God Only Knows (28 page)

Maxwell eyed the man carefully. “You seem pretty chipper, all things considered.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Pete said as Edna began to make her way down the stairs. “Someone’s finally paying for what happened
to my brother.”

“Stop saying that!” Edna’s exclamation stopped both Pete and Maxwell cold, and they remained in stunned silence as she slowly
descended the remaining stairs. When she reached the bottom, she held her arms out to Maxwell as he stood. “Thank you for
coming,” she whispered as they hugged.

“I’m sorry to yell, Doctor,” she said as she impatiently knocked Pete to the side as she sat on the edge of his bed. “I’m
just tired of this one acting as if everything has been solved.”

“Mom,” Pete replied, rolling his eyes, “what else are you looking for? We finally found someone who confessed to directly
putting Eddie in harm’s way. And she’s going to pay —she will do time. I’m sure of it.”

“See,” Edna said, turning back toward Maxwell. “He just wants revenge. Peter, don’t you care that this woman claims your brother
was trying to rape her?”

His eyes turned to slits, Pete glanced toward his mother before gesturing to Maxwell. “You see, Doc, my mother doesn’t understand
that I have no control over what Eddie may have been up to that night. All that matters is knowing that someone who was involved
in his injuries loses some of everything she holds precious —her family’s respect, her business, and, who knows, maybe more.
Those boys I saved you from outside? There’s tons more, all of them ready to take Cassie out for slandering Eddie’s name,
least of all when he can’t defend himself.”

“I think your mother’s concern,” Maxwell replied, leaning forward, “is making sure that Eddie’s reputation isn’t unnecessarily
trampled.” He turned toward Edna. “I’m still trying to get Cassandra to meet with you, by the way.” He didn’t mention that
he had lost his direct line to Cassie, of course. Julia’s parting words the same night she had unwittingly met Tiffany and
Nia said it all: “If you care the least bit about me, Maxwell Simon, you will disappear. Start by resigning from the board,
please, so I never have to see your lying lips again.” It wasn’t as if he could argue, least of all now when Julia had so
much on her.

“I just need to look her in the eye,” Edna was saying. “Do you understand, Dr. Simon? When you try to help a child thrive,
try to teach him right from wrong, the worst claim anyone can make is that you failed, that the child attempted to bring harm
to someone else. I can’t accept that lightly,” the woman said, nearly choking on her last word.

As Edna began a muted sob, shoulders shaking, Pete moved to comfort her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders. “Never expected
this,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper. His eyes on Maxwell now, he shrugged. “I can give you a couple of days to talk
some sense to Cassie, Doc. After that, I’ll have to get involved. I don’t think anybody really wants that.”

S
o just when were you going to share your news?”

“Good morning to you too.” Trapped there at the front door of Cassie’s house, Julia flinched internally but met her friend’s
smoldering stare. Fresh from the road after her return trip from Chicago, she felt fatigue creeping up and down her limbs,
but she realized she’d have to fight that off for a few more minutes. Easing Cassie to the side with the palm of one hand,
she stepped into her best friend’s foyer.

From over her shoulder, Julia heard Cassie’s insistent tone even as her friend slammed the front door shut. “So you’re going
to play me stupid, Julia? I asked you a question.”

“I heard the question,” Julia replied coolly, turning to face Cassie as she fingered the purse slung over her shoulder. “Where
is Amber?”

“She’s in the basement with the twins, watching something questionable on that Nickelodeon channel.
Hannah Montana,
or maybe that show with the younger sister of that foolish Spears girl. I can’t keep them all straight.”

Julia nodded, satisfied that her child was out of earshot. “So I guess I can address your question. Why don’t you tell me
the news you’re talking about, Mrs. Gillette?”

Cassie ushered Julia into her living room, patting a spot next to her on the couch as she took a seat. “Amber told the twins
she’s expecting us to come visit you all a lot, when you move to Chicago.”

Julia settled in next to her friend, smiling despite herself. She definitely hadn’t wanted Cassie to catch wind of the news
this way, but she should have known Amber couldn’t be expected at her age to keep secrets. “No hard-and-fast decisions have
been made, Cassie.”

