The Mike Black Saga Volume 2

by Roy Glenn

  It didn’t matter what the captain said, Kirk just couldn’t sit on his hands and do nothing. He had to do something, so he decided that the best use of his time was to look into Martin Marshall and his involvement with DeFrancisco.

  Kirk had heard that the city’s Department of Investigation was looking into a case that involved Marshall, so earlier that day he paid them a visit.

  When he arrived at the Department of Investigation, he flashed his badge and was taken to speak with Diane Smith the head of the department. “DOI is one of the oldest law-enforcement agencies in the country and an international leader in the effort to combat corruption in public institutions,” Diane Smith explained. “It serves the Mayor and the people of New York City by acting as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government.” She was an attractive woman in her early forties and just a bit of a flirt.

  “What type of cases do you investigate?” Kirk asked.

  “DOI’s major functions include investigating and referring for prosecution cases of fraud, corruption, and unethical conduct by City employees, contractors and others who receive City money. We also study agency procedures to identify corruption and recommend improvements in order to reduce the City’s vulnerability. We investigate backgrounds of persons selected to work in decision-making or sensitive City jobs, and those who do business with the City, to determine if they are suited to serve the public trust.

  “Sounds pretty interesting,” Kirk said.

  “Oh, please Detective,” Diane flirted. “Probably pretty boring compared to the type of cases you get to work on.”

  “Maybe, but interesting all the same,” Kirk flirted back. “All that work must keep you very busy.”

  “DOI handles at any one time hundreds of complaints.” Diane continued. “But in a time of diminishing resources, we continue to find new ways to address the problems challenging the City. But enough about that, tell me how I can help you, detective?”

  “I understand that your department is investigating Martin Marshall. Can you tell me anything about that?”

  “Our case doesn’t involve the Senator directly. It’s a complaint against a City Councilman who is accused of extortion.”

  “What was the case about?” Kirk asked.

  “Allegedly the councilman and a still un-named co-conspirator had demanded one point five million dollars worth of property and $50,000 cash from a real estate developer who wanted the councilman’s vote in favor of a development slated for Brooklyn. We believe that Marshall is his co-conspirator,” Diane told him. When Kirk pressed her for more details, Diane told him that she couldn’t give him any more information because the case was still pending. She did, however, refer Kirk to a reporter named Tavia Hawkins who had written a number of articles on the subject.

  Kirk had spent the evening in his new DEA office reading all of the articles that Tavia Hawkins had written on Marshall and was on his way home when a call came over the radio about a suicide victim. The woman had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. When they said that the victim’s name was Tavia Hawkins, Kirk just had to drop by and stick his hand in.

  When Kirk arrived at her apartment building, most of the other officers and emergency personnel were gone. He was met by an officer who told Kirk that Tavia Hawkins was reported missing by her editor. It was ruled a suicide when the body was found on the floor in the bedroom, with an empty bottle of sleeping pills by the bed.

  “Mind if I have a look around?”

  The officer allowed Kirk in the apartment, but stayed with him to make sure no evidence was removed. Kirk searched the apartment, but spent most of his time going through her files and looking at her computer. There was nothing that he could find that led him to believe that it was anything other than what it appeared to be, the suicidal death of a woman. Tragic, of course it was, but there was nothing that led Kirk to believe that Tavia Hawkins was murdered.

  Tavia Hawkins was very organized, all of her files, both computer and hard copy, were filed along with her notes in chronological order according to the story she was working on. She even kept a journal, which she made entries in every day. Kirk found volumes of them dating back ten years. What Kirk did find a little strange was that for the last month there was nothing. No files, no notes on what she was working on currently on and the journal was gone.

  Maybe she ran out of journals, or just stopped making entries, or maybe she took it to her office? Kirk doubted it, but that by itself wasn’t enough to prove that she was murdered.

  Kirk left the apartment and had started for his car when he saw Nick and Wanda coming toward him.

  “What are you doing here Simmons?” Kirk asked.

