Woman on Top Page 28

  “No, you need to hear me out – I’M PREGNANT!”

  He backed up, falling over the kitchen stool, landing on the floor, with his stupid expression still on his face. I reacted simply by stepping over him and heading upstairs. A few minutes later is when I heard him leave out the front door.

  I was done. I no longer cared about his political office or his reputation. I was getting rid of this baby, accepting Raquel’s job offer and anything else that allowed me to be on top and in charge of my damn life. Then came a text.

  Phinn: Need a friend?

  Tiffany: Yes

  I wasn’t sure all that I needed, but I did want to let Phinn know that I hadn’t met Haney that night. I checked that Nylah hadn’t woken up from all the noise, then slipped on my robe and unlocked the front door.

  “I didn’t kill him,” I told Phinn before he’d even crossed the threshold.

  “You don’t have to tell me that. I know you didn’t kill Haney.”

  “I never saw him that night.”

  “Is it all right if I come in?

  “Sure,” I said stepping aside, to let him in.

  “You okay? I saw the Mayor leave.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with it. That night when you took me to his place, Haney said you owed him.”

  “I owed him for helping me get my girls into Germantown Friends. I paid my debt when I brought you to him that night.”

  “I’m sorry about that. But Phinn, do you think it was Blu Eyes? Did he do it for Malik?”

  “Mrs. Skinner, you don’t understand, this thing is bigger than that.”

  “What are you saying, how big? Was it my husband? Please tell me what you know,” I begged, grabbing onto the lapels of his coat in the dark hallway.

  “Mrs. Skinner. . .” He paused.

  “What is it?”

  “If you would’ve asked me, I would’ve taken care of him; but it wasn’t me.”

  “I’d never ask you to do anything like that, but you do know something. Tell me what you know, please?”

  “What I am gonna tell you is that regardless of what you did, I should’ve told you the Mayor was cheating on you; he hurt you and so did that Haney. Neither one of them appreciated you. I mean, I just don’t get it with black men; they’re always hunting for something better and quite frankly, you’re the best either one of them could’ve ever had.” He paused, then added, “Listen, I don’t know what’s gonna happen when it all comes out, but I have to tell you this first.”

  I waited, instinctively knowing as a woman what was next. He reached out and lay his hand on my cheek, ensuring he had my full attention.

  “I love you, Mrs. Baker.”

  What the hell was wrong with him? We’d had one stupid kiss and now he wanted to confess his love? I didn’t know how to respond, but I had seen Phinn looking at me. I’d seen it in his eyes many times, but I never knew that he’d actually loved me. And if he did, this wasn’t the time and I certainly wasn’t the woman for him. He was one of the good guys, and didn’t deserve to be mixed up my complex life. But also, there was nothing weaker than a man who wanted a woman he couldn’t have. Phinn had become one of them.

  “You don’t love me, Phinn, you have no idea what kind of woman I am.”

  “I don’t expect you to feel the same way, but after tomorrow I might not get this opportunity again.”

  “Why? What do you mean? What’s going to happen tomorrow, Phinn? Please tell me what you know!”

  My vibrating mobile interrupted us, signaling a text.

  Malik: on my way home.

  “It’s Malik, he’s on his way. You should go, but we have to talk, Phinn. I need to know who killed Haney.”

  Chapter 27

  Thanksgiving

  Malik was in no condition to talk when he came back in the house and I was emotionally exhausted from racking my brain about what Phinn hadn’t told me about Haney’s murder.

  In the morning, Malik took Nylah to school, while I waited for Phinn to take me to see Raquel. In addition to needing a doctor to terminate my pregnancy, I was also planning to tell her that I was accepting her offer. Afterward, I was heading over to our church to volunteer at the Holiday Food Drive, and lastly, I’d be meeting my sister for a late lunch.

  As soon as I climbed into the Tahoe I was ready to question Phinn, but it seemed like he purposely remained on a call with his Captain until we pulled up in front of the Comcast Tower.

