“Oh boy, I bet that went over well.”
“Not nearly as bad as expected. I think Alana was worn out by the whole thing. She cut me some slack.”
Foxx laughed again.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“How can a guy as smart as you be so dumb sometimes?”
“Dumb? What did I say?”
“That Alana cut you some slack. Trust me. She’s still angry. She just decided to hold it in reserve until she needs to spring it on you at a later date. I can hear her now. ‘Remember that time you didn’t tell me what Hani was doing?’ It’s coming, buddy boy. Just accept it and rehearse your apology speech until then,” Foxx said.
“Maybe I should buy her some flowers or something.”
“I’d wait for the actual outburst to come. Then get the flowers. Maybe even some chocolates.”
Our conversation about how dumb I was regarding women continued for several minutes. It certainly wasn’t the first time we’d talked at length on that topic.
We eventually arrived at the warehouse but didn’t see any cars. Foxx parked by one of the warehouse doors and we climbed out of the vehicle.
I opened the warehouse door without knocking and walked inside. The interior didn’t match the exterior. While the outside looked run down and abandoned, the interior was much nicer with a series of small offices and a large common room that had a billiards table, a large flat-screen television, and several pieces of comfortable-looking leather furniture. It resembled a bachelor’s recreation room.
A guy about Foxx’s size approached us. He appeared out of nowhere, and he didn’t look happy.
“You two lost or something?”
The question had come out as more of a growl. I hoped Foxx had remembered to grab his gun from the SUV before coming inside, but it was too late to ask.
“We’re looking for Stan Cross,” I said.
Before the burly man could respond, we heard a voice coming from one of the offices behind us.
“You found him.”
I turned around and saw a man around fifty-years-old walking toward us. He was about six feet tall, muscular, and he had a thick head of light-brown hair that was gray at the temples. A moment later, two more men emerged from the same office. They were both about the same size as the muscle who’d initially questioned us.
“I’d ask how you found me, but it’s not like this place is a secret,” Stan Cross continued.
“Then why camouflage it?” Foxx asked.
“I’m not. I just don’t see a reason to fix up the outside. We spend all our time in here.”
Stan Cross stopped several feet away and sized us up.
“Let me guess. You want to ask me about Mele Akamu,” he said.
“That’s right,” I said.
“Ask away. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Do you know anything about Eric Ellis’ murder?” Foxx asked.
“I know enough. The kid vanished about five years ago and then his body showed up. The cops arrested Mele Akamu and that thug of hers for the crime.”
“We spoke with someone who told us that you were dealing with Eric in the days before he was killed,” I said.
“That’s right. He came to me and asked for a job. I said no.”
“Asked for a job? We heard he called you and offered to sell you information on Mele Akamu’s business,” I said.
“That’s not exactly how it went down,” Stan said.
“Then what happened?” Foxx asked.
“He wanted a package deal. He said he’d help take down Mele Akamu by giving me details about her business. He also wanted to come work for me. I’m not a trusting man. I already knew who Eric Ellis was. I also knew everything that Mele Akamu had done for him.”
“You thought Mele Akamu put him up to it?” I asked.
“The thought crossed my mind. But if she hadn’t, I still didn’t want anything to do with the guy. If he’d turn on Mele Akamu, then he’d eventually turn on me too. There was also his woman. I looked into Eric and discovered he was two-timing her. It seemed that he’d turned on everyone in his life. Someone like that can never be trusted, and I can’t have guys around me that I can’t trust. I told him no.”
“How did he react?” I asked.
“How do you think? He was upset. He had no one else to turn to, if his story was to be believed.”
“What did you think after he disappeared?” Foxx asked.
“I realized I’d guessed wrong. He really had betrayed Mele Akamu and he got killed for it,” Stan said.
“You think she killed him?” I asked.
Stan Cross laughed.
“You don’t? Who else would have done it?”
“Maybe someone who wanted to frame her for the murder,” Foxx said.
“And they waited five years to make their move? No. There’s no chance of that. People in this line of work don’t have that kind of patience.”
“Oleen Akamu told the police that she saw Mele Akamu murder Eric Ellis, but then she admitted to us that you paid her to say that,” I said.
“You boys really need to get your facts straight. She came to me all right. I must admit that I got a great deal of satisfaction out of it too. An Akamu begging for my help. It was priceless. She told me that she knew I’d benefit from having Mele Akamu out of the way. She asked me how much it was worth to me. I asked her what she meant. That’s when she told me that she’d claim to be an eyewitness to the murder if I paid her.”
“What did you say?” Foxx asked.
“I told her that I’d think about it. She went to the police before I gave her an answer. I guess she thought I’d show my gratitude and give her money. Why would I? The idiot already gave me what I wanted, and I didn’t have to pay anything for it.”
“She’s retracted her testimony,” I said, although I wasn’t
