Let's Pay Death Off

By Garrison Moreland

Terrence Allen and Donovan Michaels were best friends, and upon their return home, they encountered various new changes. They were looking forward to reconnecting with a past friend. But this past friend offered new surprises about his life now—the first being that he had a family and a sister who eventually became involved with Terrence Allen in a relationship he adamantly objected.

But after a period of time, Veronica became missing. The police were called in and began an invest

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781640963634

Book preview

1

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

Hello, Donovan, can you come over?

How soon is right away? You just woke me up.

Now, if you can, I need to talk to you. It’s important. I wouldn’t call you at two in the morning.

Donovan was drowsy, being interrupted out of his sleep. His desire to return to sleep realized it was either now or never. He dragged his lifeless ass out of bed, directed himself into the bathroom, not before cutting on sufficient light so he could see where he was going.

Donovan tried to understand Terrence wanting to see him at this time. It wasn’t like him to sound desperate. He tried to reconstruct the events of an intimate dream he was having about him and whoever the other person was before he was rudely interrupted. He felt traffic wouldn’t be a bitch at that time of the morning while leaving New Jersey to go to the Bronx.

He moved around the apartment, gathering items he required. He took an hour to complete his chore to begin his drive to the Bronx.

His phone was ringing again.

Hello? It’s me.

As if I didn’t suspect, Donovan thought.

I am sorry to ask this, can you postpone coming over and stop by later today? I realize you have to go to work. This could be too much for you to go through this morning. I apologize. I wasn’t thinking before I called you this morning. I am going to call in. I will be home all day. You can stop by anytime you like.

Donovan hesitated before he reacted. He replied with a lack of aggressive frustration.

"Terrence, I can see something is wrong. What are you doing to me? I was on my way out the door to come to see you. Now, you want me to postpone this until later in the day. I hope Halloween doesn’t come early this year.

"Why didn’t you say this in the first place? I am tired. You know how I am when I don’t get enough sleep. I am as ornery as a witch’s tit without the attention.

"Look, I am going to try and salvage whatever sleep I can. I will see you after work. I will go into work late and leave early, since you will be home all day.

I don’t mean to sound ugly about this. You can’t imagine how odd you sound. Your actions are more disturbing over the phone. Are you all right? Has something happened I am unaware of?

Thanks for the concern. I will speak with you later.

Donovan didn’t take matters further. He hung up the phone. Something was wrong with his friend. There was nothing he could do about it now. He tried to go back to sleep before the alarm clock went off in three and a half hours so he could be awakened again to call in.

*****

Later at 3:30 p.m.

Terrence’s place

"I am confusing myself. I am not thinking straight. I can’t imagine how this happened to me. I need to pull myself together. How am I going to explain this to Donovan? He will be overwhelmed by this as a heart attack. He won’t understand at first. I need to talk to him about this. I have stepped into some deep shit, which simply can’t be wiped off.

I don’t want to get Donovan into trouble. He is the one person I trust to talk to, or should I be talking to anyone?

The buzzer from the intercom sounded. It was Donovan. Terrence reminded himself about his need to calm down. He hit the button for him to enter.

I need to pull it together, stop talking to myself. Let me straighten out my clothes.

The doorbell rang. Terrence hesitated before he walked toward the door. He concealed himself purposely behind the door then opened it. Donovan entered the apartment. The door was closed quickly and locked behind him.

Donovan checked the apartment before his eyes laid upon Terrence. It was eerie. Donovan became alarmed. Terrence insisted Donovan follow him back to the living room. He walked directly past him, without looking at him. He led the way.

Donovan followed him, noticing the blinds were closed on the windows throughout the apartment. It was like an acronym for the word cemetery at night. They entered the living room.

Why the darkness? What in the hell’s going on, Terrence?

Please lower your voice. Have a seat, Donovan.

Sure, if I can find one in the darkness. What is this about? Donovan stood up. He stared at Terrence.

I realize you are confused by my behavior.

Of course I am. Especially when a friend of mine is acting like a nut, said Donovan. When you called me this morning, you sounded wired. I walk into your apartment, which looks like a mausoleum used for vampires in the night of making a mess.

Donovan, have a seat. I’ll explain everything to you. In the meantime, please keep your voice down.

Can you turn a light on?

No problem. Terrence walked over toward a lamp on a Parson’s table in the right corner of the room and turned it on.

Donovan looked around the living room once more before sitting down on a light brown cotton sofa. He looked at Terrence and gave him his undivided attention. He asked Terrence to be seated. He leaned backward and tried to relax. His movements were rapid.

He could see stress, anxiety, and fear dominating his face. It was making him nervous too.

