The War Report

by King Benjamin

  Jay wasn’t upset about the charges because he’d brought it on himself. He was more upset that he had put himself in the position he was in. The dude in the cell to the left of him looked like he had to be a dope fiend. The dude to the right of him was a loud mouth with a domestic violence charge, who kept proclaiming his innocence the entire time he was there. The story made no logical sense whatsoever.

  “I was just wiping her face with a towel, man. Then police walk in talking about get your hand off her. Talking ’bout you choking her. I said ‘I’m wiping her face,’ what is you talking about?”

  The youngster in the cell directly across from Jay listened attentively since he had nothing better to do. After hearing the whole story, the youngster put his two cents in.

  “Yeah man, I think you need to get her on the phone and have her come down here and talk to your arresting officer.”

  “She won’t accept none of my calls,” the man explained.

  That’s probably because you choked the shit out of her, Jay thought.

  “Just keep trying to contact her, dog. You’ll be straight,” the youngster said. “I know I’ma be good soon as I get a bond. I don’t care what it is, my nigga, Bones, gone come get me. My nigga getting that bread, but he need me. I’m the best worker he got. He just copped that Lexus 460 though. Getting long money. He low-key with his shit though. He come through and pick up that bread, and be out.”

  Jay listened quietly as the young thug boasted about his boss, who it appeared was the man Jay had searched up and down for over the past few days. He calculated a plan right then. Choosing his words carefully, he hopped up off the concrete slab and strolled to the bars.

  “Aye, young dog. You say your man name Bones?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sound like my man I was locked up with. Who he run with?” Jay asked.

  “Shiiid, he mainly be with Skip, or the little bad bitch. Her name Oshiwe or some shit like that.”

  “Yeah… I know Skip too. Them my mans from PA.”

  “Hell yeah, that’s all us, nigga. PA for life, we bout to be running shit over there.”

  “They call me Snoop. What you go by on the streets?” Jay asked.

  “They call me Pistol Pete, ’cause I keep that thang on me, you feel me?”

  “Yeah, I feel that. I ain’t seen my man since he went to Ohio and caught that bid,” Jay continued to bait the young thug.

  “Yeah, that nigga been out for a minute now. ’Bout four or five months. Came straight home taking care of his business, you know? Bounced back quick like what? Shining on the bums.”

  Jay had heard enough of his dick riding, so he change the subject.

  “So where y’all set up at?” he asked, reeling him in.

  “We all around that muthafucka. We got a spot on Mansfield down the street from Skip house. We got a spot on Sunsex—”

  “Skip live on Mansfield?” Jay interrupted.

  “Yeah, he on the first block off Puritan. Skip just dropped the Audi. Cold. Threw twenty-twos on that bitch.”

  This nigga is super stupid, Jay thought. The more he talked, it was like taking candy from a baby. He wondered if the dude knew where Bones lived, but he didn’t want to go overboard with the questions and make him suspicious. It was best to just let him keep running his mouth.

  “So what you in for, young dog?” he said, switching subjects again.

  I got swooped on walking down hot ass Linwood with a burner on me, that’s all. This my third one, so I know my bond gone be high as hell, but Bones coming to get a nigga, so I ain’t worried.”

  “Yeah. I should be outta here in the morning myself.”

  After a few more words, Jay went back to his cement block and began to strategize his next move. He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Gunner just yesterday. Gunner was right, the city wasn’t that big. Not that big at all.

  __________

  The next morning, Jay and Pistol Pete were shackled and cuffed together, and they were transferred from the holding cell with six others to the police van that would escort them to the courthouse. The dude in for domestic violence was really in a panic now that they were about to go before a judge. He was gathering as much information about the working of the court system and his chances of going to prison or doing county time. After listening to him all night long, Jay was at the end of his rope with this guy, and he refused to listen any longer.

  “Man, why don’t you shut the fuck up and just wait and see.”

  The look on Jay’s face was enough to know he meant business and was about to snap. That put an end to all questions from him for the rest of the ride over. At the courthouse, Pistol Pete was the first called in front of a judge. He got hit with a seventy-five thousand ten percent bond, which meant he seventy-five hundred cash to post bail. He came back to the holding cell unruffled.

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said with confidence.

  Jay went in front the judge next. His lawyer had gotten the message, and was there to represent him with the same beat up looking hard bottoms he always wore.

  “I see you got the message,” Jay said.

  “Yeah. Shit, Keith woke me up at five-thirty in the morning to make sure I got it.”

  Gunner, Niecey Girl and E sat in the back of the courtroom waiting patiently. The judge was an older red head white woman with a permanent scowl, but she was actually a pretty fair judge. The arraignment was swift, and Dan Marsh spoke on Jay’s behalf, getting his bond set a twenty thousand. The bond was immediately paid and Jay was out in the next hour.

