Stepping to a New Day (22 page)

“So the skull is Lisa's.”

“Yes. They found it yesterday morning and used dental records last night for confirmation.”

Paula shivered. “I dreamt about my mother and a skull a few days before I flew in for Tyree's funeral.”

He glanced her way. “You know we country Black folks set a lot of stock in dreams.”

“I know, but I didn't want to talk about it.” And didn't now. It was all too eerie. “So was it found in Tyree's backyard?”

“Yeah. Sump pump company found it when they dug up
the ground to check on the plumbing. Wasn't buried very deep. The police think all the lye and chemicals may have dissolved the rest of her body, but they're still digging.”

“Why'd they take Della in? Did she confess?”

“No, but Jeddings apparently talked to the county prosecutor after her performance the day he told us about the will. When the skull was found the police were called of course, and based on what the prosecutor was told by Jeddings he had Della brought in for questioning.”

Paula was confused. “Did Jeddings know Lisa?”

“I don't believe so, but the prosecutor did.”

Paula's eyes shot to his. “How?”

“His name is Jeff Case. He's a member of the Case family that Tyree worked for. Lisa was his babysitter when he was growing up.”

“Oh my lord.”

“And because Della is relying on a lazy court-appointed lawyer, she agreed to take a lie detector test, which she failed.”

“Can that be used against her?”

“I don't know, but they have charged her. Second-degree manslaughter for now.”

“She needs a good lawyer.”

“Tried to tell her that, but she just cussed me and told me to get out of her face.”

Paula sighed. “Has she made bail?”

“No. She wouldn't let me help with that either, so she's still locked up.”

“Where's Robyn?”

“With my mama.”

“Is her dad around?”

“Yeah, but his wife won't let Robyn stay there. I talked to
him earlier. He's perfectly willing to sign papers to let her stay with you until she's eighteen if you're willing to have her.”

“Of course, she's welcome to stay with me if she wants. Poor baby. Probably feels like no one wants her.” Paula remembered feeling that way while staying with Tyree.

“Good. I'll let him know, and you can talk to her when we get back.”

“What an awful mess.”

“You got that right.”

The moment Paula entered Anna Lee's house, Robyn ran to her and Paula held her tight while the teen cried as if her heart was breaking. “It's okay, baby,” Paula whispered. “It's okay. You're going home with me.”

In a voice raw with anger and pain, Robyn said, “She killed my mother. I hate her.”

“We don't know that for sure. It might have been an accident. Please don't add more hate to this, Robyn, please,” Paula pleaded.

Paula and Anna Lee eventually calmed Robyn down enough to convince her to go and lie down. Once she was asleep, Paula closed the bedroom door softly and rejoined the concerned-looking Calvin and his mother. “I'd like to go and see Della.”

Anna Lee said what Paula already knew. “She's not going to want to see you. You may as well get Robyn's things and go on back to Kansas for now. We'll keep you posted on the court dates and all that. Trial probably won't be for months.”

“I still want to see her and pray with her. Maybe she'll surprise me.”

Anna Lee said, “I doubt that, but Cal can run you over to the jail. I'll stay here with Robyn.”

On the drive with Calvin, Paula asked the question she most wanted answered. “If she did kill Lisa—why? The day of the funeral she made it sound as if it might have had something to do with Tyree.”

Cal shrugged. “Who knows? Like you said, maybe it was an accident and she or they panicked.”

Paula wondered if the truth would ever be learned.

To Paula's surprise, Della agreed to see her. Escorted out of the back by a deputy and wearing gray prison garb, she took a seat behind the glass and picked up the phone so they could communicate.

“Came to gloat, did you?” Della asked acidly.

“No, Aunt Della. I came to ask if there's anything I can do to help, and to pray with you.”

She responded with a bitter chuckle. “I don't need your damn prayers. All I need is for you to take your pious ass back to wherever and hope I never have to see you again.” She replaced the phone and without sparing Paula another glance had the guard take her back.

Hurt and disappointed, Paula walked with Calvin out of the building and back to the car.

