Drama Is Her Middle Name (16 page)

23

Derek hated the long ride upstate. But he made the trip religiously once a month. He didn't have to ride the bus, but he
wanted to feel some of the pain his brother must be feeling,
locked away like an animal. He felt grimy being on that yellow school bus, riding through those backwoods with all of
the depressed family members—mostly mothers, a few girlfriends, a wife or two, and a handful of kids—of men who
were locked away, some (like his brother) who would be there
for a very long time.

Derek was practically the only male besides the bus driver
on the trip. He was also one of the few who seemed to have
a little money in his pockets. It was all very disheartening.
But it was a necessary evil. Derek was a man of his word.
When his brother got locked up—sentenced to fifteen years
to life on a racketeering conviction—he vowed that he
would take care of him. Derek kept Jayrod's commissary account well stocked and gladly received the collect calls Jayrod made every week.

Family loyalty was something instilled in the Mentor
brothers from an early age by their mother. She wasn't much
of a mother to them in many ways, but she beat one thought
into them that stuck: “Family is all you got, you two are all
you got. So when the world crumbles in on you, hold on to
each other.”

Their mother had died ten years ago, when Jayrod was
twenty and Derek was seventeen. She was found in a crack
den with a needle in her arm, overdosed on heroin. Jayrod
became the father and mother, provider and caretaker—a
role he had been playing long before their mother actually
died. Jay hit the streets hard and made sure that neither he
nor Derek wanted for anything. He kept Derek out of trouble
because “You are the good one,” he told his brother. “You are
going to college, and you're going to be a lawyer. I'm damn
sure going to need a good one sooner or later.”

Unfortunately, sooner came a lot sooner than any of them
expected. Before Derek could make it out of college, Jayrod
was locked up.

It was Ritz Harper who put the heat on Jayrod. She was
constantly talking about how the rap game had been infiltrated by the drug game and how so many of these rap labels
were headed by drug lords and king pins. Killer Inc., which
featured platinum-selling Da Ruler and R&B sensation Empathy, was started by an associate of Jayrod's who ran one of
the largest drug rings in the Bronx. After Gato went “legit”
in music, he used Jayrod as a supplier. Ritz Harper was fascinated by the connections. When artists came by the studio,
she got them to admit that they had a steady person supplying them with their weed. Under the guise of trying to find a
supplier for herself whom she could trust, she got some artists
to give up a name. Once Ritz had a name, she ran with it.

“It must nice to be the elite supplier to the stars,” Ritz said
on the air. “That Jayrod Mentor must have a nice business for
himself. Because one of his boys, Mr. Bones, couldn't even sit
through a twenty-minute interview in this studio without
lighting up twice . . . cough, cough!”

The feds tuned in to the
Ritz Harper Excursion
for information as well as entertainment. And they started watching Jayrod. He started feeling the heat and had to be extremely
careful. But you can't be careful enough when the feds are on
your trail. And thanks to the Patriot Act, where there were
no limits on what the government can spy on, they would get
you for something.

Like Al Capone and Tommy Mickens and so many others
before him—Jayrod Mentor didn't get caught for the obvious.
He was caught for tax evasion and racketeering.

At the prison, Derek stood in line and waited his turn to
go through the solid metal doors where he had to endure a
search by a stoic, stone-faced guard. Derek then had to empty
the contents of his pockets, which were placed in a large
manila envelope and locked in a locker. He was told he
would get his belongings back upon leaving the prison. Derek
felt a little more humiliated, and he didn't like it. He knew
his strong-willed brother was going crazy. Jayrod's only saving
grace was that he had lots of friends inside. In jail, he was a
bit of a celebrity and was well taken care of for someone who
was stripped of everything, including the ability to decide
when to wake up and when to go to sleep.

Derek was led into a room divided in two by a piece of
Plexiglas that reached the ceiling. Jayrod sat on one side in a
prison-issue orange jumpsuit. Derek sat in the hardback chair
on the other side and picked up the phone.

“Yo, thanks for that last deposit,” Jayrod said. “It came in
handy. How's the business?”

“It's going well,” Derek said.

“You staying out of sight, because you know they would
love nothing better than to have you in this place, too.”

“I know. I'm being very careful.”

“I know you are. You were raised right,” Jayrod said with a
wink. “Listen, I talked to my lawyer and they are filing an appeal. It's going to cost us a mint. Can you cover it?”

