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"Yeah, Wanda, he was dead."
"What did you do then?"
"I called Freeze and told him where I was and what happened. He said he was gonna call you. Then I called the cops. They came and arrested me for murder."
"What happened to Mrs. Childers? Was she taken in too?"
"No. The cops talked to her, took her statement, and then they had an officer take her home."
"Do you know what she told them?"
"We went over our story before the cops came. It was pretty much the truth.
"Did you talk to anyone before I got there?"
"You asked me that already, Wanda. No, I didn’t talk to anybody."
"Good."
"How did Black find out I was in jail?"
"Freeze told him. Freeze has been keeping Mike up, all of us really, keepin’ us up on what you’ve been doin’."
"Bet you’ve all been havin’ a good laugh."
"Why do you say that?" Wanda said and laughed. "We all care about you and what you do, Nick." Turning serious, Wanda continued. "I don’t know how I can get you to see that. Whether you accept it or not, whether you accept us or not, Nick, we are your family."
I didn’t say anything.
What could I say?
I’d been fighting that war within myself for years. "Chilly was right about one thing."
"What do you mean?"
"When he said Bobby shoulda killed me over Camille."
"Camille. Not Camille again. You need to let that go, Nick. She wasn’t worth it then, and she damn sure ain’t worth it now."
"You’ve never met Camille, have you, Wanda?"
"Yes I have, twice actually." Wanda smiled and I wondered why.
"When?"
"Before you or Bobby met her."
"Where?"
Wanda took a deep breath. "I met her in Mike’s bedroom."
I guess Wanda could tell by the look on my face that I wanted to hear the story. Needed to hear it. "Mike was supposed to be going with me to a fund raiser."
"Black? Back then, at a fund raiser?"
"You know Glynnis Presley?"
"Ain’t she an aid to some congressman?"