Chapter 23

Jasmine Howard was on probation. As a cooperating witness, she had been treated lightly and escaped jail time. That was the only good news. She was seen as a homewrecker somehow involved in Damon Fields death. While not charged in the extortion scheme, everyone knew her role in setting up clients for a fall. Furthermore, Jasmine had been revealed as a police informant. It was an informal “three strikes” merit badge that made her persona non grata everywhere she turned. Even worse, while under probation, she could not leave the state to find shelter with her parents.

With nowhere else to turn, she joined the Black Lives Matter movement. They were happy to accept new recruits and gave her a place to stay. Money was short, but she picked up part-time work here and there to survive. The rest of her time was spent marching the streets.

Mrs. Fields was not happy to march with her late husband’s former girlfriend but had to accept it. While BLM was happy to use Damon’s death to push their message, Tasha was a little too upscale for the group. Luxury apartments with doormen erode sympathy for supposedly poor minorities, after all.

Despite these petty squabbles, the group was united in their continued outcry about Damon Field’s disappearance. While the Pace cousins served time for obstruction, BLM still believed that other nefarious forces were responsible for the murder. They resolved to march on and on until the guilty parties were found and punished.