Hustle & Heartache
Page 20
As a way of answering, I just rubbed my hands together and smiled devilishly.
Naomi
My team and I approached the housing development at the 405 Carr Court address out in the Miller Project area on foot. JJ and I were out in front leading the pack of six patrolmen with Oliver and Miracle bringing up the rear.
I signaled to Oliver and Vida and two of the patrolman to circle around to secure the rear of the building in case someone decided to exit out the back.
“Ready, Sarge?” JJ asked. Since he was the biggest of us, he usually handled the battering ram.
“Give them a second to get in position,” I responded.
“Ready when you are, Sarge,” Miracle said a moment later over the radio, letting me know that she and her sniper rifle were securely in position on top of the project building across the street.
“On your go, boss,” Oliver’s voice crackled over the radio seconds later.
I nodded to JJ. “Hit it!”
“Gary PD!” JJ yelled before slamming the battering ram into the door, splinters of wood flying everywhere moments later as the entire door shattered in half.
Not missing a beat, as we entered the premises, I heard the sound of a window being broken out followed by the same “Gary PD!”announcement JJ had given moments earlier.
With adrenaline pumping through our veins, we quickly searched every inch of the premises for signs of life or danger, but the only thing we found were dead bodies. “Clear!” I shouted as I found no one in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
“Clear!” Oliver shouted as he came out of the bathroom.
“Nothing but bodies, Sarge,” Vida said sadly from the bottom of the stairs. “Fuckers got away...again.”
I was more than a little frustrated with myself. The Death Dealers had struck again, but because I had been too busy messing with that kid Dre, they had slipped through my fingers once more.
“Three bodies in total, Sarge,” JJ said after had exited the premises.”One hanging halfway out the bathroom window, and two in the grass around back by the fence. As usual, evidence of money and drugs are all over the place, but with either of them nowhere in sight. Seems they were packing a lot of drugs. And the upstairs wall was tagged, too. Just like all the other houses that’s been hit.”
“Witnesses are saying they saw five people dressed in all black, wearing ski-masks. Hopped out of a black van, ran up and kicked in the front door. Witnesses also say they heard the sounds of gunfire shortly after,” Miracle reported as she flipped through her notepad.”Said the masked assailants were in and out in less than five minutes.”
“Name of one of the victims is Ronald Gaines, aka Lil’ Ronnie,” JJ said. “Sarge, didn’t the Gang Unit issue a no-knock warrant on Lil’ Ronnie’s spot out in the Colored Doors a couple months back?”
“Sure did,” Oliver answered as he approached. “And according to one of my C.I.s, over 75 grand and nearly 20 keys of coke were found stashed in the walls of the upstairs bedrooms. Arrested about five guys who were dealing out of the place, but they never caught Lil’ Ronnie, though. Word on the street was that he fled the city minutes before the Gang Unit hit the place.”
“Well, it looks like Lil’ Ronnie decided to make a comeback,” I said solemnly.
“Think he’d come back to Gary and risk getting arrested? Just to sell some drugs, I mean?” Vida asked.
“Does it look like whoever did this was planning on arresting him?” I snapped. I regretted it instantly.
“My bad, Sarge,” Vida said as she put up her hands. “Just asking a question.”
“No, I’m sorry.” I turned to face her. “I’m just so sick of this shit.”
“Yeah, me too,” JJ said. “We gotta do something, Sarge, and we gotta do it fast.”
“What ya’ll gonna do ‘bout these dirty-ass cops killing our kids?” a black woman with pink rollers in her hair shouted as she stood in the doorway of her apartment in nothing but a pair of white panties and a short black T-shirt.
Guess I’m not the only one who’s theorizing that the Death Dealers are cops.
“We have to find a way to lure these bastards out and lead them straight into a trap”,” I said.
“How the hell are we gonna do that, Sarge?” Miracle asked. “Only people they seem to be targeting are gang leaders and drug dealers. And only the shot callers and heavy hitters. Unless we’re in the drug game now, or we’re joining a gang or starting one, I don’t see how we can make that happen.”
