The Man in 3B (39 page)

Connie came up with the idea that we should use WD-40 to ignite the fire. It was the same substance that started the fire that killed Avery’s first wife. Using it to start this fire might send the cops on a wild-goose chase, trying to connect the two deaths. It was genius as far as I was concerned. Connie was a hell of a lot more sneaky than I would have given her credit for.

As it drew closer to daybreak, we put our plan into action. We both changed out of our bloody clothes, which I placed in a bag along with the gun. Then I spent the next hour dismantling my ankle bracelet and placing it on Avery’s corpse, and Connie drove out to Long Island and purchased one can of WD-40 from twelve different 7-Elevens. When she came back, we put Avery’s body on the couch, put my Star of David necklace on him, took his keys, and sprayed WD-40 around the whole scene. If everything went as planned, the blood evidence on the floor would be destroyed by the flames.

As an extra precaution, we decided it was important for people in the building to see us, so that if the cops started asking questions, nothing would raise any red flags. My legs were shaking like crazy when I went down to the stoop to go on my usual morning run, but somehow I managed to play it off. I even flirted with Nancy a little before I headed back into the building.

Connie was pacing the floor in my apartment when I went back upstairs. She ran to me and squeezed me tight, then stepped back and said, “No turning back now. I love you.”

One last kiss and then she was gone. I waited until I was sure she would be safely downstairs with the other ladies on the stoop before I went into action. I peeked out into the hallway to make sure that my escape through the back of the building wouldn’t be seen. No one was around. I shut my door and made my way over to the couch, standing over Avery’s body, where I took a deep breath and started to say one final prayer for his soul.

That’s when Benny knocked at my door.

I swear I thought Benny could hear my heart pounding as I leaned on the door to keep him from entering the apartment. Thank God for the alcohol I smelled on his breath. If he had been sober, he probably would have pushed the door open, and then the whole plan would have blown up in my face. I don’t think I’d ever been as scared as I was at that moment. When he finally stormed off, I shut the door, locked it, and fell to my knees, barely able to catch my breath.

It took me a minute to get my head straight, but then I realized the clock was still ticking. My parole officer was due in a few short hours.

One more check in the hallway to be sure it was clear, and then I did it. I lit a match and threw it on the floor. The WD-40 ignited instantly. I grabbed the bag full of bloody evidence and bolted down the hall into Connie’s place. She’d left the door unlocked for me so I could climb down her fire escape in the back of the building. By the time I heard the fire alarm go off, I was already halfway down the back alley. My next stop was the river, where I dumped the bag of evidence, and then on to my friend, who would sell me a new identity.

As I took Connie’s hand now and walked down the beach in this tropical paradise, I still couldn’t believe we were together again. I’d spent the last few weeks worrying and waiting, and now it looked like we’d actually pulled it off.

We walked along the shore with our bare feet in the water. It was nice to be with her again. Nice to enjoy the woman I’d fallen in love
with. Maybe one day all of that other stuff would be a distant memory, like waking up from a bad dream that you only half remember.

“Did you talk to my mom before you left?” I asked.

“Yeah, I went by her house,” she told me. “She’s fine. Told me to tell you she loves you. And to be careful. She understands if you don’t call for a while.”

Other than the dude who sold me my identity, and who had been paid very well to keep his mouth shut, my mom was the only person who knew the truth. I couldn’t leave with her thinking I was dead. It would have devastated her.

Connie was worried about me going to see my mom before I left the country. She didn’t think it was wise, but my feeling was this: My mother was the only person on earth I could trust with this information. And I turned out to be right. My mother played her part to a T. She rushed down to the morgue with my lawyer to claim Avery’s body as her son’s. She used some excuse about me being an Israelite and needing the body within twenty-four hours. Thanks to her, the coroner rushed the autopsy, and my mother had the body cremated an hour later, destroying any chance of further DNA testing in the future.

