Drama in the Church Saga (18 page)

One morning Murray pulled up on Daneesha's block and put his new rental car in park. He was still angry about the confusion at the rental car agency, and couldn't get it off his mind. Earlier in the week Murray had made arrangements to exchange his rental car for a different make, model, and color. In his line of business, it was mandatory to change vehicles as much as possible. Using the same car during an investigation was a sure way to tip someone off that they were being followed.

When he arrived to exchange his car they tried to replace it with a bright green Dodge Neon. He knew there was no way he would be able to go unnoticed in that car. He spoke with the salesperson at the ticket counter and she verified that they had made a mistake on his reservation. Unfortunately, they had rented out their entire fleet of cars, and the only vehicle left was the Dodge Neon. After an hour of arguing with the lady at the counter, and with the lot manger, a customer arrived to return their car. Once Murray heard they had another car available, he immediately took the keys and sped off.

Luckily he had arrived back just in time to see Bryant step out of the house wearing a suit. He wore a pair of brown wing-tipped shoes that shined brightly under the mid-morning sun, and he dangled a stogie from his mouth. Bryant's Sunday best caught Murray's attention, and he sat up to get a better look. Normally, this was the time Bryant would leave to take the children to daycare, but today was different. Bryant called for Daneesha and the children to hurry up. The three of them walked out onto the porch looking charming.

Daneesha wore a simple white dress that allowed lots of room for her growing belly. On top of her head she modeled a small, white hat with a veil that partially covered her face. The children were also dressed in outfits that closely resembled Easter attire. Bryant helped Daneesha down the steps while holding her son in his arms.

Murray followed them to City Hall, where he watched a small, intimate wedding ceremony take place from the balcony, presided over by the county judge. The only witnesses were the children and an unidentified woman who stood for Daneesha as her maid of honor. Once the ceremony was over, she hugged Daneesha and wished the newlyweds the best.

Immediately after leaving City Hall, Bryant stopped by a lawyer's office. He quickly ran in carrying a brown envelope, and seconds later he was back in the car. They stopped at a nearby restaurant to have dinner. Murray sat at the bar while they were seated not too far from him. The restaurant was crowded and very noisy, but he could still hear Bryant make a toast.

“I'd like to make a toast to the newest members of the Winters family. My new wife . . .” he leaned over and kissed Daneesha on the lips, “and our children.”

“Yeahhhhhh,” everyone screamed in unison.

 

 

 

A month after they were married, Bryant walked out onto the porch with a small travel bag in his hand. Daneesha followed closely behind him. Bryant said a few final words and kissed her one last time before he got into his car and drove away.

Murray watched the couple say good-bye. He remembered Daneesha telling him that Bryant wouldn't leave her again until after the baby was born. Something important must have come up to make him leave her so close to her due date. He started his car and followed Bryant to the airport. From a safe distance, Murray watched Bryant return his rental car, take the escalator to the airline terminal ticket counter, check his bag, and walk straight into the Delta terminal.

Wondering where Bryant was going, Murray walked over to the list of flights that were posted on the departure board. There were so many flights leaving that it was going to be hard to determine where Bryant was going. He stared at the list of destinations until one name caught his attention. Greensboro, North Carolina. That flight was scheduled to leave in a little over an hour. Murray rushed over to the ticket counter and purchased a one-way ticket to Greensboro. He quickly went through security and rushed toward his gate number. He looked around, but Bryant wasn't there. Murray thought maybe he had made a mistake and picked the wrong flight. His eyes scanned the area until he spotted Bryant sitting inside a small bar.

Murray strolled into the bar and grabbed a seat right next to Bryant. He ordered himself a beer and watched the Bulls play basketball on TV.

“The Bulls will never be the same without ole' Mike,” Murray said to Bryant.

Bryant looked around and realized the old fellow was talking to him.

“When Jordan was playing, everybody was happy,” Murray continued. “The city of Chicago was rich, Mike was rich, even I was rich. I own a restaurant located right outside the United Arena. Every night the Bulls played a home game customers would line up around the corner to get something to eat before they went home, but since Jordan retired, business has slacked off considerably.” He took a sip of his beer. “That loss of income has affected me and my family.”

Bryant nodded his head but kept his attention focused on the game.

