Piece Keeper (2 page)

“What are you doing out here, Brown?” the man asked
referring to the homeless man by his last name.

“You know… just doing me, Officer. Nice wheels. How
long you had her?”

“Not long. Look Brown you know we told you about
bothering people out here.”

“Ah man! Ain’t nobody bothering nobody.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Now get on down the
road.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” the elderly homeless man
said as he scuffled past the owner of the Sedan.

He watched until he saw that Brown was out of sight
then made his way around the back of the police station to an old
shed. The department should have torn it down years ago. That’s how
old towns were; always holding on to a piece of the past. Walking
in, he pushed an old desk to the side revealing a hidden trap door.
Lifting the old metal door he froze halfway through the process as
he heard the door squeak. Once he was sure no one was watching he
climbed into the hole and closed the door behind him. Very few knew
about the secret passage. It was once used as a stop along the
Underground Railroad for slaves escaping from the south. Walking
down the damp corridor he came upon a door. He pressed his ear
against it and listened before opening it. He heard voices but
could not make out what it was they were saying. Now or never, he
thought as he slowly opened the door. He was here at the
catacombs.

Tip-toeing closer and closer to where he heard the
voices he ducked behind a row of shelves and watched. He knew he
should have intervened but he couldn’t. His legs wouldn’t move. He
felt catatonic. He began to wheeze once more. Taking two puffs from
his inhaler, he wiped the blood dripping from his nose on the
sleeve of his jacket. It smeared on his inhaler as he stuffed it
back into his pocket. He heard the voices cease. Someone asked
about a noise in the back of the room and footsteps moved towards
his direction. He easily backed away and made his way back to the
hidden tunnel. As he climbed from the hole he could had sworn that
he saw eyes in the dark looking at him. Rushing through the
darkness, he hadn’t heard his inhaler fall from his pocket. He
flashed the flashlight behind him, letting it sweep the area.
Finding no one he figured he was being paranoid so he went back
inside closed the door in the floor and returned the desk to its
original position. He walked swiftly from the shed back to his car,
got in, turned the ignition, and sped from the scene.

Back in the shed, Brown stepped from the shadows
he’d been hiding in, thankful that he hadn’t been caught. Bending
down he picked up the inhaler and dropped it in the shoulder
knapsack that he carried his worldly possessions in. He had been
around long enough to know whatever the cop was up to climbing out
of that hole was none of his business and he would make sure it
stayed that way.

Current Day

James snapped back into the here and now. He had a
problem and he was determined to fix it. He should’ve never left
them alone. Flashes of the two of them in the hospital room invaded
his mind. He could picture her bent over the hospital bed with her
backless gown still on and Black behind her pounding deep into his
woman.

James became so blind with rage that he flipped over
the desk his computer was on. As the computer monitor hit the floor
James kicked it across the room then quickly jumped on top of it
stomped and smashing the device it until the broken fragments of
the monitor were all over the floor. In the aftermath, he stood
panting and sweating. His eyes were wild and blood was beginning to
dry in the hairs of his mustache. Teresa will be mine, he thought.
At any cost.

He went to his room and picked up his Bible. With it
clutched underneath his arm James laid in his bed trying his best
to turn off his mind. He hadn’t had these thoughts in years. Having
them now made him feel weak and defenseless. He was even beginning
to have the re-occurring nightmares and nose bleeds again. Here he
was a grown man almost afraid to go to bed alone at night. He
fought off the urge to take his sleeping pills. He had gone down
that road of addiction during his college years. It did no good.
The only thing that seemed to offer him any peace was reading
scriptures from the Bible.

