and if he had to draw a map, the pieces to the puzzle centered around his wife, her so-called best friend, Brenda, Afrika, and Brenda’s husband—the one with the gun. The gun. The gun that might have been used to shoot Afrika, but why? That was what Raphael was going to find out. He needed to find Asia’s father. He needed to solicit someone’s help. He could use a beer or two.
“Baby cakes, Daddy’s got to leave for a little while. You seem to be in good hands with Asia by your side,” Raphael said. He went to the side of the bed and kissed Afrika. “I’ll be back in a while.”
“Okay, Daddy. Don’t stay away too long.”
“All right, baby.”
Raphael exited Afrika’s hospital room and saw Mimi consoling Brenda outside the glass doors to the ICU unit. Brenda seemed to be crying and wiped her face as Raphael approached.
“Where are you going?” Mimi inquired, surprised by Raphael’s look of departure.
“I need to get some air; I’m uptight, I guess. I thought about taking John up on his offer to get some beers. Do you have his number?”
Mimi looked Raphael squarely in the eye. Raphael knew she wondered why he had the sudden desire to meet with John.
“I feel worthless. I need to find my daughter’s shooter.”
Brenda and Mimi looked at each with fear in their eyes.
“What’s wrong? Do you know who the shooter is?”
“No, Raf,” Mimi said a little too fast. “The police are doing all they can to find the person who did this awful thing to Afrika. I know how you are, Raf, but you’re going to have to let the police do their work. I need you to be calm for Afrika and let law enforcement handle it.”
Raf looked at Mimi, the love of his life. She was shielding him from something; he could feel it in his bones. When it was time, he would deal with it. “John’s number?”
Mimi pulled out her cell and pulled up John’s number. Raf looked at her. His black book was empty. There had to be a good explanation why John’s number was in Mimi’s black book, if they had indeed just run into each other.
He punched the numbers Mimi had given him into his phone.
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a while.”
Mimi sighed and watched her husband disappear behind the elevator door.
43
Raphael entered the hospital lobby, dialed John Carroll’s number, and waited for him to answer.
“Hello,” said the gruff voice.
“John Carroll?”
“Who wants to know?”
“John, this is Raphael; Mimi’s husband.”
Raphael heard John groan. There was a long pause before John spoke again.
“How did you get my number?”
“Mimi gave it to me. I need to get some air and I remembered your offer to go for some beers. I’m at that moment.”
John hesitated and then cleared his throat. “I’m busy right now. Maybe some other time.”
“I understand, man, but I do need to talk. My daughter is in the hospital, and the person who did this is still at-large. My hands are tied, and I need a friendly male ear to sound off my frustrations.”
“I can take a break. Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital.”
“I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”
JOHN PULLED IN FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL AND DIALED RAPHAEL at the number that was recorded in his phone. His first impression of Raphael was that he was full of himself because he was a high-ranking officer in the military. He carried his stripes on his shoulders and John was his stepstool. John was surprised to receive Raphael’s phone call.
John watched the tall, rugged man in a pair of khakis pants, a blue and yellow polo shirt, and a short tan London Fog jacket approach his Ford Explorer. Raphael’s eyes were well hidden behind a pair of Giorgio Armani sunglasses, but John knew he was being inspected by the Colonel by the way he rotated his face as he looked at his SUV and then at him as he peered inside the open window.
Raphael opened the door to the vehicle not giving a second thought that it might be someone other than John in it.
“John, my man,” Raphael said as if he and John had been old friends. He jumped in and extended his hand.
John hesitated and decided to put what unspoken differences they had aside, at least for the moment. “Good afternoon, Colonel.”
“Raphael will do just fine. John, I need to go someplace where I can think and sort this whole matter out. You got me?”
John put