The World in Reverse

by Latrivia Nelson

  “Sorry that I’m late,” Magnelli said, making his way over to the coffee pot percolating in the corner. Dressed in a golf shirt and khakis, he looked at Lieutenant Thomas and nodded. “How are you, Bill?”

  “Fine, sir,” Thomas answered quickly. He swallowed hard, realizing that this was a meeting of top brass and for the first time, he was a part of it.

  “Is Johnson on the way?” Amway asked shortly.

  “Yes, sir. He should be here any minute,” Thomas said, looking at his watch.

  “I need to remind Phyllis to order me some more damned cards,” Amway said absently. He grabbed a pen and wrote something on the back of the card that he had fished off of his cluttered desk.

  “Damn, your office looks like when you were a detective,” Magnelli joked with Amway.

  Thomas smirked, but didn’t dare make a sound. He knew that he was mostly here just to observe.

  “Lately, I’ve been feeling like that’s were I’d prefer to be. Do you know since this shit went down with Agosto, I’ve given out more cards, gotten more fucking emails and phone calls from people who want to weigh in on the situation.” Amway rolled his eyes. “It’s ridiculous. And I just got off the phone with the mayor.”

  “He wants an update?” Magnelli asked.

  “No. He wants the case solved. He wants Agosto’s head on a plate. He wants Memphis’ name cleaned up and he wants it all done today,” Amway answered, irritated again.

  “He wouldn’t be the mayor if he wasn’t asking for the world,” Magnelli said, revealing his politician-like demeanor.

  “Where are you coming from, the golf course?” Amway asked Magnelli after he finally noticed his attire.

  “Damn near drove off the green in the cart straight to the office,” Magnelli answered.

  “Well, I wouldn’t know what that’s like. I haven’t had an off day since Agosto made the news.”

  Magnelli’s chest immediately swelled. He knew that his boss was implying that if he hadn’t taken a day off, neither should he. “Sorry, I don’t make your salary. A day off is the only way that I keep my sanity.”

  Amway’s eyes narrowed. “You make enough to skip a day on the green so that we can solve this case, I’m sure. And the pay never matches up to the fucking responsibility around this place. When was the last time that the mayor called you bitching, complaining and making demands.”

  “I meant no disrespect, sir,” Magnelli said with his nose turned up. Quietly, he wanted to spit in Amway’s face. The audacity of the young director made him sick. He had put in years to be able to take off without hearing from some snot-nosed, black boy from the LeMoyne Gardens, who only got tapped to Director because the mayor wanted another dark-face in the administration.

  Amway could sense the animosity. Turning around, he looked over at Thomas. “Lieutenant, when was the last day that you had a day off.”

  Thomas held a breath. Dear God, he didn’t want to be pulled into this brass pitching match.

  Realizing both men were waiting on an answer, he finally spoke. “I can’t remember.”

  “Even with a four percent cut in pay that the city council just took from us, you still feel the need to put in the work that citizens need?” Amway said, looking over Magnelli with an insinuating glare. He shrugged his wide shoulders. “Well, I guess that some of us get it.”

  Thomas sucked in a breath, trying to hold on to some oxygen as all the air left out of the room. Talk about intimidating. This was warfare that he really didn’t want to be involved with.

  The rebuttal was almost immediate. Eye twitching, Magnelli opened his mouth to say something but Amway quickly put the conversation to bed. “End of discussion. I didn’t bring you here to discuss this shit.”

  An interruption came with invited arms. Johnson, in his usual shirt and jeans, opened the door and closed it behind him.

  Amway looked over from Magnelli and waved Johnson over. “Have a seat and lets get started.” He walked over to his circular work desk where the men were to convene their meeting.

  Johnson nodded at Magnelli and immediately thought of Carmen. The old man would have a heart attack if he knew that he was seeing his baby girl. Too bad she wouldn’t let him tell him. He could probably convince him that he wasn’t a bad guy.

  “Do you own anything other than jeans and t-shirts? Shit, Johnson grow up,” Magnelli said out of the blue.