Determined to initiate a conversation, Murray continued talking. “So now I'm headed to Greensboro, North Carolina. A friend of mine referred me to a real estate agent who said he has some great properties at a really cheap price. If everything works out, I'm going to relocate down there. Financially that would be the sound thing to do because the cost of living is cheaper.”

Bryant turned to face him. “Greensboro. That's where I'm from.”

“A country boy?” Murray asked, glad that he had finally said something to get Bryant's attention.

“Yes sir, born and raised. Where's the property located you're going to look at?”

“You know, I'm not sure. But the agent did say that the building was located in a very busy part of town. He mentioned a mall. I can't remember the name right now.”

“It must be Four Seasons Mall, and if your property is located outside the mall that is definitely a busy area.”

“I'm glad I ran into you. Now I can call my wife and tell her not to worry. You know how women can be.”

Bryant nodded his head in agreement.

“Are you married?” Murray asked.

Bryant smiled. “Yes, sir, I've been married for about a month, now.”

“So you're a newlywed. Congratulations.” Murray signaled for the bartender to refill Bryant's glass. “Where's your wife? Is she accompanying you?” Murray looked around the small establishment.

“No, it's just me. I had some business to take care of. Like you said, I now have a family to provide for.”

The bartender placed a drink in front of Bryant just as their gate number was announced over the loud speaker.

“That's me,” Bryant said. He downed his drink and gathered his things.

“Me too,” Murray replied. The two men got up, left the bar, and walked toward the gate.

“It was nice talking with you, sir. I hope everything works out for you.”

“You too, son.”

Once their plane landed in Greensboro, Bryant rushed off. Murray noticed that he repeatedly checked his watch while waiting for the luggage to come through baggage claim. Murray retrieved his bags and went to rent a car. Luckily he had made reservations ahead of time. He just prayed that he wouldn't have the same problems he had in Chicago.

Bryant merged onto Interstate 85 and traveled south. He drove to a small residential community and pulled into the driveway of a blue bi-level house. Murray watched Bryant grab his things from the trunk and knock on the door. He watched carefully as someone opened the door and welcomed him in. Over an hour had passed before Bryant emerged from the house, and he wasn't alone. He carried a baby in his arms. Bryant strapped the infant into the car seat and pulled out of the driveway. Murray's intuition told him that the baby Bryant carried in his arms was Bryce, but he had to be sure.

Before Bryant pulled away, Murray quickly wrote down the license plate number of the car he was driving. Murray waited fifteen minutes before he got out of the car and knocked on the door. An older woman with graying hair answered.

“Hello ma'am,” Murray said with a deferential nod. “I'm a friend of Bryant's and he asked me to come back here to see if he left the baby's blanket behind.”

“Oh! Come in.” She held the door open for him.

She looked around the living room. “I didn't think he left anything. We checked to make sure he had everything before he left. You can have a seat while I go look upstairs.”

Murray was unsure of what to expect when he knocked on the door, but he was relieved when a senior citizen answered. The elderly were easier to get information from without them getting suspicious. He looked around her home. Her fireplace mantle held dozens of photos, mostly of Bryant. One photo was taken of Bryant wearing a little league baseball uniform, and another showed Bryant at his prom. He noticed a more recent picture of Bryant holding a little girl. Murray wondered who the child was.

“I'm sorry, but I don't see anything,” the old woman reported. She slowly crept back down the stairs.

“Don't worry about it, ma'am. He might have it with him and not know it.” Murray stood up to leave. “Did you enjoy your time with Bryce?”

She revealed a mouth full of dentures. “Oh yes. He is such a good baby. I can't wait until he comes back for another visit.”

“Is Bryant coming back here tonight?” Murray asked.

“No, he said he had something to take care of and that he needed to get the baby back to his mother. Him and the baby are going to stay the night out by the airport so he can catch his plane in the morning.”

“Oh yeah, that's right. We do have an early morning flight to catch. I guess it would just make more sense to stay out by the airport. I'm sorry if I bothered you, ma'am.”

“That's no problem. Be sure to give my best to both my nephews.”

“No problem, ma'am. And you take care of yourself.”

Murray left the home in a hurry. Now that he knew Bryant had Bryce, he had to find out at which hotel they were staying. Once he found that out, he would call the police.