“So, is everything straightened out with Ben?” I asked, still feeling bad that he’d had to spend any time behind bars over this. Why he confessed to the murder was still a mystery to me, something I’d probably never understand. I was just glad that in the end, Connie was able to talk the detective into taking a closer look at her ex-husband, and the detectives were smart enough to follow the trail we left to the trunk of Avery’s car. Once again, Connie deserved the credit. It had been her idea to keep a spare key when she gave the car keys to Krystal.

“Yes, thank God,” Connie answered. “He and Nancy are getting married.”

“We got him out of jail and now he’s willingly entering prison?” I said with a laugh.

Connie punched my shoulder playfully. “Nancy’s not that bad!”

I took her hand again. “No, seriously, I’m happy for them. It’s a hell of a lot better than it could have been.”

“Amen to that.” She stopped walking and pulled me in for a kiss. “So, my love, we’ve made it to paradise, but where do we go from here?” she asked

“I’ve got a villa with a private beach in Discovery Bay waiting for us. We’ll stay there for a week, then jump on a repositioning cruise that’s sailing to Europe and the Greek isles. I know you like Jamaica, but there’s too many people from back home that travel here. I think Europe’s a safer bet. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great. But then again, living with you in a shoe would sound great to me.”

1. Krystal said Daryl was the one that could get it anytime. What is your opinion of their relationship, past and present? Do you believe everyone has “the one”?
   
2. What did you think about the stoop crew? Do you know any women who love to gossip as much as they do?
   
3. Have you ever had a neighbor you wanted to sleep with?
   
4. Who was your favorite character? Why?
   
5. Did you figure out that Benny was gay? Did you think Daryl was gay?
   
6. Connie blamed her weight gain on stress. Why do you think she was able to lose weight once she met Daryl?
   
7. What would you do if your husband asked for a divorce in the manner that Avery did?
   
8. What did you think were in Krystal’s little blue boxes at first?
   
9. What were your thoughts about Cain and his “live like you’re dying” philosophy?
   
10. Do you think Avery ever really loved Connie?
    
11. Who was the most trifling character in the book?
    
12. How did you feel when you read the fire scenes? Were you sad that Daryl was dead?
    
13. Were you shocked when Cain left Avery high and dry?
    
14. Who did you think killed Daryl?
    
15. Were you happy with whom Benny ended up with?
    
16. Carl Weber calls Daryl Graham “the thug you can take home to your mother.” Would you agree?
    
17. Were you surprised when you read the Epilogue?
    
18. Do you feel sorry for Avery? Do you think all the characters got what they deserved in the end?
    
19. Would you consider this a mystery?
    
20. There are parts of Daryl’s past that are never revealed. Would you like to see more of this character?
    

C
ARL
W
EBER
is the
New York Times
best-selling author of over a dozen novels and short stories. A lifelong reader, Weber wanted to write stories about ordinary people who have crazy things happening in their lives. Now, when he’s not connecting with readers through his books and his two bookstore chains, Urban Knowledge and Beach Reads, Weber is finding new talent for his own publishing company, Urban Books.

Weber graduated from Virginia State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia.

You can learn more at:

www.carlweber.net

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarlWeber

Twitter: @IamCarlWeber

My stomach was full of butterflies when I poked my head into the sanctuary from the side door. The church was packed from wall to wall with folks dressed in their Sunday best, and Bishop T. K. Wilson stood at the altar with Bible in hand. It wouldn’t be long before the bishop gave the church organist the signal to play, and we’d be heading out to the pulpit ourselves. In all honesty, I couldn’t believe how nervous I was. I mean, technically this should all be a cinch. It wasn’t like we hadn’t practiced this whole thing last night. Besides, I’d mounted that pulpit hundreds of times before as the choir director. But none of that could stop my nervousness.

I glanced over at my mother and my aunt Bertha, who were sitting in the front row pews. They’d traveled all the way from Virginia to be here for this very special occasion, and the look of pride on my momma’s face was priceless. I don’t think she had a clue just how much I loved her.

