Page 86 of Summer Breeze
“You’ve done it now, boy. We’ve got you,” Larry spat.
“May I ask what this is all about?” Damion asked, trying to remain calm.
It wasn’t Larry who answered, but another officer who stepped forward. “We had a tip that you personally, mentioned by name, were dealing drugs out of this apartment. That you were supplying guests and employees at River Camps with drugs.”
Larry got back in his face. “So, I’ll ask you again, are there any drugs in the apartment?”
“No. I don’t do or deal drugs.” Damion sighed and knew instantly what was happening. “You’ve got some bad info. I’m wagering your tip came from all the attention I’ve been getting today after the video was released.”
Larry’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think you’re a hotshot? Above the law?”
If Damion wasn’t sitting on his sofa, handcuffed and not making a move, he was pretty sure Larry would be striking out at him. Instead, Damion remained calm and spoke as if talking to a wounded animal.
“No, sir. I don’t. I believe someone is striking out to hurt me and the camp because they are hurt or just sick. I don’t deal drugs. Never have. Never will. Search the place. I’ll cooperate fully.”
It was then that Jules rushed in the front door. “What is going on here?” Her eyes moved from Damion to Larry to all the other officers searching through her things.
Two hours later, Damion sat on the same sofa across from his parents, Owen Costas, and Steinbeck, the lawyer who had gone to the station with Zoey. The lawyer was looking over the warrant he’d been given that had allowed the police to search the apartment.
Jules was holding his hand, and he could feel her vibrating with anger.
His parents looked worried and angry at the same time. This was his first brush with the law. He’d never even been pulled over or gotten a speeding ticket, but he’d been prepared for it. Every black man he knew was.
“They said they were going to search the camp,” Jules said with a worried tone.
“They will have to obtain a warrant first,” the lawyer answered. “They haven’t filed for one yet. I’ll keep on top of it. Most likely, it was a scare tactic.”
“We all know what this is about. The Tribbertons are lashing out,” Jules said.
“Do you have proof?” Steinbeck asked.
“No,” Jules sank back on the sofa. “They busted my door in. Our neighbors are going to look at us like we did something wrong.” Damion wrapped his arm around her. She leaned her head against his. “It doesn’t matter what they think. I’m just thankful you’re okay. Things could have ended much worse.”
His arms wrapped harder around her. He knew. Knew all the other black people who hadn’t been so lucky. If he had fought back, even for a second, things might have turned. His eyes met his father’s and he understood he was thinking the same thing.
He was thankful he’d been asleep. Maybe if he’d been awake, without the cops yelling police, which thankfully, even in his fuzzy mind, had registered, things could have turned bad.
“Let’s just get through this,” he told the room. “They didn’t find anything, nor will they. I’ve been clean my entire life. Haven’t even smoked a joint. My parents’ influence.” He smiled over at his parents.
“Well, they aren’t charging you with anything. Yet. Someone is out to tarnish your reputation since the video of the raid went viral moments after. They targeted you. Personally,” Steinbeck said.
“Do we know who posted the video? Who posted it first, that is,” Damion’s father asked.
“No, but we can work on it,” Steinbeck answered.
“If it was the Tribbertons, what can we do?” Jules asked.
“We’ve already got a defamation case against Lisa Tribberton for slander in her online video. She screwed up when she posted it to not only to her timeline, but also to her husband’s business’s social media pages too,” Owen answered.
“For now, let me work a couple different angles,” Steinbeck said, standing up.
“I’ve cleared it with everyone. The two of you are welcome to stay at River Camps. River Cabin is all yours for as long as you want it, if you want it.” Owen stood up along with the lawyer.
River Cabin was the largest of all the cabins. Zoey and Scarlett’s mother, Kimberly, used to live there. Before that, it was the original home on the land before Elle’s grandfather purchased the land and turned it into a camp.
It normally wasn’t rented out like the other cabins. Mostly because it could sleep six people and was farther off the pathways.
Jules looked up at him. “It’s up to you,” he told her. “I’ve only got four boxes of things to move,” he reminded her with a smile.
