Black 01 - Black Rain (22 page)

I search the room once again, then realize who it is I don’t see. Sweet St. Louis Slim.

“Joe,” Vernon says in a low voice, his eyes filled with grief, “Sweet St. Louis didn’t make it. He was shot in the head by a stray bullet.”

Vincent Alexandria

203

The antiseptic smell of the room is thickened by the death and mourning. Depression dulls the spirit in everyone’s eyes, but with a hard edge of vengefulness.

More people are gonna die because of this black ring of dirty cops. One thing is understood by my band of childhood friends: No one dies in vain, and no one gets away with killing a friend.

I feel like my guts have been pulled out, and anger begins to boil in their depths. My friend sacrificed his life to help me. I thought for sure that the helicopter could have taken them out or that we would have been able to overpower them in a meeting. I think of Sierra and can hear her asking me if Chase is worth it. I bite my lower lip as tears of anger and sorrow roll down my face.

“Mo-Mo, I’m so sorry, dude.” I reach out my hand to him, and he takes it, and embraces me.

He says in my ear. “Joe, he was the best friend I had in the whole world, man. He was my family. What am I gonna do now, dawg? What am I gonna do?” he asks, breaking down crying.

Agent Epiphany Duvall comes to put her thick arms around Mo-Mo. Her hazel eyes are filled with love and devotion, melting even my emotions. I don’t know if Mo-Mo realizes or even knows how lucky he is to have a woman by his side at a time like this.

One thing I learned from seeing my father and mother is that with a strong woman behind you, there is nothing you can’t get through, or do. A strong woman will lift you up when you are at your lowest point. Her love gives your heart reason to live when you feel like dying. She can make you feel like the most important man in the world, even when the world says you’re insignificant.

204

Black Rain

A woman can make you believe in the Holy Ghost when you question God about how hard life is. She can give you a glimpse of heaven with her lovemaking. She can make a cardboard shack feel like a palace. A strong woman is a powerful thing. I know my friend will be all right, because by the way Agent Duvall touches him, I know she has already breathed life into him, and claimed him for her own.

“We’re your family now, baby. You won’t be alone,”

she says to my sorrow-torn friend.

Vernon raises the head part of his bed with the remote that is hooked on the railing which prevents him from rolling out of bed.

“Joe, the doctor is transferring me to Kansas City later today. I think you need to come back with me. We need to regroup. We can get with Commissioner Wayne and get some help on this. You can trust him, you know that,” he says.

I think of what my father would always say, “Never take out your gun unless you plan to use it. And always finish what you start.”

I knew Vernon should not have come, I feel awful that he is hurt, but it’s best that he go back. Maybe God did this for a reason.

“Vernon, if the trail leads me back to Kansas City, that’s where I’ll go, but I have to finish this.” I turn to face Little Tiny, Pretty Kevin, Agent Duvall and Mo-Mo.

“Look, I thank you guys for helping me, but it’s personal now, and I won’t ask any of you to put your life on the line for this case. Mo-Mo, I’ll have the rest of your money for you by the end of the day. It’s at the hotel. Pretty Kevin, I have money for you, as well. I ap-Vincent Alexandria

205

preciate what y’all have done. I can take it from here.”

I feel responsible for one of my friends getting killed. I can’t have it on my conscience to have any more make that kind of sacrifice.

Vernon rolls his eyes at me, and slaps down his good hand in disgust. “Joe, God damn it, boy. You just don’t get it, do you? You done shot me in the foot, now you gonna put me and your friends down like yesterday’s potatoes.” Vernon snarls with bitter disappointment on his face and his lower lip quivers with anger.

Pretty Kevin goes over to Vernon and puts his hands on his shoulder to calm him down. “I got this, Vernon.”

Kevin walks over to my bed and sits at the foot. “Joe, everybody here in this room is here for a reason and it has nothing to do with money. You have put your life on the line for us at one point or another. You always talking this God and Jesus stuff, and I’m starting to wonder if you think that you are an exception to God’s plan. Fate brought us all here for a purpose, to save all our souls. They got some bad things going on here, and if we can help make it right, maybe we’ll all get some goody points with the Man Upstairs. We’re friends. You been there for me, and I’m damn sure gonna be there for you.” Pretty Kevin thumps me on the big toe.