  “I was just about to ask you the same question, Kirk.” But Nick knew that if Kirk was here that somebody was dead.

  “And in such beautiful company,” Kirk added.

  “Hello Kirk,” Wanda smiled. She knew Kirk had a thing for her. She had fenced with Kirk many times during his attempts to make a case against Mike Black.

  “How are you, Wanda?”

  “I’m fine, Kirk and to answer your question, we’re here doing the same thing you are. We came to talk to Tavia Hawkins.” Wanda said and Nick gave her a look.

  “That’s not gonna happen.”

  “Why not?” Wanda asked.

  “’Cause she’s dead.”

  “Murdered?” Wanda asked.

  “Suicide.”

  Nick and Wanda looked at one another. Wanda started to say something, but Nick cut her off. “That’s too bad, Kirk,” he said and grabbed Wanda by the hand. “Good night, Kirk.” Nick and Wanda started walking back to his car, with Kirk following behind them.

  “What did you want to ask her about?”

  “Doesn’t matter now, does it Kirk?” Nick said.

  “No it doesn’t, but I’m just curious.”

  When they got to his car, Nick got in quickly while Wanda played off Kirk. “Have you any reason to detain us, detective?”

  “No, just curious.”

  Wanda smiled. “Then I’ll say good night.”

  Kirk opened her car door and Wanda got in. “Good night, Wanda,” he said and closed her door.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “You know what I’m talking about, Bobby. I’m tired of that bitch calling my house talking stupid. Make the bitch stop, Bobby or I’ll stop her,” Pam said and hung up the phone.

  Bobby looked at Mike. “I don’t have time to talk about this now. I’ll call you later,” he said to nobody as he parked in front of Cuisine.

  “Pam sounds mad,” Mike said as he got out of the car and headed inside the club.

  Bobby followed behind him. “Yeah.”

  “Handle your business.”

  When Mike and Bobby got to the office, Wanda and Nick were already there. “I think we need to talk,” Wanda said.

  “What about,” Mike asked.

  “I’ve been trying to get more information about those papers and what’s in them,” Nick said.

  “And?” Mike asked.

  “I’m starting to think I was right; those papers are about what went on in South America. I checked with an old source of mine and he put me on to a reporter who writes a lot of articles about Martin Marshall.”

  “What does Marshall have to do with any of this?” Mike asked.

  “My source tells me that Marshall used to be connected to a South American drug dealer,” Wanda said excited to finally be a part of something while it was going on and not just having to clean up the mess afterwards.

  Mike smiled at her. “Who told you that, Glynnis?”

  “Yes,” Wanda said and smiled back.

  “She’s right. Marshall’s been mixed up with Diego for years.” Mike looked at Nick. Then he looked at Wanda sitting next to him. “I’m thinking that Diego might have his hands in a lot of shit.”

  “It was Diego’s operation we were moving on when the rest of m
y unit was killed,” Nick said. “Those papers surfacing, their connection to Diego, may be his connection to Marshall.”

  “You think Diego’s backing D-Train in this move he’s making against us?” Bobby asked.

  “Don’t it all make perfect sense to you? Don’t you see how all the pieces are falling into place?” Mike said to a group of puzzled faces. “Let me break it down for you.”

  “This oughta be good,” Bobby said and sat next to Mike.

  “You see Nick, it all begins with you. You were down there eliminating all of Diego’s competition.”

  “But when it came time to take out Diego’s operation the whole unit is killed,” Nick said.

  “Eliminate the eliminators,” Wanda said.

  “But you and your team survived. But Diego still needs you dead. So along comes Gee and she distracts you with her legs and that business of hers. One of two things were bound to happen. One, Chilly kills you for involving yourself in his business.”

  “Which he tried,” Nick said.

  “Or your team is so distracted with Chilly that they don’t see the hit coming.”

  “Which they did,” Wanda threw in.

  “Only Monika survives,” Nick said. “And Freeze kills Felix and the general.”

