Ties That Bind (22 page)

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Authors: Brenda Jackson

BOOK: Ties That Bind
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Randolph walked back over to his desk, opened his briefcase and pulled out the envelope that had been delivered to him that morning before leaving for the courthouse. The letter had come from the private investigation firm he had used to find Jenna when no one would tell him of her whereabouts. Although he had honored her wishes and hadn't sought her out after finding out where she had gone, he had to know she was doing all right. So each year the PI firm had reported to him, usually in a one-page briefing.
He'd known about her father's death from with cancer eight years ago, and on impulse had gone to the Knoxville cemetery and had been there, watching from afar as John Haywood was laid to rest.
It had been the first time he had seen Jenna in the four lonely years since she had disappeared from his life and her beauty had still taken his breath away. And on that cold, gray day as sprinkles of snow blanketed the earth, unknown to her, he had been there for her, just like she had been there for him the day Ross had been buried. He had wanted to go to her, talk to her, touch her, let her know he was there. And he wanted to ask her if the same beautiful memories that had sustained him over the years were sustaining her. But he had done none of those things. Instead, he had caught a plane back to Richmond that day to return to the wife he didn't want and the son he loved to distraction.
The following year he had received the letter from the investigation firm advising him that Jenna had married a man by the name of Steven Malone; a guy who worked for the same company she did. And then two years later he'd been told of the birth of her daughter, a little girl that she had named Haywood.
He inhaled deeply as he tore open the envelope and read the contents.
November 10, 1980
Mr. Fuller,
Please find our annual report on Jenna Haywood Malone. We regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Malone's husband,
Steven Malone, from a sudden heart attack, just one month after our last report had been sent to you.
Mrs. Malone and her daughter now reside in Atlanta, Georgia. Her change of address is noted on the card enclosed with this letter.
Please contact our company if you have any questions. Your next report will be sent in approximately twelve months from the date of this letter.
Respectfully yours,
Aaron Exelberg, Exelberg Investigators
Randolph's breath caught in his throat as he folded the letter. Jenna was no longer married.
 
“You know, Jen, it's a sad day for our country when an over-the-hill movie star can become a United States president.”
Jenna smiled but didn't bother glancing up from icing the cake she had baked. Carol Strong, her neighbor and a woman she considered a friend, was still upset about an election that had been held over two weeks ago. “If hearing about it bothers you that much why don't you turn off the television?”
“I would but then I'll risk the chance of not finding out who shot J.R. Tonight was the worst possible time for my television to go on the blink.”
Jenna shook her head. Carol was hooked to the nighttime soap opera,
Dallas,
and had called her in a panic. Tonight was the night that concluded the cliffhanger and according to the newspapers they expected the show to draw more viewers than any other show in television's history.
Jenna was glad she'd never gotten caught up watching it. Friday nights were the time she got to unwind and spend with Haywood. At six, this was her daughter's first year of school and the report card she had brought home today indicated she was doing extremely well—which was the reason for the cake. Haywood had been close to her father and missed having him around. That was why Jenna had made
the decision to move to Atlanta. She thought the change in location would do them both some good.
“If they show one more commercial, I'm going to scream!” Carol yelled, breaking into Jenna's thoughts.
“They have to make their money somehow,” Jenna said, stepping back from the table to view her handiwork. “So what do you think?”
Carol took her gaze off the television long enough to give the frosted cake a cursory glance. “I think it would have been appreciated much more if you had made it with green icing. You know how much Haywood loves green.”
Jenna chuckled. That was an understatement. The two most important things in her daughter's life at the moment were the color green and the Cookie Monster from
Sesame Street.
“Speaking of Haywood, where is she? I haven't seen her but once since I got here.”
Jenna decided not to tell Carol that Haywood had come through the kitchen several times but that Carol had been too absorbed in
Dallas
to notice. “Right now she's in my room playing with that Pac-Man game her uncle Jarvis gave her.”
Jenna had just placed the cake in its keeper when Carol released a long whistle. “Now that's the kind of commercial break I don't mind,” she said, indicating the quick news flash that had spread across the television. “He's one good-looking man and he's winning every case he gets his hands on.”
“Who?” Jenna asked as she snapped the lid to the cake keeper in place.
“That hotshot attorney, Randolph Fuller.”
Jenna's hands froze. “What about Randolph Fuller?” she asked, trying to sound calm.
“I said he's won another case and it was one everybody was convinced would go the other way. He's dynamite as an attorney and is definitely making a name for himself. This is the sixth high-profile case he's taken on in the last three years and won. He's really something else and to top it off he looks totally awesome. A man like that
would definitely make me forget about watching
Dallas.
Look at him, Jenna, and let's see if you don't start drooling at the mouth.”
