A Good Excuse To Be Bad (9 page)

“That's it, Angel. I told you to get back.”

“But something's wrong with her. I think she needs medical attention.”

“It's cool out. We need to shut this door and keep her warm.”

“Let me just get the instructions I need to take care of her children before you do that.”

“Make it fast, Angel. It's been long enough.”

I tried to recount everything that had happened this weekend: Ava coming over unexpected with the bruise on her face, Ava showing up later that night without even calling, Ava undressed and carrying her sleeping kids. I tried to rub the goose bumps away—then I realized what I'd been missing. Fear.

Fear brought Ava to my house. That was the only thing that made sense. Something scared her, scared her more than that big gash in Devon's side. But there was no way in hell I would let that fear force her to take the fall for his death.

I wanted to ask her if she killed him, but I didn't. I knew she wouldn't tell me as long as Officer Todd was nearby anyway, so instead, I asked, “Why is this more important than your freedom?”

Ava looked at me. I didn't need to read her lips to read her mind:
Because I love him
. Four words that have doomed most of the women I knew.

“Being in love doesn't amount to a hill of beans when your children's future is on the line.” I shook my head.

“Saving Devon's name saves my children's future.”

“But he's dead, honey.”

“Look around you, Angel.” Ava paused. “This place doesn't exist. It doesn't matter if his legacy and vision stops. He deserves better . . .” She sniffled, trembled, and cried again.

Officer Todd tapped my shoulder. “Don't sound like bedtime instructions to me.”

“I'm getting to it,” I stuttered.

Ava's arrest and Devon's murder had me so nervous. I couldn't fathom how Ava would get through this. The drive to Dekalb County jail was always a long, dark, and lonely one for the innocent. I knew that for myself.

“It's okay.” I touched Ava's hand. “We'll follow you to the jail, to make sure they take good care of you. Who do I need to call at Greater Atlanta for you?”

“Call Elvis. Elvis Bloom,” she said with a stronger voice than before. “He's the bishop's personal assistant. He'll know what to do, but you have to get to him before the news. You know how they do. You were one of them. Remember?”

“Yeah, I do.” I grinned and nodded. “Can you give me his contact information?”

She directed me to lean closer. She whispered his number in my ear and something else I couldn't quite make out, because I heard more voices coming up the drive, then helicopters and some old familiar
voices.
I groaned. The
Atlanta Sentinel
. I should have known they would be here. I'm surprised they hadn't gotten here earlier.

“Anything else you need from me?” I asked.

She clutched my arm. I grimaced. “Take care of my babies. Don't let anyone—I mean anyone—take them from you.”

I pulled her clawed grip from my arm. “Don't worry. My place is tighter than Deacon Ness's wallet. Remember?”

“Yes, I do.” She smiled. “That man never wanted to pay Daddy his Sunday sermon checks on time.”

“Only when Mom showed up at his door looking crazy. Now,
she
didn't care about staying in her place.”

“And you're just like her,” Ava said. I stopped and frowned.

She looked me in the eye. Ava had definitely come back now. She peered straight through me. “I need you to call Mom.”

A large lump lodged in my throat. “I know.”

Lord knew I didn't want to call that woman. Neither one of us did, and calling her during her honeymoon was a death sentence.

“And I need you to stay away from this or you'll leave me no choice,” she whispered.

I gulped.

“Time's up, ladies, for the final time.” Salvador dialed on his Blackberry. “It's already a madhouse waiting at the center.”

I looked at Ava. She smiled slightly at me. Her eyes were redder than an Aruban sunset.

Salvador slapped the back of the cruiser and Ava's police escort disappeared out of the property.

I cowered behind Justus when the
Atlanta Sentinel
news van pulled into the drive. My head throbbed. If they saw me here, I would have to deal with their ribbing me about my newest failure. How could I have let this happen? I needed to get out of here.

