Nobody's Son, page 15
“It’s about time you got back,” Jermaine said. “This brat will not shut up. I know she’s your kid, but you should’ve left her where she was.”
“Shut up!” Reggie said. He climbed into the driver’s seat, then turned around to look at his daughter. “Aaliyah, baby, what’s the matter?” he asked.
“I want my mommy,” she whimpered.
“Sweetheart, I told you that Mommy is sick right now and she can’t take care of you. You’re gonna be staying with me for a while.”
Aaliyah wiped her tears on the sleeve of her T-shirt. “Then I wanna go back to Granny Murphy’s house.”
“We’re going back there in just a little bit. First, we are gonna go to McDonald’s and get some chicken nuggets. Won’t that be fun?” he lied.
Starting to perk up, Aaliyah nodded her head.
“You got money for McDonald’s?” Jermaine eyed him suspiciously.
Reggie ignored him and started the engine to the car. “Don’t worry about that. I got us a place to stay tonight. It’s a warehouse way out in Alpharetta. After we get settled you can go out and get us some food.”
“I thought you said this guy could find us a decent place to stay. A warehouse is not decent.” Jermaine smacked himself on the forehead. “This is ridiculous. I don’t even know why I agreed to come with you.”
Listening to him whine, Reggie began to wonder as well. If it wasn’t for the fact that he desperately needed his car, and Jermaine was reluctant to let him leave with it alone, Reggie probably would not have bothered to bring him.
As he drove he tried to make sense of the nightmare that his life had become in just a few short days.
When his mother asked him, he had told her the truth. Yes, he’d hit Jenise. She got on his nerves sometimes, and he hit her. It wasn’t like his dad had not knocked his mother around on a regular basis. Sure, he was a minister, but he also was the sole authority in his house and anytime his mother dared step out of line, he quickly put her in check. He also admitted to her that he’d trashed the apartment in anger. Jenise had no right to pull a knife on him, he reasoned.
After that incident at the apartment, Reggie went home to his mother and while working in his studio he decided that he was glad to be rid of Jenise. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her. He honestly did. It just appeared to Reggie that since she’d gotten pregnant and he’d been forced to marry her, his life had gone steadily downhill.
He was excited about his impending contract with Curtis Jansen. Reggie knew that he was a talented singer and songwriter. Whenever he sang at churches around the Atlanta area he was able to make old ladies in big hats fall out in the Spirit. His songs had a classic R&B feel to them that also made young people jump to their feet clapping and lifting their hands in praise. Reggie loved the feeling it gave him to know that his audience was enjoying the music that he made. He reveled in the glow of applause.
Although he got paid a generous salary, Reggie had hated the years he spent as musical director at his father’s church. It wasn’t easy teaching words and parts to what he considered to be a group of untalented misfits. With hard work and a lot of yelling, he was actually able to make them sound good, but it was a hollow victory. The last place Reggie wanted to be was behind a piano or even standing in front of the choir with his back to the audience. Reggie believed that he deserved to stand alone on the stage. He didn’t believe that he was just any old ordinary singer. In his mind, Reggie was a superstar. That belief was the primary reason he’d stopped singing duets with Jenise. Her voice was too strong and passionate, and often, she stole the show. After they performed, it made his blood boil if she received more compliments than he did. He’d told her that he felt that she should concentrate on raising Aaliyah instead of having a music career with him. Jenise was a doting mother so she agreed without much protest. The truth was he really didn’t care what type of mother she was. He simply did not want to share the spotlight with anyone, especially his wife.
While driving he thought back to the day earlier that week when he had been in his studio in his mother’s basement putting the finishing touches on his latest track and Jermaine knocked on the door interrupting him. Feeling annoyed that he had been bothered, he opened the door anyway.
“I’m busy, Jermaine. Make it quick,” he snapped.
“The cops just left here. They were looking for you.”
Reggie quickly pulled his brother into the soundproof studio. “Why are the cops looking for me?” he asked after they’d both sat down.