“Sure.”

“That's my baby brother! Okay. Good. I'm going crazy in
here, D. I know I can't do no fifteen years in this place. That
bitch Ritz Harper has to pay. This is her fault. The big-mouth
bitch. I have everything set up, D. It's all in place. I just need
you to oversee it and make the payoffs. Can I count on you?”

“You don't even have to ask,” Derek said. “Of course you
can count on me.”

“I couldn't believe our good luck. I mean, what are the
odds of you banging the intern who works right under that
bitch. How lucky could we get? You now have access to her
every move. This is perfect. So again, my boys are ready.
Everything is in place. All you have to do is make the call
and give them the place and then make sure they get hit off
when the deed is done. If this appeal doesn't go through, at
least I can be in here with a smile on my face. I love you, baby
brother.”

“I love you, too, Jay.”

Derek hung up the phone, collected his stuff, and rode the
bus back to Penn Station. Drugs were one thing. But murder?
And what about Jamie? Derek had feelings for her. But he
also had a strange attraction to Ritz. He would have to end it
with Jamie. He would have to do it today.

24

It was less than twenty-four hours since Ritz Harper and Ivan
Richardson had tossed away a lifetime of dreams, a lifetime of
service. In one hour, everything that Edwin's parents had
hoped for, for him and their church, was fading away. He was
on the verge of losing everything—his wife, his church, perhaps even his faith.

Friday mornings at First Baptist Church were some of the
best times for Edwin. He loved seeing the grand church
empty. He got to appreciate the light as it reflected through
the stained glass onto the beige stone floor. The carpeted pulpit, with its rich cherrywood, looked like a regal throne. Being here all alone allowed him to take in the wonderment
and enormity of the mission he believed he was on. Edwin
was impressed and thankful and in awe that God had allowed
every seat in this cavernous building to be filled every Sunday. This Friday, though, was not so rosy.

Edwin walked down the middle aisle of the church and
turned right before the pulpit. He opened a large wooden
door that led to a long hallway filled with rooms on either
side. Two of the rooms were computer rooms. The other
rooms were for different classes being held at the church for
adults and children after school.

When he arrived at the church's library, he put his hand
on the knob but, before going in, he asked God to give him
the strength to deal with whatever was waiting for him on
the other side.

“Good morning everyone,” Edwin said. The room was
filled with members of the church council—the inner circle,
comprised of select deacons and deaconesses, trustees and
elders. Some were making the meeting before heading to
work, some were retired, some had taken the day off. Most
were seated at the large tables in the middle of the room.
There was no need for Edwin to guess what they were talking
about. They were so into their conversations about him that
most hadn't realized that the very reason they were at the
church on a Friday morning had just arrived.

Deacon Samson Lee cleared his throat to let everyone
know that the meeting was about to start. Edwin walked
toward the front of the room and the door opened again. It
was the final arrival—Edwin's mother, Mother Lakes. (Patricia, his wife, was not there. She told him she needed space.)

Edwin's mother commanded respect not just from her congregation but also from the community. She had dedicated
her life to helping others. The church for her wasn't some detached thing that she happened to be a part of. That church
was part of her spirit; it was in her blood.

“Good morning, Mother Lakes!” everyone seemed to say
in unison.

Edwin couldn't help but think how they sounded so much
like rehearsed children. He was certain his mother had timed
her arrival so she wouldn't be forced to sit in a room where
people were passing judgment on her son. She took a seat behind the long wooden desk at the front of the room. A half
podium had been brought in and placed in the center of the
table.

Deacon Lee, Edwin's father's best friend, had remained
loyal to the family and was a godsend after Pastor Lakes Sr.
died. He took care of a lot of the transitional details for Edwin, making his ascension to pastor so much smoother. Deacon Lee knew all of the ins and outs of running the church.
He was the eyes and ears of the church. He was a strong man,
a man who took charge. Even Edwin's mother grew to depend
on him. Deacon Lee cleared his throat again, bringing the
room of fifty-five-plus to attention.

“We are here this morning, as you know, because horrible
accusations have been brought against our pastor and our
leader, Edwin Lakes.”

Shouts of amen came from all over the room.

“Pastor Lakes, first I would like to say that I am behind you
one hundred percent,” Deacon Lee continued. “Those liars
and evildoers who have tainted your name will feel the wrath
of the Almighty!

