The Believer Read online

  “Aww, gentlemen, I’m pooped.”

  “You think that you’re Jordan or something?” Rick asked him, causing the guys to laugh.

  “Come on now, Pastor Greg’s not that good,” Deacon Lark said with a chuckle.

  “They sound a little salty to me, Greg,” Ben said, walking toward Greg and handing him a bottle of water.

  “Thanks man.” Greg took the bottle. “They must be mad that they lost again,” he grinned, twisting the cap off of the bottle.

  “Man, get outta here.” Rick laughed, continuing to dribble the ball. “But Ben, you are looking a little slimmer.”

  Ben, wearing a navy blue and white Yankee’s tank top, patted his stomach. “It’s that doctor man, he’s scaring me, talking about I need to watch my weight cause a man my age is prone to heart attacks. I’m Italian, I love pasta. Give me a break.”

  Greg smiled to himself. Even after all of these years, Ben’s Jersey accent was still hilarious in his opinion.

  Ben kneeled next to Greg. “So, has James mentioned any leads on the Devon Rice case to you?”

  Greg shook his head. “No, not yet.”

  Devon’s case had been on Greg’s mind a lot and the fact that James didn’t seem to be offering up much information bothered him even more. Since he was a former cop, he knew how cops hated constant questions but now he understood how civilians felt when there were no answers.

  Ben stared ahead at the men still playing ball. “It’s not like James. You know that when we worked for him, we never saw him sit on a case like this before.”

  Greg turned to Ben. “You think he’s sitting on the case?”

  “What are you two talking about?” James asked walking over and interrupting the conversation.

  Ben looked down and grimaced before standing up. “I gotta get going.”

  Greg watched, knowing that Ben didn’t like being around James too long and the game was probably about as much as he could take. “Okay man,” Greg said, “we’ll chat later.”

  James and Greg watched Ben grab his bag and walk off the court without looking back. James sat down on the court floor beside Greg.

  “What’s up with him?” James asked.

  Greg shrugged. “He’s good, what about you? You played hard today.”

  James sat on the floor. “You know me. I play hard every day.”

  “That you do, Chief.” Greg put the bottle to his mouth and took a gulp. Greg stared at the water bottle and felt it was as good a time as any to bring up Devon’s case.

  “What do you have on Devon’s case so far?”

  James looked over at Greg then back at Rick who was taking a shot. “Still no leads. My guys have been back over to the alley and processed the scene but basically, we have nothing.”

  Rick and Troy continued to rough it out on the court. Maybe Ben is right, Greg mused. “It’s taking a while. Can I help with anything? You know, I may be a pastor but I still love the force.”

  James glared at Greg. “I’ve left no stone unturned and I won’t leave any unturned.”

  “I know.” Greg folded his bottom lip. The men sat in silence, continuing to watch Rick and Troy but Greg didn’t want to let the subject go. “Do you think it was gang related?”

  James looked over at Greg, “Possibly,” James said, wiping his forehead. “The Dominican gangs are known for stuff like that but then again that’s not usually their territory. You know that this kid wasn’t squeaky clean, Greg. In the dope business, you mess with the wrong people, you die.”

  Greg looked over at James then back at the court. “Ms. Delilah deserves justice no matter what. Whoever murdered this young man belongs behind bars.”

  “I agree.”

  “I can’t remember a time when you would allow our department to rest until we solved a case.”

  James brows came together in a scowl. “What does that mean Greg? You think I don’t care?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  James stood up. “Don’t let Ben put things in your head, Pastor. He always thought that he was too good to work under me and that he could do my job better than I could.”

  “I don’t let anybody put things into my head, James,” Greg responded.

  “Listen, I’m going to head back to the station,” James said. “Apparently I have a lot of work to do.”

  “Chief,” Greg called out to James. “I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything. I'm just thinking about Delilah and the rest of Devon’s family.”

  “I know, Greg.” James seemed to force a smile as he picked up his towel and Gatorade bottle from the sideline.

