by Carey Lewis
“He wasn’t the first one to think about turning himself in.”
“I didn’t hear anything about a witness being brought in.”
“Haven’t got around to it yet.”
“Jamal, need I remind you that’s frowned upon?”
“They going to fire me for it Ray?”
“That’s a good point. You want the pizza boy’s number?”
“I wouldn’t say no. Can you text it to me?”
Jamal thanked Ray and hung up the phone, said to Dax, “Lex is thinking of turning himself in. Says he might give up the Black Knights.”
“They’re after him now. What Asteria said.”
“Shit’s getting out of control, that’s why they’re after him?”
“They like to control everything. Only step in when it’s getting out of hand.”
“Not sure I believe it, Lex wanting to turn himself in, give up the Black Knights.”
“He knows you have me.”
“Maybe I’ll give him a call, make sure he knows for sure.”
The car pulled into a gravel lot at the back of an old textile factory. Beyond the lot was a river with the the rest of the city beyond.
“Went to a concert here,” Dax said, “probably three summers ago. Punk band tried to do Dead Presidents covers. Whole place rioted and tore it apart.”
“Because they played Dead Presidents?”
“Because they played them badly. They were the first band too, that’s what was so hilarious about it. Zax met Kenzie here. Came back for day two of the festival, been together since.”
“You know what else is here? Asteria.”
“No way.”
“Right up there. Factory got converted to a radio station probably ten years ago.”
“Get out.”
“Not the whole thing but part of it. You never wondered why all the concerts were held here?”
“Figured it was for the lot. Wouldn’t bother anyone with nothing around.”
“You know much about Cyrus? Why Lex wanted to get close to him?”
“Just Lex saying Cyrus was making moves, moving up to something.”
“Know why he wanted to get with the Black Knights?”
“Know he had something in mind to plan a thing like that. They tend to keep to themselves.”
“Only come out when shit gets out of control, yeah, you told me.”
They sat in silence for a bit. He excused himself from the car, telling Dax to stay there, and called The Boss.
“Get any sleep?” Jamal asked.
“Here and there. You?”
“Trying to enjoy my last night as a cop.”
“Finally getting rid of you?”
“Looks that way.”
“You weren’t good at it anyway.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“You giving me a warning Jamal? I’m your Vito allows you to keep being a shitty detective?”
“You think I’m giving you a courtesy call, telling you I’m coming for you?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Thought you might want to shoot your way up to Chief of Detectives or Police Commissioner.”
“How good would that go for me? I’m to believe you don’t have shit on me that would put me in lockup right beside you?”
“Was hoping you wouldn’t be stupid enough to think I didn’t.”
“I want to know about Cyrus. What he had that would bring him to the Black Knights. Or what you had to make him want to get it from somewhere else.”
“That’s the question isn’t it?”
“It’s the only thing I’m asking.”
“What do you care? Last night and all.”
“Figured I’d give it a try since I won’t be able to do it again.”
“What Cyrus had was ambition. Look where it got him.”
“He wanted to expand I guess?”
“Be available Jamal, you’ll still have your job in the morning. Up to you if you want to keep it,” and the line went dead.
It was the last thing he said that got him thinking, wondering how it would be possible to have a job when everyone wanted him fired. He smiled, knowing he was stupid for not realizing The Boss had his own cards in the game.
He walked over to the passenger side of the car and knocked on the glass.
“Where we going?” Dax asked.
“Talk to Asteria.”
There was a door, one that Dax had never paid attention to, at the top of a two story staircase of iron grating. Jamal knocked on it like a cop, hammer fisting it three times, waited, then five times. They always knocked the same.
The old man opened it after a couple minutes, led them down a long hallway with posters of musicians lining the walls, most of them signed. When the janitor opened the door to the lobby, he went back to sleep on one of the nice looking blue couches. Jamal asked where the DJ room was and the man pointed, nodding off with the broom grasped firmly in his hands.
A welcome desk sat at the center of a wall to the back, hallways on the left and right of it.
“You see where he pointed?” Jamal asked.
“It was kind of up wasn’t it?”
So they went down the hall to the left, saw it was offices, “probably for executives” Jamal said but Dax saw some of them belonged to the DJ’s. Saw Asteria’s office as they went by. Dax ducked his head in to see signed, framed posters by blues, soul, and mo-town greats. When Jamal wasn’t looking, Dax slid the nameplate off the door and put it in his pants.
They turned around, went back to the lobby, the old man snoring, his long, gray beard rustling with his breath, and went down the hallway to the right. They could hear the music coming through the speakers in the ceiling, Jamal said it was some O’Jays jam. They passed rooms that were named ‘archive,’ and ‘equipment,’ got to a control room that was empty and dark, followed the hall to another dark control room, followed the hall around that and came to the room at the end of the hall with a red light over the door.
They walked in, saw the two booths in glass, some guy in a tight denim shirt and cowboy boots sorting through a sheet. His hair was thinning and he thought he could make up for it with the lumberjack beard he was sporting.
