Cartier Cartel (17 page)

"Mommy, I don't know what to do," she blurted out as tears streamed
down her cheeks. "I'm in big trouble. I really think I've seriously fucked up."

"Fucked up how? What's going on?"

The loud banging on the front door was unmistakable. "Police! Open up
before we kick in the door!"

Trina didn't hesitate. She took the contents of the shoebox and shoved
it the front of her spandex pants, positioned the contents by her crotch and
closed her housecoat. Her huge stomach hid everything nicely.

"Hold on! No need to break my fucking door," Trina said as she swung
open the door. As the police trampled in, Trina was nearly tossed to the
ground. "What's this all about?"

Two cops in blue, one black and one Hispanic, walked directly to Cartier.
"Cartier Timmons," the Hispanic cop said, "we have a warrant for your
arrest!"

"What? For what?" Trina asked.

"On suspicion of first degree murder!" the black cop stated.

"Ma!" Cartier cried out. "Help me!"

Forcefully, Carter was handcuffed by the Hispanic cop, while his partner
thrust a search warrant into Trina's face.

"We also have a warrant to search your apartment," the black cop said
with a smirk on his face.

"You can search all you like, but I'm going with my daughter to the
precinct!"

The police allowed Trina to put on an overcoat. A ride in a separate squad
car was provided to her. Trina prayed to God that Cartier didn't have any
other drugs or money hidden in her room. As she walked outside, she saw
two squad cars down the block, in front of Janet's apartment building. Trina
realized whatever trouble Cartier was in, Monya was involved as well. But
murder? Who? There had to be a huge mistake.

At the precinct, almost relieved, Janet and Trina embraced. When they
heard the commotion at the sergeant's desk, they realized Shanine and
Lil Momma had also been arrested. Janet and Trina didn't wait to join the
ruckus. Four mothers were raising hell inside the precinct, all demanding
answers.

It took the precinct captain five hours before he told them why the girls
were being held. They had been arrested for murdering Donald Williams,
who went by the street name Donnie, and was one of the biggest drug dealers
in Brooklyn. The women knew the name. Who in Brooklyn didn't know
Donnie? Or heard about his death?

Trina was uncomfortable while in the precinct. She sat fiddling with
the money, jewelry, and drugs in her twat. When she realized there wasn't
anything she could do for Cartier tonight, she decided to take a cab to her
mother's house. There, she could hide Cartier's stash and think about what
she could do to get Cartier out of this mess she was in.

Trina needed to talk to her daughter. She didn't understand what Cartier
had gotten herself into. She counted the money and was surprised at the
amount. Did she steal it from Donnie's dead body? Did she really have
anything to do with Donnie's death?

Trina couldn't handle the stress. First Barn, now her own daughter. She
heard Barn had received a serious beat-down by Donnie and the only thing
she could think of was Cartier and her friends had put a hit out on Donnie. At
least Cartier isn't in the shape that Barn is, was Trina's only resolve.

The more the thoughts flooded her brain, the more stress she felt. Then
the one thing she didn't dream of happened. Her water broke. In her mind,
she facetiously thanked Cartier.

"Driver... please ... I'm having my baby... please take me to the nearest
hospital," Trina pleaded.

"OK, lady, hold on," the driver said in his heavy Middle Eastern dialect.
"Do you want to go to Kings County or Downstate? I think I take you to
Downstate. I hear they good for delivering babies."

"Make it quick, I don't have much time!" Trina pleaded.

The labor pains were more intense in her thirties, than when she was in
her teens. When she went into labor with Cartier, it was a walk in the park.
Trina realized she was too old to be playing mommy again. As she did her
routine breathing in and out, the thought of Cartier in a dirty jail cell added
more stress. She was worried about Cartier. She conceded she was tough, but
Trina knew Cartier couldn't handle being locked away. None of the Cartel
could. Trina was sure of that fact.

As she continued her breathing, she wondered where and if she had
failed Cartier. How did her daughter end up in such a bad situation? Trina
was sure she should have seen it coming. She knew she was the one who put
the added pressure on Cartier to be independent and get her own money.
And when Cartier did what mommy told her to do, Trina turned a blind
eye to her dealings, her comings and goings. Trina knew it, but she couldn't accept it. She never thought that advice would land her daughter in such a
shitty situation.

It was hard for Trina to accept. Of course she knew what Cartier was
doing out in those streets. She wasn't stupid. But she told herself it was petty
shit. Weed. Nothing too heavy. If Cartier would have gotten knocked it would
have been a slap on the wrist. And when she was boosting, what could the
police do? She was a minor. Again, a slap on the wrist. Never in her wildest
dreams did she think she would be going to a precinct, hearing her daughter
was involved in a murder.

Trina was afraid. She was in labor and had so much weighing on her mind.
When they arrived at the hospital, she was rushed to the emergency room to
prep her for surgery. She gave the nurse Janet's information and asked her to
relay the news of the impending delivery. She never thought she and Janet
would ever be in this situation with their daughters.

Eleven hours later, Trina welcomed her second daughter into the world.
Prada Quinn Timmons came into the world weighing six pounds, eight
ounces. Trina tried to celebrate the birth of her child, but the moment was
tempered. She was a nervous wreck.

At the arraignment, Janet passed word to Cartier that Trina had the baby.
When Janet came back to the hospital, she didn't have any new information.

"As it turns out," she began, "Donald Williams is Donnie, the drug dealer.
The same shit we already know."

"The one they found dead in the alley?" Trina asked confusingly. She was
still on medication after the delivery of her child.

