Mama's Boy (25 page)

57

K
ay was back in the courtroom. But this time, she was on the defendant's side. The media had been having a field day, with Marty leading the battle cry of how this was a “case of blatant injustice.” As if he cared about this case. But he wanted to further drag her name any way he could. Loni had launched a full-scale campaign to try to boost her numbers back up since they were still down from the debate. After weeks of a solid lead, she was now neck-and-neck with Marty and the election was just a week away.

Kay had resolved that whatever was to be was to be. She still wanted to win but she decided that she'd be content in the DA's office. That's if Sam even wanted her to stay. If this thing ended too ugly with Jamal's sentencing hearing, so might her career in the DA's office. But that was another thing she couldn't worry about.

She'd also done something that she'd never done before—she'd gone to Sam on Jamal's behalf. She'd convinced him that
since the charges against Dix and Brian had been dropped, the quickest way to make this case disappear was to settle for a lesser charge.

“All rise,” the bailiff called out as Judge Raymond entered.

Kay stood along with everyone else in the courtroom. Everyone but Elton, that is. Gloria had asked Kay to come to the sentencing hearing, but the only way Kay would agree to that was if Elton stayed away. Gloria said he'd been upset at the request but he understood, especially when Gloria reminded him that the media would be there and would try to get an interview with him. Officer Wilkins's family along with half the Jasper police force sat on the other side of the courtroom.

“You may be seated,” the judge said as she took a seat at the bench.

Jamal glanced over his shoulder at them. Or rather Gloria. Kay wanted to believe he was looking at her, but when she saw the love in Gloria's eyes, she knew better. Gloria blew him a kiss, then clutched her hands together in a prayer mode. That woman loved her son. Loved
their
son. Kay had never thought about how blessed Jamal was to have grown up with such a loving mother and she was grateful that Gloria was able to do what she had not.

Kay was glad that the judge had closed the courtroom to the media. From what she'd been told, the bail hearing had been hard enough for Jamal. Having to deal with media while he was sentenced would only make things worse.

“Counselor, I understand that you have reached a sentencing agreement?” the judge asked.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Phillip said.

Judge Raymond turned to Harold, the ADA. “Are the terms agreeable to the District Attorney's Office?”

Harold stood. “Yes, Your Honor, we find the terms satisfactory,” he said. Usually in nonjury cases, she issued the sentence, but she'd allowed the two sides to work this out.

“Will the defendant please rise?” the judge said.

Both Jamal and Phillip stood. Gloria instinctively took Kay's hand. Surprisingly, Kay found comfort in her touch.

“Young man, you need to consider yourself very lucky,” the judge said. “There are hundreds of young men who come through my courtroom who never get this opportunity. I hope you know how blessed you are.”

The judge looked over at the Wilkins family, who sat teary-eyed clutching one another. “I understand that no punishment can bring back your loved one. And it is heartfelt when I say I am sorry for your loss. However, I have to concur with the defense that this was indeed a tragic accident.” She turned back to Jamal. “I can only hope that one day you will overcome the thing that had you so fearful of police to the point that your immediate reaction was panic.” She turned toward the officers. “The same applies to police. It is my hope that your days of automatically stereotyping and assuming the worst when you see these young men become few and far between. I can only hope that one day that gap will be bridged so that we have no more tragic losses.”

Finished with her admonishment, Judge Raymond removed her glasses and stared at Jamal. “Mr. Jones, because this is your first offense, I am going to accept the Involuntary Manslaughter recommendation. You will serve three years' probation. If you get into any kind of trouble, I promise you, I will make sure that you do time. I
want you to seize your second chance.” The judge looked up at Kay and smiled. “And I understand that you have someone who you need to get to know.”

Her words made Kay's heart flutter.

“Do you understand and agree with these terms?” Judge Raymond continued.

Phillip looked at Jamal, who nodded and said, “Yes, ma'am.”

The relief in his voice pierced Kay's heart. And for the first time she really thought about what it felt like to be in his shoes. She felt awful about the Wilkins family, especially when she recalled the promise she made the little girl.

“Okay, then, your attorney will advise you of your next move. Court is adjourned.”

The courtroom erupted in chatter. Officer Wilkins's widow glared at Kay as her father led her out of the courtroom.

“So, I'm done?” Jamal asked.

Phillip nodded. Gloria leaped from her seat and raced over to Jamal. “Thank you, Jesus!” Gloria held him close as both of them sobbed.

Kay didn't realize that she was crying, too, until Phillip handed her a tissue. “We had a victory today,” Phillip said.

Kay looked at him and smiled. “We did.”

Part of her wanted Jamal to acknowledge her. She found herself longing to reach out and hug him as well, but she couldn't move. That would have to come in due time.

Phillip did hug him and Kay's heart flickered when Jamal flashed a small smile in her direction. Kay realized that was all that she would get but she would take that. For now. Gloria would always be his mother, but Kay would do everything that she could to become his friend.

