“Okay,” said LoLo. “When can we get to him?”
“Tonight,” said Jesse. Jesse checked his watch. “Damn, I'm late. I need to use your phone.”
North drove along looking for Florence's car. They'd almost gotten King and the Blake woman following her the other night. It was weird following the lady cop when the police were on her too, but they'd managed it. And unlike the cops, Florence wasn't able to shake the killers.
They'd lost her tonight, but as soon as they picked her back up, they'd stick to her. “I say when we find her, we take her and persuade her to tell us where King is.”
“Yeah, like you persuaded that woman lawyer?” said North.
There was a stony silence between the killers. The murder of Karen Bell was unplanned and unnecessary to their goal. “I still say we should have killed that King guy too.” The killer rubbed the scar on his face.
“That would have raised too many questions,” said North. “Besides, this whole fugitive thing is the kind of distraction we need right now.”
“So do we grab this lady cop or not?” “Not yet. Sooner or later she'll go back to King. Then we can get that black case and clean them all.” The killers drove on, moving past a little bar in Hamtramck where Florence's car was hidden neatly behind a big red delivery truck.
Florence sat impatiently by the pay phone in the back of the shabby little bar. It was after midnight, and Jesse was late calling her. The streets were crawling with cops and volunteer patrols for Devil's Night. She hoped that Jesse was all right. That Ramona Blake woman he was with looked like real trouble.
The phone rang. Florence picked it up on the first ring.
“Florence?” said Jesse.
“What the fuck are you doin'?” asked Florence. “I've been waiting here for a goddamned hour!”
“Calm down,” said Jesse.
“I am calm,” said Florence. “As calm as I can be, knowing that I'm being followed.”
“The police?”
“No,” said Florence. “I think it's the bad guys. And I'm sure they don't know that I've made them. I lost them right before I came here.”
“Holy shit,” said Jesse. “Florence, you've got to get out of there. When you left us at Packer's. They must have followed you. They came after us, but we got away.”
Florence contemplated this for a moment. “Damn,” she said. “I had the cops on me too that night. I'm getting to be a popular girl, huh?”
“Don't fuck with these guys. I think they may have killed Yancy, Karen Bell. I don't think they'd mind getting rid of you.”
“Yeah, but what if I can get them first?”
“No!” said Jesse. He was almost yelling. “No way I'm gonna let you do that!”
“Sorry, Jess, but you ain't in no position to stop me. Look, we need a break in this thing, and if I can snag these guys--”
“They'll kill you,” said Jesse.
“You know, I think if they wanted to do that, I'd be dead already.”
“I'll turn myself in before I’ll let anything happen to you.”
“Then you'd better do it soon,” said Florence. “Because I plan to take them as soon as I can set it up.”
There was silence on the line. “Okay,” said Jesse finally. “But get some help or something.”
“Listen, I don't have any new info for you,” said Florence. “But I'll be here same time tomorrow.” Then she added, “I hope.”
“Okay,” said Jesse. “I guess I can't stop you.”
“No, you can't,” said Florence.
“Be careful, Flo.”
“I will. And don't call me Flo, goddammit.”
Jesse hung up the phone and cursed. Florence was playing Russian roulette with those men. He had to get that case soon before she was in a box with all the others.
LoLo and Bumper were in the kitchen talking. Yolanda sat in a chair watching Jesse. She made him nervous. Big and silent, she seemed like the type of person who would kill you, bury you in her backyard, then have a barbecue.
“So what did she say?” asked Ramona.
“I think the killers are on her trail,” said Jesse. “They're probably trying to use her to get to us.”
“What's she gonna do?” asked Ramona.
“She's going to try to take them out,” said Jesse, frowning. “She didn't say what that meant. I take it she means alive. They're no use to us dead.”