  Once out of jail, Jay quickly set his plan in motion, knowing it was risky and only had a fifty percent chance of working. He hugged Niecey Girl and sent her home quickly. Then, he went back in the courthouse with E and Gunner. They stood in a line of people whispering amongst each other, going over all the details. Gunner had several fake IDs so he was the one elected to post Pistol Pete’s Bond. They paid the seventy-five hundred, but by the time it posted, Pete had already been sent over to the county jail. They waited patiently for the county processing to take place, and then Pete would emerge out of the front door. The worst thing that could happen is that Bones and Skip actually showed up to get him before they could nab him, but that would be even better.

  Two hours passed before Pete came strolling out of the county jail revolving door with a winning smile on his face. He searched around for whoever was bonding him out, and he looked confused as he headed toward the parking lot and didn’t see any cars that resembled Bones’ or Skip’s vehicles. Jay got out of the passenger seat of Gunner’s rental car and waved him over.

  Pete looked shocked, but not suspicious. He jogged across the street to the parking lot with a grin on his face. They slapped fives. Gunner and E were friendly.

  “You bonded me?”

  “Yeah. I told you them my niggas too. Where you need to go, man? We can drop you off?”

  “I gotta get back to the hood. PA, you already know.”

  “Let’s go,” Jay said and they all hopped in.

  “Man, I can’t thank you enough, Snoop. That was love, dog.” Pete said gratefully.

  “Ain’t nothing man, I’m glad I could help.”

  “You got that coming right back too, soon as I get in touch with Bones.”

  “Yeah, I know you good for it.”

  “Matter fact, let me borrow somebody cellphone. Mine is dead as a doorknob.”

  The car was deadly silent. No music, no responses. Nothing.

  “They impounded my car with my cellphone in it,” Jay said truthfully.”

  “What about you, homeboy?” Pete asked E sitting in the backseat next to him.

  “Man, I just lost my cellphone yesterday. I gotta go buy me one,” E lied.

  “Shit, I just tried to make a call. My battery dead as fuck,” Gunner said before he could even ask.

  Jay could sense Pete’s uneasiness began to set in as he glanced at him in the rearview mirror.”

 
“We can stop at a pay phone somewhere. Let’s just get the fuck away from downtown,” Jay said.

  “Yeah, that’s cool. I just wanna let niggas know I’m out so they don’t waste a trip down here, you feel me? Plus, I know you want that bread back.”

  “Yeah, we can make an extra stop somewhere. We gotta make one stop anyway.”

  Gunner finally turned the music up, knowing everything was in motion. As he hit the freeway, Pete began to nod to the music, feeling relaxed. They came off the freeway after passing a few exits.

  “There’s a phone booth right there,” Pete yelled over the music.

  Jay turned the volume down.

  “You can make some calls at the house we going to. We gotta make a little stop.”

  They turned down the block where Gunner’s chill spot was. It was the only spot they had that no outsiders knew of. It was perfect for what they had planned. When Gunner pulled into the driveway, Jay immediately hoped out calm and cool.

  “Come on, Pete.”

  Pete got out, but he was a little hesitant.

  Gunner and E lay back for minute, just to make sure Pete went all the way inside. They didn’t want to cause a scene outside where the neighbors could see. Murder wasn’t exactly E’s strong point, but in situations like this, it was kill or be killed. Once he was inside, they hopped out, looking around on the block as they rushed the side door, pulling pistols out.

  Jay and Pete were in the middle of a conversation when E and Gunner stormed in.

  “Where the pho—”

  The three of them began to mob Pete. Jay punched him with his fist, and Gunner and E pistol-whipped him in the head. He fell to the floor and they continued to kick and stomp him until he was nearly unconscious. Even then, Jay continued to rear back and kick him in the ribs and stomach as hard as he could. His face was a bloody mess and he finally passed out in the middle of the kitchen floor. They dragged him legs first down the basement steps.

  Jay checked his pulse and could tell he was still very much alive. Just unconscious. The look on E’s face showed his amateur experience with this sort of thing. He just wanted to get it over with quickly as possible.

  “Damn, we need his ass awake,” Gunner said.

  “Get some cold water,” Jay told him. “E, go check outside and see what the neighbors doing. A few minutes later, Gunner came back down the steps carrying a bucket of cold water. What happened next was the most vile and ungodly act of vengeance Jay himself had ever committed. Before waking him, Pete was stripped of all of his clothing, and then doused with the cold water all over his body. He shook himself conscious from the shock of the cold water hitting his wounded face and body. His eyes were swollen shut and he had knots and gashes all over his head. Barely conscious, Pete tried to speak.

  “What I… do … Snoop?”

  He knew he was about to die, and he just wanted to know why. Bones and Skip obviously were not letting their people know a whole lot about what was going on, but it worked to Jay’s advantage.

  “If you don’t know by now, you shit out of luck. Now where’s the house you roll at?”

  “Mansfield.”

  “What block?” Jay barked. Pete was having trouble speaking, so Jay kicked him in his already broken ribs. “What block, muthafucka?”

  “Ss- second block.”

  Pete answered every question he could to the best of his ability just to stop the assault. It was torture to be in that much pain and fear, and he would much rather just die.

  “Where Bones live?”

  “I… I don’t… I don’t know.”

  Jay held on to a beam for leverage and began to work his ribs with kick after kick.

  “Where the fuck Bones live?”

