Private Deceptions (15 page)

I was tired when I got off the plane. I was up all night with Felicia and I got up early again in the morning. But it was worth it. In more ways than just the obvious. I wanted to go home and get some rest, but I went to the stake house first. Things were quiet when I arrived at the house. Monika was sitting in front of the console, but not really looking. Jett was sitting on the floor, goin’ through the paper. It didn’t matter where in the world we were, or what language it was in, Jett always went through the paper, page by page. You never know what’s goin’ on unless you read the paper, he’d always say.

"Evening, people." I said and made myself comfortable.

"Where you been?" Monika asked excitedly.

"California."

"California?"

"Yeah. Jett didn’t tell you?"

"Oops," Jett said, and buried his head back in the Times.

"What were you doin’ in Cali?"

"I went to follow up on a lead I got on Pamela Hendricks. Why? Did something happen?" My first thought was for Mrs. Childers safety. "Is Mrs. Childers all right?"

"Nick, take your head out that woman’s ass for a minute and take a look at this," Monika said, and handed me a piece of paper.

I looked at it and shrugged my shoulders. "Is this supposed to mean something to me?"

"I’ll say," Jett said. "That paper is the missing link. It puts it all together. It’s the answer we’ve been looking for."

"Are you gonna let me in on it or do I have to guess?"

Felicia was true to her word. She told me everything she knew once she got me up this morning. But they seemed so excited, why blow it for them.

Monika smiled. "That is the formula for what appears to be some type of synthetic cocaine."

"Synthetic crack to be exact," I said. "Jake developed it for Chilly."

"How did you know?" Monika asked.

"That’s what I was doin’ in California. Chilly got the formula from a chemist named Rodrigez who used to work for the Peruvians."

"Used to? I didn’t know that was possible."

"He was on the run. There was a bounty out for him. He had started a new life, quiet, and low profile. But Chilly spots him at some mall up state. Rodrigez gave Chilly the formula so he wouldn’t give him up. But it didn’t work."

"Damn right, it didn’t work," Jett said. "It was killin’ people, and dead customers are bad for business."

"After the first five died from smokin’ it, Chilly gives him up to the Peruvians. That’s what Diego Estabon was talking about when he said I took care of mine. Apparently, they agreed that everyone involved had to die."

"So what do we do now?" Jett asked.

I looked at Jett and Monika. Jett dropped his head.

Monika shook hers in semi disgust. "I told you that this wasn’t something we needed to be fuckin’ around in. I say we back all the way up off this. Shut all this down and go back to doin’ what we do. Jett hacks our way in, you kill them, and I blow it up so there’s no trace."

"Jett?"

"I think she’s right, Nick. The shit didn’t work, so if Jake ain’t dead, he’s gonna be."

"How ‘bout it, Nick?" Monika asked.

I didn’t want to admit it, but they were right. If Jake was still alive and he had any sense, he’d be so far away that Chilly would never find him and neither would we. "I’ll call Mrs. Childers and give her back her money."

"Why?" Monika asked.

"We earned our money," Jett said. "Her brother took off before her husband could kill him. Case closed."

"You’re right, Jett, all this set up does cost money."

"And our time." Monika added and she started helping Jett pack it up.

"All right, case closed," I said and got up and started to help.

"No, no, Nick, you just go on and tell Mrs. Childers what ever you need to tell her. We’ll take care of this. You give me a call when Felix has something for us."

"So, like, what are you sayin’? I can’t call you until then?"

"That’s not what I’m sayin’," Monika said, shaking her hands. Monika walked over and put her arm around me. "Don’t stand there lookin’ like we’re runnin’ out on you, ’cause we’re not. You can call me anytime, Boo. But this private eye stuff, ain’t for me."

"She’s right, Nick. This is too much like work," Jett said. "But if you’re diggin’ it, hey, that’s cool too."

"Okay. I’ll get with y’all later."

