Cold Flash

by Carrie H. Johnson

  He moaned and pushed back on the couch. Dulcey glared at him but stayed silent.

  “The night you called Travis. You left with a woman.”

  He sat forward and moaned.

  “Who is she and what was that about?”

  Dulcey’s demeanor puffed up, like she was going to come out of her skin and pummel Hamp. “Relax, Dulce, he’s not messing around,” I said. “It wasn’t about that.”

  Dulcey shrunk back down.

  “Her name’s Cat, Barry’s daughter, the guy who owns the marina. She wanted to make a buy.”

  “Heroin?”

  “Yeah. He’s a stone addict. He called me and asked me to do him a favor. I owe him for some favors he’s done for me over the years—loaned me money, made sure the boat was taken care of better than the usual. So I took her over to Norris Homes and showed her where to go so I wouldn’t have to take her again.”

  “You took her to buy heroin?”

  “Now Barry’s dead!” Dulcey shrieked. “The man OD’d. You didn’t say you had anything to do with it.”

  “I accept, I’m responsible. I did not intend to take her, I swear. I tried to say no, but he kept on, begged me and wouldn’t let me say no. Called me out about how many times he’s had my back when I needed something. He knows about using that shit. I think he wanted to die.”

  “Have you been in contact with her since then?” I asked.

  “No. I only talked to her that once. What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Man, what did you talk about while you were with her?” Laughton asked. “I mean, did she say anything that was unexpected or something that surprised you?”

  Hamp pursed his lips. Sweat popped out on his forehead. He wiped it away with his forearm. “Nothing that I remember. I only saw her once or twice at the marina with Barry. Like I said, I owed him.”

  “You owed him, all right. Killed him is more what you did for him,” Dulcey growled.

  Hamp cringed at her words.

  “Why is she important?”

  “I don’t know that she is, except we saw her with Calvin’s man, BJ, tonight,” Laughton said.

  “Yeah, she’s been dating him. I’ve seen them at the marina. Barry keeps a boat there. It’s more like a yacht, at least compared to the Dulcey Maria. BJ doesn’t speak to anyone much. Just comes and goes now and again.”

  “How long they been dating?”

  “Three, four months maybe.” He put his pointer finger and thumb to his chin. “Let me think. Yes, I think it was just after the shooting at the church, where little Rose got hit. Cat said they met at the Dave and Buster’s next to the marina. Tourists love that place. Cat began spending time on the boat. I believe she’s going through a divorce. She dabbles a little herself. Her husband got custody of the two little boys because of an unfit mother charge.”

  “You know too much about other people’s business,” Dulcey chimed in.

  Laughton and I got up to leave.

  “You-all don’t need to rush off,” Dulcey said.

  “You go back upstairs and get some rest.” I gave her a hug.

  “Everybody says the same thing. Get some rest. I’ll rest when I’m dead.”

  “Dulcey, don’t be so stubborn. Rest is what is going to help you heal.”

  “I got God for that.”

  I shook my head, gave her another hug, and moved toward the door.

  “You can’t move her once she’s dug in,” Hamp said.

  “I’m gonna dig a hole for you and bury you deep when they gone,” she threatened.

  It was after eleven when I dropped Laughton at the hotel. Half hour later, I turned onto my street and my cell phone rang.

  “Detective Burgan is dead,” Fran said.

  “What do you mean, she’s dead?”

  “They just pulled her from her burning car on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It seems she drove off the road into a tree or was forced off the road. Where are you? Sounds like you’re in a tunnel.”

  “How did you hear about this in the hospital and I’m out here and hadn’t heard yet? What are you doing up this time of night?”

  “Parker called me. I can’t sleep in this place. I can’t wait until tomorrow. I want out of here. Watch your back, partner. They are reporting Burgan’s death as an accident, but I don’t know, given everything that’s happened in the past month.”

  “I can’t believe it. I’m home now. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning, see what time they’re going to let you out.”

