Mama's Boy (9 page)

18

T
his had been the longest two hours of Gloria's life. That's how much time it took Gloria and Elton to drive from Jasper to Houston to meet with Riley Manning. Gloria had been thrilled that he'd agreed to meet them on such short notice. Elton hadn't shown much emotion, saying he didn't want to get his hopes up.

They rode in silence most of the way, the tension between the two of them unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Gloria prayed that this wasn't an indication of things to come. For the most part, she and Elton had always enjoyed a decent marriage. While he had his boorish ways, she knew that Elton Jones was a man who loved his family. He just didn't know how to show it. He didn't know how to move past the past.

Elton was also a proud man who hated for shame to be brought his way and this was the pinnacle of shame.

“Do I get off here, or keep going around on 59?” Elton asked as they approached downtown Houston.

Gloria had been struggling to forgive her husband. But until
her son was safe, she just didn't see how that was possible. Her mother had, however, convinced her that holding on to anger right now wouldn't do Jamal a bit of good. That's the only reason she was trying to work with Elton—for her son.

Gloria glanced down at the directions that she'd printed out. “You're supposed to get off on Highway 59 and take that first right. His office is between Main and Fannin.”

They didn't say anything else as Elton navigated off the freeway. They pulled up in front of the high-rise building and were met by the parking valet.

“Can you tell us where self-parking is?” Elton asked, making it clear they weren't interested in the valet's services.

The valet pointed to the left as Gloria rolled her eyes. Heaven forbid her husband shell out fifteen dollars for valet parking. But she knew that right about now she didn't need to be saying anything about money. Even with their retirement, they wouldn't have money to cover a lengthy trial. She'd spent years as a secretary for a local insurance company, but they'd shut down two years ago and she hadn't worked outside of the church since. So their money was tight.

They parked in the self-parking garage and made their way inside.

“He's on the thirteenth floor,” Gloria said, looking at the card that Perry had given her.

Elton still didn't say a word as he pushed the up button.

Gloria was just going to let her husband have his moment because her attention here needed to be focused on convincing this man to take her son's case.

She and Elton made their way into the upscale office and were
greeted by elegant furniture and contemporary art. Awards touting the firm's record adorned the walls, as did newspaper clippings about several of their cases.

Elton said what she had been thinking. “This man is not about to work for us pro bono,” he mumbled as he looked around the office.

“Shhhh. We're going to think positive.”

“Hmph,” he muttered.

Gloria took the lead as they approached the receptionist's desk. “Good afternoon, we're here to see Riley Manning.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“He is. We have a one o'clock appointment. We're a little early.”

“No problem.” The receptionist smiled. “Have a seat. I'll let him know you're here.”

Gloria nodded, then motioned toward the lobby sitting area for Elton to take a seat. They both sat down and the look on Elton's face said he'd rather be anywhere but here. But Gloria wasn't going to concern herself with her husband's discomfort. Right now, they were on a mission.

“Hello.”

They both stood to greet the man who had just walked over to them.

“I'm Riley Manning.” He extended his hand. His demeanor was commanding. With strong features and an athletic build, Riley was one of the nicest-dressed men she'd ever seen. Gloria could see why he would be powerful in the courtroom.

Elton shook his hand. It wasn't often that anyone intimidated him, but Gloria could tell that her husband was nervous. “Elton Jones. This is my wife, Gloria.”

“Nice to meet you. Sorry it's under these circumstances.” He pointed to a conference room. “We can just go in here and chat.”

Gloria led the way as the three of them moved into the room. After they were seated around a long mahogany table, Riley jumped right in.

“So tell me a little bit about your case. Perry filled me in on the details. He was an awesome mentor to me, so when he tells me this is something I should consider, I need to consider.” Riley tried to smile to relax the tension in the room. And while Gloria tried to feign a smile, Elton didn't bother.

“We don't have any money,” Elton blurted out.

Gloria wanted to die. He was always talking about embarrassing someone and that was the epitome of embarrassing.

Riley chuckled. “Yes, Perry explained the situation to me. How much do you have?”

“Nothing. We have nothing. We're barely making it now,” Elton said a little too quickly.

“Well, there are some legal funds that can assist, but we're not at that point yet. I've read up on your son's case and I want to be clear: he does admit to shooting the police officer, right?”

