Chad walked along the streets of Harlem. It was 11:30 at night. Early enough for the partying to begin, but not too long for someone to be deeply engrossed. Chad looked up at the sign. This was the nightclub Rev. Butts had told him about. Chad walked up to the bouncer and flashed him a Ben Franklin. He smiled, took it, and motioned for Chad to enter the club.

Chad looked around the nightclub and took a seat at an empty table. When the waitress came over to him, he smiled.

“ What you want, Sugar?”

” I’ll take a Corona…and some information.”

Chad put two hundred dollars on the table. “ That’s for the information.”

The waitress picked up the money and stuffed it in her bra. “ Let me get that Corona.”

She brought back his beer and he paid for it. “ I’m looking for Maliq.”

“ Brotha, you know there are a lot of Maliq’s.”

” Not many I’d pay 2-bills for.”

She motioned her head. “ Over there. The VIP section – the right side of the club.”

” Thanks.”

Chad took the beer, and then pulled out more bills. “ Send the man a bottle of Cristal.”

The waitress smiled. “ Will do.”

Chad watched as the bottle was delivered to Maliq’s table. He watched as the waitress pointed him out. He finished his beer first, and then walked over to the VIP area.

“ The Cris is good, Brotha.”

” Glad you enjoying it. I’d like to talk business.”

” This is my pleasure time..”

” A true businessman is always looking for opportunities.”

He nodded, and Chad put up his arms, ready to be padded down. When the security finished, he sat at the table.

” What kind of business brings you here?”

” A little investigation.”

” Investigation….don’t tell me you’re Five-Oh.”

” Nope. It’s of the private kind.” Chad pulls out a picture of Simone and slides it to him.
“ I’m looking for her.”

“ And?”

Chad slides him a picture of Hakim. “ I’m looking for him first. He’ll lead me to him.”

“ What do I look like? Missing Persons?”

Chad slides him an envelope. “ You look like someone with an information network. And, I just want this bit of information. “

Maliq looked inside of envelope. “ What’s she to you.”

” My sister.”

” She’s probably ‘in love’ ya know.”

” Doesn’t matter. “

” They don’t leave them.”

” She’ll leave him.”

“ This sounds like a domestic dispute, Brotha. I shouldn’t get involved.”

“ He’s a no-good lowlife mutherfucker whose messin’ with my underaged sister. While some folks don’t mind, I do. “

Maliq stared at Chad for a few moments, then laughed.

“ Damn, Nigga. You mean business.”

“ I do.”

“ Got a numba?”

Chad gives him a card with his cellphone number. He stood up and was going to leave the table.

” How do you know I just won’t take the money and fuck ya over?”

” You can tell YOU don’t want to do that.”

Maliq stared as Chad left the club.
 

“ Eve, you know, we don’t have to do this.”, Alexis said to her, as they walked down the hall of the courthouse.

“ Alexis, I don’t need this clouding my mind right now. If we get it over with, it will be one less thing complicating things when Simone gets back.”

” Ok, then. But, let me do all the talking.”

Eve nodded and as they got to the assigned courtroom, she saw TC with her lawyer.

“ Anxious to get rid of me Eve? So you can get to your boyfriend Julian?”

” Shut up, TC. I want this over so that it will be settled by the time Simone gets back.”

” If it weren’t for YOU, Simone would BE HERE!”

Before Eve could say anything else, Alexis stepped up. “ It’s time for all of us to go inside.”

They got into the courtroom and took their places at opposite tables. The bailiff entered the courtroom.

” All rise. The honorable Sharon Wolcott presiding.”

The judge came in and sat down.

“ I see this is the case of Thornton Chandler Russell versus his wife Eve Russell. Counsel for Mr. Russell begin.”

” Your honor, my client is a man who has been lied to and betrayed by his wife. He went into a marriage in good faith, only to find out that it was based upon a stack of lies. “

” Get to the point, Counselor.”

” My client is asking for the primary residence, in Harmony, the secondary residence on Moosehead Lake. All of their joint financial accounts, and custody of their minor child, Simone Lena Russell.”
“ Alright. Ms. Davis?”

“ Your honor, Dr. Russell is asking for joint custody of their minor child, Simone. She is willing for her primary residence to be with Mr. Russell. But, she wants to have equal say in all decisions dealing with Simone’s future.”

” You aren’t fighting any of the financials, Ms. Davis?”

” No, we are not. Dr. Russell only wants to retain the financial investments that she made independently of her marital ones.”

“ From the sheets, Mr. And Dr. Russell have done quite well together financially. And, you’re sure there is no financial objections on your side?”

” Your honor, we are willing to not argue on that point, IF Mr. Russell will agree to take Dr. Russell’s half of their financial assets and place them in a trust, for their daughters.”

The judge nodded. “ Mr. Wilks. What does your client say to that demand?”

TC looked at his lawyer and nodded.

“ We’ll agree to it, your honor, but there have to be stipulations.”

” Of course, Mr. Wilks. “

” Your honor, my client does not believe that his wife should have any contact with the minor child. “

” And, why not, Mr. Wilks.”

” She is an unfit parent, and she abandoned her daughter for months. This hurt Simone, and my client doesn’t want his daughter hurt anymore.”

” Your honor, if you will read further, you will see the circumstances around which Dr. Russell left town. I believe that given the happenings, you can have sympathy towards my client.”

” Your client deserves, no sympathy, Ms. Davis.”

“ Enough.”, the judge said. “ I’m going to read over everything, and we’ll meet back here in 2 hours for a judgement.”

“ All rise”, the bailiff said as the judge left the room.

Eve turned to Alexis. “ How does it look?”

” I don’t know. She’s a good judge. Fair. She’s doesn’t lean either way on custody cases.”

” I can’t believe TC thought he could object to me having joint custody of Simone. Who the fuck does he think he is?”

” He’s her father. Eve, I could send word now that you want to fight him for custody, and that you want Simone to live with you.”

Eve shook her head. “ No. There’s a method to my madness. I know it’s the right thing, having Simone live with TC. Years from now, they’ll both thank me.”

” You hope. You’re putting a lot of faith in a man that obviously has nothing but hostile feelings towards you.”

“ True. But, I have to have faith. I was married to TC for almost 20 years. They couldn’t have been for nothing.”

” Why don’t we go take a walk. Get something to drink. Go over strategy.”

“ Sure.”

Eve walks out of the courtroom, and saw Julian. Eve went over to Julian. “ Did you hear from Chad?”

Julian shook his head. “ No. I just came to support you. I know this can’t be easy. You know I thought you were crazy to do this now.”

” I know. But, I have to.”

TC comes out of the courtroom and sees Julian. “ Coming to give your lover sympathy, Julian?”, TC sneered.

” Maybe he’s here to tell us about SIMONE!”, Eve snapped back.

” Is..is there news about Simone?”, TC asked.

” No. But, you wouldn’t know that, because all YOU could think about it insulting me! Go away, TC.”

Eve took Julian’s hand and walked away.