“Jenise said that you beat her up and smacked Aaliyah. They also said you vandalized your apartment. They had three warrants with your name on them.”
In all their years of marriage, Jenise had never reported the abuse to law enforcement. Reggie was shocked and livid.
“What did you tell them?” he demanded.
“I didn’t tell them anything. I said that you didn’t live here and I had not seen you in a few days. They gave me a card and told me to call if I heard from you.”
Reggie breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.” He patted his brother on the back. “You are very smart, little brother. That will give me some time.”
“Time to do what?” Jermaine asked.
“I need to borrow your car. I’m going to go over to her parents’ house and talk to Jenise. I’m sure if I apologize and sweet-talk her, I can get her to recant her story.”
Jermaine shook his head. “Nope, I need my car for work. Anyway, can’t the police prosecute you for domestic violence even if Jenise doesn’t cooperate?”
“They can try, but without her testimony, their case won’t stand a chance. I won’t be gone long. I’ll be back before you have to leave for work.”
Jermaine stood up to leave. “Jenise’s parents don’t like you very much. Just call her on the phone.”
“I can’t call her. She cut off my cell phone. If I use your phone or the house phone she might tell the police where I am. Listen, I know my wife. Face to face, there is no way she’ll say no to me.”
Jermaine was still reluctant to turn over his car keys. He really didn’t have to go to work that evening. He just really believed that what Reggie was planning was a very bad idea. It wasn’t until his brother reminded him that he had helped him trash the apartment and could also be charged that he finally relented.
When he arrived, taking Aaliyah was the furthest thing from Reggie’s mind. That is, until he ran up against a brick wall named Malcolm Winston. As soon as he saw Reggie through the screen door standing on his front porch he became infuriated.
“Get out of here, you trifling no-good bum,” he yelled.
Reggie held up his hands in front of himself. “I don’t want any trouble. I just want to see my wife.”
“She’s not here. Even if she was, I still wouldn’t let you see her. Your days of tyranny ruling over my child have ended. Now get your worthless, cowardly behind off of my porch before I throw you off.”
Being insulted enraged Reggie. He snatched open the screen door, breaking the latch. Then he stormed into the house. “Where’s my wife?” he bellowed.
“I told you she’s not here.”
Malcolm grabbed him, and the two men tussled with each other. Their wrestling match became rougher, and both men ended up on the floor. Malcolm was winning and had almost gotten Reggie to an angle where he felt he’d be able to push him back out onto the porch. Then Reggie swung his fist, hitting Malcolm squarely in his jaw and knocking him unconscious on the floor. Reggie stepped over him and began going through the house screaming, “Jenise! Jenise!”
He walked from room to room becoming more agitated with each step because he could not find Jenise. He finally stormed into the kitchen and discovered Deloris and Aaliyah huddled in a corner trying to hide.
“Give me my kid!” he ordered.
When Deloris did not comply, he walked over to her, violently pushed her down onto the linoleum floor, and snatched Aaliyah out her arms.
At that point he had no idea what he planned to do with her as he was acting purely on rage-filled adrenaline. All he knew was that he wasn’t allowing her to stay in a house where he’d felt disrespected.
Three days later, his mother threatened to turn him in to the police if he didn’t return Aaliyah to her mother. So he’d blackmailed his brother into leaving with them.
“Stop daydreaming. You just missed your exit,” Jermaine said.
Reggie looked up and realized his brother was right. In the distance he could see the golden arches, and he realized he had not eaten since earlier that morning.
“Let’s go ahead and get something to eat, then we’ll turn around.”
Back at his apartment, DeAngelo was sitting on his couch cheering for the Boston Celtics to wipe the floor with the Atlanta Hawks. Since he wasn’t a fan of the local team, he enjoyed watching the game alone in the privacy of his home. That way he didn’t have to explain or argue about his preference.
