Family of Lies (32 page)

My mind was spinning with all kinds of outrageous thoughts about how I could save Curtis. I even considered telling him I was pregnant with his baby and that we needed to run off somewhere together. That way I wouldn’t have to tell him about his pending murder. But no matter where we went, we’d never be happy if he knew what I knew. He would keep in touch with his clingy mama, and sooner or later, he’d tell her too much and she’d blow the whistle on us.

There was only one thing left for me to do. I’d be in Curtis’s apartment when Bo and Curtis busted in to kill him. And since they couldn’t leave any witnesses, they’d have to kill me too. In death, Curtis and I could be together.

I couldn’t think of any other way to end this mess.

W
HEN
I
CALLED UP
R
ICKY THE NEXT MORNING,
I
DIDN’T EVEN HAVE
to tell him why I was calling. He answered the question I was going to ask him right away.

“Vera, I got you a gun like you asked me to. A Glock. It’s real easy to use and nobody can trace it. It, uh, my contact told me it fell off a truck in Oakland, so it’s never been registered.”

“Good work! You will get a major bonus for this!”

“There’s only one thing about this gun—I couldn’t get my hands on no silencer like you wanted.”

“Oh well. That’s really not a big deal.” I wasn’t going to worry about a little thing like not having a silencer. The sound of gunfire wouldn’t even faze those idiots in Curtis’s neighborhood. Last Saturday the news reported that three people on his block had died from gunshot wounds in three separate incidents on the same day! Several people had “witnessed” the shootings but so far nobody had come forward and probably wouldn’t. For once I was glad that the people in the ghetto didn’t like to talk to the cops. There was a strong possibility that even if somebody saw Bo and Cash lurking around Curtis’s place—before and after the shooting—they still would not blab to the cops. Now that we had the gun, it was going to be smooth sailing from this point on. However, I still couldn’t afford to get too sloppy by telling Ricky too much.

“Baby, I know you told me not to ask no questions, but in case you want to tell me more, I’m listening.”

“You can stop listening. This does not concern you.”

“You trusted me enough to ask me to get you a gun. Why can’t you trust me enough to tell me what’s going on?”

Even though I had convinced myself that killing Curtis and getting away with it was going to be as easy and simple as a walk in Golden Gate Park, I knew it was in my best interest to be careful who I discussed it with. Other than Bo and Cash, nobody else needed to know. Ricky certainly didn’t. For all I knew, he could get into more trouble and cut a deal with the authorities by ratting me out! “Don’t ask any more questions,” I said firmly. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

I hung up fast. I still had things to do to make sure this project went well. I had never committed a crime before, and I prayed that our getting rid of Curtis would be the first and last one. This involved more work than I had expected.

I drove to Mission Street, one of the roughest, seediest areas in San Francisco. Hopeless-looking people in this predominately Hispanic neighborhood meandered about like lost sheep, babbling in machine-gun Spanish and broken English. The smell of urine, vomit, stale rice, greasy tacos, and fried bananas seemed to be everywhere. I could smell it all even though every window in my car was closed. I parked on the street and checked my purse to make sure my can of mace was easy to reach. It was a good thing I was paying attention or I would have stepped into a pile of shit on the ground as soon as I stepped out of my car.

I strolled down the street, walking with caution. Like I was afraid I’d step on a crack or stumble upon another pile of shit. This part of town was just as filthy, primitive, and gloomy as the one that Curtis lived in, so I knew I wouldn’t run into anybody I knew.

I headed to a Goodwill store two blocks from where I’d parked. I had to step over two bums lying on the ground near the entrance. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe that Sarah was willing to give up a life of luxury to move into a neighborhood with the same crap as this one!

The people inside the Goodwill looked and smelled just as gruesome as the ones outside. I didn’t want to spend any more time in a hole like this than I had to. I quickly picked out some tattered jeans, plaid shirts with patches on each elbow, and some black hooded sweatshirts for Bo and Cash. I couldn’t find any beaten up old tennis shoes for them to wear at Goodwill, but I found some at another nearby thrift store. I had never purchased ski masks before in my life and wasn’t sure where to find them. I checked in three different stores and didn’t find any. Just as I was about to give up and have Bo and Cash wear a pair of my old stockings on their faces, I came across a sporting goods store that sold ski masks. I had no idea that planning a crime could be so complicated! That damn Sarah had caused me so much trouble I was going to enjoy watching her mourn the death of her lover.

