Murder Mamas Part 8

Fatima put her ear to the thick cherry wood door, ear-hustling as she tried to intercept the entire conversation.

"Not good at all, fam. She's broken over this s.h.i.+t," Macy revealed. "It's f.u.c.ked up, because I'm sitting back watching her go through it."

"Does she have any idea that it was you?" Edris asked.

Fatima's heart fell, and she felt as if someone had s.n.a.t.c.hed the air from her lungs. She hoped that she had heard it wrong, and she held her breath as she waited for Macy to respond.

"Nah, she doesn't know. It's all bad right now, though, fam. That s.h.i.+t is eating me up. Every day I'm looking her in her eyes knowing I killed Boomer. I've handled many n.i.g.g.as before, but Boomer is eating me alive," Macy admitted. "She's my wife, and I took a piece of her soul away. I don't think she will ever be the same."

Fatima's emotions overtook her as she stormed into the office. Anger, sadness, shock, pain ... it all shot through her as she rushed Macy. She threw the b.l.o.o.d.y clothes at him. There was no need to question where they had come from. The brown stains were a brutal reflection of the crime that Macy had committed. It was Boomer's blood, and she felt as if she could not breathe as she attacked his killer.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" she shouted. Her nostrils flared. "You killed him! You killed my son?" she said, posing a question of disbelief.

Macy was taken off guard and was about to fix his mouth to deny her accusations, but she had heard it from his very lips. There was no lying his way out of it. She knew the truth, and as he tried to wrap his arms around her, he immediately sensed a change in her. Her body instantly went stiff as she stopped breathing.

Fatima didn't know if she was frozen in fear or if she was just stifling her anger. She could not believe what she had just overheard, and she just knew that her mind was playing tricks on her. But when she saw the expression of guilt on her husband's face, her stomach churned and she felt as if she would be sick. Fatima went ballistic.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted as she picked up the paperweight from his mahogany desk and tossed it at him. She swept the contents off of his desk, throwing anything that felt heavy enough to inflict harm. "Don't touch me!" she yelled again when Edris tried to grab her. "How could you? How could you, Macy? He was our son!" She was like a tropical storm as she flew through the room destructively, trying to get to Macy.

"It was an accident! Tima, listen to me!" Macy pleaded.

She backpedaled out of the room while shaking her head from side to side. "No, I'm done listening to you. I trusted you. You're a liar!" she shouted as mascara mixed with anguish and created trails of black tears down her cheeks.

Macy raced after her as he tried to explain. He had not expected her to return home. He had gotten loose with his lips and had spoken of Boomer's death too freely. Fatima ran until she made it to her car.

"Fatima!" Macy called out as she locked herself inside. She started the car and ignored him as he banged on the driver side window and pulled on the door handle. "Don't do this, Tima. Open the door, baby girl. Just hear me out!"

A distraught Fatima put the car in reverse and backed up slightly. She placed the car back in drive and pressed the gas all the way to the floor, aiming the car straight at Macy. He had pushed her to her breaking point. There was nothing that this man could say to fix what he had broken. He had deceived her and had manipulated her.

He saw me go through h.e.l.l and all along it was because of what he did? she thought as uncontrollable tears flooded her. Fatima was in a state of shock as she tried to wrap her brain around the truth. She just didn't understand. After years of her holding Macy down and playing the back so that he could s.h.i.+ne, how could he do this to her? Fatima had been a good wife to him, a loyal wife to him. She wasn't above doing dirt, but she had limits. Macy was never a target, and he would have never fallen into her crosshairs.

"How could you do this to us? How could you!" she shouted as she drew closer to him with her car, going full speed. Macy put his hands up in front of him, signaling for her to brake, but she never let up on the accelerator.

"Yo, she's not stopping, Macy! Get out of the way!" Edris yelled as he watched the domestic dispute unfold and escalate to a violent level. He knew Fatima well and had seen her temper flare once before, so he knew what she was capable of. This time even Edris had to admit that her outrage was warranted.

Macy stood his ground, not thinking that Fatima would actually hit him. When he noticed that she wasn't letting off the gas ,he dodged the car just in the nick of time. All he saw were taillights as Fatima sped off of their property. "f.u.c.k!" he shouted. "Put the word out that I'm looking for her."

Edris nodded his head and followed Macy as he stormed back into his home.

Fatima ripped through the city streets, crying nonstop. Her husband's betrayal was too much for her to handle alone. She needed help, but she had nowhere to go and no one to run to. Macy ran the entire city, so going to the police was not an option. She was stuck, and as the hours pa.s.sed on the clock, she grew tired of roaming aimlessly. She found herself driving toward Santa Monica to see a man she hadn't spoken to in years.

