The Secret First Lady: The Naked Truth (8 page)

              “Well now you know not to judge a book by its cover; not until you’ve read every chapter.”

Chapter Eleven: Investigating the Unknown

              Three thousand and five hundred dollars was the initial fee for the private investigator.  Rachel thought it was well worth it, if Private Shane Gasko could help put the missing pieces to Leah’s puzzled life together.  Gasko was a retired Army veteran; not the old vet that most would imagine.  He was only forty, muscular, and extremely handsome.

              His office was located on Peachtree Road, just minutes from Gladys and Ron’s Chicken and Waffles.  Mr. Gasko recommended that they grab a bite to eat there while he gathered more information.

              “So, you say your father’s deceased?” He wiped the chicken grease from his fingertips before jotting notes in his black book.

              “Yes, he was killed before I was born. I never got to meet him or his relatives.” Leah answered in between chewing up her waffle.

              “And your mother’s last known whereabouts are in the Toledo, Ohio area?”

              “Yes. From what I was told, she was a prostitute. She may also be residing in the Columbus, Ohio area as well.”

              “Do you know her name and who told you she was a prostitute?” Mr. Gasko tried to keep a straight face.

              “No. I don’t know her name. My foster----well one of my foster parents told me about her and that she went by the name Peaches.”

              “Any other known living relative to include? Siblings?”

              Leah shook her head no. She looked as though she was at a dead end. She sipped on her lemonade and tea mixture and stared off into space.

              Rachel finally interjected.  “Mr. Gasko, with the limited amount of information, will finding her mother be possible?”

              “Anything is possible. I’ve solved many cases by using what may seem to most people as the strangest and most impossible clues. We will find Leah’s birth mom or my name isn’t Shane Gasko.” He spoke with such confidence.

              “Well, sir, being that you are a private investigator, I’m willing to bet that isn’t your real name.” Rachel mumbled under her breath and smirked at him. He winked at her, but didn’t respond.

              Shane picked up the tab and told Leah he would call her to schedule their next meeting.  Leah hung her head down low as she and Rachel walked to the car. She looked sad and full of gloom. “I’m scared Rachel.”

              “Of what? Finding your mother?” Rachel tried to sound sympathetic.

              “I’m afraid of not finding her and never finding out who I really am.”

              “I’m sure these are normal emotions for a situation such as this. Everything is going to be alright.”

              “What if she’s dead or not in her right mind? What if I never get the chance to ask her all the questions that I’ve been dying to know; like why did she abandon me?”

              Rachel kept silent, allowing Leah to express herself the whole way home. The kids were with the neighbor; Rachel wanted to get back as quickly as possible. It was one thing to find a sitter for her two children every now and again, but a sitter for five kids was something different. “What if she is in her right mind, wondering where you are? Perhaps, she’s been looking for you. You have to be a little more optimistic, Leah. It’s going to work out.” Rachel wasn’t confident that it would work, but she was hopeful.

              When they pulled into the driveway of Rachel’s apartment, she asked Leah to pray with her. They held hands and bowed their heads. “Dear, Heavenly Father, let me start by thanking you merely for your goodness. Lord, we know that through you anything and all things are possible. Lord, I ask that you wrap your arms around Leah and carry her on her journey to find her mother. We thank you in advance for reuniting the two of them. Lord, we also ask that you forgive us for our sins; in your son, Jesus, name we pray. Amen.”

              Leah rested her head on Rachel’s shoulder. Tears poured out of her eyes. “Thank you, Rachel.”

              “You don’t have to thank me. Just get yourself together before we go in here and get the kids.”

              Leah nodded her head and cleaned her face as best as she could. As odd as it seemed, her old rival was beginning to care about her. Rachel wanted Leah to succeed and she also wanted for her children to have a good life.

              “Leah, if you want to find a place right now; I’ll help you. But you don’t have to rush. I’m actually enjoying you and the kids being with us.”

              Leah smiled. She wasn’t quite ready to be on her own in Atlanta. She wanted to stay at least until she found her mother and saved enough money. Rachel decided to let her work as a receptionist for one of the mangers at her firm. It was going to be a great experience for her, being that she never had a real job.

Chapter Twelve: Bad News, Good News

              “Oh No! Is he going to be okay?” Rachel exclaimed through the phone. She rested her hand across her forehead.  She sat at her desk at her Midtown firm. Her office was spacious and decorated with rare African art.

              “The doctor said the cancer has spread and his kidneys are failing rapidly. There’s really nothing you can do as of right now, but pray.”

              “Mom, how could you keep this from me? I had no idea Dad was even sick,” Rachel tried to fight back tears as she lifted her head to the ceiling. “He appeared to be in good health when I was last there.”

              “Sweetie, your dad kept it from all of us. He’s actually in good spirits. Had I not heard it from the doctor with my own ears, I wouldn’t believe it.”

              “Daddy’s always been a warhorse. I know he’s not going to accept defeat. I’ll try to get a flight out next week.”

              “No, that’s not necessary, Rachel, darling. I know you want to be here, but the kids start school next week and you have your crazy living arrangement to worry about. If his condition worsens, I promise I will call you.”

              Rachel sucked her teeth and reluctantly agreed with her mother, before hanging up with her mother. She took a deep breath and stared at the large tree seated outside of her office window.

