“Yeah. Glad I remembered you,” said Ramona.
“Uh-huh,” said Bumper. He closed the door.
Jesse said nothing. He looked out the window and saw Nikko drive away in the car. He felt awkward standing in the living room of the house.
“I thought I'd never see you again,” said LoLo. “At least not in this lifetime.” She looked at Jesse and said, “So, you must be the killer. “
“My name is Jesse, and I didn't kill anyone.”
“Hey, I believe you,” said Bumper. He laughed and put his gun away. Yolanda kept hers out.
Jesse felt ill at ease with these people. They were criminal types, all of them. Except Bumper, who looked like he fell out of a magazine.
“You don't know what I've been through,” said Ramona. Pointing at LoLo's bandaged arm, she asked, “What happened?”
“Cane,” Lolo said bleakly.
“You two look like shit,” said Bumper. “I'll get you a drink.”
“No, thanks,” said Jesse. “We won't be here long.” He looked at Ramona, as if to signal her. She turned to LoLo.
“LoLo, you know I'm in deep,” said Ramona. “I need that black case I gave you to get me out of it.”
“The case?” said LoLo. She walked away from them and sat in a chair.
“Bumper, I think you'd better get them drinks.”
Cane lifted the black metallic briefcase from the trunk of his Lincoln outside the house on Daniel Street. It was beautiful. Dark and cool. He could almost see his face in it.
“Where did Little Jack get this?” he asked Tico.
“LoLo was hiding it at that house I was in,” said Tico. “When we left, Little Jack grabbed it. He said LoLo was always guarding it and shit. He figured it was worth something.”
Cane shook the case, but nothing moved inside. “How you supposed to open this thing?” he said. “It don't have a latch on it.”
“Don't ask me,” said Tico. “It's junk. They probably just bought it off some crackhead.”
“I'll bust it open later,” said Cane. “Right now we gotta pay Jaleel a visit. If he's stealing from me, I need to relieve him of those funds. My H arrives in two days.”
Tico nodded and walked to the driver's side of the Lincoln. Cane tossed the black case into the car's deep trunk and closed the lid, locking it inside.
6
Jessie Rollin’
He was sick.
Jesse felt so close to the black briefcase and freedom that he could feel it. But the case was gone, in the possession of yet another lowlife criminal.
From what he could understand, the woman named LoLo was obsessed with a drug dealer named Cane. He'd slashed LoLo badly in a fight and apparently killed one of her people. They talked about this Cane like he was the devil himself. LoLo was consumed with her hatred of the man and wanted Ramona to help, which meant she wanted Jesse too.
He didn't know what to do. He needed the black case, but joining a drug crew was certainly going over the line.
They sat and talked in back of Bumper's house. It was a converted back porch, but it was comfortable. After bringing them drinks and feeding them, Bumper had disappeared.
“So, I hear Cane is planning a big drug buy,” said LoLo. “He's moving into heroin. If we can find out where, we can get him.”
“LoLo, that could be too dangerous,” said Ramona. “Too many people. And you're already hurt.”
Jesse noticed Ramona's deep concern about her friend LoLo. That troubled him. He was thinking only about the black case. LoLo was thinking only about revenge. Jesse had no idea where Ramona's loyalties were right now.
And he definitely couldn't figure out the big woman, Yolanda. She hardly ever spoke and kept watching him suspiciously.
“If we want to stop the deal, we have to make sure he can't buy the drugs,” said Jesse. “That means cutting off his money.”
“Excuse us,” said LoLo, turning to him with a contemptuous look. “But we talking business here, Mr. Lawyer. What do you know about rollin'?”
“Only what six-fifty drug cases have taught me,” said Jesse. “Six hundred and fifty grams and you go to jail for life. If the buy is a six-fifty, and it probably is, he's got a load of cash somewhere. We get to it, and he'll have to deal.”
“Okay, bad-ass,” said LoLo, still scornful. “How we gonna find his cash?”
Jesse was silent. He had jumped into the conversation without thinking and had no idea where to begin. He just didn't want to leave his destiny up to a bunch of drug dealers-and women at that.
