CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and SIX
(part four)

Wednesday afternoon — 2:25 p.m. MT

“You need to sleep?” Bumpy asked Jeraine after they’d been driving a while.

“Oh, I probably should,” Jeraine said. His swollen mouth created a kind of lisp. “I’m enjoying the jazz, the drive, and the company. But…”

“But?” Bumpy asked.

“I was thinking about Miss T,” Jeraine said. “And I wondered… How did you and Rodney end up being friends? I mean, for me, it was just a fact, something real, like a mountain or an ocean. But now that I’m grown, I can’t see where your lives would have crossed.”

Bumpy smiled.

“Are you going to tell me?” Jeraine asked.

“You know I used to tour,” Bumpy said.

Jeraine nodded.

“I met Rodney and Yvonne at a rest stop just outside of Memphis,” Bumpy said. “Their car had broken down on the highway. They were driving from Alabama to Denver so Rodney could go to college here. The bus pulled into this rest stop and there they were. Rodney with his coal black skin and frying pan hands with this thin, light skinned beauty. They were like a tree and a butterfly.”

Bumpy smiled.

“You don’t remember Yvonne,” Bumpy said.

“No,” Jeraine said.

“She was gorgeous,” Bumpy said. “The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, especially when Rodney was around. They had this light… It sounds crazy, and I was probably high at the time, but it was like the light of God lived inside of them. Everyone noticed the shine.”

Smiling, he fell silent with his memories. Jeraine thought he was done talking when he cleared his throat.

“People say being beautiful is a gift,” Bumpy said. “For Yvonne, it was a more like a curse. Everyone wanted her, wanted to touch her, know her, she just had this… glow about her. What I didn’t know then was that she only had it because Rodney was in her life. Once he was gone, in prison… It was like the light just went out.”

“Why Alabama?” Jeraine asked. “I figured they were from here. Seems like all of Tanesha’s Aunts are in Denver.”

“Rodney’s from Alabama,” Bumpy said. “Yvonne grew up there.”

“Tanesha’s gran isn’t her… gran?”

“No,” Bumpy said. “Tanesha’s grandmother had Yvonne when she was fifteen. They sent her away to live with relatives to have the baby. Yvonne was raised by the relatives. She and Rodney grew up together. Rodney’s smart, probably brilliant. He could go to school almost anywhere. She wanted to come to Denver so she could get to know her mother. So they packed up and came here.”

“Oh,” Jeraine said.

“I saw them sitting there at that rest stop, and I don’t know what it was, but it was like Rodney and I were already friends. I mean, you know how he looks.”

“Scary as hell,” Jeraine said. “And those hands.”

“They make hub caps look small,” Bumpy laughed.

“You didn’t want Yvonne?”

“No,” Bumpy said. “That’s the weird thing. She was beautiful and alluring even, but… I think that’s when I finally realized that I was done with being on the road. It was time for me to go home and get on with my life. Your mother and I decided to settle down about six months later. I stopped touring full time maybe nine months later and quit all together a year or so after that.”

Jeraine watched memories flow across his father’s face.

“Rodney has been the best friend a man could ever want,” Bumpy said.

“Seems like you’ve been a good friend to him too,” Jeraine said.

“That’s how it works, son,” Bumpy said. “With some people, you get what you give.”

He fell silent and they drove for a while. Jeraine was about to say that he should sleep when Bumpy made a sound. Jeraine turned to look at him.

“Rodney and Seth,” Bumpy said. “You need to find friends like that.”

“I don’t have any luck with friends,” Jeraine said. “My so called friends have stolen from me, fed me drugs, and… I don’t know. I’m pretty discouraged.”

“Give it time,” Bumpy said. “When you’re more whole, you’ll find people or they’ll find you.”

“Doesn’t sound like you were so whole when you met Rodney,” Jeraine said.

Bumpy chuckled.

“Well?”

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and SIX
(part two)

Heather and her mother laughed. Tanesha smiled.

“Let’s put it in an envelope,” Heather’s mother said. “And… you’ll be careful.”

“Yes Mom,” Heather’s voice was irritated but she smiled.

“And… I’m sorry about your mom, Tanesha,” Heather’s mother’s eyes welled with tears.

Unsure of what she meant, Tanesha nodded.

“They announced while I was at lunch that she lived there and is likely to be one of the bodies,” Heather’s mother said. “The police are looking for a man and…”

Stunned, Tanesha’s mouth dropped open.

“What?” Tanesha asked.

“Thanks Mom,” Heather gave her a hard look and her mother mouthed ‘sorry’. She hustled Tanesha out of the bank.

“What was that?” Tanesha asked when they reached the car. “Is Yvonne dead?”

Heather made a fuss over putting Mack in his car seat and went around to the driver’s seat.

“Is my Mom dead?” Tanesha asked.

