All I Want for Christmas Page 12

  “Well, you did ask,” Nedra finally managed to get out. Then she lost the battle and fell against Carlos, giggling so hard that she became weak.

  Carly seemed unaware of the effect of her words. She happily ate her corndog and watched the action around them. They spent another few minutes finishing their food. When his daughter yawned for the third time and leaned against him, Carlos nodded a signal to Nedra.

  They strolled through Christmas Village again, this time lingering to look into the windows, and Carly perked up for a while at the mechanical toys displayed. By the time they headed for the lot where Carlos had parked his SUV, Carly’s eyes were fluttering as she tried to keep them open.

  “This was a great idea,” said Carlos. He lifted Carly up and carried her for the last few yards with her head resting on his shoulder.

  Nedra smoothed down the girl’s hair. “Yes, it was.”

  When they reached the Accura, Carlos placed Carly into the booster seat in the back. Her eyes were shut as she yawned once again. Nedra’s heart filled with affection and warmth. This little taste of family life had kicked off dreams of making her own nest; a cute house, holiday dinners, and baking cupcakes for the kids to take to school.

  “What did I tell you?” asked Carlos, as he closed the car door and pointed to Carly, who was fast asleep on the back seat. He was about to go on when his cell phone played a tune. He glanced at the caller ID and made a face before answering, “Hi, Mother.”

  “She’s a concerned grandparent,” Nedra whispered. She covered her mouth when he rolled his eyes.

  “Say that again.” Carlos transferred the cell phone to his right hand and put it to his ear again. “Slow down, okay? I don’t know what you’re talking about. No, Nedra wouldn’t know.”

  Nedra blinked at him and mouthed the word, “What?” Judge Jacobs talked so loudly that Nedra could hear every word.

  Carlos huffed and shook his head. He tried to get a word in a couple of times, but his mother rattled on in rapid-fire fashion.

  “I’ll look at it now. Fine, but…” Carlos looked shaken as he touched his phone and ended the call.

  “Is your family okay? Is anyone sick or hurt?” Nedra’s heart hammered at the expression on Carlos’ face. Calls at night and loud voices didn’t signal good news in her experience.

  He frowned. “She said to look at the Channel Three website.”

  “I have their news app.” Nedra took out her smartphone and tapped the screen twice. “I don’t see-- damn!”

  Carlos looked at the bold headline and opened the story.

  “Sources allege that the mayor has been engaged in giving preferential treatment when awarding contracts. But the most damning claim is that the mayor personally intervened in criminal cases. According to reports, Mayor Bates has helped broker less severe sentences or no prosecution at all for politically connected individuals. One case cited was that of Carlos Jacobs, son of Judge Yvonne Jacobs.”

  Nedra put a hand over her mouth as he read the rest in silence. Carlos continued to stare at the phone after he reached the end of the article. The sound of laughter from the crowds around them faded.

  She put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “Really, Nedra? Are you really sorry?” Carlos asked, handing her back the phone.

  “You don’t think I gave that story to the media? That’s crazy.” Nedra stared at him.

  “You were furious that day.”

  “So you think my first instinct was to call a reporter? Are you serious?” Nedra went from sympathetic to angry in two seconds. “How dare you.”

  “By the way, you never told me how you found out,” he said. “It’s real common these days for folks to do background checks on each other while they’re dating. Did you do a little investigating?” Carlos crossed his arms and stared back at Nedra.

  Nedra glanced at the car to confirm that Carly had drifted off to sleep, and spoke low. “No, I didn’t, but you shouldn’t have even asked that question.”

  He squinted at her. “Okay, then how did this get out?”

  “The bigger question, Carlos, is why you’re so quick to accuse me of outing you and your mama. I thought you knew me better.” Nedra grew more outraged by the minute.

  “This is a twofer for your boss. He gets to slam his future political opponent and get back at my mother. I’m guessing you vented about me to the good constable. He was probably patting you on the shoulder with one hand and dialing his reporter pals with the other.” Carlos paced beside the car as he spoke. “My mother was right. I should have been more careful.”

