by Roy Glenn
Susan looked at Freeze in disbelief that he asked about their art collection. She thought for a second. “I bought it all myself. I go to different galleries; I go to shows, some local, but most of it I bought in Europe. Why?”
“You and your husband ever been to a studio on 23rd street in Manhattan?” Freeze asked, ignoring her question.
“I haven’t. I can’t say if Ricardo has. But I doubt it.”
“Has he gone out of town in the last month or so?”
“No,” replied a still confused Susan.
“I want you to get your credit cards out and then go get the last statement for them, okay,” instructed Freeze.
“You want to see if there are any airline or hotel charge on them, don’t you? Well, I can tell you now that there aren’t,” Susan said loud enough for Ricardo to hear her. She watched Ricardo squirm as she placed each of her many cards carefully on the table before Freeze. “I go over the statements very carefully, looking for unexplained charges like that. I’ve found them before. If this associate was a woman, would you tell me?” she whispered. Then she looked at Ricardo. “A couple of years ago there were some charges for plane tickets to Aruba.”
When Tony heard tickets to Aruba, he looked at Ricardo and started laughing, remembering Ricardo had taken Shy to Aruba one summer. Susan got up from the table and led Freeze back through the living room past Ricardo into their office.
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it, Ricardo? That little bitch you took to Aruba!”
Once in the office, Susan showed Freeze a statement for each of her credit cards. Freeze looked each one over carefully. Periodically Susan would ask Freeze questions about the story Ricardo told her of his trip to Aruba. Freeze ignored her until he had satisfied himself with the statements.
“He told me that he had been laundering money for her. Please, can’t you tell me anything?” Susan pleaded.
Freeze took Susan’s hand. “Look, Susan, I don’t know anything about the lady and your husband or what business they had. I’m just doing a favor for a friend. You seem like a nice person, too nice to have to get involved in something like this. Having to be bothered by people like me.”
“I don’t think you’re such a bad person,” Susan said looking into his eyes.
“Susan, you just don’t know how bad a person I am.” Susan smiled like she was willing to find out. “But you check your man. I’m sorry if I frightened you.” Freeze got up and walked back through the living room on his way out the door. “Let’s go.” Tony walked to the door behind him. Ricardo got up and followed them outside. He ran up to the car as they were about to get in.
“Tony!” he said looking back at Susan standing in the door. “How is Shy? Is she in trouble?”
“What if she is?”
“Hey man, you have to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt her. I loved her. I still do.” Freeze waved his hand in Ricardo’s face and got in the car. “Tony, you tell her that, I’d never hurt her, not again.” Tony slammed the door in his face and drove away, leaving Ricardo standing in the street. He looked up, and there was Susan staring him in the face.
“Come on in, Honey. We need to talk.”
Tony and Freeze drove away and started back for the city. After a long silence, Tony asked Freeze, “Do you believe him?”
“To a point. But I’ll go see Susan tomorrow to be sure. She’ll get more out of him tonight than I ever will.”
“I don’t think he knew anything,” Tony said.
“I’ll tell you what I do think. I think it’s somebody real close to y’all. Someone who knew you had the product that night.
“What makes you say that?” Tony asked.
“Because y’all been rotating it every night.”
“How’d you know that? Shy doesn’t even know that.”
“Because I been checking up on y’all. I hear shit. All kinds of shit.”
“Why you so interested?”
“Because I protect Black’s interest. What he needs, I get done. He’s interested in Shy. Her problems are something I need to know about because it affects Black. I’ll tell you something else. Y’all doing that girl a disservice the way y’all handle her security.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Stupid, if I can find that shit out, anybody else who really wanted to know who had the product that night could find out too.”
Tony said little else during the drive back. He did ask Freeze if he wanted to go straight to Brooklyn to check out the chop shop. Freeze said no, but he told him to head for Brooklyn anyway. There were a few people that Freeze wanted to talk to first.
“I hate falling up in places unprepared.”
Freeze had given Tony a lot to think about. He was right. Tony hadn’t been prepared for any of this. He too began to realize that they were in over their heads. It had all been business before all this began. Tony now knew he did not possess the skills to get information, by force if necessary.
Watching Freeze work fascinated him. He would have allowed Ricardo to talk outside, so he would have never gotten in the house to see the art collection. Tony never would have thought to question Susan. The way Freeze was all over the whole credit card thing. The way he separated Susan from Ricardo and turned her. Then he used her to get what he wanted. E was on the right track with the lead on the chop shop, but he handled it wrong. Tony walked in there with nothing and came out the same way. This time he’d be ready. Freeze would see to that. He felt useless to Freeze, but he was enjoying the education he was receiving. Now his thoughts turned to Shy and Jack. He wondered if Jack was having as much fun as he was.
Later that evening, Freeze and Tony arrived in Brooklyn. Freeze told Tony to roll by Prospect Park and cruise. After cruising around the outside of the park for twenty minutes, Freeze said, “Pull over.”
Tony pulled over as requested and parked the car.
“Wait here.”
Freeze got out of the car and approached two attractive ladies. Each greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then Freeze walked away with one of them. Tony watched as Freeze talked with her for a while then returned to the car.