Jesse sat on the arm of a sofa feeling sad and frustrated. This thing was out of control now. Everyone he cared about was screwed up because of him. Moreover, he was reverting back to what he used to be. He had suggested kidnapping Hardaway the way you might decide to buy a pair of shoes. And the worst thing was, he didn't hate himself for it. Now he remembered how strong the lure of crime was. The life, as they called it, was better than nothing, and without that black briefcase that's what he had, nothing.
Ramona went over to Jesse and put an arm around him. She looked beautiful. He was in the greatest trouble of his life, but at least he'd found her. His spirits lifted at her touch. Maybe he could win this game and get his life back. She smiled at him, and he saw in her eyes what he felt in his heart. It was a strange, bittersweet emotion, and he knew in that moment that he loved her.
“No time for feeling sorry, honey,” Ramona said. “We got some work to do.”
Jesse stood up and kissed her, not caring that Yolanda's steely gaze was still upon him.
9
Money House
Jesse and the crew waited outside the little house on Kentucky Street. They were parked several houses from Hardaway's home. Jesse and Ramona were in the backseat of an old Monte Carlo. They all had guns, and Jesse was very nervous about that.
Bumper had stayed behind, and Jesse felt out of place with the women. It was late in the night, and the street was deserted. The patrols were probably still out for Devil's Night, but they'd be thin by now.
“Think he's got an alarm on this place?” LoLo asked no one in particular.
“I doubt it,” said Ramona.
“He's got steel bars on the windows,” said Jesse. “And that usually means that's all he was willing to spend. We can probably get in through the basement. But we have to move fast. This guy probably sleeps with a gun.”
“You've done this before, huh?” said LoLo.
“Long time ago,” said Jesse.
“Shit, being a lawyer ain't no different,” said LoLo. “Just a different kind of stealin'.”
Jesse heard Yolanda laugh softly. “I'll go in,” he said. “Then I'll let you all in.”
“If I hear shootin',” said LoLo, “I'll wait a minute for you. If I
don't see you come to the door, we outta here.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Jesse. He opened the door and got out.
“See you in a minute,” said Ramona.
Jesse ran to the side of the house. The street was nice, and there were occupied houses all the way down the long block. Hardaway's house was bigger than most, and he had a big two-car garage.
He moved to a window at the base of the house. The window was dirty, and it was dark inside the basement. Leaning down to test the window, he found it locked. He took out his .38, wrapped in a towel he'd brought. With a sharp tap he cracked the window. He pushed a big piece of glass inside. It fell, and Jesse heard it break on the floor. If there was a dog in the basement, or a person, he would hear the sound, but not the people sleeping upstairs. Funny how you never forgot, he thought.
There was no movement inside, so Jesse slowly pulled the remaining glass away from the window. He pulled the shards outside so that they made no sound. Soon the window was open. Jesse felt for a latch, found it, and turned it. The window opened in. He slipped through and lowered himself to the floor. It was dark inside the basement, but he didn't look for the lights.
His heart pounded a drumbeat in his ears. His lawyer's mind kept saying, Breaking and entering,
kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon-thirty years, at least. Jesse moved to the staircase. The steps were made of wood, and he was terrified as he tried them and heard a loud creak.
“Shit,” he said, stopping. If he walked the stairs regularly, he might make too much noise. Jesse decided to take them two at a time. Less time, less noise. He stretched and went up. The stairs creaked, but not too badly. Jesse opened the door at the top of the stairs and went into the house.
It was dim, but the light from outside allowed him to sec. The place was nice. The basement led into a little bathroom, which led into a kitchen. Jesse went to the side door in the kitchen and opened it. He went out to the front of the house and waved to the women in the car. He saw them get out and come his way. Jesse went back inside.
LoLo and Ramona soon appeared. “Where is he?” asked LoLo.
“Upstairs, I think,” said Jesse.
“Go get him,” said LoLo. “I'll stay down here. Any shit jumps off, I come up shootin'. “
Jesse and Ramona went up the stairs to the bedrooms. The staircase was carpeted and made no sound. They went to a big door and cracked it. No one was inside. They checked the other room, but no one was there either.
