An Independent Woman by Howard Fast Read Free Book Online

of men—and women,” Abner said. “I need coffee and breakfast, so get your ass out of that chair, Ms. Lavette. I have to call my office, because we’re going to have a good long talk. Is there a phone here that works?”
    â€œIn my study.” Barbara sighed.
    â€œThank you.” He went into her study and she went into the kitchen and made toast and cracked eggs. Her hands were shaking. When Abner joined her in the kitchen, she asked him whether he wanted bacon.
    â€œI’m off bacon. I’m going to lose weight. No, the hell with it, give me bacon. Today I need it. I’m also off cigarettes, but not this morning. Do you have any cigarettes?”
    â€œI don’t use them. I keep some in a box on the coffee table—in the living room.”
    â€œI’ll get them.”
    She put the bacon in a frying pan, trying not to think, concentrating on the sizzling bacon. Abner returned.
    â€œMatch?”
    She handed him a match. He lit the cigarette and sucked deeply. “Ah, small blessings,” he said appreciatively.
    â€œWhy did Reda leave?” she asked Abner.
    â€œYou know why she left. It’s been coming on for ten years. I smoke, I eat too much, I’m fat, I’m a pain in the ass. She’s still beautiful. She had to leave before it was too late to start all over again. So the other day she picked up and left… The hell with that. Let’s talk about you.”
    â€œYes, about me. Abner, what’s going to happen to me?” She put the bacon and eggs on his plate. “Shall I butter the toast?”
    â€œBarbara, for heaven’s sake!”
    â€œYes, yes, of course. But I am so troubled, I’m so troubled, Abner. What’s going to happen to me?”
    â€œI won’t have the foggiest notion until you tell me what you’ve done.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Here. Sit down, and then tell me exactly what this crazy thing is about.”
    As completely as she could, she told him what had happened during the night.
    â€œWhy didn’t you call the police?”
    She thought about that for a while before she replied. “I guess I couldn’t send a man to prison—not that man. I didn’t know he was a murderer.”
    â€œWe don’t know that he’s a murderer. Manslaughter is not murder.”
    â€œThen what is it?”
    â€œIt could be any number of things. Two men have a fight. One of them dies. It could be self-defense, but not today with a black man. Not here. It could be accidental. Did he intend to kill? Two boxers are in a ring. One of them dies. That’s manslaughter, but there won’t be any indictment. If they gave him only two years, then there was no intent to kill. I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Today you lied to the police. Why? You recognized the brooch. Carson gave it to you, didn’t he?”
    â€œYes. But I told you I made a deal with the man—if he gave me Dad’s ring, he could keep the rest.”
    â€œThat was no deal. He had a gun on you.”
    â€œYes. But it wasn’t the gun.” The gun was not a part of it.
    â€œWas it his college degree, his waiting tables, his cleaning toilets? Is that it? You can’t be that naive—not even you, Barbara.” Through a mouthful of eggs and bacon, he demanded, “Then why did you call me? The cops hadn’t come yet?”
    â€œI was frightened. I didn’t know what would happen to me if I didn’t report the robbery. I still don’t know.”
    â€œDo you want my best advice as your lawyer and friend?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œThen when I finish breakfast, we’ll both go downtown, and we’ll explain that you were too traumatized by the robbery to respond properly, and then you’ll identify the jewels and they’ll show you a lineup and you’ll pick him out, and that makes their case and it’s over. We want to finish it before