“Are we in the drug game now?” Vida asked, raising an eyebrow.”Cause if we are, then I can call one of my cousins back home in Cuba and”—”
“No,” I said sternly. “We’re not becoming the very people we’re trying to rid these streets of, even if it is just to catch cold-hearted killers. We’re gonna get these fuckers a different way.”
“I don’t mean to be a morality killer here, Sarge, but if we’re not using drugs or gang activity as bait, I don’t think the Death Dealers will bite,” Oliver said.
“Oh, they’ll bite all right. Because the bait will be drugs and gang activity. We just need a certain type of fisherman to cast the bait.”
“What do you have in mind, Sarge?” JJ asked.
“Not sure yet, but birds and stones come to mind,” I said confidently.
“Birds and stones?” Miracle asked.
“Birds and stones,” I repeated.”As in catching two birds with one stone.”
Two days later, I was sitting in a bar, racking my brain, trying to come up with a solution to the current problem plaguing my city.
“I have to admit, I was pretty surprised when you invited me out here for a drink,” Lieutenant Hensley said as he slid onto the stool beside me at the Liquors Lounge bar. The smell of his Blue Steel aftershave that he had been using for as long as I could remember drifted in my direction, and I felt my body beginning to respond.
Are you serious right now, Naomi? You’re that desperate that you’re willing to sleep with this disgusting lowlife? You really need to get laid before your libido gets you in some real shit.
“Mmm, yeah,” he moaned after taking a long sip of whiskey. “That’s some good stuff, right there. Appreciate it, Detective. I mean it.”
“Think of it as an offer for us to let bygones be bygones, and as an apology for that right hook I gave you.”
“In that case, I’ll have a shot of every drink available,” Hensley teased.”You know, Detective, I was only trying to show concern. I still can’t imagine what you were going through that night. Knowing that a 6-year-old girl had to witness something as heinous as that can be unsettling for any parent. Even worse when it’s your own kid, you know?”
That’s what was bugging me about that fucking crime scene. The death warrant on the wall said “Detective” not “Sergeant.”
“Detective?” I realized Hensley was staring at me. “You good or...?”
“Just thinking about my daughter,” I lied, taking a sip of my club soda. I had ordered us both drinks in advance before he arrived so that he would think I was drinking my usual order of vodka. But what Hensley did not know was that I quit drinking and smoking ever since I had left the Gang Unit two years ago.
“I didn’t mean to”—”
“Actually, I have a confession to make,” I said quickly, changing the subject because I didn’t want him anywhere near my personal life.”I didn’t just ask you here to apologize.”
“That so?” he asked before tossing back another shot of whiskey. He was pretending as if he had known all along that I had an ulterior motive for bringing him out here.
Think you’re so smart, don’t you? Well, let’s just see how smart you really are, shall we?
“I may have a lead in the Death Dealers case.”
That got his attention. His head whipped around in my direction so fast that some of his drink spilled out over onto his hand.”What’s that you say?”
Not so smug now, are you, you murderous prick?
“Yeah? Who’s that?” he said carefully, setting his drink down and leaning in close.
“You remember Damon Harris? The black kid who pretty much ran the drug game in all of Gary at one point?”
“Of course I remember that punk,” Hensley spat. “Fucker was selling the purest heroin I’d ever came across in my career. Nearly had him, too, but the sonofabitch skipped town right before I nabbed his ass. But anyway, what does he have to do with the Death Dealers case?”
“I think he’s planning a comeback.” I let that tidbit roll around in his head for a few moments.”Remember his brother DeAndre?”
“One of the younger brothers, right? What about him?”