  “Okay, so your mama warned you about me. Well, I’m not surprised.” Nedra forgot about being supportive, and she definitely didn’t feel a need to defend herself.

  Carlos stood still and faced her again. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “She probably said something about me working for the enemy. I don’t even need to ask. Well, my boss happens to be an upright kind of guy. He doesn’t expect me to engage in political dirty work, and I wouldn’t even if he did,” Nedra snapped.

  “He doesn’t expect you to do it because he’s so good at doing his own political dirty work. You’re either naive or in serious denial,” Carlos snorted.

  “Don’t blame me if your mother has a big target on her chest. She’s not exactly considered Miss Congeniality downtown,” she shot back.

  Carlos breathed in and out a few times. “Okay, I think it’s time for me to take you home, for real.”

  “Fine.” Nedra marched to the passenger side and got in. She didn’t slam the door only because she didn’t want to scare Carly out of a sound sleep.

  The drive back to Baton Rouge seemed to last for three hours rather than thirty minutes. The night might have been pleasantly chilly, but inside the Accura the temperature hovered just above freezing. When they finally arrived at Nedra’s apartment, she got out of the car without speaking.

  “Nedra, wait a minute.” Carlos glanced at the backseat. Satisfied that Carly was still asleep, he got out. “Look, we both went a bit overboard. I wasn’t accusing you of deliberately stabbing me in the back.”

  “Hmm, I kinda remember that’s exactly what you did.” Nedra raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Okay, so maybe you were upset and confided in someone at the office, like your boss?” Carlos stood in waiting mode.

  “No, I didn’t. Next.” Nedra folded her arms and studied him.

  “I just want to know how you found out,” Carlos said.

  “Why, so your powerful mother and the mayor can exact revenge? I’ll bet Mama Judge is sharpening up her gavel to come after me. Go home, Carlos. I’m sure she’s waiting for your report.” She started to turn away when he caught her arm.

  “Don’t act stupid. If you tell me how the story got out then I can…”

  Nedra shook his hand from her arm. “Right, you’ll move the rest of the skeletons to another closet. I’m not the stupid one, Carlos. And, just so you know, Judge Jacobs is welcome to investigate me. No secrets to broadcast I’m afraid. Goodnight.”

  “I didn’t say you were stupid. Nedra, wait.” Carlos began to follow her, but stopped when she spun around.

  “I think you need to take the night off trying to explain anything to me.” Nedra marched up to her front door, unlocked it and went in.

  ****

  Sunday morning, Nedra lay in bed with her down comforter pulled up to her nose. She would think about getting up and then talk herself out of it. Nedra hadn’t slept very well and now she had a monster headache. When her doorbell rang, she groaned and placed both hands over her face. Maybe she was just imagining the cheerful chiming. It went off again. She groaned even louder and got up.

  “Okay, Lord, you’re punishing me because I didn’t go to church,” Nedra grumbled as she marched to the front door and looked through the peephole. Her mother gazed back at her.

  “I know you’re standing on the other side of this door. Now open up,” Darcie Lee said
. She still wore her church clothes: a navy blue suit and matching, wide-brimmed hat.

  Nedra hurriedly undid the locks, swung the door wide and hugged her. “Good morning, Mama. Come on in.”

  “Uh-huh. You look a mess. Gaylynn told me about the fight with Carlos, and how you and she stayed up until three o’clock this morning talking. And, yes, I know about the report. I saw it on the news last night.”

  Darcie Lee put down a box, kicked off her shoes, and then took off her church hat and jacket. She walked into Nedra’s kitchen and started making coffee as she talked. Once she had the brewing in progress, she opened the refrigerator.

  “Gaylynn needs to keep her big mouth shut.” Nedra sat down on one of the three stools at her breakfast counter.

  “I’ll talk to her about that one of these days,” Darcie Lee replied.

  “Sure you will, right about the time pigs fly. You love getting all the news you can use.” Nedra breathed in the wonderful smell of coffee brewing. “Why aren’t you enjoying Sunday brunch with your friends?”

  “Because my child needs me.”

