An Elderberry Fall (27 page)

“You are the one talking to him.”

“I had no choice. I led him in another direction because for some reason, I think he knows it was Carl.”

Simon said, “Carl ain't kill nobody.”

“I hope not, but if he did, please don't let Kindred know about it.”

I bit my lip and shook my head because I knew about him making an advance on Mary, but I didn't think Carl knew. I did know he would use the rifle behind Momma's door often, especially when he was hunting rabbits.

When John left, he told us to never talk about this again, especially to anyone outside of the immediate family. “What do you know about Herman's brother?” Simon inquired.

“I don't know much about him, but as strange as it might seem, he is the spitting image of his brother; his height and weight are about the same. The only thing missing is the stench of liquor. He
even walks and talks like him. They are identical in all ways. I've never seen twins with so many features alike.”

Simon glanced over at me. Neither of us commented.

John seemed to be distrusting of his own words. He didn't stop with a comment about being identical, but added more to think about, “The only difference is that Kindred don't go into joints like Herman. He is a saved man.”

M
s. Pearl had taken up with Herman Camm's brother. It was one of those things which had the folk in Jefferson whispering again. Momma wrote me about it, but I had seen her myself with him. People had seen them together at church in Jefferson and on the streets in Richmond. They were a couple. The sheriff told Ginny there was no way Pearl Brown could have committed the murder since she was spending time with the brother. Once again, the investigation was put off. Most people knew the sheriff was not smart enough to catch a killer. He had been friends with a man who killed his wife. He thought she had drunk the lye on her own. He finally realized he was wrong about the husband after someone else pointed it out to him.
Who can stand to drink lye?
Why was there so much concern about Herman, when Willie was murdered too? Everybody had figured out it was the white man, so no one mumbled a word about it.

Simon and I ran into Adam Murphy at the nightclub in Jackson Heights. He was holding hands with a beautiful lady around his age. He saw me and walked over to me pulling the lady with him. Simon recognized them and a smirk came to his face.

Adam hugged me. “It is so nice to see you.”

“You too,” I responded.

Simon reached out and shook his hand. Adam seemed a bit annoyed; immediately the smile on his face disappeared. After shaking Simon's hand, he turned toward his date and they went hand in hand to a table in the middle of the room, not far from the one where we were sitting. The sight of him with another woman at first bothered me. Why? I couldn't understand. Seeing him happy was something I'd wanted for him. Adam was a decent man, inspiring me in any endeavor I took on. It was important to have support when women's rights were still being challenged. The Women's Suffrage March had taken place less than ten years before, so anything positive for women leaving the house I counted as special.

Ms. Pearl had been dazzling the crowd for weeks. A sellout crowd had been heightening the reputation of the club that had to live down a murder. At first, after it had happened, no one could pay patrons to stop by. No one wanted to be associated with a tarnished location. It was Willie who had lost his life to a white man's bullet and nobody cared. Now, Ms. Pearl was back and many of Jackson Heights elite were all dressed up and in the club. Ms. Walker emerged after declaring months ago she would not step into the establishment again until the owner made a declaration that the club was violence free.

It was cool outside, yet inside, it was starting to get hot. After sitting down, I panned the room. I peered in the direction of Adam and he was looking my way.

Simon tapped me on the shoulder, “Are you all right?”

“This is my first time coming to hear Ms. Pearl sing since Willie was murdered.”

“You see the big men standing over in the corners. They are there to keep order. I helped find them,” Simon boasted.

When I saw the two big men weighing over 250 pounds and standing at least six feet, four inches tall, all of the tension I'd built up inside began to soften. The thought of bullets flying around had many people wondering what might happen. Mrs. Hall even warned us to stay alert. “Y'all pay attention in a place like that and never sit with your back toward the entrance. You need to see who is coming and going.” I felt it was good information coming from her, since most of her life she had been under scrutiny. Then I wondered what she really knew about places like the club.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nadine walking toward us. I wanted to get up and leave, but it was too late, “How y'all doing?” she said, twirling the curls in her hair like a little girl. She was wearing a light-blue dress with sequins on the bottom. It was the first time she appeared to be a lady.

I didn't say a word. “Carrie, I want to say I'm sorry for being over at your house.”

Simon tried to interrupt her. “Now go on about your business, Nadine.”

She sucked air in, and shook her head, then Nadine added, “You just don't want me to tell Carrie about yo sneaking ass, Simon.” Afterward, she rolled her eyes.

“We don't want any trouble,” I said, and waited for her to finish.

“I don't want Simon,” she said and shot a cold eye at Simon. “We were just doing a little drinking and we lost control. I'm so glad you came home when you did. I'm so sorry,” she said with as much drama as a vaudeville actor.

“Nadine, I'm trying to enjoy myself. I don't want to think about that day.”

She seemed surprised by my reaction. “I didn't mean to cause no problems,” she explained.

I saw the relief in Simon's face when she turned and walked back to a table across the room which she shared with a woman and two men—one of them, Jessie.

Everybody had come out for the event. It was Ms. Pearl's debut of her own songs. She finally had written something of her own. Everybody in the neighborhood appeared to be there. The lady next door, the corner store merchant, and the ice cream shop owner. There were more people there than ever before. The bartender was busy setting up drinks of Scotch and tap beer.