  Staring at me through the rearview mirror, he said, “Mrs. Skinner, you said you wanted to know everything and I need to tell you this before you go up there.”

  “What is it?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t more of him expressing his feelings.

  “It was her,” he stated, cutting his eyes toward the Comcast Tower.

  “Her who, Raquel? What about her?”

  “It was Raquel Turner-Cosby, she was there. I saw her kill him.”

  I shook my head from shock and disbelief. “You can’t be serious. C’mon Phinn, that woman isn’t killing anybody. I mean, why would she do that?” I asked, gathering up my things to get out the Tahoe.

  “Ma’am, I know what I saw and that night, it wasn’t me outside your house. I had Keenan cover for me because I knew you were going to meet Haney and I wanted to protect you.”

  “It was you blocking the alley?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I didn’t want you to get involved.”

  A sinking feeling came over me and in a tone I’d never used, I said to him, “Turn around, look at me and tell me what you think you saw.”

  He didn’t turn around, but he began, “I parked on the other end of Hope Alley, where I’d be able to watch you, then I saw this figure coming around from Walnut Street. She was pretty covered up, but the funny thing is she was dressed in all black, like any other late night street crawler, and I thought maybe it was one of the Ho Ching Girls, maybe they were back.”

  “Do you know how bizarre this sounds?”

  “You want me to finish?” he asked, still not having turned to face me.

  “I’m listening.”

  “For a second, she turned to look behind her before going down the alley and that’s when I saw her face. I knew dressed like that, she was up to something.”

  As he talked, I remembered Raquel’s words, “If it’s important, I take care of it myself.” But that couldn’t have meant killing Haney and for what reason?

  “When she turned down the alley, to get a good look, I got out my truck and followed her. I heard them arguing, but couldn’t make out what they were saying because Haney’s car was still running. Then I saw the glint of her silver revolver, she was waving it at him. Then the gun went off; she shot him several times.”

  I fell back against the seat, as far away from Phinn and as far away as I could get from what he was trying to tell me. “Oh my, God, this is insane. What the hell could Haney have done to her?”

  Phinn waited for what he was telling me to sink in, then he continued. “When she came back toward me, I crouched in the doorway of the 4Sisters boutique until I was sure she was gone. Then I crept down the alley and saw Haney on the ground with Halfway Hal kneeling beside him, cleaning out his pockets.”

  “You didn’t call the cops? You might’ve saved his life.”

  He didn’t let a moment pass before he said, “He got what he deserved.”

  My mind was reeling with questions for Phinn and certainly for Raquel. Did I even dare approach her with Phinn’s story? Would she think I was crazy?

  “How do you know she didn’t see you? Didn’t she even think about getting caught, I mean, cameras are everywhere?”

  “Criminals aren’t smart, even if they are rich.”

  “Have you told Malik any of this?”

  “I wanted to tell you first.”

  I got out of the car without another word. Riding the private elevator to the 52nd floor didn’t allow me much time to process all of what Phinn had told me, but he had to be wrong. What had b
een their relationship and if she had wanted him dead, then why hadn’t she hired someone to do it? For as smart and savvy as she was, she’d certainly committed the dumbest crime ever. My legs barely moved when it was time for me to get off the elevator. I had no idea how I would face her.

  “Raquel,” I yelped, startled, to see her waiting for me when the elevator doors opened.

  “Tiffany, I’m glad you came, I have someone for you to meet.”

  I was silent as I followed her into the conference room. I still couldn’t come to grips with the idea of a powerful businesswoman and socialite, like Raquel Turner-Cosby, being guilty of murder. White-collar crime, tax evasion, stock manipulation, yes, but creeping down a dark alley and pulling a gun was pretty unimaginable, yet according to Phinn, possible. I’d never loved Haney, but I didn’t want to see him dead either.

  Inside the conference room stood two men, one I knew, the other I didn’t.