  Johnson audibly clucked his tongue against the bottom of his mouth. “Didn’t know it mattered,” he said, looking down at his clothes. “Their clean, freshly washed.” By your daughter, he thought to himself.

  “The next time I see you, I want you to have a suit on,” Magnelli said with a point.

  Johnson didn’t answer. Maybe Carmen was right. He would hate him.

  In the middle of the table were newspapers from across the country. The local paper sat atop the pile with Agosto’s picture, A1 above the fold.

  “Gentlemen, we are way behind the eight ball on the Baby Boys case. Agosto’s untimely and very fucked situation has all but buried us in a media hell that we won’t likely dig ourselves out of for quite some time. I have people picketing outside downstairs, as you could clearly see on your way up. They are demanding jail time for a man that I’m not even sure is guilty of anything except getting caught. I have news reporters covering every inch of this man’s life and begging me for a statement. I have parents demanding something be done to find the killer or killers, according to Agosto and Johnson’s report.” He huffed in frustration as he passed the newspapers around the table. “The public relations firm that we have hired to help us in this has recommended several steps in a crisis communications plan. I’m looking it over. But I need action now on this case. We have to find a way to control the message and get back to our job.” Even as he gave the directive, he hated sounding like a politician. It wasn’t who he was at all, but it was a title that he had to come to grips with or be swallowed by the very people who hired him.

  “It would be a lot easier to control the message if Agosto hadn’t lost his cool,” Magnelli snarled angrily.

  “Be that as it may, I brought you here to help me make a final decision on either letting Johnson move forward on this case alone, or assigning him a new partner.” Amway looked over at Johnson. “Now, normally, this decision wouldn’t include you at all, but considering that I did handpicked Agosto, and considering that we need to work extremely hard on the case, I’m going to take your suggestions into consideration.”

  “Who did you have in mind?” Thomas asked, finally feeling comfortable enough to enter into the discussion. He knew his team well and there were only a few people that he would even consider teaming up with Johnson.

  “Detective Cory Hamilton and Lt. Kat Steele come to mind,” Amway said, looking over at Magnelli.

  “One OCU member. One homicide.” Magnelli sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. “My bet would be on Steele. She’s sharp, and she’d be able to handle the media.”

  “I don’t think either one would be a good fit,” Thomas said, biting his lip. He tilted his head and looked over at Johnson. “I think he can handle this alone.”

  “Alone?” Amway shook his head. “No offense, Johnson, but at this point, this case is too big for one person.”

  There was an ally in the room. “Having to catch someone up on this case is going to slow things down. Plus, Johnson would still be the lead,” Thomas defended.

  “I’m worried that he might not be mature enough to handle this alone,” Amway added. His reservations were evident in his tone.

  Johnson frowned. “In what way?”

  “Johnson, you’re a good cop but I mean you did come to a news conference in jeans and a damned t-shirt. I need someone who can represent the police department and build confidence in the citizens.”

  “Agosto wore a suit to the news conference, right?” Johnson asked, feeling Thomas’s eyes burning through him. “And yet, here he is on the front of the paper, sir.”

&nb
sp; “Steele is solid, and she has 15 years on the job. Getting her up to speed won’t be a problem,” Magnelli said, tapping his pen against the desk. He ignored Johnson’s rebuttal altogether. “Plus, she has an unblemished record.”

  “I guess that it helps from a PR standpoint that she’s a woman,” Amway said, flipping through her file.

  “And it also helps that she’s black,” Thomas blurted out. He looked around the room at all eyes on him for his obviously awkward statement. Being a southern white guy with blue eyes and graying brown hair, he instantly felt uncomfortable again. Was black a bad word now?

  Amway turned the page in the file and smirked.

  “This case isn’t about PR,” Johnson said, after he had heard enough. He had to get them to see the bigger picture, but he felt like he was losing them to some popularity contest.

  “I don't need to be reminded what this case is about, Johnson.” Amway gave Johnson a stern stare. “Where are you with leads?” he asked. “What do we know so far besides the fucking obvious?”

  Johnson hesitated. He didn’t necessarily mind sharing with Amway but Magnelli rubbed him the wrong way. He simply didn’t trust him.