  Pete began to cough up blood, unable to answer because he couldn’t speak, and simply didn’t know the answer to Jay’s question. Jay stormed upstairs frustrated and came back with E and a mop handle without the mop.

  “Hold him still,” he ordered Gunner and E.

  They grabbed Pete and turned him on his stomach. As soon as the handle touched his anus, Pete mustered the strength to beg for mercy, but it was too late as Jay rammed up in him hard. The screams were loud enough to shatter the windows, and Gunner knew that it couldn’t continue.

  “That shit too loud, Jay,” Gunner pleaded, releasing Pete’s arm. The look in Jay’s eyes was one of temporary insanity.

  “If he knew more, he would have told us by now, Jay,” E agreed, not wanting the sodomy to continue.

  For a moment, Jay just stood there holding the mop handle, staring down at Pete as he whimpered like a wounded dog.

  “Finish that bitch,” Jay growled.

  Chapter 18

  Michelle was doing her best to have a good day, despite being frustrated with her personal life. Today was an important day, and she needed to be focused. It started on a positive note with her being handed all positive stories that warmed her heart as she worked. No murders, no violence, just positivity. Although her story on the new college grants for inner city youth was preceded by a man found dead rolled inside a rug on Mansfield Street, still it felt better when she wasn’t the one blessed with the task of shedding light on all the violence taking place in the city. This was why the job she was up for meant so much to her. The change in position would mean she had more control, if only a morsel. More importantly, it would put her in a better position to do what she really wanted to do.

  Michelle wanted the opportunity to explore the positive things about Detroit, and also explore what was being done about the not so positive things. Who was really to blame? Who was being held accountable? It could be done, but first she had to get more power and responsibility behind her title.

  Today, she and Andrea had to do some test reels on the set from behind the desk, reading old stories from the teleprompter. After that, the tapes were to be turned in personally by them to the President of the Network News. To Michelle, it seemed a little unorthodox that the president was involving himself in the decision that was usually made by someone at the local level, but she went with it. The station was making no effort to hide the fact that she and Andrea were going head up for the position, which seemed a little unreal to Michelle. The last thing she could afford to do right now was dwell on Jay, but there he was like a monkey on her back, poking away at her thoughts.

  Michelle watched from the floor as Andrea did her tape. She stumbled on a couple of simple words as if it was her first time in front of a camera. Michelle thought she seemed a little nervous, but an audition tape should have been a piece of cake—a mere formality. Then again, she didn’t want to get too cocky and find herself screwing up.

  “Just focus,” she mumbled to herself, trying to push Jay to the back of her mind.

  Andrea rose from behind the desk when she was done and went to talk with the cameraman. Michelle waited to be called, and then took her seat to begin her test on a health news story. She was very sharp and articulate, plus her personality really shined through. She nailed it, just like she believed she would.

  After the test reels were done, there was some down time before the interview with the big man, so Andrea offered to buy Michelle lunch. This should be interesting, Michelle thought. It was right on the tip of her tongue to decline her invitation, but she ended up at the small downtown eatery near the station sitting across from Andrea and wondering why.

  “So are you excited about the possibility of being lead anchor?” Andrea asked.

  “Oh, of course. It’s what I came here for, aren’t you?”

  “Well… for me it’s just another step up the ladder. I mean, I want the job, but how far can you really go in Detroit, ya know?”

  “I think you can go as far as you want to go,” Michelle replied.

  “I guess. I just think some people set their goals higher than others, that’s all.”

  Michelle didn’t respond to the comment, but she was mentally kicking herself for agreeing to do lunch with this arrogant, talentless heffa.r />
  “Well, I wish you the highest of heights in all your endeavors, Andrea.”

  “Why thanks, and I wish you the same. You’re such a sweetheart,” she said with painted smile.

  “Thanks, I try to be.”

  “You know, I’m curious as to why they’re moving so fast with the interview process, when Diane’s not supposed to be leaving for a few months.”

  “Well, if we’re the only two people from the station they are considering, I’m guessing they want to get it out of the way in case neither one of us is a good fit, they can begin the search.”

  “I can’t see them not picking either one of us,” Andrea admitted.

  “You never know,” Michelle said with a shrug.

  “I found in life, the people that climb the ladder the quickest are the ones that are willing to go the extra mile. Do whatever it takes.

  Talking to Andrea sometimes was like doing a crossword puzzle the way Michelle had to examine each word.

  “This ladder of success you speak of, where does it end?” she asked curiously.

  “It doesn’t end. But, I’ll tell you where it starts. It starts with that lead anchor position.”

  “Listen, Andrea, just because we’re going up for the same job it doesn’t mean we have to become two women in constant competition with each other. There’s plenty of room in the world for successful black women who are willing to work hard to get there.”

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Society is set up for men to rise to the top of their professions, while the women stand behind them. America is set up for the white man to rise to the top while we watch from the bench. Where does that leave us? Kicking, scratching and clawing our way as far as we can? I’ve been poor and it’s not fun. So I’m going to roll over as many people I can to get to the top, and cut the rope to make sure I stay there.”