by JL Schneider
I have to laugh, quite a show, but just then the cops show up. Everybody scatters except the big guy withering in pain and the small black man standing over him. They spin the black man and cuff him. I’m waiting for them to cuff the other guy, but they help him sit up and sit him on the curb. The big guy is pointing at the black guy. The cops roughly walk the black guy to the car and begin to put him in the backseat. Something here isn’t right. I probably should mind my own business, but I just can’t. I get out of the car and walk over to the cop putting the man in the car. I tell him I saw the whole thing and the guy sitting on the curb started the whole the fight. He tells me to step back and mind my own business. The small black man in the back seat looks and smiles and says, “Always going to places you shouldn’t hey Jessie.” It’s Shelby. The cop asks me if I know this skell, I tell him this man isn’t a skell, he is a highly decorated Vietnam Veteran and my friend and the scumbag sitting on the curb was not fit to shine his boots. The other cop walks over and they confer quietly. After a few minutes another car pulls up. It’s a much older sergeant. The three cops talk, and the sergeant walks over to me. He asked me what I saw and what I know about the black guy. I explain that we had served together and his name was Shelby Wilson. He was a helicopter pilot who had pulled many wounded troops, black and white, out of many a shithole. He had several purple hearts, a Silver Star, and a Distinguished Service Cross. He talks to the other cops again, they un-cuff Shelby, get in there car and depart. He pulls me to the side and says “If this man is your friend I suggest you get him out of here, he is going to end up dead in this life”. He tells me “Semper Fi”. Christ, and old jarhead, I should have known.
Shelby was standing on the sidewalk grinning like a fool. We embraced. The big guy was heading back inside. Just as he opened the door he called me a “Nigger loving queer.” I surprised myself and swung as hard as I could. I caught him on the left side of his jaw. I heard and felt bone give. He bounced off the wall and fell half in/half out of the door. The crowd had again started to gather. The door to Sonny’s was partially open. I opened it the rest of the way and invited the crowd to take all the booze they wanted. I didn’t have to tell them twice, the crowd headed for the door. Before the big guy could get up and call the cops I grabbed Shelby and led him to the car. He got in the passenger seat and we headed out.
We drove laughing like two school kids. After a while I looked at him, “Well old friend, we need to talk.” He nods, “Buy me a drink and we can talk as long as you want.” I shake my head, “Tell you what, we talk first and if you still want, I’ll buy you that drink.” He nods. We were driving through an area called Centerpointe on Eutaw Street. We passed a Starbucks. I found a parking space and we walked back. I ordered two Venti strong black coffees.
We found a table, neither one of us spoke for a long time. He looked like a broken man. His old clothes were torn and dirty, he needed a shave badly, his hair, which he always kept close cropped was long and dirty. The last time I saw him those few months ago he looked healthy and fit. Now he just looked old and broken. He saw me looking at him and shook his head. I looked away. He started the conversation “I know, I’m a fucking mess, just and old broken down drunk, you should have left me where you found me. What the fuck are you doing here any way”? I laughed, “I was looking for you fool, why else would I be here. I talked your wife, correction, you ex-wife. What the hell happened Shelby?” Shaking his head he told me he had lost his job, he had been a pilot for a large corporation. He ferried employees and guests between airports and meetings. The company had gone bankrupt and laid everyone off. The day he was laid off he had come home early to tell his wife. He caught her in bed with their neighbor. A double whammy, he left went to a local bar, and had yet to take his head out of the bottle. When he did return she told him she wanted a divorce. He had wanted to try to make another go of it, but she didn’t. He had no fight left in him so he gave her everything and walked out. That was pretty much the whole story. He crawled into a bottle and felt sorry for himself.
He had a few dollars left when my wife was murdered. He cleaned himself up, bought a plane ticket with the last of his money, and came to see me. I was so consumed with grief and anger I didn’t have time for him. He went back to Baltimore and the bottle. Maybe, just maybe, if I would have made time for him both our lives would be different now. But I didn’t take the time and our lives aren’t going to change; so here we sit.