"Yeah.-

"Why would they say the Cartel killed him?" Trina asked.

"Same shit. You know everyone on the block know Donnie's the one
who hurt Bam."

Both Trina and Janet were in denial. In some ways they knew the
truth, but didn't want to accept it. The arraignment was only a preliminary procedure in the judicial system, but both women knew the prosecutor had
a valid point: all four girls did have a motive to see Donnie dead. He had
maimed their friend for life.

"Damn, Janet, do you think they did it?" Trina asked the question they
both didn't want to know.

Janet shook her head from side to side. "I don't know, Trina. You know
if it were you and me, we'd go to bat like that back in the day. But I never saw
either one of our girls as murderers. And although Cartier has a little fire in
her as we have, she's no killer. And you know Monya-my scary child-ain't
no killer. It pains me to see her locked up." Janet was trying her best to keep
it together. But the heart is a delicate organ and its worst enemy is emotions.
She began to choke up and cry. "That's my little baby, Trina. She won't survive
in jail."

"Don't cry, Janet. Listen, they ain't doing no time. We gonna get them
good lawyers and get them out, even if I have to sell my pussy on the
corner!"

"That old shit? All that will get them is a public defender," Janet joked
and they both chuckled through their tears.

"When they were remanded back into custody all you heard was Monya
screaming and crying for me," Janet said. "It liked to break my heart into
pieces."

"What about Cartier?" Trina asked.

"You know she had on her game face. She was strong and held her head
up. You would have been proud. Just keep your cell phone on. I'm sure she's
going to call you:'

artier was the first to call her mother. Trina had nodded off from the
medication they'd given her for her cesarean.

"Hello?" Trina's voice was groggy.

"Ma, this Cartier"

Trina sat up in bed as best as she could. "You know I would have been
there if I could."

"You know I know that. Besides, you held me down when I needed you
most when you-"

"Don't talk over those phones," Trina cut her off.

"Oh yeah, my bad."

"Now, when's the next time you get to see the judge, and who's the lawyer
they appointed you?"

"All of us go back to court in two weeks and I got this bullshit lawyer
who's already telling me I'm going to do life, even though I'm telling him I
didn't do shit. I swear I wanted to punch him right in his cracker-ass face!"

"Don't go getting yourself into any more trouble," Trina tried to calm her
down. "Look, Cartier, try to look out for Monya. Janet was here and she said
Monya won't be able to handle the pressure. If they put you girls together,
always make sure you got her back as me and Janet always got down. You
know how we do."

"I hear you, Ma," Cartier said and exhaled. She didn't want to admit it but
in a million years she never would have thought the Cartel would end up in
jail for a murder. "I'll look out for Monya, but I need you to do me a favor."

"What?"

"Call Ryan and tell him what's up. He needs to hear from you what's
happened to me before the streets tell him my story. And when you get him
on the phone tell him to come and see me as soon as possible. OK?"

"Yeah, I'll call him later-"

"Ma, why can't you call him now?" Cartier whined. "As soon as we hang
up the phone just give him a quick call."

"Calm
the
fuck
down!"
Trina
yelled.
Although
she
was
in
pain
and
weak,
she felt her daughter should be more worried about getting out of prison
rather than running behind some nigga. "I said I'll call him. I've been through
a lot too."

Cartier realized how selfish she was being. "I'm sorry. Get some rest and
when you're better make sure you come and see me too."

"I'll be up there to see you as soon as I get out of here," Trina assured her.

"Oh, yeah, my bad. Congratulations. What we have?"

"A baby girl. I named her Prada Quinn Timmons."

"Ma, now you know that's some ghetto shit, right?" Cartier said,
laughingly.

"Look who's talking?"

"You're the one who named me Cartier. Now it's Cartier and Prada, and
yet we don't have a pot to piss in." In unison, they both said, "Or a window
to throw it out."

Cartier felt good talking to her mother. Ever since Cartier stepped up
to the plate and began relying on herself to get money, her and her mother
began to grow closer. Seemingly overnight. Trina was now one of the coolest
mothers around in Cartier's eyes. And if her mother told her it was going to
be all right, then it was. Cartier tried to assure herself that the police only
had circumstantial evidence. She was sure no one saw them do shit. Plus,
she couldn't believe Jason would snitch. But if he did, she would turn it back
around and say he lied. Anyway, the only thing he could testify to was he
asked her to call Donnie, and the last time she checked, that wasn't a crime.

But the saving grace for Cartier was Monya keeping quiet. If Monya
talked or bragged about being a killer, that was it. The worst thing that could
happen would be Lil Momma or Shanine getting that information and using
it against them. This was truly a game now and the players were plentiful:
Cartier and Monya against Lil Momma and Shanine, the whole Cartel against
the cops, and possibly, Donnie's people against the Cartel.

What Cartier didn't know was that the police didn't know anything.
They were playing the system, and the judicial system was letting them do it.
Technically, the cops didn't have any evidence, circumstantial or otherwise. The search of all four girls' homes came back empty, and they didn't have a
murder weapon, eyewitness, or even a reliable snitch to rely on. They used
the theory, let's arrest them all and let the pieces of the puzzle fall where
they may. And they knew the weakest link always spilled the beans. It was a
gamble, but they had a murder to wrap up. And they didn't want it to end up
in the cold case files.

ason was the first to post bail. The detectives had visited him often but
he said nothing. He didn't own up to anything and never mentioned
Cartier's name. He was a soldier, and true soldiers didn't break. He was
innocent of any murder beef. They couldn't charge him for making a phone
call nor could they prove that phone call led to Donnie's death.