The Stolen Daughter Read online

  “Oh, hey now,” Cynthia sang.

  “He looked like he had a whole bunch of money and he had one of those big Rolls Royces where the doors open funny,” I continued.

  “Oh, now you’re about to get a sugar daddy,” she said. I could picture my friend getting excited. “Maybe you can get the money to kick start Malcolm’s little dream after all.” She laughed.

  “Will you be quiet and let me finish?”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Anyway,” I continued. “I know this sounds crazy, but he asked if I would mind getting in the car and talking to his wife for a few minutes.”

  “What?” she exclaimed. All playfulness was gone and her danger meter was on high alert. “And you did? Don’t you watch First 48 or Snapped or any of the other thousands of crime shows? Why in the world would you get in his car?”

  “Like I said, he’s been coming in a while. He seemed pretty harmless.”

  “I bet Charles Manson seemed harmless at some point, too,” she said.

  “Look, can I finish my story, please?” I huffed. “I had stormed off work because I have just had a really rough week and I was sure Tony was going to fire me. This man, his name is Mr. Logan, claimed to know the CEO and would go talk to Tony for me if I would talk to his wife.”

  “I can’t believe he wanted you to talk to his wife. And why was she even in the back seat? Okay, is this some kind of freaky stuff they had going on?” I could tell Cynthia’s antenna was on high alert. “What did she want to talk to you about? Were they some type of sex cult couple?”

  “I seriously don’t know what she wanted. She creeped me out. She just sat there staring at me at first. It was so weird. Her eyes were all watery and she just stared at me without saying anything. Then she asked me questions like ‘Was I happy in my life?’ And ‘Did I consider myself well rounded?’ It was the weirdest thing ever.”

  I could hear Cynthia’s confusion through the phone. “So, she didn’t say why they wanted to talk to you?”

  “No,” I replied.

  “She just pummeled you with questions?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, that’s for real creepy,” Cynthia said.

  “She did offer me a Coke, and she kept insisting that I drink it.”

  “A Coke? Oh my God. They probably were going to drug you and kidnap you,” Cynthia exclaimed.

  “No, I never got that vibe. It kind of felt like they were . . . I don’t know, maybe they were just some lonely old people,” I said. “But it was really weird.”

  “That is strange.” Cynthia pounced into mother mode. “Look here, don’t go getting into cars with strange people. I have a full calendar and do not have time to go to a funeral.” That was my best friend, forever the protector.

  “Well, I didn’t think he was strange because he’s come in Starbucks many times over the last couple of months,” I replied. “He seems like a nice enough guy.”

  “Again, most killers don’t wear name tags,” Cynthia said. “The bottom line is you don’t know him, so stay out of his car before you end up on the news.”

  “You’re right,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot of our apartment complex. I turned off the ignition, looked at my town house, and sighed. The dilapidated building with its chipped 1980s yellow paint was not where I wanted to be at this point in my life, but I had to stay faithful that things would turn around for us at some point.

  “Well, girl, I’m home,” I said to my friend. “Let me get inside. I see Malcolm’s truck so I’m going to go in and pray he’s in a better mood.”

  “Okay. Call me later.” She paused. “And Jill?” she added.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m going to say a prayer that you and Malcolm get a break. Both of you deserve it.”

  “Thank you, Cyn. I love you,” I replied.

  “I love you, too.”

  I hung up and made my way up the walkway, with its broken concrete and weeds peeking through every crack. I carefully stepped over the mounds of red ants that were setting up a new home at the end of the sidewalk, then eased my key in the door, which could easily open with one good kick, and walked in to see Malcolm sitting at the dining room table bouncing our daughter on his lap as he pored over some papers.

  “Hey, babe,” I said, walking over and kissing him on top of the head first, then kissing our daughter on the cheek. She giggled with delight.

  “How was your day?” he said, not looking up. “I thought you didn’t get off until nine.”