  Her mother put four slices of whole wheat bread into the toaster. Nedra started several times to stop her, but didn’t. The truth was she felt better having her mother there to listen.

  Darcie Lee took a small skillet down from a hook, wiped it and cracked open some eggs into it. Humming a gospel song, she cooked up two plates of breakfast with the practiced ease of a skilled chef. Along with the small cinnamon buns from the box she’d brought and two cups of coffee, she prepared a tasty meal for two.

  Darcie Lee placed one serving in front of Nedra. She then sat down with her own plate, said grace, and sipped her coffee. “Eat. You’ll get sick being miserable on an empty stomach.” She took a dainty bite of toast. “Now, tell Mama about it.”

  “Not much to tell. The story came out, Judge Jacobs thinks I’m the source, and I got into a big fight with Carlos.” Nedra tasted a small bit of scrambled egg.

  “So the story is true about him getting arrested? That doesn’t sound good. You know how I feel about you girls dating thugs.” Darcie Lee shook her head and sipped her coffee.

  “Carlos isn’t a thug, Mama. Some drug dealers tried to use his business to commit their crimes. I don’t believe Carlos was involved at all.” Nedra realized her mother was regarding her with both eyebrows raised.

  Darcie Lee patted her lips with a napkin. “You sound like his defense lawyer. Okay, so his mama is convinced you talked to the media. Why?”

  “He didn’t actually volunteer at the Holiday Hospitality Thanksgiving dinner. He was doing community service as part of a plea deal. I found out on Friday and confronted Carlos about keeping secrets from me.” Nedra pushed the eggs around on her plate.

  “Judge Jacobs doesn’t believe in coincidences. I can see her point.” Darcie Lee shrugged when her daughter huffed and puffed. “Well then, who talked?”

  Nedra sighed and put her fork down.

  Her mother calmly ate a slice of toast and half her eggs.

  “Well, Dwayne Grover told me about Carlos.”

  “The mayor’s special assistant?” Darcie Lee tilted her head to one side.

  “He’s been trying to get a date with me. A little thing like marriage doesn’t stop old Dwayne from running after women. I let him know I wasn’t interested at all and his ego couldn’t take it.” Nedra scowled just thinking about him.

  “So he gets the dirt on Carlos to get back at you. To top it off, he talks to reporters. He’s a real lowdown man.” Darcie Lee snorted in disgust.

  Nedra brushed her hair from her cheek and shook her head. “No, Mama, that doesn’t make sense. Dwayne is just as ambitious as the mayor. He wouldn’t talk to the reporters about something that could bounce back on his boss.”

  “But he just couldn’t resist tossing a bomb at you to mess up what you have with Carlos.” Darcie Lee chewed and thought. “So, if Dwayne didn’t talk to the reporters, then who?”

  Nedra groaned and placed both hands over her face. “A few minutes after Dwayne left, Rod walked out of his office.

  “Politics is a contact sport, sweetie.” Darcie Lee ate the last of her toast. “Now what?”

  Nedra drained her coffee cup and put it down. “I don’t know.”

  Darcie Lee straightened up the kitchen despite Nedra’s objections. Then she retrieved her jacket, hat and shoes. Seconds after going into Nedra’s half bath, she emerged looking like the proper church lady again.

  “You two need to talk this out,” she said. “Yes, I know, I’m no Yvonne Jacobs fan either, but her son treated you with love and respect. And you’re miserable, which means you love him.” She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “The next few days will tell.”

  “Tell what?” asked Nedra, trudging behind her mother to the front door.

  “If you’re going to let that little weasel Dwayne ruin what you two kids have. Are you going to give him exactly what he wanted?” Darcie Lee faced Nedra, her purse hanging primly from the crook of one arm.

  “Darcie Lee Morgan Wallace, you know exactly what to say.” Nedra hugged her fiercely.

  Chapter 11

  Carlos kissed the top of Carly’s head and watched her race back to the Santa’s Toy Shop display at the Mall of Louisiana. Monday, Christmas Eve, and the place was packed with last-minute shoppers. He tried to let the laughter around him penetrate his dark mood, but it wasn’t happening. At least Carly seemed not to notice. Luckily, she was too young to care about the news, other than reports of Santa sightings.

