When Rain Falls (28 page)

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Authors: Tyora M. Moody

BOOK: When Rain Falls
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Chapter Fifty-eight
Darnell heard a snap. Holding his gun up, he slowly pushed the door in. It occurred to him that the rain outside might be heard from the inside. If only he could sneak in without making too much of a disturbance.
Darkness met him as he pushed the door open slowly. At any moment he expected a squeal from the door hinges or something would alert those inside that he was breaking into the salon. That was exactly what he was doing, breaking and entering. If Candace was in there, he would have a perfectly good reason for surprising her.
According to Beulah, Candace's cell phone lay on the kitchen counter. He'd called the salon phone twice and been met with a busy signal both times. Beulah had reported the same.
Once he was inside, his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. There was light ahead. From his recollection, that was where the office would be. He moved ahead, toward the lighted area.
“Don't move.”
He didn't. Darnell looked around him and realized the woman's voice he heard had come from the office area. That wasn't Candace's voice. He was sure of that.
With caution, he picked up his foot and moved closer to the sinks. A barrier separated the sinks from the other part of the salon. If he could get to where the dividers stopped, that would put him parallel to the office.
“For what purpose would you kill me, Hillary? This has got to stop.”
That was Candace talking. Darnell drew his gun out in front of him. He hoped Brunson was still on his way.
“You know the police are already onto your brother. You're trying to protect him. Suppose he talks? What are you going to do then?”
“Shut up! Avante wouldn't do that. We stick together. He knows I have taken care of everything for him. All of his life, I've cleaned up for him.”
Darnell didn't like the escalating panic he heard from Hillary. He needed to do something. Soon.
“What about my children? They're still young. They lost their father, and you want to take their mother.”
Darnell slipped closer to the two women, his heart aching for Candace's pain. He was determined to save Candace.
“I don't care about you or your children. Your husband started all of this. His carelessness wrecked my family forever. I'm going to finish it.”
Okay, he'd heard enough. Now he knew who he was dealing with. He moved up to the office area. Around the corner he saw Candace and the back of another woman.
“Ladies, is there a problem?” he called out.
Relief crossed Candace's face, but it quickly changed to worry.
When Hillary spun around, he saw why.
“Hillary, why don't you hand me that gun so we can talk?”
“Detective, I should have known you would show up. Now you've just made things more complicated for me.”
He frowned. “Really? Seems like you are doing that all by yourself. Let's talk about this, Hillary.”
“No, there's nothing to talk about.”
“Are you sure? Why else would you be in the salon? I'm assuming you didn't just walk in here to make Candace do your hair.”
Hillary exhaled. “I had business to take care of.”
Candace spoke up. “She killed Pamela. And Mitch ...”
“That's enough.” Hillary swung the gun wildly back and forth between Candace and Darnell. When it steadied, the gun pointed directly at Candace. “Why don't you put your gun down, Detective? If not, it will be your fault if I accidentally pull the trigger on Candace here.”
Accidentally? No such thing.
“All right. Just calm down, okay?” This was risky, and he was betting on the fact that Brunson would be there soon. Now he wished he'd requested more backup. “I'm going to put my gun down, and we're going to talk this out. You know Avante is in enough trouble, and you're not helping him.”
Hillary frowned. “Trouble? What trouble?”
Darnell placed his gun on the floor, stood, and then stepped back. Now was the time to be praying. “We took Avante into custody a few hours ago. I'm afraid if you keep this up, all your efforts will be in vain. Your brother will spend the rest of his life in prison or possibly will be put to death by the state.”
“No. Why would you do that? You're just picking on him, like you did Sam. The cops just chased a poor, scared kid down and then shot him to death.” Hillary swung the gun around again. Darnell noticed her finger on the trigger. He needed to calm her down.
“I wasn't here when your brother Sam died. I'm sorry about all of that, Hillary. But Avante has been up to his eyeballs in some stuff. He's doing more than artwork at that gallery of his.”
Confusion showed on Hillary's face.
He continued on. “We got him for money laundering, drug possession, and murder. Now, you know juries don't especially look favorably on cop killers.”
“No. You can't do that. You have no proof.”
“We're getting all the evidence we need right now, as we speak. Cops are crawling over everything Avante owns. You got to know if they find a connection to you, well, it'll be over.”
Hillary shook her head, her eyes wild. “No, no.” Her hair had been pinned up. One of the pins must have come loose, because her bun was now lopsided.
He encouraged her. “Why don't you come to the station? You probably can help him. He needs family right now. All of you suffered a loss. It affected you all deeply. This can end now.”
Hillary shook her head vehemently. “No. This is a trick or something.” She threw her hands in the air, the gun pointed toward the ceiling. “None of this should've happened. I told him to be careful—”
Darnell interrupted. “You can't help him. Just be there for him. We have no control over what another person does. Avante got greedy.”
He took one step toward the distraught woman. This needed to end. If he could just get her gun.
“No!” Hillary placed both hands on the gun. “Don't move.”
“Please, let's end this. We don't need anyone else getting hurt.” Despite rain pouring down outside, he heard sirens in the distance.
