“What about Chris? Angela was texting Jamal about getting information from him leading up to Jamal’s interview. The day she died was the same day she planned to end it with Chris. I saw him at the station with a black eye. Did Jamal get into it with him because he knew what happened to Angela?”

“Stay away from Chris. He’ll get Daddy Sheriff on you and won’t think twice about making your life hell. School’s already hard enough.”

“What do you think they were working on?”

“If I say something, you’re going to go looking, and that means trouble for you.”

“Why?”

“Because Angela was curious. Now there ain’t no Angela.” He looks away and blows out a breath, then catches my gaze. “I don’t want you getting in over your head. Talk to Jamal.”

“He’s not saying much on text. You gotta tell me what you know.”

“I don’t know nothing. Anyway, I’m not gonna speculate. Then if it turns out to be something and you get into it, it’d be on my conscience. You’re gonna have to be mad at me. If I say anything, your head gon’ start spinning, then the world gon’ spin, then there ain’t no stopping it. If Jamal ain’t answering, go look for him. He can’t be far.”

“I’m not stopping looking for Jamal. I’m going to get the truth.”

Quincy kicks at the ground. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“No.” I feel him wearing down.

“I really don’t know much.”

“She wrote a note about going to ‘the underground.’ Also about having Jamal keep a memory card at Herron Media for her. You know about this?”

“You ask him?”

“Waiting until ten, but if I don’t hear from him, I’m checking there.”

“How? You think you gonna waltz in there? Don’t even know where to look.”

“You do?”

“Nah. I don’t work there no more. Can’t get in without getting turned away because of Jamal.”

“Did you try?” I study Quincy.

He looks away. “Jamal asked for it, so I been working on that.”

“What…wh-what else did he say?” I stammer.

“That’s it.” He slings his backpack over his shoulder.

“I don’t believe you.”

“That’s truth. Jamal’s paranoid. He’s not talking over text. Just locations for me to drop off food. Clothes. And he asked if I could get into Herron. Look for a memory card.”

My eyebrows scrunch, trying to hold in how pissed I am.

“Don’t look at me like that. I gave you the phone. Ask Jamal.”

The bell rings and Quincy starts walking to the breezeway, but I stay.

“What are you doing?”

“You can go on without me,” I say. “I’m waiting to talk to Cuddy and Demarcus.”

“Guess I’m staying, then.”