“Wasn’t no thing,” said Darcia. “I’m with Dominique.”
“Jamal was sweet on you, though.”
“He could have been. I ain’t know him that well, really.”
“No? The man who works the door down at the Twilight is a police officer. He says you two were talking at the bar the night of Jamal’s murder.”
“I talk to a lot of men down there. I get paid to. That’s how I get tips.”
“And by dancing.”
“Sure.”
“What else?”
Darcia didn’t answer.
“I been to that place you stay with Shaylene Vaughn,” said Rhonda, her tone free of aggression or animosity. “I got eyes.”
“So?”
“Do you give Dominique all the money you earn?”
Darcia dragged on her cigarette.
“Is Dominique Lyons your pimp?”
Darcia exhaled a stream of smoke into the small room.
“I’m not judging you, girl,” said Rhonda. “I’m just tryin to find out what happened to that young man. I met his grandmother and I saw her tears. His people deserve to know, don’t you think?”
“Jamal was just a boy I knew.”
“If you say.”
“I’m sorry that he got killed. But I don’t know nothin about it.”
“Okay.”
“Can I see my baby now?”
“He’s with your mother in the playroom we got. Your father’s there too, I expect.”
“Isaiah’s not sick, is he?”
“He’s fine.”
“My mother lied to get me arrested, then.”
“She lied to help you, Darcia. She did right for you and your son.”
“How’s it gonna be right between me and my baby when I’m in lock-up?”
Darcia hit her smoke and stabbed it dead in the ashtray. She rubbed at her eyes.
“About Jamal.”
Darcia made a small wave of her hand.
“Take your time,” said Rhonda.
“We done, far as I’m concerned.”
“Not yet. I’d like to get up out of here my own self, but we still got some things we need to discuss. Unfortunately, I caught this homicide.…”
“You can’t hold me on no marijuana charge.”
“Gonna take a little while to process the paperwork.”
“This some bullshit. You know it is.”
Rhonda let Darcia have her anger and watched as it passed.
“You all right? You ain’t sick or nothin like that, are you? You comin down off a high?”
Darcia shook her head.
“That’s good,” said Rhonda. “Listen, you want a soda, somethin?”
“I’ll take a Diet Coke, you got it.”
“Gonna have to be a Pepsi,” said Rhonda. “That work for you?”
Darcia nodded. Rhonda stood, looked at her watch, then looked into the camera lens and said, “Eleven thirty-five a.m.”
Rhonda walked from the room, waited for the door to lock behind her, and got a Diet Pepsi from the vending machine. She carried it to the video room, where Ramone and Antonelli sat watching Bo Green and Dominique Lyons on screen number 1.
“Where my whip at?” said Lyons.
“Prob’ly on the way to the impound lot,” said Green.
“Better not be one scratch on it,” said Lyons, “or y’all gonna have a lawsuit on your hands.”
“That is a nice Lexus,” said Green. “What is that, the four hundred?”
“Four thirty,” said Lyons.
“Were you driving that the other night?”
“What night you talkin about?”
“The night Jamal White was murdered,” said Green.
“Who?”
“Jamal White.”
“I ain’t familiar with that name.”
“You had a confrontation with him at the Twilight the night of his death. We have a witness.”
“Lawyer,” said Dominique Lyons.
Green folded his hands across his huge torso, sat back in his chair, and stared straight ahead.
“Bo looks kinda sad, doesn’t he?” said Antonelli.
“That’s frustration,” said Ramone.
“You see a young man who’s keeping his mouth shut,” said Rhonda. “I see one who’s talkin his ass off.”
“For real?”
“Let me get back in there and do my thing.”
“You need an assistant?” said Antonelli. “I know how to loosen a young woman’s tongue. All it takes is the Plug charm.”
“And plenty of alcohol,” said Ramone.
“I got this,” said Rhonda. She left the room.
Ramone turned down the sound on screen 1 because there was nothing to listen to of value. They waited for Rhonda to get back in box number 2. She had a seat and pushed the can of soda across the table to Darcia. Rhonda let Darcia pop the tab on the can and take a long pull. She lit Darcia’s next cigarette.
“I got four sons,” said Rhonda, pulling back the match.
Darcia smoked her cigarette.