Velvet Mafia

by Lydia L Watts

  “So what?” the other young man said as they both headed toward Guy. “Are you a scumbag faggot, too?”

  “Well, if you are asking me if I like men, the answer is yes. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

  Guy dropped his book bag and took a southpaw stance, something he’d learned how to do growing up in the trailer park. It wasn’t long before the brawl drew a crowd of people enjoying the display of raw carnage.

  The first young man had taken his stance too, bringing his fists up, ready to attack or defend himself at any moment. He and Guy stared at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. The young man threw his fist in a right punch, but he was sloppy and Guy easily blocked the punch, leaving his foe open for attack. Guy made contact with the youth’s lip and the kid staggered back as blood flowed down his face.

  Before Guy could cause any more damage, Devon came up from behind the first attacker and threw his body to the ground, allowing Guy to shift his full attention to the second. Guy charged at him with a left jab, right jab, and final uppercut. The young man tried in vain to protect himself from the assault, but he was finally knocked down with a haymaker.

  Once the second assailant had fallen to the ground, Guy bent over to catch his breath and noticed that Devon had won his fight, too. Both attackers, now on the ground, had to be realizing that their op-ponents were more than just sissies which was what they had originally anticipated.

  Guy’s relationship with Devon paid off as big as the winners in the savings and loan crisis had scored in the 1980s. For Guy’s plan had worked. Devon had fallen completely in love with him and would do almost anything for him. But Guy’s real catch was Yancy Laurie, the family patriarch. If he could win over Yancy Laurie with his intellect, his fate would be secured. Yancy Laurie was known to be an elitist, so Guy used his intellectual prowess to lure him into supporting and mentoring the growth of his political future. And this worked too! No longer did his lack of pedigree interfere with his political aspirations. His mere association with Yancy opened more doors than even he could have imagined. In fact, Guy had become like Yancy’s son in the eyes of those who would later become his co-conspirators.

  Now that Guy was an elected official, he had all the power he wanted — including the power and influence of the Velvet Mafia. The problem he now faced was the fact that Blake Jones, an outsider, had evidence that the Velvet Mafia existed … the type of evidence that would get Guy killed. Blake had crossed the line and it was personal.

  First, Guy had to find out how he had gotten possession of the picture; then Blake would be eliminated. In his mind, anybody who interfered in his business — especially a Black wannabe like Blake Jones — would pay. And he would use every resource available to see to it that when they found Jones, he would be unrecognizable.

  Teddy had several hours before her meeting with Basil at the Chicago Canterbury Hotel. She decided she would rest, listen to some music and look over again some of the data she’d been collecting through the years. She knew everything she needed was looking directly at her; she just had to figure out what “it” was. For eight years, she had been collecting evidence and once she had discovered there was a secret society involved with the HIV propaganda, she became even more determined to identify the connection. If she could do so, Isabella’s death would not have been in vain.

  The one thing Teddy knew for sure was that whoever was behind the game of charades wanted her to stay engaged. Each clue she unraveled produced evidence of a conspiracy that would make most be-lieve she had lost her mind. But now she had come to a crossroads. She could not go any further without help. In the effort to figure out who had killed her partner, she had discovered that Isabella’s work was a critical — if not the most critical — piece to the puzzle. But she needed Basil to help her interpret what everything meant and it wouldn’t be easy. First, she would have to convince Basil her theory was plausible. Then she would have to make the argument so believable that Basil would be willing to stop what he was currently doing to help her solve what she believed to be a callous crime against humankind.

  Teddy’s relationship with Basil had started after their chance meeting in Spain. She had been so intrigued by his argument that they had developed a friendship. At first, Isabella refused even to entertain Basil’s position. To Isabella, it was simply unconscionable to believe that HIV was part of a conspiracy based on lies, greed and profits.

  However, her opinion had changed once the scientific community started to attack Basil’s reputation. Prior to his decision to go against the prevailing thought that HIV was the origin of AIDS, Basil’s cre-dentials had been impeccable. He was a professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Chicago, a recipient of an Outstanding Investigator Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a Nobel Prize nominee.

  For Isabella, the attack against his reputation just hadn’t made sense. Once Isabella became sympathetic to what was being done to Basil, he began to send her his work. He knew she would look at it with her own ethical and scientific consciousness. After all, Isabella shared his love for the purity that scientific discovery had to offer. Right or wrong, she would be honest and would review his work with scientific intelligence, rather than through the eyes of a sympathetic friend or a paid puppeteer.

  As the scientific world’s opinion continued to change for the worse, Basil was even more determined to expose what he knew. Notwithstanding attempts by the scientific community to prevent his work from being published, under a pseudonym, he managed to get his own publication, the DaKira Papers into all the major medical and scientific journals. The response his articles received brought him worldwide attention, but some people in high places, specifically the highest halls in government, did not like this attention. Top players, including the Surgeon General and the White House, were saying that Dr. Basil Rhodes was inciting scientific treason. They even charged his argument could encourage worldwide medical malfeasance. They saw that his freedom of speech had made him armed and dangerous. So the attack was on.