  “But Diego’s objective hasn’t changed,” Mike said quickly. “He still needs to kill you and Monika.”

  “Only now he has a greater sense of urgency because he hasn’t gotten his hands on those papers.”

  Mike looked at Bobby, who had been unusually quiet. “You know what, Mike?”

  “What’s that Bobby?”

  “That’s sounds all good, and the shit makes perfect sense, and all fits together so nice and neat and all that shit, but would you like to know what I think is going on?”

  “What do you think is going on, Bobby?” Mike asked.

  “This oughta be good,” Wanda whispered to Nick.

  “I heard that Wanda,” Bobby said without looking her way. “I think Diego is still mad cause you bitch slapped him and he ended up going to jail behind it.”

  Mike laughed and Nick and Wanda looked confused. “I never heard this story,” Wanda said. “But there’s nothing new about that.”

  “Neither have I,” Nick said.

  “’Cause there’s nothing to tell,” Mike said, but he was still laughing a little. He turned to Bobby. “You think that’s what this is all about?”

  “Yes,” Bobby said definitely. “I do.” But then he started laughing too.

  “Well are you gonna tell us what happened, or do we have to guess?” Wanda asked, but by this time, she was laughing too.

  “This was a long time ago. Back when me and Mike were still collecting for André and Hector used to buy from him. Hector was a little slow paying, which wasn’t any big deal, because Hector was a standup guy. When he had the money, he always paid. But André didn’t like Hector and wanted me and Mike to lean on him. So we go around to this bar Hector hung out in and have our usual you’re late conversation with Hector, and Diego’s there.”

  “You gotta remember, back then, Diego was just Gomez’s punk, fresh off the boat from Peru, trying to make rep, kid,” Mike said as Freeze came into the office.

  “Don’t try to clean that shit up now, nigga. I’m telling this story,” Bobby said.

  “What y’all talking about?”

  “Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking. That shit is just plain fuckin’ rude,” Bobby said to Freeze, and he put up his hands in surrender. “So Mike is talkin shit to Hector like he always does, but Diego hears him and rolls up behind Mike, and says some shit like, why you coming up in here, talkin shit like you all bad and shit, or some shit like that. Mike doesn’t even look back, he just wheels and backhands Diego to the ground. Then Mike stands over him and says, I wasn’t talking to you. And goes back to talking to Hector like it wasn’t shit.

  “So Diego gets up from the floor and leaves the bar, but by now, everybody in the place is laughing at him. Now I guess he went and got a gun and the cops see him with it, I don’t know, but anyway, they stop him and when they search the car Diego’s carrying, I forget how much, but it was enough to get him ten years. He did two and went back to Peru when he got out.”

  “That may be part of it, Bobby, but there’s got to be more to it than that,” Mike said.

  “So what you wanna do now, Black?” Freeze asked.

  “Let’s go get Sal Terrico.”

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Mike had gotten in the car with Bobby when he noticed that Wanda was getting in the back seat of the truck with Nick and Freeze. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mike walked over to the truck and Freeze rolled down the window. Mike knocked on Wanda’s window. She cursed and rolled down her window to see what he wanted, but she already knew.

  “Where do you think you’re going counselor?”

  “With y’all,” Wanda said quietly, while Freeze dropped his head and Nick looked out the window.

  Mike paused for a moment and then he smiled. “She’s your responsibility, Nick,” he said and walked back to the car.

  When they arrived at Cityscape, it was almost one-thirty in the morning. They made their way up the steps and into the strip club.

  Once they had looked around and were sure that Sal wasn’t there; they took up positions around the club. Since neither Bobby nor Freeze had ever seen Sal Terrico they covered the exits to make sure that he couldn’t getaway once he was in there. Nick and Wanda took a seat near the stage, where Nick could see the door. Mike sat at a table in the back so he could see the whole club.

  Mike signaled for a waitress, but a dancer responded to his motion. “How you doing tonight? You wanna table dance?”

  “I was trying to get a drink,” Mike said.