What else could I do? I was diggin’ this. But I had to keep my prospective clearly in focus. Jake was gone, long gone. And if he had any sense, he would stay that way. The only thing left to do was to break it down for Mrs. Childers and move on. But there were still some things about all this that I couldn’t shake. Something about Pamela Hendricks, or maybe it was just the personal feelings I had developed for Felicia Hardy that was clouding my judgment. Either way, I knew it wasn’t over. At least not for me.

So I drove to Rocky’s hang out. I wasn’t exactly sure why I was going there; much less what I would say when I got there. I walked in and got the same reception as the last time, it seemed like every eye in the house was on me. That’s when I saw him, Chilly, the man himself.

He was standing at the bar enjoying the company of two very attractive young ladies. Rocky was seated in the back at what I assumed was his regular spot. As soon as he was alerted to my presence, he made a B-line straight to Chilly.

I went and sat down at a table as far away from them as I could and still keep them in sight. A waitress came to take my order. "Johnnie Walker Black, straight up." I started to ask her if she would tell Rocky that I wanted to see him, but I kinda figured that he’d get around to it sooner or later. Chilly looked over his shoulder as Rocky pointed me out to him. I didn’t think he’d do that, but fuck it. It was time I got this over with. Chilly dismissed Rocky with one hand and patted one of the ladies he was with on the ass, then started for me.

"Mind if I sit down?" Chilly asked.

"Be my guest," I replied, as the waitress returned with my drink.

"No check for this table. His money’s no good here." Chilly said, as he took a seat. "Nick Simmons. I haven’t seen you since the old days. I thought Bobby killed you and that army shit was just a cover."

"No, Chilly, I’m still alive."

"Rocky’s snitchin’ ass told me you’re a private investigator now. That’s a long way from where you came from. What’s the matter, Freeze and them ain’t got no spot for you, or is Bobby still tryin’ to kill you?" Chilly laughed. "Let me quit fuckin’ with you. Shit, if Bobby really wanted you dead, you’d be dead."

"Good point."

"So what brings you here?"

"Stopped in to have a drink." I raised my glass and downed it. Chilly smiled and motioned for the waitress.

"Ain’t too many of us old heads left in this game. Mutha fuckas now ain’t got no honor. No respect for the game. Niggas like you and me got to keep it real, you know what I’m sayin’?"

"Yeah."

"What’s up with you? Like you mad at me bout something. That shit between me and Black is over with. I got nothing but respect for him," Chilly said as the waitress arrived. "What you drinkin’, Nick?"

"Johnnie Black, straight."

"Johnnie Black, straight up and bring me a Crown on the rocks. You know I was the one who made peace with Black?"

"So I heard; why don’t you tell me about it."

Chilly looked at me for a while. "That’s right, you were gone when all that went down, so I guess you don’t know. After Black killed Jimmy Knowles and Charlie Rock, Vincent Martin kept it goin’ for a long time. I kept tellin’ Vince dumb ass that all that war shit was bad for business, but he wasn’t hearin’ me. Him and Charlie was like brothers, so Vince was takin’ the shit way too personal."

"So you gave him up to Black?" I said coldly.

"Shit no! I ain’t that type of mutha fucka. But after a while it didn’t matter anyway. One night Black caught Vince and his whole set laid back. They was all at Vince’s house chillin’, Black busted up in there and killed them all."

The waitress returned with our drinks, served them, and departed quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at me. I winked in response.

"Black, Bobby and Freeze walked in blastin’. Like they was playin’ a video game and shit." Chilly began making shooting motions with his hands. "Boom, boom, boom. I hear nobody even got off a shot. Must a been eight, ten mutha fuckas in there. They killed everybody quick, except one guy. He said he was layin’ on the floor shakin’ with his gun in his hand. Said Black walked up to him and sat on the floor next to him."

Bet you wanna know why you’re still alive.