  The house looked spooky with no lights on, inside or out. I pulled up into the driveway and looked around for Travis’s car. It pissed me off that Nareece didn’t leave a light on for me. With Travis still out, I was doubly pissed. Maybe it would be best for her to move, I thought.

  “She wants me to say that,” I said out loud. “I’m not going to. The twins want to stay right here with me and Travis.” I reached in the back and searched around the floor for my bag, then grabbed my water bottle from the cupholder and got out.

  “Makes no sense that she wouldn’t leave a light on for us, at least on the outside,” I mumbled. That angry itch inside my gut grew with every step. By the time I opened the front door and tried the switch to the entryway, I registered livid. The damn light didn’t work. I walked in farther and clipped the switch for the stairway lights. The house remained dark.

  I felt him before he spoke.

  “Just put your things on the floor and turn around, real slow.”

  I did as he said. “Where’s my family?”

  “They’re in the basement, alive. They’ll stay that way, as long as you do what I say. You have to know I can get to you and your family anytime I want. Anytime at all. You keep that in mind and everything will turn out good for you and them.”

  “What do you want, BJ?”

  “You know exactly what I want. I can’t believe Calvin trusted you with his secret room and not me, after everything we’ve been through together and all that I’ve done for him. Even saved his life. More than once, I might add.”

  “And if I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  “Look, I know about the room. Heard you and him talking about it more than once, so don’t play dumb with me. If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about I guess I’ll just have to take care of your family now.”

  He yanked me by the arm and pulled me outside, leaving the front door wide open. His car was parked three houses down. I held my wrists slightly apart, as he tied them with a piece of nylon rope. He detached my phone from the clip on my waist and lifted me into the trunk and closed the lid. He started the car and we began to move.

  I yanked my hands apart as hard as I could and gnawed on the rope until it loosened and I could pull my hands free. I felt around for a weapon and found a tire iron as the car slowed and stopped. I tensed. He shut the car off. His car door opened and closed. I listened as his footsteps moved around to the back of the car. I hugged my knees close, ready to kick at him when he opened the trunk. The trunk popped open and he was there with a gun pointed at me.

  CHAPTER 27

  “I can show you where the room is, but there’s nothing there,” I said as he pushed me toward the door to Calvin’s building. Inside, he tied my hands again and pushed me toward the stairs.

  “What did you do with it?”

  “I’m telling you, I came here and there was nothing here.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  When we got to Calvin’s apartment, BJ reached up and pushed back a section of the ceiling that revealed a small black box the size of a paperback. BJ removed something I thought must be an SD card. He pushed me inside the apartment and kept nudging me until we were in Calvin’s bedroom. Then he pushed me down on the bed.

  He inserted the card in his phone, made some adjustments, then turned the phone so that I could see the recording. It was me and Laughton coming out of the apartment.

  “Looks like you left with nothing.�
�� He pulled me up. “Let’s see what you left in there.” He untied my hands and pushed me into the closet. I tapped the corner three times and twisted the hinge to make the wall slide back. He pushed me into the room in front of him. “Have a seat.”

  I sat on the floor. He tied my hands behind my back. I watched him open the footlocker and inspect the contents. “Is this what you killed Calvin for?”

  “You know Calvin has spent his whole life trying to save these stupid kids. No matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to help them, they just kept doing the same old stupid shit. The world is a fucked-up place. Everything has changed, and these young dudes think they are the king of the mountain. They don’t have the slightest bit of what it takes to be the king of anybody’s mountain.”

  “So you showed them that you were the king?”

  “Calvin was a good guy. He just didn’t want to make adjustments. We needed to change with what was going on in the world. Nobody cares about the neighborhood anymore. These kids would just as soon shoot him as look at him.”

  “What did it take for you to turn the corner? Money?”

  “You’re damn right, and lots of it. My man comes up here from Mexico and drops the shit, and I have those young bloods distribute it and we all get rich. I knew Calvin would never see it that way.”