              Martin Hamilton, one of the executives at Rachel’s firm, popped his head into her office to give a morning salutation. He was tall, muscular with blue eyes and tanned skin. “Top of the morning, Ms. Jones.” His accent sent chills up Rachel’s spine; but she would never openly admit that to him.

              “Martin, how many times have I told you to call me Rachel? Good morning to you. How was your weekend?”

              “Not too bad; but on the other hand not long enough. Well, I just wanted to say hello. Enjoy your day, ma’am.” He sipped his coffee and turned to walk down the hall.

              Talking to him almost helped Rachel slip out of the funk she was in after hearing about her father’s illness. “Uh, Martin?” Rachel called after him.

              “Yes, ma’am?” He said walking back to the entrance of her office.

              “Oh, will you stop with the formalness already? Let’s do lunch today?” Rachel asked.

              “Sounds good, Rachel.” He smiled as he glided down the hall. He felt as though he just won a million bucks, even though it was a business lunch and knew with Rachel, it would probably be a working lunch.

              Rachel’s receptionist and other employees of RTJ Incorporated often joked about Martin having a crush on her. Rachel just brushed the comments off and kept it strictly business. Martin was single, successful, and had no children, but Rachel kept it strictly professional.

              She scrolled through her emails and clicked on a message from Clyde Anderson; a local entertainer wanting to invest 1.5 million dollars with Rachel’s firm. She skimmed over the attached business proposal. She learned a long time ago that each investment was almost like putting one’s earnings into a Vegas slot machine and hoping for the best. Luckily for her, she never had to tell a single client that their money had been gambled away.

              She pressed the intercom button and phoned her receptionist. “Bridget, please schedule a meeting with Clyde Anderson. Preferably, next week if I have any openings.

              “Yes, Ms. Jones,” Bridget said as she opened up her Rachel weekly planner.

              “Thank you. Also could you call Aloma from accounting and Shawna in HR and schedule all four of us, to include yourself, for an afternoon outing for next week Friday?”

              “I certainly will,” Bridget smiled as she disconnected from Rachel. In a few months she would be graduating with her MBA and joining Aloma in the accounting department. Rachel didn’t believe in fraternization in the workplace, but since she moved to Atlanta, the four of them developed a special bond. They were all classy and professional women at the firm.  None of the other staff knew how tight they really were. At least once a month, Rachel cleared her schedule and the bunch went out for lunch and a spa treatment.

              She leaned back in her leather office chair and jotted down a few mental notes to discuss with Martin over lunch. She wanted to bring Leah into RTJ Inc. as his assistant. She thought it was best to put Leah in a completely different area, being that they already shared the same living space.

              Rachel’s cell phone vibrated disrupting her from her thoughts.   She studied the number; it was her house so she knew either Leah or Christina were on other end.

              “Yes?” Rachel answered.

              “Hey, Rach, this is Leah!” Her screechy voice nearly pierced Rachel’s eardrum.

              “What’s up, Chic?”

              “Nothing much, just finished dusting. The kids are all cleaned up and fed so I’ll take them to the park in about an hour.” Leah announced as if she was doing extraordinary motherly duties outside of the norm.

              “Sounds like fun.” Rachel responded dryly.

              “Well, it sounds like you’re busy so I’ll get straight to the point. The private investigator called and wanted me to stop by his office. He thinks he may have a lead on my mother’s whereabouts.”

              “Oh that’s great, Leah!” She tried to sound a little more enthused. “You can use the car to meet him when I get home. I have a lunch meeting today with one of my senior executives to discuss a possible position for you.”

              “Thank you so much, Rachel. I’ll see you soon. Oh, by the way, Curtis called earlier. He’s not too happy with me being here with you. Girl, he had some names for both of us!” Leah laughed out as she called out some of the four and five letter words Curtis used to describe the mothers of his children.

              “I don’t give a damn about Curtis or his thoughts! He doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out! Let me get off this phone and get some work done.” Rachel shook her head and pulled a new client file from her inbox.

              She created a few power point presentations for her upcoming meetings later on in the week and replied to a few emails. Just as she was logging off her computer for lunch, Bridget stuck her head in the door.

              “Do you want to share these with me, Ms. Jones?” Bridget asked referring to the edible arrangements she was carrying into Rachel’s office.

              Rachel didn’t respond right away. She allowed her receptionist to sit them on her desk and then pulled the card from the tasty looking arrangement. It read:

Rachel,

It has been great getting to know you. Enjoy your day, Beautiful.

Your friend,

Mike Rizzo

              Rachel blushed as she grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry from the assortment. She briefly thought about her first date with the late Chris Jackson and the chocolate covered strawberries he’d gotten for her. She bit into it, closed her eyes and the let the juice from the strawberry ooze into her mouth as it mixed with the chocolate flavoring.

              “Uh-hello? Are you sharing?” Bridget asked, eye balling the chocolate covered pineapple.

              “Oh my bad. I love chocolate covered strawberries. I left earth for a minute when I bit into it! Help yourself, darling.” Rachel reached for a piece of cantaloupe and decided not to eat anymore so that she wouldn’t spoil her lunch.

              “Thanks. Who are these from?” Bridget bit into the pineapple and grabbed another piece of fruit before she could finish off her first piece.