Free Sleep Don't Come Easy by Victor McGlothin Page A

him because of you?”
    â€œNo.” He shook his head. “He was married.”
    â€œAnd she came to her senses and cut him loose?”
    â€œShe cut him loose, and I’m sure his marriage had something to do with it, but there was more to it than that.”
    Fatema smiled. “She fell for you.” She winked.
    He smiled back. “Eventually.”
    â€œGood for her.”
    â€œLuke is the mayor, Fatema,” he reluctantly admitted. “Lucas Shaw.”
    Fatema’s chin dropped. “ The mayor?”
    â€œThe one and only,” he confirmed.
    â€œShe was screwing the mayor,” she said making sure to keep her voice low. “And she dumped him because—why? Because he’s the mayor and he’s married?”
    â€œShe stopped seeing him because he’s the mayor, and he’s married, and he was cheating on her.”
    â€œWho?” she asked, confused.
    â€œToni.”
    Awe washed over her face. “Let me get this straight. He was cheating on his wife with Toni, and then he was cheating on Toni with somebody else?”
    Nelson shrugged.
    â€œI need something stronger than coffee,” she exclaimed.
    He laughed. “Yeah, me too.”
    All sorts of thoughts ran through her head, like what the hell was Toni doing sleeping with the married mayor in the first place?
    â€œDid she ever tell you what she saw in him?” Nelson was the wrong person to be asking this question, but it just sort of fell out of her mouth before she could catch it.
    â€œI think he just happened to come along at the right time in her life, to be honest. Toni was vulnerable and lonely, and he worked it.”
    â€œToni was gorgeous, Nelson. How the hell would she ever have time to be lonely? Men fell at her feet.”
    â€œNot necessarily the right men, though.”
    Okay. She could see that. Toni always could get a man, but thinking back, some of them fools should’ve been neutered at birth to prevent reproduction. And she usually fell for them and she usually ended up regretting it.
    â€œHe’s a successful man, rich, powerful, and she fell for him. And she hated the fact that she’d fallen for him. So, when she found out that he was sidestepping on her too, she called it quits, only he wasn’t trying to hear it.”
    â€œHe’s got nerve!”
    Nelson laughed. “He didn’t want to let her go, and he let her know that all the damn time. I asked her if she wanted me to step in and run interference, but she was afraid of how it might affect the shelter as far as funding and grants go. I didn’t think it would affect it one way or another, but it was her business and she asked me to stay out of it. What choice did I have?”
    â€œFor the life of me, Nelson, I can’t believe she ever let herself get involved with someone like that. I mean, so, he’s not a bad looking brotha, but he’s married. She’s always frowned upon any woman who would stoop to that level, and here she was doing the same thing she condemned other women for. All I can think is that he must have some serious game, or she must’ve been mighty desperate.”
    â€œHonestly,” he sighed, “I think it was a bit of both, and I think that if she were here, she’d tell you the same thing.”
    â€œShe was at the shelter the night she died. Were you there?”
    â€œYeah. And I feel like shit about it, too. She was getting ready to leave. It was about eight-thirty and I offered to walk her to her car, but she told me not to bother because it was in a lot a few blocks away. I told her to wait for me, and then one of the volunteers interrupted us and when I turned around, she’d left already.”
    Fatema shook her head. “Stubborn.”
    â€œVery,” he agreed. “She said she was going home. I told her I’d call her later, but—”
    â€œThe police seem to think she was running away from someone,