Brooklyn's Song (17 page)

Mattice sat at his desk putting the finishing touches on his report. He thought about the run-in he had with Hunter right after the press conference. Mattice approached her and asked if he could have a word with her. Thinking this could be an exclusive, Hunter jumped at the chance.

They stood outside the police station, “Can my camera man record us?” Hunter asked.

“Sure, by all means, I want this on camera,“ Mattice said.

After applying a fresh coat of powder and some lip stick to her already heavily made up face, she was good to go. Hunter fluffed her hair and held the microphone.

As soon as the camera began to roll, she switched to her news anchor voice. “I’m Hunter Reed and we are live. I have an exclusive on the death of the Governor’s top aide Terry Vega. Detective Blake, what can you tell us?”

“Is it okay if I hold the mic?” Mattice asked.

“You certainly may,” Hunter said, handing Mattice the microphone. The cameraman zoomed in and was now solely focused on Mattice.

“My grandmamma always says: ‘A scorned woman wants revenge, a strong woman moves on.’ Ms. Reed, be a strong woman and move on,” Mattice said. He handed the microphone back to Hunter and walked away.

Hunter stood there, her face fire engine red. She yelled to the cameraman. “Cut…Cut!” He smiled and continued to record her.

“I said cut! God damn it! What are you, fucking hard of hearing?” she yelled.

Mattice smiled, knowing it was not going to go over well with the folks at the station. She must have forgotten she was live.

Chapter 62

Mattice walked Song to the parking garage; they stood outside Song’s car talking.

Song twisted his key ring, “What a shitty day!” he said.

Mattice slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s an understatement.” The tone of Mattice’s voice was stern and more serious than Song had ever heard. “You did everything humanly possible to save Terry. Don’t think …Don’t think that any of this was your fault.”

Song closed his eyes as images of Terry’s face flashed though his mind. “I know.”

“As far as Brooklyn goes; man, if you love her, fight like hell to keep her,” Mattice said.

“I’m going over to see Brooklyn now. I tried calling her, but my calls have gone to voicemail.”

“My guess is she’s going to need some time and some space, but she’ll come around. I’ve seen the two of you together; she’ll come around. Since you’re going to be sitting on your ass for a week, I thought you’d like this.” Mattice handed Song a book of crossword puzzles.

Song laughed and held out his fist; instead of bumping it, Mattice pulled Song in for a bear hug. See you tomorrow, partner,” Mattice said.

Song thought about all the things he wanted to tell Brooklyn; mainly how sorry he was, but first he had to get in to see her. He stood in the lobby trying to persuade Ernie to let him take the elevator up to her loft.

“I’m awfully sorry Detective Kai, but Miss Peirce gave me strict orders not to let you … I mean anyone up,“ Ernie said, quickly correcting himself.

“Ernie, it’s very important that I speak to her, please.”

Ernie gave Song a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Maybe you should come back tomorrow; perhaps she’ll change her mind.”

Sensing that Ernie wasn’t going to budge, Song walked over and sat down on a chair in the lobby. He ran his hands though his hair and dialed Brooklyn’s number again.

Brooklyn rested on the sofa with Bella lying on the floor beside her. She heard her answering machine beep and then heard Song’s voice. “I’m going to camp out right here in the lobby,” Song said, with conviction, “All night, if you don’t come down or let me come up to see you. Please, five minutes is all I ask.”

She walked over to the intercom pressed in the button and said, “Ernie, send him up.”

When Song stepped off the elevator he saw Brooklyn standing outside her apartment door; her arms were folded and her stance defiant. Song could see that she’d been crying. His eyes met hers and the aguish and pain on her face broke his heart. He wanted to reach out and embrace her, but he kept his distance and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Brooklyn, I’m-“

It happened so fast he didn’t see it coming. Her hand flew up and she brought it against his cheek. His cheek felt as if it was on fire, but the tears in her eyes and the pain in her voice, burned more than the slap.

“Song, I’ve shared my bed with you, gave myself to you… And stupidly allowed you to use me … For what; Information about my father?”

Song held up his hands. “No, it wasn’t like that, not at all. I never asked you for information about your father, I-“

Tears streamed down Brooklyn’s cheeks and her voice was filled with despair. “Please, just go home and don’t ever come here again!”

“Brooklyn, wait!” Song called to her as she stepped inside her apartment.

She looked back at him and whispered, “And I foolishly fell in love with you.” She closed the door and Song heard the lock click.

There it was, out in the open, her words hung in the air like a dark cloud. Of all the things he thought she’d say to him, ‘I fell in love with you’ wasn’t one of them. He stood there feeling overwhelmed with his emotions, staring at the door, hoping somehow that she would open it again and fall into his arms. After realizing that wasn’t going to happen, Song turned and walked toward the elevators.

Chapter 63

Brooklyn had a long sleepless night. She knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work, so she decided to take a few days off and get away. Her father owned a beach house located in Cape Cod; it was the perfect place for her to relax and unwind. After letting Principal Harewood know she would be out for the next two days, she left a voice message for Lonette.

“Hey Lonette, don’t be alarmed, I won’t be in for the next two days. If you get this, call me. It would be great if you could come spend the weekend with Bella and I. We could eat some junk food and watch some of our favorite movies. Call me, okay? Talk to you soon.”