“I need to show you something,” Heather said.

“You need to tell me something.”

“Westword is running an article tomorrow saying that State Attorney General guy, you remember Ava’s asshole father, ran prostitutes out of that four-plex. Well this morning, about 9:30, the place caught on fire. They found four bodies. Female.”

“But… but… he said I could have my Mom for five thousand dollars.”

“I know.”

“But…” Tanesha felt her entire world crumble around her. “I have five thousand dollars.”

“Listen. I went down there and found these on the street outside King Soopers.” Heather pulled the yellow tulips from the backseat and set them on Tanesha’s lap. “There’s a receipt with a time stamp. Look. Right there.”

Heather pointed to the time.

“They were in the market when everything happened because the fire started at 9:37.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t kill her,” Tanesha said. “I always knew, deep inside, if he would kill her rather than lose her.”

“He always said that when we left,” Heather said. “Bring her back or she’s dead by nightfall. She can’t hide from me.”

Heather gave an involuntary shiver.

“I just try to make it better for her, easier,” Tanesha said. “Because at least she’s alive. If she’s alive, there’s a chance she could get away and… But now…”

“Today maybe her chance,” Heather said. “We don’t know.”

“There’s never been much hope,” Tanesha shook her head.

“You know what I think? I think we should call him,” Heather said. “Let’s see what he says.”

Biting her lip, Tanesha nodded and dialed her mother’s keeper. The phone clicked over to voice mail.

“Voice mail,” Tanesha whispered to Heather. Leaving a message, she said, “I have the money. You tell me where and I’ll get my Mom. No questions asked. No police. I only want my mom so you better take really good care of her or I will hunt you down and make you pay. You will never be able to hide from me. I will find you. Just give me my Mom and you can have your money. If you don’t give me my Mom, you will feel my wrath.”

Tanesha clicked off her call.

“Now what?” Tanesha’s voice cracked with despair. “What do I do now?”

“Let’s go find her,” Heather said. “We know every where he goes, every place he takes her. Let’s go look.”

“You don’t mind?” Tanesha asked.

“Nope,” Heather said. “Let’s go find Yvonne.”

Tanesha pulled on her seatbelt and they started their search.

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and FIVE
(part six)

Wednesday afternoon — 1:25 p.m.

There was a solid “Whump” and Jeraine screamed.

Bumpy sprinted across the open plain in the direction of the sound. Turning the corner, he saw Jeraine on his hands and knees. Blood poured from his mouth.

“What happened? What happened? What happened?” he yelled as he ran. Jeraine shook his head. As he neared, he heard a braying and a donkey’s head peered from behind a tall Cottonwood tree nearby.

By the time he reached Jeraine, his son was sitting up and holding a handkerchief to his mouth.

“What happened?” Bumpy dropped down to Jeraine.

“That thing kicked me,” Jeraine said.

“What were you doing? Trying to mount it?” Bumpy asked.

Even in pain, the absurdity of the question made Jeraine laugh.

“Yeah, Dad, I got so horny out here in the middle of nowhere. Since you were over there by the house, I thought I’d get me some donkey,” Jeraine laughed. “Don’t tell Tanesha, okay?”

Sitting back, Bumpy laughed, and then he saw Jeraine’s mouth.

“Oh lord, your mother is going to kill me,” Bumpy said.

“Why?” Jeraine asked.

“Your girlfriend broke some of your teeth,” Bumpy said.

“Oh,” Jeraine put his hand to his mouth. Two of his incisors had broken off near the gum. “Shit.”

He spit out a glob of blood from his mouth.

“Shit?” Bumpy asked. “You don’t seem so upset about it.”

“You remember when I had gold teeth and a diamond right there?” Jeraine asked.

“I remember when you looked a fool,” Bumpy said.

“Turns out all that gold weakens your teeth. This one on the right broke when they took the diamond out,” Jeraine said. “They capped the teeth. I guess I’m going to have to spring for implants now. Wanna loan me the money?”

“Sure,” Bumpy said. “How’d it happen?”

“I must have I startled the donkey-beast,” Jeraine said. “It was lying in the shade under this tree when I came around from the river. It hopped up and gave a little kick.”

“And caught your mouth,” Bumpy put his head back and laughed.

“That donkey was fast,” Jeraine said.

They laughed.

“Let me take a look at you,” Bumpy said.

Jeraine let Bumpy look at his mouth and lips.

“You’re mouth is going to swell up. You’ll be pretty bruised; nothing looks broken though,” Bumpy said. “Jeez, you’re filthy. How did you get so dirty?”

“Hanging out with you?”

Bumpy looked down at his own clothing.

“We’re a match,” Bumpy said. “I have some ice in the truck. We’d better get back.”

“You want to stay out here?” Jeraine asked. “I don’t want to spoil the day.”

Bumpy turned to look at him.

