be helping yourself. I’m telling you right now, you do not want that crazy white boy charging you as an accessory to murder. He wants to lock you away for the rest of your life. Now, you know fully well that is a very heavy, heavy weight to carry. Especially when you weren’t personally involved. Think about it Coco, I am trying to help you out as best I can, Coco. Take some time to think about it. He hates black people.”
Detective Hall got up from the small table. He left the blank notebook on the desk in front of Coco.
“I’m gonna go out and try to calm my partner. He just wants to throw you in jail. I wanna help you do the right thing.” On his way out the room, Hall turned to Coco. “Can I get you something to drink, water?”
Coco heard the door slam. She did not take her eyes off the blank notepad.
SEVEN
Deedee turned off the television and picked up her cell phone checking for messages from Coco. It was two-thirty in the morning and Deedee was wide-awake when she hit the redial button. She listened to the outgoing message on Miss Katie’s answering machine. She waited patiently for the extended beep.
“Yo Coco, this is Dee. Hit me when you get this. Let me know you’re okay and how Miss Katie is doing.”
It was the fourth or fifth message she had left since yesterday. She also tried sending text messages to Coco but there was no response. She felt tired but sleep would not come.
Since arriving home, Deedee had Coco and Miss Katie on her mind. She explained the incident to her uncle’s fiancée, Sophia, who had long since retired to bed. She told Sophia how scary things got when the girl pulled out the gun, but Sophia seemed uninterested. She only suggested that Deedee stay away from the area and take out an order of protection against the girls. The advice was curt but Deedee didn’t mind. She knew that Sophia was more concerned with her situation with Eric than high school girls fighting.
Deedee’s mind was still on the incident when the ringing of the phone startled her. She rushed to get it.
“Hello, Josephine.” Deedee said flatly.
“It’s Coco. She hasn’t called since I left her some hours ago… No, Jo, earlier me and Coco and these girls… the same girls who had a fight with you, well we were kicking their asses and one of them pulled out a gun and fired a shot… Jo, Miss Katie was outside and… I don’t think so, but she was laid out in the hallway when I left. And Coco was supposed to call me after they got to the hospital, but I haven’t heard from her yet.”
Josephine was crying on the other end of the line. Deedee felt something else had drawn Josephine’s wailing.
“How’re things going so far with you and your mother?” Deedee asked warily. “I’m sorry to hear that y’all fighting again… Jo, if you want you could come here and live maybe finish school and… Let me know and I’ll make the arrangements, okay… Bye.”
Deedee sat up in bed, thinking about the conversation. She knew she would need her uncle’s approval for Josephine to stay. She dialed his number. He picked up after the third ring.
“Uncle E., I hate to be bothering you but I just wanna know if I can have a friend stay with us for the semester, maybe? It’s ah… Josephine. She and her parents are going through a bad divorce and she can’t concentrate in school… That’ll be good Uncle. She’ll be happy to know. When am I gonna see you? Dinner at seven sounds good… and yes I’ll get a note to her parents so that she can legitimately enroll in school… Wow Uncle, you’re always in the studio working and… you almost live there. Anyway I’ll see you later.”
Deedee turned off the lights, laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep.
EIGHT
Monday morning started with spatters of rain carried over from the previous night. The early morn air felt crisp against Rachel Harvey’s face as she dashed out of the cab. She ran through the entrance of the building without stopping. When she was about to open the door to her apartment she realized that she had left her luggage in the trunk of the cab.
She hesitated for a moment but was sure the cabdriver would be long gone. Once she entered the apartment she was immediately stunned by the new furniture she momentarily forgot everything except concern for her daughter. She picked up some papers and made her way out of the renovated apartment. She hailed a cab. “Center Street, please.”
Rachel Harvey walked nervously to join a queue outside the courthouse. She went through the metal detector.
“I’m here for my daughter...” she said clearing a lump in her throat. The officer pointed to another section.
“Wait over there you’ll hear her name called,” he said.
Rachel Harvey nervously ambled over to a crowded waiting area. She searched for a seat. It was standing room only. A few minutes later, she spotted a group of new releases celebrating their departure. She scrambled to get a seat, sat and shook her legs nervously while she waited. After an anxious hour had gone by, Rachel caught a glimpse of her daughter speaking to another person. Her heart sank when she noticed the handcuff on her. She waved when the officer led Coco into the courtroom.
Another hour went by before Mrs. Harvey was called. The officer directed her inside the courtroom. There were people everywhere. By the time she had made it through the throngs of family members and attorneys, the teenage defendant and her attorney were already standing in front of the Judge. She rushed to her daughter’s side.
“And you are?” The judge paused and asked.
“I’m her mother, your honor.”
“State your name and the relationship to the child for the record,” the court officer said.
“My name is Rachel Harvey. I’m Coco’s mother.”
“The lawyer assigned will explain all the details to you,” the judge said to Mrs. Harvey before addressing Coco. “Young lady, you’re being given twelve months probation. If for any reason you return to this court within that period, then I’ll re-rule. Probation granted. Good luck.” He said and struck the gavel against the bench.
“Party’s free to go,” the court officer yelled. “Next case State verses Jones…”
Coco and her mother were ushered into a small room by the attorney.
“She has to go to school and back home everyday. She’ll have to see someone in probation before she leaves,” the attorney said while signing document after document and shoving each at Mrs. Harvey. “Ah, good luck… ah Coco. I have to go. Dozens of cases,” she said flying out the door.
Mrs. Harvey looked around the office shaking her head in disbelief.
“Why, Coco? Can you tell me why?”
Coco did not respond. Her lips went dry thinking of where to begin.
“You’re not gonna open your mouth now, huh? Tell me why you wanna be a thug girl instead of a lady. I’m trying to raise you right Coco…”
The door opened and an officer peered inside.
“You’re needed right away in the probation office. All the offices are downstairs.”
NINE
“I don’t understand. What’s the problem with the fucking release papers?” Kowalski yelled into the phone. He hung up, threw the papers down, and marched angrily from his desk. On his way out the precinct, he saw his partner standing at the vending machines reading a report.
“What does one have to do around here to get things done?” Kowalski complained.
Hall looked him up and down for a beat before he answered. “You look like shit. Maybe you should