Chapter
10
Pettiway and Parish arrived at a one family house in Canarsie, Brooklyn two hours after leaving the 47th Precinct in the North Bronx. Pettiway glanced at the address for confirmation before stepping out of the car.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” an older, brown skin lady asked answering the policemen’s knock.
“How you doing, ma’am? Are you Ms. Frieda Razor by chance?” Pettiway asked.
“Yes I am. Is there something I can help you two with?” Ms. Razor asked suspiciously.
“I’m Detective Pettiway and this is my partner Detective Parish. May we come inside so we can talk to you in private?” Pettiway asked politely.
Ms. Razor gave the two detectives a peculiar look before allowing them inside her home. She led them to a nicely furnished living room, offering them a seat.
“Do you know a young man by the name of Ali Ricardo?” Pettiway asked her.
“Yes. That’s my godson,” Ms. Razor answered. When she saw the nervous look on the men’s faces which prompting her to ask, “Is Ali okay? Did something happen to him?”
“Well, ma’am,” Pettiway began nervously, “Ali was murdered a few nights ago in the Bronx. We believe he may have been coming from seeing you.”
The hurt registered across Ms. Razor’s face as her breath was caught in her chest. She placed her right hand over her heart as the tears began to spill. She reached over to an end table where a box of tissue sat. She removed a few and dabbed away at the tears that now flowed freely.
She stiffened her back, putting on a brave front. “How did it happen?”
“To be honest with you, ma’am. It was an accident. A couple of teenagers found a handgun on the train tracks. They were checking it out when it went off, striking Ali, who was a passenger on a passing 6 Train, in the back of the head,” Pettiway explained to her.
Another tear dropped from her eye as her body jerked from hearing the story.
“If it’s any consolation, ma’am, Ali didn’t feel any pain. He died as if he went in his sleep,” Pettiway told her in hopes of easing her pain.
Ms. Razor cried for a few moments more before regaining her composure. With a smile she told the detectives, “That boy has been hell on wheels ever since his mother passed away. His father tried to keep him on the straight and narrow but it wasn’t easy.” She let out a hearty laugh. “That boy raised hell every chance he got.”
Pettiway smiled, listening intently as she told stories of Ali growing up and running the streets.
“Have you met his daughter?” Ms. Razor asked the detectives.
“We haven’t had the pleasure but we met with the child’s mother,” Pettiway answered.
Ms. Razor rolled her eyes at the mentioning of Kisha. “That hussy. She ain’t do nothing but give Ali a headache. But he didn’t care. He loved that little girl like she was his own.” Ms. Razor’s smile returned at the mentioning of the baby. “He was even considering adopting her legally so she’d be his.”
“Is that so? That’s was really nice of him,” Pettiway said surprised.
“I know you detectives only know about the bad Ali did in the streets but he was a different person if you really knew him. In fact, wait right here. I’ll be right back,’ she said as she got up and left the living room.
“Nice lady,” Parish said in a low voice.
“Very nice.”
Ms. Razor returned with an envelope. As she took a seat she fanned the envelope as if she was contemplating not sharing the contents with the detectives. “Um, I don’t know if I should share this or not but I’m going to go with my gut. And my gut tells me you’re both nice gentlemen who genuinely care. So,” she told the detectives as she opened the envelop and removed what looked like a lottery ticket.
“A few weeks ago I sent Ali to the grocery store to get me a couple of things. He came back with this,” she said showing them the ticket. “For some reason, Ali took it upon his self and played the Mega Million. He won.”
Shock instantly registered across the look of the detectives’ faces. Especially for Detective Parish, who was an avid Lotto player.
“He what?” Parish asked amazed.
Ms. Razor cracked a smile. “He won. That’s why there haven’t been a winner come forward yet. Ali has been cleaning up his act, so to speak, in the last few weeks. He was going around to different community centers seeing what they was about. What kind of help they were offering troubled teens like himself.” She saw the surprised look on the detectives’ faces. “I told you gentlemen, Ali was smart. He wasn’t the average teenage gang banger. He started off on the wrong foot but he was trying to right his self. With this ticket he was able to do that.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, ma’am, what do you plan on doing with the ticket?” Pettiway asked intrigued.
“I’m going to finish what Ali started. First, I’m going to make sure that pretty little girl has everything her heart desire because that’s what Ali would have done. Then I’m going to go around to the community centers and offer scholarships to the young black men and women who want to change their lives. Give them that second chance that no one else seems to be offering.”
“What about the family?” Pettiway asked.
With that question, Ms. Razor’s demeanor changed. “As far as the family, goes I will help whoever need it. But I will not allowing them to use that boy’s money to satisfy their greed.”
“Well, I’ve spoken with Ali’s father. In fact that’s how we found out about you. He asked me to tell you that you are more than welcome at his house. You are family no matter what transpired between you two,” Pettiway told her.
Ms. Razor smiled broadly. “Me and that man had bumped heads over Ali so much we have permanent scars. But he’s right. I am family. So I think I will take him up on his offer. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to do something nice for him also.”
“I think he’ll like that. Besides, I believe he can use a hand with the final details,” Pettiway said. After a moment of silence Pettiway stood up and said, “I believe it’s time for us to be on our way. I apologize for being the bearer of bad news,” as he offered his hand to Ms. Razor.
She shook his hand, offering him a strong smile. “You be safe out there,” she told them as she walked them to the front door.
“Wow, can you believe that? Out of all the luck in the world, the poor guy wins the Mega Million only to die by accident,” Parish asked disbelievingly as they headed for their car.
“I guess that’s what you call karma. Hopefully the people who need the money get it without any problems.
Later that evening it was announced on the nightly news that Frieda Razor was the sole winner of the Mega Million Lottery. Ms. Razor announced Ali Ricardo was the actual purchaser of the ticket and had asked her to hold it for safe keeping. Since Ali never signed the ticket, claiming legal ownership of the ticket, Ms. Ricardo had no problems claiming the winnings. She did just as she said she would. She established the Ali Ricardo Scholarship Fund. A fund dedicated to helping troubled teens who wanted to change their lives around by continuing their education. Ms. Razor also established a crisis help line for teens who were involved in gangs and wanted to get out. The rest of the money she divided among the family members who mattered most to Ali; his father, grandmother, and a few close relatives.
Jason Rodriguez was charged and plead guilty to second degree murder. The District Attorney took into account that it was an accident and that Jason truly was remorseful for his actions. He was sentenced to ten years in a New York State Prison.
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Last Stop Page 10