“Fuck,” said Jesse. “He's not here.”
When they walked back downstairs, LoLo was peeking out a window. “There's a car out here,” she said. “It's gotta be him,” said Ramona. They waited until they saw him come to the side door; then they hid themselves. The short, fat man seemed happy as he entered the little kitchen, singing a tune.
Hardaway pulled a large roll of bills from his pocket as he walked into the dining room. That was when Jesse grabbed him. Hardaway struggled, and Jesse pushed his face into a wall. Hardaway was fat but very strong. He reached for a gun in his pocket, dropping the roll of bills. Ramona stepped up, snatched Hardaway's gun, and shoved it behind his ear.
“Calm down, baby boy,” she said. LoLo walked up behind them and quickly tied a blindfold over Hardaway's eyes. Jesse tied his hands. “Okay, okay,” said Hardaway anxiously. “Take the damned money.”
“We don't want money,” said Jesse.
“Like hell,” said LoLo. She stooped and picked up the wad of cash.
“We don't want to hurt you,” said Jesse. Hardaway was silent. Jesse wondered if he recognized his voice.
“Okay,” said Hardaway. “Take what you want. Just do it and get the fuck out. “
Hardaway seemed scared despite his defiance, but Jesse didn't feel sorry for him. The man was almost a criminal himself. Jesse remembered how Hardaway had blackmailed Denise Wilkerson at the prosecutor's office.
“What we want is information,” said Ramona. “I want to know where Gregory Cane's money house is.”
“Don't know no Cane,” said Hardaway.
LoLo put her gun on Hardaway’s crotch. When she cocked the gun, the sound was loud in the little room. “Okay, muthafucka,” said LoLo, giving the barrel a shove. “What's really important to you? This little information or the five years of fucking you got
left?” She looked fierce as she said the words, and Jesse had no doubt that she would do it. Hardaway had no doubt either.
“He's got a place,” he said. ”It's on Littlefield somewhere.”
“That's a big-ass street,” said LoLo. “Which block is it in?” She shoved the barrel into him again.
“Don't know the address,” said Hardaway, grunting in pain. “But I know it's got a blue Samson on it.”
“If you lying to me,” said LoLo, “I'm coming back for that dick, old man.”
“What's a blue Samson?” Jesse asked Ramona in a whisper.
“A door,” said Ramona. “A big steel door.”
He saw LoLo counting Hardaway's money. “Give him the money back,” said Jesse.
“Get the fuck outta my face,” said LoLo. She pushed Jesse out of her way and walked out of the house.
Ramona and Jesse proceeded to tie Hardaway to a chair. Jesse left enough slack in the rope so that he could get out eventually. He unplugged the phones and took the cords. That would buy them some time.
Jesse walked toward the door. He stopped and went back to Hardaway. He knelt by the bound-up man. Hardaway was unhurt and seemed more angry than anything else.
“Sorry about this,” he said.
“Fuck you,” said Hardaway. Jesse locked Hardaway in and got into the car with the women. Yolanda pulled off. “Y'all want a taste of this cash?” asked LoLo. She passed some bills to Yolanda.
“No, thanks,” said Jesse.
“Big surprise,” said LoLo. “How 'bout you, Mona? I know you want a bite.” LoLo held out some bills over her shoulder. Ramona hesitated, and Jesse could tell that she wanted to take it. They would always need money.
“Keep it,” said Ramona.
They started at Eight Mile and went south. They rolled around for an hour on Littlefield, looking for a house with a big steel door. LoLo knew the kind of door they were looking for. When a dealer wanted to keep people out of a place, he put in a steel-reinforced door. A company called Samson Security made them.
“It's that one there with the nasty picket fence,” said LoLo suddenly. “A Samson like that cost a thousand dollars. And look at the car out in front.”