Little Tiny stands eating the crackers that came with the tomato soup and sipping the apple juice the orderly had brought for our lunch. Mo-Mo is sitting on the heat-ing unit in front of the window. Behind him white clouds roll past in the blue sky. Agent Duvall sits in the ugly orange visitor’s chair with her big legs crossed, her gaze occasionally checking on Mo-Mo.

“Joe, we’re your friends, brother. And you don’t have
206

Black Rain

to do this alone. We got into this with you and we’re gonna see you out of it. So, Vernon will go back to Kansas City and see what he can find out with your Police Commissioner, and we’ll try and get your friend Agent Chase out. Sweet St. Louis Slim would want it that way, and I got some payback to give,” Little Tiny interjects.

Agent Duvall says, “I already have new vehicles.

The guns that were in the Corvette trunk compartment have been transferred to a yellow Range Rover. It’s in the parking lot. The Corvette is in the FBI impound.

This’s more than an assignment, it’s personal now. I’ve arranged for Vernon to be flown to Kansas City. His wife, Gertrude, will be meeting him at the airport.”

Vernon adds, “Joe, I know I have always had my particulars about these here fellas, but, I would want them if I was in it thick, because they loyal. You find that Dread, bring his ass down and get Chase out.”

I never thought I’d hear those words come out of Vernon’s mouth. He finally sees what I’ve seen in my friends for years. We are as thick as thieves. Little Tiny walks up to the bed and addresses us. “Man, I don’t have that many black friends, you know, me being white and all, shoot I don’t have that many friends at all, for that matter, but you guys have accepted me as I am, and Joe, you kept me from getting slapped around too much by Dread’s men. I’d go through hell for you and your friends. I’m in, dude.”

I inhale deeply. “It’s settled then. We’ll finish the case together. I appreciate all of you guys. Mo-Mo, we’ll get Sweet St. Louis’s body flown to St. Louis, and we’ll get in contact with his parents.”

“Thanks, Joe, you can fly his body, but I think his
Vincent Alexandria

207

parents would rather hear about this from me. I’ll handle that part.” Mo-Mo leaves the room to make the call, Agent Duvall right behind him.

The room phone rings and we look at each other. Is Dread calling to fuck with me? I answer the phone on the second ring.

“Detective Johnson, please.”

“Agent James, how did you know I was here?”

“I talked with Agent Chase and she told me about the accident. I had my secretary call around to the hospitals there to find where you’d been admitted. Are you and Vernon all right? I didn’t know he’d be with you.”

“We got bruised up a little bit, but we’ll be okay.”

“Joe, Chase says they’re on their way to Kansas City.

She has photos of the address book with the list of all the corrupt cops. Dread is working with someone… If you can go to his house and rifle through his things, you might be able to see who he is working with.”

“Naw, I think I have a faster way of finding who he is working with. If you talk with Chase again, have her get that book to the Kansas City Homicide unit. I’ll have Vernon go through it. I have a hunch.”

“Will do. She’s been calling in almost daily. They’ll be staying at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, off McGee Avenue, down by Crown Center Plaza. She said they were motorcycling down on Harleys.”

“Dread’s bike of choice. Good to know. Who do you think he’s reporting to?”

“I’m really not sure, but it has to be someone who has power, can influence the federal and state police force, plus has enough savvy and connections to keep a man like Dread in check.”

208

Black Rain

What Agent James said makes sense, but what he left out is this person would have a hell of a lot to lose if exposed. They’re killing cops, so the penalty would be severe. I don’t care how much money and power you have, that’s something you can’t walk away from or buy yourself out of.

“Agent James, I’ll call you when I get to Kansas City,” I say, and hang up.

Vernon looks at me and raises his bushy eyebrows.

“You think Agent James is pulling our strings and covering his ass? He would be in an excellent position to get rich, have us kill his man Dread, destroy the evidence and life would be sweeter than a crackhead who won the lottery.”

“Yeah, but a crackhead who won the lottery would be dead in a week from an overdose. It doesn’t make sense.” I shake my head. “Agent James can be strange sometimes, but he’s no cop killer.”

