From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Zoe sends an email to Anthony Miller, Marcus’s lawyer during the murder trial, asking for information about the case including the alibi witness. She writes a new letter to Marcus, describing how much she wants to believe him and asking if he has heard of the Innocence Project. She asks him to tell her who the alibi witness was. She also chats about music, cooking, and her quest for a new cupcake flavor. She requests more song possibilities for her playlist and ideas for both the new cupcake recipe and any old recipes Marcus used to make while growing up. She also sends her sixth-grade school photo.

It occurs to Zoe that Grandma might recall details about the trial. She asks Grandma if Marcus’s claim of innocence in the last letter surprised her. Grandma tells Zoe she spoke with Marcus on the phone to “make sure that he isn’t trying to hurt [Zoe] in any way” (127), and that he told her then that he planned to tell Zoe he did not commit the crime. Zoe has more questions, so Grandma settles in with a cup of tea to share what she knows.

Grandma tells Zoe that she visited Marcus in prison before the trial even though Zoe’s mother refused to do so. Marcus told Grandma that he was at a tag sale (yard sale) at a lady’s house during the time of the murder; he even sent an email to the woman before attending. Marcus’s lawyer never tried to find the woman; Grandma believes that Anthony Miller unfairly assumed Marcus was guilty because Marcus is a Black man. Miller told Marcus to plead guilty, but Marcus insisted on his innocence. Grandma believes Marcus is innocent, too; she shares how kind he was to her, to Zoe’s grandfather, and to Zoe’s mom. She explains that in court, the prosecutor used a fight in which Marcus was involved to show his violent, angry tendencies. Marcus told Grandma, though, that the white basketball player with whom he fought called him a derogatory, racist slur during a game, but too quietly for anyone else to witness.

Grandma blames systemic racism for why most people at the game believed the white player, and for why Marcus was convicted without definite proof. Zoe’s mother stopped talking to Marcus after his arrest, having suspected him of having a relationship with Lucy Hernandez: “I think she decided it was easier to believe he did it, let him go, and move on” (135). Zoe wants to help the truth to come out, but Grandma tells her to avoid getting involved because she young and because the chances of an overturned conviction are very low; lawyers cost so much, and “Who knows where this woman is?” (135). Grandma thinks only a miracle can save Marcus if he is innocent.

Sunday evening, Zoe is reading online about wrongful convictions when Dad announces a spontaneous outing. They end up at JP Lick’s, their favorite ice cream shop. Mom and Dad want to talk about the internship at Ariana’s, but Zoe immediately turns the subject to wanting to write to Marcus. Her mother insists she is too young to have any decision-making power in the matter. Dad suggests talking about it at home, but Zoe does not acknowledge him. She wants to know if Mom thinks Marcus is guilty. Mom says he lied about being with Lucy Hernandez, so she could not trust him after that. Zoe accuses her mother of “keeping him” from her, but Mom simply says that it is the “right thing” (142) to do. Zoe’s ice cream is melting by this point, so she throws it out. On the way home, Zoe regrets the argument in a small way but mostly becomes more “determined to prove them wrong” (143).

Everyone at Ari’s Cakes is working to complete a rush job of 500 cupcakes when Zoe arrives Monday. Ariana gives her the task of rolling out fondant icing for Corey, who is cutting the fondant into moon and star shapes for decorations on the cupcakes. Zoe’s mind wanders as she uses the rolling pin on the fondant regarding Marcus, the truth, and the conflict with her mother. She rolls the fondant far too thin without noticing, and Ariana sends her to the front of the store where Gabe sets her to fold boxes. Disappointed in herself, Zoe vows to focus, improve, and create her original cupcake recipe.

In his next letter, Marcus compliments Zoe’s picture, offers her a recipe for his mother’s macaroni and cheese, and recommends trying something with boxed cereal for her cupcakes. He avoids mentioning the alibi witness and states, “I think the best thing to do is leave the past behind us, as I’ve tried to do, and focus on the here and now” (150). He suggests a day and time to talk by phone while Zoe is at Grandma’s. He offers a new song as well, Jill Scott’s “Golden.”

Zoe goes to Trevor’s place to get his help taste-testing sugary cereals; he is happy to oblige. His friends Lincoln and Sean arrive to play basketball, but Trevor turns them down, telling them directly that Zoe is his friend. They scoff, and Trevor tells them he did not mean it when they all badmouthed Zoe before. They tease Trevor about his “girlfriend” and soon leave. Zoe does not say anything about Trevor’s actions but happily continues testing cereals.

Zoe tries out her idea for Froot Loop cupcakes that night. She soaks Froot Loops in milk, then uses the flavored milk in vanilla cupcakes. After baking, though, they are far too sweet. She adds flour and sugar to the shopping list, determined to bake as many batches as it takes to get a good recipe. She also adds ingredients for Marcus’s mac and cheese recipe. When Mom asks about the cheese, Zoe fibs that she and Grandma will make it together. Mom tells her to save some for Dad and her, but Zoe thinks Mom does not deserve a recipe that came from Marcus.

The next Monday, Zoe helps Vincent bake, but she is nervous and distracted by Marcus’s upcoming phone call. Back at Grandma’s, she cannot eat lunch and sits waiting anxiously for the phone to ring. When it finally does, she can barely answer. Finally, she talks with Marcus. He sounds emotional, and she is too. They make small talk about the mac and cheese, the photograph Zoe has of him, and her music playlist. Unexpectedly, Marcus must hang up after just a few minutes. Zoe has no chance to ask about the alibi witness, so she asks Marcus to call the next day. He says he will try.