Please let that not be my imagination.
“Let's get you down to the station.”
“No!” Hillary yelled.
A loud blast shattered a mirror behind him. Candace screamed. His body jerked back, and pain exploded in his upper body region. He grabbed his shoulder and tried to retrieve his gun from the floor.
Something fast and sharp grazed his head, near his ear. Blood trickled down his neck. Intense pain blurred his vision. There were two Hillarys with a gun.
Wait. Two Candaces
.
He wanted to tell her it would be all right, but his knees buckled under him. As his body hit the salon floor, the sirens grew louder. A deep drowsiness overtook him, and he thought of his mother. Mama was on the other side, waiting for him.
I did good, Mama. I did good.
Chapter Fifty-nine
Candace watched in horror as Darnell crumbled to the floor. She could hear the sirens. Her body went into motion. Beside her, she pushed the cart that held rollers toward Hillary and then ducked. She felt a bullet whiz by inches from her ear.
Hillary lost her balance and fell back toward a salon chair. As she went down, her head scraped against the chair's silver back. The gun spun out of her hand and across the floor.
Wasting no time, Candace went for the gun. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hillary struggle to get to her feet.
With the gun in close proximity, Candace tripped over something. Hillary had stuck out her foot.
“You get back here.”
“No!” Candace yelled. She scrambled to get up, but the woman grabbed one of her ankles, pulling her back down to the floor. The gun was so close. Candace reached her hands out but felt the air knocked out of her.
The woman had leapt on Candace's back with the speed of someone much younger.
“Auggh.” Candace was choking as she tried to pry Hillary's hands from around her throat. Then she aimed to flip Hillary onto her back by twisting her body from side to side, but Hillary's grip tightened.
Lord, please I'm begging you.
Then something silver glinted not more than twelve inches from her. Rollers were scattered all over the floor. She gathered her strength, and with one sweep of her hand, she picked up the scissors and thrust them into Hillary's arm.
Hillary reeled back and screamed. Blood stained her peach-colored blouse.
Candace dove for the gun, grabbed it, and leapt to her feet. Her throat felt raw, but she yelled at the woman, “Don't move! This is over now.”
Sirens were blaring outside the door now.
She heard Darnell groan.
Hang in there, Darnell. Don't you leave me, too!
Chapter Sixty
A year and a half later.
Despite the damp start, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Everything was green and lush. For the first time in a long while, Candace's spirits were lifted from all that had taken place late last year. Maybe it was the newness of the season. Or maybe she felt God's love like she hadn't in a while.
It was Easter Sunday.
She'd looked to this day for many weeks now. The main reason was to rededicate her life. She'd walked down the aisle, with both children accompanying her, during the morning's service. Reverend Freeman had prayed over all of them.
She'd been cleansed of her demons. Her past. Her pain.
She was a survivor.
Today she was celebrating.
In the past, when Frank was alive, they'd always tried to celebrate Easter Sunday with a picnic, if the weather allowed for it. When the kids were younger, they had Easter egg hunts in the backyard. She remembered how Pamela and she would meticulously hide the eggs her children had painted the night before. On this particular afternoon, she had a yard full of people she loved and who loved her. Almost like old times.
“Are you doing okay, Candace?”
She turned to look into Aunt Maggie's face. “I'm doing great. How about you? This sun feels good, doesn't it?”
“Mmm, it sure does. It's a blessing to still be here.”
She saw her aunt wiggling in the deck chair. “Here, let me pull that pillow up for your back.” Candace had fixed up the guest bedroom for Maggie. Daniel and Rachel both had taken to her like she'd always been in their lives.
There was a gentleness in Maggie that wasn't there when Candace lived under her roof as a teenager. Life had mellowed out for her Bible-quoting aunt.
She appreciated the extra help and guidance with the kids. She'd finally had the courage to clean out the rest of Frank's things. Rachel had even helped pack the car, and they'd had a good cry over milk shakes after leaving the Salvation Army.
“That's a good boy Rachel is with. Good manners,” Maggie commented.
Candace turned in the direction where Rachel and her boyfriend, Keith, sat. Both teens were focused. “He's been good for Rachel. I'm not sure how things are going to go this fall. They are both graduating next month and heading to UNC to play basketball.”
“Tar Heels, huh?” Maggie grinned. “All I can say is, let her go. Keep the reins on her, but not too tight. It's going to be difficult, but she's going to be okay. I imagine you are going to be heading to a few college games in the future, too.”
Candace rolled her eyes. She was sure several road trips would be requested by her daughter. They all would be okay.
At least the trials are over with
. Candace sighed. There were many revelations that had shocked Candace, but had also put her questions to rest.
Avante was convicted of various crimes, which included drug possession and money laundering. As sleazy as the guy was, he wasn't the killer in the family.
Hillary was the scary one.
During Hillary's trial, it was revealed that the ballistic reports confirmed the casings found at the crime scene for Mitch matched the gun Hillary had in her possession. With some strategy, Brunson was able to get Hillary to confess to Frank's murder.
