Mama Dearest (33 page)

“Extremely,” he said.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I hope you know you deserve the same thing, Yancey.”

“I’m finally getting there, Basil, and I know what you’re saying is true.”

“I hope so. Take care and have a nice evening.”

“I will and you do the same.”

I smiled to myself, thinking how great it was that Basil and I were becoming friends because that was missing while we were dating. I also hoped that he was right when he implied that I could be happy too. Maybe I would really talk with S. Marcus tonight and find out where he thought our relationship was going and not just the business side. Maybe little pieces of me always feel like I need a man.

I reached the front entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel on the 57th Street side. I smiled at the doorman as he opened the door for me. As I entered the spacious lobby, I looked for the front desk. I’d been in the hotel several times, but for whatever reason I didn’t remember where the check-in was from the 57th Street side.

As I turned around, looking for someone who might help me, I heard someone yell, “Hey, miss.”

Two white men were staring at me and then began to approach. When they finally stopped directly in front of me, a wave of fear overcame me. Who were they and what did they want?

The taller one asked, “Can we talk to you for a minute, miss?”

“About what?” I asked.

“About what you have in that bag,” the other one said.

“That’s none of your business,” I snapped.

“I’m afraid it is,” the shorter man said as he flashed a badge that read New York Police Department. Drug Enforcement.

“I’m Officer Daniels and we’d like to inspect your bag.”

Fear was screeching in my mind like fingernails on a blackboard. “What are you talking about? Drug enforcement. Is this some type of joke?”

“No, it isn’t. Now, please follow us. Let’s go over here,” he said, gesturing to a remote section of the lobby.

Frozen by fear, I remained motionless. Officer Daniels took this to mean I was being uncooperative and took me by the arm.

At last I reacted. “You better let go of me.”

“Let’s not make a scene, Miss Braxton.”

“How do you know my name? Do you have a search warrant?”

“We don’t need a search warrant,” Officer Daniels said, suddenly jerking the bag from my hand.

This smelled to high heaven, and I wasn’t going quietly. “Stop it. You can’t pull on me like that. I want my lawyer. What in the hell is going on?”

“We are just going to check the bag, and if nothing is in there, you’re free to go.”

Passersby had begun to notice the commotion and stopped to watch. The two officers took me to a corner of the lobby. Officer Daniels opened the bag and began pulling out the stacks of money. He then pulled out one of the plastic packets with the white powder. He looked at the other officer. “Look what we got here.” In reply the officer simply smiled.

Officer Daniels took out a pair of handcuffs. “Yancey Braxton, you’re under arrest for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand your rights as I have explained them?”

I stared at him in shock. Officer Daniels took both of my arms and forced them behind my back. Moments later I felt the cold metal of the handcuffs. S. Marcus’s face flashed in my head and the only words I could think of was
that muthafucka.

Officer Daniels spoke in an earpiece I hadn’t noticed, and moments later I was back into the cool evening air, being pushed inside a waiting police car, tears streaming down my face. Over and over I said, “This is some type of mistake. This bag doesn’t belong to me.”

I
WAS SITTING IN
the waiting room of the jail when he walked in. Raymond Tyler looked as handsome as I remembered. I still couldn’t reach Ava or S. Marcus, and when I realized I still had my cell phone, I’d called Basil and told him I needed his help in getting an attorney. It didn’t dawn on me that he would send Raymond or that he was practicing criminal law now.

I stood as he entered. “Raymond, it’s good to see you. Thanks for coming,” I said, nervously shaking his cold but strong hand.

“Yancey, it’s been a long time. Basil tells me you might need my help,” Raymond said. He took a seat on the bench in front of me.

“Yes, I do. I think I’m in big trouble and I still don’t know what happened.”

“Basil didn’t give me a lot of information. He told me you were bringing a bag that belonged to your boyfriend to a hotel where he was waiting. Have you heard from this guy?”

“No, I called but got no answer. I gave the policemen his cell number. They now tell me the number is no longer in service. I can’t reach my mother either.”

His eyebrows rose at the mention of her. “Yeah, I heard Ava was out of jail. I was notified before her parole. Where is she staying?”

“At my house the last time I checked, but I told her not to answer my home phone.”

He turned his attention back to my mysterious man. “Did you check to see if your friend had registered in the hotel?”

“I didn’t have the chance. But when he called me, he said he was already there.”

“What’s his name? I’ll follow up.”

“S. Marcus Pinkston is the name he would be registered under.”

“Okay. I will follow up on that. Do you want me to check up on Ava?”

I looked around the bleak room, thinking of what she had gone through. “Yeah.”

“I will get your address before I leave, and I will send one of my assistants over to your house to see if she is there.” He pulled out his BlackBerry and made a quick notation. Looking up again, he asked, “How long have you known this Pinkston guy?”

“About four months,” I said.

“Where is he from?”

“Miami, I think.” I was feeling like such a fool now. Obviously he had set me up. What I couldn’t understand was why.

“Do you think he was a drug dealer?”

“No,” I said, dismissing the idea outright. “He told me he was in finance. He was backing my reality show.”

“Reality show?”

“Yeah, S. Marcus was shopping a reality show for me. We’d already shot a lot of film.”

He looked as puzzled as I felt. “I need to find him. Do you have any other numbers for him?”

“No,” I said, realizing for the first time how strange it was to have only one phone number for a businessman.

“Are you sure that was his name?”

That question had never occurred to me. “Why would he lie about his name?”

“First we just need to find him, Yancey. Also, I might have to bring somebody else in. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked a criminal case, but Basil just wants me to let you know that we are working on this. We need to see if we can get bail and worry about finding this mystery guy later,” Raymond said.