  Picking up on his concern, Amway rolled his eyes. “Please don’t tell me that you think you’ve got a mole.” He pushed back in his chair and dropped his pen.

  Johnson raised a brow and stared at his boss. “That’s what I’m telling you.”

  “This is just great,” Amway seethed sarcastically. “Have you reported it to the Securities Squad?”

  “No,” Johnson said quickly.

  “Reason being?” Amway asked.

  “I don’t have proof and I don’t have a name. I’m working on hunches.”

  “The public already has me literally by the balls. I’m pissing opinions in the toilet and wiping my ass with national newspapers. And you’re telling me that not only do I have to deal with this Agosto bullshit, but I now have to deal with another dirty cop on my watch?” His voice reached a high pitch in utter frustration. “I’ve got cops beating the hell out of gang bangers…one last week busted for running hoes down to the fucking casinos in tunica…two shaking down drug dealers on duty....”

  Magnelli interrupted, “Don’t forget that dumbshit, Patterson, who got caught having sex on duty.”

  Amway shook his head. “Yeah, I’ve got his ass and about 15 more, front and center fucking up for all of Memphis to see and trying to make a damn mockery out of this department. But that’s nothing…all that shit is moot if you’re telling me that you think there is a cop in on these murders.” He had to take a deep breath. The room began to close in on him.

  “Well, whoever the bastard is, he’s not in this room, so please enlighten us on the specifics of this case,” Magnelli said, frustrated. “Maybe we can help you in some way. Closed mouths don’t get fed.”

  Johnson sighed. “We think that the murders have less to do with a single psycho killer and more to do with drugs. Molly was found in the system of each child and then after Agosto leaned on Twist, Twist ended up dead. Cane is a subject of interest but we can’t prove anything definitively right now and he’s in the wind.”

  “So you’re saying Molly dealers are killing kids? Why?” Amway asked intrigued.

  “There is a connection there but we have to find out what. The night that Twist was killed he had a jump drive in his stomach. He swallowed it.”

  “What was on the jump drive?” Amway asked.

  “Well,” Johnson narrowed his eyes. “Agosto gave him the FBI’s profile report to review. He wanted to find out if one of Twist’s dealers knew someone who fit the bill.”

  Amway rolled his eyes. “Does anyone outside of us know that he was that stupid?”

  “No,” Johnson said, looking over at Thomas. He hadn’t even told him about that part of the investigation.

  “And we recovered the jump drive?” Magnelli asked.

  “Yes.” Johnson wouldn’t look at him. “There was another file on the drive when we got it back. It was a WMV file of something, but it was corrupted.”

  “Are we trying to recover that information?” Amway asked.

  “Yes,” Johnson answered reluctantly. “But we haven’t gotten anywhere yet.”

  “Call our friend over at the FBI and see if they can help us out,” Amway said, writing down a number. “Tell him that I need this favor done quietly.”

  Johnson took the number. “Yes, sir.” He pushed the issue. “The fact that we met with Twist that morning and asked for his help and then he was killed that evening with this thing in his stomach, makes us certain of the connection.”

  “It’s circumstantial at best,” Amway said, looking over at Thomas. “So, what makes you think a cop is involved?”

  “The perp, DeMario Washington, was planted at the trap house. When he was arrested, he asked for Agosto specifically. Before he…umm…got put on his ass…he told Agosto that he had done what he came to do. Get him off the case.”

  “And you think DeMario was planted at the crack house by a cop?”

  “Yes,” Johnson answered directly.

  Amway raised a brow. “Why?”

  “Someone knew that the place was going to get busted. That someone would have had to be a cop. The NARC unit had been planning that bust for a minute.”

  “So, it’s presumably someone on the NARC Unit?” Amway asked disgusted.

  Johnson turned up his lip. “Could be.”

  The thought disturbed Amway more than he showed. The one thing that he hated most in the world was a dirty cop.

  “So, Thomas, Steele or Hamilton?”

  “Hamilton,” Thomas answered. “This is still a homicide.”

  Amway looked over at Magnelli. “Steele for you?”

  Magnelli shook his head. “The fact that Twist and Cane are involved only drives home the point, don’t you think?”

