Jamal repeats what he’s already told me. Except now he definitely thinks Chris killed Angela. I’m not so sure. Steve takes notes feverishly, hanging at the edge of his seat, listening to Jamal, and asking more questions.

Steve glances at me as I fidget. He takes a long pause and gestures at me to share my suspicions.

“But you don’t think the boyfriend killed her, Tracy?” Steve asks.

“Ex.” Jamal’s jaws clench a bit, and his voice goes tight. His eyes dull. I know that memory from the Pike must be flashing through his head. The night he lost Angela.

“Chris said he suspected Scott, but that doesn’t mean he knows. Chris’s uncle is still sketchy.” I play the audio I recorded. It’s hard to hear, so I turn it all the way up. We huddle around my phone.

Steve rubs his hands over his freshly cut fade. “I wonder if Chris shared that in his police report.”

“When I confronted Chris at the cemetery, his thoughts were scattered, but he didn’t claim he saw Jamal kill Angela—he just blamed Jamal. With the gun, Mandy’s story, Chris blaming Scott, Jamal could get his story out there and convince people it’s the truth.”

“I’m not going in until I’m confident I can prove I’m innocent.” Jamal’s about ready to jump out of his seat right now and run back to the shack.

The front door slams open. Mama hollers for me by the entrance as she steps into the house with Corinne. I look at the clock above the mantel. Nine. Mama’s back from visiting Daddy and gone to Monday choir practice already? Steve’s biting the inside of his cheek when Mama zeroes in on Jamal on the couch. She rushes Jamal like she’s trying to tackle him.

Jamal can’t speak because Mama has him all tangled up in her arms—kissing him and hugging him.

It takes me too long to notice that Mama’s not alone.

ALL OUT OF OPTIONS

Beverly’s hands are filled with grocery bags. Quincy stands, holds steady by me as he studies his sister. She stays standing in her police uniform, watching Mama hug Jamal. For a moment, there’s joy in her eyes. She keeps the bags in her hands and goes to meet him, too.

“Jamal. You’re safe.” She side hugs him. Jamal is tense, overwhelmed.

Beverly pauses, catching herself from being lost in the moment. She’s back on duty. She can’t drive away and pretend she didn’t see Jamal. The law doesn’t work that way.

Mama looks to me, then Steve. Jamal checks Beverly out; she’s between him and the door. His gaze moves to Corinne, who’s watching shyly. Like she’s not certain what to do. The room goes quiet when Mama sees our expressions.