tears ran down Eugene's face. He sat up and pushed his friend off of him.

“What's wrong?” his friend asked.

Eugene didn't answer. He was ashamed of how he had treated Stefan. How on the day of his death he had spent his time trying to woo some woman when he could have spent Stefan's last day on earth with him. And because he was sharing his body with someone else as he heard the news of Stefan's death, his guts churned with guilt. He wondered if Stefan's spirit had come to visit him as it made its exit and, if so, was him having sex with
someone else the last thing he witnessed before he left the world. What type of person was he to inflict pain on someone who loved him as much as Stefan?

Mrs. Sandra thought about her son, Anthony. Life was too short and sometimes came to an end without warning. She didn't care how Anthony lived his life or what others thought about it. They could all burn in hell as far as she was concerned, including her husband. She wanted to be in her son's life, no matter what was going on with him. She picked up the phone and called Anthony. Maybe she would invite him to breakfast in the morning. The least she could do was call him and see how life was treating him.

Across town, Anthony sat on his bed with Crystal, smoking out of his crack pipe. They planned to get high and then make love.

Anthony saw his cell phone glowing in the darkness of the room. His mother's number appeared on the screen. He handed his crack pipe to Crystal and then stepped outside of the room.

“Hello.”

“Hey, baby,” Mrs. Sandra answered. “How have you been?”

Anthony paused for a moment. He was in shock. He hadn't heard his mother's voice in years. “I'm good,” he answered. “How are you?”

“Oh, I'm fine.”

“You sure?” Anthony asked. “I mean, nothing's wrong, is there?”

“It's funny you asked that,” Mrs. Sandra said. “A lot has happened today. Have you heard about Stefan?”

“Naw, what about him?”

“He was killed.”

“
What!”

“He was murdered in the alley behind his house.”

“Damn, I'm sorry to hear that,” Anthony said. “That just fucked up my whole night.”

“Mine as well,” Mrs. Sandra said. “I stayed with Simone and Paris for a while. They are really hurting.”

“Damn, I forgot all about those two.”

“This incident really made me realize how much I miss having you in my life.”

“I miss you, too,” Anthony said.

“Who the fuck you talking to?” Crystal yelled.

“Look, Mom, I've got to go. I kind of have company.”

“I see...I wanted to ask you to have breakfast with me tomorrow.”

“I don't know,” Anthony said. “What about I call you in the morning and let you know if I feel up to it?”

Mrs. Sandra paused. She had so many things that she wanted to discuss with Anthony. She wanted to tell him that she didn't care if he was dating Charlie and if he wanted, he could bring him along for breakfast. She wanted Anthony to understand that she realized that he and Charlie were junkies and she would do anything she could to help them break their addiction. She wanted to ask him had he and Charlie considered going to rehab. But she decided to take things slow. “Well, just let me know. Charlie is welcome to come.”

“Okay, Mom, take care.”

“You, too.”

Anthony went back into the room with Crystal.

“Who the hell were you taking to?” Crystal asked.

“That was my mother.”

“Your mother? What made her call out of the blue like that?”

Anthony looked at Crystal; he seemed to be in a good mood and tonight was their night. He didn't want to spoil it by making Crystal cry. He kissed Crystal on his forehead. “We'll talk about it in the morning.”

Thomas lay in bed with his wife. As his wife slept, he stared up at the ceiling thinking about Stefan. He couldn't believe that he was gone. Stefan was more than a hooker to him. He was more beautiful than any woman could ever be and his beauty brought him joy. Every time he thought of Stefan, he felt like the sun was shining on him and life was fine, everything was just fine. He didn't care what anyone said, Stefan was a treasure, a jewel that shined his light on the world and now he was gone.

Stefan's father, who hadn't heard the news yet, lay in his bed having a fitful dream. The angel of death had come for his soul and he struggled to break free from its grasp. He wasn't ready yet. He had so much more to do with his life. He hadn't finished making his contribution to the world. As he cried and struggled in his dreams, he managed to come out of his tee shirt. He heard a voice in his head say, “Be still and know that I am God.” Was it God or was it the Devil toying with him? “Oh, please help me!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was the sound of his screams that woke him from his sleep. He sat in the bed sweaty and terrified, trying to catch his breath.

Tessa sat in the alley by a Dumpster as she waited for Tony to score. Not only did Tony come back with some smack, he also came back with the news of Stefan's death. Tessa squealed and danced around with joy. “It's about time,” Tessa said. “It's about damn time.”

29

T
he sunlight peeked through the blinds, waking Paris. He turned his back to the window and pulled the covers over his head. He'd spent the night with Simone. He was not up for the walk home and neither he nor Simone wanted to be alone. He'd slept in Stefan's room. He could smell Stefan's scent on the sheets that covered the bed and all throughout the room. He had dozed in and out of sleep, dreaming that Stefan was still alive. He dreamt that Stefan walked into the room and had asked him what he was doing in his bed, and they had both stayed up all night reminiscing about old boyfriends and the trouble they had gotten into throughout the years. Then he would wake up, thinking Stefan would walk through the door any minute with something witty to say. Then reality sat in, and he realized he would have to live out the rest of his life without Stefan, and the tears started to come again.

Paris wondered had Kenneth and Jamal caught up with Stefan and, if so, would he be next. He wanted to ask Simone if she had told Jana where they lived. He needed to tell Simone what had happened in New Orleans. He couldn't leave her in the dark. If Stefan's murder had resulted from what they had done while they were in New Orleans, both he and Simone were in danger of undergoing the same fate.