Body By Night (14 page)

Finally,
she thought, already forgiving Night for whatever held him up. She didn’t even look at the caller ID as she answered.

“Well, it’s about time you called. Your excuse better be a good one and even then, you’re going to owe me big time!”

There was a slight pause, and a throat-clearing sound.

“Night?”

“Dee, it’s me, Connie.”

Connie?
Dee hadn’t talked to her childhood best friend in months, since about the same time she stopped talking to Chanelle and Connie kept trying to mediate a truce. But this was her girl, and she sensed trouble.

“Hey, Connie. What’s wrong?”

“It’s Dominque,” Connie replied between sniffles. “She’s gone, Dee.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone?”

“She’s gone, dead. They found her body in Griffith Park. Nelly said it was all over the news last night.”

The ice cream forgotten and melting, D’Andra reached for the remote. “Oh my God! What happened?” she asked, reaching a news station and hitting the mute button. Nothing stayed news for more than twenty-four hours in L.A., but D’Andra kept the TV on just in case.

“What happened?” she repeated, tears in her voice.

Connie relayed the short version: that their friend’s partially clothed body was found near a bike trail. An initial autopsy revealed a possible drug overdose and while there were no physical signs of trauma, foul play was suspected.

“You need to call Nelly,” Connie concluded.

“Why?” D’Andra barked, anger quickly joining the mix of anguish and tears.

Connie sighed. “She’s taking it pretty hard for one thing. And you two need to talk for another. Dominque is gone, Dee. We can’t get time back. Life’s too short to end a friendship on a misunderstanding.”

“There is no—”

“I’m not going to argue with you,” Connie interrupted. “I love you both and I’ve heard both sides of the story. I just think that you should too, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

Silence filled the air.

“I’ll call Miss Ann,” D’Andra said finally. She knew Dominque’s mother would be beside herself right about now.

“Yeah, Nelly said she had to be sedated. I tried to reach her a little bit ago. No one answered. But keep trying, okay? I’ll let you know when I’m flying in, which will be as soon as the funeral arrangements are made.”

They said their good-byes and hung up the phone. D’Andra missed Night immensely. She dialed his number again, and once again, got voicemail. Life was too short for many things. Like playing games with grown ass men. It didn’t matter why Night stood her up. The fact of the matter was, he did. And unlike with Charles, she wasn’t going to wait around for a sorry explanation. She jerked her phone off the couch, scrolled down to Night’s number, and pressed
delete
.

“You’ve got to call him again, D’Andra; go over to his house tomorrow. From what you’ve told me, he doesn’t sound like a man who would stand you up without so much as a phone call for no good reason.”

“It’s been two days, Elaine. Unless he’s dead, in a coma or had an accident where his fingers are broken and he can’t dial a cell, there’s no reason he couldn’t have called me by now.”

Elaine had to admit, it didn’t look good. D’Andra had so looked forward to Saturday’s date with Night, and to see her friend’s face when she walked into the hospital had told her immediately things hadn’t gone well. But why would he not show and not call? D’Andra wasn’t just a friend, she was his client. It didn’t make sense.

“Just cover all your bases before you jump to conclusions,” Elaine suggested. “Go to his house, stop by the gym. Maybe somebody there will have seen him and you’ll at least know he’s alive.”

D’Andra rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, he’s alive. He just woke up and realized it wasn’t me he wanted.”

She didn’t want to believe that; not after the camaraderie they’d experienced, the kisses they’d shared. But what else could it be? And try as she might, the image of running into Miss America kept teasing the edges of her mind. Was the woman just a client, or more? She definitely looked more Night’s type, and she definitely had serious attitude upon seeing D’Andra. Was there something going on there? And then there was what Connie had said, about life and misunderstandings. Connie was right. And so was Elaine: she needed to talk to her friend Chanelle, and she needed to find out about Night.

D’Andra headed straight to Night’s house as soon as work was over. She knew it was early but after making the decision to try and track Night down, the need to sleep had, for the moment, disappeared. Still, she stifled a yawn as she turned the corner. Right away she noticed that his silver Nissan Z350 was in the driveway but his GMC truck was gone. D’Andra didn’t know how to feel about that. Had he left early, or been out all night?

She pulled up to the curb in front of his house and turned off the engine. Reaching for her cell phone, she dialed his number again. His message box was full. Even though she knew he wasn’t home, she got out anyway, walked to the front door and rang the bell. She tried to peek inside the window and found that just as Night had assured her as she lay sprawled half-naked on his couch, you couldn’t see in from the outside. She heaved a sigh, part relief, part frustration. She didn’t know whether what had happened to him was an accident or another woman, but something was definitely going on.

She was almost to her house when she thought about Marc. It was only eight-thirty but she hoped he was at the gym. If not him, perhaps Mitzy or one of the other regulars she’d noticed since coming there would have seen him. She had just gotten out of the car when her phone rang. Thinking it was Night, she couldn’t pull her phone out fast enough, not even stopping to check the ID.

“Hello?”

“Girl, where you at; and what’s wrong with you? You sound out of breath.”

