“No.” Carmen laughed a little, and only because she chose to be in good spirits about it.
“Good,” Jada said and relaxed a little.
“They might charge me with manslaughter.”
“Not good.” And just as quickly as it subsided, the tension returned.
“That’s what the station’s attorney seems to think.”
“Then perhaps you need another attorney,” Jada said, but thought that wasn’t the solution. “What really needs to happen is that I need to tell the police that I shot him.”
“No, Jada.”
“Yes, Carmen. I cannot, in good conscious, allow you to be charged with something that I did.”
“I understand that, but we are not there yet, trust me.”
“Okay, but I still think you should seek independent counsel. He is the station’s lawyer; his job is to protect their interests and not yours.”
“Believe me Jada, the meeting I just had with my managing editor thoroughly convinced me of that fact.”
“Good.”
“But, Jada.”
“What?”
“I met a man,” Carmen paused. “Well, I didn’t actually meet him,” she said and told the story to Jada. “He just kinda showed up outta nowhere and saved me from that man.”
Jada laughed. “He’s your bodyguard, Carmen.”
“I don’t have a bodyguard.”
“Yes you do. Don’t you remember me telling you that you had a bodyguard?”
Carmen’s beautiful face suddenly became distorted.
“When?”
“It was a couple of years ago, before I skipped the country,” Jada giggled.
“Like the common criminal you are.”
“I may be a criminal, but I will have you know I am far from common.”
“Whatever.”
“Anyway, that particular day, we were going shopping and you had come to pick me up at the Kimberly Hotel. You had just commented on how cute Victor was…”
“Isn’t he,” Carmen said.
“And you said that it must be nice to have a cutie follow me around all day.”
“This is starting to sound familiar.”
“It should. I told you that Mr. Black was at war, and that you couldn’t be foolish enough to think that you didn’t have one too.”
Carmen thought about it and remembered thinking that Jada was right. You just gotta love that man, Carmen now remembered saying at the time.