Death by Lotto by Abigail Keam

her, but Shaneika stopped her. Over the past year, Shaneika had come to know Josiah Reynolds and what made her tick.
    Shaneika knew that Josiah skirted around the law when it suited her, but down deep Josiah would do what she thought was the righteous thing to do.
    In Kentucky that could be different from book law. There was the law and then there was Kentucky justice.
    Shaneika knew that Josiah was going to take this hard.
    Very hard!
     

8
    I didn’t know how to respond. I just stared at Shaneika with a silly expression on my face that somehow corresponded to “duh?”
    We sat in silence until Mrs. Todd unclasped her hands only to flutter one hand about her neck. The gesture made me flinch. “I think I will make some tea.” She rose and went into the kitchen.
    “Does Franklin know?” I asked.
    “Yes, I talked to him earlier. He’s coming out here later on. He wants to talk to you about it. I told him it would be all right. That is okay, isn’t it?”
    “Of course. Franklin is always welcome.”
    “I told you that this judge was quirky and very pro-police. He thinks O’nan’s rights were violated.”
    “That man tried to kill Franklin and me and then ran off to a foreign country. What about our rights!”
    “I know. I know. You don’t have to tell me this stinks.”
    “I know you warned me, but I didn’t think in my wildest dreams that this judge would really let O’nan go. No prison time. None! Surely there is something that can be done about this?”
    “No, there isn’t. And you stay away from both the judge and O’nan.”
    “What about a civil suit? O’nan had to be getting money from somewhere to hide that long.”
    “I wouldn’t advise it. It’s over. I know it’s not fair, but I’ve seen burglars that have broken into people’s houses sue the victims if they got hurt during the process, like falling over toys and breaking a leg. And the burglars won their cases. You can never tell what is going to happen with a judge or a jury. Let it go, I’m tellin’ you. Let it go.”
    “What if he comes back to finish the job?”
    Shaneika shook her head in exasperation.
    Eunice put down a tray and handed a cup to Josiah. “She won’t say it, but I will. Then you’ll have to kill him and make it look right for the law.”
    “Mother!”
    “Don’t mother me. The woman has a right to be concerned. The law does very little to protect women in this state. Husbands and boyfriends kill their women folk all the time. You know as well as I do that they sometimes get off even with lots of evidence against them.”
    Eunice reached over and patted my knee. “I know that the thought is repulsive to a decent person but if the time comes and your life or someone you love is in danger, instinct will kick in. You will do the right thing.”
    “You said you thought he was high that night, Josiah?” asked Shaneika.
    “Yes, his eyes were dilated and his skin flushed.”
    “He has to do talk therapy as part of his probation. Maybe he’s calmed down and will work this out. Maybe he’ll heal and forget about you.”
    “Fred O’nan taking responsibility for his own screw-ups is about as probable as a dog in a manger.”
    Shaneika smiled. “Mom always uses that phrase but I have never understood what it means.”
    “Sweetie, it means that the dog can’t eat the hay in the manger, but doesn’t allow other animals to eat it either, just out of pure meanness,” explained Eunice.
    “Eunice, you were right about living my life,” I announced. “We are going to proceed with the weddings and open the Butterfly more. The truth is if someone wants to get you, locked doors and security cameras aren’t going to keep them out. They will find a way in sooner or later. I know that from my daughter’s work.
    “I’m only fifty-one. I just can’t curl up and die, waiting for the boogie man.”
    “You’re way too young for that,” concurred Eunice.
    I took a sip of tea. “You know this would taste better with