by Roy Glenn
“No, that’s all right, thanks.”
Just a salesman, huh. Men will say anything to get some pussy. But the plan is still sound. What salesman could resist a five-car afternoon? So I parked my car, waited long enough for him to get back from his test drive, and walked up on the lot. When a short balding white man approached me, I went into my act. “Hi there.” Big smile, hand extended, “My name is Patrick Mitchell.”
“Well, Mr. Mitchell, what can I show you?”
“Those Cadillac’s there, I need five of them. I was looking for Ben Josephs, is he around?”
“He’s right over there. I’ll get him for you, Sir.”
He practically ran to tell him. And good ole Ben did a trot over to me. “Mr. Mitchell.” Big smile, breathing hard, hand extended. “I’m Ben Josephs, what can I do for you?” After what Chézaráy told me about his performance in bed, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing in his face.
“Well, Ben. You don’t mind if I call you Ben?”
“No, Sir. Not at all.”
“I run a limo service and I need to buy five of your Cadillac’s there.”
“I’d be happy to show them to you, Sir.”
I’ll just bet that you would Ben. To sell me five Cadillac’s you’d probably kiss my ass from here to across the street.
I test drove one car, I liked it, I thought about actually buying it. Then reality set in and I remembered why I was there. I got out and picked another Caddy. Ben went quickly to get the keys. While he was gone, I thought again about what I was doing there. The thought had occurred to me that this wasn’t what I was hired to do. Mrs. Childers hired me to find her missing brother. Plain and simple. Not take some low rent blackmailer off her neck.
Mrs. Childers.
I closed my eyes and I could see her sitting in front of me. Saw her smile, the need in her voice calling out to me. Nick. That’s why I was there. As Ben approached, I closed my eyes again. This time I saw us naked and making love. Lying on my back with her lying on top of me. I touched her face with both hands and drew her closer. Our lips met.
Ben threw me the car keys. “You drive,” I said, throwing him back the keys.
“Huh?”
“I wanna see if it’s comfortable in the back seat.”
“Okay. Yeah, this is for a limo, right?” Ben asked.
We got in and Ben drove away. “What do you drive, Ben?”
“Black Acura.”
“Ooooh.”
“Yeah, boy, the women really go for it.”
“Probably the only way a can’t keep it up mutha fucka like you can get a woman.”
“What you say to me, nigga?” Old Ben turned around and looked into the barrel of my 9.
“I said, it’s probably the only way a can’t keep it up mutha fucka like you can get a woman.”
“Yeah, man, whatever you say. You can have the car. Please, just don’t kill me. I got a family.”
“Calm down. I don’t want the car, Ben. But there is something I want from you.”
“What, man?”
“You have a picture I want.”
“What picture?”
I hit him in the back of the head. Not hard. I didn’t want him to wreck the car. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Ben. The picture of you and Mrs. Childers. You’re gonna give me that picture, now. You’re gonna give me any copies you have, and if there is a negative, I want that too. And if I hear of you ever trying to contact Mrs. Childers again, I’ll kill you. Slow. You feelin’ me, Ben?”
“Yeah, man, I feel you.”
“But to show you what a nice guy I am, Ben, I’m gonna let you keep the money you blackmailed outta her. All I want is that picture.”
“I don’t have it with me.”
“Well, where is it?”
“At my house. I can get it for you and bring it to you tonight.”
“I don’t think so, Ben. Let’s just go get it now.”
“I can’t go now. I don’t get off work until six. I’ll get fired if I leave now. Give me a break man.”
“Give you a break?” I looked at my watch. It was almost four. “I guess we’ll be test driving cars for the next couple of hours, huh, Ben?”
For the next two hours, Ben chauffeured me around Brooklyn, and we got better acquainted. He wasn’t a bad guy, for a blackmailer. He was ex-army, so we had something to talk about. We even knew some of the same people. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was blackmailing Mrs. Childers, we could have hung out.