  Amway raised his brow and looked at Johnson. “And you want to work alone?”

  “I could get more done,” Johnson said. “And what if Agosto is cleared?”

  Magnelli chuckled facetiously. “Did you see the video, boy?”

  “Last time I checked, the MPD didn’t hire boys,” Johnson snarled at Magnelli.

  Amway liked Johnson’s spunk but he also knew that he didn’t need another hot-head let loose on the city without supervision. “Johnson, I have a meeting in twenty minutes with Councilman Herbert Ferris. You know the name?”

  Johnson frowned. “Yeah, I know the asshole. He was the one who suggested the four percent cut in the first place. Plus, he’s been gunning for Agosto’s head.”

  Amway nodded. “Well that same asshole has also demanded a civil rights violation investigation from the FBI on Agosto. Needless to say our brother in blue has enough problems of his own just based on the public fit that Ferris has been throwing to prolong his fifteen minutes of fame. Even if Agosto doesn’t get fired…he’s off this case.”

  Johnson shook his head in disgust and looked down at the newspaper. What ever happened to protecting your own? It sounded to him like they were preparing to stone Agosto in the court square.

  “Hamilton worked for Agosto at some point, right? He had him undercover working the Medlov investigation.” Amway looked over at Thomas to confirm.

  “Yes, sir,” Thomas replied reluctantly.

  “That case went nowhere, simply because the Medlov clan has more money than God.” Amway rolled his eyes. “We were dipped in shit and handed over to the lawyers to feather us every single time that we went after Dmitry. Thank God he finally left the city to go and wreak havoc somewhere else.”

  Magnelli cleared his throat and tried to act like it disturbed him to have to give his report. “He’s back actually, sir. Dmitry and several members of his family arrived back in Memphis about two days ago on a private jet.”

  Amway hit the table. “Can anything else go wrong?” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Several seconds later, he re-opened them. “Alright, that bastard will have t
o wait. It’s going to take a lot more than one detective to infiltrate that shit anyway. I want all eyes on helping Johnson solve this case. We give him all resources that we have and all access. I’ve got the mayor, the governor, the city council, the county commission and citizens of Memphis on my ass. I need answers and I need results now.” He looked at his watch. “Hamilton is a no go, Thomas. I just thought about that. I don’t want any close relationships that can be further scrutinized in the public eye. Let’s go with Steele. Bring her in and get her up to speed today. You and Magnelli’s lieutenant can work on that.”

  “On it sir,” Thomas answered quickly.

  “So, I was brought here for what?” Magnelli asked.

  “You’re staying on for this Ferris meeting. I figure that I need to combat one asshole with another,” Amway said, standing up. “Alright men. Let’s go.”

  As Johnson stood up to leave, Amway walked up to him. Offering his hand, he nodded. “Good work, Johnson. Keep focused. We’re counting on you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Johnson said with a nod. He felt a card in his hand as he shook Amway’s.

  “Give that to Agosto for me, will you?” Amway asked in a lowered voice. “And after that, I don’t want you to see him anymore until this shit is cleared.”

  “Yes, sir,” Johnson said, putting his balled up fist in his pocket. Quietly, he left the office right behind Thomas. As he opened the door, he saw Councilman Ferris waiting in the common area.

  It was going to be a long day.

  15

  Five days had gone by since the police department had relieved Nicola of his duty. The Securities Squad was in the middle of a very thorough investigation, digging back in Nicola’s career and private life from the moment he assaulted the perp until the moment he became a police officer.

  In the meantime, he was adjusting to home life. Normally, he always had something to do, somewhere to be. Now, he was at home with his four sons and his wife.

  Every news station in the city had been to their home begging for an interview, a statement, an answer to just one of their questions; reporters from the press were hiding out in bushes to get a photo of him as he lurked quietly around his home taking out trash, cleaning the lawn and nailing down windows. The unwelcomed and unwanted traffic had gotten so bad until he had to put up a sign in the front yard warning that trespassers would be shot on sight. It did little to build confidence in the community around him. The public saw the sign as his continued use of cruel, brute force to protect his own private interests.