  Chapter 8

  Greg carried Gracie in his arms while Evan walked with her arm around Sundi’s shoulder as they waited for the girl's flight back home.

  “Ahh man,” Sundi said. The little girl had tears in her eyes, wanting to stay longer.

  Evan tried to console her. “I’m sure that your mom and dad miss you; you can call us anytime you want.”

  Sundi stopped walking and turned to Evan. “Just a little longer?” Sundi begged. “Pleaseeeee.”

  “You can spend all summer with us if you want,” Greg said.

  Sundi’s eyes lit up. “For real? I do want,” she bubbled.

  Evan looked at the little girl who was developing into such a beautiful young lady. At 13, she had a style of her own, wearing multi-colored earrings and wild scented nail polish paired with a bright pink shirt and purple sneakers. Her thick curls were pushed back from her face with a headband. Evan couldn’t have been prouder if Sundi was her own daughter.

  “I can’t wait either,” Evan said as she hugged the girl. The family stopped short of the boarding entrance, hearing the call for Sundi’s flight to board. Sundi reached out to Gracie who leaned from Greg’s arms eagerly into hers. Sundi kissed the baby's cheeks.

  “I’m going to miss you, Gracie. I love you,” Sundi said. Gracie placed her little arms around Sundi’s neck and laid her head on her shoulder. People filed by them and Evan felt herself becoming teary eyed at the thought of Sundi leaving. Seeing Evan wipe her eyes, Greg rubbed Evan’s shoulder and winked at her.

  Greg took Gracie from Sundi’s arms and gave Sundi a hug. “I’m going to miss you. Be good, listen to your parents and pray all the time like we talked about. Okay?”

  Sundi nodded. “I will Pastor Greg, I love you.”

  “I love you too sweetie,” Greg said. He looked over at Evan and nodded as he and Gracie began walking off to give Evan and Sundi some alone time.

  Evan placed her arm around Sundi and the two of them walked closer to the boarding entrance.

  “I’m going to miss you too and in case you don’t know, I want to tell you that I’m so proud of you,” Evan said. “You are such an awesome young lady. The reason why I have Sundi’s Courage right now is because you taught me how strong I could be.”

  Sundi smiled, looking up at her, and then hugged her again, tighter this time. “God bless you,” Sundi said releasing her.

  “Bye sweetie,” Evan said, giving the child a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Sundi adjusted her backpack and waved to Greg and Gracie as she began walking through the boarding gate. She looked at Evan and waved harder until they could no longer see each other.

  Chapter 9

  Having just put Gracie down for the night, Evan stood in the doorway of Greg’s office staring at him as he studied the series he was preparing on the book of Jonah. He read, took notes, then read again. She just wanted to watch him, amazed at how serious and dedicated he was whenever he studied the word of God. But as if feeling her presence, he turned and peered at her over his glasses. The sides of his mouth turned up flirtatiously and he thumped his pen on his desk staring at her.

  “Hey beautiful.”

  “You’ve been studying all night and you look exhausted.”

  Greg dropped his pen. “Not really studying, baby, I keep thinking about Ms. Delilah and picturing Devon lying in that morgue.” He shook his head. “It was t
he way she screamed.”

  Evan lowered her eyes. “I can’t imagine her pain seeing her baby like that. It’s hard to think about. I stopped by to see her yesterday but no one answered the door.”

  “I keep thinking about how I saw that young man at church a couple of times and I never had a real conversation with him. I don’t know if he ever made a decision for Jesus; I just wish I could have done more.”

  Evan walked in and knelt in front of Greg’s chair. “You’re right, he came to the church a couple of times and you always preach about the sacrifice of Jesus so he heard the good news. That’s what you’re called to do and you did it.” Greg looked up at her and smiled slightly. She stood up. “Gracie’s asleep and I was wondering if you were coming to bed anytime soon.”

  Greg removed the reading glasses from his face. “I am if you are.”