Terrence inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to explain this to you. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t. It was an accident. You can understand, can’t you, Donovan?

I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Please, Terrence, get a grip. Say what it is you have to say. I’ve never seen you like this.

Okay! I stopped Veronica last night.

You did what!

"You heard me. What part of stop you didn’t understand?"

What happened here? Are you talking about what I think you are talking about? When you stop someone for good by taking their life? Why would you do something like this? You are right. I don’t understand.

Donovan stood up. Terrence stood up. He was lost when he looked around the dim room. He sat down. Donovan followed by sitting back down and looked at Terrence pitifully. He sat adjacent to him on the sofa. Terrence raised his head to look at Donovan.

How did you get to this point where you had to stop Veronica? Donovan asked.

Terrence stood up and moved away from the sofa. He paced back and forth. He spoke with ease. Veronica came over to see me yesterday. We did our thing. We stayed up for a while to talk. We got into a huge argument. She was unreasonable.

Donovan didn’t know what to say, raising his eyebrows. He leaned against the sofa for support.

Where did this come from? I thought you and Veronica were done? Donovan asked.

"We were. I’ll explain it to you. Bear with me for now. I promise it will come together for you.

"Over a year ago, when Veronica became pregnant, she had a miscarriage. She had a medical condition. She couldn’t conceive a child for the full term. She said nothing to me about it.

When she did tell me, I was surprised, disappointed, and relieved at the same time. You are never ready when an unexpected child comes into the picture.

There was a big frown on Donovan’s face. I don’t understand. Why would Veronica and you be fighting over something which happened over a year ago? asked Donovan.

She was pregnant again. I didn’t do it nor did I understand it.

I do. It happens to the best of us. You simply got what she had to offer, when it comes to a woman like Veronica. You tell me, what man wouldn’t be at her mercy? Man, this sounds like a soap opera, he said.

I wish it was only that simple. Then I could take myself out of this soap opera.

Terrence stopped pacing the floor to look at Donovan strangely.

The first time this happened was my fault. I accept responsibility for my part in this. I didn’t do what was right for either one of us. I recall when we slept together. I didn’t wear any protection. I was honestly excited about sleeping with Veronica, if you can relate to what I am saying.

What was her excuse for not using her own protection? Donovan asked.

"I don’t know. I took the proper precautions thereafter. This is what led to the argument. I couldn’t believe she was telling me she was pregnant again.

The second time in over a year. It wasn’t like we were planning to have a family. The first time it happened was a mistake. Now, this is another mistake.

Donovan frowned again. Do you have something against having children?

"No. What I am saying is, I wasn’t responsible for this a second time. She was lying to me. I was suspicious of her attitude. She was trying to play me in the worse way.

"I told her I didn’t believe her. I was sure someone else was involved.

"She looked at me with denial. She went off on me. She started shouting at the top of her lungs. She started cursing at me, calling me names. She said I didn’t care about her. I was using her. I was afraid of her brother.

"All I wanted to do is take her out and show her off, bring her back here, and have sex with her.

Everyone knows Veronica is a beautiful woman. Do you believe the size of her ego? If you ask me, at this point, she was losing it. Veronica transformed into a head case right in front of me.

Was there any truth to what she was saying about you? Donovan asked.

Absolutely not, that was absurd. Veronica knew, with certainty, how much I was in love with her.

Isn’t it possible you could have gotten her pregnant a second time?

Anything is possible, but I doubt it. It was her who was giving me the diva drama. Then on top of the whole thing? She was trying to confuse the whole situation, like ‘Dummies R" Us’?

Donovan, I wish I could. I don’t have the time to go into our entire relationship, inch by inch. What in the hell was I supposed to do? If you had any idea of the surprises that have occurred this past year, which I can’t explain to myself or to you.

But I can’t be more surprised by everything I have heard from you, said Donovan.

"You know what? There was something wrong with this picture. She knew I knew. She was aware of this too, Donovan, how she became pregnant a second time and by whom? She was trying to do her best to use the argument as an excuse to cover up the issue of her second pregnancy.

"She brought the matter up all over again, with the finger pointing. It wasn’t going to get her anywhere with me.

"To be honest with you, there were too many happenings with her, or within our relationship I couldn’t figure out. All she had to do was admit the truth she was seeing someone else. I could have dealt with this. Veronica is not the only beautiful woman on the planet. I wasn’t going to allow myself to be played over. I walked away from her to leave her with her nonsense.

"You know as well as I do, Donovan. You’re a man like I am. There is so much sex out there in the streets, you can’t even give it away free.

"Then there is sex out there like Veronica. You would do almost anything, to get in a manner of speaking. I’m not stupid. I am not one of those men, but maybe the next guy is?