On the flight home to Kansas, while Robyn stared out the window at the darkening sky, Paula replayed the visit in her mind. She'd done everything she could to offer Della an olive branch, only to have it slapped aside. She could've helped her aunt find a good lawyer and maybe make bail so she wouldn't have to be locked up until her case came to trial, but Della was in charge of her own life and she'd have to accept that. Getting Robyn back and settled in would be her priority going forward. Della's future was now in the hands of God.

W
arm weather ushered in the month of May and all the flowers Sheila Payne planted around town a few years back were in bloom once again.

Kelly continued to pick up Riley on the days he worked and although he was still blue over Cletus and sleeping on the floor at Eustacia's place he kept his nose to the grindstone.

TC worked diligently on his lessons. Gary and the girls helped by ordering books like
Hop On Pop
by Dr. Seuss and others geared toward new readers, and listening to him read aloud. He had a ways to go to be as proficient as he needed to be but his reward was the time spent with Genevieve. They went to the Friday night movies, had dinner at her place and the Dog, went for drives in his truck, and yes, there was kissing.

The Ladies Auxiliary meeting was held at Gen's place one evening during the first week of May and once the old and new business items on the agenda were dealt with, President Lily said, “Okay, time for a life check. What's going on with everyone?”

Roni spoke up first to tell them about a two-week summer tour of South America that was in the works and that she'd be taking Zoey with her. “She's never been there. Now that the new CD is done, I think we're due for some mama and daughter time.”

Gen and the others thought that a great idea.

Lily then asked, “Marie. How're things going with your son, Brian, and the family?”

Genevieve loved the way Marie beamed every time the subject came up. “I speak with my granddaughters at least twice a week via Skype and a few days ago his adoptive mother Janice and I spoke on the phone for almost an hour. We're both educators.”

Sheila asked, “Are they still coming for Mother's Day?”

Marie began to cry. “Yes. And I can't wait.”

She was sitting on the couch next to Gen. Gen put an arm around her and hugged her like the BFF that she was.

Marie said through her tears and the tissue in her hand, “I'm so happy.”

“We're happy for you,” Tamar said.

“Thanks for putting up with me this past winter. You have no idea how much it means to have you all as friends.”

Gen said, “Through sickness, health, and craziness.”

Everyone laughed and a few of the ladies wiped away their own tears.

Luis Acosta's mother-in-law, Anna Ruiz, asked, “Paula, how's Robyn settling in?”

“She's settling. Painfully shy, though. Leah and Tiff had her over for a sleepover this past weekend. She did okay, Leah said, but my aunt kept her away from stuff like the boy bands and the Internet, so the Clark girls are helping to bring her up to speed on pop culture stuff, too.”

“And how's school going for her?” Bernadine asked.

“Jack says she's incredibly smart and there's no reason for her not to graduate with Eli and Crystal. We've been looking at colleges but I'm not sure if she's confident enough to go away yet. We'll see, but I'm giving her all the love and support I can. Counseling her, too.”

Gen asked, “And your aunt?”

“Still incarcerated. Trial will be sometime in the fall.”

Tamar said, “I know you're a very strong woman, Reverend, but don't try and carry this burden alone. If you need help I expect you to throw up a hand.”

Paula smiled. “Yes, ma'am.”

Gen thought Paula needed to hear that. Women tended to suffer in silence under the weight of their lives, often to their detriment, and sometimes until it was too late.

Lily asked, “Anything else?”

Gen took in a deep breath and said, “Yes. How do you know when you're in love?”

Later, once her friends were gone, Gen sat in her now quiet living room and smiled, thinking back on the looks on their faces when she first popped her question. She knew it would throw them for a loop. After they recovered from the shock, their answers ran the gamut from silly to profound but each one served to verify what she herself already knew. She was in love with Terence. She loved his smile, his strength of character—the vulnerability he showed by seeking help with his reading. She also loved that he made her smile and most of all she loved that he wanted her to be Genevieve. He'd never tried to force her to be anyone else. He'd taken who'd she'd presented herself to be and been as okay with her as she was with herself, and that meant the world. And no, they hadn't
known each other long, but she could spend her remaining days learning as much about him as he was willing to share and offer him the same. What to do with her revelation was yet to be seen. She'd sworn her friends to secrecy; however, this was Henry Adams, and for all she knew everyone in the tri-county area now knew how she felt about Terence Christopher Barbour.

