Authors: Tyora M. Moody

When Rain Falls (21 page)

BOOK: When Rain Falls

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Chapter Forty-one

The woman disappeared just like that. Candace expected to see Yvonne standing where several committee members were now congregating around a door. Instead, she noticed many familiar faces, including one in particular in a nearby corner. Dressed down in a button-down shirt and jeans, Darnell stood with his arms crossed, talking with the younger Reverend Freeman. The detective and the minister laughed together like they were old buddies.

After leaving the Colemans' home earlier today, Candace was happy she'd thought to ask Darnell to come. Maybe too happy.
Calm down, girl. What is wrong with you?
Well, for one, she definitely needed to talk to him about what she'd heard a while ago. Had he even considered the possibility of one of the Harrises hiring a hit man? People with money generally used it to get other people to do what they didn't want to do themselves.

Before Candace had a chance to approach Darnell, Yvonne sailed into the room. “Okay, everyone take your seats. I don't want to hold you long this evening.”

Candace couldn't believe this woman. She took her personalities on and off like clothes. Any signs of their confrontation in the hallway earlier had been replaced with a smile. Candace needed to remind herself she was in the Lord's house, even if it was a classroom. The thoughts running through her head of knocking that smug look off the woman's face were certainly not pleasing in God's sight. She was here for Pamela.

“Each of you has a folder with the applicants' submitted materials. We will read through each essay and place our scores on the score sheet included on top. Please note that this year we are picking not only three winners, but also a special recipient. The Colemans have generously provided a donation in memory of their beloved Pamela.”

The woman about strangled when she said Pamela's name. It could have been Candace's imagination, too. She flipped through the folder, removing the pages one by one. One of the pages slipped off the table, twirled in the air, and landed on the floor. She reached down to get it. A familiar masculine smell hit her nostrils, and then she felt pain in the temple area.

“Ouch. I'm sorry.” Darnell held his head. They'd both just about knocked each other out. “Trying to kill me again, I see.”

“Whatever.” She didn't dare look at him. Her head still throbbed from the impact. How had he managed to sit next to her, anyway? If she hadn't been too busy daydreaming about smacking Yvonne, she might have noticed.

“I hope you two are all right. Detective, it's good to have you here, as well. I'm surprised.” Yvonne's eyes darted back and forth from Candace to Darnell.

Several others snickered around the table.

“Just a little head injury. We'll survive,” Darnell said, then winked at Candace.

Yvonne frowned. “Good. Let's begin.”

That man was definitely related to Beulah. When she'd called Darnell earlier, it had seemed like a great idea to get him involved. He already worked with the youth at Victory Gospel. She didn't mind sleuthing, but she knew it was a good idea to have a professional on hand. Besides that, she didn't want to see that puppy dog look on his face when he seemed insulted over her lack of trust.

Candace snuck another peek at Darnell while he read the first page on his pile. His thick eyebrows were furrowed together, almost making a unibrow. Instead of focusing on the detective, she needed to read the entries in her own folder.

She read through the first set of applicants but wasn't really impressed. If a young person wanted to apply for a scholarship, it seemed like he or she would put more effort into the answers. Most answers were terse and or just plain boring, one academic achievement after another. Pamela would have wanted to pass her legacy and love for academics on to a deserving young adult. Her friend had been full of passion. These were some dull kids.

She rotated her neck back and forth. Only one application was left on her pile. This was a lot harder than she thought. She hoped she didn't have to read through all of them again.

This last one had to belong to a girl. The loopy handwriting resembled Rachel's. The applicant had dotted her
i'
s with circles instead of dots. All the applicants had been asked the same question for the essay. “Why do you think you deserve this scholarship?”

I don't deserve this scholarship.

What?
That got her attention. Candace read what the girl wrote again.

I don't deserve this scholarship. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. My mother raised me and my two brothers by herself. Then I had to commit the worse offense against her. Become a mother at fifteen. Mama helps me with the baby, but she's still determined that I go to college. She always tells me I'm a smart girl and can do anything I want. She helps me take care of my son, while still worrying about her own two sons. Both of my brothers stay in and out of trouble all the time. I had this scholarship application sitting around my room for a while. Last night, I saw Mama cry for the first time in my life. For once in my life, I want to make my mama proud. I want to see her happy, and I want to prove all those people wrong who said I wouldn't be nothing.

Candace read and reread the paragraph.

You're a smart girl.

That was something Mama would have said to her. “You're a smart girl, Candace. You can do anything you want to
.
”

Aunt Maggie would say, “Candace, God will help you be the person He wants you to be. Trust Him.”

Looked like she'd found a worthy recipient, after all. She could almost hear Pamela's voice.
That's my girl.

Chapter Forty-two

Darnell hurried down the hallway after Candace. At one point, he'd heard her sniffling quietly as she read one of the applicants' entries. He wondered which one had touched her so much. The one by the girl who had the baby at age fifteen had really hit home for him. Sounded similar to his story. His mother, Dorothy Jackson, had him early and sacrificed most of her life to see him succeed.

Those brothers. Always into trouble. That sounded just like him, too. He imagined his younger sisters had stories to tell about him. From the moment he'd reached puberty, Darnell had regretted the crazy stuff he'd put his mother through.

Man, that woman can walk fast.
Candace had already exited the building by the time he arrived in the lobby. He put his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hey, Candace.”