"But the boy is so petrified that he can’t even talk; he just shakes he head. He said all Black said was,
‘Tell Chilly to come see me’
." Chilly motioned for the waitress. He finished his drink. "Bring us around round," he told her and handed her a twenty dollar bill. "That for you, baby." We both watched her as she walked away. "I might just have to fuck her tonight. Anyway, me and Black always been cool. We wasn’t never close like y’all or nothin’ like that. But Black gave me my respect. And you know how he carried his. I ain’t ashamed to say that the only reason I ain’t dead is because Mike Black didn’t want to kill me. He did right by me."

Damn right, Black let you live to make all that money. "There ain’t too many like Black."

"That’s what I’m sayin’. These young bucks like that bitch made nigga there." He pointed at Rocky. "Ain’t loyal to shit but money."

"It’s a new day. With new players."

The waitress served us another round of drinks. Chilly raised his glass. "To the old days."

"I’ll drink to that." All that talk about honor and loyalty was starting to wear on me for personal reasons.

"Let’s cut the bullshit. I know why you’re here. Same reason I’m here. Jake. I know Gee hired you to find him."

"Rocky tell you that?"

"Naa. But that’s exactly what I’m sayin’. He got no idea who you are or where you come from. That bitch ain’t have no business tellin’ me that you was a private eye. Him and Gee go back some years. He should be loyal to her over me. But as soon as you came through the door, he comes runnin’ to me like a little bitch and told me everything. But you see, Nick, I already knew all about that."

"Did you?’

"Shit yeah! What, you think I just let Gee run wild, doin’ whatever she wants? Hell no! I keeps her on a long chain. I knew she wrote you a check for ten thousand dollars. So I did some checkin’, that’s when I found out you was a private investigator. I figured she hired you to look for Jake. I got me a little honey at the bank. She keeps tabs on Gee’s account for me. Gee will fuck up some money if you let her. But that’s my fault. She was a young girl when I met her. She didn’t know shit. I should have taught her the value of money, instead of just throwin’ it at her. But that’s my problem."

"It’s probably too late now."

"You got that right. You have any luck findin’ Jake?"

"Not a clue," I lied. I started to lay it all out for him. Cut the bullshit. But I thought better of it. "I figure he’s some place hidin’ out, what I don’t know, is why. What was he into Chilly? Was he doin’ something for you? The way I get it, you were the last person to see him before he dropped out of sight." I was pushing my luck and I knew it. But I had that
I don’t give a fuck
attitude in full effect.

"You take chances, Nick. But I know what kind of nigga you are, so fuck it. I respect a mutha fucka that gets right to it."

"I’m glad to hear that. So what was he doin’ for you?"

Chilly laughed. "He wasn’t doin’ nothin’ for me. I just wanted to talk to him about some shit I been hearin’, that’s all. I want you to find Jake. And I want you to let Gee know where he is. After you tell Gee, then I want you to tell me."

"Why, so you can kill him." It was a statement, not a question.

"No, I’m not going to kill him. You have my word on that. I just want to talk to him. He was into something, I just want to know what."

He reached in his pocket.

I put my hand on my gun.

He dropped a stack of money on the table in front of me. "That’s five thousand dollars there. Take it."

I complied.

"I’ll give you five more when you tell me where he is. And there’s something else I want you to do for me."

"What’s that?"

"In the last three weeks, Gee’s been takin’ a lota money out her account. Cash money, twenty thousand dollars. You tell me where that money went, and that twenty is yours."

I thought about making a quick twenty grand right there and tell him about how Ben Josephs was blackmailing his wife. But what honor I had left, and my loyalty to his wife stopped me. "I’ll look into it."

"You know me, Nick. I’m a man of my word and I pay."

"Thanks for the drink." I got up and walked out, with the five grand in my pocket. I got in my car thinking how things had just taken a weird turn. At this point, I was sure that Jake had just taken off. So I drove by Cuisine to see if maybe Freeze had anything for me.

Cuisine was crowded and I couldn’t find a place to park. So I drove around finally finding a spot about two blocks away. I had walked about a half a block when I heard somebody say, "Got a light, man?"