“No, sir,” they all reply.
Dawg head a chip.
“Adonis was your uncle?” he asks.
“Yeah man. Was like a father figure to me,” I lie.
“Really now? Where were you that night?”
“What night?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, boy.”
“Mi a 25… Don’t gwan like yuh a talk to some likkle bwoy,” I warn him. He apologizes. When they inform him that they found nothing, he checks the house himself. Then we head to the garage.
“All these are from the car mart?” he asks.
“Yes, sir.”
“I know a lot of car mart owners. They don’t own so many cars.”
“I don’t own all.” I give him the script. “Business run by my older brother Junior. I help out cause the mart full, so I use this space as storage. Plus my personal car, the Benz.”
I nod toward the white Benz. “That one’s for my wife.”
“Ohh, that’s the teacher?” he asks. I nod again. His men comes back down. Empty-handed again.
“Nothing?” he asks once more, like he can’t believe it.
“Nothing, sir.”
“Unuh want no Hennessy or Ciroc? Wah yuh drink?” I ask. I glance at the other officers, they shake their heads ‘no’ ‘cause Mario is watching. But mi know dem want a drink. They walk off, leaving me and Mario.
“You want no Hennessy or Ciroc?” I ask him again.
Bredda, mi know yuh love purpose.
I laugh. “Figot seh yuh up inna age, wah yuh want tea or coffee?” I jeer lightly.
“I like coffee… but it’s fine,” he says. Mi know the idiot love coffee. British tell mi.
I notice his ring. “You married too?” I ask.
“Yes, I have a lovely wife,” he says.
I stay quiet.
After some small talk and an apology to me and Zara, I escort him outside. He’s arguing with his team, saying something about being done. Dawg lose him momentum.
I smirk and watch them drive away.
Fool reach a dead end.
54
Matrimony
I pull up to the gate, still on the phone with Mommy. She’s in Jamaica now with Kace. Mama couldn’t come, she doesn’t have her papers yet. “We a go video call so she nah miss a thing,” Mommy says, voice too bright. I exhale, the excitement dipping.
