Lester nodded. “Cops say it was a routine stop.”
Carl grunted an ill-humored laugh. “Yeah, I guess even in the twenty-first century, two young black men driving around town in the wee hours of the morning still looks suspicious.”
“Cops ran the plates. Truck came up stolen.” Lester massaged the bridge of his nose.
“Hell...” Tigo ran a hand across his cheek while shaking his head. “What do the guys have to say?”
“Claim they were set up or some mess....”
Tigo frowned and looked to Carl for more clarification.
The man shrugged. “It’s all we can get out of ’em right now.”
“We just want our boys out of jail. Judge won’t even budge on it.”
“Who’s the judge?” Tigo frowned at Lester.
The man said something foul below his breath. “Some fool...Oswald Stowe.”
Tigo nodded, assessing the information. “Anything else I need to know? Have the boys given up a reason why they think they were set up?”
Carl let out another grunt. “Took us forever to get that much information out of them.”
“All right then.” Tigo pushed out of the wide gray suede swivel chair. “Don’t you guys worry too much over this. I’ll see what I can do.” He rounded the desk to shake hands with both men and then muttered a curse of regret once the disillusioned fathers had dragged themselves from the office.
* * *
Sophia lingered behind the wheel of the car for a bit longer than she needed to. She had parked in the curving brick drive outside her parents’ home and spent time running shaking hands through her hair once she’d unbound the professional updo she’d worn for the meeting with her superiors that morning.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to her parents since shortly after Waymon Cole’s arrest at the Reed House dinner. Even then, the conversation had been brief. It was long enough to tell Sophia that her mother and father clearly disapproved of the entire situation. More importantly, they disapproved of their daughter’s part in it.
“Oh, Sophie, what the hell are you doing here?” She cast a wary eye at the large brick dwelling nestled behind a fence of tall pine trees. Other than setting yourself up for more parental ridicule, she added silently.
Perhaps a part of her was hoping that news of her pending promotion might soften the Hails’ viewpoint toward her job. After all, she’d be more of a shot-caller than an order-taker, right?
The question strengthened her resolve and provided the necessary motivation for her to leave the car. As she began a search for her house keys on the silver ring she carried, she thought of Santigo.
How would he react when she told him of the promotion? she wondered. When? Sophia slowed her steps. Was she so certain they’d see each other again? Was it even wise to move ahead there? Sophia rolled her eyes, issuing a quiet order to herself to shut up. Wise or not, she missed the man’s touch far too much to deny herself the possibility of enjoying it again.
Sophia gave a quick, decisive toss of her head and moved to unlock the front door. It opened before she could touch it, and Sophia smiled at the unexpected guest who stood on the other side.
Laureen Bradford was obviously caught up in her own thoughts if her jumping at the sound of Sophia’s greeting was any clue.
“Oh!” Laureen gushed. “Sophia, honey, what a nice surprise.”
Sophia bought Laureen Bradford’s surprise; though there was more emotion mixed in than she could pinpoint. It was just as well since Veronica Hail was emerging at the door.
“Sophie, oh, baby, thank God.”
The greeting was a far cry from the one Sophia had expected from her mother.
“Laur, what do you say we run this by Sophia?” Veronica smoothed a hand along the sleeve of the woman’s burgundy floral-print blouse. “If there’s a way, she’ll know.”
Laureen sniffled. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head, which sent a few tufts of her feathered hair into her round, milk-chocolate face. She nodded. “I’ll get the papers from the car. Thank you, Sophie,” she whispered while hurrying past.
“What happened?” Sophia asked her mother as she watched Laureen move down the long brick driveway.
“Her boy Kenny got himself arrested for stealing a car.” Veronica sighed, smoothing five fingers along the tapered edges of her short hair, which accentuated a lovely oval face.
“Arrested?” Sophia cast a reflexive look across her shoulder. “Isn’t he on his way to college?”
“Not if he’s convicted over this.”
Veronica Hail and Laureen Bradford had been friends for years. Laureen’s small yet successful soul food restaurant was a yearly participant at the Reed House dinners. The women had launched a friendship while Laureen was preparing to showcase her cuisine during the first Reed House event.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” Veronica seemed to remember herself and pulled her daughter into a hug. “This is such a good surprise.” She applied a few brisk rubs to Sophia’s back. “It’s chilly out here. Let’s get inside.”
I guess it can wait another day. Sophia decided against sharing her news. She acknowledged that she was being a wimp, but being on the receiving end of parental ridicule was never fun. She was preparing to follow her mother inside when her mobile vibrated. Tigo.
Sophia let the phone shake twice more so as not to appear too eager for the call. Who the hell was she kidding with this stuff?
“Hey, Tig.” She congratulated herself on the coolly delivered greeting.
“I was wondering whether high-powered detectives ever took coffee breaks?”
Stop being a wimp, Sophie, she urged herself silently. “I’m, uh...actually no longer a high-powered detective.”
The silence that followed was lengthy and meaningful.
“You didn’t quit.” His hushed tone was shrouded in disbelief.
Sophia couldn’t tell whether he sounded more hopeful or stunned. “No. They...they actually offered me the chief of detectives post.”
Laughter sounded without hesitation. “That’s great!”
Sophia thought he actually sounded happy.
“To hell with a coffee break—this deserves a real celebration.”
Sophia pressed the phone into the front of her blouse and moved aside to hold the door for Laureen Bradford, who was returning with folders in the crook of one arm.
“Miss Laur, would you tell Mama I’m on my way?” Sophia asked, smiling when the woman nodded. She put the phone back to her ear.
“I really don’t want to make a big deal of it.”
Santigo snorted out a laugh. “Precisely why you’re not in charge of it. What time are you done at the station?”
“Well, I’m not sure—”
“Call me when you are. Go home, get dressed and I’ll be over to get you maybe around seven?”
“Seven sounds good.”
“Sounds good to me, too.”
The connection was severed before Sophia could speak another word. No matter, she could hear her mother calling out to her.
* * *
“And neither of them had prior offenses?” Sophia inquired as she scanned one of the folders Laureen had brought in from