As if cued, he called, “You ladies done plotting to take over the world?”

“Yes, so I hope you have your bunker dug?”

“On my to-do list,” he replied, sounding amused. “In the meantime, do you have plans for Mother's Day weekend?”

“No. Why?”

“Stevie Wonder's coming to Kansas City. Figured I'd ask my best girl if she wanted to go?”

“Yes! Oh my goodness!”

He laughed. “Then I'll get the tickets. You find us a hotel since you probably know the city better than I do. Separate rooms of course, and because this is my gift to you for being such a great teacher, I'm footing the bill.”

Gen didn't know anything about his finances. She almost asked if he was sure about paying for the entire weekend, but she swallowed that and instead asked, “What kind of hotel?”

“Fancy. Room service. The works. I want this to be special.”

For her it already was. “Okay. Fancy it is. I haven't seen anything about him coming to town. How'd you find out?”

While they discussed that, Eli and Crystal were seated outside on the Dog's back dock savoring the end of their shift and enjoying the warm clear night. The moon was out and the stars sparkled like bits of bling on black velvet.

“So, how was the trip to Cali?” she asked.

“Good. Amari's grandparents are super nice. My dad and I toured the school and checked out the apartment I'll be staying in. They have an old Honda in the garage they never use, so they're going to let me buy it for a dollar.”

“Sweet.”

“Yeah. Their place is near the ocean so I'll get to surf again, too.”

“Since when do you surf?”

“Since I was about ten.”

“Never knew that. What else don't I know about Eli James?”

“That I'll miss you a lot when I go.”

“Nah. You'll meet some tall, tanned, lanky blonde and be like, Crystal who?”

“Never.”

She turned to him, held his gaze for a long few moments before focusing back on the night.

Feeling his emotions starting to twist, he changed the subject. “So what have you decided? You staying here in town?”

“Yeah. Going to work on bringing my grades up and then see about going east. Maybe to Pratt.”

“You could always come west to Cali with me in the fall.”

“I know, but I figure I'd stick around—keep Amari and Preston in line, make sure Devon doesn't get any more insufferable than he already is, and watch over Miss Miami. Being big sister is a lot of work, but somebody has to do it.”

He nodded.

There was a long silence.

He looked at her and she at him and she said, “Even after
you find that blonde, I'll still have your back anytime, anywhere. If you ever need me just send up the bat signal.”

“Will do,” he said softly. “Same goes for you.”

She leaned over and kissed him gently. “I'll miss you too, Eli.”

As he sat there stupefied and reeling, she went inside.

As Mother's Day weekend approached, the kids went to the mall with their dads to pick out gifts and with the help of those same moms and the Ladies Auxiliary, continued working on their super-secret Father's Day event. Trent kept pressuring Lily to tell him what they were up to and she kept insisting he was imagining things. Marie was going crazy getting her house cleaned and ready for her special guests, and Gen was given a fancy homemade apple pie by Mrs. Rivard on the day of her last lesson. Gen had a surprise for her, too—a tote full of brand-new books to read to her granddaughter and Mrs. Rivard thanked her through her happy tears.

In anticipation of her weekend in Kansas City with Terence and Stevie, Gen made an appointment with Kelly to get her hair done. When she walked into the shop, Riley was seated in his barber chair waiting for his next customer. Gen nodded. He nodded in reply and she took a seat on the couch to wait her turn. Taking out her e-reader she went back to the story she'd started a few days before, but couldn't help but take a peek at Riley while she read. He'd lost weight. The black suit he used to wear so proudly looked as run-down as he did. Karma had obviously taken its toll. Because her life was so spectacular she wanted everyone she knew to be just as happy, so she felt bad that he wasn't, even though he'd stolen from her and been nothing but a pain in the rear during the last few years of their marriage. “Riley?”

