by Tra Verdejo
Destine’s report sent chills throughout the millions of viewers watching, the most popular reaction being, “Oh shit.”
They were all shocked to hear that Lucky was burned and was lying in a coma. Lucky was hated among the police community, but not in the streets. New Yorkers grew to love him for his heroism. They couldn’t wait to hear the commissioner’s press conference. Many New Yorkers didn’t understand the word patience; they’d never heard of a “rebuilding process” before. They demanded quick results. They expected the commissioner to come out and hand out promises and guarantees on the changes the city was going to make.
The Colemans were in tears after they heard about Lucky’s situation. If it wasn’t for him, they would have never received any kind of justice for their son. They owed a great deal of gratitude and respect for his actions.
“Okay, sweetheart, turn the volume up. The press conference is about to start,” Laura said to her husband.
They sat there holding hands, hoping to hear Lucky would survive.
Right before Commissioner Fratt was about to start his press conference, the mayor’s spokesperson, Richard Claiborne, came out first.
“I’m here today on behalf of Mayor Ralph Gulliano. I have a few updates, and I will answer a few questions.”
“So are you saying neither Commissioner Fratt nor Mayor Gulliano will be speaking tonight?” one reporter asked.
“That is correct. Trust me, they both wanted to be here and speak. They are still currently in the middle of the investigation. Please hold your questions until after my statement. First, let me clarify one thing. We have not confirmed that’s Donald Gibson in a coma. I know you guys read the papers this morning, and it quoted that Donald Gibson has been captured. The unidentified male victim was badly burned. The details of his wounds are too graphic to explain. We are still investigating the whole ordeal that took place this morning. We are questioning the officers involved and in contact with the federal government. Tomorrow afternoon, we will hold another press conference when Commissioner Fratt will have full details.”
“So now the burn victim in a coma is not Donald Gibson? Did you guys get the DNA results?”
“The blood test was inconclusive,” Richard replied.
“What about dental?” the sharp reporter shot right back.
Richard ignored the reporter. “Next question.”
“Any new charges been filed for the two suspended officers at the scene discharging their weapons?”
“I can’t discuss that at this time. Next question.”
“What about Perry Coleman’s trial?”
“I can’t discuss that, either. Listen, guys, the investigation is ongoing. I promise by tomorrow we will have more information. I just wanted to come out here and give a brief update. The answers you are looking for, I don’t have at this moment. I want to thank everyone who came out. Have a good night.”
Richard left that podium like he was taking part in a hundred-yard dash competition. He did a great job of dodging all the bullets the press fired at him.
The governor paid another visit to the mayor to talk, and hopefully bring closure to the nightmare that was destroying the image of the police force. The mayor wasn’t surprised to see him, but he was shocked. He thought maybe he would get a phone call, not a face-to-face talk.
“Ralph, we need to talk and strategize.”
“I agree.”
“What’s the latest on Donald Gibson?”
“We still can’t prove that’s him in a coma. There’s no way we could go out there and say we have Donald Gibson in custody,” Mayor Gulliano declared.
“I understand, but we can’t say it’s not him, either.”
Ralph understood what he was trying to say, but then he noticed his private line flashing. He knew it was Richard calling, so he pressed the speaker button, to allow the governor to hear as well.
“This is the mayor.”
“Good evening, sir. It’s Richard. I just wanted to inform you that the burned victim at the hospital didn’t make it. He died about five minutes ago.”
“Damn! We don’t need another dead body. Are you sure?”
“Correct, but this actually helps us, sir.”
“How does it help us, Richard? Please, enlighten me.”
“Now we can perform a full autopsy. With the victim still alive and in a coma, we were limited. I’m on my way to the hospital now. I have a forensic team meeting me there. I will call you once we are done.”
“Sounds great.”
After getting off the phone with Richard, Mayor Gulliano was a bit more relaxed.
Governor Silver popped the question. “What are we going to do with those two dirty cops?”
“What do you mean? They have suffered enough. Captain William and Detective Jeffrey both are facing murder charges already. You want me to file more charges? Let’s not forget, two FBI agents popped up dead as well, which means we all have dirty laundry.”
“I understand the great deal of respect you have for them, but they still broke laws. I will make sure additional charges are filed against them.”
“You see, Andrew, this is where we clash. You think you could bring your ass down from Albany and run my city. Stop disrespecting me in that manner. I will handle the situation.”
“Let’s stay focused. I’m not here to see whose dick is bigger. We should start thinking of plan B, just in case Lucky is still out there,” Governor Silver shot back, ignoring Ralph’s invite to a verbal match.
Governor Silver and Mayor Gulliano hated each other’s guts, but they had no choice but to work together. Andrew decided to hang around until Richard called back.
While they spent the next forty-five minutes discussing strategies, Ralph’s private line rang again. It was Richard.
“Boss, the dead body is not Donald Gibson.”
“Are you positive?”
