No More Tears In The End

“That’s not true. I don’t believe you!” Miles said and jumped up.

“Come with me,” I said and stood up too.

“Where are we going?”

“To watch a murder.”

Miles and I walked through the hospital and passed Jeff Ritchie still sitting in the visitor’s area. Along the way, I thought what if I’m wrong? What if he’s telling the truth, and he really didn’t have anything to do with it?

When we got outside, he followed me to my car and we got in. I took the DVD of the murder out of the glove compartment and put it in DVD player. “Watch for your self.”

I sat and looked at Miles while he watched the video. Saw the smile come over his face when he saw Zakiya, and then I watched him breakdown when he saw her die.

I felt like shit.

“I wouldn’t,” he said through his tears. “I couldn’t. She was going to have a baby.” Miles looked at me. “Our baby. I was meeting her there that day to tell her that I would stand by her; that I would take care of her and our baby.”

“Who else knew she would be there that day?”

“Nobody,” Miles said quickly and then he looked at me. “Lakeda knew.”

“How did she find out?”

“That night before, I was in the office and Zakiya called. I knew Lakeda was in the club, so I told her that I couldn’t talk and would see at Paradise tomorrow. I didn’t hear Lakeda when she came in. I don’t know how long she was there before I noticed her, but she heard enough. She heard me tell Zakiya that I loved her.”

“What happened after that?”

“We argued about it. A lot of ‘how could you?’ and ‘how long has it been going on?’ kind of stuff. Then she left and she didn’t get home until after midnight. I asked her where she’d been, but we just started arguing about Zakiya again, so I went and slept on the couch.”

“You think she had her killed? Does she have that kind of juice to have somebody killed?”

“I don’t know.”

Miles got out of the car and went back in the hospital.

Chapter 36

I let Miles get a bit of a head start before I followed him in the hospital. It wasn’t like I didn’t know where he was going. Miles was going to confront his wife about his

dead mistress.

Ballsy; I’d give him that.

Did Lakeda really have Zakiya killed? I didn’t know much about her, but from what I saw I didn’t think she had it in her. But you never know how far a woman, or a man for that matter, will go in the name of love.

I, on the other hand, knew. I had no illusions about what Wanda was capable of, and what she’d do if she knew for sure what I was doing with Rain. Wanda could and would have Rain killed. It only served to remind me of what a dangerous game I was playing.

Miles went back to the unit. I couldn’t follow him, so I took a seat in the visitor’s area. I looked around for Jeff Ritchie, but didn’t see him. It didn’t take long for Miles to come bursting out of the intensive care unit dragging Lakeda behind him. Rain came rushing out behind them.

I got up and caught up with Rain as she rushed to catch up with Miles and Lakeda. “What’s goin’ on?” I asked, even though I knew.

“I don’t know. Miles busted in the room and pulled Lakeda up from her chair and said ‘I wanna talk to you.’”

We followed them out into the parking lot and caught up with them just as the show began.

Miles stopped and grabbed Lakeda by the shoulders and shook her. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. I didn’t do anything!” Lakeda yelled back.