“Just do whatever you can to get me out of this place.” My mind raced over what to do next. Then, of all things, it occurred to me that it was Election Day. “Can you believe I didn’t get the chance to vote? Of all the years not to have that chance. I’m heartbroken.”

“It doesn’t seem like President-elect Barack needs your vote,” Raymond said.

“I also missed a callback and a chance to sing at a victory party. Can you call my agent and tell her what’s going on?”

“Yeah, I will. What’s your agent’s name and number?”

“Regan Reynolds and I don’t know her number off the top of my head. I just signed with her agency, but I’m sure she’s listed.”

“Okay, I will look it up.”

“Thank you, Raymond,” I said, taking his hand in mine.

He gave it a slight squeeze. “Don’t thank me, Yancey. I haven’t done anything yet.”

“But you will,” I implored. “I know you can prove that I’m not dealing drugs. This is a horrible mistake.”

Raymond looked into my eyes as if he was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.

“Let me get out of here and get started. I will work on bail and then see if I can find this S. Marcus character.”

“Please hurry. I don’t think I can last a night in this place.”

“I’ll do what I can, Yancey.”

I watched Raymond being escorted out by a guard. I was feeling so abandoned that I might have welcomed seeing even Ava, wherever she was.

The lead detective had been questioning Ava for an hour. “Why do you think your daughter would be dealing drugs, Ms. Middlebrooks?”

“Because she’s broke and spoiled. Those two don’t go together,” Ava replied.

“She lives in this big town house in the neighborhood and she’s broke?”

“Looks are deceiving. The bitch has no money and no career and no husband. I was a much better actress and singer. But I always married well. I think you guys should nail her to the cross. Selling drugs to our youth.” Ava shook her head in disgust at the thought. “I’m ashamed of her.”

“So you’re saying most of her customers were young people?” the second detective asked.

“That’s who used to show up here,” Ava lied. Yancey hardly had visitors, especially young ones, but that was what Steven told her to say. He’d come up with a brilliant plan, and now Yancey would know
how she had felt when Ava spent so many nights in a dingy jail cell. Serves the bitch right, Ava thought.

“Lots of traffic?”

“You got it. She told me she was mentoring these kids. I should have known. Yancey doesn’t care about anybody but Yancey. Do you know that big teen star Madison B.? Well, that’s her daughter. She gave her up at birth because she was too selfish and self-absorbed to be a mother. I should have done the same thing. My daughter plays the blame game.”

“The blame game?”

“Blames everything on someone else. Doesn’t take responsibility for shit!” Ava caught herself. “Oh, excuse my language. But this upsets me so bad. Think of how this is going to damage our family name. Think about poor Madison B. She will have to learn that her mother is a liar and a drug dealer. My Lord.”

“Who is Madison B.?”

Ava glanced at him like he was the stupidest man on earth. “That’s the daughter she gave up at birth who’s now a bigger star than Yancey ever was. What a shame.”

“Are you willing to testify at her trial?”

“Tell me where to be and I’m there,” Ava said eagerly. “We can’t have people, especially Yancey, bringing drugs into our community.”

The detective scratched his head, as if something wasn’t adding up. “Do you know how long she’s been dealing drugs?”

“Who knows? I just got back to New York a couple of months ago. I was out of the country.” For a moment she thought maybe the policemen knew she’d been in jail and immediately regretted the lie. But both the officers stood up and told her that they would call her if they had any further questions.

“Has bail been set for Yancey yet?” Ava asked.

“I’m not sure. But with the amount of drugs and money involved, bail will be high. We’re talking liquid cocaine,” the first detective said.

“Good,” she snapped, “because I’m sure she should be considered a flight risk. Who knows how much money Yancey has stashed away? You officers know how easy it is to get a private plane to take you out of the country these days. Oh, you should take a look in her room at all the stuff she has in there.”

Sensing more drugs, the detectives asked in chorus, “What kind of stuff?”

“Clothes. Expensive ones, designer dresses, shoes, purses. About a month ago, I guess when her business got going, she started spending money like it was water. When I asked her where all the money came from, she told me the producers of her alleged reality show gave it to her. Gave it to her, indeed,” Ava scoffed. “Shouldn’t that stuff be confiscated since it was bought with drug money?”

“That will be up to the prosecutor but most likely. We will come back and take a look.”

“Suit yourself because you don’t have to worry about me touching any of it. I’m not that type of woman.”

“Is this your daughter’s home?”

“Not anymore. I paid the down payment and right now I’m in the process of getting it changed back to my name.”

“If she makes bail, will she be able to live here?”

“I don’t think we have to worry about that. Yancey won’t make bail,” Ava said, pleased at the prospect. “She doesn’t have her own money, and I’m sure any friends she has left will be as disgusted with her as I am.”

The first detective nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Middlebrooks. You’ve been very helpful.”

“Any time, Officers. Let me know if I can help.”

Come here, Daddy! Come look at this!” Madison yelled. A few moments later Derrick walked into Madison’s bedroom, where she was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, staring at the flat-screen television on the wall.

“What are you yelling about?”

“Can you believe this? It’s on the news. They are saying that Yancey Braxton has been arrested for drugs. Did you know she used drugs?”

Derrick’s face went ashen. “Are you sure it’s Yancey?” he asked, moving closer to the television. “This must be some kind of mistake.”

Madison didn’t think so. “OMG. This is crazy. Yancey Braxton will do anything for attention.” She turned to her father in horror. “Can you imagine if I’d let her into my life? This could ruin my career. There’s no way in the world Disney would pick up my show if they knew my birth mother was a drug pusher.”