He looked up.

“I heard about you losing Cletus. My condolences. I know how much you cared about him.”

He nodded tightly. “Thanks, Genevieve.”

To her surprise he walked over and said, “And I want to apologize for doing you so wrong. If there was a way I could make it up to you, I would. You didn't deserve what I put you through.”

Genevieve wondered who this man was and what he'd done with the Riley Curry she once knew. “I appreciate that, I really do.”

“Just wanted you to know.” He then asked her, “Are you happy, Genevieve?”

She thought about her life and about Terence. “I am. Very much.”

“Good. Good.” He gave her a nod and went back to his chair.

After Kelly finished her beautician's magic, Gen paid her, gave Riley a parting nod, and headed up the street to the Dog to meet Terence for lunch. She was struck by how badly she felt for her ex-husband. That he had actually apologized and in a sincere manner no less had to count for something, so while she walked, she took out her phone and made a call.

When Kelly drove Riley home, he took a look at all the trucks out front and froze. His first thought was that the place was being repossessed and he wanted to wail, but then he saw Trent and Mal and Clay and some of the boys. They were carrying wood and what appeared to be windowpanes and a bunch of other construction type objects. There were men on the roof and others going in and out the front door.

“What's going on?” Kelly asked, peering through the windshield at the activity.

“I don't know.”

“Looks like they're working on your house.”

“Yeah. It does.” So stunned by what he was seeing, he had trouble opening the car's door so he could get out. When he finally succeeded, he said, “Thanks for the ride, Kelly.”

“You're welcome.”

She drove off and he made the walk to the house.

Mal met him halfway.

“What's all this?” Riley asked.

“It's called kindness over rightness.”

Riley was confused.

“Translation—you seemed to have learned your lesson and a couple of guardian angels think you've suffered enough.”

“Huh?”

“Translation number two: Genevieve's got a big heart. Too bad you treated her like crap. Now come on. We have work to do.” And he walked off.

Not wanting his tears seen, Riley dashed them away with the back of his hand and hurried to catch up.

That night, Riley looked around the clean house and felt more grateful than he'd ever been in his life. He had lights, a working furnace, and hot water from the new water heater. According to Mal, in a few days appliances would be delivered. A knock on the door broke into his thoughts.

He opened it to find Bernadine Brown standing on the other side, and he froze.

“Evening, Riley.”

“Ms. Brown.”

“May I come in?”

He nodded hastily.

Once inside she glanced around. “I see the electricity is on.”

“Yes. Did Genevieve really make this happen?”

“She did.”

His lips tightened with how humbled he felt.

“Very special lady, that Genevieve,” she said.

He nodded.

“Here's the deal, Riley. When she called and asked if I would help you, I naturally hesitated but like her I think you've been through enough. I called Eustacia and made her an offer for this house. I am now your landlord.”

His eyes went wide.

“And as your landlord I needed this house brought back up to code. All repairs should be finished in a few days. Mal said he told you about the appliances. He also said you're sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor?”

Riley nodded and the embarrassment kept him from looking her in the eye.

“A bed will be delivered in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I'll forgo your rent for the next three months so you can buy clothes, groceries, etc., and get back on your feet. In exchange you will treat this house as if you are paying the mortgage. I don't mind you having a pet but no hogs. Understand?”

He nodded.

“Any questions?”

“Yes. Why are you helping me?”

She assessed him for a moment. “Because mine is the hand that turns this little portion of the world, and no one in that world, not even you, should have to sleep on the floor in a trashed house, especially since you seem to have acknowledged the errors of your ways. So don't screw this up.”

“Okay.”

“Have a good evening.”

And she left.

In the silence following her departure, Riley thought back on all the horrible ways in which he'd disrespected Genevieve and yet she still found it in her heart to help him when he needed it the most. He'd never be able to repay her for what she'd done for him, but he'd try his best to do so. This morning he'd been living in his own personally made hell and now, because of her he was smiling in a place that was as close to heaven as a sinner like himself would probably ever get.