He was scared of me and what I might do. He knew I was pissed because he had knocked me down to street level and basically gotten me busted. He was afraid I might tell Flaco to forget him and deal with someone else. So he lied to Flaco and told him I was in jail but that I would be getting out soon and had been advised of everything and was onboard with the whole thing. All bullshit. That’s why he didn’t bail me out because he figured if I didn’t know about the whole Flaco deal I couldn’t fuck it up for him. I guess he thought I would eventually go upstate and by then the deal with Flaco would be so far along that it would go through. He didn’t count on my man here though and when I got out that threw a big monkey bone into the whole deal. He knew he had to kiss my ass and get me to work closely with him on the Flaco deal. I was pissed but money is the cure of all evil as they say and once I was caught up to speed I realized I was in a position to walk away from this in great shape too. I also realized that I couldn’t really do anything about this great offer by myself because I didn’t have the money to pull it off. I had this great connection because Flaco was now the man to know but I needed the money Escalera had. Actually, I shouldn’t say the money Escalera had. The amount and worth of the drugs involved was a lot more than we were used to. So much more that, even at the great price we were paying, E had nowhere near the money needed to make the buy. This is what I mean about Escalera having gotten smarter. He set about getting financing for the deal. It was a UPO I think he called it. An Unidentified Public Offering or something.
You see, the problem was where do you get the bills? You can’t exactly walk into the nearest bank and ask for a loan to buy a huge amount of genetically engineered coke. To cut to the chase, what Escalera eventually did is hook up with this guy Colon who I told you about at the precinct. Colon does the same thing as Escalera but on a bigger level. He moves a lot more shit and has a lot more bread. I don’t know much about Colon’s operation because E made sure I didn’t have too much contact with him, probably out of fear that I would try to squeeze him out of the deal, but basically Colon and Escalera became a partnership. Colon wants the access to this deal that E can give him and E needs the money that Colon can supply. Thank God they both need me because Flaco has said he won’t go through with the deal without me being involved.
Anyway we agreed with Flaco on a price of ten million dollars. Yeah, I know. Serious money but in this case a huge bargain. My guess is that like eighty percent of that money would come from Colon. Even so, at the end of the buy Colon and Flaco would merge the areas they were supplying, get a lot more muscle into their operation, and basically change the way business would be done there. After this deal they would be powerful enough to set it up so that, for example, no crack could be sold at say 128th Street that wasn’t bought from them. This way it wouldn’t matter which way the war between the Bloods and the Crips ended because either way the winner would have to get their shit from E if they wanted to sell in the area they were fighting over.
And that was basically the status of the whole thing when I got popped for this shit here. E kept saying I had to keep doing that street shit so Red Bags wouldn’t get all suspicious and shit and maybe fuck things up. It was a stupid thing to do. I should have just retired out of that shit. I don’t know why I listened to that idiot. Anyway, I must have the worst luck in the world cause I did this hand to hand and here I am. There’s more details of course. I don’t know how much you want to get into the specifics and whatnot.”
“So the deal is still on far as you know?” pleaded D’Alessio who looked like he was about to shine Ramon’s shoes.
“It was all set up when this shit happened. Supposably it was going to go down very soon but like I told you if I don’t get out soon that shit’s going to fall apart because Flaco will not deal if it’s not with me, I’m telling you that right now. Right now it’s been like seven days since I talked to Flaco and that’s not good because this shit was supposed to happen mad soon.”
“What has Escalera said since you were arrested?”
“What else? He freaked! He knows the whole thing is on jeopardy. He was going to bail me out the first day and get me a lawyer and shit but I already knew I was going to take his ass down and I don’t want to have to deal with one of his lawyers and shit. So I told him I was getting the same lawyer who beat my case before and that he said he was getting me out in a couple of days. If I don’t get out soon though I know he’ll get suspicious why I don’t want a lawyer and shit and he’s going to figure it out that I’m cooperating. Also by now I’m sure Flaco is wondering where my ass is and I need to get on that quick to smooth things under and shit. So I’m looking to get out today to make that happen.”
“We’re certainly going to explore that. We talked about this last time. We need to know exactly when and where this buy is going to happen.”
“Am I going to get out?”
“Well you’re certainly not going to get out if you don’t cooperate with us Ramon.”
“You have to tell us where this is going to go down Ramon. Then we can help you out,” Gans was back and in between sips of gold soda he’d decided to do some detecting.
“All right man but I better get out! It’s going down a week from Saturday at 368 Riverside Drive between 112th and 113th. At 4:00 a.m. the stuff will be there and so will the money. There. You happy? You putting my life in danger! I better be decompensated for it.”
“That’s not a spot Ramon.”