Case had kept in close contact with Macy over the years, but his interactions with Fatima had been limited. They spoke briefly and cordially, but it was always too awkward for them to be too involved in each other's lives. Case had been the first man to show her love, and she had crushed him when she had chosen to be with Macy. Their friends.h.i.+p hadn't been the same since she had left him, but on this night, she needed him. She needed him more than she ever had before.

Fatima drove to the lavish beachside condo where he resided and parked her car on the street. The lights were on inside, and she knew that he was home, but she sat frozen as she thought of what she would say to him. What could she say? Karma had come full circle. She had betrayed Case to be with Macy, and ultimately Macy had hurt her. Macy had taken the one thing in her life that was irreplaceable.

She sat in the car for almost an hour, going back and forth in her mind as the cell phone rang repeatedly. Picking up the phone, she saw Macy's face flash before her eyes, and the sight of him made her sick to her stomach. She sent him to voice mail only for him to call right back. Disgusted, she powered off her phone. What could he possibly say to her? No words could take back his actions. What he had done was unforgivable.

Fatima gathered herself and pulled down her visor to fix her face, but when she saw her own reflection, she knew that she was too broken. There was no hiding her torment. No amount of makeup could conceal her hurt. Her eyes were red and swollen. The color of her skin was pale and had a green tint to it. She would have to face Case the way she was or not face him at all.

Fatima exited her car and walked up the walkway that led to his condo. She climbed the stairs that led to his front entrance and nervously rang the bell. She heard the chime sound on the inside, and she turned quickly on her heels, suddenly changing her mind. Why did I come here? she asked herself. He can't save me now. I chose Macy.

She heard the door open, but she didn't look back until he called her name. "Fatima?"

She froze but refused to face him.

"Tima, is everything all right?" he asked. Case's deep voice offered security to her in her vulnerable state. She was in need of protection, of comfort, and Case was the only person who she could think to turn to.

Case put his hand on his waistline, clicking his .45 off of safety, and turned on his porch light to make sure that Macy's goons weren't lurking in the shadows of the foliage that covered the front of his house. Fatima being at his home was too much of a coincidence for Case. He stepped out, ready to shoot anything moving as his neck swiveled from left to right. He was surprised to see that she was alone. He had thought she was sent as a decoy to distract him, but as he looked around cautiously, nothing seemed out of place.

"Are you by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded her head as she turned to face him.

"Why did you come here, Fatima?" he asked. It had been too long for this to be a coincidence. Any other day she barely gave him the time of day. Although her attraction to him had never dissipated, her respect for her husband always overrode anything she felt toward Case. For her to be on his doorstep in the middle of the night was a surprise to Case, and frankly, it was suspect.

As she stepped toward him, the light shone directly on her face, and he saw how distressed she appeared.

She lowered her head and ran into his arms as he hesitantly welcomed her into an unsure embrace.

"He killed him, Case," she sobbed as she cried into his chest. Her words came out mumbled, and Case held her, despite the fact that he had no idea what had gone on.

For the first time in fifteen years, he wrapped his arms around her intimately. She was sobbing so hard that she couldn't speak as she poured her soul into Case.

"What are you doing here, Tima? Macy know where you at?" he asked, his voice low as he loomed over her, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I ... I have to talk to you," Fatima whispered as she pulled away from him. "It's important."

"Go home, Tima. Look at you. You're a mess. I don't know what happened between you and Macy, but you shouldn't be here," he replied. He had been very careful not to cross any lines or rekindle any old flames with her over the years. Their interactions were always so rehea.r.s.ed, strategic, as if they were afraid to speak openly to one another. Now here they were, past lovers standing under a full moon as the Pacific Ocean left the scent of salt in the air.

"Please ... I can't go back there. I just need to tell you something. Can we please go inside?" she asked as she pulled at his hand desperately, like a little girl pleading for help.

Case shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders as he led her into his home. He locked the door and pulled back his window drapes once more, his paranoia working overtime.

"It's just me. Macy has no idea where I am," she whispered as she wiped her red eyes. As she stared at Case, she couldn't contain her emotions. The features of his face were so familiar to her. It tugged at her heart as she stared at him carefully, studying every inch of him. Her eyes watered over and she shook her head. "All of this is my fault. I should have never left you to be with him," she whispered.

"Calm down, Fatima. Have a seat and tell me why you've come all the way here," he said soothingly as he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit.

