“Yo, whatsup, Tamika?” Anjean said. “Heard your uncle came back from Lorton with the beetle. Man, that’s a bitch. Bad blood.”

She ignored him and turned toward Starrell.

“I knew you’d be here,” she said. “You go do this to me.” She used both hands to point to her stomach. “Then you ain’t nowhere. And then I hear you got some money. And where’s it going?”

“Hey, you told me you were DIY. Told me to drag my ass out of your life.” He stood up, and she hit him in the chest with both hands.

“That was when you were just hanging out doing nothing. And I don’t want my baby to be part of nothing.”

“Slap her back, Twayne,” Anjean said gleefully.

“Shut the fuck up,” Starrell told him.

“I ain’t never let no woman push me like that,” Anjean mumbled.

Starrell turned to her. “Baby, I was trying to do it straight-up, working for my unc. But you said bug out. So I did.”

“Like I meant that. I want to see what you’d do for me.”

“Baby, I’m doing a lot.”

“Yeah, right. That’s why I got to come looking for you.”

“That’s right. Tamika,” Willie said. “Lissen to—”

Timmons pivoted and stuck a finger an inch from Willie’s nose. “Who said I came here to hear your skinny behind making noise?” She turned back to Starrell. “So what you been doing then?”

He pulled out a chair for her.

“Sit down, baby,” he said. “It’s wild shit.”

“Yo, Double-T, your homey’s a desperado,” Anjean said, with a mischievous smile.

Timmons glowered at Starrell. He sat down next to her and tried to take her hand. She drew it back.

“An OG alright,” Anjean said.

“Damn, let’s hear it,” she said with a sigh.

When Starrell was done explaining, Timmons was silent for a moment. “That all true?” she then asked.

“Sure is.”

“Why would this Dunne guy tell you all that?”

“Like I said, he called his boss, the dude in charge of all the money—”

“That’s the Secretary of the Treasury,” Willie interrupted.

“And he says to him that he’s got all this stuff that shows there’s something funny with the assassination,” Starrell said. “And this dude—”

“His name’s Louis Alter,” Willie said. “It’s on every—”

“No more nigger-Einstein,” Starrell barked at Willie. Then he continued his story: “He says to Dunne he don’t want him out there doing what he ain’t supposed to be doing. Dunne’s all burnt up, says all this guy cares about is a fuckin’ Chinese deal.”

Starrell shot a harsh glance at Willie.

“I ain’t sayin’ anything,” Willie said. “But I know.”

“He has to lay this on somebody, and that’s me.”

“Let me look at those letters,” Timmons said.

She grabbed them from Starrell and began reading. “And this is the guy who shot—”