Swirl Romance Stories

by Louis Alexandre Forestier

  “ Another important thing.” Continued after a pause. “From now on all the other women, whether white or black are out of the picture.”

  “Of course Philip.”

  “Last but not least.” The Councilor continued developing his list of requests.” The marriage will be by the Baptist church and children will be baptized in it.”

  “No problem. I am nominally Catholic but I’m not really religious.”

  At that point Gardner called by the antiquated intercom.

  “Toya. Call Cyrus and Tom and invite them to come to my office.”

  Then he addressed Vince.

  “I’m going to introduce you to those who will be your bosses. I will tell you clearly, you should flatter them for a while until they fully accept you.”

  Walt Kolski was waiting his old comrade at the Frank & Johnny´s bar. The man missed the conversations he used to have with Vince and Leroy. Besides Walt had something inside that was lacerating him and he needed to share. In the mirror he saw that Vince was entering through the door; as Walt watched him walking with crutches his stomach squeezed.

  The first part of the talk dealt with Vince´s new activities in the city administration.

  “For now it fits you to be working at a desk. But will you adapt to it when you leave the crutches?” Asked Walt.

  “Loretta has compelled me to do that. It is her condition to marry me.”

  The conversation then turned to the developments in the police precinct since Vince had left it. He noticed a certain reticence, a certain anxiety in his friend and so he explicited.

  “Walt. I notice there is something you’re not telling me.”

  Kolski felt he was released of a chain that had been oppressing him; the last hurdle to share his secret had fallen.

  “Come, let’s move to a table. I want to talk with you about something confidential.”

  “I can hardly believe what you are telling me.” Caruso was really amazed. “You say O’Halloran is covering up a network of traffickers?”

  “I began to suspect when after the slaughter in the warehouse he ordered us all to search for a fugitive African woman. Do you remember it?”

  “Yes. He circulated a photo of the girl.”

  “This is the one.” Walt said displaying one of the photos in the gallery of his cell phone.

  “I remember her. Beautiful woman. Definitely a candidate to be sold to brothels.”

  “Well, in those days I found her and passed the information to O’Halloran. I did that through Laura Sandoval. I then received the order to follow her at a distance and after a while I was ordered to leave the track.”

  “So?”

  “The following night two dead thugs of African origin were found in the streets, one of them shot with an old military weapon and the other with his head shattered and his throat pierced by a stiletto or some similar sharp object.”

  “I see you’ve been tying up loose ends.”

  “But what made me begin to suspect was a conversation I heard accidentally. I had gone to the escape ladders in the precinct to discuss with Rebecca about some expenses because I did not want anyone to hear my conversation. I sat on the stairs one floor down when I heard someone was doing the same in the upper floor. I immediately recognized O’Halloran´s voice. The fact that he had come to speak to the supposedly empty stairs and his tone immediately warned me that something dirty was involved. I hung up with my wife and crouched in the shadows.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “Only fragments but quite clear. The lieutenant spoke with great respect so concluded that the caller was someone higher up the food chain.”

  “The police chain?”

  “Or the city government. O´Halloran mentioned “that Jemal idiot” in a really scornful tone.”

  “With whom did you associate that name?”

  Walt pushed his chair placing it closer to Vince and continued in a whisper.

  “In my further research I found references to a certain Jemal Gebre, an Eritrean suspected of narcotics and human trafficking from East Africa. He is also supposedly involved in the slaughter in the Harlem warehouse.”

  “What else you heard on the stairs?”

  “The lieutenant was speaking about “the woman”. Apparently he and his interlocutor had seen a girl the day someone tried to kill her and the other feared she could recognize them. Then O’Halloran answered that he would take care of her.”

  “Holy Jesus!” Exclaimed Vince. “There is little doubt.”

  “But as you’ll notice.” Continued Walt. “Nothing that can be used in court. No proof at all.”

  Caruso made a resigned gesture. Then asked.

  “What will you do with all this?”

  “Nothing, that´s why it´s burning me. I cannot expose my children and Rebecca to reprisal from these heavy guys. Nor there´s anything you can do.”

  Vince thought a moment.

  “You’re right. I have committed to Loretta to stay away from danger. Besides, I’m no longer in the police force, I have no weapon nor badge … Hey, I’ll tell you what you can do.”

  Walt paid attention to what Vince murmured.

  “First pass me the photos you’ve taken from that woman.”

  “Here you have them. I have copied them in this pen-drive. Destroy it once you´ve copied them.”

  “Second, tell me where you found that woman in your pursuits, what are her whereabouts.”

  He made silence for a moment and then continued.

  “Finally I ask you contact with Sergeant Eric Murphy. Do you know him?”

  “Vaguely.”

  “I’m going to call Eric at this moment and will introduce you. I ask you to tell him what you told me. Then you forget about this whole issue.”

  “ All right.” Said Kolski with a gesture of relief at being freed of his burden.

  Vince pulled out his cell phone, found a number in memory and dialed it.