“I don't know,” said Jesse. “But if I can--”
“Uh-huh, just what I thought,” said LoLo. “You don't know shit. Why don't you just be cool and leave business to people who know what the fuck they're doin'?”
“But if we think about it, we--” Jesse protested.
“Mona, can't you control your nigga?” asked LoLo. Yolanda uttered a short laugh.
“Jesse,” said Ramona, “can you let us talk for a while here? I'll fill you in later.” She seemed embarrassed, but not as much as he was.
Jesse got up and went into the kitchen. Bumper was sitting watching a small TV and drinking a beer.
“Come on in, my brother,” said Bumper. His eyes seemed to shine. “You don't wanna mess with LoLo when she's talking business. “
“I guess not.”
Jesse reluctantly sat down. He disliked being dismissed by the women. And what was worse, he now was sitting in the kitchen with Bumper, who was obviously some kind of pretty-boy prostitute for LoLo. This must be how women felt when they were abased by know-it-all men, he thought.
“So, that your woman?” asked Bumper. His voice was smooth, almost musical.
“Ramona?” said Jesse. “Yes, she is, I guess.”
“She really likes you,” said Bumper.
“What makes you say that?”
“She didn't even look at me when she came m. See, I never
forgets a woman. I met her a long time ago. Back then she was checking me out, big time. But not anymore. She's all into you.”
“Thanks, I think,” said Jesse. Bumper was a vain, arrogant bastard. But then he had reason.
“How is she?” asked Bumper.
“In bed?” asked Jesse. “I don't feel comfortable--”
“Come on, nigga,” said Bumper. “Right now them women are in there talking about how big your dick is, how you put it in, how fast you came, and everything. I know them. So come on, give it up.”
Jesse had no interest in bonding with Bumper. He came off like a pimp or something, like he was trying to seduce him. Still, he didn't want to get on his host's bad side.
“She's great,” said Jesse. “I have no complaints.”
Bumper burst into laughter. “Damn, man, you sound like a white boy! You supposed to say, 'The shit was slammin'! I was all up in the pussy! It was all that!' You know what I'm sayin'?” He laughed again.
Jesse laughed despite himself. He knew what Bumper was talking about. There was a way that black men talked about women that he'd forgotten. It was all macho posturing and bullshit, but it was an accepted means of communication.
“That's what I meant,” said Jesse.
“I been kickin' it with LoLo for a long time,” said Bumper. “And she can fuck like a champ. I love little women. They know how to move that thang, you know?”
“But she's not your only woman, is she?” asked Jesse knowingly. He couldn't imagine this man with just one woman.
“Naw,” said Bumper. “But she's my main one. I love that girl, but she loves the life more than me, you know. I keep trying to get her out, but...” He trailed off, and his handsome face looked a little sadder. “You know how hardheaded women can be.”
“I know,” said Jesse. “Believe me, I know.”
“If I was you,” said Bumper, “I'd take that fine little piece in there and break, just run away. This thing you in, you ain't gonna never get out of it, man.”
“You serious, ain't you?” asked Bumper.
“I'm afraid so,” said Jesse.
“So whatcha gone do when you get out of this?”
That he didn't know. He thought about Connie. He still had feelings for her, but Ramona had taken his heart. He couldn't imagine his life without Ramona now. Connie was a wonderful woman, but Ramona represented a part of him that was important, a part that he shunned, a part he realized that he needed to reclaim.
“Maybe when it's over, I'll go to Disneyland,” said Jesse.
Jesse and Bumper shared a laugh. Jesse took a beer and drank with Bumper. He could remember being uncomfortable with people like Bumper not too long ago. But he was also remembering what he was like before he changed. He used to love the friendship of black men, deep in culture and that almost mystical understanding that black people shared. He remembered, and it didn't seem so bad. In fact it was soothing given his situation. Solace. He hadn't felt that in a while.
Jesse was used to hiding behind his profession. That barrier let him believe that he was different, better. But now he was just another black man in trouble. If the men he had put in prison could see him now, they would-- Jesse's eyes got wider. Without a word he jumped up and headed to the back room.