That still didn’t stop him from blaming himself; for
not helping Teresa. What could he have done? It was useless. He was
useless, just as he was as a boy. I’m still a boy, he thought. He
remembered it like it was yesterday; standing idle as he watched
his step-father molest his sister. He was 13 years old. He should
have done something then and he should have done something for
Teresa. He curled into a ball, bible still wrapped in his arms, and
cried. His sister had forgiven him years ago. She’d told him that
they were both children so how could she blame him. Still he had
never forgiven himself. The right thing needed to be done; he just
didn’t know what that was yet. But no matter what he did in life he
was determined to do whatever it took to make things right for
Teresa; whatever it took to make things right for himself.

***

Early the next morning Teresa awoke suddenly from
her sleep. She was having a nightmare about being attacked yet in
the dream her rapists were all faceless. The sound in the room was
muted except for the faint sound of air being sucked in and quickly
exhaled. The sound emanated from a silhouette in the back of the
room. She could feel him watching her. Just as a sense of
familiarity set in and she thinks she knows who the voyeur is, her
eyes popped open and darted around her hospital room. She could
feel the cold sweat consuming her body. Startled, she grabbed her
chest surprised to find Black sitting in the chair across from her
watching her sleep.

“What the hell man?” she blurted out annoyed.

“Sorry I startled you. You looked so peaceful that I
didn’t want to wake you.”

She sighed. “It’s alright. What time is it? How long
have you been here?”

“It’s almost 9 A.M. I’ve been here since 7:00.”

“I forgot you were an early riser.”

“You hungry? Can I get you anything?”

“I really could go for some of your famous fried
fish.”

Black laughed. “At nine in the morning?”

“Well, you asked.”

“I did. Whatever you want, you’ll have.” Standing
and walking over to her bed, he placed her hand in his. Looking
down at her hand he saw that she was still wearing the engagement
ring that he’d given her a year ago.

She quickly pulled her hand from his and tucked both
of her hands underneath the sheets to hide her hands. He thought
she had thrown it away. He saw the embarrassment in her eyes. There
was an awkward silence and she turned her glance from his.

He cleared his throat to speak but she spoke first.
“Can I have some time to get dressed please?”

Black nodded silently then turned and left the room
closing the door behind him. He stopped the approaching doctor
before he entered Teresa’s room. “You mind if I have a word with
you doctor? I’m Black Love, Assistant District Attorney working on
this case.”

Black flashed his badge to the doctor.

The doctor, a gray haired Pakistani man with a salt
and pepper beard, spoke with a lisp. “Yes’th. Of course’th. There
isn’t much to say. Like I told the detectives working the case,
there was tearing of her vaginal walls and anus but that could also
be conducive to rough sex’th.”

“Are you saying she made this up?”

“I’m not saying anything but what it appears to
be.”

“What about fluids or hairs?”

“When she came in she didn’t remember when this had
happened. True she was found in an alley over a week ago but
someone went through a lot of extremities to clean her up. Any
evidence that may have been there is long gone.”

“Is that all you can tell me?”

“I’m afraid so.” The doctor turned and knocked on
Teresa’s door then entered without further discussion.

Black stood in the hall. He had yet to meet with the
officer in charge of the investigation. He figured he’d get Teresa
home and settled then drive over to the station and have a face to
face.

Chapter Four

James pulled into the parking space reserved for
doctors at Carle Foundation. He figured he’d be in and out and
since he was driving the squad car it shouldn’t be a problem.
Turning the engine off and grabbing the take-out bag from the
passenger’s seat, he climbed out of the car and closed the door. He
figured he would surprise Teresa by picking her up from the
hospital and taking her home. He had stopped by Leon’s over on
Bowman Avenue and got her something to eat before heading to the
hospital. As he approached the entrance the automatic doors slid
open and Teresa was pushed out in a wheelchair by Black. Feet
frozen, James stared down at Teresa like a deer caught in
headlights. He squeezed the bag so tightly the juices from the food
began to run through his fingers and down his wrist. The three
stood in silence for several seconds although it felt like hours to
James. He didn’t know whether to blow up on Black for being there
or Teresa for leaving with the man so he just stood there.

