Good Woman Blues (37 page)

Darlene twisted her hands together. Her
relationship with Brandon had finally started to improve. She
couldn’t predict how he’d react to this news. The deputy sheriff
had assured Darlene that one clerk had identified LaTrice as having
presented a check for office supplies. Darlene had never liked
LaTrice, but the reality that her grandchild’s mother was a thief
had been a blow. LaTrice had been arrested at the center only a few
minutes before. Darlene called Brandon immediately and asked him to
leave work early. She wanted to break the news to him first. The
knock on her office door made her jump.

“Come in,” Darlene called out, and tried to
steady the trembling in her voice.

“Hi.”

She looked at Kelvin for several moments as
though trying to recognize him. “Hello,” she said finally.

“Can I come in?” Kelvin stood halfway in the
door with one foot out in the hallway.

“Yeah, sure. You’re a board member after
all,” Darlene replied flatly once she’d recovered.

Kelvin glanced over his shoulder, and then
came in. He shut the door gingerly as though not wanting to make
noise that might attract attention. He rubbed his top lip twice
before he spoke.

“How are you holding up?” Kelvin started off.
He waved a hand at nothing in particular.

“As good as can be expected given what I’m
going through.” Darlene looked at him until he coughed as though
clearing his throat. Get your lie straight.

“Look, uh, I just wanna say I told them you
wouldn’t steal money. But you know my situation. I couldn’t be
accused of showing favoritism. I was catching hell at home as it
was, cause we were meeting I mean.”

“Yeah.” Darlene showed no emotion.

He seemed to take her lack of overt hostility
as a good sign. Kelvin sat down in the chair facing her desk and
crossed his long legs. “Carolyn is—well you know.”

“Hmm.” Darlene pursed her Ups and folded her
hands on the desktop.

“Okay, I punked out on you. A real man would
have stood up. Guess I was thinking about my kids. It’s hard, baby,
when your children turn against you.” Kelvin let out a slow breath.
“My youngest was asking me questions. He’s seventeen going on
thirty-five, like most of these teenagers today. Well, you know how
Brandon has been acting.”

Darlene let out a gust of air. “I sure do.
And it will get worse just when our relationship was getting
better. His live-in girlfriend stole the checks. I suspected
something when I found out she kept volunteering to work late all
the time. Carmel was delighted to have the help, so I didn’t say
anything. The deputy said they have a lead on a pawnshop in
Lafayette where she might have sold some stuff. They arrested her a
few moments ago. Thank God most of our people were gone.”

“Damn, this is great news, baby!” Kelvin
grinned widely.

“I’m hoping she’ll cooperate in exchange for
a reduced sentence. The faster we get this over, the better it will
be for everyone.” Darlene looked at him.

“It’s way too late for that. Look, these
folks are out for blood. Your blood, honey. Mine, too. Much longer,
and they would have been saying we stole that money.” Kelvin stood
up. “We’re both in the clear.”

“Brandon is crazy for this girl. She’s the
mother of his child. I know people will find out, but if I can do
anything to limit her exposure to public anger, I will. The
deputies agreed to book her at their station near New Iberia. Not
too many people from town should find out that way.” Darlene rubbed
her eyes.

“You baby Brandon way too much. That’s why
he’s like he is today. You’ve been cleaning up his messes for
years. Now you gonna cover up for his woman, too? We need to make
her an example. People are going to talk if we don’t,” Kelvin
argued.

“No, Kelvin. The rest of the board will
understand.”

“I’ve got a lot at stake here, too. Folks are
pretty mad about the center having to cut back. And let’s not
forget that I have a responsibility to the board and the
community.”

“You. Everything comes back to what you want,
how you’ll be affected. You’re one selfish man. You know that?”
Darlene stared at him hard.

Kelvin blinked back at her for several
seconds, and then sighed. He sank into the chair again, rubbing his
fore-head. “I don’t deserve it, but please forgive me. This whole
situation forced me to have a tough talk with Carolyn. Things were
said neither of us can take back.”

“You told her about us, our plans?” Darlene
sat up in shock.

“She’s on notice that things will need to
change.” Kelvin nodded slowly as though he had made a definite
move.

Darlene’s spark of hope fizzled. She
shouldn’t have expected more. He wouldn’t turn his life upside
down. Never mind that her world was like a big bomb with a short
fuse.