  “Fine,” I replied, deciding to forego additional details for now. “Is Aunt Marilyn here yet with Mama?”

  “Not yet. She called and said they were going to stop by Ross to shop a little.” He sighed as he pushed Destiny’s hand back from trying to grab the papers. “I’m just sitting here trying to figure out how we’re going to pay these bills. They’re slated to cut off the lights tomorrow.” His words were weighted with frustration and I felt awful for my husband. Being able to care for his family meant a lot to him.

  “I get paid on Friday,” I told him. “That’s in three days.”

  “The extension is until tomorrow,” he said. “I knew I should’ve told Kendra that I couldn’t afford that stupid tux she has me wearing for her wedding this weekend,” he said, referring to his sister, who was getting married to her longtime boyfriend. “That money could’ve paid the light bill.” Malcolm blew an exasperated breath as he rubbed his temple. “When is your mom’s social security check coming in?”

  I hated when he asked about that check. I knew that my husband didn’t mean anything malicious by it, but that money was supposed to be for my mom’s care. Yet, ever since she’d been here, Malcolm had been finding other things to do with the money. “I don’t know, but you know I hate using that money for bills,” I said.

  He must’ve sensed my apprehension because he said, “Look, babe, I know you hate using that check for anything other than your mother, but I don’t know what will happen if your mother has to sit here in the dark.”

  I sighed and shrugged. “Well, it’s not here yet. They start direct deposit of her check this month, maybe it’ll come in tonight.”

  He took another deep breath. “Let’s hope it does, or we all will be sitting in the dark tomorrow.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that so I just walked over to the stove. “Did you cook anything?” I asked, looking around for some sign of dinner. He looked up at me like I was speaking a foreign language and it was my turn to release an exasperated breath. But he was the one at home all day and I was the one working. The least he could do was cook. “I’ll order a pizza from Little Caesars. They have that five dollar special,” I said after he just kept giving me that blank stare. It was sad that I had to hesitate over a pizza. But I was exhausted and we had to eat, so I decided not to fight it.

  Malcolm shrugged and went back to trying to figure out the bills. I grabbed my phone and logged onto the pizza place, ordered one pizza, and then sat down next to him at the table.

  “Hey, this guy showed up at work today,” I began.

  That made him look up and give me his undivided attention. Malcolm wasn’t the jealous type when we first met. But he’d been feeling some kind of way about being laid off and I’d been seeing a possessive side of him that was definitely out of the ordinary. Cynthia said Malcolm was probably worried that I would leave him for a man with a good job. Which, of course, was absolutely ludicrous. Since the day Malcolm and I had met, when I took my first jalopy—a 1993 Chevy Chevette—to his uncle’s shop, we’d been inseparable. That was seven years ago.

  “What guy?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Some older man who wanted to talk to me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Talk to you about what?”

  “Not like that,” I quickly said. “He’s a regular customer, comes in all the time. I don’t know what he wanted, to be honest. He just was kind of rambling, then he asked me to talk to his wife.”

  I guess
since I had told Malcolm that the man wasn’t trying to pick me up, he was no longer interested, because he simply shrugged and said, “You guys meet all kinds in Starbucks,” then he stood and handed me Destiny, who was falling asleep in his arms. “Well, look, I’m going to go lie down.” He kissed Destiny on the head as she snuggled into my chest. “Looking for a job is almost exhausting as working a job. Then Kendra is stressing me over this wedding on Saturday. She and Travis have two kids. Why they’re having a big wedding is beyond me,” he moaned. “Anyway, Mike and the boys will be by later. We’re going to watch the game.”

  “They’re coming here?” I asked. It’s not that I didn’t like Malcolm’s friends. They were cool. But our town house was too small to be the hangout spot.

  “Yeah, Mike’s TV is out, and Tyrone lives all the way on the north side.” Malcolm looked at me and added, “You probably should call the pizza place back and order some extra pizzas.”