“Oh, hey Mama. I’m all right; I had to dig the phone out of the bottom of my purse, and didn’t think I’d answer in time.”

“Well, I was just checking on you; you’re usually home by now.”

D’Andra smiled. She knew in her heart that her mother loved her, cared for her, but Mary didn’t show her emotions much. “I’m almost there; had some errands to run.”

“At this time of the morning? Oh well, do me a favor and bring a gallon of milk home.”

“Okay.”

“And none of that two percent junk!”

D’Andra hung up the phone without answering, so that when she brought in the jug of two percent milk she could act as if she hadn’t heard the warning. Her mother could clog up her arteries if she wanted to; but D’Andra wasn’t going to pay for it.

“You’re here early.”

D’Andra turned around to see the object of her search coming in the door behind her. “Hey, Marc.”

“I see you’ve got the bug; once you start working out, you can’t get enough, can you?”

“It does feel good,” D’Andra admitted. “But actually, I’m here because I was hoping to run into you. I’m looking for Night. Have you seen him?”

Marc frowned slightly, shaking his head. “No, I haven’t.”

“I’m not trying to get in his business,” D’Andra said, trying to keep her tone light. “But we were supposed to get together Saturday night and he didn’t show or call. His voice mail is full and I haven’t heard from him.”

Marc’s frown deepened. “Hum; he didn’t return my call either and didn’t show to play basketball like we do most Sundays. Did you try him at home?”

“I don’t have that number, but I went by there. His car is parked but his truck is gone.”

Marc tried not to let his worry show. “He’ll turn up; he might be over to his mother’s. Sometimes he helps her out around the house. I’ll try and reach him over there later, and will tell him to call you.”

“I appreciate that, Marc.” As an afterthought she gave him her cell number. “Just in case you hear anything,” she said before leaving the gym.

D’Andra slept fitfully, and finally gave up the pretense a little after two o’clock. Her first thoughts were of Night, and within minutes of awakening, she reached for her phone. There was a message!
Finally,
she thought as she punched one to activate her voice mail.

“Hey, Dee, it’s me…Nelly. I know you’re shocked to hear from me but please call me back. I know I…there’s something I want to…just call me, okay? Bye.”

Chanelle—ever since her conversation with Connie, D’Andra had expected the call. One of the Fabulous Four was dead. That should have been enough for D’Andra to want to talk to Chanelle. But time hadn’t totally healed the wound of the way their friendship ended and D’Andra wasn’t sure if even death could bridge the acrimonious gap now between them. D’Andra admitted the lack of communication was strictly on her; she’d refused Chanelle’s calls repeatedly and was both grateful and saddened when they stopped coming. Now was her chance to reconnect with the friend who, until now, she’d refused to admit she missed so much. And in honor of Dominque’s memory, she’d call her. As soon as she solved the mystery of what happened to Night.

Chanelle’s was the only message. Despite her promise to the contrary, she dialed Night’s number again. His message box was still full. After a quick shower, D’Andra dressed and knocked on her mother’s bedroom door.

“Mama, you want some lunch?”

“What are you fixing?”

D’Andra opened the door before answering. “Baked fish and rice, with a salad.”

“No, that doesn’t sound good. Anymore of that nacho dip in there? I’ll take that with some Doritos.”

“You’re going to have to get up and fix that artery-clogging meal on your own,” D’Andra countered with renewed resolve to not help her mother kill herself. She turned to leave.

“What did you say to Cassandra?” Mary asked.

“When?”

“Over the weekend, I guess. You haven’t noticed the kids are gone?”

“I just figured they were over to Jackie’s.”

“They are, but that’s not the point. I’m wondering why she’s been gone for two days.”

D’Andra sighed. “You’ll have to ask her, Mama.” And then, noticing the worry lines on her mother’s face, she added, “She’s a big girl, Mama. She’s probably over at her boyfriend’s house.”

That brought a smile. “Ooh, Lord, I hope so. If she can get Anthony to put a ring on her finger, we’ll all be better off.”

D’Andra refrained from suggesting it was probably Hollah, and not Anthony, who’d be putting whatever on her sister; probably some good loving right now, judging by how long she’d been gone.

“What happened with that dude you met Saturday night? You didn’t say anything.”

The last thing D’Andra wanted was Mary Smalls trying to shove her down the wedding aisle. Plus she didn’t want to hear the sarcasm that would surely follow her revelation that she’d been stood up.

“It was all right,” she said, deciding on a noncommittal answer. “We’re just friends.”

“You’re not getting any younger, girl; better try and get a baby out of someone with some money. That’ll take care of you for eighteen years at least.”

D’Andra had no words to respond. Instead she simply closed the door and headed for the kitchen.