  If Basil had been a boxer, he would have been fighting out of his weight class. His opponents were coming for blood and wanted to knock him out in the first round. First, they attacked his credibility and with every swing they threw, they managed to hit their target. Regardless of how hard they came at him, Basil could take a punch, but you knew when it was all over, he had been in a battle. Like any good fighter, he got back up swinging and before you knew it, he had published another article. This infuriated his opponents and they came after him again. This time it was an all-out push to crush his character by inquiring about his mental status.

  Watching the government’s attacks against her friend, Teddy became even more intrigued about whether HIV really was the cause of AIDS. She could not believe a man of Basil’s stature could lose everything simply because he had a different opinion and chose to publish his opinion in pursuit of an open exchange and dialogue.

  Teddy wanted in. She knew that the way things were playing out, Basil was on to something. If Basil’s corporate greed theory was correct, somebody had gone to extraordinary lengths to produce a solution to a problem they themselves had fashioned by creating a disease, a method for diagnosing the disease, and drugs to treat the disease — all of which, inevitably, created a new industry, new consumers, new world profits and the emergence of a new political movement. It was becoming more and more obvious that the string pullers had the means, motive and opportunity to change the world’s population landscape without leaving any evidence of outside tampering and obstruction.

  Teddy sighed. Reviewing all that had happened was depressing. But she loved being in Chicago. In fact, since Isabella’s death, Chicago, more so than DC had become her home. She had needed a place to heal and Chicago had provided the privacy and solitude she needed. For the first few years, Teddy’s pain had been incomprehensible. Losing Isabella had been crushing and not knowing who had killed her and why she had lost her life had almost
sent her over the edge. And the one person she wanted to reach out to, she just couldn’t. Lauren was the one true friend she had wanted to see the most, but Lauren had demons of her own to deal with.

  Lauren had been Teddy’s first love, but unfortunately for Teddy, Lauren loved drugs and alcohol more than she loved her. As a result, their relationship had ended on bad terms. Over the years, Teddy had used her contacts and influence to follow up on Lauren’s whereabouts. She knew she had spent time in the Peace Corps, had had a couple of stints in jail and had been in and out of rehab.

  But, for the last few years, Lauren had appeared to be doing better and was again living in the old neighborhood. Since family, music and drugs had always been the major influences in Lauren’s life, it didn’t surprise Teddy that Lauren was living at home with her mother and playing in a band.

  Throughout the years, Teddy hadn’t prayed much, but when she had, she’d prayed for two things: to uncover who killed Isabella and expose the truth surrounding her death, and that Lauren would get clean and stay clean.

  So far, one prayer had been answered. All evidence indicated that Lauren was done with the demon that had almost robbed her of her life and she was finally playing music as she had been destined to do.

  According to Teddy’s sources, Lauren had a ten-piece band known as Deep Diamonds, and all ten members were recovering addicts. Chicago was known for its music: jazz, blues, R&B, soul, hip-hop and house and Deep Diamonds played each and every genre with the precision of sweat dripping off the brow of a virtuoso.

  Lauren was a bass guitar player and in Chicago, a female guitarist was one thing, but a left-handed female bass guitar player who could sing … well, she ruled supreme. Even as a young girl, when Lauren had started to play, she had your attention. She was not only good at her trade, but some said she was the best. In fact, word out on the street was that if her addiction had not taken hold on her for so long, she would probably be leading a band on one of the late-night shows or laying her own tracks. Plus, she was easy on the eyes. Tall, slender and handsome, she had facial features models dreamed of and in some cases, paid for. And her eyes. Her eyes were the mirror of her soul. They were strong, romantic and tortured. If you looked deep enough, you could see her life’s struggles and that only added to her mystique.

  Lauren was definitely a musical force to be reckoned with and everybody took notice. Even some of the greats wanted her to play for them. With the band playing at the Roulette Klub, Teddy was determined to see for herself.

  As Teddy rested in preparation for her meeting with Basil, her phone rang.

  “Teddy?”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “Is this a good time to talk about the Arts Festival?”

  “Well, I was kind of resting,” Teddy said. “I have a meeting tonight. Can I call you later?”

  “Sure, baby. I just wanted to know if you received the program I wrote for this year’s festival.”

  “How did you send it, Mom?”

  “I faxed it, of course.”

  “Mom, can you send it via email? It will be easier for me to read and edit.”

  “Baby, I would, but I just don’t like all that technology. Just correct it and fax it back to me, okay?”

  “Yes, Mommy,” Teddy replied sarcastically. “Anything for you.”

  “So, baby, when you coming home? I miss you! Your father and I have been working hard preparing for the festival and we could sure use your help.”

  “It won’t be for another week or so. I am working on this case and —”

  “Please tell me this does not have anything to do with Isabella and that AIDS conspiracy stuff we talked about. Baby, Isabella is dead, and if you keep investigating that AIDS stuff, you might find yourself in a situation you won’t be able to get out of.”

  “Mom, don’t worry about me,” Teddy said. “Hug and kiss Daddy for me and I’ll call you when I —”

  “Wait a minute, little girl. Don’t try to dismiss me and brush me off as if what I said was insignificant. I mean it, Winifred Theodora. You have to be careful. That conspiracy nonsense will not only impact you, but it will also impact me and your father. Now, I need you to fax me back the material I sent you by tomorrow.” Click.