She paused mid-step and turned. Like the first time he saw her, her eyes were large and sad. “Yes, Detective ?”

He caught up to her after a few long strides. “I was wondering if you had some time to talk.”

“Actually, I would like that. I have a few things I wanted to share with you.”

“I'm intrigued already. You like burgers?”

A smile spread across her face. “Darnell, I have two teens. I am not afraid to tackle burgers and fries.”

He laughed. She looked more like a teenager herself. Those blue jeans were fitting her nicely around the hips. What he really liked was seeing her hair pulled back away from her face. Now he could really see her eyes. “There's a great place about two blocks from the church. You can follow me over. I'm sure we can find a table easily, seeing that it's a Monday night.”

Once inside the burger joint, they placed their orders and took a number.

He explained, “The burgers will take a while to cook, but it'll be worth the wait.” Enough time to get Candace comfortable talking. She seemed more and more at ease with him each time they met. “Tell me how you and Pamela became friends.”

“That's a long story.”

“We got time.”

Candace shrugged. “Okay.” She took her jacket off and leaned forward, placing her arms on the table. “After my mother died, I got shipped down south to live with my aunt. It was hard trying to adjust, especially in school. Kids just didn't take to me.”

Darnell commented, “I find that hard to believe.”

“You look like you were Mr. Popular. So, I can imagine it's hard being on the other side.”

“Not really. I did play basketball, but I wouldn't say I was Mister It on campus.” If anything, he'd spent more time trying to stay out of trouble and keep his position on the team.

“Well, Pamela was a diva even way back then. I can still see her. This long-legged girl. Taller than most of the other girls, and some boys. She came up to me. Her hair was pulled back off her face with a clip. Even then she dressed like she was on some mission, very preppy looking. I remember being shocked seeing her. With her hand on her hip, she said, âWhy are you sitting over here by yourself? You too good to sit with other people?'” Candace laughed out loud at the memory.

“I finally told her, âI guess nobody wants to be around me.' Then she asked where was I from and where I lived. And I told her about living with my aunt because my mama had just died.” Candace sat for a minute, staring off into space. “She took my hand and said, âIt's going to be all right. Me and you. We have a lot in common.'”

Darnell could tell talking about her mother brought some pain to Candace. He wanted to ask her more about her mother but didn't want to pry. He remembered the judge saying Candace's mother had been murdered. Owing to his line of work, Darnell suspected domestic violence was at the root.

The servers behind the counter interrupted their conversation by announcing their number. “That's our food. Sit tight. I will get yours.” Darnell grabbed both trays and hurried back over to the table. They sat munching away on the fries and taking bites of their burgers. Darnell asked, “What did Pamela mean about you guys having something in common?”

“Her mother died when she was young, too.”

That was news to him. “Desiree is her stepmother?”

“Yes. Pamela's biological mom died when she was a toddler. I believe she had leukemia while she was pregnant with Pamela. About six months after her mother died, the judge married Desiree. She raised her up like her own daughter. Crazy, in a lot of ways Pamela was closer to Desiree than to her own father.”

Darnell thought back to when he talked to the judge and Desiree. They seemed to react very differently to Pamela's death. He wondered why the judge had married Desiree within six months of his first wife's death. Sounded like the judge knew a thing or two about adultery.

Candace pulled him out of his thoughts. “What are you thinking about? I'm sure none of this is helping you with the case.”

“It helps to know a little more about the person. What they meant to somebody else. Sounds like you two had quite a friendship.”

“Long time.”

Something else bothered him. “Do you know when the relationship with Mitch started?”

“I remember when we were in high school, Mitch used to come over to eat dinner with the family. Pamela had a crush on him back then. To be honest, she never really kept a boyfriend in high school. She was engaged twice. Never made it to the altar.”

Candace's voice cracked. “You know, I know you are not really pursuing the Harris couple anymore, but when I arrived at the church today, Yvonne was arguing with Pastor Freeman about this memorial scholarship thing. Earlier with Desiree, she pretended like she was all for it, but she's not. Later, I heard her on her cell phone. I think she was talking to whoever she paid to take those photos.”

“How do you know that?”

“Whoever she was talking to, she told them she wasn't giving them any more money. She was real mad about them giving the photos to the media. Doesn't really explain how and why the photos were sent to me, though.”

“That is weird.” Now more than ever, he really needed access to Yvonne's phone records. With what Candace just told him, he might have a good enough reason for the DA to issue a warrant.

“Darnell?”

“Yes.” He liked it that she called him by his first name with such ease.

“What if Yvonne paid someone to kill Pamela? Have you thought about that possibility?”

“It's crossed my mind, but I don't quite see why they would go through the trouble. Mitch is a lawyer. He has to know every trick in the book. Large money transactions can eventually be traced. But we do need to track down this private detective.”

Candace grinned. “I like how you keep saying âwe.'”

“Uh.” His face heated.

Her phone rang. Saved by the bell.

“I'm sorry. Let me get this. It might be one of my kids.” Candace flipped open the phone. “Hello. Yes, this is Candace Johnson. What? When? Okay, I will be right there.” Candace started putting her food on the tray.

He stood and gently touched her hand. There was a tremor. “Here, let me get the trays. Is everything okay?”

Candace shook her head. “I don't know, but I need to get to the hospital right away.”

BOOK: When Rain Falls

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