Simon got up and went to the bar for a Pepsi-Cola and peanuts. I looked around the room noticing many familiar faces from the community. The same lady who had made the comments to me earlier about Simon was sitting at the table with Nadine. It was then that I determined what they'd said about him had some truth. Now, he was attempting to prove to me that I was still his only love. I loved my husband even though he held secrets I thought could destroy our family. I supposed now I had some too.

“They say Ms. Pearl will be performing in a few minutes,” Simon said.

“Where is she?”

“The bartender says she is here somewhere. She's probably in the back room.”

“The back room…”

“Yeah!” He pointed to a door at the back of the room. A man was standing outside, guarding it like a soldier. “There are a lot of people here to keep order tonight.”

“They need them after what happened the last time all these people were in here.”

I took a sip of my drink. I thought how interesting it was that the entire community was out to hear Ms. Pearl perform her own
songs. Her music was gaining a lot of fame, especially in Richmond, and the surrounding counties. There were even a couple of recognizable faces from Jefferson County.

Simon was rolled back in the chair with his arms around me, letting everybody know I was his wife. I saw Adam peering over at me, and when I decided to stare in his direction, he looked away.

Ms. Pearl walked up to the stage. She had on a form-fitting, ocean-green dress and stacked high heel shoes. Her face was heavily decorated with cinnamon powder and eyeliner. Her beautiful eyes seemed to sparkle. The crowd was clapping so hard, all other sounds were muted.

When she started to sing, the noise diminished. She had captivated the audience.

She bellowed out sounds accompanied by a pianist, a drummer, and a horn player. She was wailing her lungs out. Simon was feeling a groove and gazing at me. Everybody was enjoying her to the fullest. She appeared to be singing to somebody, but I couldn't tell who it was. After a while, I got up and excused myself to the bathroom in the back.

“You gonna be all right?” Simon asked me.

“I'll be okay. You can see the bathroom from here.”

On the way there, I stopped by the table where Adam was sitting. The girl he was with was not there. “How are you, Adam?” I asked.

He looked up at me with those serious eyes. “I'm okay, but I miss you.”

Before I could think things through, I answered, “I miss you too.”

“If that's true, why are you with him?”

I was embarrassed by the question. I bent down to keep anyone from hearing. When I glanced over at the table where Simon and I were sitting, he was watching everything I was doing.

“Can we talk later?”

“I'm available anytime,” he said.

When I left, I could feel Adam watching me all the way to the bathroom, where two women were waiting in line. I got in line, and seemingly all eyes were on me. Along with Adam, Simon was also looking my way.

When I was coming out of the bathroom, I sensed somebody staring at me. I knew it was Adam. As I scooted through the crowd and the few women waiting in line on my way back to the table, somebody touched me on the shoulder. I turned to see who it was and nearly tripped to the floor. It was Herman Camm.

He smiled and asked me, “How is the baby?”

I was afraid to answer. I strutted quickly back to the table where Simon was sitting and bobbing his head to the sounds.

“What's wrong with you?” Simon asked.

“He's back,” I said, shaking my head. “Herman Camm is still alive!”

“Why can't you let Herman die? He is not alive,” he stated.

I inhaled deeply. “He is in here tonight. I saw him on my way to the bathroom.”

He glanced around the room, searching for Herman. After spotting Kindred, his brother, standing close to the bathroom, Simon paused before speaking, thinking how strikingly he resembled Herman. The fedora pulled down over one eye and the tailored suit were exactly the same. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was Herman my damn self,” Simon mumbled, gazing at Kindred.

I didn't move. I kept an eye on the man. Simon pulled his chair close and put his arm around my shoulder. “Don't be scared,” he said, “Herman is dead and gone. That cat is his brother.”

Adam peered at me from across the room. The fear in my eyes was hard to ignore. While the music filled the air with jovial
laughter, I couldn't help but wonder if Herman Camm would forever haunt me.

“But he asked about the baby, Simon.”

“Well, Carrie, Robert is his nephew,” Simon said.

I glanced at Adam, and he was still studying me as if he wanted to comfort me and hold me in his arms. The girl with him had returned to her seat and seemed unaware of his stares. I had every reason to talk to him now that Herman had also convinced my husband he was Kindred. Even though I was on a new path in Richmond, Virginia, I felt caught, fixed in time. The phantom of Jefferson County seemed to linger on.

1 Carrie appears to be happy when she arrives in Richmond, Virginia, yet she carries so much negative baggage with her. When does the novel begin to set the tone for more drama in her young life?

2 Willie is still in love with Pearl. Did you feel she would let him down again?

3 Simon is anxiously trying to find a colored baseball team to play for, so do you feel he will sacrifice his family for his dreams?

4 When Pearl is seen with a white man, does that surprise you, given the period in time?

5 Mae Lou is really concerned about Bobby probing and reopening Mr. Camm's murder case; did you think she suspects the killer will be caught?

6 How did John's defense of Pearl influence the perceptions of Mae Lou, Ginny and Carrie?

7 The Halls are important to Carrie, so why are they important to the story?

8 Do you think Mr. Camm is a ghost?

9 Carrie is trying to get her life together; what effect did Adam have on her?

10 Did you think the ending was shocking?

W
ANT TO KNOW HOW IT ALL STARTED?

L
EARN
C
ARRIE'S STORY IN

BY
R
UTH
P. W
ATSON

A
VAILABLE FROM
S
TREBOR
B
OOKS

M
r. Camm barely waited for Papa to be put in the ground. The next day he slithered into our house, mesmerizing Momma with his poison as she lay down with him. That was when all my troubles started.