Page 10 of Chill’s Chance

He turns to me and breaks my heart with his words. “Because not all white cops are kind to black kids.” He explains like this is something I should already know. He turns back to Chill. I glance at Puma, who doesn’t hide his anger at his son’s words.

“What about when you were at home and something happened?” Chill asks.

“Oh, then I should go to Mrs. Clark’s condo.” He says. “She’s our neighbor and I would go over to her place if mom had to go out.”

“So, if something frightened you and your mom wasn’t around, you’d go see Mrs. Clark?” Chill asks.

Mal nods.

“Didn’t Detective Sterling say there was a neighbor who would watch Slade?” Chill asks me.

I nod. “They talked to her. Wouldn’t she have told them where to find Slade if she knew?”

“I think we should go talk to her.” Puma says.

“Can we go?” Elina asks. “I want to help Hunter find his son.”

“Me, too.” Says Mal, sliding off the couch and offering me his hand.

I glance at Puma, expecting him to tell the kids no, but he surprises me. Again.

“Mal, your mom is spending the weekend with Trouble, right?” The little boy nods. “Where’s your mom?” He asks Elina.

“She’s meeting with an event organizer who is looking to move their charity poker game to 1%.” Showtime explains. I turn to see her leaning against the doorframe. “The casino where they originally planned to hold the event had some water damage.”

Puma nods. “Ok, then. Showtime, you get the SUV. We’re going on a rescue mission.”

“Yeah!” The kids clap they grab my hands to pull me out the door.

As Showtime drives, the two kids sit in the back talking about where they would go if they had to escape bad guys. I share an amused look with Showtime as their suggestions go from serious to silly and then onto crazy. By the time we reach Nicole’s neighborhood, I have some great ideas for movie plots if I ever decide to become a screenwriter. Kids really have the best imaginations.

“How are things going with Chill?” Showtime asks me.

I shrug. “She’s still upset with me. I can’t blame her for being angry that I didn’t tell her about Nicole, but I feel like there’s more to it.”

“Chill loves you.” Elina says, drawing my attention to the two in the backseat. I hadn’t noticed that they stopped talking and were listening to our conversation. I glance at Showtime.

“Little ears.” She mumbles.

“What makes you think Chill loves me?” I ask Elina, curious at her confidence.

“The way she looks at you.” Elina replies. When I frown, she continues. “Not when you look at her, of course. She hides her feelings when she knows you’re looking.”

“Oh.” Observant girl.

“She’s mad at you. Get her to forgive you.” Elina continues.

“Any idea on how I can do that?” I ask Elina, not expecting an answer. But I’m realizing that this little girl has all the answers.

“Exercise.” Elina says. I glance at Showtime, who has a similar look of confusion on her face. “That’s what Puma does when mommy is mad at him. He takes her into their room to exercise. When they come back out, they’re both smiling. Works every time.”

Biting down on my lip to keep from laughing, I can’t risk looking at Showtime or back at the kids. I stare out front and see Puma and Chill ahead of us and snort out a laugh. This sets Showtime off. We’re still laughing when we pull up in front of Nicole’s apartment.

When Showtime parks, Puma opens the back door and takes the hand of each kid while Chill opens the door to the apartment building. She and Showtime are both watching our surroundings while Puma focuses on the kids.

“What’s so funny?” Puma asks.

“I was telling him how to get Chill to forgive him.” Elina explains. “Told him to exercise with her like you do with mommy.”

---