“No problem,” said the snaky man.
“Here you go,” said Baker, and handed the snaky man some money.
Erik pulled his radio up. “It’s on,” he said. “We’re going in on this side.”
There was a commotion outside. Danny and Erik got a signal and then they burst into the room, guns out.
“Police!” Danny yelled.
“Hands where I can see them!” said Erik.
There was a shot from outside, but Erik and Danny kept their eyes on the three in front of them.
“Oh fuck me!” said Shera, recognizing Danny.
“On the ground, lay flat, hands on heads!” said Danny.
Baker hesitated as they had agreed and Erik shoved him to the floor.
A uniformed officer entered with her weapon out moments later.
“Big guy got off a shot, but no one was hit,” said the officer. “We got his gun and there’s one in the van.”
“If either of them match the bullet we took out of Kraven Green, all of you are going to jail for murder,” said Danny.
“I ain’t involved in that!” yelled Shera.
“Shut up, bitch!” said the snaky man.
Danny read them all their rights. Then he had the uniformed officers take them all away. Baker was taken too but he’d be released as soon as he got to the station.
“This has got to be a record,” said Erik. “Think we can get into Ripley’s for this?”
The thieves and Baker were loaded into a police van. The evidence was confiscated and the van dusted for prints.
As they were ready to roll out, they suddenly heard a din in the front of the place. Danny and Erik walked to the street and saw camera crews from the major channels at the front of the club.
“Who the fuck called them?” asked Erik.
Danny stopped short as he saw who the reporters were focusing on.
Tony Hill stood in front of a line of reporters. A couple other cops who were high-level officers flanked him. Riddeaux was conspicuous by her absence.
Danny and Erik walked closer but a cop who looked barely tall enough to be on the force, stopped them.
“Sorry guys,” said the small man. “The Chief gave orders for all the officers involved to stay in the back and finish the arrest.”
Danny and Erik stopped their advance. They were close enough to hear the press conference.
“Through normal procedure,” Tony said, “we have already made an arrest in the case. We don’t want anyone to think that the Mayor’s troubles will impede the workings of our city.”
Danny was surprised. The Chief himself had come out to grandstand for the embattled Mayor. He and Erik moved away from the small officer.
“Didn’t think he’d ever be turned,” said Erik.
“He isn’t,” said Danny. “He’s just playing along. He doesn’t have a choice.”
“Are you sure?” asked Erik. “He found out about our case, intercepts the call for back up and then alerts the news but doesn’t tell us.”
Danny didn’t answer. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure of anything. All around him, there were people who owed their careers to city power. That was a compelling reason to lie. He had the utmost respect for the Chief but he wondered if Tony Hill had been pushed to his limit.
They walked back into the club’s parking lot. The cops and the suspects should have been gone by now but, for some reason, they were still waiting.
“Detectives,” said the female uniformed officer.
“The girl wants to talk to you,” the officer pointed at Danny. “She’s screaming and carrying on like a crazy woman.”
“Get her out,” said Danny. “But be cool about it. Say it’s because she’s acting up.”
Shera was taken out of the van. She was walked over to Danny and Erik. The female officer left them.
“Make it good,” said Danny to Shera.
“I can’t go down like this,” said Shera. “They came and got me after they did what they did. I didn’t know what they was talking about but it all makes sense now.”
“You run with dogs, you know what happens,” said Danny. “The game is what it is.”
“Hair stealing should carry the death penalty in Detroit,” said Erik smiling.
“Okay, I know what I am but I ain’t no murderer,” said Shera. “Look, when y’all came to the fire, I didn’t tell you everything about Rashindah.”
Danny and Erik both perked up. Danny talked to the uniformed leader and then he went back to Erik and Shera.
“You can ride with us,” said Danny.
“Shindah had a stash at her place,” said Shera. “I knew about it but she didn’t know I knew. After her place was burned, I tried to get inside but I couldn’t, ‘cause it was a crime scene. Then that lowlife landlord threw some paint on it and put a tenant in there before I could do it.”
“Where is this stash?” asked Danny, “and what’s in it?”
“Y’all gonna let me go?”
“If it checks out,” said Erik. “And if it helps our case.”
“Please, I can’t go to jail. My mama will kill me.”
Erik chuckled and glanced at Danny who was thinking.
“We’re going to take you in,” said Danny, “and you’re going to tell us where this so-called stash is. If it’s cool, then I’ll call my prosecutor friends and ask them to get you out of this.”
Shera thought for just a second then spoke: “Okay. I’m gonna trust y’all. It’s in her bathroom. Her medicine cabinet pulls out and it’s behind there. I caught her doing it once. Don’t know what’s in there, though.”
“No one would have guessed that,” said Danny distantly.
They went to the precinct and processed Shera and made sure she was kept away from the others.
The snaky man whose name was James Danielson ratted out his partner, Elijah Henry, moments after being processed.
Henry, a multiple offender had immediately sworn that it was Danielson who killed Kraven Green. Neither one had mentioned Shera being present at the crime.
The sun had set by the time Danny headed home. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to some rest.