But on the other side of the glass sat Asteria Nyx, the one and only. Dax couldn’t believe that not only did her looks match her smooth, silky voice, but they actually surpassed it. She had a tight afro that was held up by a red bandanna tied around her forehead. Her caramel skin looked as smooth as her voice, like it was freshly poured out of the mold. She had thick lips that were wrapped around a cigarette as she sat with her feet up on the console, jiggling the black high heel on her toe. She looked like the sexy poster child for the 70’s.
Dax didn’t expect her to look like this, but also thought she couldn’t look like anything else. He was staring with his mouth open, that’s why Jamal elbowed him in the ribs. He knocked on the glass with his badge, another dick cop move.
The guy in denim hit a button and the door buzzed open. Jamal told him he wanted to talk to Asteria, so the guy hit another button and said into the microphone, “these guys want to talk to you.”
She looked over and Dax’s heart raced. And just as quickly as she looked up, she looked down, back at the papers in her hand.
“I’m busy baby,” she said.
That’s when Jamal leaned over, hit the same button the guy did, said “I’d like to talk to you about the Black Knights.”
“Wouldn’t everybody baby?”
“I’m a cop.”
“You say that like you’re proud of it.”
“I hear you got a direct line to Mesiah.”
“I didn’t know I was responsible for everything you hear.”
“You are a DJ,” Jamal smiled. His joke fell on deaf ears. Asteria rolled her eyes.
“Five Asteria,” the guy in denim said, then counted down with his hand. Five. Four. Three…
“I’m afraid we have a special guest with us. A most unwanted guest. The
man of the hour with a friend, so we’re going to play a special track right now by the Isley Brothers. Most of you hip-hop cats will recognize it for Public Enemy, but we’re going to funk it up. Fight the Power my hip cats and cool dogs,” Asteria said, having a way of making love to the microphone by speaking into it.
A funky guitar kicked in and both denim guy and Asteria leaned back in their chairs, staring at Jamal as if to say your move.
“You have that planned?” Jamal asked.
Neither of them spoke, just continued to stare at him.
“You sent him a message didn’t you?”
Asteria cocked an eyebrow.
“Asteria, this is a criminal investigation. I know you have a direct line to Mesiah and I need you to get me in touch with him.”
“A criminal investigation you say? Well, shit, you never said that. Just give me your warrant and I’ll give you what your piece of paper tells me to give you.”
“I’m trying to be nice about this.”
“Tell me Mr. Police, what do you have on Mesiah? What criminal activity do you have on him?”
“I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation—”
“Of course you can’t baby. Can’t discuss it with me, can’t discuss it with a judge or a lawyer and that’s why you came in here empty handed. You can’t discuss shit because you don’t got shit.”
“You’re not the first one to come in here asking these questions,” the guy in denim said.
“What do you do?”
“I’m the producer—”
“I don’t care.”
“Mind if I try?” Dax asked.
Jamal shrugged. Dax leaned in to the mike and pressed the button. “Hi Asteria.”
“Hey there baby.”
“You want to grab a drink sometime?”
Jamal grabbed Dax and pulled him away. “You can’t ask her out.”
“She’s hot.”
“Don’t worry baby, not sure you’d be able to make it. Company you keep,” she flicked an eyebrow up.
Dax realized there was a good chance they’d have to fight their way out. “They’re coming for us.”
“Can I request a song?” Jamal asked, “dedicate it to Mesiah?”
Asteria laughed, “sure baby.”
“Get Ready. Temptations.”
Asteria laughed harder. “Got some balls on you, I’ll give you that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I don’t want to lose you,” he said and she finally stopped. He was glad she did, he was running out of things to say. Catharine turned to Cochise, tears in her eyes.
“I’m not yours to lose.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” he said.
And he didn’t. He just knew she came out of the tunnel and was different, walked like she wanted to get away from him. Walked down the water drainage, climbed up the hill and now they were back in some kind of civilization. She didn’t even look back to him once, see if he was still there.
He saw the clowns while they were walking, but figured it wasn’t the right time to bring it up.
“I saw a fire. I freaked out. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not even mad about that.”
“Then what?”
“What’re you doing?”
“I shouldn’t have left you in the tunnel. I’m not doing it again.”
She took the few steps toward him, touched his plaid shirt, “I’m not doing this again,” and she turned to walk away, leaving him standing there.
He watched her go and tried to let her do it. It was what she wanted, she made it clear enough. Just let her walk away and go back to his life. He had brief flashes in his mind of what it was like before tonight, what it would be like again. It didn’t make sense to him anymore.
“Catharine,” he said.
“Just go home Cochise.”
“Catharine.”
She let out a sigh and tilted her head as she turned to look at him. He didn’t take his eyes from her as he took off his plaid shirt and threw it on the ground. “I’ll wear whatever colors you want. We’re a gang now.”
“No colors Cochise. No gangs.”
“Black?”
“No. No gangs.”
“Just because no color is black isn’t it?”
“Wear whatever you want.”
“I’ll need new clothes.”
