I started to say something dumb like, “You mean you’re not going to arrest me for running a prostitution ring?” but I simply said, “I understand.”
Banner placed a tape recorder on the table and asked me to tell them what happened. While I told my story, Gineconna stood behind Banner and never took his eyes off me. Once I was done, Banner turned off the tape recorder, thanked me for my time, and got up to leave. Naturally, I stood up too. I followed the two cops to the door, but when I got to the door, Gineconna turned and blocked my path.
“I hope you learned something from all this Ms. West,” Gineconna said to me. Then he stepped aside and let me pass.
As I walked out of the precinct, I thought about his question. Had I learned anything? And if so, what was it? I was glad he didn’t want an answer, because I didn’t have one. Maybe in a day or two I would, but not now. Right now I was too shaken to think. Bella was dead; murdered by Bullet. Chante was a cop assigned to get close to me. There was definitely a lesson to be learned from all this, but all I wanted to do was go home.
When I came outside the building, the first thing I saw was Chante. She was leaning against my car. “How’d my car get here?” I asked her.
“I had it towed here instead of the impound.”
“Thanks,” I said and walked past her.
“Jada, wait,” she said and grabbed my arm.
I jerked my arm away. “What do you want, Chante? Is that even your name?”
“It’s Rachael, Rachael Dawkins. Chante is my middle name.”
“And you’re a cop.”
“Yes, Jada, I’m a cop.”
“How could you, Chante? I mean, Rachael or whatever your name is. I trusted you.”
“I was just doing my job, Jada.”
“Yeah well, if your job is to betray people who considered you a friend, then your job sucks.”
Chante looked away from me. I could see the pain in her eyes. “You’re right. It does suck.”
I leaned against my car next to Chante. “So, what’s going to happen next?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?”
“I mean that’s it. Gineconna told you that you were free to go, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, there you go. If there was going to be any charges, you’d be under arrest now. I never told Gineconna anything.”
“I understand that, Chante. What I don’t understand is why, Chante? Wasn’t that your job?”
“You’re right, it was, but something happened to change all that. I wasn’t completely honest with myself, Jada, ’cause if I were, I woulda had to admit to myself who I really was, because I loved being Chante. The truth was that I found your lifestyle exciting. I mean look at yourself, Jada, you always wear the finest clothes, you get chauffeured around, and you’re making mad money. But it was more than that, Jada. I came to like you. We became friends.” That one made me smile on the inside because that’s how I saw her, as a friend.
“That’s deep, Chante. The cop and the Madame-friends.”
“Ain’t it?” Chante laughed.
“What are you gonna do now, Chante?” I asked her.
“I don’t know.”
“Wanna go get a drink?”
“I could definitely use one.”