“Of course not man. That’s the whole point. That’s just like some guy’s private house and shit. You have to understand what’s going on in the DR with Flaco. That shit can’t even be called an operation any more. That’s just some free-floating drugs there. Flaco’s not a dealer man. He’s just some guy who’s got a lot of shit on his hands that he’s trying to get rid of. There’s no infrastructure man! He’s getting his shit in through Fatso’s old line then some girl, some dumb poor sap mule, is getting a buck fifty to drive the stuff in the trunk of a car into the garage at 368. At the same time E and I will arrive at the garage with the money. The guys at 368 will be under strict orders to only give the keys to the mule’s car to me and E personally and only after counting every last dollar. If we’re a dollar short, or if we’re a minute late, or if someone other than E and me goes to that house, then they are to give the keys right back to the girl, give her another hundred bucks, and tell her to drive it back to where she got it and the whole thing’s off. If everything is kosher, we get the keys and drive off with the stuff. The car’s a throw-in. That’s it man. It’s not complicated. If you storm in there at 4:00 a.m. you’ll walk out with ten million dollars and shit that’s worth ten times that on the street. You’ll also pop Escalera and maybe one or two big guys from Santo Domingo. But if I’m not out, none of that is going to happen. Flaco won’t even ship the shit from the DR if he hasn’t heard from me.”
“Are you sure about 368 Riverside?”
“Of course I’m sure. That’s one of the few places we have with a built-in garage like that so it’s perfect.”
“It doesn’t sound very secure. That’s not the way—”
“No kidding. Listen, with undue respect, have you been listening to me at all? Flaco’s only using people like me who he can trust. This way of doing things would never fly normally. That’s why it’s going to be so easy. You guys are going to seize a shitload of shit.”
“What about Red Bags?” said ADA Dacter who I had forgotten was in the room.
“What about him? He’s shit. He doesn’t know anything about this. If he did he’d probably go in there firing guns like the stupid fuck he is.”
“What can you tell us about him?”
“What did I just do?”
“Are you familiar with any violent acts by him that you personally observed and can give details about?”
“What the hell’s this guy talking about?” DeLeon took an aggrieved look around the room but everyone looked away until he came to my shrug. “Haven’t I given
you guys enough? You know how much you’re going to seize? You’re all going to be famous! What does he want to talk about some small-time piece of shit like Red for D’Alessio?”
“I’ll tell you what,” D’Alessio soothed. “You’ve just given us a lot of information to think over. I know you want to get out and we want to make sure we don’t jeopardize this deal. Why don’t Roger and I and Detective Gans go meet with the DA supervisor and start exploring our options.”
“Can I talk to my attorney?”
“That’s perfect. We’ll leave you guys in here alone for as long as you need and meanwhile we’re going to be discussing all of this. Okay? We’ll be right back. Come on Gans, bring the soda.”
“Right if I tell you something you can’t tell anyone else unless I want you to? That’s the doctor/patient privilege right?”
“Similar but you mean attorney/client right?”
“Yeah, that’s it. I don’t trust these guys at all man. I’m not giving them shit till I get the fuck out of here.”
“Sounds to me like you just gave them quite a bit, no?”
“Look man I know you said tell the truth and shit and I basically did but I lied about where this shit is going to happen.”
“Why’d you do that? I mean you either want to cooperate or you don’t. If you do then you have to tell them the truth or else how will they benefit and, more importantly, how will you benefit?”
“I know but I don’t want them to get what they want then leave me hanging. I don’t trust these guys. They’re worser than the guys I deal with on the outside.”
“Listen I can appreciate your paranoia but what happens when they burst into 368 and find some guy watching Married With Children in his underwear? Think you’ll get a good deal then?”
“No man, I can’t get caught in this lie. This thing really is as quiet as I’m saying. If they do what they’re supposed to do and get me out then I’ll just tell them the location was changed and give them the real place.”
“What if they check out 368 before then?”
“I know 368. If they check it out it will look like I told them basically. It actually could have been the location so it’s not that big of a lie.”
“What else?”
“It’s just like an average house.”
“No, what else did you lie about?”
“That’s it, everything else is true.”
“I don’t buy that Ramon.”
“It’s the truth man!”
“Why wouldn’t you just let Escalera bail you out? It would be months before the case went to trial and during that time you could have done the deal with Flaco.”
“No man, it’s just, nah.”
“It’s just what? Give me the explanation for why you chose to stay in jail.”
“All right man, you got me there. Remember though, you’re not allowed to tell anyone.”
“I’ll try and remember.”
“All right. Truth is the deal’s really far along and it’s going to go down whether I get out of here or not. I can’t make no twenty-five thousand dollar bail. I have to get the fuck out of here or else I’m not going to get my part of the deal. This is the only way I can figure to get out.”
“What are you talking about your cut of the deal? You just said that if they hook you up and you get out you’re going to tell the cops the real address”
“I will man!”
“Well at that point there’s not going to be any deal right?”
“I don’t know.”
“No, I’m telling you. There’s not going to be any deal. They’re going to be there and seize everything. So you’re not going to be getting any money right?”
