“Look all this BS act, you could just save, ahight. I know you’re just trying to get me to speak on things I don’t know nothing about…”
“No that’s not true, Coco. You were witness to a shooting and the gun used is the same gun used to kill a police officer…”
“I didn’t kill anyone why don’t you go out and find the real killer and harass them?” Coco screamed with tears streaming down her face.
Hall waited, put the notepad down then he offered her tissue for her tears.
“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do but we need your help, Coco. Anything you give us, or think of would help us tremendously. Of course, this means you’d also be helping yourself. I’m telling you right now, you do not want that crazy white boy charging you as an accessory to murder. He wants to lock you away for the rest of your life. Now, you know fully well that is a very heavy, heavy weight to carry. Especially when you weren’t personally involved. Think about it Coco, I am trying to help you out as best I can, Coco. Take some time to think about it. He hates black people.”
Detective Hall got up from the small table. He left the blank notebook on the desk in front of Coco.
“I’m gonna go out and try to calm my partner. He just wants to throw you in jail. I wanna help you do the right thing.” On his way out the room, Hall turned to Coco. “Can I get you something to drink, water?”
Coco heard the door slam. She did not take her eyes off the blank notepad.
SEVEN
Deedee turned off the television and picked up her cell phone checking for messages from Coco. It was two-thirty in the morning and Deedee was wide-awake when she hit the redial button. She listened to the outgoing message on Miss Katie’s answering machine. She waited patiently for the extended beep.
“Yo Coco, this is Dee. Hit me when you get this. Let me know you’re okay and how Miss Katie is doing.”
It was the fourth or fifth message she had left since yesterday. She also tried sending text messages to Coco but there was no response. She felt tired but sleep would not come.
Since arriving home, Deedee had Coco and Miss Katie on her mind. She explained the incident to her uncle’s fiancée, Sophia, who had long since retired to bed. She told Sophia how scary things got when the girl pulled out the gun, but Sophia seemed uninterested. She only suggested that Deedee stay away from the area and take out an order of protection against the girls. The advice was curt but Deedee didn’t mind. She knew that Sophia was more concerned with her situation with Eric than high school girls fighting.
Deedee’s mind was still on the incident when the ringing of the phone startled her. She rushed to get it.
“Hello, Josephine.” Deedee said flatly.
“It’s Coco. She hasn’t called since I left her some hours ago… No, Jo, earlier me and Coco and these girls… the same girls who had a fight with you, well we were kicking their asses and one of them pulled out a gun and fired a shot… Jo, Miss Katie was outside and… I don’t think so, but she was laid out in the hallway when I left. And Coco was supposed to call me after they got to the hospital, but I haven’t heard from her yet.”
Josephine was crying on the other end of the line. Deedee felt something else had drawn Josephine’s wailing.
“How’re things going so far with you and your mother?” Deedee asked warily. “I’m sorry to hear that y’all fighting again… Jo, if you want you could come here and live maybe finish school and… Let me know and I’ll make the arrangements, okay… Bye.”
Deedee sat up in bed, thinking about the conversation. She knew she would need her uncle’s approval for Josephine to stay. She dialed his number. He picked up after the third ring.
“Uncle E., I hate to be bothering you but I just wanna know if I can have a friend stay with us for the semester, maybe? It’s ah… Josephine. She and her parents are going through a bad divorce and she can’t concentrate in school… That’ll be good Uncle. She’ll be happy to know. When am I gonna see you? Dinner at seven sounds good… and yes I’ll get a note to her parents so that she can legitimately enroll in school… Wow Uncle, you’re always in the studio working and… you almost live there. Anyway I’ll see you later.”
Deedee turned off the lights, laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep.
EIGHT
Monday morning started with spatters of rain carried over from the previous night. The early morn air felt crisp against Rachel Harvey’s face as she dashed out of the cab. She ran through the entrance of the building without stopping. When she was about to open the door to her apartment she realized that she had left her luggage in the trunk of the cab.
