quickly, reaching out a hand to him. But Jermayne shook off the gesture as he stepped back, again looking as if he might turn rabbit on her and take off. “Jermayne? What’s going on here? What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?”
“I ain’t afraid of nothin’, Ms. Sunshine. I just want you to go away. I can’t take this anymore. My head’s all messed up. I can’t sleep, I can’t think, I… Just, please, Ms. Sunshine, don’t come here no more.”
“Driving you crazy, is she?” Court asked, smiling at Jermayne. “I’m her ex, by the way, so I know the feeling. Look, Jermayne, how about you and I go grab a soda or something and talk this over some more.”
Jermayne looked at Court, but not like a drowning man who’s just seen the Coast Guard cutter pulling up beside him. It was more like Court had maybe just thrown him an anchor. “Why do you all keep comin’ after me? I know what you want. You want to talk about Terrell, about who might a killed him. I don’t know. I tol’ Teddy a million times.
I don’t know.”
Jade and Court exchanged glances, and Jade shrugged, telling him without words that she’d run out of ideas, because she had. Jermayne wasn’t just built like a brick wall. Sometimes trying to get to him was like
talking
to a brick wall.
“My friend, that cop you saw here with us the other day,” Court said, “he thinks you do know something. What about that, Jermayne?”
Jade lowered her head, rolled her eyes. Brilliant. Court had to mention Matt. If the kid was scared before, he had to be near to wetting his pants now.
“So what? Cops always think we know something’ we don’t,” Jermayne said, and his voice was harder now, changed enough to have Jade raising her head to look at him, see the panic—yes, it was, it was panic—that had crept into Jermayne’s soft brown eyes.
She was about to ask him why he was so upset when Court did it for her, just not in the way she would have done it.
“Terrell was a bright kid, right? In school, on the basketball court. He was getting ready to leave town, wasn’t he? Go off to that big Division I school, leaving the neighborhood. Getting
out.
You know, Jermayne, I know this kid, Ernesto. He’s also pretty smart, and he’s getting out, too, just like Terrell was going to do.”
“Yeah, so?” Jermayne was looking a little more confident now. “Good for him.”
“Yes,” Court said, “good for him. But you know what? Not everyone Ernesto knows in the neighborhood is all that happy for him. In fact, they pretty much beat him up on a regular basis. Took his books, chased him down the street, called him names. You know.”
Jermayne grinned, a huge white slash in his huge face. “Ain’t nobody tried that with Terrell. He broke some heads, let me tell you that. Ain’t nobody messed with Terrell. Ain’t nobody that dumb. You shoulda seen him.”
“Big guy, huh?” Court was gaining Jermayne’s confidence, how, Jade didn’t understand. It must be some man thing. “Big as you?”
“Bigger,” Jermayne said, his smile turning wistful. “Taller, I mean. Kinda skinny, but strong, too, and smart. Kinda like Kobe, you know?”
“Kobe Bryant,” Court said, nodding. “He came from the Philly area, too, didn’t he? Hell of a basketball player, Bryant. Are you telling me Terrell was that good?”
“He coulda been,” Jermayne said defensively.
“If he hadn’t been shot,” Court said, and Jade winced again. The tough-guy angle hadn’t worked for her. Why did Court think it would work for him?
“Yeah,” Jermayne said, hanging his head. “That.”
“Teddy asked you all about Terrell, didn’t he? Did he run with any of the neighborhood gangs, did he have a problem with anybody, did he try hitting on somebody else’s girl, all that. But you were only a kid, weren’t you? What, seven years old? How would you know, right?”
Jermayne pointed at Jade. “So tell
her.
Tell her I was just a kid. All I remember is that
“I ain’t afraid of nothin’, Ms. Sunshine. I just want you to go away. I can’t take this anymore. My head’s all messed up. I can’t sleep, I can’t think, I… Just, please, Ms. Sunshine, don’t come here no more.”
“Driving you crazy, is she?” Court asked, smiling at Jermayne. “I’m her ex, by the way, so I know the feeling. Look, Jermayne, how about you and I go grab a soda or something and talk this over some more.”
Jermayne looked at Court, but not like a drowning man who’s just seen the Coast Guard cutter pulling up beside him. It was more like Court had maybe just thrown him an anchor. “Why do you all keep comin’ after me? I know what you want. You want to talk about Terrell, about who might a killed him. I don’t know. I tol’ Teddy a million times.
I don’t know.”
Jade and Court exchanged glances, and Jade shrugged, telling him without words that she’d run out of ideas, because she had. Jermayne wasn’t just built like a brick wall. Sometimes trying to get to him was like
talking
to a brick wall.
“My friend, that cop you saw here with us the other day,” Court said, “he thinks you do know something. What about that, Jermayne?”
Jade lowered her head, rolled her eyes. Brilliant. Court had to mention Matt. If the kid was scared before, he had to be near to wetting his pants now.
“So what? Cops always think we know something’ we don’t,” Jermayne said, and his voice was harder now, changed enough to have Jade raising her head to look at him, see the panic—yes, it was, it was panic—that had crept into Jermayne’s soft brown eyes.
She was about to ask him why he was so upset when Court did it for her, just not in the way she would have done it.
“Terrell was a bright kid, right? In school, on the basketball court. He was getting ready to leave town, wasn’t he? Go off to that big Division I school, leaving the neighborhood. Getting
out.
You know, Jermayne, I know this kid, Ernesto. He’s also pretty smart, and he’s getting out, too, just like Terrell was going to do.”
“Yeah, so?” Jermayne was looking a little more confident now. “Good for him.”
“Yes,” Court said, “good for him. But you know what? Not everyone Ernesto knows in the neighborhood is all that happy for him. In fact, they pretty much beat him up on a regular basis. Took his books, chased him down the street, called him names. You know.”
Jermayne grinned, a huge white slash in his huge face. “Ain’t nobody tried that with Terrell. He broke some heads, let me tell you that. Ain’t nobody messed with Terrell. Ain’t nobody that dumb. You shoulda seen him.”
“Big guy, huh?” Court was gaining Jermayne’s confidence, how, Jade didn’t understand. It must be some man thing. “Big as you?”
“Bigger,” Jermayne said, his smile turning wistful. “Taller, I mean. Kinda skinny, but strong, too, and smart. Kinda like Kobe, you know?”
“Kobe Bryant,” Court said, nodding. “He came from the Philly area, too, didn’t he? Hell of a basketball player, Bryant. Are you telling me Terrell was that good?”
“He coulda been,” Jermayne said defensively.
“If he hadn’t been shot,” Court said, and Jade winced again. The tough-guy angle hadn’t worked for her. Why did Court think it would work for him?
“Yeah,” Jermayne said, hanging his head. “That.”
“Teddy asked you all about Terrell, didn’t he? Did he run with any of the neighborhood gangs, did he have a problem with anybody, did he try hitting on somebody else’s girl, all that. But you were only a kid, weren’t you? What, seven years old? How would you know, right?”
Jermayne pointed at Jade. “So tell
her.
Tell her I was just a kid. All I remember is that
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