He vowed to get back on the case tomorrow but in truth, he was losing faith. He wasn’t sure who to trust anymore. Sometimes, he reasoned, maybe the bad guys got away with it.
Danny made the long drive home and went inside where he found Vinny in the dinning room buried in papers as usual.
“New case?” asked Danny.
“Yeah,” said Vinny. “Some rich asshole’s buying up vacant properties around the city but not paying the taxes. We have to defend him.”
“I got your texts but I never had time to respond,” said Danny.
“It’s okay. I was just trippin’ on the Mayor going to jail. He’s already out, you know.”
“I figured,” said Danny. “But the damage has been done.”
“Media manipulation of the jury pool, that Marshall’s good,” said Vinny. “Wouldn’t mind studying under him.”
Danny couldn’t help but hear the admiration in her voice. He also couldn’t stop the pang of jealousy he felt whenever she mentioned Marshall. He was a confident man, but in his heart, he’d always feel a little deficient to his friend.
Danny went into the kitchen and microwaved his dinner. Vinny loved to cook and often made meals in advance on the weekends. Tonight he was eating steak, potatoes and peas.
He filled Vinny in on his case as she worked. She was still fascinated by the job and stopped him every so often to ask a question. The story of the Chief’s grandstanding on the murder case made her mouth drop.
“So, did you call Tony?” asked Vinny.
“No. It feels like politics and it’s not relevant to my case.”
“You don’t think he’s dirty, do you?” asked Vinny.
“I’m not sure of anything right now,” said Danny. Only Vinny could ask this question and get him to respond. “So, tomorrow
, after work, I get back to it,” said Danny. “I pick up whatever’s at Rashindah’s and then I lean on this Jangle to give up iDT.”
“Easier said than done, I bet,” said Vinny.
Danny yawned, feeling exhausted. Vinny planned to be up late and so he went to bed.
Danny’s sleep was fitful. He didn’t dream so much as he had flashes of roving images: Bevia beating her son, Husam Salah smugly standing over the dead body of Rashindah Watson and lines and lines of text from the Mayor’s messages to her.
The world had changed so much over the last few years. Technology had moved us away from each other physically, but it had brought the dirt and evil of our capacities closer than ever.
He was awakened hours later, he saw a blurry Vinny standing over him holding her gun.
“Shh!” she said whispering. “Neighborhood Watch just called.”
Danny got out of bed, pulled on his clothes and grabbed his Glock. With Vinny armed, he would only use the single gun.
“What did they say?” asked Danny, shaking the cobwebs from his head.
“They saw a car driving up and down the streets.”
Danny checked the clock. It was past one in the morning. A thief would think they were asleep.
“I want you to say here,” said Danny. “Call the cops. I’m going to hide outside.”
“Like hell,” said Vinny. “And I already called the police.”
“You’re pregnant. Did you forget that?”
Vinny just shook her head.
“Okay, stay behind me, then,” said Danny.
They turned out the light and Danny went out the back door into the backyard. If a thief was coming, he would probably come from the back.
The yard was clear. Only a porch light threw a dim illumination on the scene. Vinny and Danny moved into adjacent dark corners. Neither had to say anything. They’d been police partners once and it all came back easily.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps and a man entered the yard. He was thick bodied and dressed in dark clothes. He went to their back door and tried it.
Danny and Vinny began to move forward, taking care to watch where they stepped. Danny had neglected to put on shoes. The ground was hard and cold beneath his feet.
The intruder found the door locked. He began to move around to the side of the home, looking for entry. When his back was turned, Danny and Vinny positioned themselves at angles to avoid hitting each other.
“Don’t move!” said Danny.
The intruder stopped. His hands were by his sides.
“Get those hands up right now!” Danny commanded.
“You heard the man,” said Vinny.
Still the intruder didn’t move. Danny felt Vinny tense next to him. Something wasn’t right. This man was caught cold but he did not run nor did he seem to want to surrender. Danny’s head filled with alarm.
This was no thief.
The man turned quickly, reaching for something. He pulled a gun as Danny and Vinny both fired at him, filling the night with sound and bursts of light.
The intruder was hit and Danny saw the gun fly from his hand as his body hit the ground. The intruder twitched a moment and then he didn’t move.
“Vinny, you okay?” asked Danny.
“I’m good,” she said. “He didn’t get off a round.”
Lights were coming on around them. Danny went to the man. He wore a stocking over his face. Danny pulled it up. He was white and looked to be forty or so. He’d been hit in the head and chest and he was not breathing.
“He’s dead,” said Danny. “I’m betting he has no ID or anything on him or in his car.” Danny focused again on the man’s face then recognition hit him. “Shit, I think know this guy,” said Danny looking closer at the man. “I know him!” Danny said with more urgency.
“Who is he?” Vinny took a step toward the corpse.
“I don’t got a name yet and he’s older and fatter but I’m pretty sure I put him away. You never forget them.”
“Jesus,” said Vinny. “Jesus.”
They looked at each other in the darkness as they heard police vehicles approach in the front.
“Danny, who do you think…”?