She hesitated for a moment but was sure the cabdriver would be long gone. Once she entered the apartment she was immediately stunned by the new furniture she momentarily forgot everything except concern for her daughter. She picked up some papers and made her way out of the renovated apartment. She hailed a cab. “Center Street, please.”
Rachel Harvey walked nervously to join a queue outside the courthouse. She went through the metal detector.
“I’m here for my daughter...” she said clearing a lump in her throat. The officer pointed to another section.
“Wait over there you’ll hear her name called,” he said.
Rachel Harvey nervously ambled over to a crowded waiting area. She searched for a seat. It was standing room only. A few minutes later, she spotted a group of new releases celebrating their departure. She scrambled to get a seat, sat and shook her legs nervously while she waited. After an anxious hour had gone by, Rachel caught a glimpse of her daughter speaking to another person. Her heart sank when she noticed the handcuff on her. She waved when the officer led Coco into the courtroom.
Another hour went by before Mrs. Harvey was called. The officer directed her inside the courtroom. There were people everywhere. By the time she had made it through the throngs of family members and attorneys, the teenage defendant and her attorney were already standing in front of the Judge. She rushed to her daughter’s side.
“And you are?” The judge paused and asked.
“I’m her mother, your honor.”
“State your name and the relationship to the child for the record,” the court officer said.
“My name is Rachel Harvey. I’m Coco’s mother.”
“The lawyer assigned will explain all the details to you,” the judge said to Mrs. Harvey before addressing Coco. “Young lady, you’re being given twelve months probation. If for any reason you return to this court within that period, then I’ll re-rule. Probation granted. Good luck.” He said and struck the gavel against the bench.
“Party’s free to go,” the court officer yelled. “Next case State verses Jones…”
Coco and her mother were ushered into a small room by the attorney.
“She has to go to school and back home everyday. She’ll have to see someone in probation before she leaves,” the attorney said while signing document after document and shoving each at Mrs. Harvey. “Ah, good luck… ah Coco. I have to go. Dozens of cases,” she said flying out the door.
Mrs. Harvey looked around the office shaking her head in disbelief.
“Why, Coco? Can you tell me why?”
Coco did not respond. Her lips went dry thinking of where to begin.
“You’re not gonna open your mouth now, huh? Tell me why you wanna be a thug girl instead of a lady. I’m trying to raise you right Coco…”
The door opened and an officer peered inside.
“You’re needed right away in the probation office. All the offices are downstairs.”
NINE
“I don’t understand. What’s the problem with the fucking release papers?” Kowalski yelled into the phone. He hung up, threw the papers down, and marched angrily from his desk. On his way out the precinct, he saw his partner standing at the vending machines reading a report.
“What does one have to do around here to get things done?” Kowalski complained.
Hall looked him up
and down for a beat before he answered. “You look like shit. Maybe you should first address your wardrobe. Look your appearance is way too shoddy. I don’t even know where to begin…”
“Be careful of what you about to say, man. I’m not in the mood…”
“Feeling froggie white-boy?”
“No, all I’m trying to do is make a damn case. A major case that the damn chief himself wants wrapped up as soon as possible. It’s next to impossible to get any type of cooperation around here. I need to arrest someone… anyone.”
“Let’s go get some real coffee and assess our situation,” Hall said. “Now first, when making a case stick, you’re only as good as your witness. We don’t have such a…”
“I’ve got a good connection,” Kowalski said interrupting Hall.
“Who do you have?” Hall asked choosing the Cappuccino flavor from a vending machine that was a few feet from the first one.
“Lil’ Long…” Kowalski began.
“You have nothing.”
“What’re you saying?”
“There are plenty of people mad at him. He has far too many enemies. The cost is going to be too heavy, and that’s just to begin to work with him.” Hall cautioned and sipped.
“Well what do we have then?”