“You want it all. I guess you’ll have it if I
keep being a fool,” Darlene said with bitterness.

“Come on, baby. We talked about how hard this
would be on me. I mean, for both of us,” Kelvin added quickly, when
Darlene let out a scornful laugh.

“I don’t think this has been hard for you,
Kelvin. You got to keep your family and me. I didn’t get much of
anything except a few hours of your time every few days. Your son
will graduate soon. Why not tell Carolyn you want a divorce now?”
Darlene watched him squirm.

“Baby, you know Carolyn and I have been
leading separate lives for years. You don’t have to be jealous of
my marriage.” Kelvin wiped sweat from his brow with one hand.

“In other words, you want me to keep sneaking
around with you. Is that it?” Darlene pressed. She wanted him to
tell her she was wrong.

“Don’t make it sound so—” Kelvin frowned.

“Sordid? Low-down? Sleazy? Well, that’s how
it feels. I made up this romantic image of us as star-crossed
lovers, with your wife as the villain keeping us apart. But Carolyn
isn’t standing between us, Kelvin. You are. You have no interest in
leaving your comfortable life. Get out of my office.” Darlene
pointed to the door as though he needed directions.

“Look, you’ve been stressed to the limit. I’m
not going to take anything you say to heart, baby. Just relax, and
I’ll call you in a day or so.” Kelvin stood. “Once you get through
this predicament, you’ll feel like yourself again.”

“I’m back to myself for the first time in
over a year. I won’t change my mind about us. It’s over. Now please
leave.”

“Sugar, you don’t know what you’re
saying.”

“Yes I do. Don’t waste time calling in a day,
week, month, or year. I won’t change my mind.” Darlene stopped when
she heard a knock on her door. Brandon hurried in with a frown.

“Mama, you okay? I came over soon as I could.
I looked for LaTrice, but Miz Carmel just told me to see you.
Nothing happened to her, did it?”

“Hey, Brandon.” Kelvin stuck out a hand
Brandon seemed to notice him for the first time. He ignored
Kelvin’s offer of a handshake. “Hi.”

“I’m leaving, so you two can talk. Good-bye.”
Kelvin cleared his throat and glanced at Darlene. “I’ll be in
touch.”

Darlene didn’t answer him. “Hi, baby. You
better sit down.”

Brandon looked at the office door until it
closed behind Kelvin. Only then did he sit down. “What’s up,
Mama?”

“You know the Sheriff’s Office has been
investigating the missing money.” Darlene started off. She pushed
Kelvin from her thoughts and concentrated on her son.

“Sure I do.” Brandon sat very still.

“I hate to tell you this, sweetheart. There’s
no way to make it sound good. LaTrice was the one who stole the
money. An eyewitness identified her. The office supply clerks just
thought Carmel had sent her over with the check in an envelope,”
Darlene said in a rush. “I didn’t tell them to suspect her. I
really didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Brandon said his tone flat. He stared
down at the floor.

“I’m telling the truth. I gave the deputies a
copy of employee files with photos as part of the investigation.
It’s standard procedure. They showed the pictures around. Mine,
too,” Darlene went on.

“Damn.” Brandon pulled a hand down over his
face. “I knew something was funny.”

“Honey, I didn’t—”

“It’s okay, Mama. I’m not blaming you.
LaTrice told me she left Walmart because her supervisor was mean.”
Brandon shook his head. “I found out later they let her resign to
avoid being fired.”

“She’s been arrested before?” Darlene walked
over and sat next to him.

“No. They couldn’t prove she had anything to
do with missing merchandise in her department. I tried to pretend
to believe her. But once you live with somebody, see all sides of
’em twenty-four seven ...” Brandon looked at Darlene with a sad
expression.

“I’m so sorry, son. I’m going to work with
the district attorney and ask them to give her probation. But she
has to cooperate.”

Darlene placed a hand over his large one. She
thought of how Brandon used to grip her hand when he was just a
little boy. She wanted to make everything all right. Back then his
biggest problem was a broken toy. Brandon sat straight, and she saw
the man he’d become. He did not look to Darlene for answers.