“Hey,” said Bumper. “Where you goin', man?”
Jesse came in and found LoLo, Ramona, and Yolanda in an intense conversation.
“Ramona,” said Jesse, interrupting the debate.
“Got some more big ideas, Capone?” said LoLo. She glared at Jesse, obviously disturbed at his intrusion.
“I'm sorry,” said Jesse. “But I think I got it.”
7
King
Cane opened the big razor as Tico and Q held the man. Little Jack sat quietly in a corner, watching. Since freeing Tico, Cane had kept the little boy close to him. He saw the boy as an investment. He didn't want him to waste away in the crew. He could raise Little Jack to be a great man, a leader, like he was. And one day he would teach him what he knew about God, fear, and all the real important things in life.
The thin man named Jaleel Jackson struggled as Tico and Q each held an arm. They'd surprised Jaleel in the process of counting his receipts. Cane and his men had descended on Jaleel and cleared the house. Now it was time to do business.
Cane was in need of money for the buy with Minnesota. The fat man seemed harmless, but all the reports Cane got told him that Minnesota and his people were not to be trifled with. If he didn't have the money, Minnesota would kill the deal and him too.
They were at a location near Grand River and Fenkell. Jaleel was one of Cane's lower-level dealers. He ran a profitable house, but he was keeping a lot of the money to himself. Not only was Jaleel disloyal, but he made Cane look bad. So he had to teach him a lesson that everyone would remember.
“Where's my money?” said Cane. “I know you've been stealing from me. So I'm only going to ask you once. After that this talks for me.” He gestured with the blade.
“The money is right there,” said Jaleel. In the middle of the floor on a table was a pile of money, the receipts from the day.
Cane moved closer to the man. Tico held his right arm, and Q held the left. Jaleel's torso made a big target. Cane watched the frightened man's eyes, enjoying what he saw in them.
“That's all the money I got,” said Jaleel.
Cane nodded to Tico, who held out one of Jaleel's arms. Cane flattened Jaleel's palm and sliced his baby finger open. A red line appeared; then blood began to drip from it. Jaleel screamed. Cane remembered that Jaleel was a punk, a weak man who used drugs and detested violence.
“Nine left,” said Cane. “When the cuts heal in a few minutes, I'll open them back up.”
Cane watched him narrowly. He could tell that Jaleel was weighing the consequences of telling the truth. Tears welled in Jaleel's eyes, and his arm shook as Tico held it out. Cane slit open another finger. Jaleel yelled again, and Tico fought to keep his hand steady, not wanting to get blood on him.
“Eight,” said Cane, his eyes shining.
“Okay, okay,” said Jaleel. “I did it--”
“Where is my money?” Cane asked.
“The kitchen, behind the stove.”
Cane nodded to Little Jack. The boy ran into the kitchen and soon returned with a small box spotted with grease. Cane took it and opened it. A small stack of bills was inside. The largest was a twenty. Cane closed the box and went back to the bleeding man.
“Where's the rest of it?” Cane asked. Jaleel's fingers were dripping blood on the floor. “What's in that box is just bitch money. So where's the rest of it?”
Jaleel's eyes widened, and Cane watched in muted amusement. Would he lie, or was he smart after all? Jaleel seemed afraid to speak and afraid not to.
“That's all of it, man. I swear!” said Jaleel.
Cane promptly turned on his heel and went into the backyard. He returned carrying a little brown Chihuahua in his arms. The dog was wearing a gold collar.
“No! Not King,” Jaleel pleaded. “All right, all right. It's in the kitchen. Behind the cabinets.” Cane nodded to Little Jack, who took off again. Soon he returned empty-handed.
“Where is it?” Cane asked Little Jack.
“I don't see nothing in there,” said Little Jack.
Cane dropped the razor to the little dog's neck. Jaleel jerked, but Tico and Q held him fast.
“I said, behind the cabinets. Behind the wall!” Jaleel yelled.