“Let’s rock and roll,” Freeze said, and Tony drove away.
“Where to now?” Tony asked.
“To the chop shop,” Freeze replied. Tony drove as Freeze explained that James Kerns was definitely a contractor and that he most likely arranged the hit on Shy. “He’s connected to one of the Brooklyn crews. He’s a fat white boy, in his forties, wears black frame coke bottle glasses. Drives a white CTS. He’s got access to a few low-grade hitters. But something ain’t right.”
“What’s that?” Tony asked.
“Most times the hitter never meets the client. But according to Kenny they met twice.”
“Maybe Kerns knew the client well enough to put him in touch with Leon direct. Either way Kerns knows who the client is,” Tony said.
“You armed?” Freeze asked.
“Hell yeah.”
“Why did you think it was a set up when you went there before?” Freeze asked.
“While I was talking to Tim the phone rang. I could only hear parts of what he said, but I heard him say, ‘no, she’s not with him.’ Then he tried to rush me out. I saw I wasn’t getting anywhere so I left.”
“Let’s assume it was a set up. They might open up on us as soon as they see you so be ready,” Freeze said while he checked his weapons.
When they got to their destination Tony said, “This is it,” as he started to pull into the small lot.
Freeze said, “No, park around the side.”
After Tony parked the car on the side of the building, he and Freeze walked around to the back of the garage to have a look. Tony climbed up on the dumpster and looked in the window.
“How many?” Freeze asked.
“Four.”
“You see our boy?”
“No.”
“Hardware?” Freeze asked.
“None
that I can see. Wait a minute. I got him. There are some offices upstairs. He just came out of one of the offices. There’s somebody in the office, but I can’t see his face.”
“Let’s see if there’s another way in. I don’t wanna try the front door,” Freeze said as he and Tony walked around the building looking for another way in. They walked around the entire building only to find that the only way in was the front door and the garage door in the back.
“Guess we got no choice,” Tony said. He and Freeze went in the front door. Freeze took the lead. Tim, the same guy who played Tony off, greeted them. Tony hung back and kept his head down so he wouldn’t be recognized right away.
“Can I help yous guys?” Tim asked.
“My name is Freeze. A friend in Yonkers tells me I can find James Kerns here.” Both of his hands were in his coat pockets with his fingers on the triggers.
“Who told you that?” Tim asked.
“He doesn’t like his name mentioned,” Freeze said.
“Gimme a name.”
“Angelo,” Freeze answered.
His answer raised an eyebrow. Tim looked at Freeze for a moment then said, “Wait here.” Tim went in the back to the garage.
Freeze thought to himself that maybe saying his name was a mistake. If whoever was behind it knew their operation, they would also know that Shy was involved with Black. It was too late to worry about that now. Freeze nodded at Tony then took out both guns and crossed his arms to conceal his weapons. Tony removed his gun from its holster, crossing his hands behind his back.
Tim appeared at the door long enough to say, “Come on back,” then disappeared from view.
Freeze looked at Tony then proceeded into the garage behind Tim. They entered the garage carefully. Walking down the center aisle with cars on both sides. There was no longer anybody to be seen in the garage. Freeze stopped and looked around. The garage door slowly began to open. Freeze looked at Tony.
“Get the car; pick me up in the back!”
“But …” Tony said.
“Go!”
Tony ran out of the garage as Kerns CTS started up and drove quickly out of the garage. Freeze started to run through the garage. He followed the car out the door, as shots were fired at him from both sides. Freeze ran through the garage firing back in both directions. Tony pulled up in the B’mer.
“How well can you drive this mutha fucka?”
Tony laughed, “Put your seat belt on,” and then took off after the Caddy. Tony turned the corner and sped away, handling the car as if it were an extension of his body.
“Glad you ain’t Driving Miss Daisy,” Freeze said.
“Do you see them?”
Freeze looked ahead. “Over there, on your right. About five cars ahead,” Freeze answered as Tony weaved in and out through the traffic. The Caddy turned sharp on to Atlantic Avenue with Tony in pursuit. As they crossed Flatbush Avenue the light turned yellow. Tony floored it. The light turned red, he made it across, swerving to avoid the on-coming cars.
“Stay on him man. Don’t lose him,” Freeze said as they approached the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
“I got them man. So, what’s the plan?” Tony asked. “You gonna jump on top of the car?”
“Nigga please. You just catch them,” Freeze said.
Just then, the Caddy cut across lanes and on to the on ramp, causing the cars to crash in front of Tony. “Shit!” Tony said driving up on the median to avoid the wrecked cars. He slammed on his brakes, turned sharply, and continued up the on ramp. Freeze shouted. “You lose them, and I’ll shoot you myself.”
“Lighten up man, I ain’t new to this. I’m true to this. I used to boost cars. I won’t lose them,” Tony said as he drove. “Wait a minute, I got an idea.”
“Make it good.”
“How well do you shoot?” Tony asked closing the distance.
“About as good as you drive. Why?”
“Think you can hit a taillight?”
“Hell yeah.”
“You shoot out a taillight, then I’ll drop back a little. Make them think they lost us. Then we can follow them, see where they go,” Tony said. Freeze pushed the button to open his window.