He drove out to the airport and searched all the area hotels for Bryant's rental car. He finally found it parked at the Ramada. Murray walked into the lobby and took a seat. He had followed enough people to know that front desk clerks never gave out guest information. He was certain that if he waited long enough the clues he needed to find Bryant and Bryce would come to him. He patiently sat for over three hours before he saw Bryant get off the elevators and walk over to the front desk. He watched Bryant say a few words to the clerk and turn back toward the elevators.

“Hey, man,” Murray called out.

Bryant abruptly turned around and was surprised to see his old friend from the airport. “Hey man. What's up?” Murray noticed Bryant's jittery behavior.

“I'm surprised to see you here,” Murray replied.

“Yeah, the business dealings that I had going on down here are being held at this hotel,” Bryant said.

“I was sitting at the bar when I noticed you enter the lobby.” The elevator doors opened and they both entered. “What floor you going to?” Murray asked.

“Five,” Bryant responded.

Murray pushed the fifth floor button and the eighth floor for himself. “When are you heading back out to Chicago?”

“Sometime tomorrow,” Bryant hesitantly replied.

“I have a few more days of business here,” Murray replied. “Maybe we can hook up again in Chicago.”

Bryant looked at Murray suspiciously. The doors opened for the fifth floor and Bryant stepped off the elevator.

“Yeah man, just leave your name and number down at the front desk and I'll be sure to pick it up before I check out,” he shouted just before the elevator doors shut.

Bryant entered his room and watched his great uncle, Mayfield Winters, play with Bryce.

“Look at how handsome this little boy is. He's going to make us a lot of money,” the old man said. He held the baby up to get a good look at him. “He is really a cute little boy. He almost looks too good to sell.” Bryant grinned at his uncle's compliments about his work.

“He's a strong little fella.” Bryce held on to his great-uncle's finger. “Do you have his paperwork?” Mayfield asked.

“Right here.” Bryant pulled a brown envelope out of Bryce's diaper bag.

“What about the mother? Did you take care of her?”

“She's not an issue. She won't ever find me or the baby. Right now she should just be getting out of jail, and once she does, she won't know where to begin to look for me or Bryce.”

“Good, and I have the adoption papers all drawn up. All we have to do is get the Richardsons to sign off on the contract and give us the check.”

There was a knock at the door. “Bryant, take the baby into the bedroom and come back out here. I want you to meet our newest clients,” Mayfield said.

When Bryant returned he was shocked by the sight of two men sitting on the couch holding hands.

“This is my nephew, Bryant. Bryant, this is the Perry family—Kendrick and Kyle.” Bryant reached out to shake both of their hands.

It surprised Bryant to see a same-sex couple. He and his uncle had provided dozens of babies to a lot of couples, but this was the first time they had ever done business with a gay couple.

Mayfield pulled up a chair from the living room table and handed the couple a pile of papers.

Kendrick spoke up first. “Mr. Winters, I was surprised when you got back to us so soon. I didn't think that you were going to respond at all.”

“Well, when I spoke with you on the phone, I appreciated the fact that you were completely honest with us about your situation,” Mayfield said. “We did a preliminary background check on both of you and we saw nothing that would indicate a problem with you adopting a child or, in your case, children. That's why I arranged this meeting.” He pointed to an envelope. “These are the contracts I need you to look over. I'll give you a week or two to get back to me, and if you want to proceed, give me a call and I will make the final arrangements.

“Is this adoption legal?” Kendrick asked.

“Yes. Is there anything that concerns you?” Mayfield asked.

“Well, the extreme price that you charge for this adoption process. It costs one hundred thousand dollars for one baby. That's a lot of money. Even an overseas adoption costs no more than ten thousand dollars. Why the extremely high price?”

“The reason we charge so much is because we guarantee healthy babies to couples who are usually denied by the standard adoption agencies, couples like yourselves. Everything is kept in the strictest of confidence, and we cater to an exclusive set of people. The process of screening all candidates is costly. I have to make sure that every child we place is going to be cared for properly. I would be deeply hurt if I later found out a child I provided you with was being abused or mistreated.”

“I understand,” Kendrick said. “Like I told you on the phone, a lot of adoption agencies, both public and private, have denied us the chance to adopt. A few agencies have even tried to discourage us from trying. They thought it was inappropriate for us to force a child into accepting our lifestyle.”