"Getting back to what I was saying, she continued to curse at me. Called me name after name, pushing me, like I was an idiot. But she pushed my buttons, especially the few I had left. I asked her over and over to give it up please, but did she stop?

"Noooo. This is when I turned around, grabbed her by the shoulders with both hands. She wasn’t hearing a thing I had to say. I was angry at her.

"I began shaking her. I was trying to talk to her. I tried my best to bring her to her senses. I tried to restrain myself from striking her. I have never put my hands on a woman before.

Donovan, you know how bad my temper can get when I get riled up.

The question is, did she know?

"No, she didn’t.

"This is why I wanted her to cease with the bullshit. It was all unnecessary. I seriously didn’t want anything to get out of control. However, it did.

"She wasn’t receptive to anything I had to say to her. I told her to go fuck off in another life and leave me alone. Her response to this was to push me but, this time, with deliberate force.

"I was able to catch my balance before I hit the wall behind me. She slapped me. It was severe, she cut my lip.

"There was blood coming from the inside of my mouth. This is when I lost it. I grabbed her by the neck with both hands.

"I told her, ‘Stop this, get serious before someone gets hurt. This is not a game anymore.’ I can’t begin to tell you how angry Veronica made me. She looked at me and said, ‘Go to hell!’

"She spit in my face! She was wild and unmanageable. She began swinging her arms, trying to hit me, then trying to kick me. My anger was way out of control by then. I squeezed her neck.

"She tried pulling my hands from around her neck, kicking at me frantically. I kept putting more pressure on her throat. I didn’t realize what I was doing. I continued choking her more and more.

"Veronica aggressively tried to resist my force. The pressure to squeeze became more intense until she couldn’t breathe. She started grasping for air. The look on her face suddenly changed from disbelief to fear.

"I watched her eyes roll up into her head. The look on her face was lifeless. Everything had changed then stopped. She was dead. Her body became heavy.

"I released my hands from around her neck. Her body fell to the floor. Her head hit the table on the way down. I thought I heard a sound come from her.

"I was confused by the excitement which led up to this moment. I had gone too far. There was no way I could take it back. I stood there, looking. I couldn’t believe what I did. I felt the blood rushing through my veins. I was scared. I didn’t know what else to do.

You were the only person I could turn to, Donovan, this is the reason why I called you.

Donovan shook his head in disbelief, leaning over, placing his hands over his face. He raised his head and turned to Terrence.

What did you do with Veronica’s body? Donovan asked.

I got rid of it, and you don’t need to know the details.

All this time, you and Veronica were seeing each other?

Yes, this is the other side of the story, which you didn’t know. We continued to see each other but kept it a secret. This is why you and everyone else thought it was over.

Donovan’s reaction was negative with a frown.

"I heard what happened that night from Ethan. I saw you two days after. You didn’t say anything about it. I assumed you were upset about it. You didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t pursue the matter. Also, I recall you never brought the subject up. I simply respected your privacy.

I thought you were one lucky son of a bitch when you were sleeping with Veronica, and for the last year, you have been keeping it a secret with her.

Donovan kept shaking his head out of astonishment, he continued, You figured I was someone to lie to. You figured I was someone to string along, with the rest of the knuckleheads at the time? Is there anything else you care not to tell me or want to tell me, Terrence?

Donovan couldn’t help but express his growing disappointment with sarcasm.

"I understand this is hard for you to process or accept, but it wasn’t my intention to deceive you, Donovan.

"It wasn’t like this. I wasn’t trying to take you on a magic carpet ride. Things happened quickly. I was excited being with Veronica. I became protective of our relationship unexpectedly.

I didn’t trust myself, which was the problem. I agreed with Veronica not to say anything to anyone. Naturally, I wanted the whole world to know.

Donovan replied abruptly, "You’re telling me for a year. You couldn’t tell me, or wouldn’t tell me, the truth about you and her?

"Terrence, tell me, what did you think I was going to do with all of this information? Contact the CIA and tell them about a covert operation being conducted by Veronica Shaw and Terrence Allen?

"Let’s not forget, it was you who called me! You asked me to come over to see you! So you could tell me you stopped Veronica, killed her, murdered her. You pick your choice.

In my opinion, it sounds hypercritical. You took our friendship to a whole other level. This is why I am upset with you, Terrence. This is something you may have to deal with by yourself.

"I know you are disappointed in me. I am sorry, more than you can imagine. I see the look in your eyes and on your face. Your whole reaction to all of this!

Please believe me when I say I never wanted to deceive you or ever wanted to tell this to you. No doubt, it has been our understanding to be straight with each other.