  “That’s because Calvin wasn’t a murderer.”

  “You’re right. He wasn’t. But I am. I’m not going to kill you. The way I figure, your family means a lot to you. You go on about your business and I’ll go on about mine and everybody stays happy.” He pulled his Glock out of his belt, pulled me to my feet, and stuck it against my head. “You or any member of your family decide they don’t like the arrangement and I’ll kill you all. I’ll be watching, so don’t think I won’t know everything that goes on. And don’t think your girlfriend, Burgan, will be around to help you out because she has already taken a turn for the worse.”

  I was stung by his admission of killing Zoila. “Who you kiddin’, BJ? Talking about you can kill us at any time so we’ll be afraid. I’m not buying.”

  He backhanded me. I fell backwards. My head bounced off one of the guns hanging on the wall and I fell to the floor.

  He let loose a sinister chuckle. “Calvin said you were a tough bitch. You won’t be so tough when I kill your little nieces, and your sister, and your bastard son. We’ll see how tough you are when I make you watch. I’ll save you until last.”

  “Well then, let’s get it done.”

  “Soon as I clean out this closet, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  He pushed me out of the room, in front of him. I back-kicked him causing him to drop his gun. I ducked to the side as the wall slid back and almost closed BJ inside. Almost. He came barreling out and into Laughton’s outstretched fist and crashed to the floor.

  Laughton got one of my hands untied before BJ rolled over and jumped to his feet. Laughton jumped back and aimed his gun at BJ. Laughton was tall, but slight compared to BJ’s bulk.

  “BJ, man, how’d you get caught up in this shit? You were always the man to go to, always a stand-up guy. How could you kill my man, Calvin?”

  BJ stepped toward Laughton.

  “I will shoot you as sure as I’m standing here.”

  BJ stopped. “I told him to just give me the shit and leave it be, but Calvin and his self-righteous self . . .”

  BJ barreled into Laughton before he could get a shot off and banged him against the wall, knocking the gun out of Laughton’s hand. I scanned the floor for it. Laughton and BJ were rolling around on the floor. Laughton held on to BJ, to keep him close so BJ couldn’t punch him. When he looked up and saw me with the gun, he turned BJ loose and pushed him away.

  “Hold it, BJ. I’ll shoot.”

  BJ did not hesitate. He punched Laughton straight in the temple and knocked him out, then moved toward me.

  “Take another step and I’ll shoot.”

  “You can’t shoot me. I can’t be killed.”

  “I can shoot you.”

  We turned to see Elijah at the top of the stairs, pointing a gun at BJ. “Oh yes, I can definitely kill your ass. Just like you killed my mother and father. Just like you killed my brother.”

  “I didn’t kill your mommy and your daddy. They killed themselves, damn junkies.”

  “My brother didn’t kill himself.”

  “Yes he did. He was too soft. You want a piece of the action, son?”

  “Elijah, give me the gun. He’s not worth it.”

  “You got that little peashooter. That thing can’t stop a tank like me.” BJ took a step toward Elijah and stopped. “I do believe you would empty that little thing into me. That would definitely hurt even me.”

  “C’mon, Elijah, give me the gun.”

  “If I don’t kill him now, the police will come and take him away, he’ll get out, and every day we’ll be wondering if the twins are safe, if Travis is safe, if your Miss Nareece is safe, if you’re safe. Every day.”

  BJ lunged toward Elijah and Elijah pulled the trigger. The bullet hit BJ center mass. BJ stopped. He looked down at his chest with a surprised expression. He looked up with an evil smile and lunged at Elijah again, wrapped his arms around him and pushed off, taking him backwards down the stairs.

  I ran down the stairs where BJ was anchored atop Elijah.

  “Elijah.”

  He grunted.

  “Hold on, baby.”

  I leaned against BJ with my back, pressed my feet against the wall, and pushed. Elijah lay faceup with the gun still in his hand. I reached for it. He lifted it and let me take it. When I looked at it, I noticed the serial number had been filed off.