Justus tapped my shoulder. I turned toward him and threw myself in his arms. Another cry had been trying to come down since the moment I saw that body bag I assumed had Devon's dead body in it. Although Devon and I rarely got along, I'd never wanted him dead, and definitely not murdered. I didn't want Ava to live the same pain I had for the past five years. I clutched Justus tighter, let myself go, and cried a good cleansing cry this time.

Justus pulled away and looked at me. His eyes twinkled even at this hour. They gave me some comfort despite the horrible knot in my gut. He wiped my tears with his hand. “What did your sister say?”

“She doesn't want me to find Devon's murderer. She's willing to take the fall if I get involved. I don't know what to do.” I covered my face with my hands and cried more.

 

“W
hat's the matter with her?” I choked back more tears. “She's really pissing me off now.”

Justus and I stood on Ava and Devon's property. We were the only things not tagged with crime scene tape or markers.

I couldn't see so well. Justus allowed me to wipe my eyes with his sleeve. I thanked him, while massaging my forehead with my fingertips. The headaches were returning and with good reason.

“Can you back up and start from where Ava wants to take the fall for a murder she didn't commit?”

“I can't. It would make my headache worse. In a nutshell, Ava doesn't want me to search for Devon's murderer, although she admitted to me that she didn't kill him. Instead, she wants me to protect his name. What does that mean?”

“I don't know. Perhaps she's in shock. Did you ask her if she saw the person who stabbed Devon?”

“No, but I should have. I got caught off guard when she asked me to protect Devon.” I threw my hands up in defeat. “What was she thinking? She wants me of all people to help him. By the way, she hadn't told me the real reason behind the bruise. I guessed I should have asked that, too. Justus, you're the minister. You know my sister's kind. What's up with her? What do you think she means?”

“First, take a breath. You can't make good decisions when your mind isn't clear.”

“Justus, how can my mind be clear after what has happened?”

A helicopter roared above our heads, a little too low for my comfort.

“Okay, bad choice of words. I meant you need to find a way to calm yourself. You can't find the answer you seek when you're not thinking things through.”

“Now, if that isn't a double standard.” I grunted.

“What are you talking about?” he whispered, then looked around to see who was watching us.

The policemen continued their work. I saw Salvador in my periphery.

“You didn't say that when you asked me to find Kelly's phantom boyfriend yesterday? How is she, by the way?”

“She's home now. Not sure about tomorrow night, since Trish will be at the bakery.”

“You haven't met the boy/man yet?”

“I haven't had time, seeing that I have been with you yesterday evening and all of tonight.”

“You need to get home.”

“No, I don't.”

“Yes, you do. Take your own advice for a change and take care of your family. I'll figure this out.”

“Stop changing the subject. I had something important to say.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “Proceed, but make it quick.”

“You taught me something that night. Now let me be your teacher.”

I blushed. “You have to stop talking to me like that.”

He shook his head. “You're incorrigible.”

“Obviously, I am. Did you hear Salvador? If he could pin this thing on me, he would. I know it.” I shuffled in my seat. “I think he wants to ruin me more than ruin Ava. And you know what else I think? What he said about me launching my own investigation could be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's been so long since I've worn my reporter's cap, I've forgotten what to do.”

“If it's any consolation, Sister Jenkins in the Suddenly Seniors group said you found out who was using her bank account to pay their phone bill, and I also overheard one of the ER nurses at Grady Memorial talk about how you took that bail jumper down by yourself the night I brought you home. From where I sit, you do know a little something-something.”

“That's different. Trolling for teen pedophiles is a snap, but this is a murder. A capital murder of a big-time bishop. On top of that, it's my sister's husband. To make matters worse, we found her with his freshly dead body. Did you see all that blood? Looked like a crime of passion to me.” I huffed. “It will take a miracle to fix this.”

“Aren't angels sent to perform miracles?”

“Justus, I'm no angel.”

“Your mother named you one.”