“Get closer.” Freeze took careful aim, preparing to fire. “Keep it steady.”
As Freeze was about to shoot the taillight Tony hit a pothole in the pavement, causing Freeze to miss the taillight, hitting the left rear tire instead. The Caddy spun out of control and slammed into the guardrail. Tony pulled over ahead of the wrecked Caddy. With guns drawn, he and Freeze approached the Caddy slowly. There were two men in the car; both of them appeared to be alive. However, neither one was Kerns. “He ain’t in there,” Freeze said.
“Shit … let’s get back to the garage,” Tony said.
They got back in the B’mer and returned to the garage. Once they arrived, they noticed that a crowd was forming outside the garage. “This is not good. Something’s going on up there, Freeze,” Tony said as they approached slowly.
“I can see that.” Freeze replied with contempt, seeing the police lights, an ambulance and the coroner’s wagon.
“Pull over here. We’ll walk up there. Find out what happened.” Tony pulled over, and he and Freeze got out and approached the crowd. As they got closer, they could see the coroner rolling out a body bag. Freeze walked over to a young lady in the crowd. “Excuse me, do you know what happened?” he asked.
“Yeah, guy who owns the garage got shot.”
“You know what his name was?” Freeze asked.
“No, but he was a fat white man with a phat Caddy,” she said.
“Cops know who killed him?” Tony asked.
“Nope, but I heard that three guys rolled up in masks and blew everybody away.”
“Thanks.” Freeze turned to Tony. “Let’s get out of here.” They walked quietly back to the car and drove away.
“I think our boy beat us to him,” Tony said, but Freeze didn’t answer. Tony picked up his phone and called Jack. “This is Jack.”
“Jack, where’s Shy?”
“I took her home,” Jack replied.
“What! Is Black with her?” Tony asked.
“I don’t think so. What’s up? What happened with Kerns?” Jack asked.
“You left her alone?” Tony yelled.
“She said she’d be all right. You know how she gets when she makes up her mind. What’s wrong? What happened with Kerns?” Jack repeated.
“He’s dead,” Tony said.
“Y’all killed him?”
“No. When …” As he was about to continue Freeze turned quickly and stared at Tony. “No time to explain, you just get back to Shy, now! I’ll explain when I see you. Just go!” Tony shouted then hung up and called Shy.
“Now you see what I mean? Y’all doing that girl a disservice. You just drop me at Impressions first,” Freeze said.
Shy answered the phone. “What.”
“Shy, it’s Tony.”
“What took you so long to call? I was about to …” Tony cut her off.
“Is Black there?”
“No.”
“I told Jack to get back over there and stay with you.”
“You told who, to do what!” said a now angry Shy.
“Kerns is dead. I’m on my way over there. I’ll explain then.” Tony hung up. Shy sat there for a second holding the phone.
“What now?” she asked. Then she got up and walked to the window. Then she went and got her gun out of her purse. She dragged the love seat in front of the door, before returning to the window and taking a seat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Shortly after one in the morning, a cab pulled up in front of Impressions. Mike got out of the back seat, paid the driver, and went inside. After leaving Cuisine, he walked around the neighborhood for hours. Thinking about Shy, naturally, he was very much in love with her. Mostly he thought about Melinda. Trying to reconcile how he felt about telling her it was over. He thought that he would be able to tell her and
walk away. No regrets, no sorrows. This was not to be the case.
So, he walked. No place in particular. Just around. Finally getting in a cab and ending up at the club. Mike wandered around the club for a while, half looking for Melinda, but not finding her. After all, she was there every night. He felt he should have said something more than he did. Tara walked up to him and asked, “Have you seen Melinda?”
“Why?”
Mike looked at Tara as if she had lost her mind. For obvious reasons, she and Melinda never got along.
“I was just wondering if she was gonna work tonight,” Tara asked.
“Work? Work where?” Mike said curiously.
“Here silly. You do know she still works here.”
“She does? Doing what?”
“Don’t you remember? You told me to hire her in hospitality over a year ago.”
“I always wondered why she was here every night.” Mike walked away laughing. He went upstairs to Bobby’s office. Busting through the door in his normal fashion and headed straight for the bar. “What up, Bob?” Mike said, as he poured a drink for himself and Bobby.
“Good trip?”
“Yeah, it was cool.”
“Grand Bahama is cool this time of year,” Bobby commented.
“Where’s Jamaica?” Mike asked.
“Wanda’s got him in a rehab program out on the island,” Bobby replied.
“How long?”
“Until he’s ready to leave.”
“When’s visiting hours?”
“Between three and five and seven to nine during the week. All day on the weekends,” Bobby replied.
“He’ll be all right,” Mike said.
“Mind if I ask you a question?” Bobby asked, leaning back in his chair.
“No, we’re not getting back in the dope game,” Mike fired back without waiting to be asked.
“Mind if I ask you a question?”
“What, Bobby?”
“I know we ain’t getting back in the game. Ain’t no reason for me to think that we were. What I wanna know is since we ain’t getting back in the game, what were you doing in Miami with Hector? By the way, is he still pissed about Nina?”
