In My Sister's House (26 page)

Rolling out of bed, she noticed Sidney’s gym bag was gone, which meant, as was his usual Saturday morning routine, he had gone running with the fellas and would probably work out on the basketball court afterward.

Skylar had been thinking a lot about the conversation she’d had two weeks ago with Nettie. Maybe she had been too hard on Storm. But was it so bad to want the best for her family? Hadn’t Dutch taught them to be the best women they could be? At any rate, she planned to talk to Storm and maybe try to reach some happy medium. But first, she needed to make some calls to get a few servers and an additional bartender for the evening’s affair.

•  •  •

Storm tossed and turned all night. After checking into the Ritz-Carlton, she refused to leave her bed. She closed all the blackout drapes in the room and had no sense of time. She’d broken her cellphone beating DuBoy’s ass.

Just the thought of him pissed her off even more. “I should have shot his ass when I had his gun in my hand,” she said out loud. She would have, too, if she wasn’t scared of going back to prison. Yes, she was just that mad!

And Pia, that dirty bitch! How could she even think that Pia and she could have become friendly? Hadn’t Lenora warned her?
And the nerve of her to be in the bed where I slept
.

Most women, when they catch their man cheating, attack the other woman. Storm thought that was bullshit! “He is the one you need to be jumping on,” she always said. And she wasn’t gonna be
that woman who, at the end of it all, took his cheating ass back.
Hell to the naw!

But as her thoughts turned toward how long DuBoy and Pia had been together, Storm felt more hurt than angry. She cared for DuBoy. True, she wasn’t in love with him, but there were some feelings. Or maybe it was that she hadn’t been with a man in three years. Whatever the case, she was glad that she had found out what she did, when she did.

Storm might have been down, but she wasn’t out. She would rise again, stronger than ever. She had to. She was all she had. Yes, Nettie loved her, but now that there was no Dutch, she felt more alone than ever. Her relationship with Skylar barely existed, and considering how things had been going since she got home, she doubted if it would get any better. For now, she needed to think about what she was going to do.

Facing DuBoy was inevitable because most of her belongings were still at his place. She knew that she had to see him again, but she wasn’t afraid of him. DuBoy had never laid a hand on her, and after last night she doubted that he would try. But she couldn’t promise what she would do or say if she saw Pia. It’s not about her being with DuBoy. No, she’d already dealt with that. It was how Pia had disrespected her.
It’s bad enough to see her with my boy—’cause a man, he ain’t—but to screw him in our bed? There’s not a dirtier bitch that walks this earth than one who does that
. Deep in thought, Storm dozed off and spent the rest of the day in bed.

•  •  •

An affluent, sophisticated crowd representing Philadelphia’s elite paid two hundred and fifty dollars a plate for the black-tie fundraiser. Guests dined on a special menu prepared and catered by the highly regarded Devon Seafood Grill. Sounds of jazz and easy listening filled the club. Neo-soul duo Kindred was scheduled to perform, and Skylar was told that superstar singer and Philly native Patti LaBelle might make an appearance if she got back to town in time. Sidney was acting as MC tonight, since Flynn left word that he wasn’t
feeling well enough to come in. The ceremony was scheduled to start immediately after dinner.

Growing ever more concerned about Nettie’s absence, Skylar called her house phone several times but got no answer. She tried her cellphone, and not only was there no answer there as well, but her voice mail was full. Skylar tried June, who told her that she and Nettie had broken up last night after the fight at the club. Skylar told her that Nettie had not come in or called.

“I’ve called her several times myself,” June said. “But I figured she wouldn’t answer. You know how she likes to be dramatic, ma’. She was pretty ripped last night, so she’s probably sleeping off a huge hangover.” June told Skylar everything that Nettie had done the night before. Skylar was shocked. Sure, Nettie had a mouth on her, but hitting a girl in the head with a bottle didn’t seem like something she’d do.

After speaking to June, Skylar decided not to bother Nettie tonight. She was sure that Nettie would call her later on tonight or tomorrow. The affair was going well, and the temporary staff were doing a good job. Thank God for Sidney, who always knew how to calm her down. He was the voice of reason. Stepping up to the plate as Master of Ceremonies was a major help—even though she had to shake her head at him trying to crack jokes during his opening. He was lucky no one heckled him.

