Jukebox Time Machine - A New Day #25
How About Now?
When we got home, Pam left the windows down in her car, hoping any lingering odors would dissipate before morning. Once inside, we stripped and threw all our clothes into the washer. We ran upstairs and into the shower. I don’t know if it was the odor or the memory of the odor, but we felt compelled to have a second shower.
Pam drove the Buick to work. I told her I would get an air freshener for her car. In my mind’s eye, I could still see Justin. I knew something needed to be done, but saw no way to initiate any action without implicating myself and Pam. After having dodged the bullet of the explosion, any connection to Justin or Caribbean Imports could put us back into the crosshairs. I needed to talk with Sammy.
I called his office, and Mrs. Riley told me that Sammy would be in the office for most of the day.
“Do you need to speak with him, Bobby?
“No, ma’am. I’ll be in to see him as soon as I can get there.”
I’ve always thought the ride into downtown Durham was a combination of pleasant sights, sounds, and aromas, but today my head was so full of the happenings of the past few weeks, it passed in a blur. I pulled into a space just down the street from Sammy’s office. When I entered the office, I made a big show of scrubbing my feet against the bamboo mat, but the question came anyway.
“Bobby Wilson, did you wipe your feet?” asked Ruth Riley. This was my cue to turn around and do it again, while she had time to come from her desk to hug me.
“Sammy’s in his office. Go on back,” she said.
From the front door to the entrance of Sammy’s office is like walking through a time capsule. Ruth is at her desk every day, but sees no need to file the briefs that have been on her desk for years. Norman Aldridge’s office looks as it did on the last day he worked.
Stepping into Sammy’s office is like moving from one century to another. It has every modern technology and every modern convenience, including a liquor cabinet filled with some of the finest Scotch Whiskey money can buy. My arrival always triggers Sammy’s need to visit that cabinet.
“You’ve got to try this one, Bobcat,” he said, placing a bottle of eighteen-year-old Glenrothes Speyside and two glasses on the table.
Usually, I try to protest, but today I slip into the chair and wait for the pour. Once it is done, I toss it back and push my empty glass across the table for more.
“What’s up, Bobcat?”
“Justin’s dead.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw the body. Shot through the head,” I said.
He got up, closed the office door, and poured each glass about half full.
I spent the next thirty minutes recounting what we had done and seen the previous night. Sammy clicked over to attorney mode. He didn’t touch his scotch and didn’t interrupt.
“What do you think we should do?” I asked.
“As far as Justin is concerned, absolutely nothing. Are you sure no one saw you and you didn’t leave any prints?”
“I’m pretty sure. We had gloves, and it was after midnight.”
“Have you talked to Felicity?”
“Not yet, I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I’ll call her. Why don’t you head home? I have to go to the courthouse this afternoon, but I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
On the way home, I thought of the state of my life. In some respects, I was better off than ever. Being reunited with Pam and in love was the best of it. Sammy and Tabitha completed the group of our youth.. Uncle Phillip left me more wealth than I could ever imagine. With that wealth came adventure, danger, and a dramatic change in my sense of reality. Felicity, Antoine, Melonie, Simone, and all the inhabitants of their compound were both wonderful and wondrous. They defined friendship and loyalty. Even with all this, sometimes I just wanted to be plain-old Bobby Wilson. That thought swept away when I turned into the yard.
Felicity was on my porch with Cleo. I parked and joined her.
“Samuel gave me the news of Justin Howard. It appears they chose him to take the fall for Caribbean Imports. His death also proves the deception of Shellie Howard.”
“Do you think we should take further action as far as Justin is concerned?”
“It may be best to let it play out. I spoke with Melonie, and she will dispose of his body, but it may serve our interest to let it remain. In Durham, we need to distance ourselves from the situation. Antoine is working on a plan to eliminate our opposition. He would like all of us to visit him as soon as possible.”
I told her I would speak to Pam, Sammy, and Tabby. Sammy probably already knew and was planning with Tabby. Pam is ready to end this, so her participation was not a problem. We made a tentative plan to leave tomorrow.
“ During our last visit to the cabin on the bayou, I found a note from Uncle Phillip. That note led us to use the jukebox to return to 1969, but on a riverboat cruise. There we met Mikaela, Phillip’s wife.. She gave me a letter from Uncle Phillip. Part of that letter was a request for another jukebox journey. He gave me explicit instructions not to undertake that journey without your accompaniment. Because of circumstances, I’ve not been able to speak with you. I know we’ve got a lot happening now, but do you think we could schedule a time for you to come with me?”
I hated to ask her, but this had been on my mind, and I thought it important.
She looked over at me and smiled. “How about now?”