“Don’t say anything,” said Danny. “As far as we know this was a robbery attempt at the wrong house.”
Danny called to the police who entered the back yard with lights and weapons.
Danny and Vinny surrendered their weapons as the police took over and the neighbors came out to watch.
As he gave his statement, Danny thought about the evil implications of this. Someone wanted him off the case permanently and they didn’t care if they killed Vinny or their baby.
Danny glanced at Vinny calmly talking to an officer, her hands absently clasped tightly over her belly.
This was no longer just an investigation, he thought, it was a war. Everyone was always cautioning him to be calm, to hold back. But that rule was now forfeit. Now, he was coming after them.
PART THREE:
CITYCIDE
“The City’s not dead yet, and neither am I.”
-Danny Cavanaugh
25
TRIBE
A police car had been outside of Danny’s house all day. They’d ordered a guard on him and Vinny after the incident.
Inside, Danny sat with Erik, Vinny and five of Vinny’s nine siblings. Vinny was from a family of ten kids. They were: Renitta, Juan, Ivory and Ivanna, the twins, DeWayne, Easter, Teyron, Devinna, and Marcus who was named after their father. Vinny’s parents were out of town but had called when they heard the news. Rounding out the mob, was Danny’s Father, Robert Cavanaugh.
All of Vinny’s siblings had checked in but now only Renitta, Juan and the twins remained.
Danny, Vinny, Renitta, Erik and Robert all sat in the kitchen while the others watched TV trying not to worry about their sister.
Danny did not like Renitta at this brain-trust, as she was not a cop. In truth, the two hated each other and this latest trouble would certainly not help matters. Renitta and the whole family knew Vinny was pregnant and it was a sore spot with some of them. Vinny’s parents were not all that pleased either but grandchildren were grandchildren.
The police had interviewed both Danny and Vinny and it was all rather routine. The stories matched and it looked like an open and shut case of a robbery gone wrong.
Marshall and his wife had come by after dawn and stayed for a while. It was good having all of his people around at a time like this, Danny had thought. He’d surveyed the crowd and he and his father were the only white faces in the room. Oddly, he thought of his child, who would be neither black nor white, despite what society thought.
The intruder Danny and Vinny had killed had been identified as Michael Prosick, a shady businessman whom Danny had busted ten years ago. Prosick had been on the police force before he was fired under suspicion of taking bribes from an old drug crew called the Union. He’d become a small time hood, specializing in arson and theft.
Arson, Danny and Erik had both thought when they read the report. He might have been their firebug at Rashindah’s place.
After he was let go as a cop, Prosick began running a successful fencing operation. He killed a supplier in a dispute over money. This got Danny on the case and Prosick was arrested and sent to prison for manslaughter. Since getting out, Prosick had been straight, until last night.
“I don’t like this shit,” said Robert. “Some old perp tries to kill my son and daughter. There should be a real investigation.”
Danny saw Renitta stiffen when Robert referred to Vinny as his daughter. Robert loved Vinny and wasn’t shy about promoting the relationship. Robert had come a long way, Danny thought, from the bigoted man he grew up with, a man who was saved from the bottle by Marshall’s father.
Robert Cavanaugh had not had a drink in over two years. This was a fact known only to him, Danny, Vinny and his AA group. His doctor had diagnosed him with liver and kidney problems
and that finally drove the old Irishman onto the wagon. And it had also mellowed him. The rough edge that was always in his words was gone and he now seemed more at peace with himself. He even had a girlfriend, a fact that only he and Danny knew.
“I don’t want that,” said Danny. “We took care of Prosick and I don’t want the police all up in my life, following me.”
“What about Vinny?” said Renitta with authority. “She needs protection.”
“I agree,” said Erik. “We can get a man on her to and from work and someone will watch the house.”
“I’m feeling that,” said Danny.
“I ain’t crazy about it,” said Vinny. “But I guess it’s okay. I can take care of myself, you know.”
“I know,” Robert laughed. “Which one of you hit him in the head?”
“Vinny got the header,” said Danny proudly. “In the dark, too.”
“Damn,” said Erik. “Danny, you’d better do them two AM feedings around here or else.”
All the cops at the table laughed. Renitta just frowned at their gallows humor.
“We’ll be around too, so Vinny won’t be here alone,” said Renitta.
“God knows there’s enough of y’all,” said Erik. “Your poor mother.”
Ivory and Ivanna walked into the kitchen. They were identical twins and had grown to be great-looking young women. Ivory was bookish and smart while Ivanna was artsy and a budding rapper. They still dressed alike and were notorious for not wearing much clothing. Today, they were each in skirts, which were incredibly short and left little to the imagination
“Anybody want a juice?” asked Ivanna.
“You should have one mama Vinny,” said Ivory. “Good for our little niece.”
“No thanks,” said Vinny.
“I’ll take one,” said Robert.
“Not me,” said Danny. “And for the record, it’s gonna be a boy.”
“Damned right it is,” said Robert.
Erik said he didn’t want a drink as the twins poured orange juice.
Citycide Page 19