Cassie folded her legs, pivoting toward Julia. “But some type of a decision has been made, right? You weren’t in Chicago yesterday
for a work-related conference, were you?”

Julia raised her eyes to Cassie’s as she said, “I didn’t lie, okay? I was there for a work-related conference. It just didn’t
relate to Christian Light work.”

“Are you interviewing for a new job, Julia?”

“Yes.” Julia was embarrassed by her sudden inability to maintain eye contact. “It’s with a for-profit academy funded exclusively
by a consortium of progressive corporations. Cassie, the vision they have at the Parker Academy is amazing. Unfortunately,
they’ve stumbled some getting out of the box; the superintendent they hired last year after I turned them down got canned
a few months back, and the board has been reaching out to me ever since.”

Cassie’s eyes clouded in a way that made Julia feel even worse than she already did. “They’ve been reaching out to you all
this time, but of all times you decide to consider their offer
now
?”

“So we are clear,” Julia replied, taking both of Cassie’s hands into hers, “I have not accepted this offer yet. I am seriously
considering it, though.”

Cassie crossed her arms and stood. “No, Julia, I understand.” She tossed her hands in the air before continuing. “I mean,
my life is in shambles, my family’s at risk, and you as my best friend choose now of all times to up and leave with my goddaughter
in tow.” She turned back toward Julia with the stare of a wounded but menacing animal. “Really, I understand.”

Julia wiped away a film of sweat that had developed above her lip, then defiantly arched her back. “Well, I should hope you
would understand. Why don’t you tell me what’s changed in the past few weeks, that might make me open to relocation. . . .”

Cassie cocked her head, brow furrowing. “What are you saying? That it’s my fault you want out of Dayton?”

“You never even consulted me, Cassie!” Julia was embarrassed at the boom in her voice, but she couldn’t find the nuance to
dial it back as she rose from the couch. “So we’re clear, I don’t blame you for the fact that all of us are in a bad situation.
We didn’t ask for what happened between us and Eddie that night, and if anyone’s to blame for Peter Whitlock entering our
lives, it’s Toya.

“But what in the name of Jesus possessed you to cut this confession deal with Whitlock? It’s like some suicide pact, designed
to do what exactly? Feed Whitlock’s lust for revenge at all costs?”

Cassie put her fists against her hips, marching forward until she was toe-to-toe with Julia. “Don’t you pass judgment on me!
That was my child facing potential attempted-murder charges, my cousin’s son near death and headed for life in prison!”

Julia stepped forward, bumping Cassie back. “You sound pretty proud of yourself.”

“I should be. I protected M.J. and Dante, and it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t their fault that they had to bump heads
with Whitlock, Julia. That should be weight carried by you, me, Toya, and Terry, if anyone.”

“Well, you sure have it all figured out.” Julia paced back several steps, praying for the Holy Spirit’s peace. For weeks now,
she had been respectful and tight-lipped when discussing Cassie’s recent decisions with her. Now that she was under attack
for decisions of her own, though, Julia’s flesh was ready to fully unleash every scalding opinion she’d held about Cassie’s
judgment. Even in her agitated state, though, she loved her friend too much to come at her with both barrels blasting.

“I never said I had it all figured out,” Cassie said, her breathing a little heavier. “I’m just telling you, I took the actions
I felt I had to.”

Julia whirred back toward her friend. “Tell me this, Cassie. Did you pray about your decision to confess, to embellish the
truth while you did so?”

Cassie did not reply, but instead she stomped out of the living room. Confused, Julia stood in place for a few seconds, wondering
whether to just go downstairs, get Amber, and go. She was about to do just that when Cassie marched back in, a large leather
Bible in her hand. “Ephesians 4:25,” she said, handing the open Bible to her friend. “It says, ‘Therefore each of you must
put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.’ Don’t you see, Julia? The pain
that Eddie’s injuries caused went beyond the loss that his mother, and even Whitlock himself, suffered. Think about how it
scarred all of our classmates and teachers, praying for Eddie’s recovery week after week, only to see him stay in the same
vegetative state he’s in today.”

“It was a tragedy,” Julia replied, “we’ve always agreed on that. We also agreed that no good could come from exposing our
involvement.”