“I appreciate it, Mama. LaTrice is gonna
cooperate. She needs to own up to what she’s done. I’ll find out
how much her bail is. I hope to get her home so the kids won’t miss
her and know something is wrong.” Brandon stood up.

“They took her to the New Iberia sheriff’s
station. You okay, baby?” Darlene hugged the muscular body so
un-like the soft baby she’d brought home from the hospital almost
twenty years ago.

Brandon hugged her back to reassure her. “I’m
gonna make it, Mama. I’ll call you tonight.”

“Be sure you do. And come by anytime you want
to talk.” Darlene let go of him. He nodded and left with his head
held high.

Darlene’s secretary stuck her head in the
door a few moments later. “Just checking on you. Brandon looks like
he’s got the world on his young shoulders. Sure hope he makes it
through this okay.”

Darlene thought about her older son in a new
way. Brandon made no excuses. He would do what he could to stand by
LaTrice, of that she was sure. Brandon had grown up more than even
Darlene had realized.

“I have no doubt Brandon is going to do just
fine whatever happens,” Darlene said.

***

Erikka turned around in a circle, enjoying
the look of her loft apartment. Making the move had been easy. The
second floor of an old warehouse, the creaks and squeaks at night
had bothered her at first. Her new landlady had assured her the
wood was just settling and the noises weren’t mice. Not that Erikka
cared. Having her own living space again was worth sharing it with
a few pets, she mused. Unlike her previous homes, she’d decorated
in keeping with the antique feel of the neighborhood. No modern
glass and funky urban sofa this time. She’d scoured shops along
Magazine Street for vintage furniture. A thump in the bedroom
reminded her she wasn’t alone. Gabriel came out slapping dust from
his hands. He’d helped her move the heavy furniture the way she
wanted after the deliverymen left.

“Got your new bed all set up. You made a
great choice.” Gabriel had hardly broken a sweat despite his hard
work.

“Thanks, baby. I love everything.” Erikka ran
her fingers over the plush fabric of her new sofa. With Gabriel’s
guidance she’d found affordable pieces for every room.

“You made the selections, I just suggested.
You’re a pretty good bargain hunter.”

“Having a man with friends in the antique
business didn’t hurt.” Erikka gave him a light kiss on the
cheek.

Gabriel’s brown eyes lit up with pleasure.
“Glad I could finally do something for you. When I refinish your
table and chairs they’ll look great.” He walked around the
weathered oak dining room set. He studied the wood, ran his fingers
along the surface.

“You fixed two leaky faucets, painted the
extra bedroom walls and hung my ceiling fan. Is there anything you
can’t do?” Erikka hugged him from behind. She liked the musky man
scent of sweaty skin and denim.

He turned around in the circle of her embrace
to face her. “A lot. I wish I could fix this whole work mess for
you.” His strong fingers brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes.

Erikka sighed and rested her forehead on his
chest. They’d gone all day without mentioning her job. “It felt so
good to get away from it for a while.”

“What’s going to happen next?” Gabriel asked
in a quiet voice.

“I gave Terri copies of everything I did
related to Layton. She says expect the worst based on what has come
out about Transome and that company so far. But I didn’t do
anything wrong.”

“You didn’t need to tell me that,” Gabriel
said.

“I know.” Erikka needed to say it out loud
though. She kept thinking of that woman and her child.

“Okay, let’s not even get into it. This is a
good day. You finished your community service,” Gabriel said with a
smile.

“Yippee!” Erikka threw up both arms.

“Just got a slammin’ apartment,” he
continued.

“Thank you, Lord.” Erikka laughed. “Much as I
love Hope, living with her had lost its charm.”

“And your career is looking up; in spite of
you-know- what.” Gabriel swayed with her as though they were
dancing to their favorite song.

Erikka moved with him. “You left out the most
important thing. I’m sharing the good times with you.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said and kissed the
tip of her nose. “Dinner at Copeland’s?”

“That’s an inspired suggestion. I get the
shower first, my apartment you know.” Erikka let go of him and
stepped back.

“Ah, man. You’re gonna use up all the hot
water.” Gabriel put on a fake frown of distress. “Of course I have
a solution.”

Erikka crossed her arms as she stared at him.
She smiled at the mischief in his beautiful brown eyes. Gold
flashed, giving a hint of his French and Indian ancestry. “Oh
really?”