Page 27 of When Darkness Comes Knocking
“You did what! Baby, you could’ve been hurt,” Perrae admitted with concern.
“You’re right, but you also know I'm a street nigga at heart, and I know how to handle myself.”
Perrae fanned herself and popped her lips. I loved her sassy antics. “Well, damn, you got it, big papa. Tell me what's going on.”
“First, those niggas are disgusting. Him and that lil boy are living real nasty in that crib. It smells terrible, and there’s trash everywhere. I mean everywhere. No kid should live like that.
“Secondly, I found some letters with the names Bill and Shirley Packer on them. I had my tech guy, Chris, look into the matter. Today, he informed that that house is owned by Bill and Shirley Packer.
“They're an eighty-year-old couple that went ghost six months ago. There has been no activity on their bank accounts, but their utility bills are high as hell and unpaid. Now I asked JJ if he remembers seeing them, and he said yes.
“It was the first day you all moved in. Other than that, he hadn't seen them again, so it was pretty much out of sight, out of mind. Do you remember seeing an older couple?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do. It was brief, but they were on the porch when we first moved in. After that, I didn't see them, so I forgot all about them,” she replied with concern tracing her tone.
Perrae stood from her couch and paced the floor. It was what she did when she was in deep thought. Her brows were furrowed, as she stared at the floor.
“Fortune, are you thinking he swindled them out of their home?” Perrae stopped moving and looked up at me.
“Honestly, babe, I'm thinking something more sinister than that. I think he probably killed them, unless he has them tied in the basement. The way the backyard and inside his home smells, that place has death in there somewhere.”
Perrae took the seat across from me. “We have to do something. I have a bad feeling. I've always had a bad feeling since I met him, but now it's amplified. I think we should sneak back into his place and look for more information.”
“Ain’t no way in hell I'm risking your life.”
Perrae looked up at me with her arms folded. “Who gon’ stop me? You? I been taking care of me and my kids since before you came in the picture. I got this.”
I sat up and stared at her. Not in an intimidating way but just ogling at how Perrae still operated in survival mode. She didn't need me to boss up on her but empathize in a firm yet gentle way.
“Perrae, you are absolutely right, but you have me now. I'm not going anywhere. You're still operating in your masculine energy, and that means I'm not doing something right. You may be a mom of three, but you ain’t single.
“We ain’t in the hood no more either. The street ethics won’t work here. Trust me, I wanna buss that nigga shit wide open, but this situation gon’ take some finesse and logic.”
Perrae nodded.“You’re right. What should we do?”
“First step, we reach out to the homeowner’s association about the trash in his yard that’s spilling onto your property. Secondly, we take everything we have to the police. We voice our concerns and have them do a wellness check on that house. Afterwards, we’ll move accordingly. What do you say?”
“I think that’s a great idea, baby.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re on board. Now let’s go upstairs. I gotta punish that pussy because you thought you could lil boy me.”
Perrae ran from the couch giggling as I chased her upstairs. I couldn’t wait to drown in her.
Chapter
Eight
Perrae
I peered out of my bedroom window. It was late as hell, but I couldn’t sleep. There was an uneasy feeling I’d had for the past week.
It started when I contacted the HOA and the police about Myron. Even if they confronted him, I just had a feeling that visit wouldn’t go well.
Myron proved to me that he was more than a drunk. That he was capable of murder. I thought back to the night when I was almost attacked at my salon.
I knew that was Myron. I didn’t need anyone to validate my suspicions. That nigga saw me as his enemy.
Why, though? I didn’t even know him. Even if we were well acquainted, that still didn’t justify why he constantly targeted me.