Mrs. Childers. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I wanted to see her, talk to her, get to know her. Here you are again, falling hard for another man’s woman. I imagined, but still couldn’t imagine her being with him.
Once six o’clock rolled around, we got in Ben’s Acura and he drove to his house. He lived in a nice house in the East New York section of Brooklyn. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Ben said, and started to get out of the car.
“Yeah, right.” I got out too.
“Wait a minute, man. My wife and kids are in there.”
“What’s your point?”
“I don’t want her involved in this business.”
“Good, then you’ll be a good boy and get that picture. I’d hate to have to kill your wife and kids, but I will. Now let’s go.”
Ben unlocked the door to the house, and we went in. The house was immaculate and smelled of dinnertime.
“Your wife a good cook, Ben?”
“Yeah, good down home cook. Met her when I was stationed at Fort Mac in Georgia.”
“Ben!” His wife yelled from the kitchen. “That you?”
“Yes, Renée.”
“You’re home on time for a change. You must not be feeling well.”
She came out of the kitchen; she was a pretty woman. Naturally pretty, not done up, you know what I’m saying. No makeup, no fake hair or nails. None of that.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t know you had company.” She came toward me with her hand out. “I’m Renée, Ben’s wife.”
“Patrick Mitchell. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“We were just about to have dinner. Have some?”
“No, I just came to get something from Ben and then I have to go, but everything smells delicious.”
“We’re having fried pork chops, baked macaroni and cheese, candied yams, collard greens, corn bread and freshly squeezed lemonade.”
“Mmmm, sounds good, but I really can’t. But maybe you’ll give me a rain check?”
“That’s right, honey, Mr. Mitchell has to go.”
“Nonsense. You know you want to eat. I can see it in your eyes. You look like a man who appreciates a good meal. You married, Mr. Mitchell?”
“Please call me, Patrick. And no, I’m not married.”
“When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?”
“I couldn’t even tell you.”
“Then it’s settled, I insist.”
“Well since you put it that way, Mrs. Josephs, I accept.”
“Good. You just have a seat at the table. Ben, you call the children.”
I looked over at Ben as his wife went back in the kitchen. The frown on his face let me know how he felt about me staying for dinner. I didn’t care; I was having fun with this. And besides, I was hungry, and everything did smell delicious. Ben rolled his eyes and went to call the children to dinner.
Everything was wonderful; I made a complete pig of myself. She really was a good cook. Ben was pretty quiet during the meal, as one might expect for a man in his position. But his wife was a very entertaining conversationalist. I’m a sucker for a good conversation. Ben had a nice family, two very polite kids. After dinner, they excused themselves. His wife got up and cleared the table.
“Ben always has a brandy after dinner. Would you like one, Mr. Mitchell? I mean Patrick.”
“Thank you, that would be nice.”
“What you think you doing?” Ben whispered.
“Having a brandy after dinner…with Ben
.”
As soon as his wife and the children were out of eye and earshot, I took out my gun. “You go get those pictures. I’ll be in the kitchen with your wife.”
Ben got up and walked away, while I joined her in the kitchen. “I just wanted to thank you for twisting my arm and having me to dinner, Mrs. Josephs.”
“Please, call me Renée.”
“Well, Renée, everything was wonderful. Where did you learn to cook like that?”
“I’m a country girl. My grandmother taught me. Didn’t you know, all us country girls can cook like this?”
“Where you from?”
“Flowery Branch, Georgia. I know you never heard of it.”
“No, I can’t say that I have.” I laughed, as Ben returned with an envelope. He handed it to me, and I opened it and looked inside to verify the contents. I thought Ben was gonna faint.
“Well people, I really do have to go now, but Ben, Renée, thank you very much for having me to dinner.”
“It was our pleasure having you.” Renée said, leading me by the arm to the front door. “Anytime that you’re in the neighborhood, promise me that you’ll stop by.”
