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There were several gasps and murmurs around the room.
“I know. There’s nothing we can do about that. Now, I don’t know much,” Marcus continued, “but I know they have somebody named Webb working as the lead on this. And whoever this guy is, apparently he’s good.”
A collective sigh filled the room. “Should we be worried?” Iesha said.
Marcus spread his hands. “Honestly? I don’t know yet. But trust me, whatever information I get, y’all will get. That was the bad news, but I have what I think is some good news." He paused for dramatic effect, and Ladonna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "The security guard, Demetrius Branch, was arrested earlier today.”
A few of them gasped again, but not Ladonna, because she was the one who had him arrested. She and Marcus planned to keep that detail to themselves.
Dwight Baptiste spoke up first. “Arrested for what?” His gruff voice cut through the air like a knife. Dwight was a trucker, but he didn’t look like one. He was a slight man with a thin mustache, and he was the kind of husband who wears a nugget ring where his wedding band should be.
“From what I gathered,” Marcus answered, “Mr. Branch has been charged with drug possession and supplying drugs to minors.”
Dwight looked pleased. He was wearing a black suit, for some reason, and he reminded Ladonna of a young boy playing dress-up. “What’s his first name, again?” he asked.
“Demetrius.”
Dwight nodded. “I’mma put out some feelers and see if anybody knows this dude.”
“Don’t bother,” Detric Sills chimed in. “We know him.”
It was nobody’s business, really, but it annoyed Ladonna that Detric and Juanita weren’t married. They were a relatively young couple, together since high school. Ladonna didn’t understand what they were waiting for. Rather, whathewas waiting for.
Marcus frowned. “I didn’t know you knew this guy.”
Detric shrugged his large shoulders, the likes of which could have belonged to a linebacker. They were wasted on him, a Home Depot exec. “Yeah, my mother lives down the street from his grandparents. Mike spent every summer playing with this dude.”
No one spoke. Detric stood and walked over to the bar cart and poured himself a finger of Johnnie Walker. He was Atlanta to the bone, and his starch-creased jeans and pink and white striped Polo shirt looked like Freaknik and South Dekalb mall on a Saturday in the 90s. He took a sip and grimaced before downing the rest.
Marcus cleared his throat. “As far as the case is concerned, I’m still waiting on more information from my source.”
“Who’s your source?” April Jones asked. She and Armando owned a soul food spot in Decatur. Legend had it the space was cursed, but the Joneses had managed to keep Sanctuary open past the four-year mark.
Marcus didn’t much care for April and the way she was always asking questions. Everybody in the room knew he had a brother on the police force, but it was an open secret. Marcus didn’t like to talk about Marshall, and didn’t even want the words floating around in the air, lest the news that Marshall was sharing classified info be carried back to the police department and into the wrong ears. He simply smiled at April and continued speaking.
“I have one more bit of bad news. The—”
“Hold up,” Joe Wilkins, Bakari’s father, said. “Why is it good news that old boy got arrested?”
“I’mma get to that in just a second,” Marcus answered. “The police are preparing to interview the kids.”
There were murmurs, which quickly turned to full-on chatter as they processed the information. Ladonna wasn’t quite sure why this was a surprise.
“This is bullshit,” Joe announced, and Ladonna felt for him. He was the father of the kid who had the most to lose. “None of the kids did this. And none of them saw anything.”
Marcus raised his eyebrows. “That’s…debatable.”
Joe cocked his head. The two men, both with strong personalities, often clashed over the smallest issues. Ladonna had always believed Marcus was a little jealous of Joe, who was taller and in excellent shape. And fine. Bakari got his looks honest.
“It ain’t debatable for my son. Bakari didn’t see shit. Me and him already had this conversation.”
“That’s all well and good, Joe, but we agreed we’re all in this together,” Marcus said. The other parents nodded, but Joe crossed his arms and glared at their leader.
“I mean, I’m still with that and all,” he said, “but Bakari ain’t talking to no police. Period. Do y’all understand how bad it would be for him to get caught up in a murder case?”
Ladonna spoke up for the first time. “I think we all get that, Joe, but if you refuse, that might make them target him specifically. Why not just let him answer a few questions so they can scratch him off the list?”
“I agree with Ladonna,” Iesha said.