“And if you ever met her, she'd tell you she wished she could take it back.”

He smiled. “Not from where I'm looking.” His cheeks glowed in the rising sun now.

I blushed again. “Then you need glasses.”

“Look, I'm not a detective or anything of the sort, but I have faith in you. In fact, I'll do whatever you need me to do to help you.”

“Like what?” I chuckled.

“I could visit Ava at the jail, if she wanted some outside spiritual counseling. I could organize babysitting services for the children. I could contact the Young Mothers Communion Group to bring over dinners.” He cleared his throat. “I could be your assistant.”

“My assistant?” I giggled. “Thanks for the laugh. I needed that.”

“No, it's not a joke. I'm serious.”

“Oooh nooo.” I shook my head. “I'm not investigating anything that requires a sidekick. Have you forgotten what Detective Tinsley just said? I'll put Ava in the doghouse if I start snooping around this thing. And just so you know, I have a secretary, Cathy Blair. She can take care of lunches.”

I bit down on my thumb. It was another lie. Cathy would never lower herself to do such a thing.

“Don't get me wrong, and I'm not calling you a liar or anything, but I don't believe you.”

“About Cathy?” I asked. “You think I would lie about that?”

“Oh, I believe that. I've watched her go in and out of your home. I'm talking about your reason for not investigating this case privately having something to do with Salvador's chastising you.”

“How smooth, but let's be realistic here.” I pointed at all the police staff trampling over the front yard. “Those people are professionals. I troll bars in search of slimy, adulterous, deadbeat dads and ladies whose looks have run out of luck.”

“You're selling yourself short. You do more than that.” He stopped and patted my shoulder.

I looked back. Salvador was coming toward us.

“We need to leave,” I said.

Justus placed his hand on my back and directed us toward my car. “You need to solve your brother-in-law's murder.”

“So you don't think Ava did this?”

We stopped at the car. “Do you?” he asked.

“I don't know, and I don't have credible clues to prove otherwise right now.” I looked down at Elvis's number scribbled on my pad and the name Rachel, something Ava said after she screamed Devon's name. It was a start, but definitely not enough. “I need more.”

“Mmm . . . let me think about that.” He began to rub my back with one of his hands in a circular motion, tender and soft. It felt so good, I almost dozed while standing.

“Oops.” He stopped. “I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing?”

“It's okay.” I struggled to get my footing.

He opened my door. “I think I better drive us to jail. Is that fine with you?”

“Sure. Thanks.” I slid into the passenger seat. I was torn by what had just happened, but comforted because he was here with me.

“While I drive, you can take a catnap, since I'm pretty sure you won't sleep until you get Ava's charges dropped.”

“Mhmm . . .” I purred, then laid my head back against the headrest. It definitely wasn't a pillow, but it sure felt good. “You think you know me, don't you?”

“I wish I knew you more.” He shut my door.

My heart fluttered. Lord knew I didn't want to go to hell for crushing on my pastor, but he continued saying things that made me wonder about the possibilities. I lifted my head enough to open his door from the inside and watched him take a seat. Everything about him, especially his lavender scent, soothed me all over again. He couldn't be my sidekick. That would be too much trouble for us both.

He shut the door and then looked at me. “Come on, let me assist.”

“Justus, you're killing my snooze.” I groaned and opened my eyes.

Through the windshield, I saw Salvador standing a few feet in front of my car. His arms were folded into his chest. I should have known that he wasn't going to let me off that easy.

“Then give me a chance,” Justus interrupted my thoughts.

“Can you find out what Detective Tinsley wants?”

“Yeah . . . be right back.” He popped the door and hopped back out.

I closed my eyes and waited for the worst. Justus was too diplomatic to go head-to-head with Salvador. Any minute now he would be standing over me with his wisecracks. I exhaled and tried to relax as best as I could.

My car door opened; then I heard my ignition turn on.