A couple hours later, D’Andra began to worry in earnest. She’d gone by Night’s for their four o’clock workout and the place looked the same as it had that morning. Then she called Bally’s and while Marc had left for the day, Mitzy said that as far as she knew, Night hadn’t been in. D’Andra knew she should probably go to the gym and work out there since Night wasn’t around; but she was too keyed up to exercise. Instead, she decided to use the time and go to Santa Monica. Night had suggested a natural superfood supplement to replace the diet drink he said was filled with additives, preservatives and other ingredients that were actually doing D’Andra more harm than good. He said the product was a mix of Chinese herbs, fruits and vegetables, a total of seventy-one ingredients. D’Andra couldn’t imagine anything with that many ingredients, and green, tasting good, but she decided to give it a try. Seeing the results on both his and her body caused her to pretty much consider his word as gospel when it came to health.

She turned up the volume and let The Wave’s contemporary jazz wash her troublesome thoughts away. After David Benoit covered Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and Wayman Tisdale “threw it down,” the duo of Bryan Legend and Corinne Bailey borrowed a question from Roberta Flack and asked where was the love. That brought the thoughts she’d momentarily pushed aside back to the forefront. Where was the love? And where was Night?

D’Andra was surprised and grateful to get a parking space right in front of Dragon Herbs, the store with the supplement Night had suggested. Within minutes she was in and out, although she vowed to come back, maybe with Elaine, and take a lazy look at all the supplements, herbs, lotions, tonics and potions within the store’s small and exotically decorated walls. She glanced to her right, aware that she was less than two blocks from the beach. For a moment she entertained a quick stroll down the path; water always seemed to soothe her and Lord knows her soul was troubled. But the beach would undoubtedly bring to the fore her last memories there, with Night and the kids. She decided against it and walked to her car instead.

That’s when she saw her, less than ten feet away, walking a dog. She acted before she had time to think; otherwise, she never would have done it.

“Aren’t you one of Night’s clients?” she asked boldly, stepping in the woman’s path as she awaited an answer.

Jazz tossed her hair to the side as she cocked her head. She knew what love struck looked like, and it was staring at her. It didn’t surprise her and was part of why she’d never be totally comfortable with Night’s decidedly female clientele. But she’d endure it because the man was worth it and she’d make damn sure that they all knew he was not available; and she figured she’d start with the cow in front of her.

“Client?” she asked with a laugh. “I am much more than his client.”

D’Andra managed to absorb the punch without flinching. But inside, her heart dropped. “Have you seen him?”

When Jazz simply stared at her, D’Andra continued. “I’ve been worried about him. He missed our appointment today and Marc hasn’t seen him at the gym. I’m just wondering if he’s okay.”

Jazz kept her cool as she digested this news. She’d blown his phone up all weekend, filling up his voice mail. But that Marc hadn’t seen him was a red flag. Still, she wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity to shore up her boundaries where Night was concerned.

“I can assure you, Night’s fine. He’s been, uh, busy, if you know what I mean; sometimes he’s simply insatiable! Your appointment probably slipped his mind. But what’s your name? I’ll pass along a message to call you.”

Without another word, D’Andra turned and walked to her car. She managed to put in the keys, start the engine and pull away before the dam burst. Her worse fear had been realized; Night had stood her up for another woman, and from what it looked like, had been in this woman’s arms all weekend.

What was it about her that made men betray her; throw her away like a paper bag? She’d wanted to believe Night was different; that he meant those things he said to her. She’d been thrilled to know he loved her big curves, and that he was determined to help her be her best self. But it had all been an illusion. Why? What did he have to gain from hurting her? She hadn’t asked him into her life; he’d offered his help and almost begged for their relationship to go to another level. He’d invited her out to the movies. Why would he do all that with someone like…D’Andra realized she didn’t even know the woman’s name. It didn’t matter. Night knew it, and what’s more, Night knew they had a date Saturday night but it looked like he passed up her supersized company for a french fry snack. She was just revving up for an ugly cry when her cell phone rang.

“D’Andra…it’s Nelly.”

“Hey, Chanelle.”

A gut-wrenching sob sprang up from D’Andra’s soul before she could censor it. The sound of Chanelle’s voice confirmed just how much she’d missed her best friend, the first one she would have called six months ago, the one she spoke to almost every day for twenty years…before catching her with Charles. But hearing her voice, thinking about Dominque, running into Night’s woman, it was all too much. Sobs were the only conversation for several minutes.

“I know…it’s crazy, Dee,” Chanelle said, believing D’Andra’s tears were for their lost friend. “I just saw her last month. She was over at Miss Ann’s and they called me to come over. We had a good time; talking, laughing, reminiscing about old times. She was still too skinny but other than that she looked good!”

D’Andra hadn’t seen Dominque for over a year, when D’Andra was seeing Charles and Dominque started dating Papa Stone, a notorious ex-gang member and known drug dealer. Everybody had tried to get her to leave him, especially after he’d supplied her with an endless supply of drugs washed down with the finest champagnes. She’d justified using them because even though they were being sold illegally, they were legal drugs: Vicodin, OxyContin and other painkillers. Dominque would alter these with amphetamines, which she’d use to wake up after a night of partying. Her once placid demeanor turned erratic and after her family and friends, including Chanelle and D’Andra, staged an intervention, Dominque had broken off contact.