Pretty Kevin adds, “Yeah, but if Dread is doing all the killing, then all Agent James has to do is collect the money and sit back like a fat cat.”

I shake my head again. “Naw, I just don’t see it.”

“Joe, you don’t think blind men step in shit? Just because you can’t see it, don’t mean it ain’t so.” Vernon stares hard at me. “Let’s get them doctors in here, so we can sign out of this place.”

“I’ll go look for one,” Little Tiny says as he heads for the hallway.

I place a call to my friend Peter Shelvin, who works for the FBI Surveillance Team in Chicago, to get Dread’s phone records, and then place another call to Jefferson City, Missouri, to see if my hunch is correct.

Vincent Alexandria

209

When I finish my conversation, I slowly take the IV

needle from my arm and grab a Band-Aid that is lying on my nightstand to place over the puncture wound. I make my way to the closet and get my clothes out, go into the bathroom and get dressed. I glance at my reflection in the mirror. My face looks haggard and in need of a shave. I close my eyes and say a quick prayer that I can wrap this case up and get everyone home safely without further loss of life.

Chapter 14

Dread and his crew have taken to the highway. They ride on black-and-red classic Harley-Davidsons for the trip from Nebraska to Kansas City. The men seem to enjoy the open road and under different circumstances it would be both exciting and fun for Chase. Dread has a sinister smile as he rides on his 1957 XL Sportster, Brutus on his 1948 Panhead, Chase has the 1966 Shov-elhead, Weasel and Ronnell drive by on their 1986

FLST Softails. The guys like to play on the road and weave in and out of the pack.

They are like big kids. But Chase’s mind and thoughts continue to be on Joe. Did he and Vernon get hurt when they went off the road and crashed down the mountain-side? She isn’t sure what Brutus did to them when he went to retrieve the briefcase, but she does know that Dread gave him specific orders not to kill them.

Vincent Alexandria

211

Brutus didn’t say much about their condition when he came back up and got into the car. Dread was pleased to have his men’s weapons and badges back. He made arrangements early this morning with the desk sergeant, who’s on his payroll, to put all of them on assignment for a stakeout and drug bust for three days.

Funny how no one questions Dread’s authority. It seems to be true that the love of money is the root of all evil, because these men and women who have sworn to serve and protect their communities will do any and everything for money. And they have.

They all check into the luxurious hotel. The white-and-gray marble interior is accented with glass-and-gold fixtures. The Hyatt is situated near three land-marks. The Union Station/Science Center, across the street, houses the train depot and the new Science Center, which features traveling museums and a perma-nent weather station. Union Station is also famous for the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, when Pretty Boy Floyd and Frank Nitty were gunned down by Elliott Ness and his men.

About four blocks away stands the Liberty Memorial, a huge concrete tower with twin museums on either side. An eternal flame is at the top. This museum honors war veterans of both world wars.

Across the street and to the left of the hotel is Crown Center Plaza. It’s a futuristic idea of a Metroplex, where employees who work at the center in the office buildings never have to leave the area for shopping, entertain-ment or dining. One can do all of these things and not even venture outside, because all the locations in the Plaza are connected by a suspended walkway.

212

Black Rain

The Hyatt is a state-of-the-art hotel. When it was originally built it had an elevated glass walkway that overlooked the entrance lobby and main ballroom. In the early nineties, at a New Year’s Eve party, the glass walkway gave way and hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured. It took several days to ex-tricate people from the rubble.

The men get separate rooms and Dread and Chase are in a corporate suite. They all get settled and decide to have an early-afternoon lunch at the hotel’s five-star restaurant, the Peppercorn Duck Club.

The restaurant’s host’s name tag reads Myron. He’s a handsome man with bronze skin, clean shaven. He has earrings in both ears, his uniform is perfectly neat, his shirt is a flamingo pink, his hair is permed, styled and almost looks better than Chase’s. His fingernails are manicured and have a gloss coat on them.

He strolls up to meet them and looks Dread over from head to toe, as if he’d like to unwrap him and smoke him like a Cuban cigar, sucking his teeth, licking his lips and fanning himself.