“I don’t get out to Brooklyn much, but I won’t hesitate to stop by if the need arises. Right, Ben?”
“Right,” Ben said, as he walked out the house.
“Pleasure meeting you, Renée.” I smiled seductively, her left eyebrow went up and she blushed.
Once we reached the sidewalk, I stopped and turned to Ben. “That’s a real nice family you have there, Ben.”
“Thank you. You got what you came for, now get out of here,” Ben said looking away. Trying to sound tough.
“Renée seems like a good wife. Too nice for you to be cheating on her and blackmailing women.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I took out my gun again and pointed it at his head. It was dark and besides, I got what I came for, so I really didn’t care who saw me now. “Don’t act tough, Ben. You deserve to die for what you’ve done, and I will come back here and kill you if I hear that you’ve ever called Mrs. Childers again. Get me?”
“You won’t.”
“When were you supposed to see her again?”
“Tonight.”
“Where and when?”
“Ten o’clock at Halcyon.”
And with that, I walked to the train station.
Chapter Seven
Halcyon on Smith Street in Brooklyn. I got there a little before ten and went inside. I looked around for Mrs. Childers, but she was nowhere to be found, so I took a seat in the back of the room so I could see the entrance. It was about eleven twenty before she finally showed up. She was wearing a powder blue dress that showed off her legs. Mrs. Childers had a seat at the bar, looking around for Ben. She ordered.
For the next half hour, I sat and watched her. I wanted to be sure that Ben didn’t have a change of heart and showed up. During that time, I watched as she dismissed man after man who approached her. The list was long. Knowing I wouldn’t fall prey to the same fate, I got up and approached her. I tapped her on the shoulder.
“Mrs. Childers.” She turned quickly and smiled when she realized who I was.
“Nick. What are you doing here?” Mrs. Childers asked.
“I stopped in for a drink. Mind if I join you?” I asked quickly before she asked why I was in Brooklyn.
“Well.” She scanned the room again. “I was supposed to be meeting somebody here, but I guess they’re not going to make it.”
“Then this must be my lucky night.” I sat down next to her and signaled for the bartender. “Johnnie Black, straight up. Can I get you something?”
“Hennessy Martini, with a twist.”
“So tell me, Mrs. Childers, what man would be foolish enough to stand up a beautiful woman like yourself?”
Mrs. Childers turned away and made one last look around the room for Ben, shrugged her shoulders and turned to face me with a smile.
“Who said I was waiting for a man? So, Nick, have you found out anything about Jake?”
“Not really. I did have a chance to look around his apartment. Do you know if he was working on something?”
“No. I really didn’t get into all that stuff he was into. A little too far over my head.”
I reached in my pocket and took out the picture of Jake and the mystery woman. “Do you know who this is in the picture with him?” I handed her the picture. She glanced at it for a second.
“I’ve never seen her before. Where did you get this?”
“That doesn’t matter. Has he ever mentioned dating any other woman, other than Lisa Ellison?”
“I’m not my brother’s keeper. He’s very private.”
“So how do you know Lisa?”
“He’s been seeing Lisa for years now. He brings her around to parties, family gatherings, things like that.”
“Now let’s talk about you, Mrs. Childers.”
“Me? What about me?”
“You haven’t exactly been honest with me.”
“What do you mean? I’ve told you everything I know.”
“About your husband, Mrs. Childers.”
“Chilly. What about Chilly?”
“Well, Mrs. Childers, he’s a little more than just involved with drugs. He controls most of the drug traffic uptown.”
“And?”
“Don’t you think that was worth mentioning?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“I don’t scare easily, Mrs. Childers. But that does change things.”
“You want more money.” She frowned and looked away, then turned back with fury in her eyes. “Is that what this is all about? Money?”
