Southern California – the days are all the same. Beautiful sunshine in the late afternoons inevitably compensates for a fog-filled morning. There is generally low humidity and mild to warm temperatures. Sometimes, the days are so peaceful and the breeze from the Pacific so sweet that one can be so easily lulled into an unwarranted sense of security.
Sunday, June 12, 1994, was not one of those delightful days. The skies were partly cloudy, and an unseasonable coolness continued to linger into late spring of that year.
On this day, John awoke at 8 am. He remembered the golf outing that he had agreed to participate in with friends later that morning, and he also remembered his daughter Cindy’s dance recital, which was to occur later that afternoon. He needed to call his assistant and remind her to ensure that flowers were available for him to give Cindy after the recital. Although he and her mother, Michelle, were no longer together, he still loved his kids. But then he thought, wouldn’t it be nice if they all went to the recital as a family? That would undoubtedly make Cindy and Troy happy.
He decided to call Michelle to make the offer. Michelle was not in an excellent mood. She had just received a call from a friend who had seen John at a charity event the evening before with Shirley! How dare he, she thought, finally said, “I wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with you again.” John responded by calling Michelle a “ho” and a “slut”, after which time the phone was slammed down in his ears!
Later, while having breakfast at the golf club, John had his usual: potato, toast, eggs, sausage, and, of course, Grape Juice. His friends were pleasant, but John still steamed about his earlier conversation with Michele. He thought,” I ought to take my kids from her or go over there and put my foot up her behind!”
John was having a difficult time at the golf outing. He was hung over from the previous night’s drinking. “I should have stayed home in my damn bed,” he mumbled. Then, suddenly, one of his golf partners was teasing him about his golf game. At first, John paid no mind, but then he thought, “I wouldn’t mind getting these White boys out on the field in a real man’s sport. I will run over all of them, punks!” The one partner doing most of the talking continued to knead. Finally, John said, “I will kick you behind right here and now!” His friends were surprised at the sudden outburst of anger. “We’re just teasing you, oh buddy,” one of them responded.
In the early afternoon, John sat in his den drinking scotch. He was feeling sleepy and decided to go upstairs for a nap. He was thinking about when to set the alarm to make the recital. “I guess I will miss the basketball game today between the Houston Rockets and the New York “Knicks.” Houston and New York were in the NBA finals, pitting a match-up between the league’s premier centers, Patrick Ewing and Akeem Olajuwon. “The game will be on why I am at the recital. Maybe I’ll record it.” But then he thought better since he was scheduled to fly to New York later that evening and would not have time to watch it.
John had several dreams while sleeping, but he could only remember two. In the first dream, he was tied up and gagged in a secluded house, as both men and women were beating him in the face with bare hands. He tried to speak but could not, began to go unconscious, and finally, there was the complete absence of pain.
He also dreamt about the charity event the night before. In this second dream, Michelle was there. He had gone to the men’s room, and while returning to the ceremony, there was noise coming from behind a door adjacent to the walkway. He decided to open the door to see what was happening, and there was Michelle, stripped naked, lying on a couch surrounded by several men who also were naked. In his dream, Michelle looked up at him and began laughing. The men turned towards him, and they began laughing, too.
He awoke in a cold sweat and saw that it was 3:45. His alarm was set to go off at 4. He got up and took a shower. He had planned to dress more formally but finally said, “I’m going casual!” He wore dark, baggy slacks, a Ralph Lauren Polo sports shirt, and casual Italian shoes.
Shortly after 4:30, John was cruising down Sunset Boulevard. He stopped by a friend’s house to pick up a package. He immediately consumed one item in the package and began feeling relaxed.
By the time the show started, he was overwhelmed with euphoric bliss. He smiled big as he watched the young girls dance, but his mind was elsewhere.
He stared ahead and saw Michelle and her family. He began thinking about their conversation earlier that morning. “What an ungrateful “b,” he mumbled to himself. He had been generous to her; her family had all benefited immensely from associating with him. And here she is driving around with every Tom, Dick, and Harry, spending his money.
When the recital was over, John hugged and congratulated Cindy. “You are beautiful, sweetheart!” He gave her the flowers and then hugged Troy. When Michelle came near, he said, “Hey, Michelle, I wanna talk to you in private later.” Michelle replied: “No, any speaking you have with me will be in public!” She quickly walked out. He walked behind her and said, “Where are you all going? To dinner or what?” Michelle answered, “I don’t think that’s any of your business, John!”
