Murder in Germantown (5 page)

“
No, I don’t. Tell me, sir,” I said smiling.

“
When your so very busy schedule makes room for me...”

“
Okay. Bye.”

I hung up. Believe me. He would have gotten me. Besides, I had company (You included) and he was making me out to be the bitch, as if both of our costumes did not consist of pants. There were no queens in our condo.

I looked over at Ariel Greenland, absconder-at-large, having forgotten momentarily that she was there. My angry level was code orange. Or whichever color Homeland Security had assigned the highest security threat level. I begged myself to downgrade a bit. At that point, I was in my professional raiment, but I would brandish my inner thug as soon as I exited the office. Couldn’t let the white folks see me act a fool outside of the courtroom.

“
Damn,” Ariel said. “What was with that?” she asked. “Five years passed, but I know you, Ravonne Lemmelle. You love hard and do not take shit. You tolerate very little.”

“
Did you think of that before you flew here?”

“
Anyway. Who was that?”

“
Dajuan. And if you know so damn much, why am I a gay man and no longer bi?”

“
Dajuan Jones, as in the singer?”

“
Great catch, huh?” I joked with a mock smile on my face.

Her little recital moments ago showcased concern, but I wasn’t fooled. Nor did I miss how she slithered away from my question.

“
What did he do, cheat?” she asked.

I looked at her perplexed and she concluded, “He cheated.”

She then asked, “Why” as if she cared. I hated fakes.

“
My work habits are a tad avaricious. He thinks that when he’s not on tour, my law career stops. Thinks that I should go into private practice rather than slave at the largest firm in the city, so that I can make my own schedule. Around his schedule. That and he was drunk.”

“
Everyone cheats when they’re drunk. Even...”

“
You!” I snapped and pointed an index finger at her. “You can say it. You left me for the same reason that he may. I’m too ambitious. Why that is so profoundly obnoxious to my paramours is insane. When NASA finds life on Mars, I pray that planet has appreciative denizen.” (Or, Isaac Asimov’s Solaria.)

She sat there silent, which was expected. I knew she was never prepared for me. She should have stayed in LA. I dashed to my walk-in closet, shut the curtain and left her there to ponder.

I had dreaded that encounter, but I had handled myself remarkably well. I emerged from the closet sans tie, trousers and wing tips. They were replaced with Jeans and sneakers. I un-buttoned my dress shirt two buttons, and kept on the blazer. I am a great chameleon.

“
Where are you staying?” I asked and grabbed my briefcase.

I tossed on a Yankees fitted cap. No, I am not a Yankee fan, but I loved the stripes
.

“
The Lowes.”

“
Let’s take this chat there. I would invite you to my home, but I need to prepare Brandon for the shock,” I said, walking toward the elevator.

“
Uh...” she stammered dumbly.

“
Um, my ass! Surely you had plans on meeting Brandon?”

“
I’m not sure that I am ready for that. I am scared,” she said as we entered an empty elevator.

“
Scared of what?”

“
Him hating me, Ray-Ray,” she said, as we exited the elevator.

“
I’ll talk to him,” I told her. “Good night, Frank,” I told security of the Prudential Building and wondered how Ariel passed him and Marsha unnoticed. “He won’t hate you. He’s still waiting for you to turn up on TV.”

On 12th Street, we walked out of the building toward Market Street. My coat and scarf was in my car, which was parked in the underground garage of the hotel where she stayed. It was directly across from my office. I parked there for free. A perk that I wrote corporate and asked for as a shareholder.

Before we entered the hotel’s 12th Street entrance, I stopped and warned her, “If you have no intentions of meeting Brandon, then we can terminate this now.”

She looked at me. Her eyes brilliant. They reminded me so much of Brandon’s. Had she replied no, my world would have come crashing down again. I didn’t collapse at that point. Later, Ariel definitely flew Heartbreak flight 8774 searing through my heart.

CHAPTER 10

Ariel stayed at the hotel whose anchor restaurant was host to my lunch dates. Prior to going into the gut of the enchanting Lowes, I stopped at Sole Food, the eccentric, crustacean restaurant. I had the waiter send a few of my favorite things to Ariel’s room. Oprah had her favorite things, and I had mine.

My hostess looked horrified and seemed standoffish as we sat in the luxuriant hotel room. She had a tight petite body that I used to ravish abundantly. True, I should have still been, but things happened. I flipped the TV on and flopped on the bed. She looked at me dumbfounded. She should have been grateful that I was there and calm. I was miffed to the nth degree. My emotions were not describable, and please forgive me, I am not going to try to explain them.

I heard a knock and opened the hotel door. Luke handed me a decorative tray. I tipped him and he exited. He had prepared me a Bloody Mary with fresh horseradish, and I drowned it. My uvula was set ablaze and I was ready to breathe fire. Until then, the chit-chat was trite, and I’d spare you the contents and get right to the meat.

“
So, Ariel. Let’s have it,” I said and joined her on the sofa. I handed her a gin martini.

“
What?” she asked coyly. She sipped. A cool smirk on her face.

If choking her had been an option...

“
Listen,” I dug into my wallet and spoke. “Games have an appropriate time to be played. In fact,” I handed her three photos of
my
five-year-old. “Tonight is Brandon’s and my board game and pizza night, but he’s spending it with Constance.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the photos. I reached over and pulled her closer to me. The fit was still snug.

“
This is too much. I shouldn’t have come here.”

“
That’s absurd,” I whispered. “I’ve missed you terribly. Brandon is a reflection of you.” I had kissed her forehead in an attempt to comfort her.