“He doesn't have any choice but to admit it since he filmed it,” Elton snapped.

“Yes,” Gloria interjected, darting hard eyes at her husband. “He admits it, but it was an accident, and happened only after the officer attacked him. He was scared for his life, and that's what we want to make sure comes across. The jury has to know it was an accident, brought on by a cop that was harassing and threatening him, even though he wasn't breaking any laws. My son isn't a murderer. He's a good boy who got caught up in a horrible situation.”

Riley held his hands up. “Okay. No need to convince me. If Perry vouches for the kid, then I'm on board.”

Gloria got excited. “So you'll take the case?”

“Whoa, hold up. We have to be clear on this. If Perry vouches for your son, this is something that I would consider. Unfortunately, I just don't know if I can do your case justice.”

Those were not the words that she wanted to hear. “Please, Mr. Manning,” Gloria pleaded. “You're our only hope. They're expediting this case, trying to make sure it's resolved quickly.”

“I get that, and I understand your need for a defense, but my issue isn't whether I think this is a case worthy of representing, because I do. I'm hesitant for other reasons. Number one, my caseload is already overwhelming.”

“Isn't this a big firm?” Gloria asked. She wasn't trying to be snippy, but she didn't know what could be bigger than this case.

“Hold on,” Riley said. “That's not my main problem. My main issue is that I'm getting married in three weeks and I promised my fiancée I would not take any new cases. We're taking an extended vacation so I will be out of pocket for a month. You can't afford that.”

Gloria knew it was wrong, but she wanted to tell him that he could get married anytime, that right now, her son's life was on the line so that should take precedence over everything else.

He must've seen the dejection on her face because he said, “Let me see what I can do and I'll get back to you.”

“But we have to move fast,” Gloria replied.

“I know, Perry made that very clear. The change of venue has already been approved and it's going to the grand jury next week.”

“A jury already?” Gloria exclaimed.

“No, it's not like that. A grand jury. They're a group of people who gather to decide if charges should be filed.”

“So, there's a chance that this could not even go to trial?” Elton asked.

“Could they really decide to do that?” Gloria added, feeling a sliver of hope.

Riley shook his head, shattering her momentary elation. “Nah, I'm pretty sure they'll indict. They're going to want this case to run its course because of all the attention it is already getting, and of course, the dynamics involved.”

“You mean the fact that my son is black and the cop is white? I bet if it was the other way around, he'd get off,” Gloria snapped.

“Well, we can't live in a world of what-ifs,” Riley said. “But let me work some things and I'll get back to you in the next couple of days.”

“That's all we can ask for,” Elton said, standing. “Thank you.”

Riley stood as well and shook Elton's hand. “Don't thank me yet. Whether I take on this case or not, there's a lot of work to be done.”

“And we're committed to doing it,” Gloria said, her voice trembling.

Riley smiled, trying to comfort her. “I believe you are. The love of your son is evident in your eyes. He's lucky to have a mother like you.”

Those words reignited her firestorm of tears. Elton ushered her out of the office and back to the parking garage. He didn't say anything as he pulled out.

Gloria watched the downtown skyline fade from view. Elton grumbled as they slowed because of backed-up traffic. She knew what he was thinking—the same thing as her. They needed to get used to this Houston traffic because it looked like they'd be caught up in it a whole lot more.

19

R
iley Manning patted his stomach as he leaned back in his chair. He, his fiancée, Michelle, Kay, and Phillip had just finished dinner and Kay was bringing out key lime pie for desert.

“Kay, you really put your foot in that jambalaya,” Riley said.

“Why, thank you. I try,” Kay said as she set a piece of pie in front of him.

“Yeah, she put her foot in the checkbook that she wrote to the caterer,” Phillip joked.

“I don't know what you're talking about. I can cook.” She removed his dessert plate. “Just for that, no pie for you.”

Phillip took his plate back. “I know you can cook. That's how you got me. But you don't.”

“That's because she's too busy throwing criminals behind bars and getting ready to be the next mayor of Houston. Do you think you're ready to be the First Gentleman?” Riley took a bite of his pie as he winked at his friend. Phillip and Riley had met while
undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin and remained the best of friends.

“Yeah, maybe I'll retire and just sit at home and take care of the kids,” Phillip replied.