John started walking toward his former in-laws (Thomas) and hugged them. Mr. Thomas said, “Are you coming to dinner with us, John?” “No, I got to pack for my trip to New York.”
When John returned home from the recital, he was depressed again, not so much because of what happened at the recital, but primarily because of a general old depression that came over him every so often. He would usually get that way for no apparent reason. He hated Sunday nights; nothing was happening, especially this night, except getting ready for his flight. He wished he had scheduled an earlier flight, but then he would have missed Cindy’s recital.
Later, John knocked on the door of the guest house. Plato let him in. John told Plato about the recital and how much of a “b” Michelle had been. Plato hadn’t picked up the package yet but stated, “We can ride over there now if you want to, John. I have to make a call first.”
The Bentley pulled out onto the road and headed toward Santa Monica. They crossed over Sunset Boulevard and went west on Wilshire Avenue. The streets were quiet, except for the occasional hooker, strutting in white boots and fur coats, even though it was June.
They drove into a Burger King parking lot. A black Lexus GS400 was waiting. Plato jumped out and spoke with the driver as John drove up to the “Drive-Thru.” He ordered a snack for both. After paying for his order, he picked up Plato just before exiting the parking lot.
The drive back to La Cienega was quiet. John ate some of his fries and sipped a Coke. John went inside his home when they returned home, while Plato went to the guest house.
John consumed some of the package’s contents and voraciously devoured the cheeseburger. Shortly, he was beginning to feel good again. He did some last-minute packing because it was near 8 p.m. He had to be ready for the Limousine by 10:30 p.m. After packing, he consumed some more of the package.
At around 9:00, he decided to go for a ride to catch some fresh air. He drove his F150 “Bronco” style this time rather than taking the Bentley. The white Ford F150 cruised down La Cienega. He was not sure where he was going. He tried calling Shirley, but there was no answer. Then he was thinking about Michelle. “All of my darn money!”
Suddenly, he was feeling tired again. His head was spinning. It was like being in a dream again. Maybe it was the alcohol, the contents of the package, or both. He wasn’t sure. But he knew that his head was spinning, and he was having an out-of-body experience. He had almost driven to the Pacific Coast highway before making a U-turn and heading east back up Sun Set. He did not feel like returning home, but there was no place he wanted to go.
Suddenly, an inexplicable transformation occurred; a stranger was now driving the F150! John was only a passenger, helplessly watching events unfold outside his control.
The stranger was making a right onto San Vincente and going south. John could only observe this stranger as he slowly drove the Ford down San Vincente. Finally, they passed some upscale townhouses that aligned with San Vincente. He then became sad. He wanted to give a warning, but it was too late. The stranger was too determined and overwhelming, and he could do nothing.
After passing one Townhouse, the F150 made two right turns before coming to a halt in the driveway behind a locked gate. The stranger, dressed in all black, disembarked, quietly closed the door and smoothly swung himself across the gate.
The back and front yards were densely populated with small and large trees. Rose bushes and hedges surrounded the condo.
The evening was quiet except for two laughing voices. The stranger could see them from the corner of the house, but they could not see him. The road in front of the house was quiet; no car or truck was going down San Vincente. The two people were locked, embraced, and laughing quietly.
The stranger observed them for a few minutes from kneeling behind one of the many hedges surrounding the condo.
The blade was then opened in a neatly gloved right hand.
And then he struck!
It was all over so quickly, so easily; he could not believe what the stranger had done. As John waited, the stranger was leaping across the gate and into the F150. “What ‘d you do? He asked the stranger. But the Ford was on the road again. The stranger was driving wildly, running stop signs and red lights. The F150 barely missed a few cars at a stop light, and the stranger yelled from the F150 at the other drivers to get out of the way!
When the F150 reappeared at La Cienega, the stranger suddenly disappeared, and now John was at the wheel.
Rather than driving around the corner to La Cienega, the Ford F150 was stopped on a side street that intersected La Cienega. Then, John walked across the lawn and into the house.
After waiting more than thirty minutes, the limo driver suddenly sees a Black figure walking across the lawn and into the house; he decides to call the house again.
Suddenly, the phone rang!
John picked it up and said, “Hello.”
“This is limo services for John Washington.”
“I will be right out; I just got out of the shower!”
Jerome Pearson