“
He looks like me.”

“
He is a
masculine version of you. Very creative and too damn smart. Rumored to be a child prodigy. He is in Judo and boxing classes, too. And he is very attractive to pretty little girls and women, too. Just like you.”

“
Funny. He’s five, Ray-Ray,” she said and sank deeper into my arms.

We were conjoined twins just like the old days.

“
He’s five and very understanding. I promise he will forgive you. Sometimes, I pull out our photo album and I’ll point to you and ask him, who’s that? He replies that it’s his mommy. He thinks he has an advantage over other kids because he has two dads and a mom that lives in Hollywood.”

“
Brandon may become gay and it’ll be all my fault. Had I stayed and we had our perfect marriage, with our candy on the side, this wouldn’t be happening. But I was scared.”

“
I still have no idea what you were scared of. And after five years, I don’t even care. I miss you. And trust me, Brandon likes pussy. He’d love to meet you, too. He has never asked why you left. He gets that. He had demanded to take acting classes to be an actor like his mommy. He’s at the ripe age to be rescued from ever hating you.”

“
But what about us?”

“
Ariel, let me be frank,” I said and sat up.

I wouldn’t be fooled twice.

“
There is no us. We are parents, though. I am not five, nor as easily forgiving as King B. I mean Brandon. And besides...”

“
I bet you fucking forgave D. Jones, faggot!” She exclaimed sarcastically.

She stood and walked to the window overlooking Market Street.

I was not pissed that she called me a name. That was what everyone called me when they were mad at me. It was laughable. I really didn’t have to explain myself to her, but I wanted revenge.

“
He shared a meaningless kiss and confessed to me, and I was angry at him for it. Accidents happen and can be fixed. Tragedies, though, are unrepairable. I do not need to tell you who did what. I do not play the break up to make up bullshit. In five years, I have grown considerably.”

She walked over to me and pulled me to my feet. She looked seductively into my eyes and ran her hand along the length of my penis.

“
Has all of you grown considerably?” she breathed.

Then would have been an excellent time to reveal that I haven’t grown, but I was still a frightening size down there, but she didn’t deserve the pleasure. Besides, I could not give her the satisfaction of believing that I was pussy-whipped. I could’ve lain her down and punished her atrociously for revenge. Got my nut. And left. But I didn’t for one very good reason: I still loved Ariel Greenland.

I pulled away from her and said, “Ariel, now is not the time to pretend that we are all good, so let’s patch up and have succulent make-up sex to start anew. Like you, I was bogged by immaturity five years ago, but I’m sure you understand not having a real social life, not being able to party, and travel forced me to grow up real fast. Maybe had I shared my parental obligations with...”

“
Don’t take this and turn it into a major guilt trip. I feel bad enough.”

“
Well, don’t try to come here and fuck me as if this can be patched. You can’t put a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.”

“
Fuck you, Ray-Ray!”

“
I’m sure you’d love to.”

I caught myself. I had a litany of haughty things to verbally pass along to my wife--soon to be ex. I would not dare dumb myself down, though. “Listen, Ariel. Where is this going? You said you needed something. What do you need? You didn’t fly here for dick, I’m sure.”

“
I fucking hate you! You arrogant piece of shit. That’s why I left you. Fuck you. Get out!”

“
What? I haven’t done shit to you. Then or now. I have been kissing your ass for two hours, when you should be French kissing mine. I’m not getting out. Put me the fuck out!”

“
Oh, you’re getting out.” she raved and raced to the hotel phone.

I grabbed her, twisted her around and looked her deep into her eyes and hissed. “You’re dead wrong, Ariel. You know damn well I do not deserve this. I’ve never hurt you, and I don’t intend too. You could have stayed in LA and not brought this whole thing to fruition. Let’s get to the point. You need something and you can probably get it, if you agree to see our baby, because you and I have nothing to iron out, but you owe him!”

I let her go. Well, I flung her like a flea. She dropped onto the bed.

“
You’re trying to blackmail me.”

“
Blackmail? Are you kidding me? I haven’t asked you to free fall from an airborne Boeing jet. I asked you to see a child that you gave birth too, you stupid bitch!”

“
I want a divorce. I only wanted half your shit, but I want the condo you live in with Dajaun and your car, too. And my son. I also want...”

“
Is that why you came?” I asked laughing. “LA has excellent attorneys. Just marvelous when it comes to divorce and celebrity murders. You should’ve saved the airfare and hotel fees. My son. You’re crazy! No court in America would take Brandon from me.”

I was cracking the hell up.

“
I’mma suck you dry, too, since you find me funny.”

“
What, this dick? That’s ‘bout all you’ll be sucking dry. Cause I’ll guarantee you will get nothing but dust, babe.”

I grabbed my briefcase.

“
We will see. Get out before I scream rape.”

“
No one in this entire city would believe you. Do you know who I am? You’re an insane bitch. And I suggest you do not come near me again,” I said and let the hotel door close behind me.

CHAPTER 11

I reached my car and threw myself and briefcase inside. I beat on the steering wheel. I was angry, and so much that I could not muster a tear. She did not have to come and interrupt my world. I didn’t deserve that. That was why I was sure you have more faith on a higher power than your storyteller. If there was a God and he had a
soupcon
of love for me, perhaps he could send a messenger to tell me the reason for the unwarranted
casus belli
. I knew my behavior was verbally injurious, but she attacked me first. While, I should’ve remained calm, I couldn’t lie to my heart and convince it that I was not hurt. I tried and that counted for something, right? Right.