  “Hi Eric, I’m Vince Caruso…”

  And so, gradually, fate was weaving its complicated weft around characters who ignored the fabric design.

  Chapter 11

  “Are you really asking me to help you to find an African girl in Harlem?”

  “She is one of the women kidnapped in Ethiopia, and apparently the only one who managed to escape alive.”

  “But you promised me not to get involved in risky tasks any more, especially in this issue that already got Leroy killed. You committed to me and my father.”

  “I know… I know and I will stick to my promise, but I’ll make one last contribution to clarify the murder of my friend; I think I owe him that much. Then I’ll put all the information into the hands of someone who also loved him, someone you know.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Sergeant Murphy.”

  “Eric Murphy?”

  “Yes.”

  The name seemed to calm Loretta. Murphy had been Leroy and Vince´s guide since both had entered the police force. Besides being a friend, the man was incorruptible, and was free of suspicion of belonging to the corrupt network of dealers that Vince had told her about a few moments earlier, and that allegedly included Lieutenant O’Halloran, head of the unit to which both had belonged. Loretta thought for a moment and said.

  “Do you reassure me that once you complete this task you will stay away from your old life and its dangers.”

  “I promise.”

  “Well, what do you want me to do?”

  “Help me find this woman.” Said Vince showing her the photo in his mobile screen.

  Loretta worked as a social worker in a neighborhood of ​​Harlem that precisely matched the area in which the unknown African woman had been seen by Walt Kolski and then pursued by her abductors. Vince gave his girlfriend copies of photos of the woman, including some on an enlarged scale, and pointed on a map the areas mentioned by Kolski. What Loretta selectively had to do was showing the photos to people of her absolute confidence who due to thei
r activities would walk in the area and ask them to alert her if the woman was seen.

  “But you must be sure that you only show the photos to people you know well. The woman has already suffered attacks and persecution so we do not want to expose her to more risks and distress.”

  Nubia was walking in the dim light of a distant street lamp down a deserted square. She had become used to move always at night like certain animals that thrive in the dark, to avoid being recognized by people who might be hostile. Her nervous system missed the sunlight, that sun under which she was born in Africa twenty years ago, not far from the Equator, but for now the girl was restricted to adapt to the rapidly approaching New York winter.

  She was lost in her thoughts and memories and longing to arrive quickly to Uncle Charley´s home, get into her bed and receive the heat of Marcos ´body, when unexpectedly some inside concern began to grow. Suddenly the certainty that she was being observed grew in her mind. At first Nubia dismissed the feeling attributing it to a certain paranoia she knew she was developing due to the life situation that was going through. But the feeling remained and Nubia had learned to accept the signals coming from her psyche, which had previously saved her life more than once. In a reflex action the woman squeezed between her fingers the talismans that always hung from her neck. When Nubia performed further analysis of her emotions she noticed that the signs were warning lights but not alarm signals and there were no painful feelings associated with them.

  Nubia looked up and through the mists that invaded the small square dimly lit by a distant focus, saw a slender figure approaching her. By the way the shadow moved she realized that it was a small woman, and her lithe step also evidenced she was young. The African woman came close to a public light post and waited there. The approaching walker understood her intention and quickened her pace. When she was also placed under the streetlight Nubia saw that she was an African American young woman, very sheltered from the prevailing cold, and that by removing a scarf that covered her mouth and nose discovered a face of singular beauty.

  Both women stared each other at short distance.

  “My name is Loretta.” Said the newcomer.

  “You can call me Nubia.”

  “Please do not be afraid. Let me ask you to come with me.”

  The two women walked a few steps up to a bench, the only one in the square, which was in the shadows. Nubia he could see a white man sitting in it and beside him there were two crutches.

  “Nubia. He’s Vince.”

  Vince laboriously rose and shook hands with the African girl.

  “Excuse me, but the cold increases the pain of my wounds.” Said. “If you trust us let me I ask you to come with us to the car, where we will be more comfortable.”

  Vince had explained the purpose that guided him and Loretta in the search they had made and whose object was to find a girl whose name or affiliation they did not know and of whom they had only a few vague photos. Loretta then explained that she had entrusted people of her confidence to track Nubia and finally, after a couple of weeks, an elderly woman had recognized her nearby.

  “If you could find me so can those who chase me.” Mused gloomily Nubia.

  “Those who chase you may not have the network of contacts in this area I have because of my work.” Explained Loretta to comfort Nubia. “But do keep always your guard up.”

  “Nubia, we need to know who is persecuting you and why.” Expressed the so-called Vince. “We have reasons to believe they are people we know and must be brought to justice. Tell us what happened to you.”

  In the next half hour the young woman told her story, from her capture in Ethiopia until her escape in Harlem. She was interrupted numerous times by Vince who demanded further clarification.

  “And you say that when you were in the alley you could glimpse two men who were watching the chase?”

  “Yes. One of them was white and the other black, both very high and robust. I had the feeling that they were not just witnesses but somehow were monitoring the hunt.”

  “Could you describe them, starting with the white man?” Vince was asking the questions.