“Yes, the body was identified as Dwayne “Pee-Wee” Mooks, a career criminal. His rap sheet includes a few gun charges and manslaughter charges. He’s a known associate of the other dead body we found, that of Bernard “Divine” Dooley, another career criminal. He’s one of Donald’s closest friends. His name is on the lease for that property.”
“Great job. Anything else?”
“No, sir. I will start on the paperwork and get everything ready for the press conference tomorrow. Should I let the media know that Lucky was never in a coma? If we don’t say it, the information will leak.”
“You are right, but make sure you make them aware that the two dead bodies were dangerous criminals and associates of Donald. Make sure you smear the storage facility. It was a place where criminals hid drugs, guns, and money. Donald was a partner and provided protection and confidential police information. Tomorrow, when I read the morning paper or see the news, I don’t want to hear or see any different,” he said as he hung up the phone.
“So we have ourselves a big problem,” Governor Silver said.
“Why? Because if he’s still alive, we will catch him.”
“You sound like a broken record, Ralph. I can’t keep trusting you with the integrity of the city.”
The governor picked up his cell phone and called Internal Affairs. He walked away from Ralph and spent about two minutes on the phone with IA.
When he returned, Ralph quickly questioned him. “Who was that?”
“Internal Affairs.”
“Didn’t I just finish telling you, I will handle the situation? Why are you pissing on my backyard? I have it under control. I can understand the concerns, and I welcome your help. But, please understand, I run this city, and you are standing in my house.”
Ralph picked up his cell phone and called Richard back.
“Richard, I have another assignment for you. This requires your immediate attention.”
“No problem, sir. What is it?”
“I want you to head down to Central Booking and advise both the captain and the detective to keep their mouth shut when IA approa
ches them. Got that?”
“Internal Affairs? Why? What happened?”
“There is no time to ask questions. Please head down to Central Booking and call me after you speak to them.”
The mayor hung up the phone, and turned toward Andrew.
“You see, you’re not the only one who could pick up the phone and make things happen.”
“There’s nothing you could do to stop IA. Those officers will be questioned, and they will be questioned now. Please don’t obstruct a pending investigation. This could get you in trouble.”
“Was that a threat?”
“I don’t make threats, Mr. Mayor, I make promises. Get in the way of this investigation, and I will come after you.”
Mayor Gulliano laughed. “Come after me? Well, I would like to see you try it. Since you like giving out promises, let me give you one. I promise IA won’t interview the captain or the detective tonight.”
“Is that right?”
“Keep ignoring me when I say I run this city. Now, will you excuse me? I have work that needs to be done.”
“Are you kicking me out?”
“No, I will never do that. You kicked yourself out.”
The mayor didn’t walk the governor out, and so he left shocked and upset. Andrew couldn’t believe the level of disrespect displayed by the mayor. Andrew thought he was being nice, not taking over the whole investigation when he’d first arrived, but since the mayor wasn’t willing to cooperate, he changed his mind. By the morning, he was going to meet with the a select House committee to have the federal government replace certain divisions in their police department, such as homicide and narcotics. The governor was also going to bring in his own special unit to run the streets and hunt down Donald Gibson.
The mayor called the commissioner once Andrew left.
“Brandon, we have major issues. The dead victim at the hospital laying in a coma is not your guy.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You know, so what’s next? The governor just left here highly upset, but not before calling Internal Affairs.”
“Internal Affairs? Damn! This is now getting uglier by the day. Can you stop them from interviewing my guys?”
“Maybe for a day or two. That will give you enough time to go in there and see them before IA does. You have about twelve hours. The press conference has been changed to tomorrow around noon. Hopefully, you will have some good news for me, because so far, you keep coming up empty. I will speak to you tomorrow. Oh, let me remind you again. I’m not taking the fall for this mess. You and your wild goons are on your own.” Ralph hung up the phone and didn’t give Brandon the opportunity to respond.
Brandon knew he was in deep hot water, especially now since two dead FBI agents had popped up. The federal government would demand answers. Brandon was clueless on his next move, but he wasn’t about to turn his back on his two officers in custody. His main concern was getting them released and reunited with their families.
He wanted to go home and catch some rest, but with all the drama going on, he couldn’t afford any sleep. He headed down to Central Booking to see Captain Tuna and Detective Speedy. When he arrived there, he noticed Richard Claiborne had also just arrived. He approached his car.
“Richard, what’s up? Are you here to see my boys?”
“Yes. The mayor sent me down here to make sure I see them before IA gets ahold of them.”
“Right. Well, you go interview Speedy, and I will go see the captain. Just tell him to keep his mouth shut no matter what. I will handle everything.”
“Okay,” Richard replied.
Commissioner Fratt went inside to see Captain William.
“Didn’t I fuckin’ tell you not to add any more heat? What the fuck happened out there?”
“I’m sorry, boss, but shouldn’t we be celebrating? We finally caught him.”
“Oh, you want to celebrate, Tuna? Well, let me be the first one to stomp on your parade—Lucky is still alive. The only thing you caught was more charges.”
