Black Rainbow (Rainbows 1)

“That weekend your mother took you to the Woodstock fair—”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this! I’m sorry I hurt you. I was way too young to get married—”

“Odile! Listen to me! You were at the Woodstock fair that weekend because your mother—”

“Don’t you dare speak about her! You have no right to speak about her! You knew her. She was a good person, she did not deserve to be murdered by that monster!”

“You were there,” I said softly, trying to get through to her.

“I was at home with my older brother that weekend. We ate cherry flavored ice cream but it was horrible so I gave it to—”

“To me,” Thea came in, her eyes wide as she stared at her.

She looked dazed, like she was half here, half in her mind.

“That day at the fair, I met you in front of the Ferris wheel. My dad was in line with your mom for ice cream. You didn't like yours, so you gave it to me. But I couldn’t hold both mine and yours and I dropped it all over your stockings and shoes. I remember…”

“You’re insane! I don’t know you. I’ve never met you in my life. I would have remem—” She broke off suddenly and looked to me, “Is this why you’re doing this? For her?” She snorted, “You’ve always liked your girls young, pretty, and broken. It makes you feel all manly inside when you save us.” She turned to face Thea. “Be warned sweetheart, the moment you fix yourself, he will distance himself from you.”

“That is the reason why we broke up, and the reason I’m on this case is because there is an innocent man on death row!”

“There are innocent men in prison, welcome to America, Levi! Why him! Why now? Save your self-righteous bullshit for someone else!”

“It is because of me,” Thea said, “but that doesn’t change the fact that my father did not kill your mother,” Thea said, as she kept her head up.

“According to the law, he did, and I will make sure that he stays behind bars where he belongs. He’s done enough to my family. You want a war Levi? I will bring it to you. Maybe you forgot who the Van Allen family are, but we will remind you.” she spat as she pushed past me.

“You can’t keep running from the truth Odile. You can’t keep lying to yourself! Please.” Thea shouted after her.

“Come near me again, and I will sue you for slander and anything else that I can think of. You’re all insane!” Odile replied, walking away until she disappeared behind the wall.

When my eyes fell back on Thea, she was holding out an envelope to me.

“What’s this—?”

“I can’t expect you to do this for free.”

She had to be kidding me with this. “I’m not accepting that.”

“I knew you were going to say that, which is why I deposited the payment into the company account this afternoon. This is the receipt.”

“Thea—”

“I need to get back to work,” she said as she turned and walked out.

God damn it!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

THEA

“This is just another example of the way blacks are treated in America today. How many Ben Walton’s are there all over the country? How many trials have been completely butchered by the public defenders who just don’t give a damn?!”

“Completely untrue; public defenders are overworked and underpaid, yes, this was by all means handled horribly by the state police and the media. The evidence should have been handled properly, and no information should have been leaked to media. But to say this is a race issue is wrong.

People of all races and ethnicities are all locked up everyday—”

“Preach!” Atticus said, as he lifted his hand up to the sky, drawing my attention away from the debate that was going on most news stations now.