Cassie took the Bible back, then slowly set it onto an end table. “And back then, we were right. In the Dayton of the 1980s,
it would have torn the school apart, maybe the city itself, to have four little black girls in the news trying to explain
their involvement in the near-fatal injury of a seemingly innocent white boy.

“It’s 2008, Julia. I’m a grown woman, old enough to stand up for myself. And while Dayton’s still plagued by racial segregation,
the younger generations at least are opening up to each other across the color lines. Now is a better time to get the truth
out, provide some closure for Eddie’s family, and maybe help heal the community.”

Julia couldn’t stop herself, but she kept her tone soft and measured as she said, “Cassie, you didn’t tell
the
truth, you told a dramatized version of it, one that made you look like more of a bad guy than Eddie. If you had just given
me some time, I was working on a way for you, me, Toya, and Terry to tell the entire truth.”

Cassie’s neck snapped in apparent surprise. “Oh, please, Julia! How long was that going to take? We spent all that money flying
into New York, only to confirm that we didn’t have a single version of ‘the truth.’ No, I was the one with family at risk,
and I had to tell a truth that would get what I needed, without tying you all up in it.”

“Well, I doubt you can show me the Scripture that supports that tactic,” Julia replied.

“Is that what we’re arguing over here?” Cassie’s back was up now, and she advanced on Julia like a policeman closing in on
a suspect. “Scriptural interpretations? Is that why you’re leaving Dayton, Julia? Because I didn’t follow Scripture to your
liking?”

“No, I guess you caught me.” Julia planted her feet anew, the stomp of that motion slowing Cassie in her tracks. “I’m leaving
Dayton because you’ve made life here hell for all of us, how’s that? Cassie, I can’t do my job at Christian Light anymore.
More than anything, the school needs good press and support from alumni and other donors. Just when we were making progress,
this staged confession of yours has clouded everything. Media are more interested in writing about the school’s racial problems,
both past and present, than about anything else. And the alumni? Please. They’re either appalled at the thought that the kid
they prayed for all these years was a sexual predator, or they’re disgusted with you for accusing him of that when he can’t
defend himself.”

Cassie’s chin had inched lower with Julia’s every word, but fight remained in her eyes as she said, “I’m calling Maxwell.
I’ll bet you weren’t entertaining this job offer before you learned about his little girl.”

“Don’t.”
Julia was surprised at how quickly she covered the ground between them. A long finger jammed toward Cassie’s left eye, she
huffed insistently for effect. “He’s no good, was never any good, and won’t be any good. He’s just another self-hating brother
who can’t see past the white ideal to ever love one of us.”

“Julia,” Cassie said, “give him a chance. You’ve been the strong one for so long. This thing about leaving town, it’s just
fatigue, you tiring of playing the hero. Don’t run,” she said, latching onto both of her friend’s hands. “Let Maxwell hold
you, please. I have a good feeling about him.”

The two friends stared each other down silently before Julia sighed and brought her friend into a hug. Pulling back, she dropped
her gaze as she said, “I love you, Cassie, but, frankly, I just can’t trust your judgment anymore.”

I
gotta tell you, Max,” Lyle said as he dug into his omelette, “you’re a better man than me if you can carry that burden. How
are you gonna ask Cassie to meet with Eddie’s mom?”

“To be honest,” Maxwell replied as he stared at both Lyle and Jake in their booth at the Golden Nugget, “I was hoping you
two might help me form the right words.”

“I guess,” Jake said, finishing a bite of chocolate chip pancakes, “that would be easier if you could still work this through
Julia.” He coughed quickly before asking, “Between you and me, why didn’t you just tell her about Nia when you first started
dating? I mean, I know it took you until she was born to even tell me and Lyle about her, but I thought by now you’d gotten
over any shame about all this.”

Maxwell flipped a cross look toward his friend. “Partner, if you really want an answer to that question, we’d all have to
retain an expensive shrink and set aside a week.”

Lyle read the stormy look in Maxwell’s eyes. Clapping a hand against Jake’s shoulder, he said, “Let’s take all that up later,
all right?”

Maxwell shrugged. “I’m a little confused, Jake. You almost sound like you’re rooting for me and Julia. For the longest, you
wanted me to steer clear of her.”