I pulled my head back into the room feeling like I was going to pass out from the anxiety. The butterflies in my stomach felt like they had morphed into bats. I turned to Ross Parker, my lifelong friend and the newly appointed business manager for our church choir. He was sitting on the small worn-out sofa about three feet away from me.

“You okay? You don’t look so hot,” he said, looking down at my hands, which were shaking visibly.

I took a deep breath, hoping that might calm my stomach. I could feel the bile at the back of my throat. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m gonna be sick,” I said.

Ross stood up and closed the short distance between us. “Dude, you’re getting married in about five minutes. It’s a big step. Everyone has last-minute jitters before they tie the knot. I bet Tia’s out there thinking the same thing.” He reached over to the table and picked up a can of Sprite. “Here, take a sip of this. It will calm your stomach.”

I did what I was told, my hands trembling as I took small sips from the can. “I don’t know, man. Look at my hands. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous. Am I doing the right thing?”

Ross took the soda from me, placed it back where it had come from, and then turned to me. As he straightened my collar and adjusted my tie, he looked me dead in the eye and asked, “Do you love her?”

I looked back into my friend’s dark eyes and nodded. “Yeah, man. I love her more than anything in this world. If any woman is my soul mate, it’s Tia.”

“Well, if that’s the case, what are you worried about?”

I made a gesture in the direction of the sanctuary where so many people were waiting for the opulent ceremony to begin. “I didn’t want a huge wedding. As far as I was concerned, we could have gone down to city hall and gotten married by the justice of the peace,” I said.

“Oh, that would have worked out well,” Ross said with a laugh. “Besides the fact that you’re the choir director in this church and Bishop would have killed you, every woman wants a big wedding, man. They want their special day. You know that.” He laughed again. “Besides, when that music starts playing, all this nervousness is gonna go away.”

No sooner did he speak than the sound of the organ music filled my ears, signaling that it was time. I gave Ross this
So what do I do now?
look as I lifted my still trembling hands.

“You were wrong,” I said.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Aaron, you’ll be fine.”

I dropped my hands to my sides and shook my head. “I’m still nervous. I don’t think I can go through with it.”

“Man, if you don’t get your behind out there…” He pointed at the
door. “Do you know how beautiful she must look right now, standing outside the church waiting for you?”

He’d finally said the right thing. An image of Tia flashed through my mind, and I knew there was no way I could leave her at the altar. I really did love her and wanted to marry her. I exhaled loudly and shook my arms to release the tension, announcing, “Okay, let’s do this.”

Ross gave me a final once-over to make sure nothing was out of place, and then he patted my shoulder. “You look good. You ready to get married?”

I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, then walked out the door into the sanctuary. As I stopped to look at the crowd before ascending the steps in front of the altar, I felt Ross’s hand on my shoulder.

“We out here now, bro,” he said. “Ain’t no turning back.”

I looked at him over my shoulder and said, “Wasn’t trying to turn back, my man. Just stopping to pinch myself to make sure this is actually real and not a dream.”

“Oh, it’s real a’ight. Now get your butt up there.”

I continued up the steps on wobbly knees and didn’t stop until I was in position next to Bishop Wilson.

“You all right, son?” Bishop asked.

“Yes, sir, Bishop. I’m good to go.” I nodded nervously as I looked out at the crowd.

The bishop studied me momentarily, then said, “I’ve never met a man who wasn’t nervous on his wedding day, including myself.”

Ross said with a chuckle, “He’s fine for now, Bishop. Let’s just speed this up a little before he changes his mind.”

“Well, then, let’s do that, Brother Parker.” Bishop Wilson turned and nodded to the organist again. On cue, the music changed and another, more majestic song began.

I stood at attention, still nervous but with a feeling of excitement too, as I looked toward the doors at the back of the sanctuary. Every head in the church turned to see the first of four women being
escorted down the aisle and into their positions at the altar. Each wore a formfitting blue dress with white trim. They were escorted down the aisle by my groomsmen, who wore black tuxedos and blue vests.