I opened one eye. “Are you going to keep me in suspense or will you tell me what Salvador wanted?”

“It depends on whether or not I'm your sidekick now.” He drove around the fountain.

If Salvador didn't stop us now, he would be seeing me soon, which wouldn't be a surprise.

If he chose to keep the case open, he would have to come to my house, because it was also a crime scene. I hoped he would at least let me have a few winks of sleep first and get the kids away from the house before showing up. But who was I kidding? My head ached again. I needed to call my attorney, to delay Salvador's arrival. Then I remembered he was my new stepdaddy. I groaned.

“If I decided to—you know—let you assist, what kind of skill set do you have that I don't have that I might need to solve this case?” I tilted my head.

He continued driving toward the gates. “I have a way with the police officers.”

“So do I.”

He grinned. “I don't have to manipulate them to do what I want.”

I pursed my lips. “Do I do that?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah. Based on what I saw tonight, you use your feminine skill set very well.”

I blushed. “Watch out now.”

His eyes widened. “You don't scare me, Angel.”

“Not yet.”

“A man isn't afraid of a woman. He may be afraid of the way he feels about the woman, but never afraid of her unless she's carrying a weapon.”

I observed him before I considered shooting another snappy comeback. It wasn't needed. His Jedi mind trick had worked the second he showed up at my doorstep last night.

“If I were to retrace Salvador's tracks and find leads of my own against my sister's will, how soon can I call in your favor to assist?”

He grinned. “Say the word and I'm your man.”

“The word.”

“Yes, ma'am. My first duty as your assistant is to remind you to call Whitney and your mom.”

I felt nauseous again. “Pull over.”

Justus pulled the car over short of the mansion's exit. I unbuckled my seat belt and stumbled out of the car.

“Are you okay?” he shouted.

I dropped to my knees. The ground was wet with morning dew. Bits of rubble from the pavement ground against my knees and palm.

I groaned. “No.”

Despite the discomfort, I couldn't get up.

The car door slammed. I looked up to see Justus running toward me. I lowered my head and didn't fight him when he lifted me in his arms and carried me back to the car.

Justus lowered me onto the backseat. When I opened my eyes and saw another
Atlanta Sentinel
reporter van speed past us, my stomach turned again, but this time in anger. Those people were relentless. I wanted to get out of the car and scream. I tried to sit up instead.

“Stay.” Justus touched my leg. “You're sicker than you think you are.”

“No, I'm not.” My head throbbed now. “I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. The kids, the funeral, I don't know. I . . . I'm confused. I don't know how to tell them.”

I was tired and in shock. I couldn't pull my head together for trying to digest everything that had just taken place and all the things I had to do. And Mom was coming. It was too much. Justus was sweet enough to help, but there was so much to do in little time. I needed to call Elvis before Tinsley, before the press, before I stroked out.

Justus turned to me. “I think you should wait until your mother comes to decide how you will tell the children. However, you have to tell Whitney now.”

“No, I can't do that. She will flip out and the children will know that something's wrong.”

“Can you at least text her?”

“And tell her what?”

“To get some rest. That you're on your way home soon and not to turn on the news.”

“Is that what you tell Kelly? No wonder she sneaks out the house and dates bad boys.” I flipped my phone out and dialed.

Whitney picked up on the first ring. “Girl, I've been calling you and Ava all night.”

“I had my phone off, but I had a good reason, so don't go there.”

“It better be good. What's up with Ava?”

“It's not good, but she's safe. That's the most important thing.”

“Wooh . . . I'm gonna kill Devon,” Whitney said.

“No, you're not, but here's what I need you to do . . .”

Actually, I did not know what to say. How could I tell her without telling her that Devon was dead? How could I not tell her and risk she find out in a few minutes from a newsfeed, blogger, or social networking service tied to her phone.

“I need you to trust me and not turn on the television, not check a text, tweet, or e-mail on your phone until I see you face-to-face.”