“We’ve got someone like Rightchus out on the streets and free just waiting for someone to turn him on.”
“Rightchus? A drugged out piece-o’-shit for brains?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Let’s pay him a visit and I’ll explain further.”
“What does Lil’ Long pissing a bunch a people off has to do with our investigation?” Kowalski asked.
“You’re on your own on that one. But my guess is these people must be very powerful, because all of a sudden they are turning their backs on him,” Hall answered.
“Let’s go see your man, Rightchus. Then drop in and see our shooter, Tina Torres. She called to give us insight as to what had happened,” Kowalski said.
TEN
Lil’ Long sat on his bunk staring at the puke on the four walls that had him penned. Since meeting the Russian he knew his list of enemies was growing longer. He jumped up and paced the cell as Ernesto entered.
“What da fuck you here for?” Lil’ Long growled.
“Easy daddy, you sound like you mad at Nesto.”
“What, you come up in here for? You da muthafuckin’ enforcer or sump’n, Nesto? Tell me what you be about, man?”
“Look, daddy I told you that anything that goes on in here is sanctioned by the Russians. This prison bidness, they own it and we existing under their rules, daddy.”
“Whatcha mean, man? What da fuck is you talkin’ bout?”
“I’m dead ass, the prison system has been privatized for a minute, daddy. This a private joint, they got you locked down in, daddy.”
“Huh what man, wha’ da fuck you sayin?’”
“To put it simple, there are these guys who own the joint, daddy. They own where we now residing.”
“And fuckin’ what?”
“Just hear me out, daddy. Bidness men own the jails, daddy and they peeps in here, and they running things. You smell me daddy? They set all the rules. Not the department of corrections or whateva, fuck that shit, daddy, they only lease the name. Nothing happens without the people running things say so. You feel me now?”
“You sayin’ these muthafuckin Russians and they peeps be on some landlord and tenants type shit?”
“That’s it in a nutshell, daddy. You come up in here you gotta pay rent daddy.”
“Oh, so who da fuck you be? A fuckin’ rent collector or sump’n?”
“Nah, daddy, Nesto ain’t nothing like that,” Ernesto said with a laugh. “Nesto being real with you, daddy, like you being real with Nesto. You feel me? You know this chick Tina, daddy?”
Lil’ Long watched carefully as Ernesto pulled out a wrapped object. He jumped toward him. The muscular man easily pushed Lil’ Long off.
“C’mon daddy, if Nesto wanted to shank you, I wouldn’t have to do a damn thing, ‘cept say the word, daddy. It would be over for you daddy,” Nesto said lining up the pure white in Lil’ Long’s view. He snorted in both nostrils then looked over at Lil’ Long.
“Hmm… Nah, I’m good, man. So I ain’t gonna leave unless I cooperate with em Russians, huh?”
“Daddy they run shit, right now. When we sit down again I’m a show you some science behind their whole shit. Right now Nesto gotta go get that weight training on.”
“Leave me some o’ that Columbian white, ahight.”
“No problem, daddy. This shit ain’t free though, daddy. This gonna cost you some commissary.”
“Whateva, man. You know I got that,” Lil’ Long said watching Ernesto pull out the wrapped object then throwing the plastic bag across the cell.
Lil’ Long readied himself by pouring the coke out. As soon as he was about to snort the white powder, he felt a blow upside his head.
“Take this snitch!”
Dazed he struggled to see who his attackers were. Two or three stayed around and kicked him.
“Don’t hurt him, he da muthafucking chess champin…”
“Die! Muthafuckin’ you rat!” They yelled.
Lil’ Long was dragged by the seat of his pants into the hall where he was given another beating.
He was wallowing in pain as he slowly regained consciousness. He struggled to his feet. The CO came, confiscated the coke and dragged him to the hole.
“I ain’t done shit!” Lil’ Long yelled, as he was shoved into the darkened hole.