“I’m enjoying spending time with you,” Jeraine said.

“Me too,” Bumpy said.

“If you want to stay for more…”

“No, it’s all right, son,” Bumpy said. “There isn’t much more to see here.”

“I like it,” Jeraine said. “I tell you sometimes I wish I could move out to a little cabin in a place like this – only dirt roads in, no way out in the winter, not press, no phones, no Internet, no cops, no drugs, no noise. In the middle of the noise and people and press and… this would have been paradise to me.”

Bumpy put his hand on Jeraine’s shoulder and nodded. He got up and held out a hand. Jeraine took it and hopped up. They started walking back to the truck.

“You going to do it, Dad?” Jeraine asked. “You going to let the oil people have the mineral rights?”

“We’re in the middle of this part of the Niobrara oil field,” Bumpy said. “If we don’t, the other’s won’t be able to either.”

“We don’t need the money,” Jeraine said.

“I thought you were broke,” Bumpy said. “Needed to borrow money for your teeth.”

“I am, but…” Jeraine pulled a wad of money out of his pocket. “I have this.”

“What are you doing with all that money?” Bumpy scowled.

“I thought you were in trouble,” Jeraine shrugged. “I didn’t know what, but I figured I’d get as much as I had in case you needed it. If we needed more, I’d sign a loan or call Schmidty.”

Bumpy’s eyes became moist. He nodded to Jeraine and cleared his throat. They were silent for a moment to let the emotion pass.

“Itth not enoutth for teeth,” Jeraine’s mouth had started to swell.

Shaking his head, Bumpy chuckled. They walked in silence.

“This land belongs to your Grandmother,” Bumpy said when they neared the truck. “She’d get the proceeds from anything they pulled out of the ground here. Outside of buying her a house, she’s never let me… help. Maybe with this…”

He shook his head and got into the driver’s side of the truck. When Jeraine got in, Bumpy held an ice pack out to him. Jeraine pressed it against his mouth and grimaced.

“You ever owe someone everything and have no way to repay it?” Bumpy asked.

“Yeth,” Jeraine nodded and looked into his father’s eyes. Bumpy started the truck.

“There sure is a whole lot of nothin’ out here,” Bumpy said.

Jeraine laughed.

Denver Cereal continues on Monday…

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and FIVE
(part four)

Wednesday — 12:55 p.m.

“Yeah.” Driving to work, Ava hit the button on the blue tooth headset she called the fallopian tube or f-tube for short. She was late and assumed that Nelson was calling her to pick up coffee.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Her elder sister’s voice was mean and loud. Ava turned the sound down on the f-tube.

“Uh… when?” Ava asked. “Are we talking about something I did when we were kids? Or the Saint Jude thing? Or… I’m late to work?”

“Dad is livid!” Her sister’s voice rose with hysteria. “Mom was so upset the doctor had to give her something. And…”

Ava showed her badge to the parking attendant while her sister rambled off the status of her family’s most recent drama.

“Mom’s so upset that I’m late to work that she had to be sedated?” Ava pulled into her parking spot and got out of the car.

“Your boyfriend lied to Westword about Dad!”

“Uh…” Ava said as she opened the trunk to get her backpack. “My boyfriend?”

“O’Malley told that horrible Barton Gaston lies about Dad,” her elder sister said. “The DA told me to go home for a few days while everything cools off.”

“Seth’s in LA dealing with some crisis,” Ava flung her backpack over her shoulder and started toward the door. She saw Seth’s friend, Captain Ferguson, waiting at the door. “I’m about to go in. Would you like to tell me what we’re talking about?”

“Westword is printing an article saying that Dad has made a fortune off of prostitutes at the four-plex. And it’s all your fault.”

“Four-plex?”

“That he owns on Fourteenth? God, Amelie, you’re such a child. The world just floats around baby Amelie.”

“Well, I’m paying attention now and you’re not making any sense, as usual,” Ava said. “Dad’s running for office. The newspapers print stupid crap all the time. So what?”

“This one has photos of Dad and some whore,” her elder sister said. “Plus, the apartment blew up this morning. Gas leak. They’re saying Dad did it to cover up his prostitution ring.”

“Ok, so Dad’s been pimping out of a four-plex on Fourteenth Avenue,” Ava said. “I guess that explains how he paid for our private schools.”

“And the building blew up! Women died!”

She reached the door where Captain Ferguson was waiting. She held up a finger to him and he nodded.

“So there’s a crime scene,” Ava said. “Outside of letting me know where I’ll probably be working today, how does any of this have anything to do with me? Or Seth?”

“Seth O’Malley lied to Westword about Dad,” her elder sister said. “And, just so you know, Dad says Seth owns prostitutes all over town. And…”

“I have to go,” Ava hung up her phone. She looked up at Captain Ferguson.

“What do you know?” he asked.