“No, Mrs. Childers, it’s about you telling me what I need to know, to do what you hired me to do.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, let’s start out with what I know, and you can fill in the blanks. Chilly was a fourth-level dealer for André Hammond until him and Ricky Combs were assassinated ten years ago. Vicious Black declared a dead zone where he wouldn’t allow them to sell drugs.” Mrs. Childers sat up straight in her chair. I had her attention now. Funny how the name Vicious Black has that effect on people. “Stop me if you want to add something.”
“No, you’re doing just fine,” she said while playing with the straw in her drink.
“When Jimmy Knowles, Charlie Rock and Vincent Martin attempted to kill Black, that started a war between him and what remained of André’s and Cazzie Riley’s organizations. Well, Black was successful in eliminating his enemies and Chilly took over. He made peace with Black and agreed to respect the dead zone.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I have my sources, Mrs. Childers. So with all that history out the way, let’s begin again. Why do you think that Chilly has something to do with your brother’s disappearance?”
“Like I said, it’s just a feeling, that’s all.”
I could tell that I was making her uncomfortable, but she was cute when she squirmed, so I continued my line of questioning.
“That’s not good enough, Mrs. Childers, there must be something else. Something you’re not telling me. I’ve heard that if Chilly had something to do with this, I should be looking for a body.”
“Don’t say that, please. Jake is not dead.”
“How do you know that? You know how your husband works. Public execution is his style. So if he was involved, a simple kidnapping wouldn’t cut it. Now you tell me, what did Chilly want to see Jake about?”
“I don’t know!” she said louder than she needed to. I finished my drink and waved the bartender over to bring me another.
“And one for the lady?” the bartender asked.
“No, I’ve got to go,” she said, standing up to gather her things.
“No, please don’t go. I didn’t mean to upset you, Mrs. Childers. I just need to know what you know. Please, ha
ve another drink with me. I promise I won’t push you.”
She smiled at me.
It made my heartbeat faster.
“Okay, but just one, then I really do have to go.” Mrs. Childers reclaimed her seat and ordered. “Bring me another Hennessy Martini.”
“With a twist,” I said and smiled. And she smiled back.
“So tell me about yourself. Your sister tells me y’all are from Philly. How’d you get to New York?”
“I wanted to get out of Philly.” She let out a little giggle. “Had to really. Our parents were really tough on us. Never let us go anywhere or do anything. It was like being on lock down. One by one, they drove us all out of the house. When Jake graduated from high school, he just never came home that night. No one knew where he was or what happened to him, he was just gone. About six months later, he came to my school to let me know that he was all right and that he was going to a small college in Pennsylvania. He told me where, and he made me promise that I wouldn’t tell our parents. Jake said they didn’t have a son anymore.”
“Kinda cold.”
“They deserved it. They’re dead to me now. Two years later, I left too. I hated to leave Chéz, but she was too young for me to try to take care of both of us. So I did what I had to do to get enough money to get up here.”
“What did you have to do?”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m not proud of what happened. That was a long time ago. It’s in the past and that’s where it will stay.”
“How’d you get hooked up with Chilly?”
“You really want to hear this, huh? Okay. So I caught the first thing smoking and came here. When I got off the bus at Port Authority, Chilly was the first person I met. I was young, barely seventeen. I’d never been anywhere, and he offered me the world. See, my father was the type of guy who was always waiting on some big deal or another that he was trying to put together. But it never happened. He was always this close to moving us up out the projects and into a nice house in the suburbs. He hated living in the projects. Said it wasn’t a safe place to raise the three of us. That’s why they were so hard on us. Especially me. He didn’t want me to get involved with the wrong kind of guys. Well look at me now daddy!” she said and raised her glass. “Anyway, Chilly was different. If Chilly said he was gonna do something, he got up and made it happen. I liked that. He was nice at first…” Her eyes dropped into her drink. “That war started and changed everything. Power changed him. I was just his showpiece, his toy. Something to show off to his boys. But that was all show. Then the beatings started.”