“I would also like to say, and I speak on behalf of everyone
here, that this is just a formality. We as elders of the church
simply want to witness with our own eyes and hear with our
own ears you denounce these lies with your own mouth.”

Deacon Lee turned to Edwin and Mother Lakes and gestured to show he was finished speaking. He turned the floor
over to Edwin.

Edwin gently let go of his mother's hand and placed it back
on her own lap. Then he cleared his throat and stood to his
feet.

“Deacon Lee, I would like to thank you for your support,”
Edwin started. “I would also like to thank each and every one
of you who are present today. You are truly the backbone of
this church.

“I stand before you today not as a guilty man.”

Amens erupted in the room. Sister Sarah Parker, head of
the usher board, could be heard saying, “I knew it! The devil
sure is busy, though!”

“Please, please,” Edwin said. “Let me finish.”

“Ain't no need to finish,” said Rosco Banks, the seventy-six-year-old church organist. He took the hat he had resting
on his lap and put it on his head and started to gather his
coat, too. “That's all I needed to hear!”

“I would like to finish,” Edwin cut in. “Everyone, please
settle down.”

“You all quiet down!” said Evelene Washington. “The reverend is not done. You all show some respect.” Sister Washington was used to bringing order to a room. She had been
the head Sunday school teacher since Faith Baptist moved to
its large facility. She presided over three teachers and more
than a hundred fifty students every Sunday morning.

“I stand before you as a man of God, a man who has been
honored to be a part of this church and who has served this
church and its members to the best of my ability,” Edwin continued. “I cannot say that I'm without sin or without a past.
But I can say that today and all the days since I was made
head of this church that I have been a righteous man, a righteous leader. Not a single person in this room is without sin.
But I can say that every true follower of Christ that sits before me has been forgiven and washed clean in the eyes
of God.

“If anyone in this room has a problem with what I have
said and no longer wants to be part this church that I believe
was built on a foundation of love, then please take up your
mat and walk.

“If there is nothing else, I'll address this entire situation in
a sermon on Sunday morning, and I encourage any member
to see me or write me if they have any further questions. I
trust that you elders will do the same and reach out to me if
you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you all for
coming here today. I appreciate and love each and every one
of you.”

As Edwin stood before the group, there was a silence that
seemed to last for hours. Finally Edwin's mother broke the
stillness and walked up and hugged her son and smiled.

Deacon Lee came up and shook Edwin's hand firmly. He
turned to Mother Lakes and said, “If you need anything,
Minnie, please call. You know I am behind you.”

Everyone began to file out of the room, speaking in hushed
tones. Edwin didn't think one person would have the guts to
confront him on the matter. He knew they would rather discuss half-truths and spread them throughout the congregation.

“I'm going by the house to help Patricia out with the kids,”
Edwin's mother said to him. “I know she's not taking this very
well.”

“I know, Ma,” Edwin said. “Thank you for everything. I
have a lot of e-mails that I need to answer and then I'll be on
my way home.”

By this time, the library was empty except for Edwin and
his mother.

“Ma, I'm so sorry!” Edwin said. “I didn't mean to ruin
everything. I don't want to destroy your life's work. When I
get home, we can discuss finding a pastor to replace me. After my sermon on Sunday, I am resigning.”

His mother wrapped her arms around him and pulled him
close to her ample bosom. “Baby, it's not up to you. This is
God's work, this is God's church, and no one can ruin that,”
she said. “We will pray about this as we do about everything,
and it will be all right. Just be still, baby. Just be still.

“My faith is not an act. It is a way of life,” his mother continued. “And it's not just for me but for you, too, Edwin. God
will see us through this—as He has seen us through everything else. We will stay together and will let God fight this
battle. Who are these people to judge and not forgive? Each
member of this church must look into their spirits and figure
out why they come to church and why they read the word.

“Your leaving will not save the church. This is not a physical battle, it is a spiritual one. And just because you leave
doesn't mean that battle is over.”

Edwin, whose eyes had begun to well up, grabbed tight to
his mother as he tried to regulate his breathing.

“Edwin, it's going to be okay,” she said as her voice began
to crack. Edwin was trying to be strong as he always had. But
Edwin could no longer keep up the front. He hated himself
for all the pain and embarrassment he was causing his family.
He could no longer hold the fire burning the edges of his eyes
back as he and his mother stood in the middle of the church
library weeping in each other's arms.