Jenna looked at the television where an interview segment between Randolph and some reporter was being shown. She didn't start drooling but she did feel a strong, stirring sensation in her stomach. In less than six months, both she and Randolph would be celebrating birthdays. She would be thirty-four and he would be thirty-six. And like Carol she had to admit, he looked totally awesome. Time had only enhanced his looks.
She blinked when the television went into another commercial, wishing she had not seen his face on the screen. Seeing it brought back memories too powerful and too painful to dwell on after twelve years.
Later that night after Carol had left and Haywood had gone to bed, Jenna sat in the rocking chair in her room and tried to read a book. The words appeared fuzzy to her mind as her thoughts drifted back twelve years to the last night she and Randolph had shared together. She had known it would be their last but he had not.
Instead of the two spending Christmas with her family as originally planned, Randolph had spent time with his grandparents in Virginia and South Carolina. The holidays had been hard for them since it had been the first without Ross. He had arrived in Memphis two days before New Year's and from the moment he had walked into her apartment, she had tried to absorb him within herself knowing it would be the last time she could do so.
Without bothering to explain why, she had encouraged him to remain inside the apartment with her. She didn't want to go out and do any of the stuff they had planned to do like go to a New Year's Eve party. Instead, in the hours leading into 1968, the need to be a part of him had grown into a clawing ache that had to be filled.
And filled it he had. He had kissed her over and over again, everywhere, touching her, caressing her, preparing her body to take his and by the time she had, she had experienced one mind-blowing orgasm. It had been the first of many.
That night they had made love with their hearts, minds and souls as
well as with their bodies. Neither spoke of Angela and the baby she carried or how the situation would affect them and their relationship. All they had wanted was to concentrate on each other and the love they shared. He spent five glorious days with her and a week after he left, so did she. She left for Paris without letting him know where she was going.
When April fourth came around, a day they had shared celebrating their birthdays together for the last two years, she had been so miserable she had gotten sick. It didn't help matters when news reached her that day about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. She had cried her eyes out over such a loss and knew that back home in the States, masses of people were also grieving. She had thought of Randolph and what he had to have been feeling. He had always admired and respected the civil rights leader and after working with Dr. King that summer on the voter registration drive, she knew Randolph's admiration and respect had increased. And then two months later, in June, tragedy struck again when Robert Kennedy was gunned down. It seemed during that time America was losing all of their good leaders. Leaders who had been committed to making a difference.
The ringing of the telephone interrupted Jenna's thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She automatically reached for it, thinking it was probably one of her brothers. All three had remained in Atlanta after graduating from Morehouse. And her mother, lonely after her father's death, had moved to Atlanta to be near her children. “Yes?”
“Jenna? Hi, it's Leigh.”
A huge smile touched Jenna's lips. “Leigh, how are you doing? How are Noah and the kids?”
“Everyone is fine. I'm sure you've heard what Castro did. The entire city of Miami is up in arms right now, and as city commissioner, Noah has his hands full.”
Jenna nodded. She knew Leigh was talking about the news report that one hundred and twenty-five Cubans had been given approval to leave Cuba for America. Specifically, Miami, Florida. Most were criminals hand-picked by Castro's men.
“Sorry to call so late but Noah heard something that I thought I'd
better prepare you for since it will probably make headlines tomorrow. I also plan to call Ellie tonight to make her aware of it as well, just in case she doesn't know already.”
Jenna placed her book aside. “What?”
“It's about Johnny.”
A lump formed in Jenna's throat. Johnny had been sentenced to die for the murder of a federal agent nearly fourteen years ago and was still on death row. They had exchanged a number of letters over the years and she had even gone to visit him several times, maintaining the close friendship they had shared in college. “What about Johnny?” she asked Leigh softly.
“Since he doesn't have any appeals left a date has been set for his execution.” Leigh's voice was beginning to break when she added, “Unless some sort of miracle happens, Johnny will be put to death in sixty days.”
Jenna's fingers tightened around the glass of wine she held in her hand. “There has to be something that we can do. There has to be.”
Leigh glanced across the room at Jenna. “Yeah, but what? Noah would step in and help Johnny if he were still practicing law, but he hasn't handled a case in over five years.”
Jenna nodded. She knew as city commissioner of Miami, Noah was strategically moving his future toward the political arena with plans of running for the United States Senate in a few years.
Jenna, Leigh and Ellie were in New Orleans on their annual weeklong outing together. It was something they had started doing when Jenna returned from Paris, and they saw it as a way to strengthen the bond between them. So every year they selected a different place to go, leaving husbands and children at home.
Leigh and Noah had two kids; thirteen-year-old Zachary, and ten-year-old Noelle. Ellie, the only one who had remained single, had gone back to school and had gotten a degree in education and was teaching at a school in Texas. Her daughter Johnnetta was fourteen. Of the three women, Ellie stayed in direct contact with Johnny the most, and had admitted that during the brief time she had lived in California during the sixties, things had begun developing between her and Johnny, but he had not let them get too serious because of his involvement with the Panthers.
