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As he retrieved his phone and called Claude, I considered stopping him. I wasn’t sure if this was something that should stay between the two of us. But Claude was my brother as much as Titus was. He had as much right hearing this as Titus or I did.
“Hey, what’s up?” Claude said from the other end of the FaceTime.
“Cali thinks it was our father who ran his mother off the road,” Titus explained.
“Seriously? Why?”
“He was about to tell me. I thought I should loop you in.”
“I appreciate it. What’s going on Cali? Why do you think our father tried to kill your mother?”
I sat up, facing the two of them. “It’s not me who’s saying it, it’s Mama. And she didn’t say that she thought it was him, specifically. She implied that our father might have gotten someone to do it.”
“Do you mean like he was some sort of gangster?” Titus asked. “Is she hinting something about our father?”
I looked at Titus. “He would have to be someone who has the money and the connections to do it. And, if he did, and it’s still an if, the guy he hired might be back in town to finish the job.”
“Whoa,” Titus exclaimed.
“Why are you saying that?” Claude asked.
“Hil said that yesterday morning there was someone parked out in front of our place. He then saw them again when he was shopping at Glen’s.”
Claude clarified, “And you think this is the person who ran your mother off the road?”
“It could be.”
“How do we find out for sure?” Claude asked, being the logical, practical person that he was.
I looked at Titus.
“What are you looking at me for? I don’t know anything about this.”
“We’re looking at you because you’re the closest thing our town has to a mayor,” Claude explained.
“What are you talking about? No one’s elected me.”
“Not yet. But elections are coming up. The town incorporated because you made it happen. Everyone trusts you. Who do you think people gonna vote for to lead us through the transition?” Claude clarified.
“He’s right,” I added.
Titus’s gaze bounced between the two of us. He knew it was true.
“Even if that was the case, I’m not the mayor now. And, what am I supposed to do about it even if I was?”
“Appoint someone to look into this,” Claude said.
“You mean like a sheriff, another elected position?”
“A temporary sheriff,” I pointed out.
“So you’re saying that I should take the authority that I don’t have and appoint someone to a position that I have no right to?”
“Being a leader is hard. And we need someone to look into this,” Claude told him.
“Who would I even appoint?” Titus asked flustered.
I thought for a moment.