I’m trying to figure out where to start. I consider this man to be my best friend, but can I really tell him my story? I just throw caution to the wind and tell him everything. I start from my wife’s murder and end with my fiasco in Hoboken. He sits and listens, his expression never changing. When I’m done I sit back and feel relieved, now at least someone else knows my story. He looks at me smiles and says “You got to be shitting me”.
We both break out laughing. I’m not even sure what we are laughing at. I just bared my soul to this man and his statement is “You got to be shitting me”. People around us are looking at us we have totally lost our mind, and maybe we both have. He’s a drunk and I’m a murder and a drug dealer. We finally laugh ourselves out and sit quiet. I look at him, “It’s all true man, every word. I don’t want to drag you into something if you aren’t 100% sure. This is illegal, dirty, and dangerous.” He smiles, “Look at me Jess, what the hell do I have? I a drunk, I’m broke and I’m alone. So when do we start?”
Chapter 27
We start on the flight back to New Orleans. I explain I need him sober and sharp or we could both die. I know the draw of liquor is strong, but when Shelby promises to quit, I know he means it. Back in New Orleans we go to the mall and buy him a new wardrobe. We stop and get a good meal and head for my house. I tell him about Rachael and Jasmine. We go inside and both of them are there cooking dinner. I introduce him and tell them don’t be put off by his appearance. He is ashamed of the way he looks, but manages to say hello, never making eye contact. As he cleans up I explain Shelby’s story, from Vietnam to Baltimore. I don’t tell them he is now my partner. He comes down the stairs looking much better, however still tired and drained. In his honor we drink ginger ale, no sense making matter worse. We sit for hours and talk about old times. We look at old pictures of the guys that made it and the guys that didn’t. We share a few laughs and a few tears. Finally it’s time to turn in. I fix the sofa for him to sleep on. Jasmine offers to give up her bed, but he says the sofa is much better than the gutter where he has spent the last year.
The next morning I take Shelby to have a haircut, after a buzz he looks a lot more like the old Shelby. I call Buckle and set up a meeting for that night. Shelby asks, “What if this guy don’t want me in?” I laugh, “He don’t have an option. You’re in, or everyone is out.” I know Buckle doesn’t want another partner. We take the girls to dinner and drop them off at home. Shelby and I head for Harry’s. Buckle didn’t sound like a happy camper on the phone when I told him I had our new partner, but Buckle’s happiness wasn’t my problem, my life was.
Thursday night, 9 PM Harry’s. Shelby and I are sitting at a table when Buckle walks in. We are drinking cokes, no sense putting any more pressure on Shelby than necessary. Shelby has had a haircut and shaved for the first time in a long time. He looks more like the old Shelby I remember. I introduce Shelby and we sit. Buckle orders a scotch. I look at Shelby, this doesn’t seem to bother him at all. I start the conversation, “OK, so this is our new partner, in for an even split.” I can see this is grinding at Buckle. His scotch comes, he downs it in one swallow and orders another. “Hey, get drunk if you want, but this isn’t going to change anything. You had a three way split before, you got one again.” He just grunts. He sits for several minutes quietly then agrees, as if he had a choice.
Buckle sips his scotch then says, “I have some disturbing news. One of the men you so unfortunately ran into in Hoboken has a brother. The brother is a small time drug dealer, but very violent. It seems him and his brother
were going to branch out on their own using our money and drugs. As you may remember you upset their plans.” I shook my head, “So let me guess, the brother wants me dead. You have any information on these guys?” He nods, “It seems he has offered fifty thousand dollars for your demise.” I laughed, “Crap, is that all? I would have thought I was worth more than that.”
Obviously Buckle was concerned, I still had the recorder. I was concerned because I didn’t want to constantly be looking over my shoulder. There was only two ways to remove the contract, I would be killed or the man paying the contract had to die. I knew which one I preferred. I asked, “So how did you find this out?” He sipped his scotch, “The man in Hoboken don’t want the pipeline upset. He called and warned me. Hell, that was his shipment they were trying to rip off. He told me the brother’s name is Jose Garcia. Runs with a New Jersey gang called the Western Thugs. His brother , Juan, went to work for my supplier just to set up a rip off.” Juan was now dead and Jose was minus a brother. I needed as much information about Jose I could get. Buckle gave me the phone number of his contact in Hoboken who could supply me details.