“Oh I see what you mean. No, see, the deal I cut with Escalera is that I get a hundred thousand. I get fifty when we get confirmation the stuff is in the U.S. and another fifty after he’s picked up the stuff from the house. Everything I said about me being the key to getting this deal done was true. Believe me, why else would I be getting a hundred thousand for my part knowing what a cheap bastard E is? The lie is that I’m not supposed to be going to the house to pick up the shit and the deal is already set up for ten days from today whether I’m a part of it or not. I know Escalera. If I’m in here when the deal goes down I get nothing, that’s why he hasn’t offered to get me out.”
“I see, unless D’Alessio and these idiots think the deal’s only going to be consummated if you’re out, in which case you’ll be free with your dough and everyone will live unhappily ever after. Of course then you’ll have something else to explain besides just the change of location.”
“What?”
“Why it is you’re not going with Escalera to make the pickup.”
“Listen I won’t have to explain anything. I’ll be out of here and I’ll have fifty thousand in my pocket. My days of explaining anything to anyone including those morons Escalera and Red Bags will be over. You understand what I mean?”
“Yes and no. Yes, I think I do but no I’m not interested in discussing it in much detail with you because it would put me in a delicate situation.”
“Everybody’s going to be happy. I guess I never really thought it would work before, but now I’m like positive it will. They’ll get me out. Flaco will get the stuff here. I’ll get fifty large and poof. Even if Escalera figures out what happened who cares? He’s going to be caught in a house with ten million dollars and ten times that worth of cocaine. By the time he gets out I’ll be on Viagra and shit. I told you about Flaco, there’s nothing to worry about from there. I’ll be out of this fucking mess. Now you see why I had to cooperate. I’m not stupid man, I’m a fucking brainiac. Smart like a fucking fox!”
“What about Red Bags?”
“Now you sound like them man. He’s got nothing to do with this at all. From what them guys said at the precinct he’s gone have a federal rap soon anyway.”
“What do you think about their claim to having confirmed some of what you told them? Do you think someone else is talking?”
“No way,” and he pursed his lips in support.
“Because if they have independent information that allows them to catch you in a lie it won’t be enough to say you would’ve eventually told them the truth.”
“They don’t have shit man. I’m all they have. Everything they know about this comes from me. If I tell them the clouds are made of shit, they’ll start expecting it to rain crap!”
“They’re not going to let you out until you’ve pled guilty and left your sentence up in the air. This is how they’ll exercise control over you. If you take off or lie or whatever they’ll ask the judge to give you a huge number.”
“It won’t matter. I’ll stick around to get my fitty and to make sure them cops get what they want and also to see that E gets what’s coming to him for ostrich-sizing me like some piece-of-shit crackwhore. After that they can ask the judge for life and I’ll try to care from the beach. Fuck them! I’m going to be opening and closing those little umbrellas they put in your drink. Shit, fifty large over there makes me the brown Bill Gates!”
“You’ll be out for about a week and having meetings with these guys. What if they want you to wear a wire?”
“No way. They already talked about that last time and I said there was no way I could do that because Escalera is too paranoid and always frisks anyone he talks to about business.”
“Is that true?”
“Sort of.”
“Is that it? Any other lies I should know about?”
“There’s more money. Yo I’m going to be straight with you B because you’re my lawyer and shit. There’s going to be more than ten large there for sure.”
“What’s the reason for that lie exactly?”
“Yo here they come. What do you think of all this? My plan and shit?”
“You’ve thought about all of this obviously, I hope it works out for you.”
“So you think they’ll let me out?”
“I do. Maybe they have the
ir doubts about everything you’ve said I don’t know, but right now it looks to me like they have visions of fame and applause heading their way and because of that they’re probably not too eager to take an overly critical eye at everything you’re telling them. So if your question is whether it’ll work in terms of you getting out, my answer is yes I think it will work. I think they’ll come in here and say they’re going to offer you a deal where you plead guilty and are released with your sentence to be determined at a later date. They’ll say that if you do what you’re supposed to do, such as testifying whenever they need you, you’ll eventually be sentenced to something like a misdemeanor and probation. That’s your status from a legal standpoint, which is something I know a lot about. But there’s another world at play here, and it’s one you know a lot more about than me. Assuming I now have the truth about this whole mess, it seems to me to involve an even greater risk on your part than I previously thought. You’re going to be responsible, if you aren’t already, for the break-up of a really heavy deal that a lot of people are counting on. In all likelihood, the people involved are going to figure out that you’re responsible. After all, they know you’ve been arrested and no one else who knows about this deal has been arrested recently right? So fine, Escalera will be in jail but what about Colon? And even if they’re both in jail, is everyone who works for them going to be in jail? Flaco’s not going to get his money. Will he be happy? Even if he is soft, as you say, can you be sure there won’t be some other lunatic over there who might somehow be connected to this deal and who might come after you? Have you thought all those contingencies out thoughtfully enough Ramon? Or are you so focused on getting out of here and your measly fifty-thousand-dollar payday that you’re putting your life in danger?”
A Naked Singularity: A Novel Page 31