  I cocked my head at him. Just a minute ago, he was telling me how he didn’t know how we were going to keep the lights on because we were so broke. Now, I was supposed to be ordering pizza for his friends?

  Before I could say anything, he added, “You think you can keep your mother upstairs while they’re here?”

  I didn’t even feel like arguing. I simply nodded and wondered how much more of this life I could take.

  Chapter 5

  Kendra Reed might have done things backward—two kids first, then a husband, but her fiancé, Travis, was giving her the wedding of her dreams. That made my heart swell since my sister-in-law and I were extremely close. She’d been a support system for me when Malcolm first lost his job. And she understood my frustration with his “dream-chasing.”

  Kendra’s approval meant the world to me since Malcolm’s mother didn’t really care for me. She felt like her son could do better, which was ludicrous since it wasn’t like they were some well-to-do family and Malcolm was slumming with me. He was from a middle-class working family. The only difference was he’d been raised with two parents while I only had my mother. We’d both dropped out of college. Well, Malcolm always said he dropped out, but really, he flunked out because he spent all of his time developing one idea after another. I dropped out my sophomore year, one of my biggest regrets. But the healthcare company I worked for was paying good money and I had to go full-time or lose the job.

  We were currently inside the sanctuary of New Faith Missionary Baptist Church, the church Malcolm and his family had been raised in. Travis’s family had spared no expense and the entire sanctuary was adorned with white calla lilies, with silver and purple accents throughout. It was the perfect complement to the rich purple bridesmaids’ dresses. It was simply beautiful.

  The wedding music began playing and I stood with the rest of the guests. I beamed with pride as I focused my eyes on my beautiful sister-in-law, who had been one of my closest friends before I even knew her brother.

  Kendra didn’t look like what she’d been through. And that was a good thing. Few twenty-seven-year-olds had had to endure a round of chemotherapy in a fight to save their breast, but she had, and she’d come through like the fighter she was. And today she was marrying the man of her dreams.

  Malcolm tried to play hard, but I could tell he was emotional because he winked at me as he stood next to Travis at the altar. I knew that wink was for me because that was Malcolm’s term of endearment.

  It was simply to tell me to be strong. Malcolm knew that I’d wanted a big wedding, but neither of us had been in a financial position to make that happen. And it wasn’t like my mother even had enough to buy the flowers for our wedding, let alone to give us something even close to a formal ceremony.

  Kendra’s soon-to-be-husband’s family was footing the bill for this wedding and that had broken Malcolm’s heart. His father had asked that he take care of the family before his death, so he’d dreamed of paying for his only sister’s wedding, along with ours. He used to talk about how if one of his ideas would hit, he’d be able to do all of that and more.

  Travis’s parents hadn’t batted an eye when they decided that in welcoming Kendra into their world, she would experience all the joy that came with it. Of course, they’d felt some kind of way about her having children out of wedlock, but once the twins got here, their hearts had melted and they loved Kendra like they’d given birth to her.

  The music continued playing and every image of Kendra flickered through my mind as she took the slow stroll down the aisle. The first time she stuck up for me in ninth grade when the mean girls were calling me a wannabe because of my “light-bright, half-white complexion.” The time when Malcolm and I broke up and she let me cry on her shoulder, while never bad-mouthing her brother. The time she comforted me when my mother was first diagnosed with dementia. There were so many memories and I was happy to be here to share in this day with her.

  When Kendra got to me, I clutched my hand to my heart to keep my tears at bay. She mouthed, “I love you.” Then, instinctively, her eyes went behind me to my mother, and a blanket of worry passed over Kendra’s face. I looked over at my mother, who was standing next to me, fidgeting. She was no doubt bothered by the taffeta dress I had insisted she wear. I took my mother’s hand to calm her. And she looked up and smiled. That made me smile.