  “I could see them very fleetingly, in a dark alley and in the midst of the terror I felt, but on the other hand they were under the headlights of their own car. The white man had very fair skin and blond hair.”

  “Look carefully this photograph, and tell me if you recognize any of these men.” Vince turned on the internal light of the car cabin. Then he showed a photo in which three men appeared. Watching it Nubia´s body shook as a consequence without doubt of a very strong emotion. The girl brought her hands to her face as trying to prevent her eyes from seeing that picture.

  “Oh, yes!” She exclaimed. “He is the one who is with you and the other black man.”

  “You have no doubts?”

  “Not at all! I will not forget that man in my life.”

  “And this woman was not with him?”

  Vince showed Nubia the photo of a Latina woman.

  “No, there was no woman at the scene. Only one black man.”

  “Please describe him the best you can.”

  The meeting in the car lasted another half hour. The first light of dawn began to displace the shadows and none of them wanted to be seen on that site at daylight.

  “Keep this mobile phone number.” Said Vince giving Nubia a piece of paper. It is necessary that we keep in contact every other day so I can give you news. It’s a secure phone but call me from public phones and always from different payphones. Can I ride you somewhere?”

  “No, I’d rather not be seen with company.”

  When Nubia arrived home Marcos and Uncle Charley were waiting for her with anxiety.

  “You must listen to this.” Said the girl.

  Chapter 12

  Nubia let a week pass by before calling the telephone number given by Vince. When she finally made the call it was immediately answered by a female voice she recognized as Loretta´s.

  “I’m Nubia. I am calling to see if you have news for me.”

  “Nubia Ah! Yes there are. You will talk with Vince.”

  After the greetings Vince hurried to inform the woman.

  “We’ve detected the place where Jemal and his henchmen moved their activities after the slaughter of the warehouse where you were held in captivity. It is another similar depot located about fifteen blocks from the other. Apparently they have received another … let’s call it shipment of women from Africa and are already proceeding to distribute them among their regular clients.”

  A silence stretched on the line for a few seconds.

  “Nubia. Are you still there?”

  “Yes I am. Do you have the address of the new warehouse?”

  Vince asked Loretta to hand him some papers and then provided to the African woman the information she asked. Then he added.

  “But what will you do? There is nothing you can do alone. This should be left to the police and judges. Your role will testify in court when appropriate.”

  “But neither the police nor the courts have acted so far. Neither you are doing anything.”

  “ I have promised Loretta…”

  “I see.” Nubia unexpectedly cut the call.

  When the woman returned to Charley’s house after the phone call she went straight to the old store. She entered the place with her key and sat down waiting for the old man finished taking care of a customer, then momentarily closed the door of the room, approached the man and said.

  “Charley, I need a favor of you.”

  The two thugs came out of the door of the decrepit warehouse and walked a few steps in each direction through the desolate street, evidently with the intention of checking whether there was someone around. Someone who looked at them attentively would have noticed that both men exhibited lumps under their baggy clothes that could only be associated with weapons hidden beneath them. Once they were convinced that the block was deserted the men returned to the old building but did not close the
door. After a few minutes a large car with tinted windows emerged from one of the corners of the street and stopped right outside the building door. The luxury high-end vehicle was inconsistent with the miserable neighborhood. As soon as someone descended from the car the driver took off quickly, no doubt with the intention not to be seen in that spot.

  The two thugs who were behind the door came out and escorted the character who had arrived, covered with a bulky black coat, and with his face partially covered by a hat that reminded the outfit of previous decades. After all had entered the local, one of the gorillas closed the door, that a close observation would show was a modern one, made of thick steel plates and fitted with safety locks; another inconsistency with the warehouse and the entire quarter.

  A shadow moved behind the single window whose glasses were not broken in the building located crossing the street. It was another building that once had presumably housed some sort of merchandise but was at that point abandoned and in ruins. Covered by a kind of thick fabric of dark rustic burlap the mysterious figure moved stealthily and placed to a side the binoculars with which the owner had obviously been watching what happened outside the window.

  During an interval of more than an hour nothing further happened in the area; only a drunkard happened to pass by the block noisily kicking some trash cans. At one point he stopped and leaned against a wall to avoid falling for his drunkenness, then began to urinate against the same wall and finally continued his journey. The observer located in front of the warehouse took the binoculars again and watched one of the windows of the depot in front. He then spotted a shadow that had been monitoring the activities of the drunkard, and withdrew from the window only when it had long passed. It was important to know the degree of alertness and control exercised by the warehouse residents about what happened on the block.

  A while later the black car reappeared on the same corner from which it had originally come. After it stopped in front of the warehouse door the ritual of the two thugs walking around was repeated. Once they were convinced that no one was walking in the area the door opened again and this time three women walked staggering out of the building covered with coats and hoods on their heads. As they were blindfolded the women were driven to the car and introduced into it by the back door closer to the warehouse. After a short while the big man with the black coat and hat left the building and boarded the vehicle through the front door.