About an hour after I’d left the Mission District, I called the hospital to check on Kenneth. His nurse was giving him a bath, so I told her to let him know that I’d be coming to see him within the hour.

When I arrived at the hospital, Kenneth was sitting up in bed. Boy did he look bad! I had just seen him the day before and he’d looked bad then, but now he looked like he had aged ten years! I was surprised that he was still alive.

“Hi, baby,” I said, leaning over his bed. He didn’t react when I kissed his forehead. He smelled like sweat and liniment, so kissing him was not a pleasant experience for me—not that it ever was anyway. He also looked like he’d lost about ten pounds in the past week. His face looked drawn and emaciated and as dry and tough as old leather. His eyes looked like two black holes that somebody had poked into his face. He hadn’t shaved since he’d been admitted. His brittle whiskers irritated my face and smudged my makeup when I kissed him. “I’m glad to see you looking so good, honey.”

“Hello, Vera,” he mumbled, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

“I couldn’t wait to get back here, baby. I’m so lonely,” I lied, giving him one of my biggest smiles.

“Humph! I bet!” Kenneth reared his head back on his pillow and gave me a look that made me nervous. I was confident that he didn’t know about me and Ricky or any of the other dozen or more boy toys I’d spent time with over the years. I had always been discreet. Whenever I even thought that somebody was getting suspicious of my activities, I slowed down until the heat was off. That little issue with the fibroids and my outpatient surgery had been a blessing in disguise. Had that not happened, I may have gotten careless. Ricky had been pushing my buttons and licking my pussy so well, I had been acting like a love-starved teenager and I’d done a few stupid things. One night when I thought I was in the house alone, that nosy-ass bitch Collette almost caught me giving Ricky some phone sex. And then there was the time that Bo noticed bite marks on my thigh when he and I both happened to show up at the gym at the same time. I was a lot more careful now. I had never been busted before in my life because I was too slick and I knew when to slow down. And anyway, if Bo, Cash, or Collette had proof of my affairs, I was not worried about them exposing me. They wouldn’t dare. I was the one who had made it possible for them to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. That’s why I couldn’t imagine why Kenneth had given
me
such a guarded look.

“What do you mean by that, honey?” I asked. My heart was racing and my blood pressure was rising like a tide. Since I’d found out about Kenneth and his affair with Sarah’s mother, he’d been too afraid to approach another woman. He knew how much he had hurt me and had promised that he would spend the rest of his life making up for that. He didn’t want to do, say, or even think about anything else that would hurt me again and jeopardize our marriage. With all of that in mind, I couldn’t imagine him even
thinking
that I was cheating!

However, I was still nervous.

“Don’t worry about it, Vera,” he responded, his eyes on mine. He had replaced the guarded look with a scowl. That made me even more nervous. Was he mad at me about something? I wondered. If so,
what
?

“Uh, everything and everybody is well,” I told him, trying to sound upbeat, hoping it would cheer him up a bit. “Bo’s got everything under control at the store.”

Kenneth let out a loud rattle of a breath and blinked. “How is my daughter?” I was disappointed that he had not asked me how I was doing, but I managed to give him a smile anyway. I had never known a man who got so giddy when it came to his daughter. You would have thought that heifer was the Queen of Sheba.

“Sarah? Oh, she’s fine. Bo told me he was going to take her out to dinner this evening. But first he’s going to bring her to see you.”

“I pray to God she doesn’t leave Bo! She broke down and told me she’s in love with Curtis and is going to move in with him. I don’t know if I believe her, though. The girl is going through a phase. She’s depressed and confused. But I suspect she’s got just a mild crush on Curtis because he came to her assistance in the parking lot the day she lost the baby.” Kenneth began to talk so fast he had to slow down and catch his breath. “I wish I could talk some sense into her head.” He paused and shook his head. In all the years that I’d known this man, I had never seen him look so hurt. I was glad that I was not the one who was causing him so much pain. “So she’s still at the house?”