This time Cane went into the little kitchen. One of the cabinet doors was open. Cane rapped a fist on the back of the cabinet. It made a hollow sound. Cane punched the hack of the cabinet hard, and it broke. He pulled the pieces out, and he saw money stacked up behind the walls. Cane tested the other cabinet walls and found that they lifted easily from the back. The cabinets were filled with money, enough to make the buy with Minnesota.
The sight of so much stolen money made him enraged. He hated a thief. He walked back into the living room.
“Let him go,” he said to Tico and Q.
They released Jaleel. He groaned and grabbed his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. He ran into a bathroom.
“Tico,” said Cane, “you and Q get that money. We'll take it to the place later.”
Jaleel came out of the bathroom with his fingers wrapped tightly in a towel. He saw Cane standing before him, still holding the little brown Chihuahua.
“King,” Jaleel called to the dog. “Come on, boy.”
“From now on I'm gonna have a man here watching you,” said Cane. “And you'll never know who it is.”
“Okay, okay,” said Jaleel. “Just put down King, please.”
“I hear you treat this dog better than most people,” said Cane.
He placed his hand around the little dog's throat. He took off the gold collar and threw it to Little Jack.
Under normal circumstances he would have taken Jaleel out, but with the heroin coming, that meant a new business, and he'd need this house and Jaleel. He was a good roller, just not too bright.
“You got your money,” said Jaleel, watching with fearful eyes. “You don't need to do this, man.”
“Cane,” said Tico, “we got what we want. Leave the mutt alone, man.”
“It's either you or King here,” said Cane to Jaleel. “Make your choice.”
Jaleel was silent. Cane tightened his grip on the little dog's throat, holding him out from his body. The Chihuahua kicked and fought desperately, its cries muffled off by Cane's steely grip.
Jaleel watched in horror. Tico just shook his head. Q uttered a laugh. Little Jack cringed, turning his face away. After a moment the dog stopped kicking and hung limply in Cane's grasp.
He threw the dog to Jaleel, who was now in tears. Jaleel tried to catch the dog but was too late. The carcass fell on the floor with a thud.
“I'll be watching you,” s
aid Cane. “Next time that'll be your ass on the floor.” Cane walked out of the house, followed by the others.
Jaleel fell to his knees, weeping over the body of the dead animal.
8
Takedown
“I know a man who can help us,” said Jesse to LoLo. He stood in the makeshift den, looking down at the women who sat together. “He's an informant, a damned good one. This man knows everything. “
“Fuck that,” said LoLo. “Any muthafucka who'd drop on his own kind is out.”
“Wait,” said Ramona. “I mean, if Jesse says that this is good, we should check it out.”
“Oh, so you and your man here running my shit now?” said LoLo. “It ain't happening. I'm not concerned with you two lovebirds and your shit. I want Cane.”
“All that ain't necessary, okay?” said Ramona heatedly. “It's just a suggestion.”
The two women started to quarrel again. Jesse was taking a step toward them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found Bumper looking at him very seriously.
“You don't wanna do that, my brother,” said Bumper. “This is how they do things.” Jesse stood with Bumper as Ramona and LoLo cursed and yelled at each other. Yolanda just watched with an expressionless face.
“Damn, you hardheaded,” said LoLo. “Okay, let's try the shit, but if it don't work, it's my way.” She turned to Jesse. “So who is this man?”
“A guy named Hardaway,” said Jesse. “He used to be a probation officer. He talks to a lot of ex-cons who give him info. And he sells it to the cops. I know where he lives.”
“Okay,” said LoLo. “We give him some money and--”
“He won't take it,” said Jesse. “Hardaway is a hustler, but he won't sell anything to dealers.”
“Sorry-ass bastard,” said LoLo.
“That's a damned good hustle,” said Bumper. There was a touch of admiration in his voice.
“How do we get to him?” asked Ramona. “Won't he try to run you in for that reward?” “Yes,” said Jesse. “That's why we're gonna kidnap him.” The room abruptly fell silent. Ramona seemed to be proud of Jesse's suggestion. LoLo looked at Yolanda. The big woman nodded ever so slightly.
Double Dead Page 31