A new Lexus coupe was sitting in front of the little run-down house. It was in contrast with the other average, basic transportation-type cars on the street.
“I see your point,” said Jesse. He was moderately impressed with LoLo. She certainly knew her stuff. But she was still a lowlife. If he hadn't been with them, he was sure that Thomas Hardaway would be dead right now.
Yolanda went around the corner and parked two blocks away. It was quiet and dark on the street. Yolanda popped out of the car and got a pump-action shotgun out of the trunk.
“Wait,” said Jesse. “We don't wanna go in shooting.”
“I'm not arguing with you this time,” said LoLo. “Some things got to be done a certain way. I don't know what you think you signed up for, but this ain't no game for punk asses.”
“We can get the money without any of us being in danger,” said Jesse. “If this Cane is smart as you say, I'm sure he's got a lot of heavily armed men in there. I can get them out, get us in without any gunfights.”
LoLo looked at Jesse, contemplating her choice. Jesse had been right so far, and they would certainly be outnumbered. She looked at Yolanda, who nodded softly again.
“Okay,” said LoLo, “but if you fuck this up, it's on your ass.”
“Wouldn't have it any other way,” said Jesse.
Jesse waited in the shadows as the police cruisers pulled up. Their cherry lights were on, but the sirens were silent. Jesse was in the backyard of the house next door to Cane's money house. It was dangerous, but he needed to stay close.
He had called the cops, saying that there had been gunfire at the house and had given them the address. Only something of a serious nature like that would get them out in a decent time, and he knew LoLo wasn't going to wait long.
A pair of uniformed cops got out of the cruiser. Jesse waited until they approached the house; then he pulled his gun and shot in the air twice. The cops hustled back to the cruiser, pulling their sidearms. The cops in the second cruiser did the same.
As Jesse ran away, he heard one of the officers calling for backup.
He ran through an alley back to the block where the women were. They had moved even farther down the street. Jesse got to the car and got inside.
“Now what?” asked LoLo. She seemed angry.
“Now we wait and let the cops do our job for us,” said Jesse.
They sat there as more police cruisers came. The cops called to the house on a bullhorn, but no one inside said anything. A news van pulled up, but the cops made it move back down the street, away from the confrontation.
After about a half hour someone in the house opened the big steel door and the cops poured inside. Soon six young black men in handcuffs were walked out.
“W
hat if they find the money?” asked LoLo.
“Cane is too smart for that,” said Jesse as if he knew the man. “He's probably already thought of that, and he has it in a place that you can only find if you're really looking.”
The cops searched the house as they put the occupants in a police van. Jesse and his crew watched from their vantage point in the next block. A few neighborhood people came out and watched the raid.
Jesse and the women sat in the car and waited as the cops locked down the house. They came out with men, guns, and a big paper bag.
“There's probably money in that bag,” said Jesse. “But if I'm right, they let the cops find it to throw them off.”
“You'd better be right,” said LoLo.
They didn't make their move on the house until the sun was up.
“Shit,” said LoLo. “Where is it?” She threw a chair against a wall. The house was a mess. The police had ransacked it. And Jesse and company had broken in the back and ransacked it again, looking for the money. They'd been in the basement, the upstairs and even broken open a wall. Nothing.
“It's here,” said Jesse. “I know it is.”
“We got fucked!” yelled LoLo. “The cops got all the money.” She kicked an old sofa.
“Maybe we're just not thinking,” said Ramona. “You know how Cane is. He wouldn't hide the money anywhere obvious.”
“I know one thing,” said LoLo. “Cane is probably out right now hitting my people, and I'm here jacking off!”
Jesse didn't say anything. He didn't want to argue with LoLo in her present state. She was a hothead and not very smart. He guessed that only her ruthlessness had gotten her to where she was.
Ramona walked across the room. She'd been on her feet for a while and was about to sit on the old sofa. She crossed the fireplace and moved to the little sofa and sat down.
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