Wrongful Accusations - Chapter 21
The Cost of Loyalty
The police ran into the apartment, and three of them came into the bedroom, and guns were drawn. One of them immediately ran to Kadijah, who was lying on the floor.
“She jumped out of the window,” I said.
One of the officers left the room to get the paramedics while the other came over to Jerry and me. “What happened here?”
I gave him a brief run-through of my history with the Muhammad twins. He had holstered his gun and was trying to write down what I said. I was still talking when the paramedics came to get Jerry. They shook their heads as they loaded him onto the stretcher. I got up and followed behind. The officer continued to question me as we walked out of the door.
“So do you think someone bailed them out or did they break out?”
“I think someone bailed them out which is dumb because you guys knew they were flight risks.”
“Who do you think bailed them out? Someone in their crime ring?”
“More than likely, I think most of their family is back in Senegal.”
When we made it down the stairs, I looked in one of the squad cars and saw that they had found Hinniya. She rolled her eyes at me and settled down in the seat. Kadijah was being loaded into the other ambulance as we drove away.
Even though Hinniyah and Kadijah were as hard to get rid of as roaches, my sweetheart wasn’t as resilient. Jerry held on for three days after they removed the knife from his lung. I stayed at his side from sun up to sun down, leaving Cole Slaw and Mrs. Alma to take care of the office.
There was no way I could concentrate on anything but Jerry’s recovery. Aunt Essie, Cole Slaw, Harmonye and Melodye and even my mother offered to sit with Jerry while I got some rest but I refused. He was my responsibility. Jerry’s mother drove all night from New Orleans to get to see her boy. When she saw Jerry, it was very hard on her.
“My baby boy, my only boy…” Mrs. Sims sobbed. “Sandra Johnson, what kind of mess have you gotten involved in that has come back to bite my son?”
I was quiet for a minute. I wanted to lash out at her, to point out that he worked in a prison where something could happen to him every day. It wasn’t my fault that crazy people followed me home. But I didn’t say any of that because it wouldn’t have done any good.
“I’m sorry,” was all I could muster.
“You’re sorry? Is that all you have to say? You’re damn right you’re sorry. I don’t know what Jerry ever saw in you. Your mama didn’t want you, that should have told him something,” Mrs. Sims screamed at me.
Now if I had been in my right mind, that old chick would have been lying on the hospital floor with a bedpan shoved up her behind, but I didn’t have the strength to fight with her. I left the room so she could spend time with Jerry. I asked the nurse on duty to call me on my cell when Mrs. Sims left.
I went outside to get some fresh air. There were a few people in front of The MED smoking cigarettes. I smelled the tale-tell smell of cannabis coming from a car parked at the curb. I was tempted to ask for a puff or three but decided that I was too old to acquire another bad habit. I decided that a walk around the block would clear my mind a little better.
The grease-filled aroma of Church’s Chicken beckoned me and I responded. Since I had been in the hospital with Jerry, I hadn’t eaten a thing. I didn’t know how hungry I was until I looked down at the pile of bones on my tray. After an hour, the nurse still hadn’t called to let me know if Jerry’s mother had left so I called her.
“Ms. Johnson, I’m sorry to have to tell you this over the phone, but Mr. Sims passed away right after you left.”
“What?” I had let his crazy mama keep me from being there when he left this world. She would not get the nice girl treatment when I got back up to the room.
I walked as fast as I could back to the hospital. Just as I was getting on the elevator, I saw someone that I had talked to on the phone several times but hadn’t seen but once. Shannon’s friend and co-worker, Mallory was coming down the hall with a pinched look on her face. I wondered who she knew that was in the hospital but I didn’t have time to find out right then.
When I got back to the room, Jerry was lying there looking so much more peaceful than he had looked in the three years I’d known him.
His mother was still there crying and mumbling curses in my direction but I tried to ignore her. My fiancé was gone. Maybe I was meant to be alone. Even though I had dated my share of guys, Jerry was special. So was Carl when we first met. Now they are both gone. I had nothing to do with Carl’s death but if I had found him sooner he may still be alive. If I hadn’t gotten involved in all of that mess in the first place Jerry would still be alive. Since blame was being placed on me I transferred my blame to Shannon.
I wished that she had never come to my office that day. She and all of these murderers and rogues. Carl could have lived happily ever after with Hinniyah without even knowing about all of this mess. Maybe she would have gotten out of the game and settled down with him and the kids. Kadijah could have continued to be her housekeeper until she couldn’t stand the charade anymore and killed Shannon and her husband’s bastard child.
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