“I got a tip from one of my C.I.s that DeAndre’s been running drugs for Damon ever since he skipped town. The other night I went by DeAndre’s spot for a couple of follow-up questions in relation to that shooting at club Déjà Vu, but when I got over there, I saw him and three other males exiting a black van, and they were all dressed from head to toe in black. Now, I know that could’ve meant any number of things, especially in the ghetto with all that gang bullshit and whatnot, but then about half an hour later, I get that call for those murders out in the Miller Projects area that turned out to be another Death Dealers hit.And−get this−witnesses say they saw four guys dressed in black, wearing ski-masks. Apparently, they shot up the place and left out with black trash bags, which I’m assuming was filled with money.”
Hensley rubbed the gray stubble underneath his chin. “That’s interesting. And you think DeAndre and his so-called band of idiots are the ones behind this whole Death Dealer’s thing?”
“I do. And I think his brother Damon is the one calling the shots. I think he’s ordering DeAndre to do these hits in order to get the competition out of the way. And I think once that’s done, Damon and his brother DeAndre and his so-called ‘band of idiots’ are gonna take over the drug game in this city again. But that’s just a theory, so...”
“Hmm,” he said, as if he was rolling the possibility of it all around in his head. “Sounds plausible. I mean, it would make since why they’re only targeting rival gangs and drug dealers. Kill off the competition and take all of the business for yourselves. Pretty smart, you ask me.”
“Exactly,” I feigned excitement. Well, I was excited, but only because this idiot was falling for my bullshit.
“Pretty good work, Detective,” he said with a sly smile. “But how come you’re giving me this information instead of following up on it?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t wanna piss my father off any more than I already have,” I explained simply. “I’ve never seen him that mad before, so my only goal at this point is to rebuild his trust in me. I want him to be proud of who I am, not disappointed.” That last part was true. I loved my father, so his opinion really did matter to me.”But, also, I want these fucking lowlifes off the street, and I know the only possible way that’ll happen is if we work together on this to take them down. So, what do you say? Partners?”
Hensley looked at me through squinted eyes for a few moments, and then raised his glass for a toast. “You’ve really surprised me, Mills. I’ll have to admit, I didn’t think you’d last much longer on this job, but even I’m wrong every now and then. Color me impressed. Ah, what the hell. Let’s toast to a fresh start.”
I raised my glass of club soda and smiled. “And new beginnings,” I added. Then we clinked glasses and downed our drinks.
“Let me get the next round,” Hensley said, signaling for the bartender.
Just then I remembered something else that had been bugging me. “Whatever happened to that tape from the crime scene at the Pope family house? Remember, the one you gave to that female officer? You said you were gonna have the tech guys check it out, then you’d let me know if anything was on it.”
Lieutenant Hensley stared at me for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers as if he had completely forgotten about the tape, but had now just remembered. “Oh, yeah, the tape. Yeah, that turned out to be nothing. Completely blank. Guess somebody forgot to charge the batteries before they decided to turn the damn thing on. Shame. Guy could’ve gotten justice from beyond the grave from the bastards who killed him and his buddies. But enough about that,” he said as the bartender brought over a fresh round of drinks. “Let’s toast to a renewed partnership.”
I was anxious for him to ask me about the tape that was stolen from my office, but so far all he has been doing is trying to steer the conversation away from anything remotely tied to the Death Dealers case.
It’s ‘cause he doesn’t want me putting two and two together.
My biggest issue with the reason someone sent me that was tape why they would send it to me in the first place? If someone in the Death Dealers group was trying to call out for help, or if they were afraid of getting killed for blowing the whistle on the rest of their crew, why would they pick me of all people to send a tape to?
Something’s definitely not right about why they chose to send me that tape, and I’m afraid to find out that reason.
“Actually, I have to get home to my daughter,” I said quickly in response to Hensley’s offer of another round of drinks. “She’s been having a hard time sleeping as of late, so I want to be there for her as much as possible. But thanks, anyway.” I stood and slid on my GPD windbreaker. It was only a week from September, but it was already starting to get chilly outside.”Oh! I almost forgot,” I feigned ignorance. “My C.I. also tells me that DeAndre is throwing a party at the Gary Convention Center on the 3rd of next month. How much you’re willing to bet his brother Damon’s gonna be at that party?”