“We don't discriminate here,” Mayfield replied.

Bryant noticed Kendrick's professional manner, his speech, and his style of dress. It was obvious that Kendrick was not only intelligent, but also powerful.

“Well, I need to have my lawyer look these contracts over and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.” He turned to Kyle. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm just delighted. I can't believe we are finally going to have a family of our own,” Kyle squealed.

“I invited my nephew here because he knows a little more about the children you are going to adopt,” Mayfield explained.

“Well,” Bryant spoke up, “right now it's only two children, but the mother is eight months pregnant with a third child. There's a little girl named Marquita, she's three years old, and a boy named Marquise. He's one.”

Bryant handed them a picture of the children.

“They are adorable!” Kyle exulted.

Bryant continued, “The third child is also a girl.”

Kyle was delighted at the news of three children.

Kendrick grabbed Kyle's knee. “We have always wanted a big family. I know that we do not represent the traditional family structure, but we think the most important thing to give a child is love. I shouldn't be denied the right to be a father just because I choose to share my life with a man instead of a woman.” He grabbed Kyle's hand.

“As I said before, our number one priority is to find these children a safe, happy, and stable home environment,” Mayfield affirmed. “The mother is young and is having a rough time, so the money that we charge will also be used to help her get herself together, possibly go back to school to make a life for herself.”

“Can you provide us with any information about the mother?” Kyle asked.

“I'm sorry, but that information is confidential.”

Kyle looked at Kendrick, concerned. “We had discussed the possibility of the children wanting to one day know where they came from, or who their biological parents were. We don't want to deny them that right.”

“Well, it is highly unusual for us to allow the birth parents to contact the children after the adoption is final. But if at any time you want to find out who the children's parents are, just give us a call. If the mother allows us to release her identity, then we will gladly provide you with that information.”

“Is the birth mother aware of our sexual orientation?”

“No, we just provided her with paperwork from the background investigation. From that she can determine what kind of home her children will be living in, but the names have been concealed.”

“Could you please just give her our personal thanks?” Kyle asked. “She is giving us her most prized possessions, and she doesn't have to worry. We will take good care of them.”

“Well, it looks like we can wrap things up. I almost forgot,” Mayfield said, snapping his fingers. “I need to confirm the final price with you. I believe that I did tell you that the price for all three children, plus the adoption fees, would be three hundred fifty thousand dollars.”

Bryant looked at his uncle with a surprised look on his face.

“Yes, Mr. Winters, and that will not be a problem,” Kendrick responded.

“All right, well it looks like we've concluded our business here. Please make sure you give me a call when you're ready to proceed.”

Mayfield walked them to the door and said a few final words.

“Unc, three hundred fifty thousand dollars!” Bryant exclaimed. “What do they do that they can afford that kind of money?”

“Kendrick is a very successful real estate developer in New York City. Kyle comes from a very influential family. He was born with money.”

“Damn, that's a lot of money. The first thing I'm going to do is take a vacation to Maui.”

“You did a good job and you deserve it.” He quickly reminded Bryant, “Don't forget I need a copy of those adoption papers stating that those kids are legally yours. You did get the mother to sign off on those papers, didn't you?”

“Yes, sir. As soon as I get back to Chicago I'll get in touch with the lawyer to find out if the papers have been filed.”

 

 

Murray walked around the fifth floor, listening at various doors. He was frustrated because he had no clue which room Bryant was in with the baby. Unsure of what his next move should be, he decided to go back down to the lobby and wait. If he found Bryant, once he'd find him again. As he stood waiting on the elevators, he heard a door open. He hid around a corner and listened closely.

“Mr. Winters, we appreciate you contacting us concerning the adoption and I . . .” Kyle playfully punched Kendrick in the arm, “I mean
we
will be in touch.”

Murray watched the two men shake an older man's hand and walk toward the elevators.

“Bryant, I gotcha,” Murray whispered. He pulled out his cell phone. “Yes, I would like to report a kidnapping.”

“I'm expecting another couple, any minute now. Their names are Albert and Rosa Richardson, an older couple in their late fifties. They will be the ones taking Bryce home.”

“What's their background look like?” Bryant asked.

“She's a housewife and he owns a chain of motels across the country. You've heard of Room and Board Motels, haven't you?”