  “I am,” she said taking off her cream satin robe in the office doorway as she walked off toward the bedroom.

  “Oh yeah,” Greg said jumping out of his chair.

  Evan could hear him hurrying behind her so she ran to their bedroom teasingly; the closer he got, the more she picked up her pace. She looked back, ran into their bedroom, closed the door behind her and jumped into their bed with loud giggles. Chasing behind her, Greg opened the door and fell onto the bed, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her face and neck.

  Engulfed in laughter, yet trying not to wake Gracie, Evan squirmed away from him, grabbed a pillow and hit at him before Greg lifted her and both collapsed onto the bed in laughter. He held her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Greg asked.

  Evan didn’t have to think about it, she knew. “Yes.” She looked up and he kissed her.

  “Do you want to work on that troop we wanted?” he asked. “Maybe my boy?”

  “Slow down, Romeo,” she said closing her eyes as he cupped her face and placed his mouth on hers.

  Evan closed her eyes savoring her husband’s touch, his lips and his smell. He kissed her gently on her ear, took his hands and ran his finger down the side of her neck. Leon’s face flashed in her head paralyzing her as she recalled his hands around her neck. Evan grabbed Greg’s fingers.

  Greg stopped and looked her in the eye. “Baby, where are you?”

  Evan looked into Greg’s kind brown eyes and parted her mouth to tell him but didn’t. She shook her head. “Right here.”

  Chapter 10

  Police Chief James Mason stared at the heavyset black woman across from him, wishing he could have sent someone else to represent the department. He’d seen the woman before and even spoken to her on the phone about Devon’s case but it was the first time he’d visited Ms. Rice at her home. To say that she was exactly the type of woman he expected to answer a door in this neighborhood was an understatement.

  The small hood house with faded vinyl siding, the mostly dirt yard, and a front window with broken glass reminded him of why he hated ghetto neighborhoods so much. He found that these types of people were the very ones that committed most of the crimes in his city. They sure keep me employed.

  James cleared his throat and loosened the black tie that seemed to get tighter the longer he sat in front of this angry woman. For some reason, while Delilah was questioning him she also seemed to be seeing right through him.

  “Would you like some soda or something, Chief Mason?” Delilah asked while sitting on her living room couch as they discussed Devon. Occasionally, Delilah grew too emotional to continue so the encounter was moving along far too slowly for James.

  “Oh, no thank you,” James said, feeling like he was going to slide off of the plastic that covered the couch. Although the inside of the house looked much nicer and cleaner than the outside, he would have to literally be dying of thirst before he drank soda out of any one of her jelly jars. “As I was saying, there have been no substantial leads on Devon’s case but our department is taking this case personally as if Devon were one of our kids.”

  “Chief Mason, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I’m sho nuf not the dullest. You expect me to believe that your department cares more about Devon’s case than you do any of ta other little black boys’ cases around this town that happen every other day, every week?” she asked, crossing big flabby arms that hung out from a floral-printed house dress.

  James leaned forward. “Ms. Rice, this is a disturbing case that the public has taken great interest in.”

  Delilah interrupted. “Is that why you’re so interested? It’s good for your political career?”

  James stopped and thought a moment before responding. He was trying to help her and she was making it difficult. It was bad enough that he struggled to even look at her. He was repulsed by the obvious talcum powder that was wedged between those large dark breasts. If the house coat would just cover it all. “We care about what happened to Devon and we’re going to make sure that your family receives justice.”

  Delilah looked down at her damp balled up tissue. She abruptly wiped her eyes and nose with it forcing James to turn away with disgust. “I cremated my boy, Chief.” Delilah looked up with blazing red eyes. “You can’t even imagine how it feels to know that you put your baby’s body in a furnace.”

  James’ head dropped. He was listening to her but no matter what she said, he wouldn’t regret using Devon to send his message to the community. It was what he had to do. He just wished she’d make this a little easier by not dragging this out. “No ma’am, I can’t imagine.”