  Local television weathermen were pretending to track Santa’s sleigh moving towards Louisiana, but Carlos and his parents paid more attention to reports of political corruption in the mayor’s office. The Baton Rouge media seemed thrilled to have such a story in what was usually a slow news cycle.

  Childish squeals of delight jerked him out of his grim reverie. Carlos watched as Carly and at least ten other kids rode a miniature train. She waved at him as the little red car she rode in made a turn around the track. He envied the carefree days of childhood and waved back. Then he spotted his business partner wading through the crowd of shoppers. When Brian looked up from his cell phone, Carlos waved to him as well.

  “Hey, man. Doing your last-minute dash for presents, huh?” Carlos laughed when his friend grimaced.

  “I’m telling you, bru, this stuff sucks.” Brian huffed out his frustration. Then he grinned and held up the shopping bags he held in one hand. “Luckily, this hot saleslady took me under her wing. Got everybody covered, except my uncle, and I got her phone number, too. Merry Christmas, baby.”

  Carlos shook his head. “I thought you were spending Christmas with one or both of the twins.”

  “That was Saturday night, man; now it’s time to move on. Shelia is an older lady in her forties. She’s a perfect combination; a widow with a decent job and no kids at home. I bet she can cook, too.” Brian nodded.

  “Daddy, look,” Carly called out. She rode in the engine car of the train, turning a little steering wheel.

  Carlos waved at her. “Good job, baby girl.”

  “You’re still doing the family man thing, I see. Where is Ms. Right?” Brian glanced around.

  “We hit a big bump after that story came out.” Carlos gazed at Carly as she continued to have fun.

  “Damn, that was cold. So you think she snitched?” asked Brian. “I mean, you told me how mad she was at you for not telling her. Then the story hit the street. That’s a big coincidence if you ask me.”

  “I think her boss got curious about me and tapped his sources downtown to find out. I just don’t believe Nedra would have gone to reporters.” Carlos had repeated this theory to his parents at least a dozen times in the last twenty-four hours.

  Brian seemed to read his thoughts. “I’ll bet your mama ain’t buyin’ it.”

  “Yeah, well.” Carlos rubbed his jaw and sighed.

  “Look, I better head off. I’m going to pick up this electric car fo
r Bradley. My aunt and sister have been on my back about not spending enough time with my kids. Humph, they always got something to say. Never mind that me working hard helps pay their doggone bills.” Brian snorted. “I deserve some fun, too.”

  “Right.” Carlos didn’t bother arguing. He accepted Brian for who he was: self-absorbed and he spent a lot of time pursuing his brand of fun. “Kids need attention more than material things.”

  “I’ll explain that to the family court judge next time their mamas demand more child support. Let’s see how far that gets me.” Brian gave a cynical laugh. He glanced at his cell phone. “I gotta go, bru. I’m treating Shelia to lunch.”

  “Hmm? Oh yeah, right. See you later.”

  Carlos noticed that Brian was wearing an expensive, black cashmere sweater. His partner seemed suddenly flush with cash for shopping. A phrase from the news article about his shop and the police raid popped into Carlos’ head. The police suspected more employees were involved in concealing the drugs and guns.

  “No, I’m getting way too paranoid,” he told himself.

  The investigation linked only one of the shop employees to the scheme. But how could he have gained access to the shop so often without being seen? Carlos watched his friend and business partner stride away. Then he took out his cell phone and made a call to a fraternity brother, who happened to be a successful private investigator.

  ****

  On Christmas Eve, Nedra was in her office waiting. She knew Rod would be in because he’d told her so. Tapping one of her favorite ink pens on the desktop, she glanced through a few files. Hearing footsteps, she felt certain it was him. Only a couple of security officers roamed the halls and they had already made their hourly walk through. She left her office, went to his door, and knocked.

  “Come in.” Rod looked up as Nedra opened the door. “Why, it’s my super-dedicated assistant. I thought you took today off, along with most of the folks in this building.”