“Oh, yes! And to be honest with you, I don’t believe she’s going to do what she said. I had a little talk with her yesterday, and I think she’s giving it a lot of thought. I don’t believe she’s stupid enough to move from a palace to that flophouse Curtis lives in!”

“What if she does? She sounded real serious to me,” Kenneth said, coughing. The longer I stood over his bed, the worse he looked. Now his lips were so dry they looked like metal. Sweat and dead skin had formed a necklace around his neck.

“Well, even if she does, I don’t think she’ll be gone too long,” I declared. Kenneth nodded, so what I’d just said must have been what he wanted to hear. “Once she sees just how bad off she’d be shacking up with that security guard, she’ll come running back home so fast it will make your head spin.”

Kenneth nodded again. “I hope you’re right. As long as Sarah hasn’t carried out her threat to leave, there’s still some hope. We just might get lucky and Curtis will be removed from our lives somehow.”

“You mean one of the people he ratted out to the cops might finally kill him?”

“Vera, that’s not what I meant. I thought that maybe he’d meet another girl or move away to Detroit like he said his mama was talking about doing.”

“Him moving away would be nice, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. At least not in time to keep Sarah from making a huge mistake. I honestly feel that Curtis’s life is in danger. From what he told us at the dinner table, his name is on more than one hit list.” I didn’t think it would hurt to remind Kenneth about the danger Curtis faced every day. So when he got what he had coming, Kenneth wouldn’t be surprised.

“Oh, I don’t believe those guys are serious! The ones who threatened Curtis are probably just a bunch of teenagers trying to flex their muscles.”

“Why do you think that? You know how dangerous that part of town is and the young gangsters nowadays are even more dangerous than the OGs were back in the day, Kenneth.”

“That’s the point. If a real gangster wanted to get rid of somebody, they wouldn’t put it off. Curtis is not in hiding, so if somebody wanted him dead, they’d know where to find him and he would have been dead long before now.” I was glad to hear Kenneth chuckle. “I just hope that Sarah will see how little Curtis has to offer her and what a potentially dangerous situation she’ll be putting herself in.” He paused and let out a great sigh. “However, despite what he’s done, I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the boy. After all, he’s . . . he’s only a man and his only crime was falling in love with Sarah.”

“I hope nothing bad happens to him, either,” I said, sounding like I meant it.

Kenneth closed his eyes. I took a deep breath, folded my arms, and remained silent. When he didn’t open his eyes after several seconds had passed, I realized he had dozed off. I went to the window and looked out, wondering what things would be like if Sarah had not invaded our lives. One thing I knew for sure: I wouldn’t be conspiring to have a man murdered.

Five minutes later, when I returned to the side of the bed, Kenneth was snoring like an ox. Had he not been snoring and his chest rising with each breath, I would have sworn that he was dead.

It was almost over.

I had a late lunch downtown at a popular Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo on Howard Street. It was a cheap establishment with outlandish Italian décor and black and white poster-size pictures of every Italian entertainer from Frank Sinatra to Sophia Loren on the walls. But the food was delicious and so were some of the male servers. This was where I’d met my first boy toy many years ago, an Italian stallion name Mario. His dick was not that long, but it was as thick as a baseball bat. I had to dump him a year later when I found out he was swinging his baseball bat at gay men on a regular basis.

After I’d gulped down three glasses of chardonnay, a salad, and a lunch-size pasta plate, I headed to the next stop on my itinerary—Bloomingdale’s, a few blocks away.

The brisk walk helped me digest my lunch, and since I hadn’t been to the gym all week, I needed the exercise.

The clerks in the women’s department, the makeup and perfume counter, and the purse and shoe department knew me well. This was one of my favorite stores.

As soon as I entered the men’s clothing department for the first time in my life, a grinning, slick-haired, hawk-nosed clerk who looked like somebody straight out of
The Sopranos
approached me.

“How can I help madam today?” the clerk asked, grinning so hard now his teeth looked like they were trying to escape.

“I need to purchase a dark suit for my husband,” I told him. “Armani will do if you have something in stock in my husband’s size.”

“Very good. Armani! And will this suit be for a special occasion?”

“Something like that. My husband is going to be buried in it,” I said without hesitation.