“Why do you think Damon Harris is gonna be there?”
I smiled slyly. “Because Damon’s birthday is on the 3rd of next month. That party’s for him, and I’m willing to bet a year’s worth of my miserable salary he’s gonna be there.”
I could see the smile slowly spreading across his face as I turned to walk out the door. But he could not see mine.
Hook, line, and sinker, you smug sonofabitch. Hook. Line. And sinker.
Audi
I sat in the cold, plastic chair in the doctor’s office with tears streaming down my face, the four words she had spoken to me only moments ago running on a loop in my mind.
“Ms. Escobar, you’re pregnant.”Pregnant? How? She has to be wrong, right?
For the past two weeks since Dre and the guys had retaliated on Diego and his crew, I had been experiencing bouts of morning sickness. At first I thought I had caught some kind of bug that other people seemed to be getting from fluctuating weather temperatures in early September, but when I had missed my period this month, I expected something much worse. And much worse was what it just so happened to be.
“But I just started having sex, and it’s only been with one person. I mean, we usually use protection, and it’s only been two times that we didn’t. Really, we wasn’t that careless.”
“Ms. Escobar,” Doctor Veronica Dominguez sighed impatiently. “I know that a lot of girls your age have unprotected sex without ever getting pregnant, but in truth, in most cases it only takes one time for a woman to get pregnant. And as long as you and your partner are fertile, it only takes the two of you for that one time.”
“But I’m only 18 years old,” I cried. “I can’t be pregnant.”
Doctor Dominguez sighed deeply again and knelt down in front of me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. As she gazed up at me, I was aware of the sincerity in her eyes and I found myself wishing my mother was more like her. “Listen, sweetie. I know you’re scared. But at least you’ve finished school and you have a steady job. Most kids coming into my office nowadays don’t even have an 8th grade education, let alone a job. Is your partner still around? I mean, are you two still on good terms.”
“Of course, we are. We love each other,” I sniffled. “But I don’t think he wants a kid. Hell, I
don’t even want a kid. What the hell am I gonna do?”
“Well...you do have options. You can have the baby and raise it, hoping that you two will be great parents. But if not, there’s also the option of having the baby and putting it up for adoption, hoping that he or she gets accepted into a nice home with a nice, loving family. Or you could go with the third and final option where you where you terminate the pregnancy by getting an abortion, but I always advise my patients against that. Advising you not to destroy a fetus is against company policy, but I can’t stand the idea of terminating a pregnancy and taking an innocent life, so... But you do what you feel is best for you. Only thing I strongly advise you to do is to tell your partner before you make any decisions. Most girls who don’t consult the father of the child tend to regret it later.”
I took a deep breath and wiped my tears, regaining my composure. “Okay... Okay. I’ll talk to him first.” Then I started to cry again. And, to my surprise, Doctor Dominguez slid her arms around me and held me close. Like I was her daughter. Or maybe like I reminded her of her daughter.
God, I wish my mother was more like her.
I parked my red Dodge Intrepid ESX right next to Dre’s white Lincoln Navigator. He had managed to purchase the large SUV cheap as it came from one of his cousin’s connections. He had gotten it a week after splitting the money between the eight of us that they had gotten from Diego and his crew. After counting the money, it had come out to $25,000, leaving each of us with $12,500 apiece. Even though the Gucci Girlz had no part in the hit on Diego, the Tru Aetna Boyz agreed that we were just as entitled to it as they were, seeing as though we now all considered each other as family.
I love it and appreciate how Dre wants us all to have each other’s backs, but even in saying that, I can’t accept or turn a blind eye to his cheating on me. I just don’t get that shit. Why do guys tell their girl how much they love them and want to be with them, but in the same breath they’re trying to find ways to cheat without getting caught? I mean, what the fuck is that?