A commercial came on, and he walked into the kitchen to get a snack. He took out the wheat bread, a pack of turkey, some sliced cheese, and mayo. He slowly made himself a sandwich, then grabbed a beer from the fridge. When he returned to the living room he noticed that the basketball game had been interrupted by a news bulletin.
“A Levi’s Call, Amber Alert has been issued in the Atlanta area for a five-year-old African American girl. Aaliyah Breasia Murphy was taken by force three days ago from her grandparents’ home. Both of her grandparents were assaulted during the abduction. She was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a grey Minnie Mouse T-shirt, and pink tennis shoes. Murphy was taken by her father Reginald Tyrell Murphy. Due to a past history of violence as well as his assault on his daughter’s two elderly grandparents, Mr. Murphy is considered to be extremely dangerous. He was seen leaving the area driving a 2004 red Toyota Camry. If you see him or his vehicle, you are asked to call the police immediately.”
As the reporter read the story, DeAngelo saw a photograph of Aaliyah and Reggie on the screen. He dropped his plate on the table.
“That jerk just lied to me,” he said aloud.
He stared at the TV for a few moments trying to decide what to do. When he’d agreed to help Reggie he had no idea that he’d taken his daughter. Hitting his wife was one thing. Taking a child was a horse of a different color, and DeAngelo could not afford to be involved in that. Besides that, he didn’t feel an abandoned warehouse was a safe or sanitary place for a small child to be staying. He picked up his cell phone from the coffee table and dialed.
“Hey, man, I need your help,” he said into the phone.
“What’s up?”
DeAngelo hesitated before answering. “There’s a problem with the warehouse out in Alpharetta.”
Rip listened intently as DeAngelo explained; then a big grin spread across his face. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it,” he said, then hung up. He immediately dialed Semaj’s number. “Tonight’s the night. I need you to meet me at the warehouse.”
Since his appearance on Kandyss’s show, his entire focus had been to locate Aaliyah. Semaj had completely forgotten about Wayne James still being held at the warehouse. As much as he wanted to rescue Wayne and bring closure to his sons, he sincerely felt that finding Aaliyah took precedence.
“I can’t tonight, man. I just got a lead on Aaliyah’s whereabouts. I need to head to Reggie’s mother’s house. She was seen there earlier this afternoon.”
“They are not there anymore,” Rip answered.
Semaj was just leaving his apartment when he received the phone call. He opened his car door and got in. “Have you seen them? How do you know that they are not there?” he asked.
“There’s no need to go after the prey. He’s about to walk right into our trap and at the same time send Wayne home to his sons.”
“Stop talking in riddles and explain, Rip.”
While he sat in his car, Semaj listened to Rip explain their new plan.
“I just got off the phone with DeAngelo. Reggie had stopped by there earlier tonight. He is on the run with Aaliyah and his brother. DeAngelo sent him to hide out at the warehouse, and when he gets there he will definitely stumble onto Wayne James.”
“Are you saying that we let him find Wayne and call the police, then we are free and clear?” Semaj asked.
“In a perfect world that might work, but you’ve forgotten two things. Reggie is running from the police, and he has Aaliyah with him. The last thing he’s going to do is call the police.”
Semaj leaned his head back on the headrest. “There’s no way we can go back there to feed Wayne or let him go if Reggie’s there too. This is not good news at all.”
“Like I said before, you are not cut out for this kind of work. Let me explain it to you. We go out to the warehouse, we call the cops, and tell them Reggie’s there. They show up to arrest him and coincidentally find Wayne James. Aaliyah goes back to Jenise where she belongs. Reggie goes to jail where he belongs. Wayne James is free to return home to his sons. Semaj Matthews continues to be Atlanta’s hero.”
Shaking his head Semaj argued. “Haven’t we done enough already? Do we have to frame Reggie for kidnapping Wayne?”
“Who said anything about framing him?” Rip asked indignantly. “The police can draw whatever conclusions they want. We are not going to say he did anything.”
“Okay, smart guy. How do we explain why you and I were at the warehouse to find Reggie there?” Semaj asked.