Buckled added, “There’s another pickup scheduled for next week, but the supplier is concerned because of the heat.” I shook my head, “No, set it up for next Thursday. The heat isn’t going to die down. That contract on me won’t just go away. But I’m not going to Hoboken, I need to get them out of their comfort zone. Let’s see, Alexandria Virginia. I passed through there couple of weeks ago. Nice neutral territory and right on I-95. And do me a favor, tell you guy in Hoboken to make sure Jose knows the deal is going down, I want him there. With any luck we might be able to kill two birds with one stone. I’ll call you in a little while with the exact location.” We left Harry’s and drove home.
At home I did some research and found a location in Alexandria to my liking. I wanted a large park that closed after dark. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. I chose Chinquapin Park. It closed at 8 PM during the winter. I called Buckle and told him to set up the exchange Thursday at 11 PM on the Northeast corner of Chinquapin Park. There was a picnic shelter 100 feet into the park. That was the meeting place.
I called the number in Hoboken that Buckle had given me. The guy who answered didn’t identify himself but told me he was expecting my call. He asked me if I had a fax machine. I did and gave him the number. He told me within the hour I would have a fax with a picture of Garcia. I assume he was going to send from some public location. He hung up without saying goodbye.
Both girls were out so we shared a coke and discussed the situation. Shelby was fighting his addiction and I didn’t think he would be much help in planning. I was hoping by Thursday he would be good to go. I really needed him for that meeting. I had one week until the exchange, but I needed to get there at least two days early to prepare. I suddenly realized something, I was enjoying myself. I felt alive for the first time in a long time. I was preparing to purchase drugs and kill a man, and I liked it.
Rachael and Jasmine arrived home about 11pm; they had been out to a late dinner. Shelby looked much better and paid a lot of attention to Jasmine. Apparently he had a thing for redheads also. We talked for awhile and turned in. Around 2 AM I was awakened by a moaning, I though Rachael was sick. I looked and she was sound asleep, I immediately though Jasmine was having withdrawal symptoms. I opened her door and found her and Shelby in the middle of intercourse. They were so involved with each other I just quietly closed the door. Now I realized how easily Jasmine could hear Rachael and me during sex, I vowed to make less noise, or move to another room.
The next morning Shelby was again on the couch, there secret was safe with me. We had coffee and nothing was mentioned, I took Rachael on the side. “I need to ask you a question. This is kind of uncomfortable. Is unprotected sex OK now with Jasmine?” She looked at me and smiled. “You shithead, you couldn’t resist that red hair could you?” I shook my head, “No baby no, I swear. Last night I know her and Shelby were together. I heard a noise and saw them. Not me I swear baby.” She laughed, “I believe you, I’m not going anywhere though. If the urge gets to strong just go with it.” What did I ever do to deserve someone this wonderful?
I called Buckle. I needed to meet with Rufus, the man in the Calliope Project. I needed some equipment. Buckle set up a meeting that night. Same routine this time except I was doing the buying. I parked alone in the usual place and before long the same man was sitting in my car. I told him I need at least two guns, untraceable, preferably assault rifles. He didn’t even bat an eye. He told me ten thousand dollars for two AK. I told him I needed them immediately. He told me to return at midnight. I did as I was told. Same routine, I was told to drive into the projects and pop the trunk. I heard a noise in my trunk and I handed a bag with ten thousand dollars out the window. Simple as that. I drove home and opened the trunk. Sure enough, two AK 47s and two boxes of ammo. Much too easy to get weapons in this town. I looked closer at the rifles, there were no numbers are markings visible anywhere.
Shelby and I went to a sporting goods store and purchased some other equipment.
