Campbell walked out of the garage, believing that it was likely a dead end with the mechanic, while providing more food for thought otherwise. He got in his SUV and drove off, wondering if Mia could have somehow gotten in over her head through one means or another. Over and beyond her exposure to fentanyl.
* * *
JASMINE WASN’T QUITEsure who to trust as she walked around the compound, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who might become suspicious of her and report this to Kenneth or Juan. She did her best to appear as unbothered as possible when it came to Mia being dead from a drug overdose. After all, it seemed as though most of the Braison Family members had come to terms with her death, as if it was just something that happened and not their concern.
But Jasmine saw it differently. She didn’t believe that Mia would knowingly ingest fentanyl, putting her life on the line. Not to mention disappointing Kenneth—if, in fact, he wasn’t the one who’d handed her the fentanyl in the first place. At least on the surface, he appeared adamantly against drug use on the property.
Yet beneath the surface, Jasmine feared that the Braison Family was pretty much capable of anything. Even murder, if anyone dared to challenge Kenneth’s authority. While making it appear to be a self-inflicted overdose.
Was this what had happened to Mia—who could be headstrong and independent-minded, unlike most of the followers? Had she been murdered to keep her silenced forever? Had she learned secrets that made her a liability?
Jasmine sucked in a deep breath as she forced a smile at this follower and that one, but kept her mouth shut. Why hadn’t Kenneth been more forthcoming when she expressed her concerns to him about Mia and her totally unexpected and premature death? Why did he, instead, blow her off and go through the same old Braison Family principles as a way to avoid the subject?
Did someone in the Family have it in for Mia—with or without Kenneth’s knowledge or consent—and coax her into OD’ing and being left naked and humiliated at the park?
Jasmine wondered if Stefanie might be able to provide her with any answers, if only for her own peace of mind. And to help her decide if she wanted to remain a member of the Braison Family. She and Stefanie had exchanged phone numbers, with Stefanie encouraging her to call if she ever needed to talk—almost as though this was expected of her.
I’ll do it—give her a call and maybe we can meet up somewhere away from prying eyes and talk, Jasmine told herself. She glanced over her shoulder as if someone were watching her. While no one stood out, she spotted Siobhan, who tried to pretend she was too busy on her cell phone to notice her—but never seemed to miss a beat when being on the lookout for anything she could report back to Kenneth or Juan. Jasmine couldn’t help but wonder if Mia had felt the same way. Before disaster struck like a tornado.
* * *
IN HER LIVING ROOM, Stefanie sat on the copper-colored MCM chair, watching television. Or at least she was trying to, gazing at the fifty-five-inch smart TV on the wall. It was hard to concentrate with Curlie on her lap trying to decide whether to be still or spry, per her cat nature.
Beyond that, Stefanie couldn’t help but think about her night of passion with Campbell, awakening desires in her she never knew she had. The way he reacted to her touch, kisses and more, she believed that he, too, was feeling it. So yes, she believed that they had started dating officially, more or less. This scared her as much as exhilarated her, as venturing into new territory in a Reston Hills relationship with sex as a part of the equation meant moving into the next phase of starting over as a widow.
Was she really up for this? Would Campbell protect her heart as she needed in forging ahead and making the most of the opportunity that they had both been afforded?
And would she be able to give him everything he needed in a woman, lover and friend as he traded in his single status for becoming boyfriend material?
Stefanie looked even further ahead at the prospectsof matrimony, children, meeting Campbell’s dad and his partner—and how this all might play out—if she and Campbell remained serious about each other over the long haul.
There you go overthinking things again, Stefanie admonished herself. She would not go there.Just let things happen as they’re meant to—or not, she thought, enjoying the ride in the meantime.
Curlie grew restless and jumped from her lap onto the floor, where the cat then ran off to be by herself. Stefanie chuckled with amusement, then turned back to the TV screen to focus on the old romance movie she was trying to watch.
When her cell phone rang a few minutes later, Stefanie removed it from the pocket of her denim shorts and saw that the caller was Jasmine, from the Braison Family. Answering the call, masking her surprise, in spite of having invited Jasmine to do just that in getting more info from her on Mia, Stefanie said cheerily, “Hi, Jasmine.”
“Can we meet…to talk?” Jasmine asked, sounding tense.
“Of course.” Stefanie pressed the phone closer to her ear. “Where?”
“How about Reston Hills Park?”
“That’s fine,” Stefanie agreed.
Jasmine said, ill at ease, “I’ll wait for you near the south entry to the river walk…”
Before Stefanie could say anything else, the phone had disconnected.
* * *
NEEDLESS TO SAY, Stefanie’s interest was piqued as she drove to the park. Had Jasmine learned something aboutMia’s death that she needed to get off her chest? Something that Jasmine wasn’t at liberty to say at the Braison Family compound under the auspices of Kenneth Braison?
After reaching Reston Hills Park, which brought back unsettling memories from Founder’s Day, Stefanie parked in a lot on the south side and went to look for Jasmine.
She found her quickly enough, as Jasmine came out of the woods, wearing the shoulder tote Stefanie remembered from when they first met.
Jasmine said in an uneven tone, “Thanks for coming,” and gave her a hug as if they were old friends.