  I checked BJ for a pulse. There was none.

  Laughton stumbled down the stairs, holding his head.

  “Where’d you get the gun, Elijah?”

  He didn’t respond at first. Instead he looked at BJ and up at me with watery eyes. “Ward gave it to me awhile back for protection,” he whimpered, scrambling to get away from BJ’s dead body. He hunched in the corner of the small landing. “I didn’t mean to shoot him. I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Get Elijah out of here,” I told Laughton, giving him Elijah’s gun. “I’ll call this in and wait.”

  “You really going to do this? Once you do, there’s no turning back.”

  “What am I going to do, let him go to jail? BJ attacked him. It was self-defense, but you know as well as I do, it won’t turn out that way.”

  After they left, I ran up and made sure the wall to the room was closed, put the pile of clothes back in the closet, and called it in.

  CHAPTER 28

  When I got to the house, it was dark except for kitchen lights. Laughton and Nareece were laughing about something until I walked in and they stopped. Nareece was on me, hugging me like it was her last official act on earth. When she turned me loose, she went to kissing my face and head and hands and arms.

  “I’m cured,” she said. “I don’t want to move away from you. I want to live right here with you and Travis and Elijah. If it wasn’t for Travis, we would have gone crazy all tied up in that basement like animals.”

  It was late, or rather early in the morning, so the kids were in bed.

  “Can I make you some tea or soup or something, anything?”

  “Go to bed, Reece. Those girls will be up before you know it, clamoring for your attention.”

  “So what’s the story?” Laughton asked.

  “I went there trying to come to grips with Calvin’s death. When I got there, BJ was dead and the place was a mess.”

  Eventually I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. Elijah lied about how he got the gun, I knew it. And I did not believe he just happened by after being at the center the night Calvin was killed. And, all of a sudden, he’s never anywhere around, when it was not but a few weeks ago he was glued to Travis’s hip.

  I considered that I was being paranoid and that there was a perfectly logical explanation for why h
e lied. He said he had a girlfriend, which could explain why he stopped hanging around Travis so much.

  Laughton and I needed to figure out what to do with the heroin in Calvin’s closet, or rather, how to make it so the Mobile Street Crimes Unit found it and the flash drive. It would be one of the biggest drug busts in Philly history. I also needed to call Shea and find out if she knew about the secret room and Calvin’s gun collection. If she didn’t want to keep the guns, she could auction them off and use the proceeds to keep the center open. And what about Laughton, would he disappear again, or stay? Did I even want him to stay? I put the pillow over my head, trying to stop the flow of thoughts. My brain ached.

  I wrestled with my bed until five thirty, then got up and put on running clothes and tiptoed past Laughton, sleeping on the couch in the den. I got about a mile from the house, when Elijah ran up beside me.

  “I couldn’t sleep either,” he said. “I want to thank you for covering for what I did last night.”

  I can’t run and talk, so I nodded at him.

  I slowed my pace, thinking he wanted to talk more, but instead, he ran ahead of me and disappeared around the next corner.

  Always so polite. My stomach gurgled, making me feel like I needed to use the bathroom. I picked up the pace.

  The conversation with BJ before Elijah killed him replayed in my head. He never admitted to killing Calvin or that he had anything to do with Ward’s death. He talked about Calvin being self-righteous and Griffin being too soft, but he never said he killed them. The look on his face, the smile, just before they fell, flashed in front of me. I slowed to a walk.

  I was two blocks from the house when I noticed the car following me. A gray coupe with tinted windows. The same car from the last time I ran. This time it pulled half a block up and stopped. A fat white man got out and stood with his arms across his chest like he was waiting for me.

  My first thought was to sprint across the street and through some yards to lose them, then decided I didn’t have the energy, so I stopped when he stepped in front of me as I tried to pass.

  The car window went down.

  “Do you know who I am?”