The next morning he and I rode down I-10 to test the rifles. I pulled off in the same area, walked into the woods, and tested them. I made sure to take them off full automatic. That distinctive sound may have got some unwanted attention.
We made our plans and had dinner with the girls, by now the thing between Jasmine and Shelby wasn’t a secret. They were like two young love birds, holding hands and snuggling. Jasmine had confessed to Rachael about what had happened between the two of them. She had come down and seduced Shelby, she needed someone close to her and liked Shelby immediately. They now shared the same bed. That evening we packed our equipment in the car, readying it for the trip to Virginia.
Chapter 28
Another long and uneventful drive, Shelby and I talked of old time and tried to mentally prepare ourselves for what was to come. We arrived in Alexandria on Tuesday night, two full days before our meeting, and checked into a motel. Wednesday we walked the park where the meeting was going to occur. The weather was still cold and very few people were around. We talked about cover and concealment, fields of fire, egress routes, it sounded like a major military campaign. The success of this depended on Garcia believing I was alone. I was hoping they wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday or Thursday and hadn’t seen Shelby and me together.
Thursday just after dark I dropped Shelby off on the Southwest corner of the park. The opposite end I was to meet on. I waited in a coffee shop some miles away. At 10:45 PM I entered the park and walked to the shelter. There was one man standing under the shelter. I couldn’t see his face. The small earpiece in my ear told me he had been there for fifteen minutes and had arrived alone. The voice was Shelby’s. He was in the underbrush about one hundred and fifty feet north looking through one of our brand new pair of night vision goggles and talking into a miniature transmitter. He was also wearing the camouflage clothing we had purchased. He was invisible and had been in position for three hours. My AK hung under my right arm. My coat concealed it. I stopped fifty feet from the man and placed the bag of money I was carrying on the ground. He un-slung a duffel bag and placed it next to him. Suddenly Shelby told me of movement one hundred yards to my left. He counted three men moving in a crotch. I picked up the money bag and tossed it to the man standing in front of me. I told him “Take the money and split, the shits about to hit the fan.” He must have been told by his boss there would be a problem, he took the bag and moved in the opposite direction as the approaching group. I walked slowly to the drug bag and waited for Shelby to update me.
The three men were apparently waiting to ambush me as I returned to my car. They must have seen me park my car and enter the park. Shelby was moving to flank them on the left. I hung the drug bag across my back and started toward their right. I took the second pair of night vision goggle out of my coat pocket and put them on. I could now see them crouched in the underbrush. The green glow showed they
all had weapons of some type. I changed direction and began to move to my left, moving them in the direction where Shelby now lay in cover. As I moved to my left they crept to their right, constantly placing them in the direction of Shelby. Suddenly one of the men stood and took aim. Two quick rounds from Shelby dropped him. The others stood and turned toward the direction the shots had come from. I dropped to one knee and using the night vision fired in their direction. They didn’t know what to do, they were flanked and caught in a crossfire. They were both cut down before they could react. I reloaded and ran toward their bodies. Shelby came in from the left. The first guy I got to was shot through the chest with several rounds, he was gone. Number two was Garcia, he had been hit in the leg and shoulder. Shelby’s guy was hit in the gut. I couldn’t let Garcia live, the price on my head would go up. I swung the AK up and fired into his chest from two feet away. I told Shelby to leave the other guy and let’s get going. He said the other guy could cause more problems. He put the AK on full auto and emptied the clip into him. We hauled it to the car and headed south. This place would be crawling with cops within minutes.
Chapter 29
The headline read. ‘Slaughter in Chinquapin Park’. We were sitting in a Denny’s on Friday morning. We were about an hour south of Alexandria. We had put everything in the trunk and stayed in the motel that night. We drove south on I-95 and found the Denny’s. They had a machine that sold the Alexandria Times. I glanced at the story. The police had nothing but dead bodies and a lot of shell casing. Someone had seen a light colored SUV driving away to the north. Good, I was driving a dark colored convertible and I was going south. I’m not sure who they saw, but it wasn’t me.