AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You sure? None of them?”
Andre pointed to each photo. “Nope. No. Definitely not. And this kid is way too young. He’s just a baby. Was he arrested?”
Bently glanced at the face of the kid that Parsons had arrested. “Yeah. For resisting arrest after being caught vandalizing the abandoned buildings on Kent.”
Andre shook his head. “No one cares about those eyesores. Hell, we used to do it. Who brought him in?”
“Officer Luke Parsons and his partner.”
“Figures.”
Bently frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Andre sat back in his chair. “Oh, come on, Bent. You know that guy’s got a hard-on for targeting a certain group of people. He’s pulled me over more times than I can count. You can’t let him get this kid into the system.”
“Are you saying he’s racist?” No way. The man had been a cop longer than Bently had been alive. He was one of the good guys.
“Are you saying you really don’t know?” Dre shot back.
“Parsons is from a different generation. He likes to joke around and give everyone a hard time. That’s just who he is. But he’s a good cop.”
With all the racial tension peaking in the country, he understood why Belle reacted the way she had towards him. He didn’t have to like being lumped in with the few bad apples and others who hid behind the badge to sweep their misdeeds under the rug.
I’m one of the good ones and so are my team.
“Sure, that’s why I came in here to look at a boy who doesn’t fit the description of the mugger’s accomplice except for one thing.” Andre held out his finger. “The color of his skin. But all Black people look the same to some.”
Is Parsons racist? The man had been his mentor. Parsons was a prickly old bastard, but he gave everyone a hard time. “Doesn’t he have coffee with your dad every week at the diner?”
“Yeah. You’re right. He has a Black friend, so he can’t be racist,” Andre said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s alright. You wouldn’t understand anyways.” Andre waved him off.
“You need to get laid and let off some steam, my friend.”
Andre growled, “And you need to mind your own fucking business.”
“Ooh touchy subject.” Bently chuckled. “Thanks for coming in. And for your thoughts on Parsons. I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind.”
“No problem.” Andre stood just as Betsy returned with her hands full.
“Miss Betsy, you have a nice day. Don’t let this guy work you too hard,” Andre said, nodding as he left.
“Have a good one yourself, young man.” Betsy set Bently’s food containers in front of him before carefully placing a plastic fork on top along with his credit card.
“Thank you, Betsy.”
“I don’t know how you can stand that rabbit food every day,” she mumbled, motioning to his Caesar salad before walking slowly out to her own desk.
He didn’t much care for it either, but his health was important. Too many people were counting on him and he couldn’t afford to get sick again.
Unfortunately, his lunch would have to wait a little longer. First, he needed to sort out this mess Parsons had left on his desk. The kid had no prior record and the few hours he’d spent in holding should be enough to deter him from future bad decisions involving a spray can. Bently would call in a favor and get the charges dropped in exchange for the kid agreeing to work with Aaron at Hope Facility. This kid deserved a fighting chance. It also cleared his conscience and the niggling feeling that Andre was right about Parsons. Bently would keep an eye on Parsons’s future arrests and see if there was a pattern. He picked up his phone and pressed the contact info.
“Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better,” the husky female voice of ADA Lucy Millstone answered.
“Hey, Miss Millstone, I need a favor.”
