“I’m asking,” she said in the singsong voice she used when she was about to get in my business, “are you trying to rekindle your love affair with Albany?”
“What?” I rubbed my face. “I don’t want to answer that question.”
“You know you can always talk to me,” she pressed. “You’re so closed off.”
“Maybe, but talking about love affairs with my mother is not what’s up. Anyway, I may come out and see you next month.”
“Oh, good. You can come to the Fourth of July parade. It’s a highlight.”
If I recalled correctly, the parade was just like any other. Boring. Hot. And long. “I may come after the holiday. More likely it will be mid-month, around your birthday.”
“That’ll work, too. Maybe you and Erica can come together.”
“I’ll ask her.” I looked up just in time to see Albany at the entrance to my gate. I’d left it open in case she dared to show up. She waved at me. My eyes lingered on hers, but I told my mother I’d talk to her later. “Love you, Ma.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Albany offered. “I wasn’t going to come.”
A smile tugged at my lips. Her honesty was both frustrating and refreshing. “Why did you?”
She shrugged, stepping closer. Standing before me, she looked down at me. “I couldn’t stay away.”
I raised a brow. “Because of the case?”
“Maybe.” She plopped down into the chair next to mine and glanced at me. “Maybe not.”
Passing her a beer, I stared out at the night sky. “How was your day?”
“Long.”
Although I wanted to delay the conversation, just to be able to sit with her, to talk to her about anything other than this, I figured it would be best to get business out of the way. “Remember Elijah?” I asked.
“Of course.” She took a long pull from the bottle. “How is he?”
Sighing, I gave her a rundown of the talk I’d had with him earlier, leaving out the talk about her. “Maybe I’m a little paranoid, but something’s not right with Unc. Then, I got to thinking…. What if Ms. Tea is not one person, but a group of people?”
Albany shrugged. “I’ll admit it’s crossed my mind more than once. I just can’t imagine the Elijah I knew doing this. He’s a muscle man. If Ms. Tea threatened to kill your ass, then I’d consider it. Besides, isn’t he sick?”
“He’s still sharp, though. He knows a lot for a man that’s been in prison for over a decade. Even told me to watch out for John.”
“Well, that’s not a surprise. Your uncle is a horrible person.”
Turning to her, I said, “This is going to sound crazy, but I’ve always thought John had something to do with my father’s death. Unc basically confirmed it.”
“What did he say?”
“I told you.Don’t trust John. Watch your back.”
“Say he’s right,” she speculated. “What are you going to do about it?”
I felt her staring at me, but I kept my eyes trained on the sky. Once again, the rain picked up as fat drops pelted the awning above where we were seated. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees. “My feelings about my father are so complicated, I don’t even know.”
“I understand why you would want to find answers, but I’d caution you to be careful. When people feel like they have something to lose, they get desperate. Dangerous. If you open that door, you have to be prepared to deal with the fallout.”
My eyes flicked to hers. “I can’t not find out, though.”
“How about we concentrate on Ms. Tea. Then we can deal with John.”
“What if John is Ms. Tea?”