“What? Get the fuck out of here! Then who was that?”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to come down and let you know that he’s still out there roaming the streets. Now Internal Affairs are on the way to see you and Speedy. Why would you work with another FBI agent? One was already murdered. Now we have two dead agents, and their blood is on your hands.”
“Man, what do we have to do to catch this son of a bitch? Remember the girl that was shot in front of the police station? Well, that wasn’t the girl we were looking for. Lucky set all that up. The real girl, her name is Tracey “Diamond” Sanders. She was the one who told us about the storage facility. She also gave us this address in New Jersey where Lucky owns a condo under a different name.”
“Where is this Diamond girl right now?”
“We don’t know. After she gave up Lucky, we offered her protection, but she declined.”
“Why did she give up Lucky? You think they set this all up?” Commissioner Fratt asked.
“No, she was pretty upset and mentioned something about payback for leaving her.”
“Well, give me the address, and I will send a police squad to watch the condo.”
“Brandon, you can’t send regular cops or detectives to watch the address. Lucky is too smart for that. Look for outside help on this one. This will be the last lead we have on him. After what happened this morning, I’m assuming he will disappear forever.”
“I understand. In the meantime, you make sure you keep your mouth shut when IA shows up.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The one we have to worry about is Speedy. A few days ago he was talking about how he couldn’t take this anymore.”
“Do you think he will run his mouth?”
“More like killing himself, but if he doesn’t commit suicide, he will most likely open his mouth and try to strike a deal.”
“Okay, I will keep my ears open. Trust me, if he starts talking, I will be one of the first ones to know about it. Right now, just worry about yourself. I will work on getting you released.”
Commissioner Fratt called Mayor Gulliano.
“It’s me, Brandon. I just finished seeing Captain Tuna, and to be honest, I think he finally has lost it, my good friend.”
“What do you mean?” the mayor asked curiously.
“He just doesn’t look right. I looked into his eyes, and I could see he’s tired of all this drama. I’m not second-guessing if we should even help him out. He just doesn’t look right, boss.”
“Well, we can’t leave him in jail. Once we get him out, we’ll just provide the proper help he needs to get by. Remember, he also lost one of his best friends. Sitting in a cell gives you a lot of time to think. What about the other detective?”
“I didn’t see him. I let Richard interview him. When I finished with Tuna, I left out. I have to follow up on this tip he gave me. I have to find this witness who told them about the storage facility. She has to have more information.”
“Okay. Don’t forget tomorrow we have a press conference. I will need as much information about the whereabouts of this son of a bitch who is turning our city upside down. Once the city reads the papers, and they know that Lucky was never captured, I’m afraid we may have a riot on our hands.”
“According to Tuna, the witness that’s cooperating said Lucky owns a condo in New Jersey. We have an address. I’m already sending over two detectives. Hopefully, the tables turn our way, and we run into some luck.”
“Keep me updated. Also, a new trial date has been set for the murder of Perry Coleman. The district attorney is willing to work out a deal, but I’m hearing they won’t go for manslaughter charges. We’re looking at murder one.”
“Murder charges? I think I’m going to pay the DA a visit and remind him what side he should be on. I need at least the captain charged with manslaughter.”
“I will see what I can do, but he will have to be released through bail. I will call the judge when we get off t
he phone. But, Brandon, I need some hard-core evidence to damage Lucky’s credibility. Find me something.”
“Thank you, Ralph. I’ll call you when I get to New Jersey. What if we don’t find Lucky before the press conference? Can you cancel it?”
“Not again. We’re both going to have to face the music. We could still blame him for everything, even in the murder trial. I will come up with a strategy. Plus, I’ll find new lawyers. Anyway, we’ll speak about that later. Hurry up and call me as soon as you find anything.”
After Brandon hung up with the mayor, he called up two detectives from the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn. The same precinct where an African-American male was raped by police officers in a holding cell. Some of the most corrupt officers worked out of there.
Brandon needed detectives he could trust, and the first two that came to mind were detectives Sean Lee and Mark White. Those two were similar to Captain Tuna and his crew, but they didn’t work in multiple divisions. They were only homicide detectives. They would do whatever it took to solve a murder case.
Brandon called Mark’s cell phone. After it rang about six times, Mark finally picked up.
“Commissioner, what’s up? This better be good. Tell me how much first, or I’m hanging up.”
“Twenty thousand,” he quickly shouted.
“I’m about to click this red button on my cell,” Mark replied, raising his voice in disappointment.
“Maybe forty thousand, if you could agree to my terms.”
“Now I’m listening.” Mark jumped off the bed and started to get dressed, while holding the phone with one hand.
“It’s about Donald ‘Lucky’ Gibson.”
“I was wondering when you was going to call me.”
“Well, I’m calling you now. I have an address in New Jersey I need you to check out. It’s out of our jurisdiction. Are you available?”
“I’m almost dressed. What are the terms?”
“Well, if you capture him and keep him alive, we will give you forty thousand dollars, if you kill him, then only twenty.”
“That sounds fair.”