She gripped his forearms for support because her legs threatened to give out at any moment. She looked around at Case's home and realized that it was her first time ever stepping foot inside.

"You've done really well for yourself." She sniffled, beating around the bush and avoiding the real reason why she was there. "You really did take over L.A., huh?" she asked in disbelief, remembering that he had always said he would when they were younger.

"Your husband isn't the only one getting money," Case replied smugly as he leaned back in his chair.

"He killed him, Case. He killed Boomer," Fatima choked out as she put her head in her hands as her tears leaked through her fingers.

Case frowned doubtfully. He had known Macy for a long time, and while he didn't doubt his gangster, he knew that he would never shoot his own son. "He loved Boomer, Fatima. I'm sorry about Boomer's death, but you can't put that on Macy. Boomer was troubled. It was the drugs. Macy wouldn't do that. Nothing in the world would make him kill his own son."

"It wasn't his son," she said. Her voice was so low that it was barely audible.

"What did you say?" Case asked.

"Boomer wasn't Macy's son," she repeated while still crying.

Case calculated the years in his head, and his heart dropped instantly as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. He knew that Fatima hadn't been with another man in years-eighteen years, to be exact-and he felt an ache in his chest that made it hard for him to breathe.

"He was yours, Case. Boomer was your son," Fatima admitted. She had told herself that she would never tell him, but now she felt as if he was the only person she could go to.

"What?" Case said, his anger surfacing.

Fatima lowered her head, too ashamed to face him.

"Don't look at the f.u.c.king floor, Fatima! Look at me. You can't just come up in here and drop a bomb like that! It's been eighteen years!" Case shouted. "And you're just now telling me I had a son?"

"I'm sorry!" she screamed in defense.

"You're sorry?" he shouted. His loud voice only made her cry harder, and he caught himself to avoid making things worse. He stood from his seat and paced the floor as he tried to process what she was telling him. His rationale went out the door as his emotions got the best of him. "He was my son?" he asked.

She nodded.

"How could you keep this from me?" he asked as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat to regain composure, and his eyes burned into hers, displaying his rage, revealing his uncertainty. He didn't know how to feel. He felt a combination of emotions, but sadness prevailed over them all. He had known Boomer, but not in the way that a man was supposed to know his son. They had never gotten a chance to bond or to even know one another. Case had never had a reason to become a better man. He lived for himself and took risk on top of risk because he wasn't afraid to die. He hadn't known that he would be leaving his firstborn son behind.

"I just wanted a better life for Boomer. You were in the streets, Case, living the fast life. You weren't ready to settle down, and you definitely were not fit to be a family man. I wanted to protect my son."

"And you call this protecting him?" Case shouted.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" she defended. "When Macy and I started messing around, he was saying and doing all of the right things. He had plans, Case. He was going to school and getting out of the game. He was focused on me, whereas you were focused on many. You didn't think I knew about all of those other b.i.t.c.hes?" She paused as she looked at Case knowingly. "I knew, Case, and I didn't want to be just another chick you were dropping off at the clinic!"

"You didn't even give me a chance, Fatima! You didn't tell me! You just took my son away and let the next n.i.g.g.a raise him! Does he know?" Case asked.

Fatima shrugged her shoulders, feeling overwhelmed.

"Don't tell me you don't know, b.i.t.c.h," Case said angrily. "Does he know that Boomer was my seed?" he asked sternly.

Fatima was keeled over in her chair crying her heart out and Case immediately felt bad. He knew that she was going through a lot, and he tamed his animosity before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, ma," he said as he knelt before her. "But you've got to tell me something. This is f.u.c.king me up. You have to help me understand why you would do this to me."

"I just wanted the best for my baby," she whispered.

"That could have been me, Tima," he replied. "I could have given you and Boomer the world. I was young and stupid back then, but a family would have helped me grow up. I would have changed for the two of you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She could see it in his eyes that he was struggling with her revelation.

"Did Macy know that Boomer wasn't his?" he asked again.

"I think he felt that Boomer wasn't his son, but he never spoke on it. Not once did he question me or speak his doubt aloud. He just took what I told him as truth, but I could see the skepticism in his eyes," Fatima replied.

Although Case didn't have a relations.h.i.+p with Boomer, he felt responsible to find the person responsible for the murder.

"What makes you think Macy killed him?" Case inquired.

"I heard him! He admitted it. The c.o.c.ky b.a.s.t.a.r.d spoke the words out of his mouth! I heard him with my own ears," she said, disgusted. Her skin crawled as she thought of all the times she had made love to Macy after he had annihilated her flesh and blood. She had been bedding the enemy. "How could he even look me in the face after what he did?" All of her questions were rhetorical because she knew that no one could answer them except Macy.