58

T
his speech wasn't giving her the joy that she thought it would. Maybe that was because over the last few months, Kay had learned what really mattered in life. She had always been committed to her family, but now, she wanted that commitment to include the family that she'd forgotten.

But it did put a smile in her heart to watch Marty Simon conceding.

“You can tell it's killing him,” Loni leaned in and whispered. They were standing around the big-screen TV in their hotel suite at the Hilton Americas, watching the election returns. The polls had been closed for four hours and Kay held a very strong lead, but Marty refused to concede until the very last moment.

“We did it,” Jeff said, appearing on the side of them.

“Yes, we all did,” Kay said with a smile. “Thank you all for holding it down while my life fell apart.”

“Shoot, I need to see if I can sell your story,” Jeff replied. “That needs to be my next task. I see a book, movie deal, the works in your future.”

Kay laughed. “No, I'm good. I have had enough publicity to last a lifetime.”

“And now, she has a job to do,” Phillip said, appearing on the side of her.

Kay hugged her husband, ecstatic that he had weathered this storm with her. Leslie was in the corner asleep and Ryan was talking to Jeff's son. He'd been really depressed about losing his friendship with Charlie. Kay knew how he felt. She couldn't believe that she was celebrating a monumental win without her best friend by her side. But she'd get her friendship with Camille back. She was going to make that a priority. They were going to pay for Charlie's school because they could afford it. Then Kay would forgive Camille for all the horrible things she said, and for blaming Ryan. She'd forgive her because she didn't have any room left in her heart for hate.

“Thank you so much, Kay. I'm glad you invited me,” Gloria said, walking up.

“Thank you for coming. I know this has been hard on both of us.”

“I'm just glad to have my son home.”

Jamal was home. Or his new home, rather, in Houston. With a little help from Kay, Gloria had gotten an apartment for her and Jamal and they were all trying to help him through this ordeal.

She'd wanted him here tonight, but he refused to come.

At first Kay was sad about that, but she hoped that in time, they'd have a breakthrough. Kay had broken her bond with her son and would stop at nothing until she got it back.

Epilogue

R
egret was a powerful thing, and as he watched the streamers fall from the ceiling, the massive crowd cheering in delight and Kay Christiansen poised to deliver her acceptance speech, Elton Jones was filled with regret.

Once upon a time, he was a very bad boy. His wife knew about Kayla. She didn't know about the others. There were only a handful of them, but Elton felt the pain in his heart as he thought about what he took from them. He had tried so hard to live a righteous life. But something about the nectar of a young girl had turned him on. It wasn't as perverted as it seemed now, because he was in his early thirties the first time it happened. And that girl—Patrice, a promiscuous sixteen-year-old neighbor—had pursued him. She'd flaunted her tight little body around him, told him that in “the old days,” women her age were already married, toyed with him, touched him, until he finally gave in.

A slow pain filled his heart as he recalled how that became his justification for the next girl. Elton didn't even remember her
name, but she'd cried silent tears as he forced himself on her. She, too, initially wanted it and then right in the middle of the act changed her mind, but he couldn't stop. Patrice had opened an appetite he didn't know existed. The next girl had been a church member. She was sixteen also but had the body of a twenty-five-year-old. He'd justified that one by saying he wasn't that much older than her. The way she'd cried, and gone from a sweet church girl to a rebellious teen, Elton had sworn he wouldn't do it again.

Then the devil led him to Kayla in that closet. He had no intention of doing anything other than chastising her, until her innocence seemed to call out for him. He'd decided to dance with the devil, not even wondering whether the other two girls would call for help, especially since . . .

Elton's thoughts trailed off as he heard a noise outside, then what sounded like a cat screeching. He stood and looked out the window. It was pitch black, but he saw the Parkers' old cat scurrying across his yard.

Elton closed the blinds and made his way back to his recliner. Kayla was still on the TV. She was giving a speech now. But he had no idea what she was saying. Her words wouldn't register. When he saw her, how she'd excelled in spite of what he'd done, he thanked God for deliverance. Hers and his.

When Kayla had turned up pregnant, Elton had taken that as a sign from God. He had accepted his son as his punishment for his sin and had prayed feverently for forgiveness. He had fasted. He had cleansed himself. And he had been delivered from the demon that caused him to hurt those girls.

He did have an occasional desire, but when it came, he locked himself in his office with his Bible and prayed until it went away.

And Gloria had never known.

His wife had been right about one thing, God had forgiven him, but he had not forgiven himself. He was angry for what he'd done and had taken that anger and resentment out on his son. He hadn't meant to, but he had.

“. . . I'd like to thank my family,” Kayla said, causing Elton to turn his attention back to the TV. She was at the podium, smiling and looking happy. “My wonderful husband.” Phillip stepped up and hugged her. “And my children, Leslie, Ryan . . .” Then she turned directly to the camera and added, “And Jamal.”

That brought a lump to Elton's throat. Jamal wasn't onstage and if Elton knew his son, it would take some time before he accepted Kayla. But Elton was just glad that his son was getting a second chance, even if that chance was without him.