  “When they took his life, they took mine. I might as well be right there with him.”

  James stared at Delilah, mind drifting as she spoke. Why is it that the poorest people are always the most overweight? It’s probably my tax money buying junk food off her food stamp card.

  “Chief Mason?”

  James heard his name and turned his focus back to Delilah. “I apologize, I was thinking about how I intend to beef up the team handling Devon’s case. But Ms. Rice, I believe that you did the best you could for your son and I’m sure he’d want you to live a fulfilled life.”

  Delilah burst out in laughter. “A fulfilled life? Is that what you said?” She laughed again. “Ain’t nobody fulfilled in the ghetto.”

  She was right and James knew it; even when the words left his mouth, he didn’t believe them. “We will assist you as much as possible. If you don’t mind, I’d like to start a community fund for Devon’s son at the department. I’ve got contacts at the local news station who can air details.

  “Devon certainly didn’t have no insurance and I can’t work. The only ones that were working were Devon and my daughter Cai. She’s here with me now from New York where she works at this law firm but there are still so many bills to pay and although the church helped with Devon’s memorial, DJ will need a secure future. He deserves that.”

  It was the way that Delilah looked at James that made him uneasy as if she knew something about him that made him uncomfortable. “I’m not sure how I can help but I will do what I can.”

  As if not hearing him, Delilah continued. “I thank God for Cai. I need her now to help out more than ever. I don’t know how long she’ll be here, though.”

  The chief nodded. This woman is draining me.

  “Devon was a good boy. Do you know that DJ’s mother disappeared and left that baby with my son? He was a month old and she ain’t never returned. Devon stepped up like a grown man and took care of his baby,” Delilah raged. “My son was not perfect but he was a good young man with a future and he deserves fa someone to pay fa what they did to him!” she exclaimed.

  “I agree, Ms. Delilah,” James lied.

  In the middle of her rant, her demeanor changed suddenly. “Chief, I know you believe in God.”

  “Ms. Delilah, as an officer, I’m not permitted to have these types of discussions.”

  The big woman shifted slightly on the couch as if her weight in one spot had become extremely uncomfortable. “I’m ju
st saying that because I know you’re a trustee at the church. People like us know certain things.”

  “Well—” James began to speak when something caught Delilah’s attention causing James’ eyes to look in that same direction.

  Delilah threw her arms up jubilantly. “Hey my boy … this is my grandbaby, DJ; Devon’s son.”

  When James looked to his left, it wasn’t the little boy that he noticed; it was the beautiful mahogany-skinned young woman holding the little boy. James swallowed hard, eyeing the long legged model type with shoulder length black hair, high cheekbones and exotic dark eyes. His eyes followed her figure from the red tank top she wore down to toned brown legs that seemed to go on forever beneath white shorts. What was I about to say?

  “And this is my daughter Cai, the one I told you about that came down from New York to stay with me and DJ. She makes me proud, she graduated college and works at this big hotshot law firm.” Cai placed the toddler on the floor. Suddenly free, he ran immediately toward a large plastic plant in the corner. Cai looked over at the boy and shook her head before extending her hand to James, “Hello, nice to meet you.”

  James couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman’s beautiful face and toned body. Surely this beautiful woman couldn’t be Delilah’s biological daughter. There is no way. “Nice to meet you Cai, I was just updating your mother on the status of Devon’s case.”

  She didn’t smile. “Are there any leads?”

  James wanted to smile; it was clear that this girl was something special. Not just exotically beautiful, she was clearly intelligent. He liked them young and firm. She was both. “Not yet but we’re working hard on it.” Chief Mason folded his arms, still standing. “So, you’re here to help your mom out?”

  “Yes,” Cai nodded, turning her attention to her nephew.

  He was staring, and he knew that she had to notice how he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Glancing over at Delilah, he immediately saw the dissatisfaction on her face; she had been watching him watch Cai. “He’s full of energy isn’t he?” James asked.