Terrence looked at Donovan with sadness and sincerity on his face. He realized in his heart what he would say from thereon would only seem like an act of deliberate deception to Donovan. He knew he felt betrayed in the worst way. Terrence had no real idea whether he had lost Donovan’s trust.

Since I am having a hard time trying to understand what is going on, why don’t you tell me what happened from the beginning? Hopefully, I can make some sense out of how you got to this point, Donovan said.

His face frowned up as the anxiety began to escalate from within. He looked up at Terrence with no uncertain purpose. Terrence looked at Donovan and started to speak.

"When we returned from college, we discovered that Ethan had a sister. A real surprise to us when we attended high school. He never said anything about having a sister. We met his mother. It’s hard to believe someone has a mother who is that hot!

Do you recall when Ethan introduced us to Veronica?

Yes, said Donovan.

What was your impression of her?

"Honestly, she was strikingly beautiful. Also, you could see Ethan was being overprotective, like he had a problem with us—or anyone else, for that matter.

It was strange, claimed Donovan. It wasn’t like someone was going to rape his sister right in front of him.

I know. I agree. I could see this too. I didn’t think he would come off like this with us. The three of us were close in high school. We all stayed close until you and I went off to college. Now we are back, and it’s a different world, said Terence, smiling.

"When I first saw her, I was foaming at the mouth, like a mad dog with rabies. I wanted to kidnap her on the spot and take her home for myself. She was a 12.5 on the Richter scale, no doubt.

"She wasn’t like any of the women I dated except one person, and you know who I am talking about. It’s difficult to get someone out of your mind when all you want to do is see them again.

"I saw her a few times passing through the neighborhood by herself. I tried to talk to her.

"She was nice. She was polite, although she kept turning the switch off. I didn’t make any headway with her. I decided to forget about it. I didn’t mention anything to you because there wasn’t anything to report or tell.

Do you remember the club I was telling you about downtown on the west side? I asked you to check it out with me, but you haven’t yet.

Donovan acknowledged remembering the club.

I walked in there one Saturday night and behold! Who do I see standing in front of me? It was Veronica. I was surprised and intrigued she was there. She was alone.

Donovan asked Terrence, Did she remember who you were?

"No, I had to reintroduce myself to her. There was something different about her I couldn’t put my finger on. The guys in the club were bumping into each other, trying to talk to her, but she took no prisoners.

"We talked briefly. I asked her to dance. She agreed. We danced and didn’t stop for a while. We were having a great time together.

"The club is nice. You would like it. It’s a place where whoever the DJ is, the music is on the floor. The women are plenty. The women are hot.

"When Veronica dances, she feels the music in her entire body. She can dance. She is good. I was tired from watching her move the way she did.

"I stopped and offered her a drink, she accepted. I escorted her over to the bar. We had a drink, and we talked.

After a while, I told her I was going home to relax. She looked at me and then smiled.

"‘If you don’t mind, I’ll leave with you,’ she said.

"We had another drink together, and the interesting thing is, she had her own car. She didn’t want to go home yet. I extended the invitation to her to come my way.

"She said, ‘Why not?’

We exchanged cell phone numbers. I gave her my address and directions to my place in the event we were separated in traffic. We rode uptown on the west-side highway together.

"I guess after everything that happened at the club, you must have been on cloud twelve instead of on cloud nine, huh? Especially when you consider how uncertain it was from the beginning when you first saw her.

It seemed like you were chasing after dream dust, but then it became a reality, said Donovan.

"We arrived here at 3:30 a.m. I made her comfortable. She liked the apartment. I put music on. I offered her something to eat. We talked some more. It was really nice. Several minutes later, I asked her to dance.

"She said, ‘Why not?’

"We embraced each other. We slowly swayed from side to side. I kept thinking about how I couldn’t believe she was here, live, in my apartment. I looked at her. I held her tight, her body was pressed hard against mine.

"I kissed her, she kissed back. It was eager for a first kiss between us.

"Veronica kicked off her heels. I lowered her on to my bed, and then the excitement began.

"She held me. Her hand was soft, warm, but small. I put my hand underneath her dress and removed her underwear. There was much foreplay between us. I entered her. I took my time.

"There was no way I was going to rush this with her. It seemed too good to be true. When it was over, we were pleased it had happened. We lay there, smiling and laughing because it turned out to be unexpected and good.

"I directed her to the bathroom so she could freshen up. I asked her if she would like to stay or if she was leaving.

"She asked me, ‘What would I like?’

"I went to get her something to sleep in.

"We changed clothes, we talked for a while, we went back to bed, and made love again. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.