Maybe one day he could make amends with Jamal, maybe even Gloria. He'd written Jamal a letter, telling him how sorry he was for everything, begging for his forgiveness. He'd asked Gloria to give him the letter and she promised that she had but Elton had yet to hear back from his son.

Gloria, on the other hand, did still call to check on him. The first time she did it, he had a glimmer of hope. But he had soon discovered that her calls were simply her nurturing nature, checking on his well-being. The love she had for him was gone. He could feel it every time they spoke. And for him, that was the ultimate price he paid for the sins he'd committed.

Elton was just about to turn off the television when his doorbell rang. He looked out the peephole and didn't recognize the young lady standing there. She was a brown-skinned girl, with a hat covering her wavy, shoulder-length hair. She was incredibly thin and for a moment, Elton wondered if she was a drug addict begging for food.

She saw him through the peephole, waved, and smiled. “Hello. I'm your new neighbor from down the street. I was wondering if I could use your phone?”

He frowned. It was late for folks to be knocking on other folks' doors, but then he let her in. Jasper seldom got new residents.

“I'm sorry. They haven't installed my phone yet and I need to call a friend and give her directions,” the woman said.

“Oh, okay. Well, I'm Elton Jones. Reverend Elton Jones,” he said, stepping aside. “Come on in. The phone is in the living room.”

“Thank you.”

He directed her to the phone; she picked it up, dialed a number, then mumbled off directions to their street.

“So you moved into the Pearsons' house? I didn't even realize it had been leased. The sign was still up there today,” Elton asked after she'd hung up.

She nodded. “Just trying to get settled in.” She shifted again. “May I trouble you for some water?”

“Sure,” he said, making his way out of the room. “What brings you to Jasper?” he asked from the kitchen. “This isn't exactly a thriving metropolis.” He laughed as he handed her a bottled water. He gave her a hard stare. “Are you sure you're new around here?” he said. “You look familiar.”

“Yep, this is my first time in Jasper.” She unscrewed the cap, then took a sip of the water.

“Well, what brings you here?”

“Business,” she said.

“Oh, okay. What kind of business you in?”

“Score settling.” She finally seemed to relax as she set the water down on the table by the front door. It wasn't lost on Elton that she hadn't bothered to use a coaster.

“Score settling?” he asked, sliding a coaster under her bottle. “Never heard of that. By the way, I didn't get your name.”

The woman took a deep breath, then slid her hand into her jacket pocket.

“You gon' tell me your name?” he asked again.

The woman didn't say a word as she slowly slid her hand out of her pocket.

Elton's eyes bucked at the .32-caliber pistol pointed at him.

“My name is Maxine,” she said, “Maxine Lewis.”

Elton took a step back. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“I told you, settling the score.” She stepped closer to him. “Do you even know who I am?”

Elton was so scared he couldn't reply. Of course he knew. He hadn't seen her in years, but he knew. He just couldn't believe he hadn't known when he opened the front door.

She let out a maniacal laugh. “Oh, I see by the look on your face, you remember. Do you also remember how I cried when you raped me? I felt worthless. I didn't know how to bounce back. I told my mother and she blamed me, called me a whore, because she had her eyes on you. Do you know what that does to a child? Not only did you rape me, but my mother blamed me for you two not being together. So it messed our relationship up. How crazy is that?” She released another pained laugh.

Was a twenty-year-old deed really about to come back and haunt him?

“You . . . you seemed fine,” he found himself stammering.

“Fine?” she screeched, jabbing the gun in his direction. “You call getting on drugs, drifting from one worthless job to another, one no-good man to another, fine? The only reason I didn't get pregnant as a teen was because I refused to let another man touch me!”

“Look, I'm sorry,” Elton said, eyeing her strong hold on the gun.

“Sorry?” she cried. She had started sweating and it was making Elton nervous. “I know you are sorry!”

“No, I'm sorry I hurt you.” He stepped toward her. “But you don't want to do this.”

She jabbed the gun again. “Back! Get back! I knew what you were going to do to Kayla that day you caught us smoking. I even asked her when she came running out of there in tears, but she acted like I was crazy. Everyone acted like I was crazy!” She took a deep breath, like she was trying to calm herself. “You know, I used to dream of ways of getting revenge on you. I'd given up until I ran into Kayla in a restaurant. Then I read the newspaper. The whole story about your son and my old friend Kayla, and then you became my mission. And now I'm here.”

“Wh-what do you want from me?” Elton stammered. “I told you I'm sorry.”

“I don't want your tired-ass apology. I want revenge,” she snapped.

“Maxine, God has—”

“Shut up!” she screamed, putting her other hand on the gun. “Don't you dare talk to me about God. What kind of God lets you be His spokesperson?” She raised the gun and pointed it at his chest.

“A forgiving one,” he said.

The gun trembled in her hands as she said, “Then I hope He forgives me, too.” And then she fired one fatal shot.