“What … I don’t understand…” Duke’s head exploded; it felt like a bolt of lightning struck him in the temple. He saw everything in that painful flash. I should have realized. She’d known Roland had borrowed Duke’s shoes that night, after the game in Chicago. They’d all laughed—Duke, Roland, Mark, and Regina—during the cab ride to the club, when Roland got into the front with the driver and the man thought the famous hitter was the Duke, thanks to the stitching on the side of the shoes.

“You didn’t know she was trickin’ Pops?” Duke asked.

“No! I figured she knew I did it, so it was just between us.”

Duke turned off the phone and slid it into his jacket pocket. “Crazy. That is some crazy shit. That woman is cold.” He kicked back from the table. “Why didn’t you just tell the cops that night? If it was an accident?”

“I’m a black man with a gun. No permit. No way they believing me. At the very least I’d have been on trial forever. Brother, I was trying to protect us! I was shooting at one of those maniacs when Mark jumped into my line of fire.” He mashed the heel of his hand into his eye. “I can’t forget it. It’s in my head, day and night.” His voice fell into whining. “But it was an accident. I wasn’t about to go to prison for something I didn’t start.”

“So you ditched me and Regina? Ran away and left us, even when I’d been shot? And then when the cops were lookin’ at me, you just kept quiet?”

“What was I supposed to do? No one was going to believe me! I knew you’d be fine, you always are.”

“Oh, am I? Am I fine?”

“Well, you still playing, ain’t you? I helped you get drugs for your ankle…”

“I didn’t go through with it. It wasn’t right.” Duke stared at a bank of clouds. “I’m off the team. And I’m broke, thanks to you and Regina.”

“Me? She’s the one blackmailing you!”

“If you’d come forward, instead of being a coward, she wouldn’t have been able to blackmail either of us. Does Kinley know what’s going on?”

“Not really. She says I been messed up by Mark’s death. Which is true, but not in the way she thinks. I was agitated, playin’ recklessly, until I got hurt.” Roland put a hand to his wrist. “I deserved what I got. I deserved to lose my spot at the show.” He started crying again.

Duke had a hard time arguing the point. “What about money? How much you pay her?”