“Just make the introductions, honey,” Skylar said loud enough for only her man to hear.

Kindred performed a great set of songs and the crowd loved them. Patti LaBelle did manage to stop by and dedicated her rendition of “Over the Rainbow” to anyone fighting the fight. “No matter what the fight may be, you gotta fight the fight,” Patti said. These words couldn’t have rung more true. Skylar felt this way now more than ever.

The evening began to wind down and many of the guests filtered out. Skylar noticed a man sitting by himself at one of the back tables. Dressed in a pair of black baggy jeans, a black hoodie, dark glasses, and black Timberlands, he nursed a drink as he took in all
the activity around him. He wasn’t exactly in black tie, but he was in black nonetheless. She planned to send Sidney over to him to check things out.

Kindred were breaking down their equipment, so she figured he was with them. Less than twenty guests were still in the club, and Skylar thanked God that they had been able to get through the night, which had been a success for Bebashi, raising more than $15,000 in the silent auction alone. Sidney had even convinced Patti LaBelle to auction herself off for a lunch to the highest bidder. Miss Shoes won that honor with her bid of eight thousand five hundred dollars. That should be some lunch, they all thought, because Patti was known for wearing unique pumps. Skylar was sure they would have a lot to talk about.

Torch and Cleet were also in attendance, and as much as Skylar wanted to bar them from the club, they obviously had purchased their tickets for the event and remained quiet throughout the evening. Skylar still placed Head by their table for the entire evening just in case there was any trouble.

“You talk to DuBoy today?” Cleet asked Torch.

“No, but that nigga gon’ come through, you can believe that. I didn’t see Storm tonight either. They’re probably together somewhere making sure that shit was right. I can spot a greedy, dumb muthafucka a mile away. That nigga’s been off the streets too long. He don’t even know what’s up. He ain’t seen no paper, no nothing. Nigga will do anything to try and be somebody. This shit is funny to me.” Torch and Cleet laughed as they downed bottle after bottle of wine.

With only an hour or so to go before closing, Sidney closed down the kitchen and dismissed all the servers except for one. Only three tables were still occupied. Torch and Cleet were at one, a middle-aged man and a twentysomething young lady who appeared to not want the night to end were at another, and the strange dude in all black sat at the third table in the back. Skylar went over to him and asked if everything was okay. He nodded his head affirmatively.

Cleet stood up and stumbled toward the restroom. Seeing this,
Skylar signalled to the bartender not to serve Torch’s table any more alcohol. The brotha all in black got up and followed Cleet into the restroom. Emptying the last of the alcohol in his glass, Torch pulled out his BlackBerry to make a call. Skylar noticed the couple preparing to leave and went over to thank them for coming. When she turned to do the same to the table in the back where the guy was sitting, she noticed that he had gone. For some reason, she felt relieved. She hadn’t realized how much he had made her uneasy. She was ready to go home. It’d been a long day. Making her way back into the kitchen, she thanked the staff for all their help.

The bathroom door opened, and the dude in black emerged. He walked over to Torch’s table with something concealed in his hand. Torch looked up and saw someone standing directly in front of him. “What the fuck do you want, nigga?” Torch asked, seconds before a jar of clear liquid was thrown into his face.

“Nigga, are you crazy?!” Torch stood up, but before he could reach for his gun, the stranger had tossed the lit candle from the table into his face. Torch fell to the floor, flailing and screaming. He pulled the tablecloth up to cover his face, but the gasoline on his face caused it to catch fire as well. Head and Sidney rushed over to help Torch as Skylar and the kitchen staff ran out to see the commotion. Someone called 911 as others worked to make sure the fire didn’t spread. No one noticed the brotha in all black as he calmly walked toward the exit.

Once outside, he adjusted the hood of his jacket, and under the black stocking cap, traces of platinum-blond hair peeked out. The sound of a siren was heard in the distance as he turned down the darkened street and disappeared into the night.