“I think there's a way to help Johnny, Jenna, and if you think real hard I'm sure you know what it is,” Ellie said thoughtfully, after taking a sip of her wine.
They all went silent. Yes, Jenna knew what it was, more specifically, who it was. Randolph Fuller. If anyone would be able to step in and fight for Johnny's life with a good chance of winning, it would be him. “Why would he be willing to take on Johnny's case? He'd only met him a few times when we were at Howard. Besides, I doubt Johnny's family has the money to pay whatever retainer Randolph will require.”
Leigh waved off her words. “Randolph would take that case in a heartbeat if you were to ask him.”
Jenna shook her head. “Why would he?”
“For you,” Ellie replied quietly.
For a brief moment, Jenna hung her head and her shoulders stiffened a little. When she raised her head and gazed at her two friends, the look on her face was guarded, haunted. “There may have been a time when he would have done anything for me but that was over twelve years ago. That time is long past.”
“He would do it for you now,” Leigh said softly.
Jenna met Leigh's gaze. “You don't know that.”
“Yes, I do and deep down you do, too. You and Randolph were very close at one time. The two of you shared something very special.”
Jenna stood, pretending to stretch her legs when in fact she was trying to find temporary relief for an aching heart. “Like I said, Leigh, that was a long time ago.”
“Yes, but there's never a time that he doesn't ask about you whenever I see him since he knows the two of us stay in touch. He used to ask about you even when he was married to Angela, which he isn't anymore, thank God. From what I understand she turned out to be a slut of the worst kind. According to Noah, Randolph actually caught her in bed with a college kid, thirteen years younger than she was. And, over the years he hadn't been the only one. There have been other men.”
Jenna's eyes widened in shocked surprise. “What?! You've never mentioned that to me before.”
Leigh smiled wryly. “If you'll recall, that was one of your sacred rules, Jen. You never wanted either of us to mention Randolph to you.”
Jenna accepted the truth in Leigh's words. She had felt not hearing Randolph's name would ease her pain. Just like she had thought marrying Steven would also do the trick but it hadn't. Steven had been her friend as well as her husband. He had known her heart belonged to another and had asked her to marry him anyway. They had had eight good years together and he had given her a beautiful little girl.
“I'm sorry he had to go through that with Angela. He deserved better,” Jenna said angrily.
“Yes. He deserved you, Jen.”
Jenna shook her head sadly. “No, he deserved to be a full-time father to his child. I couldn't take that away from him.”
“Okay, I understood your reasoning back then but what about now?” Leigh asked as she watched Jenna pace the length of the hotel suite they shared. “Officially the two of you are unattached individuals. He's single and so are you.”
Jenna stopped pacing. “Yes, but twelve years have passed. We're two different people. Other than a glimpse of him on television once, I haven't actually seen him in all that time and there's a chance—a damn good chance—he's gotten over what we had and I'm just a faint memory to him. He's a man of the world, in some ways he's almost like
a celebrity. A totally different type of woman probably appeals to him now.”
“If you really think that, then you shouldn't be afraid to see him … unless you still care for him, Jen,” Ellie said, gazing intently at her friend.
Jenna opened her mouth to deny such a thing and then her composure wavered under her two friends' speculative stares. “No matter how I feel I can't go back there. I knew when I gave him up that I could never go back and I won't. Haywood is my life now just like I'm sure his son is his.”
She waited, knowing Leigh and Ellie probably had a lot to say. But they surprised her and didn't say anything. “What if he won't even see me?” she asked after she couldn't stand their silence any longer.
“He'll see you,” Leigh said, taking a sip of her wine.
Jenn nervously bit her bottom lip. “I'll make it clear with Randolph from the very beginning that our meeting will be strictly business.”
“Yes, you do that,” Ellie said, biting back a smile. “After twelve years that shouldn't be a problem.”
Jenna nodded, not seeing the silent look that passed between Ellie and Leigh. “And somehow I will pay him every penny he charges over what Johnny's parents can afford. I should be able to do it without touching Haywood's educational fund if he's willing to work with me on some sort of payment plan.”
“And I'll do whatever I can to help financially as well,” Ellie said. “Johnny was there when I needed him and more than anything, I want to be there for him.”
Leigh pushed herself out of the chair. “And of course you can count me in.” She came to stand in front of Jenna. “So have you decided to go see Randolph about handling Johnny's case?”
Jenna's heart thundered in her chest at the thought of coming face-to-face with Randolph after twelve years. But like she'd said earlier, their meeting would be strictly business. “Yes, I'm going to go see him.”

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