  “I’ll send a waitress over,” the dancer said and started to walk away.

  “Hey!” Mike shouted. “Is there a dancer here called Jaylyn?”

  “Yeah!” the dancer said and looked around. “There she go right there. You want me to send her over?” she pointed to a dancer dressed in just enough black leather to cover the more sensitive areas. Jaylyn was a pretty woman, about five feet eight inches tall, with a small waistline. Deep brown skin, dark brown bedroom eyes and shoulder-length black hair, just like Shy.

  “No.” Mike reached in his pocket and peeled off a twenty. “Just send the waitress.”

  “My name is Diamond Princess,” the dancer said looking at Mike and the wad of money. “You let me know if you need anything.”

  On the other side of the club, Nick was looking at Wanda, who was looking at him. “What?” Wanda asked over the music.

  Nick leaned closer. “Just wondering if you’re having a good time?”

  “Yes. I’m just glad to be here,” Wanda said nodding her head to the music. “Not that watching these women parade around naked is any big deal. I can see this at any one of the houses. I’m just glad to be hanging out with you guys, you know, like we used to. I miss that. Do you know how it feels to find out everything the day after or maybe years after? Mike is so overprotective of me.” Wanda took a sip of her drink. “But I guess it’s for the best.”

  “So I guess we can’t call this a date either?” Nick said in Wanda’s ear. It had become sort of a running joke between them, but after spending the last two nights with Wanda, he was beginning to think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

  Wanda smiled and took another sip before answering. “No, Nick, this is definitely not my idea of a date.”

  “It’s not? Well then, tell me what is your idea of a date, Wanda?” Since the night Wanda bailed him out of jail and he spent the night telling her his story, Nick had been watching her. Wanda was tall and slender, but thick with it in all the important areas.

  “Let’s see, my idea of a date…” Wanda began.

  “Hold up,” Nick said and stood up. “That’s him. Wait here.”

  Nick moved toward Sal Terrico, who was pushing his way throug
h the crowd toward Jaylyn. He pointed Sal out to Mike, and he signaled Bobby and Freeze.

  Sal stopped dead in his tracks. Even though Mike and Bobby didn’t remember him, Sal recognized Bobby and knew that Mike Black couldn’t be far away.

  Sal looked around quickly for a way out. That’s when he felt the gun in his back. “Hello, Sal,” Mike said and patted Sal down. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said and took Sal’s gun. “Come on, Sal, let’s talk outside.”

  Mike told Freeze to put Wanda in a cab.

  As soon as they got down the steps and outside the club, Sal started talking.

  “Listen, Black I never wanted to take her. We just needed her to get outta there. I swear to God, Black, I didn’t know that she was your wife or that it was your spot,” Sal told him quickly as they walked him around the corner.

  Bobby and Freeze pulled out their guns and pointed them at Sal. Mike grabbed him by the throat.

  “When she told me who she was, I wanted to let her go, but Papi said to take her to Miami.”

  “Papi? Who the fuck is Papi?”

  “Diego, Diego Estabon.” Mike let Sal go. “When we got to Miami he said to bring her here. I dropped her where he told me.”

  “Where was that?” Mike asked.

  “I dropped her at an apartment on 151th street, they took her from there.”

  Freeze punched Sal in the face. Bobby grabbed him before he fell. “They? Who the fuck is they?” Freeze yelled.

  “I don’t know who the guys were. I just dropped her and got away from there.”

  Freeze hit Sal again, while Bobby held him. “Take us there,” Mike demanded.

  On the way to Harlem, Bobby drove, Nick sat in the front seat with his gun pointed at Sal. Mike and Freeze in the back seat on either side of Sal.

  “You don’t have to worry Sal, I’m not gonna kill you, at least not yet,” Mike said calmly. “I just need you to clear some things up for me.”

  “Sure, Black, whatever you need.”

  “Who set the meeting in my club?”

  “Pat, Pat Matthews.”

  “Who is that? The one Julio shot?”

  “Yeah,” Sal answered nervously.