“My sister says that Westword’s reporting that my father has been prostituting women out of an investment property he owns,” Ava said. “I know he owns buildings, rentals, all over town, but… She says that my father says that Seth owns…”

She looked up in to the Captain’s face and saw that he knew all of this.

“There were four bodies, Ava,” Captain Ferguson said. “Four females. The coroner thinks their throats were cut. The fire inspector found enough evidence to believe that the fire was staged to cover up the evidence. I guess there was a construction crew nearby. They used garden hoses on the fire until the fire department got there. If they hadn’t been there…”

“The fire was hot enough to destroy everything,” Ava said in a low voice.

“Crematorium hot,” Captain Ferguson said.

“Sounds like a professional hit,” Ava said.

“Seems that way,” Captain Ferguson said. “As it is, identification is going to be tough. The coroner has already called Seth’s friend Delphie to help out.”

“And they think my dad…?” Ava was so shocked she didn’t know how to complete the sentence.

“I’m giving you the rest of the week off,” Captain Ferguson said.

“But my lab can’t afford a week off!” Ava said. “Leslie’s just back and Bob is saving to take his wife on a cruise for their anniversary and Nelson…”

“Just you,” Captain Ferguson said.

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and FIVE
(part two)

“Blane said you’d come.” He looked worried. “It’s not a great place for a lady and a baby.”

“My best friend’s mother lives there,” Heather said.

She got out of the car and went around to get Mack. When she stood up, the other two Lipson Construction employees were standing near her.

“If you’d like, I can take Mack, ma’am,” a young woman said.

“Oh, no…um…” Heather looked up the street at the police, fire trucks, and media circus. She swallowed hard. “Can you just go with me? Would you mind?”

“Not at all,” the crew chief said. They started walking along the edge of the chaos on Fourteenth Avenue. The crew gathered around her and Heather. “We were working around the corner. Lipson employee owners wanted to try some smaller jobs to see if they were profitable, so Jake got the contract to clean and check the sewers in this area. We’ve been working up here for three weeks.

“We were just around the corner,” the young woman said.

“It’s a risk, with the sewers, you know,” the crew chief said. “If the gas builds up in the sewer, it can explode.”

“Our work can make that happen,” the man she’d met at the car said.

“These sewers are a mess,” the young woman said. “Either they weren’t done in the spring or…”

“We’re choosing to report that this area has heavy usage,” the crew chief said.

“But we think they weren’t done,” the young woman said.

“We heard the sound and thought it was from us!” the man she’d met at the car said. “From the sewer!”

“We checked everything real quick,” the crew chief said.

“Reported in immediately,” the young woman’s eyes became big. “Then I saw… and…”

As fast as they’d begun chatting, the Lipson crew fell silent. They continued walking until they were standing under the trees across the street. The water from the fire trucks poured into the building. The police directed traffic into the lane in front of them. And State Attorney General Alvin paraded around like an indignant peacock.

“I’ll tell you, Heather,” the crew chief said in a low voice. “The police told us not to talk to anyone, but since you’re Lipson family, I’ll tell you… We were here, right here, not thirty seconds after the explosion and…”

He swallowed hard.

“Everyone was dead,” the young woman whispered. Even with the wind and sirens and cars, Heather heard her whispered words like they were shouted from a bull horn next to her ear.

“There was a woman lying on her face…” the man she’d met at her car pointed to the apartment next to Tanesha’s mom’s place.

“The fire, not a minute after, was already burning the entire roof,” the crew chief said. “We used hoses but…”

“They were already dead,” the young woman whispered.

Heather lowered her head and put her hand over her eyes to block the view for a moment. She felt the young woman lift Mack from her hip. Heather sighed and opened her eyes.

As if they were placed there just for her to see, two cellophane bundles of yellow tulips sat in the gutter just east of where she was standing. She walked over to them and picked them up. The receipt was tucked into the cellophane wrapper.

“When did this happen?” Heather asked.

“9:37,” the crew chief said.

Heather’s finger traced the time stamp on the receipt. 9:23 a.m.

“Do you think your friend’s mom…?” the crew chief asked.

“No,” Heather shook her head. “I mean, I don’t know for sure but… I don’t think so.”

“Oh that’s good,” the young woman said. “That’s really good.”

“I think we all feel better,” the crew chief said. “I mean, the whole thing is horrible, but if a Lipson friend was killed…”

“That makes it personal,” the man she’d met at the car said.

“We can stay with you as long as…” the crew chief said.

“Thank you,” Heather said. “But you can go do what you need to. Thank you for being here for me. I appreciate it.”

The Lipson Construction crew walked her back to her car and helped her with Mack. When they left, Heather sat with the car idling.

If Yvonne wasn’t here, where was she?

She’d better get to Tanesha before she found out. Nodding to herself, she started toward the University of Colorado Medical School.

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…