  Kendra really cared for my mother and often assisted me with her care. My mother also adored her. I knew my friend wanted my mother here, which is one of the reasons I had opted out of being one of her bridesmaids. I told Kendra that I had to sit with Mama. In actuality, I knew we couldn’t afford the dress or any of the other bridesmaid activities and I knew Malcolm would die if I let Kendra or Travis’s family pay for it.

  “Dearly beloved,” the minister began as we all took our seats, “we are gathered here today.”

  “Mama, sit down,” I whispered when she didn’t take her seat.

  “I don’t wanna,” my mother said, pulling at the dress around the neck. “Why do I have on this dress? Am I in a beauty pageant?”

  I forced a smile and struggled to get her seated as Travis’s mother glanced back at us. She’d met my mother last night at the rehearsal dinner and I could tell she had concerns about my mother attending. But I’d assured Kendra that everything would be fine.

  “Remember, Mama? Kendra is getting married. You promised you would be on your best behavior,” I whispered, hoping my low tone would convince her to whisper, too. It didn’t.

  “But why do I have to wear this dress?” she said, her voice raising an octave.

  “Mama. Shhh,” I said.

  “Don’t shush me. I’m the mama. I mean, I’m your mama now.” I had no idea what she was talking about. But these days, I seldom did.

  I was mortified. Everyone, including the pastor and Malcolm, was looking at us.

  “Okay, if you sit here and be quiet, we’ll go look at the blue bonnets afterward,” I said.

  “Blue bonnets?”

  “Yes, remember you like the blue bonnet field on the way home,” I said, still whispering.

  “Oh, yeah.” She smiled.

  “So, please just sit here.” I patted the seat next to me.

  She nodded as she sat back down. Kendra kept looking back over her shoulder. Malcolm’s expression had tightened.

  “It’s fine,” I mouthed.

  The people that had been looking at us turned their attention back to the front as the minister resumed his spiel. I couldn’t really enjoy the ceremony like I wanted to, because I kept my hand clutched with my mother’s, fearful that at any moment things would go left.

  My joy finally returned when the minister asked everyone to stand as Kendra and her handsome husband turned to face us.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Travis Keith Braxton.”

  The organist began playing as the crowd erupted in applause. The noise made my mother jump and my hand clutched her tighter.

  “Can we go now?” she said, hanging onto my arm like she was terrified.


  Thankfully, the organ music was playing loud as Travis and Kendra began making their exit from the sanctuary. Their six bridesmaids and groomsmen followed close behind.

  “Who are all these people?” my mother asked as she looked around the room. I silently willed the organist to play louder.

  “It’s okay, Mama. I got you.”

  Thankfully, Mama stayed quiet all the way from the church to the reception. I could tell Malcolm was a little pissed. I caught him taking several glances at my mother in the rear-view mirror.

  “She’s fine now,” I said, placing my hand on my husband’s arm. He didn’t reply as he kept his eyes on the road.

  The reception was at the Marriott Marquis, and it revealed every bit of the Braxton money. Like at the church, there were fresh flowers throughout the venue. We’d taken the escalator up to the ballroom and stepped off to what looked like a winter wonderland in September.

  After I got Mama settled at a table, I headed over to the buffet table to get her something to eat. Malcolm’s mother stood over the table, shaking her head. “This doesn’t even make sense. They probably paid as much as my whole house cost for this shindig.”

  “It’s nice though,” I told her as I reached over and put some meatballs on a plate for my mother.

  Mrs. Reed pursed her lips as she turned to me, then glanced over at the table where my mother was sitting. “You know, I think you should have listened to Malcolm and left your mother at home.”

  “I wanted her to share in this day. Besides, Kendra wanted her here,” I replied.

  I expected my mother-in-law to give me some smart retort, but instead, she set her plate down and took one of my hands. “Sweetie, you’re going to have to accept it. Your mother has Alzheimer’s.”

  “She has dementia,” I corrected her.

  “They’re really the same,” she continued. “Everybody knows you love her, but this day is too important. It’s not about you or your mama. It’s about Kendra.”