It was going to be another strike against her in his eyes. But she didn’t care at this point. “I need to attend my sister’s bail hearing,” she said honestly.
He didn’t expect to hear that. He looked at her. “A bail hearing? Why? What did she do?”
“She didn’t do anything.”
He looked away from her as if he knew she knew better than that.
“They claim she killed Dr. Proctor,” she continued, “but that’s impossible.”
He quickly looked at her. “Shekilledhim?”
“That’s what they’re claiming. But it’s not true.”
“And how would you know that, Rasheda?” Doubtfulness spewed from his voice. “Were you there when it happened?”
Ricki frowned. “Why you always got to be so rough about everything I say?”
“Because you need to face facts and stop living in this fantasy world you’ve created! They don’t arrest people for murder for the hell of it.”
But Ricki was offended. “Fantasy world? Who’s living in a fantasy world?”
“In my opinion you.”
“Man, get up out of here! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then how would you know what your sister did or didn’t do if you weren’t there?”
“Because I know my baby sister! And I’m not fantasizing about it either. I know she has her issues. Lord knows she has her issues. But she would never hurt anybody ever. And I know everybody says that about their loved ones I know that. But in this case it’s the truth.”
What struck Vince the most wasn’t what she was saying about her sister’s innocence. She was right: everybody said that. But what got to him was the fact that she had to bear the burden of her sister’s sins too. Because he could tell right away that she was that kind of caring person. She wasn’t going to rest until her sister was okay. She’d go through the fire for her loved ones. Although, for some reason, he was surprised she had any loved ones at all. He didn’t know why, but his impression of her was that she was all alone in this world. “You and your sister are close then?” he asked her.
“Not really, no.”
He frowned. “What do you mean not really?”
“Just what I said. We aren’t close.”
“Where are you from?”
“Brooklyn.”
“Why would you travel from Brooklyn all the way to Milton if you and your sister weren’t close?”
“Because she needs me.”
Vince looked at her. “But do you need her?”
Ricki shook her head. “It don’t work like that, Mister. You don’t just help the people that can help you. You help the people thatcan’thelp you. That’s how it works.”
Vince looked away from her and at the road ahead of them. And he exhaled. She touched him in ways unfathomable to him. Because he got her. For some reason he got her. Andfelther too. He understood exactly what she meant.
Ricki just wanted to move on. “Where are you headed after you drop me off?”
“Home.”
“I thought you said you was a lobbyist in D.C. I thought you was from Washington.”
“My other home here in Connecticut.”