“James, I—” She attempted to get her words out and
break the awkward silence but before she could finish he dropped
the bag in her lap and stormed off.

“What the hell is your problem, Jack!?” Black yelled
out letting go of the chair and heading for James.

Teresa began rolling after him with her arms
flailing. Black stopped mid-stride, doubled back, and grabbed the
chair.

With one hand on her chest and the other on Black’s
arm she pleaded with him. “Black, don’t…”

“Are you sure you two aren’t messing around?” he
asked.

“It’s complicated, but no.”

“Don’t you think that jackass needs to know that
too?”

Teresa pushed the soggy bag onto the ground. “You
ready to go, Black?”

He stood watching as James whipped the squad car out
of the lot with the siren blaring.

“Go after him,” she said. “I’ll find a way
home.”

He didn’t respond. He simply pushed her towards his
rental, opened the passenger door for her, closed it after she was
in, walked around to the driver’s side, climbed in, and pulled off.
There was no need for him to go after James. He knew they’d cross
paths again and it wouldn’t be pretty.

***

The black SUV Black rented coasted along the freshly
laid asphalt. The neighborhood was quiet and serene. It was a big
change from the fast paced busy streets of Chicago. It might have
been nice had it not been for the circumstances surrounding his
visit. It was awkward riding with her. It seemed every time he
tried to dialogue with her it turned into an argument. They had yet
to discuss what happened between the two of them let alone talk
about what happened to her. He’d dealt with rape victims before so
he knew before he even arrived in Danville what type of victim she
would be. It was one of the reasons he loved and hated her at the
same time. She never let go or allowed herself to open up and show
her emotions. He knew she was hurting and she had yet to show him
any pain.

They rode in silence. He felt like a shy school boy
on a date for the first time with a girl. She stared blankly out
the window. Eyes still on the road, he eyed her from his
peripheral. Even in sweats with her hair pulled back in a ponytail
she looked beautiful to him. The bone structure of her face and her
bronze skin tone put him in the mind of the actress Nicole Beharie.
Where had he gone wrong? If he had he been able to keep her happy,
they would have been married and he could have kept her safe. He
was so caught up in beating himself up that he almost passed by the
house he was renting.

As he pressed the button on the garage door opener
clipped to the sun visor above his head the garage door opened and
he pulled in. Teresa unfastened her seatbelt and opened her door.
Turning the engine off and getting out of the truck Black moved
quickly to open the door leading into the house. After they were
both inside he closed and locked the door. Teresa took her time
walking down the hall towards the living room. Her sneakers
squeaked with each step she made against the freshly waxed hardwood
floors. She took in the aroma of lemon pledge. Her eyes darted back
and forward trying to take in as much as she could. The walls were
lined with different art pieces from fauvism and impressionism to
abstract and realism. From the quick glances she stole she could
barely decide which she liked better. Stepping into the living room
her feet sank into the plush white carpet. Instinctively she raised
her head staring up at the high ceilings. Glass stretched across
the room. She sighed at the beautiful view of the clouds which
painted the home a beautiful white and blue.

“Take a look around if you like. This will be
home….for a while anyway,” Black said matter-of-factly.

With her right eyebrow raised she sat on the stool
in front of the island in the kitchen.

“Home? I’m not staying here.”

“The hell you aren’t. You’re not going home. I won’t
allow it.”

“Allow it? You’re not my daddy. Look here, Black, I
know what you’re trying to do.”

“And that would be what?”

“What we had was a long time ago.”

Black opened the refrigerator and removed a bottle
of apple juice. Shaking the bottle he hit the bottom with his palm
then twisted the cap until he heard a pop. “A year is a long time
ago?” he asked eyeing her.

“A year can be a lifetime.”

He removed the cap and took a swig. “Hmmm.”

Teresa scrunched her face annoyingly. “Hmm? That’s
all you have to say?”

“Hmm.”

She threw her hands in the air.

He continued. “Are you done with what you think I’m
trying to do?”