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“Yo, kill that noise,” Trey said. “You know you did it. Why don’t you just fess up, man? I mean, it’s cool. All I came by to tell you is that we know. You gotta watch the people you kick it with. Some of these bitches are scandalous, man.”
Al-Malik took a seat on the sofa. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his face with both hands. He was so confused, it wasn’t funny. He really couldn’t understand or remember who would even say such a thing. He also wondered why Trey was the one to come over to his house to confront him about this. Why wouldn’t Dante or even Diamond talk to him? He was gonna make sure that he talked to Dante about this as soon as Trey left.
Al-Malik got up off the sofa. “A’ight, man, I appreciate you stopping by,” he said. “I’m good. You don’t have to worry about me running my mouth to no one.”
“As long as you don’t,” Trey said and turned to walk over to the door.
Al-Malik followed him to lock the door.
Trey stopped walking. “Oh, yeah, I forgot.”
“What?”
Trey turned around brandishing a .44. Al-Malik’s eyes grew wide. Before he could respond to seeing the gun, Trey bucked off, filling his old friend with lead, and Al-Malik’s body jerked backward until he was thrown off his feet and landed in the middle of the glass coffee table, crashing right through it. Trey stood there for a few moments looking at Al-Malik, and then he left the condo, closing the door behind him.
***
Two Weeks Later
Dante sat in the basement of the new house, which he had made into his own apartment. He still couldn’t believe his best friend was gone. He could have kicked himself in the ass, letting something like that happen to his friend. He had always been like a big brother to Al-Malik, and had promised him that he wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
The police hadn’t found out who murdered Al-Malik as of yet, but they said they were still working on the case. In the meantime, Dante was suffering.
He thought about the possibility of Trey having something to do with it. He remembered the conversation he and Al-Malik had in the backyard on the day he moved to the new house. Al-Malik was acting strange that day, like he was afraid.
Dante wondered why someone would want to kill Al-Malik. He wished he’d never let him drift away from him. He thought about when they were in high school, and the promises he and Al-Malik had made to each other. Dante dropped out of college once he got involved in the insurance hustle, because it took up most of his time. And the money was so good, it made it easy for him to put school on the back burner for the moment. But he really had every intention of finishing college just as soon as the hustle was over. He would take night classes.
Dante’s stash was building by the month. He couldn’t believe all the loot the scams brought in. But something in his gut told him that he needed to pull out soon.
Just a couple more times and then I’m out, he thought.
EIGHTEEN
The Doctor’s End
2002
The elderly black woman made her way through the front office. The lights had been turned out, because it was after six pm, and the doctor’s office was closed for the night. Estelle Brown worked as the office administrator. She had gone home at her regular time of five pm, but when she got home after running several errands, she realized she had left her apartment keys, which she kept separate from the office keys, in her desk drawer at the office. Now she found herself alone in the dark office.
Before she could turn on the lights in the waiting area, she heard a noise coming from inside the doctor’s office. She stood still and waited to see if her old mind was playing tricks on her, or if she really did hear something. When there was no other noise, she pushed her tired bones forward through the doors of the waiting room and into the office. She could see a light up ahead in the doctor’s main office and clearly heard voices.
Right away she knew it was the doctor. It wasn’t odd for him to be in the office late at night. A smile crept across her face when she heard his voice. She figured maybe he was on the phone. She loved the doctor. He was such a joy to work for, not to mention he was young and handsome. He treated her well and often gave her something to daydream about. She often thought that, had she been in her prime, she would have had him wrapped around her finger.
Estelle was a sweet woman and always smelled of flowers, and her warm smile was inviting to everyone who came in contact with her. She had worked for Dr. Ricci for more than five years. After she’d retired, she couldn’t sit at home doing nothing, so she opted to find a part-time job to keep herself busy. And that was how she found Dr. Ricci. They got along well, and she handled everything for him.
She walked over to her desk and opened the drawer. She found her keys just where she thought she’d left them. She placed them in her purse and closed the drawer. Then she turned to enter the doctor’s office and speak with him before going home.
As she got closer to the door, she heard a woman’s voice, piquing her interest. Truth be told, she was a little jealous. Dr. Ricci wasn’t married, and every available woman wanted him. Even married women wanted to sex him, and Estelle was no different.
Estelle stood by the door and listened to the conversation the doctor was having with the woman. She assumed the woman was one of his patients. On many occasions Estelle had seen the patients flirt with the doctor. Even the nurses flirted with him, and the office manager Diamond was the most blatant of them all. Estelle despised her, but she tolerated her because Dr. Ricci had asked her to. He always knew what to say to calm her fears and make her feel special.
“Aww, come on, Estelle,” Dr. Ricci had said to her on one occasion. “You know you’re my favorite.”
“I don’t like her. She seems sneaky to me.” Estelle was serious, wanting to make sure the doctor heard her concerns.
“Who takes good care of me?” Dr. Ricci put his arm around her and looked into her eyes. “You take care of me, Estelle, and nobody can take your place. So don’t you worry about her.”
Estelle looked into his eyes, and her heart instantly melted. She truly loved the doctor and would do anything to protect him. “OK.” She smiled up at him.
