On the Other Side(26)
“Thank you. Oh, by the way, Florence, please call me Damita.”
“Okay, Damita. Also, it may sound odd, but when you go to sleep tonight it will probably be best if you sleep on the injured side. It will allow you to take deeper breaths.”
“Florence, I wonder if you could help me with something else.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I have a funeral to go to tomorrow and I don’t want everyone focusing on me and my injuries. Can you help me to look as close to normal as possible?”
“I can fix it so no one will even know you were in a car accident.”
Every time she heard the lie out loud, a car accident, she was reminded of what her life had become in such a short period of time.
“I would so appreciate that.”
The next morning Florence made good on her promise and with the help of makeup, a funeral-appropriate hat, a pair of gloves and pain-killers, Damita was able to pull it off. It would be difficult for most people to tell that she had been beaten and kicked and had her ribs and fingers broken a few days earlier. Damita’s mother and her best friend were not most people.
“Thanks, Florence, you did a great job,” Damita said.
“No problem.
“Florence, there’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I expect to be a little worn out after the funeral today. You don’t need to come in tomorrow, since I’ll probably sleep well into the afternoon.”
“Are you sure? Mr. Westman was adamant that I not leave your side.”
“My husband doesn’t know what a quick healer I am. So, please, don’t bother coming in. It wouldn’t make sense.”
“Okay.”
• • •
Karen and Carmella were sitting together when Damita arrived at the funeral. They had saved her a seat. It was packed. Damita looked around the room and was reminded of what a great guy Brandon was. One look at the number of people who had shown up to say goodbye was a clear indication of how loved he really was.
In the middle of the services, Karen suddenly turned to her and caressed her face. She whispered in Damita’s ear. “Leave him, baby. I’m not prepared to say goodbye to you, too.”
Damita looked directly at her mother. As she cried, she hoped her makeup job wouldn’t be ruined, and the full extent of her injuries revealed. “I will, Mom. I will. I simply need some time to figure some things out.”
“Don’t take too long.”
CHAPTER NINE
When Damita got home from the funeral, she was surprised to find Carmella already there waiting for her.
“Carmella, what are you doing here?” Damita asked.
“You and I need to talk.”
“How on earth did you get here before me?”
“I was on a mission. My best friend needs me.”
“I’m okay. I’m fine.”
“Sure you are. I’ve got a story to tell you about something that happened to me a couple of days ago. You want to hear it?”
Damita did not respond.
“I have this detective friend. His name is Derrick. Derrick and I were coming back from having dinner and he started driving a little strange. He wasn’t taking the usual route back to my place, so I asked him what was going on and he told me that we were being followed. I assumed it had something to do with him and his work, but he assured me that it had nothing to do with him. So, I of course, told him there was no way it had anything to do with me. Well, Derrick was able to get the plate number of the person following us. He ran the plates. Damita, the car was registered to Neal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You don’t seem all that surprised. Did you even know Neal had a car? You never mentioned to me that he had one.”
“I knew he had a car, but he usually keeps it parked in a garage downtown. He doesn’t use it often.”
“Do you have any idea why Neal would be following Derrick and me?”
“I don’t know, Carmella. I didn’t know it when I married him, but Neal has a drug problem. He gets real paranoid at the drop of a hat. He’s also very insecure about my friends. That might have something to do with it.”
“How insecure?” Carmella asked.
“What?”
“How insecure is he? The day of your wedding, I watched Neal watching you all night. When he wasn’t watching you, he was watching Brandon. The look he had on his face was one of complete hatred. I couldn’t figure it out. I kept thinking he’s probably possessive and Brandon was such a cutie, and so charming. But, it was more than that. At one point Neal’s jaws were clenched so tight I thought his teeth might shatter.”
“Carmella, what’s the question?”