S
kylar entered the building that, just months ago, had been Legends, the most thriving, successful nightclub Philadelphia had seen in decades. The decision to let it go had not been an easy one. In fact, she’d agonized over it for quite some time. Despite encouragement from Sidney, Flynn, and the community to keep it open, her mind was made up. There were too many painful memories. Walking around the empty building was surreal for her. She had been notified that there was a buyer for the place. The new owner wanted to put a restaurant here.

What had happened? Why was this happening to her of all people? All of her blood, sweat, and tears had been put into this place. And before that, her family’s. It was her legacy. But it would soon be only a memory. She thought of Dutch and how sad all of this would have made him feel.

Glancing over where the bar used to be, she thought of Nettie and tears started streaming down her face. Skylar couldn’t believe that she would never see her again. Nettie’s murder made headlines in the local papers;
The Philadelphia Tribune
tried to sensationalize it with a headline banner on its cover, which read: “Lesbian Barmaid with Sordid Past Found Slain in Lover’s Apartment.”
What did Nettie’s past have to do with anything?
Skylar thought. It was also the
lead-in story on local television for several days until the killer was caught.

The entire neighborhood was stunned about what had happened to Nettie, but there was no public funeral. Nettie’s wishes, according to June, were that if something ever were to happen she wanted to be cremated. Skylar and Storm oversaw a memorial service at a local church and there were tributes at Legends and Deana’s. A candlelight vigil was held in her memory, and more than five hundred people came to pay their respects.

At first most thought that June did it. She was a prime suspect— their legendary fights were no secret—but was ruled out after she produced a solid alibi. Everyone was questioned, including Skylar, Storm, and Sidney. One by one they, along with all of the employees and staff, were summoned downtown to police headquarters for questioning. Skylar remembered being asked if she knew of anyone that might have had a reason to kill Nettie. Was there someone from her past? A jealous lover? A disgruntled customer? Or could it have been just a random act of violence? Skylar gave a sworn statement indicating what June told her about the fight Nettie had had with Candice the night she died, but Candice, too, was ruled out after an investigation. Then she remembered Nettie telling her about the run-in she’d had with Pia. Pia had threatened Nettie. Skylar vaguely knew that there was some type of relationship with Pia’s mother, who had previously passed away. She told the detectives that Pia held a deep resentment for Nettie because of that history, and that they should check her out.

Pia didn’t lie to the detectives: She told them clearly and plainly that she despised Nettie, but didn’t kill her. But after a thorough investigation, Pia was also removed from the list of suspects. “Frankly,” Skylar told the detectives, “even though Nettie was widely loved, she had an acid tongue. Her mouth got her into trouble more than once. But anyone who really knew her knew she was harmless.”

Skylar called the precinct daily to ask about new leads or developments in the case. But nothing turned up until a tip came in from an unlikely source. Lovely. Although Lovely still hadn’t returned to the
club, she did keep in touch with Skylar and some of the other staff. One evening while watching the news, she remembered something, and although it was minor, she thought she should at least report it. After phoning the tip line, her story checked out and within three days a suspect was apprehended. Elliott Stevens, also known as Treasure, of Atlantic City, was booked and charged with the murder of Nettie Flowers. It was clear that Treasure made good on threats. She had never gotten over how Nettie had publicly embarrassed her during those auditions held at the club several months before. Her final words to Nettie were that they would meet again, and they did.

Nettie had not noticed that Treasure was one of the female impersonators in the Destiny’s Child act that performed for the special evening honoring June. But Treasure recognized Nettie as soon as the fight broke out with Candice. Even though the place was jam-packed and it was hard to see who was fighting, the sound of Nettie’s voice rang loud and clear. Treasure made her way down from the stage into the mass of spectators. Looking over the crowd she saw an out-of-control, intoxicated Nettie being escorted out of the building. She had never forgotten what Nettie had done and knew that their paths would cross again.

“That bitch needs to learn her lesson once and for all,” Treasure said to Cinnamon, the Kelly Rowland look-alike, who was standing right beside her. But Cinnamon didn’t hear her. She was too busy watching and listening to the fight. If she had, Cinnamon would have paid attention, because everybody in Atlantic City knew that Treasure was crazy and would
act out
.