Hillary had lured Frank to the house that was formerly occupied by her family. The woman insisted she didn't want to hurt Frank. She just wanted him to know how her mother and family had suffered after her younger brother's death. During the confrontation, Hillary claimed, she snapped and accidently shot Frank.
Accidently?
That word sent a mixture of anger and sorrow through Candace as she sat in the courtroom, listening to the events that led up to her husband's death.
Ironically, if Pamela had never represented Avante, Hillary might have gotten away with Frank's death forever. What pained Candace even more was how Pamela and Mitch had both trusted Hillary. Hillary was very much aware of their relationship, their daily schedules, and even had copies of their house keys and alarm codes.
That night Hillary drove to Pamela's home and waited in her garage. The murder weapon that killed Pamela was never found. The missing lug-nut wrench on the wall, the autopsy report, and testimonies from Darnell and Candace were enough to convince the jury of Hillary's involvement in Pamela's death. Hillary hadn't wanted to ever hurt Pamela, but she'd felt compelled to protect Avante from being accused of Frank's murder.
Hillary
had
wanted to destroy Mitch. The prosecution laid out a plan where Hillary purposely chose to work for the Harris and Harris Law Firm. At first, her plan was more about blackmail, using the photos Avante took to expose Mitch's affair. After killing Pamela, Hillary's plan turned in a direction that seemed to work in her favor. She wanted to frame Mitch for Pamela's murder.
She didn't count on Mitch searching through Pamela's meticulous notes. The man did love Pamela and, in his own way, wanted to seek justice. Mitch concluded that Avante was the one responsible for Pamela's and Frank's deaths. Since Mitch knew how fond Hillary was of Avante, he confronted Hillary during the benefit about Avante's whereabouts. He was concerned with Hillary's reasons for involving the firm in the art gallery. Probably not until Hillary took his life did Mitch find out who the real killer was.
No one had really suspected the quiet, unassuming woman of the evil acts she had committed.
Maggie interrupted Candace's thoughts. “You still thinking about Hillary, aren't you?”
Candace looked up toward the sky. “I don't understand. I don't know how to describe her. She wasn't evil, you know. She just got caught up in revenge.” Candace thought about her mother, Frank, and Pamela. There was a time when she was bitter and angry about their violent deaths. Still, she couldn't imagine crossing over as far as Hillary, who was now serving three life terms for three counts of first-degree murder.
She almost felt sorry for Hillary. Really, she'd only wanted justice for the little brother she lost.
Maggie broke into a coughing spell. “Can you hand me that water?” After taking a sip, Maggie looked over at Candace. “It's a shame. We have to let go of our hurts. Know that God knows best, and by and by, He will bring our joy back. Help us continue to live for Him.”
“You're right about that.” Candace picked up her own glass and gulped down the cool, tangy lemonade. It was one of Pamela's recipes. She'd even made a potato salad that would've made her friend proud.
Candace looked around at her guests. It was good to see Tangie with her boys. All three were tearing around the yard, with Daniel in the center, looking much younger than his fifteen years. It was good to see him being a boy for a change.
The judge and Desiree sat at the picnic table, along with Mrs. Roberts and her granddaughter. Her surrogate mothers—her aunt, Mrs. Roberts, Desiree, and Beulah—were all here.
Candace broke into a smile as she heard Beulah's gut-busting laughter.
Somehow, God had placed a little bit of Mama in all these women.
As she roamed the yard with her eyes, she caught the eye of one person. He raised his eyebrow in that funny way he did when he had a question. It was kind of cute. She waved at Darnell, indicating it was okay for him to come over.
Actually two falls ago she'd visited him every day while he recuperated in the hospital from his wounds. Praise God, the bullet that went through his upper body didn't touch anything vital. The one that grazed his head had left a scar over his ear.
“Maggie, do you believe God can give you more than one soul mate?”
“Honey, anything is possible with God. Besides, you know Frank would have wanted you to move on and continue living.”
“You're right, as always.”
The two women laughed.
“Am I interrupting, ladies?”
Darnell's jeans fit him in all the right places. Candace liked the snugness of his T-shirt, as well. Then she noticed the color. “You're kidding me. How did I miss another Tar Heels fan?”
“Say what? That's my team. I was just talking to Keith over there. I can't wait to see him and Rachel in action.”
Candace had a feeling those future road trips to Durham would be quite interesting if the detective decided he wanted to join them. She would actually like him tagging along.
Darnell's face turned serious. “Can we talk?”
Her body started to go numb. She didn't want any more bad news for a long time. She entered the kitchen, with Darnell behind her. Once inside, she asked, “So, what's up?”
He grinned. “There's no need to be looking all scared. I'm not going to bite you, unless that's a special request.”
She batted his arm. “What did you want to tell me?”
Darnell slipped his arms around her waist. “Did I tell my queen I love her today?”
“No, you didn't.”
Their lips met. Natural and oh, so right.
Candace peered into the face of the man who had saved her life. The one God had brought into her life, making her feel a sense of hope again. “I love you, too, Mr. Hollywood.” Her joy radiated from inside as she looked out of the window. God had sent a rainbow.

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