  “This is my estate lawyer, Evan Hughes, and you already know Deacon Brown.”

  Evan reached out to shake my hand. “An honor to meet you, First Lady. You are more stunning in person than the media has ever portrayed you.”

  I shook his hand, but was not in the mood for ass kissing because if Phinn were right, Raquel needed a criminal lawyer. But why was Deacon Brown there? Was she looking for spiritual advisement?

  “Why’d you do it? What did he have on you?” I asked her, ignoring their presence.

  She gave me a long stare before she said, “Evan, Deacon Brown, can you give us the room?” She waited until we were alone before she said, “Who told you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I just want to know why? What did he have on you that was so bad you had to kill him?”

  She walked across the room, her head held high as if at any moment the police wouldn’t be coming to question her. Pouring herself a glass of champagne, she asked, “Join me?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said, realizing from the half empty bottle that it wasn’t her first drink of the day.

  Then squinting those eyes at me, she said, “It was you; he was ruining your life and it was the only way to stop him. I wanted to protect you.”

  “From what? Malik and I are fine, we’re back together and now you’ve made it worse. You’ve made us look like suspects,” I told her, even though Malik and I were a long way from fine.

  “No, I’ve made it better, everything is going to be better for you.”

  As she talked, my mobile began vibrating with calls from Malik, Judge Renwick and Phinn. I turned it off because I didn’t want to talk to anyone until I understood what Raquel was saying.

  “Raquel, you didn’t do that for me. I never asked you to get involved. Have you even begun to comprehend what you did? You killed Mr. Haney. You’re going to jail for the rest of your life.”

  An uneasy laughter spilled from her mouth before saying, “Maybe for a little bit, but I have too many secrets on the right people.”

  “Now I know Mr. Haney was right, you do want to control everyone around you. Well, I won’t be a part of any of it. I’m sorry, but this friendship, or whatever it was, it’s over,” I said, and began walking out the conference room.

  “I had to, he was. . . I had to, there are things you don’t understand.”

  “I originally came here to seek your help and to take you up on that job. What a fool I was, you’re a sick woman.”

  She moved to stand in front of me, blocking my path, then blurted out the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard, “I’m your mother.”

  I stopped short, almost stumbling over my own feet and said, “No. You’re crazy.”

  “I’m your mother, your father was Firoz Alleyne. He was West Indian.”

  Pushing her aside, I said, “Please get out of my way.”

  “Tiffany, listen to me, I was sixteen and we were in love. When my parents found out, they sent me away to live with my aunt in Maine. You have his eyes.”

  “Let me outta here.”

  “Firoz and I tried to keep in touch, he even took the bus up there to see me, but it was hard, we were kids.”

  An uncontrollable laugh escaped from my throat, making me sound crazy. It scared me, but as I listened to the urgency in her voice, I also noticed her eyes, Raquel’s eyes were swimming with tears.

  She stepped in too close, reaching out to touch me, and I shrank back from her. “Please listen, I swear I’m your mother. You have to believe me. I’m begging you. I have evidence that I gave birth to you.”

  Raquel Turner-Cosby wasn’t the type of woman who begged, which scared me even more, but then again I didn’t think she’d been capable of murder.

  “Only my aunt was there when I had you and I begged her to let me see you just once before they took you away. I wanted one picture to always remember you. And when I held you that first night, I swore I’d never forget your smooth skin and your beautiful almond shaped eyes, just like your father.”

  I backed up against the wall, staring at her in disbelief. I swallowed hard to keep the bile that was rising to the back of my throat.

  She touched my face and tears spilled from her eyes. “That box over there holds the only memories I have of your father and the one picture I had of you,” she said, pointing to a small leather box that sat on the conference room table. I never meant for you to find out who I was and certainly not like this.”

  “Why are you telling me this? I never wanted you, never looked for you. I’m not like my sister.”

