Though checking the Hendersons’ house was reassuring, she began to fear what might happen if she broke her routine, that her daily drive down their block was all that stood between the Henderson family and catastrophe.
Two weeks into her routine, she saw Detective Rossi parked across the street in his unmarked car. She felt her burden lighten for a moment, glad that she wasn’t alone in her vigil, until she realized that Rossi wasn’t there to protect Jameer Henderson. He was there because he was hoping Dwayne Reed would go after Jameer Henderson, and when he did, Rossi would be there. She slowed as she passed him, exchanging nods, Rossi giving her another salute.
“You’ve got to stop driving by the Hendersons’ house,” Bonnie said after she came home that day.
“Why? I’m not bothering anyone.”
They were doing the dinner dishes. Bonnie cooked, Alex cleaned, and Quincy got to keep anything that fell on the floor or was left too close to the edge of the table.
“You have to stop because you’re getting obsessed. You’re practically stalking them.”
“How can I be stalking them? I haven’t seen a single one of them. At first I thought I was going by too early in the morning. Since it’s still summer and the kids are out of school, I figured they were sleeping in. But I’ve left the office early a few times and I’ve never seen them playing in the yard. And the blinds are always down on all the windows.”
Bonnie looked at her, eyebrows arched. “And that’s not stalking?”
“Okay, maybe a little bit. But it’s not enough for a restraining order. Still, it’s weird that I haven’t seen any of them.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying they’re afraid to leave the house.”
“Afraid of who? Dwayne Reed or Kyrie Chapman?”
“Either one or both.”
“If Dwayne had nothing to do with Jameer’s testimony, aren’t you worried he’ll go after Chapman? Why aren’t you checking up on him?”
“Oh, spare me, Bonnie. Jameer and his family are the victims here. I’m not going to lose any sleep over Kyrie Chapman.”
“So it’s okay if Dwayne kills Chapman but it’s not okay if he kills Jameer?”
Alex wrung out her sponge and threw it on the counter. “Of course not! That’s not what I meant!”
“But it’s what you implied. Look, in the ER we don’t care who the patient is. We only care about what’s wrong with them and how can we make them better.”
“My world isn’t the ER. Right and wrong, guilt and innocence matter. No matter how you slice it, Kyrie Chapman is one of the bad guys. Jameer Henderson is one of the good guys, and I helped put him in harm’s way.”
Bonnie sighed, unable to dissuade Alex. “Jameer has to work. You said he’s a barber. Have you tried his shop?”
“I drove by a couple of times, but I couldn’t get a clear look inside.”
“Talk to that detective, what’s his name, Rose or something like that. You said he’s still going after Dwayne. Ask him if he knows what’s going on with the Hendersons.”
“His name is Rossi and I saw him today. He was parked across the street from the Hendersons’ house.”
“There you go. He’s looking out for them. That’s his job, not yours. Let him do it.”
“That’s not why he was there. All he cares about is finding some other way to nail Dwayne because he killed Wilfred Donaire.”
“What? Are you saying Dwayne was guilty? When did that happen?”
Alex’s face reddened as she stammered. “I. . I. . I never said that. Rossi said it.”
Bonnie studied her, one eyebrow raised.
“Don’t give me that look!” Alex said. “Besides, Rossi’s a homophobic asshole. I told you how he arrested Dwayne on a bogus murder charge the day Dwayne was acquitted just to send him a message.”
“And got you out of bed in the middle of the night. I remember. I woke up to go to the bathroom and you were gone and I panicked. When you finally came home, you looked like the dog had died.”
“I told you what happened. It was something I ate. Dwayne had nothing to do with it.”
“Of course not. Why would I think that and why would I worry about you trying to protect the Hendersons from him? What will you do if you see Dwayne attacking Jameer or his family on one of your drive-bys? Jump out of the car and beat the crap out of him? Or shoot him with your finger gun? I don’t think so. From what you’ve told me about Dwayne, he scares the crap out of me, and even if you won’t admit it, I know he scares the crap out of you too.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I know you. I see how you tense up whenever you talk about him, how your voice gets a little shaky. And if you really think he’d do something to the Hendersons and not to you, you’re a fool, and you are nobody’s fool. So do both of us a favor and drop it. Please.”
Alex didn’t answer, picking up a dirty pan and scrubbing the bottom like she was trying to wear it out.
Bonnie asked, “Are you listening to me?”
“No, but I like the sound of your voice.”
It was how they fought, knowing how far to push each other before using humor to cover their retreat.
Bonnie kissed her on the back of the neck. “At least think about it.”
“Okay.”
**
Alex called Rossi the following morning as she was pulling out of her driveway.
“See anything interesting yesterday?” she asked.
“Can’t help you, Counselor,” he said. “You’re on the wrong side of the aisle.”
“Why were you parked across the street from Henderson’s house?”
“What were you doing driving down his street-again?”
Alex hesitated. “I just wanted to. .”
“Make sure your client hadn’t cut off Jameer’s dick and shoved it down his throat? I don’t blame you, especially after he confessed to you. That’s a lot of weight to carry around the rest of your life, helping a guilty man go free. I can’t imagine what that would be like if he added the Hendersons on top of it, but don’t worry. I’ll let you know if it happens. In the meantime, butt out.”
“Why should I?”
“Because you may know your way around a courtroom, but you don’t know shit about the street.”
“My clients are from those streets.”
“Jameer Henderson isn’t your client. You want to keep him safe, quit drawing so much attention to him with your drive-bys. Dwayne Reed already made you throw up in the street. He isn’t stupid. If he sees you sniffing around Jameer, he may decide it’s time to terminate your attorney-client relationship. Permanently.”
Chapter Ten
Alex ignored Bonnie’s plea and Rossi’s warning, though she was afraid of Dwayne, as much because of what he’d done as because of the cavalier and menacing way he’d confessed to her. He had her in a box, but the box was her shield. As long as she kept her mouth shut and as long as he believed that he might one day again need her courtroom prowess, she would be safe. She hoped to leverage her silence and his belief in her skill to persuade him to spare the Hendersons.
After six weeks, she had picked up the rhythm of the neighborhood. She knew whose kids played in the street, which women tended their gardens, and which old men whiled away the last days of summer rocking on their porches. And she recognized the young toughs, drug dealers who prowled the neighborhood, doing business on street corners, using kids as lookouts and runners.
In all that time, she never saw Mary Henderson carrying groceries into the house. Nor did she see Jameer Henderson cutting the grass, which had grown to half a foot or more, or trimming the shrubs, which were inching up to meet the windows.
On Saturday of the sixth week, she went to Henderson’s barbershop again, this time getting out of her car and going to the door, which that had been propped open to catch the afternoon breeze. Two men were waiting to get their hair cut. Another man was in the chair, a barber running a clipper across the back of his head. None of them was Jameer Henderson. They squinted at her, puzzled at what a white woman was doing in a black man’s barbershop.