“Cochise, I’m not telling you what to wear. Wear whatever you want. I’m not doing the gang thing anymore.”
“I know. Neither am I. I’m doing the Catharine thing now. The Catharine gang.”
“You don’t get it.”
“I’m trying to be sweet. I’m telling you I want to be with you. On your terms.”
“My terms?”
“Just me and you.”
“I’m leaving. Starting over.”
“What did you see in the tunnel?”
“I don’t know, nothing.”
“You didn’t see the family? The one you talked about?”
Catharine shook her head.
“I saw them. Saw them hugging each other, burning up. You didn’t see that?”
She shook her head again.
“Maybe we see what we want, what we need to. I saw the family burning up. I saw the kid crying and his parents smiling while they were hugging him. The kid wanted to get away but his parents kept him there.”
“That’s what you wanted to see?”
“Not even a little bit. But maybe it’s what I had to see. I been thinking while I was following you. Maybe I’m the kid, that’s what it means. I haven’t had a family in a long time. Cleon and Ajax were my family. Maybe they’re my parents in the tunnel but if I stay with them I’m going to burn up.”
She didn’t say anything for awhile, standing there with her arms crossed, staring at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and waited.
“I didn’t expect you to say something like that,” she said.
“I was surprising myself,” he smiled. “I want to start over with you. I don’t want anything. I just want to be with you.”
She smiled and tried to hide it. “You say that to everyone that tosses you one?” she looked down, being shy.
“I’m usually tossing to myself,” he said and she laughed. Finally the tension was broken.
“Come here,” she said and Cochise moved into her arms and they kissed. Everything was okay in his world again. They kissed for awhile, neither wanting to break their hold on the other and let the moment get away from them. But it had to end, they had to let it get away, but they both knew there would be more. As many moments as they wanted for the rest of their lives.
“Where we going?” Cochise asked when they finally pulled their lips apart, holding each other.
“Get my stuff. Remember those girls I told you about? The ones that turned me out and laughed at me? I stay with them sometimes.”
“Do you see the clowns?”
“In the tunnel?”
“No at the end of the street,” they both looked to see the clown with green hair standing under a streetlight at the corner.
“We should probably go,” Catharine said.
They started walking, hand in hand, keeping an eye out for clowns and any other dangers that could attack them out of the darkness.
“You didn’t see anything in the tunnel?” Cochise asked.
“I saw darkness.”
“Thought I was onto something. Seeing things you needed to see.”
“You were.”
“But you only saw darkness.”
“Yeah, I did.”
They thought they were still high when they saw the two girls standing on the guardrail, smiling at them. They introduced themselves as Foxy and Mercy, asked Cleon and Ajax if they wanted to have fun. They even laughed it off when Cleon threw his spear at them, the drugs not having totally worn off yet. Turned out, they were still a little high.
It was Ajax that said sure, they’d like to have fun, his tongue practically hanging ou
t of his mouth. They fought their way through all the trees, more goddamned nature Cleon didn’t like that was sticking to his clothes with all the other stuff. Came to a dirt trail that led up the hill to the clearing where hikers parked their cars. It was empty, not many hikers at night. That’s where they saw the two girls, Foxy and Mercy, sitting on the wooden spikes that kept the guardrail in place.
Cleon was the one that wanted to go, find The Boss, get protected. It’s why he threw the spear that landed a good ten feet in front of the girls. That, and their eyes were glowing. With the high wearing down, he was able to realize he was high, knew their eyes glowing was just his mind playing tricks on him. He knew that, but he wasn’t sure what other tricks his mind was playing.
“So you know who we are,” he heard Ajax say, smiling and leaning in to the one that called herself Mercy. They wore a lot of makeup, especially the shit around the eyes, their hair dyed every color of the rainbow.
He wanted to call to Ajax, ask him what he thought he was doing when he saw him and Mercy walk out of the clearing to the road. Then he felt Foxy on his arm, looked at her resting her cheek on his shoulder, smiling up at him.
“I’m Latina,” she said even though he didn’t remember asking. They walked up the dirt path to the road, saw Ajax and Mercy ahead of them going to an old church with the wooden siding falling off. Saw Ajax and the girl go under the light at the front, saw the double doors open and then he was inside too.
Through the lobby area and then into the place where they gave the sermons, a few more girls sitting on the pews, standing up to take notice of their arrival. He was introduced to them but couldn’t put a face to the names of Shiva, Bebe, and Coffee.
He sat in the first pew he saw and Foxy was right beside him, felt her breath in his ear. He fought the urge in his mind telling him it was a tornado.
“You know we saved you,” he heard one of them say. He looked around, saw three of them looking at him, couldn’t tell which one spoke.
“Living Abortions were right there. Ready to take you out,” the voice in his ear said, drawing out the ‘ow’ part of the word, trying to sound sexy. He looked at the three of them, seeming to slither like snakes around the pews, staring at him.
“We should go,” he said, not realizing another girl came to sit on his other side. He looked over to Ajax, saw him and Mercy pulling each others arms in a weird tribal dance.