Brooklyn took a taxi to the car rental agency and after filling out the paperwork, she and Bella drove off in a SUV. She glanced in her rearview mirror before merging on the busy highway. She thought about her father, Terry and Song; each in their own way had let her down. She wasn’t really shocked to hear her father admit his affair with Terry, it was something she always suspected. Terry, the woman who had stepped in after her mother’s death, was the one who had killed her mother. She thought about when she was a teenager, crying on Terry’s shoulder after fighting with her father; confiding in her. And now, finding out the truth was more than she could handle. She found a small bit of solace knowing that her mother didn’t leave her willingly. She heard her father’s voice:

“You and Jules were her life. In the end, she loved you so much; she gave her life trying to protect you.”

Brooklyn managed a smile through a cloud of tears. “I love you, Mom,” she whispered.

She pressed the control panel on the window and glanced over at Bella sitting in the passenger seat with her head leaning out the window, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

To be a dog, Brooklyn thought.

****

Song sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and eating a slice of his grandmother’s homemade sweet potato bread. He heard her metal walker on the linoleum floor. He quickly arranged her pillows in her chair. She eased into the chair and sat down across from him.             

“Good morning Grandmother, would you like a cup of tea?”

“Yes, tea will do. You got in late last night, yet you are up early.”

Song placed the tea set on the table and sat down. “Yes, I’ve been assigned to desk duty.”

No matter what the issue or how difficult the problem, Song never lied to his grandmother. Besides, she could always tell if he were lying.

When he was a child, she would often tell him, “I can read your face like a book.”

She sipped her tea. “Grandson, you are troubled. It is written on your face and after watching the press conference, I see why. Through the years, I’ve watched you unsuccessfully try to fix the broken pieces of your heart. Yet, the last few weeks I’ve noticed it slowly mending.

Your eyes are a little brighter and the light has come back into your smile.” She laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you have fallen in love. Always remember ‘Love is the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.’ She reached across the table and patted Song’s hand. “Show Brooklyn how much you value her, don’t let your love for her perish.”

‘’I will try, Grandmother, I will try,” he whispered.

She smiled. “I have every confidence that you shall succeed.“

Chapter 64

Lonette sat in the teacher’s lounge on a coffee break. She phoned Brooklyn as soon as she received her message, but had yet to hear back from her. Due to Brooklyn’s absence, a substitute was called in. Lonette knew how unruly some of the students became whenever there was a substitute. She suggested that the students have an extra half hour of free time to let them settle down. She finished her coffee and walked to Harold’s music room hoping to borrow a box of tambourines and other small musical instruments.

She knocked on the door and there was no answer. She decided to leave Harold a note letting him know that she borrowed a few things. She walked over to the tall gray storage cabinet that stood against the wall. Lonette saw the box with drum sticks peeking out on the very top of the cabinet. She pushed a step stool over to the cabinet and stood on the highest step. She reached for the box and almost lost her footing. The box came crashing to the floor. Some of the equipment spilled out. A small wooden drum rolled down the aisle toward Harold’s desk.

“Shit!” Lonette muttered. She began to gather up the equipment splayed all over the floor. She was in the process of placing the equipment back in the box when she noticed a folder in the bottom. It looked out of place, so she picked it up and opened it. She felt a cold chill go down her spine as she stared at the contents inside the folder. Lonette placed all the instruments back in the box and sat in on the shelf. She quickly walked back to her classroom to try and reach Brooklyn again. The call went to voicemail. She opened the folder and looked at the contents inside and felt a wave of fear wash over her. Lonette looked at her watch; she had twenty minutes until school let out.

Chapter 65

The beach house in Cape Cod sat on twelve acres and was located on the private Tobey Island. Brooklyn’s nearest neighbor was ten miles away. All eight bedrooms in the house had magnificent waterfront views. As soon as Brooklyn arrived she walked through the house opening the windows letting the stale musty air out and the fresh salty smell of the sea in. Before arriving she had stopped at the local market and picked up a few supplies. Brooklyn yanked off the white sheets covering the furniture and grabbed a broom out of the closet and swept the dusty floor. She looked out the window at Bella running back and forth on the beach chasing seagulls. She thought about Song.

She was in love with him. Maybe in time she would forgive him, but she didn’t think the two of them had a future. She decided to get suited up and go for a run to clear her head. She quickly changed and opened the patio doors. Brooklyn called for Bella to follow her and began jogging along the beach.

After running for a few miles with Bella by her side, Brooklyn rested her hands on her knees and was trying to catch her breath. She sat down and kicked off her sneakers and removed her socks, closed her eyes and felt the warm sand between her toes. Thoughts of Song raced through her mind. She couldn’t escape thinking about his full sensual lips pressing against hers, his tongue slowly gliding over every part of her body. His sculpted muscular arms wrapped around her.

A loud buzzing sound awakened Brooklyn from her daydream. She put her hands to her brow blocking the sunlight in her eyes. A dune buggy was approaching driven by a woman wearing a wide brim straw hat and a floral cover-up. Brooklyn called to Bella and gave her the command to sit. The dune buggy stopped a few feet away and the woman hopped out.

“Hey neighbor,” the woman called. She slowly approached keeping her eyes on Bella.

“Hello, don’t mind her; she’ll stay put. I’m Brooklyn and that’s my dog Bella.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, shaking Brooklyn’s hand, “I’m Rose.”

Rose looked to be in her late sixties with smooth coffee colored skin and a warm friendly smile.

“I have a couple of chicken salad sandwiches in the buggy,” she said, trying to entice Brooklyn, “In fact I have a picnic basket full of food including my apple cobbler. How about a picnic right here on the beach? It’s been weeks since I saw another human being.”

“That sounds great! I stopped by the market today, so my fridge is stocked, I can go and-“

“No! I have enough food in here to feed an army,” Rose said, interrupting Brooklyn.

Brooklyn spread the blanket out on the beach and she and Rose sat down. Rose passed her a sandwich and a cold bottle of water.