They laughed some more, talked about the latest news and world affairs, and as the men turned their conversation to sports, Kay turned to Riley's fiancée. “So, Michelle. Did you enjoy your dinner? You barely ate anything,” Kay said. “And I can't believe that you aren't getting any pie.”

Kay had only met Michelle Moore a few times, but Riley was clearly in love with her. And if he liked her, Kay loved her.

“I did enjoy it,” Michelle replied. “Just watching what I eat because I have the most to-die-for wedding dress and I can't afford to gain a pound.”

“I can't believe you two are going to elope,” Kay said.

“It's the second marriage for both of us, so we don't need all the fanfare,” Michelle said.

Riley, who had jumped back into their conversation, pulled her close. “Yeah, the money we would've spent on a wedding will be spent touring the Riviera for four weeks.”

“Honey, do you see how he took four weeks off from work? It is possible,” Kay joked as she stood and began removing plates.

“Look who's talking,” Riley replied. “Both of you guys are workaholics. That's how you ended up together.”

“Yeah, I know.” Phillip pulled his wife down on his lap. “But we really are trying to get better because we both know that as much as we love our work, family really is what matters most.”

Her husband was right about that. They'd found that as busy
as they got, they always made time for family. So one of them was always at a game, dance recital, open house, whatever.

She kissed Phillip, stood back up, and went into the kitchen, where she dropped their plates in the sink, then took her seat back at the table. Phillip filled all of their glasses with dessert wine, and as they sipped Riley said, “Have you guys heard about the kid who shot the cop out of Jasper?”

“Yeah, saw it on the news when it first happened,” Phillip replied. “Kay is actually prosecuting that case.”

Normally, Kay wouldn't have liked her husband sharing that information with anyone, but they were having a press conference tomorrow anyway. Besides, Riley was one of the few people in the world whom she trusted.

Riley sat up in his seat, shocked. “Really? I didn't even know that the change of venue was public knowledge.”

“What rock have you been under?” Kay said. “Everyone is talking about it. It was inevitable.”

“I've been under this rock called getting ready to wrap up my cases so I can get married in peace,” Riley said, blowing a kiss at Michelle.

They laughed.

“But seriously, how do you know about the change of venue?” Kay asked.

Riley exchanged glances with Michelle and she sat back as if to let him do his job. “The parents of the boy came to me to represent them,” Riley answered. “You remember that lawyer I worked for when I first got out of law school?” he asked Phillip.

Phillip thought for a moment. “Oh, yeah. Perry something. He
was a nice old man. We all wondered why you would go work for him in that country town.”

“Because that nice old man was good at what he did. I heard him speak at an event and was mesmerized. I learned a lot under that old man,” Riley replied.

“What does that have to do with the Jasper kid, though?” Kay asked.

“Well, like I said, Perry knows the kid's family. He referred them to me since it looks like they're moving the trial to Houston. But I'm not going to be able to do it because of the wedding.” He turned to Phillip. “That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was going to see if it was a case you'd be interested in.”

Kay raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her husband. “Wow, he's been fascinated with this case since he first heard about it,” she said.

“I have,” Phillip said, the eagerness evident in his voice. “It raises so many issues, the right to record, police harassment.”

“The dangers of a police officer's job,” Kay added.

“Okay, okay,” Riley replied. “Why don't y'all save this for the courtroom?”

“It's an open-and-shut case, though,” Kay added with a smirk.

Phillip smiled at his wife. “Hmmm. Might be nice to go up against my wife again.”

They hadn't faced off in a courtroom in two years, but it was an exhilarating experience. They both were so driven and passionate, it made for an interesting case. They were tied in terms of their records against one another. She'd won two and he'd won two. This case would be a tiebreaker. Of course, that wouldn't trivialize things if Phillip took the case on, but it would add another layer of dynamics.

“You know you want to take the case,” Riley said. “I see the way your eyes are already dancing.”

“I just might have to consider that if my wife says okay,” Phillip said. “I mean, I actually did some digging already, just trying to get information on this kid.”

Kay hadn't known her husband had gone to that extreme, but it didn't surprise her. “Fine by me. Bring it,” she joked.

“I just might,” he replied.

Kay wasn't sure if her husband would really take the case since he had his hands full with his mentoring group and his current cases, but it would be fun to be back in the courtroom against him. Fun and challenging—and a great way to wrap up her tenure in the DA's office before moving on to become mayor.