Case gritted his teeth as he thought of his only son being betrayed by the man he thought of as a father. Jealousy filled him as he thought of all the milestones and memories that he had missed. Now it was too late to get those things back.

Macy's actions instantly changed Case's agenda. What was supposed to be a simple ransom kidnapping would be elevated to a murder. Case had a taste for revenge. He savored the flavor of vengeance on his tongue as he thought of ending Macy's life. He would order Macy a slow death, and he knew that Aries had some tricks up her sleeve that would bring the strongest of men to their knees. Taking his woman he had tolerated because he knew that Fatima had willingly walked away from him. He had partially blamed himself for losing her because he knew the game. He had lost his b.i.t.c.h because he had left a void within her that Macy was able to fill. Losing Fatima was partially on Case, but by f.u.c.king with his money and now murdering his seed, Macy had crossed the line.

"Come here," he said.

In need of guidance and a shoulder to cry on, she rushed to him as he held her tightly. The scent of her perfume tickled his nose, and as they embraced, he ma.s.saged her back gently.

"I'm so sorry, Case," she said.

"It's a'ight, ma," he replied. "I'ma take care of it."

"How?" Fatima cried helplessly.

"However you want me to," Case replied.

He pulled away from her and walked over to his liquor cabinet. He removed a bottle of cognac and poured himself a stiff drink. He didn't usually like to cloud his mind, but he needed the burden that Fatima had just given him to be temporarily lifted from his heart. He downed the drink in one gulp and then poured another one.

Fatima walked beside him and reached for her own gla.s.s. She lifted it up, and without a word he poured her a drink too. She sipped it slowly and enjoyed the burn as the smooth liquid fire heated her entire body.

She grabbed the entire bottle in one hand and carried her gla.s.s in another as she walked through Case's living room. Case watched the sway of her hips and admired the way that she commanded her environment, kicking off her Louboutins as if she were the lady of the house. She sat down on his plush sectional and pulled her feet up underneath her bottom, making herself comfortable as she sipped the strong drink somberly.

Fatima didn't indulge in alcohol often. She was a social drinker and usually never touched the grown-man drinks. The cognac hit her quickly, making her body warm instantly as she nursed her drink and soul simultaneously.

He watched her for a moment, taking her in. She had matured, but so much about her was exactly as he remembered it. Fatima was still a bad b.i.t.c.h and the most striking woman that Case had ever encountered. He had sampled a generous share of women in his day, and none of them held a candle to Fatima.

He silently wondered what it would have been like if he had never sent her home with Macy all those years ago. He hadn't known that his best friend would steal his girl and ultimately marry her. Case had lost a good thing when he had lost Fatima, and as he realized that she had given birth to his child, he suddenly wished that he could turn back the hands of time.

Fatima indulged in her drink silently, lost in her thoughts of sadness. She didn't even realize that Macy was standing over her until she heard him speak.

"Don't drink too much of that. It'll sneak up on you," he schooled as he sat across from her.

"It doesn't matter. Tonight I'm trying to get f.u.c.ked up. I don't want to feel anything.... I just want to sit here and throw a pity party. I want to drink my drink and sit here until it doesn't hurt anymore," she admitted without shame.

She shook her head as Macy's face entered her mind. "He sat there for f.u.c.king weeks, watching me deteriorate. He heard me crying every night. He slept in my bed knowing that all along he had killed my son. b.a.s.t.a.r.d." She finished her drink and then poured herself another as she continued to vent.

"How can he do something like that? After all of these years? I've stood by him, playing the back and being the supportive woman that he needed. I was there when he was just another dope boy. I helped him study night after night when he was in college. I even wrote some of his papers! I'm the one who went door to door, convincing people to vote for a black mayor. I smiled for the cameras and hosted the events. How could he kill Boomer? My son? I know the dirt he's done in order to get where he is, but I never thought that he was capable of hurting me ... or hurting our son."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately wished she could take them back. "I'm sorry, Case. I know he's your son. It's just ... I'm ... I'm so used to ..."

"You don't have to explain, Fatima. I know what you meant," he replied.

"He can't get away with this. He has the entire police department in his pocket. My son will never get the justice he deserves," she cried.

"What's justice? Nothing is going to bring Boomer back," Case answered. He already knew what he was going to make happen. Macy would be sleeping with the fishes in due time, but he said all the right things in order to ease Fatima's suffering.