38
Four hours earlier...
I’d seen those Strickland Motors commercials a million times over the years since I moved back to Romey, but I didn’t put two and two together until I saw those pictures at Renee’s mom’s house. The younger photos of him looked just like Jaywalk, and when I saw him in person, face to face, I knew it was him. It was just a feeling I had as we shook hands, and in that moment, I knew he recognized me, too. I saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes.
A calm came over me after that. I ate, laughed and talked with the family, even made plans to play hoops with Ryan and Travis the next weekend. Went home and made love to Renee. Shit, it was like a weight had lifted off of me. All these years, twenty-eight to be exact, I had wanted to kill this man, and now I finally had the chance to do it.
It was still dark when I kissed a sleeping Renee and slid out of bed, covering her feet up because they always somehow managed to get uncovered during the night. Then I showered, dressed, and drove to all three local Strickland Motors locations, finally spotting a car I’d seen in the driveway at Renee’s mom’s house the night before at the one on Hickory Street. When we were leaving the party, Renee told me it was her father’s car.
I parked across the street on the lot of a strip mall and waited to see if there was anyone else hanging around Strickland Motors to intercept me. It was already five-thirty, and seeing his car there let me know he recognized the “five sets of thirty” reference as our meeting time and that I was correct in assuming the reference to him being in his office this morning was giving me our meeting place. But all of this further assured me he knew who I was, so I couldn’t be too cautious. Jaywalk was once a major player in the drug game, and by all accounts, merciless and deadly. I wouldn’t put it past him to have an ambush waiting for me. After all, the lot was closed. There were no workers or customers there to witness anything. I should’ve insisted we meet on neutral ground, but was too surprised to have finally found him to think to do that.
Finally, at six, I made my move, sure there was no one in sight. Holding my gun down at my side, I left my vehicle at the strip mall and strode across the street. Tried the door, found that it was unlocked, stepped inside, and kind of just stood there.
He must’ve heard me come in or maybe there was a camera in the lobby, because he yelled, “Follow the signs that lead to the finance department!”
I followed his directions, cautiously walking down a hallway to the only office with a light on, gun ready, straining my ears and glancing behind me every other second. His office door was open and he was alone, sitting behind the desk.
“I see you found me,” he said, with a smile on his face. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it.”
I stood in the doorway, nodded, and asked, “You carrying?”
“Of course I am. I see you are, too.”
“Of course I am. You know who I am?”
“Clarence Higgs’ boy. You look just like him. You know who I am?”
“The motherfucker who killed Clarence Higgs.”
He straightened up in his chair, and I damn near shot him right then.
“No, I didn’t kill your father. I know that’s always been the assumption because I saw him that night, but it’s untrue. Clarence was like a brother to me.”
“That’s what a lot of people say right before they kill a nigga.”
“But I’m telling the truth.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Lorenzo, I respected your father, would’ve never hurt him, and cried like a baby when I heard he’d been killed. Hell, his death is what got me to leave that life behind and concentrate on my car lots, because if someone as good as Clarence could be killed, I knew I didn’t stand a chance.”
I stared at him.
“He was a good man, and I know for a fact he loved you and tried to raise you right, so I find it hard to accept that you’d use my daughter to get to me. You know that’s against every code. It took everything in me not to kill you last night right in front of everybody. Your issue is with me, no matter how deluded it is. You had no business bringing my daughter into it!”
“What? I didn’t even know you were Jaywalk until last night. I’m not using her!”
He leaned forward. “You think I’m that damn dumb?”
“You gotta be stupider than a motherfucker if you think I’d mess over her to get to you.”
“You love her?”
“Hell, yeah! She’s my life! I’ll fuck anyone up who even thinks about laying a hand on her!”
“You love her, but you’re here to kill me? Her father?”
“Some shit just gotta be done. Justice is way past due.”
He sighed. “Then go ahead.”
“What?”
“Do it. Shoot me. Then what? Marry my daughter, help her mourn me? Go to my funeral?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll take it that hard. She really doesn’t like you all that much since you dogged her mom out.”
This familiar look passed over his face, one I’d worn more than once when thinking about my kids—regret. “Yeah, I haven’t been the best father to either of my girls, or the best husband, but I love my family, and if you love Renee, you won’t be able to live with yourself after you do this. We may not be close, but I’m still her daddy.”
“You got your gun on me under your desk? You saying all this sentimental shit to throw me off?”
He shook his head, reached into a drawer—which made me raise my gun—and laid a gun on his desk. “Here it is. This is the only one. You can come search me or my desk. Hell, you can search the whole damn office. I’m not shooting my friend’s son. I’m not shooting the man my daughter loves.”
I kept my gun on him.
“I didn’t kill Clarence.”
“If you cared so much about him, why didn’t you help my mother after he died?”
“I paid for his funeral, bought groceries, offered Betty Jean some money, but she wouldn’t take it. Said I’d done enough. Ask her.”
I shook my head.
“I didn’t kill your father, Lorenzo, but I do know who did.”
My eyes narrowed, but I didn’t lower the gun. “Who?”
“Someone who didn’t live to see another day after I found out what he did. I killed him. Everybody knew your father was working for me, making a lot of money. This fool robbed him, shot him, left him in the street like he was nothing. And I killed him, so you wouldn’t have to, because I knew you’d want to.”
I blinked hard and shook my head again.
“Now you can kill me, or you can sit down and we can talk. I’ll give you the man’s name and you can Google him, see if I’m telling the truth. He was a known thief. There was something in the paper about them finding his body. I know you think I’m lying, but I’m telling the truth. If I’m the man you think I am, I would’ve shot you before you got in the door good.”
I lowered the gun. “Shit.”
“You believe me?”
“Honestly, no. But I love your daughter and…and I can’t do this to her. I know her heart, and I know she loves your sorry ass. Fuck!” I grabbed my head. “Go ahead and shoot me. I know that’s what all that bullshit you were talking was leading up to. You were tryna mess with my head and confuse me. So do it. Shoot me, because I can’t shoot you.”
“Hell, I can’t shoot you for the same reason you can’t shoot me. Contrary to popular belief, I love my daughter and I’ve never seen her as happy as she was with you last night. I can’t take you from her. And you’re Clarence’s son. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to him, either.”
I looked up at him. “You gonna tell Renee about this? About me coming here to kill you?”
“You gonna tell Renee I used to be Jaywalk?”
Neither of us answered the other.
“You really didn’t know who I was when you met her?” he asked.
“I didn’t.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Life is something else. Clarence’s son and my Renee. Well, if you’re anything like your daddy, you’ll be good to her.”
“I’d give my life for her.”
He patted his protruding belly. “Well, I haven’t had breakfast. Wanna join me? I know this great little café a couple of blocks over. We can get to know each other since we’re gonna be family.”
I nodded. “Yeah. My car’s across the street. I’ll follow you.”
He smiled. “Still don’t trust me, huh? Don’t wanna ride with your future father-in-law?”
“Baby steps.”
He laughed. “You know what? I like you, even though you just tried to kill me. You’re a real man, unlike that midget Renee was married to before.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I terrorized his ass, then.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You did?”
“Yep, and I loved every minute of it.”
“Yeah, I like you, Lorenzo.” He extended his hand to me. “Welcome to the family, son.”
I grasped his hand, and said, “Thanks.”