"What exactly was it?”
Brandi's lips tightened.
"The lab is going to figure it out. It's only a matter of time.”
"Okay, look. It wasn't mine,” she confessed. “I picked it up from T-bone to give to Rodney. I didn't mean to kill him. I just…” Her eyes filled. "I just… He was going on and on about some score. Talking about how much money he had. How he was oneasystreet. He told me to forget about the hourly charge and just hang out with him. He promised to take care of me. He showed me the cash. I just wanted to get him a little high. I didn’t know how strong it was. I figured as soon as he was out of it, I’d take the money. I swear, I didn't mean to kill him.”
She broke down into sobs, and her chest jerked.
Nearby patrons looked on with curiosity.
Jack had been recording the whole confession on his phone.
“Who’s T-bone?” I asked.
Brandi shrugged. “Just some guy.”
“What’s his real name?”
“I don’t know. He got T-boned. Now he walks a little funny. That’s just what everybody calls him.”
“Who’s Rodney?”
She shrank and said in a meek voice, “My manager.”
“Your pimp.”
She grit her teeth and flared her eyes at me, embarrassed.
People at the other tables gawked.
“Does he know about the money?”
“Hell no! I ain’t telling him. I ain’t never going back to him.”
“You stashed the money at the storage unit, didn’t you?”
Brandi’s eyes widened with surprise. “How did you know that?”
“Because I know everything,” I said in a low growl. “You’re going to take us there right now.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “But we just got our food.”
34
With Brandi in handcuffs, I stuffed her into the back of Shane’s Thundercat and climbed in with her. She gave Shane directions to the storage unit, and we hurried across town.
Jack followed in the Porsche.
"Are you sure you guys are cops?" she said, growing nervous.
"I'm sure," I replied.
We were in an unmarked car. This wasn’t typical protocol.
"So, if I give you the money back and help you bust T-bone and Rodney, you think I’ll be able to walk without jail time?”
"That's up to the state’s attorney and the judge. But keep cooperating, and that will go a long way.”