  “Haney was obsessed with you, so I paid him to help me get close to you. Then I saw how he was ruining your life and my plans for you. I wanted to save you.”

  “That’s why you killed him?”

  “For years, only two people have ever known, my estate attorney and Deacon Brown. But then somehow Haney found out, and he threatened to tell you. I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t let anyone hurt you again.”

  “Deacon Brown knew? Wait that’s why you gave money to the church or were you paying him off?”

  “He knew my family, had worked for my parents a long time ago. Deacon Brown warned me never to tell you, even though I wanted to help you with Blessed Babies. He told me to give to your charity anonymously, but I had to meet you up close, in person, at least once; you’re my daughter and when he wouldn’t make the introduction between us, I turned to Haney.”

  “But. . . but. . . I. . .”

  “I know it’s a lot, but I love you Tiffany. I’ve always loved you, more than I love myself or any of this.”

  For as much as this was bizarre, I found myself following her back into the conference room. Here it was, I’d come seeking her help as a confidant in arranging an abortion and now I was faced with this woman telling me she was my mother. I was the one who’d never searched or even cared about my biological parents, and now to find out by default that my mother was the omnipotent, Raquel Turner-Cosby.

  With her hands shaking, she poured herself another glass of champagne, then said, “I’ve sold a few of my business interests and liquidated some properties, all of which should be enough to handle my legal fees.

  “However, money has been put in a trust for you and your daughter, which will be controlled by my attorney, but under your name. You’re the heir to everything that’s mine. The board of trustees will oversee RTC Holdings, but you will have a silent vote in every decision that’s made. The papers are drawn up, all you have to do is sign. I’ve set you up with a monthly stipend of $10,000.”

  My tone wasn’t strong, but my words were. “I don’t want your money, I don’t want anything from you.”

  “Tiffany, don’t be foolish, you are the heir to everything that’s mine. At this moment, you have more power and money than anyone in the city. All you have to do is accept what’s rightfully yours.”

  I felt myself getting sick. I looked at Raquel, closer than I ever had. We had nothing in common, we shared no physical similarities, but what would she have to gain by lying? I thought back to our conversations, how s
upportive she’d been. My eyes drifted to the leather box on her desk. Did I even want to look inside?

  “It’s all up to you.”

  There was a knock at the door, then Gwendolyn’s voice, saying there were several calls waiting on her. It was time to go.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Tucking the leather box under my arm, she said, “Understand this my dear, you are my daughter, my flesh and blood, and if I have to spend the rest of my life in prison, it’ll be a small price to pay for giving you up, because my dear, the worst thing a mother can do, is to allow her child to be taken away.”

  Epilogue

  Tiffany

  On this beautiful afternoon, Nylah and I sit riding in the back of a chauffer driven Maybach, past lavender fields and olive groves, headed to the countryside of Provence, where we’ll spend a few days at my newly inherited vineyard. I can honestly say Paris has given me way more than I imagined, with its elegance, culture, fine cuisine, and shopping. . . well that’s taken on a whole new meaning in this romantic City of Lights.

  So much has changed in my life. In just the last year, I’ve gone from simply being the Mayor’s wife, to the daughter of a billionaire. Having been convinced by Kamille and Huli, the only ones to know of my new status, I’d accepted Raquel’s offer to become Executive Director of what I’d renamed The TJS Foundation, and according to the ever present media, I really was the woman on top.

  It’s unfortunate I never had the chance to talk with Mr. Haney that night because I’d like to believe that at times he really did have my best interest at heart. And even if he didn’t, it was because of him that I found myself in this new role. So for that, my relationship with him, and subsequently his death had all been worth it.

  In all likelihood, I’d return to Malik because this time it was about my image and it wasn’t as if we both didn’t have our secrets. However more importantly, I needed to ensure that my children had a father that was powerful and present.

  As for Raquel Turner-Cosby, eventually I plan to visit the woman who now calls herself my mother.