Rip pondered the question for just a few seconds before coming up with a brilliant plan. “You just told me you got a tip about her being at his mother’s house. So we’ll say that based on that tip, we decided to trail him, and he finally stopped at the warehouse.”
Hesitation and dread settled in Semaj’s spirit. He didn’t know why, but he was sure that something was terribly wrong with their great plan.
“I don’t know, man. Something about this just doesn’t feel right.”
“Then what do you propose that we do? Reggie is on his way to the warehouse right now, and at any moment he’s going to discover Wayne. We can’t stop that from happening. I’m proposing a way for you to keep promises that you’ve made to Jenise and to Wayne’s family. Do you really want to gamble on Reggie doing the right thing?”
Semaj started the engine on his car. “I’m on my way.” He hung up the phone and sped out of the parking lot.
Chapter Seventeen
Wayne sat listening to music in the warehouse. For reasons that he had not yet figured out and didn’t totally understand, a couple of days after his abduction his captor had gone to immense pains to make his captivity more comfortable. The idea that you could be kidnapped and comfortable at the same time was an oxymoron, but Wayne realized that while he didn’t know who’d grabbed him or why, it definitely wasn’t a savage.
Instead of being tied to a hard wooden chair, the captor had provided him with a cot for sleeping. He’d untied the ropes on his hands and feet and instead, shackled his ankles to the cot with a long chain. The cot was subsequently chained to the wall preventing it from moving. It made Wayne feel as if he were a St. Bernard or Labrador in someone’s backyard. There was only so far that he could go before the chain stopped him. Nevertheless, he was grateful to be able to stand, sit, and move around on his own volition whenever he wanted to.
In order to avoid boredom, the abductor also provided Wayne with a small battery-operated clock radio, while warning him that he should turn it on sparingly because once the batteries were dead, he would not replace them. The red digital numbers on the clock were all of the light that Wayne had seen since he was abducted, yet he reveled in it like sunshine. In order to preserve his batteries he only turned the radio on once per day for a few moments in the evenings in order to listen to the news and a little bit of music.
Wayne was also dumbfounded by the fact that each afternoon his captor brought him food. Due to the circumstances he expected to be thrown scraps or barely edible rations. Instead, his meals were nutritious and surprisingly delicious. It pained him to admit that it was some of the best meals he’d ever eaten in his life. He’d assumed that in order to protect his identity his captor would not buy food from a restaurant. Yet it boggled his mind that the same person who’d gagged and dragged him from his condo was apparently standing in front of a stove on a daily basis to cook for him.
The entire situation was both frightening and intriguing. At times he felt like Paul Sheldon from the Steven King novel Misery. It was obvious that his captor wanted to treat him with care, and at times, he wondered if he’d been taken by an overzealous female fan. The few times that his captor spoke he knew that the individual was using a voice distorter, and that could be utilized by anyone. Running different situations through his mind and playing out different scenarios as the reason for his capture helped Wayne to pass the time.
He put his hands behind his head and lay back on the cot as he continued listening to the news. Most nights his abduction was mentioned and it made him feel hopeful to know that he had not been forgotten and people were looking for him.
Lying there quietly he unexpectedly thought he heard his son Stacy’s voice. He sat up quickly and looked around at the darkness. His heart was racing as it had been weeks since he’d seen his children, and he missed them tremendously. Suddenly he realized that the voice was coming from the radio. He slid closer to it, and listened intently to the sound bite from his son’s appearance on Kandyss Kline’s talk show several days prior. He beamed with pride at how his son had handled himself under the pressure.
The next voice he heard surprised Wayne. It was Semaj Matthews, who was also a guest on the show. Wayne realized they’d called the best reporter in Atlanta to help look for him, and he felt grateful. As he listened he heard Semaj make a promise to his sons to bring their father home. His words humbled Wayne and made him ashamed.
He’s looking for me, and I treated him like crap, he thought. I don’t deserve a son like him. I never did.