  “Mommy … Mommy … .” Teddy sat up on the bed. “Did she just hang up on me? Man, she pisses me off when she does that shit.”

  So much for resting. She rolled out of bed and headed downstairs to the fax machine, disgruntled because with all the things she needed to do, reading and editing her mother’s program for the Arts Festival had not been part of her agenda.

  After reading the program, Teddy saw that it didn’t need a lot of editing. In fact, the little changes she made to the document were not necessary, but she knew that if she didn’t make any changes, her mother would assume she hadn’t read it. Now, with less than two hours before her meeting with Basil, she was glad she had finished the document and could fax it back to her mother.

  Dear Mommy, the manifesto is great! I only had a few changes, so let me know what you think. I have a meeting later this evening, so if you want to talk, let’s talk tomorrow.

  I love you,

  Teddy

  P.S. You know you owe me an apology for hanging up on me.

  Chapter 3

  AS EXPECTED, THE Canterbury Hotel was extremely busy. With several events going on, it was easy to get lost in the crowd. Teddy decided to take up a position in the Duke Lounge where she could have a drink and blend in. Since the goal was to be discreet, she did what came naturally: allowed men to entertain her while she waited for Basil and there were plenty of interested takers.

  The meeting of the dissidents, including Basil’s speech, lasted about two hours, and as people filtered back into the lounge and lobby, Teddy noted the typical suspects were obviously present. The govern-ment never actively participated in these gatherings, but you always knew they were there. They just tried to look inconspicuous. Their goal was to take notes and provide a rebuttal to any assertions made implicating the government in the development of HIV or any propaganda surfacing that HIV was man-made.

  Unfortunately for them, Teddy knew who they were. For several years, she had been conducting surveillance and she had a dossier on every government official involved in the dissident movement, as well as all dissidents and consumers attending the meetings. Nobody was off-limits.

  Since most of the men in the lounge had been attending the meeting, it was now easy for her to fit into their discussions. She knew enough about the issue to express the position of both arguments without actually taking a side. In her mind, the subject was beyond ideological differences. Murder was on her brain and she wanted to apprehend everyone involved, even if it meant the president of the United States.

  It was around 8:15 pm when Basil finally arrived. A few stragglers were hanging out in the lobby, but for the most part, the attendees had left to take in the city. This time of year, Chicago had too much to offer and the weather was just right for a late-night stroll down Michigan Avenue.

  “Hello, Basil,” Teddy said. “I can see you still pack them in.”

  “Yes,” Basil said, chuckling as he stroked his well-groomed beard with his thick hands. “There’s no doubt that the dissident community is growing. More and more people are starting to question authority and are demanding that the issue be publicly debated. But, as you know, my dear, no matter what we do, the other side refuses to debate the issues. I guess to do so would suggest there is merit in the argument. But enough about the movement. You look absolutely beautiful, Teddy. All this just for me?”

  “Why, thank you, Dr. Rhodes! But, no, this is not for you. I have another engagement later this evening.”

  “Well, I hope she’s worth it,” Basil replied. “I haven’t seen you look this radiant in quite some time and I must confess, you are gorgeous.”

  “Basil,” Teddy said laughing lightly and blushing, her face moving from a soft brown hue to a rising red underglow. “If I did
n’t know better, I would think you were hitting on me.”

  “No, my dear,” Basil said. “I just recognize true beauty when I see it. So, on that note, let’s get down to business. What is it that you want to discuss with me?”

  Feeling a little apprehensive, Teddy tried to avoid the question. “Why so serious so fast, Dr. Rhodes?”

  “If I didn’t know better, Teddy, I would think you’re stalling. What is it, Teddy? Why are you being so coy?”

  “I’m not being coy,” Teddy replied. “I’m just trying to figure out how I want to frame what it is I want to tell you and then ask of you. All of which, I guarantee, will seem unbelievable.”

  “Come on, Teddy! This is Basil you are talking to.” He sported a gigantic grin. “You know — the black sheep of the science world. So, from where I stand, anything unbelievable is, in fact, believable. Remember, I’m a scientist and a damn good one! And, as a scientist, nothing surprises me. So tell me. What’s on your mind?”

  “Before we get started, let’s walk,” she said. “There’s a park across the street. I’ll meet you there. Go about one kilometer to the south. There’s a bench next to the Youth Memorial Wall. I need you to wait about ten minutes before you leave here and try not to look conspicuous. If after ten minutes, I do not show up, abandon the plan, and I will contact you later.”

  “Damn,” Basil said, clearly scared. “This must be some serious espionage shit.”

  “It is,” Teddy said, looking at her old friend with consternation and fear.

  Ten minutes had passed and still no Teddy. One thing Basil wasn’t was a spy. So to be playing spy games with Teddy made him suspicious of everything moving.

  “Teddy, is that you?” Basil said in a loud whisper. “Teddy?”

  “Yes, Basil, it’s me.”

  “I was just about ready to leave. What took you so long?”