ELEVEN
It was early in the afternoon. Coco and her mother sat in a cramped office trying to maintain poise. They had been waiting for what felt like the entire day. A parole officer walked in for a minute, picked up papers off his desk and left silently. He repeated the cycle of suddenly appearing, remaining for a short time and then leaving without saying anything.
The distraught teen glanced away trying not to look at her mother.
“Hurry-up and wait, that’s all they seem to do ‘round here. This is just another way they get on your damn nerve and it’s all your damn fault Coco. You really over-did yourself welcoming me home this time. What was you thinking, Coco? Haven’t you learned anything?” Rachel Harvey asked her silent daughter. “It’s like all I done did to keep your ass from hard times, is da more you tryin’ to go there. I’ll end it for you Coco. I tried to keep you out da shelter system. You know these people they could take you off da budget and put me up in da shelter. An’ I ain’t goin’ to live under ‘em conditions, cuz when you become shelterized you get used to people pissing all over you.”
“Shelterized?” Coco repeated softly.
“Yes, that’s when you don’t go to school and give up all your hopes. Your dreams vanish soon you in a shelter. I don’t wanna become shelterized and I damn well don’t want you to go that route. But, I can only suggest that to you Coco, cuz you soo damn grown. You know everything. I’m telling you one thing, you better do whatever these people ask you to do or else that judge will send your behind to the damn slammer.”
Coco, closemouthed, looked straight ahead, trying not to make eye contact with her mother’s angry scowl. A little after that Ward made another unannounced entrance to his office. He followed the same actions as before, except this time he spoke to the parent and child in front of him.
“Good afternoon. My name is PO Ward and I will supervise your release. Now as a probationer…”
“I thought I was on...?” Coco asked confused.
“The next time you disturb me when I’m speaking, you’ll be that much closer to going inside. Good manners and respect are the most important tools for all my probationers. Respect others and you’ll be given respect. When someone is speaking, especially someone who is in authority such as your mother, or a person like myself, you must listen carefully and wait until that person is finished speaking before you say anything. Do you understand what I’m saying,
Miss Coco Harvey?”
Coco mumbled inaudibly.
“I can’t hear you? What did you say?”
“I hear you, I understand.” Coco said.
“Now you’re here for rehab of a particular drug problem.”
“Coco you have a drug problem? Is that whatcha doing? Is you a druggie now, Coco?” Rachel Harvey screamed in dismay. “What, I go for treatment and you think you can go get hooked on what you feel like, huh?”
“Mrs. Harvey, Mrs. Harvey please, I would like to address this matter right now. I’m sure you’ll have time later to discipline your daughter. Coco, you’ll be coming to see me every Tuesday evening after school at four-thirty. That gives you enough time to finish all your classes and be in here on time. Not on cp time, or your time, it will be my time. Do you understand?” Ward asked.
Coco nodded.
“Any questions let me know now. I don’t want to hear the excuse that you didn’t understand anything I said. I’ll explain it all again if I have to. Your curfew will be at seven, every day. That means if for any reason you’re caught outside your home, your place of domicile after seven, then it is a violation and you’re subject to being arrested. Do you understand? I want you to speak up. I can’t understand you, so I want to hear you say yes I understand or no I don’t understand.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“What’s my name?”
“Ah… Officer Ward.”
“PO Ward, Miss.”
“Okay…”
“Also because you were found with marijuana in your possession and I gathered some information that this is not the first time marijuana has been found on you by a city official.”
“Huh?” Mrs. Harvey blurted.
“Seems like a week ago, a caseworker found a similar bag of weed at your home. Of course, that matter is going to be handled by another department. But because you were found with an illegal drug in connection to a criminal investigation, you’ll have to participate in a drug treatment program. A female officer will supervise all the testing of your urine and I’ll make the necessary determination. On your next visit, I’ll have the name of a program for you. Are there any questions? Since there are no questions, Coco come with me.”
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