The Dying Ground (33 page)

“Where are they? You the only one here?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Ghouls out roaming the streets. They tried to hit me up for some product when I got here.”

He slowly came back to life as he told me about his mother. Some children born into heinous families tend to overcompensate with love for their parents, but not Holly. I think it gave him undue pleasure to have so much money and so many pure
drugs. He loved being able to turn a deaf ear to his mother’s pleas. To say no to her at will.

It was a sick game, but Holly loved it. He loved being in control of something she wanted so badly and holding it back. It was his paycheck for the love and care she had withheld from him since birth.

“You see how these people living, man?” he said. “Don’t even go in the back of the house. The three of them sleeping on the same mattress.”

He stood up and shook his arms and legs awake. I watched as color seeped back into his face and life into his limbs.

“I got Felicia with me,” I said again. “She’s in the car.”

“Felicia?” He sounded surprised. “You find her in Louisiana?”

“Fresno. Never made it to Louisiana. I went to L.A. instead, and her aunt told me where she was hiding.”

“What’s the word?” I saw him brace against the answer I was about to give him. “How’d it go down?”

“Smokey. Just like we thought. She didn’t recognize the man wit’ him. She said it was him, though, and one other person.”

“She didn’t recognize him?” He looked doubtful.

“That’s what she said. She heard the gunshot and ran before Smokey could fire at her.”

“Who does she think it was?”

“Probably just one a his boys.”

“Hmm.” Holly was a skeptic to the end.

“You find Smokey yet?” I asked.

“Nope, but I know how to get him.”

“How we gonna do that?”

“We?” He raised an eyebrow. We walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. When we turned the corner I saw Felicia
sitting quietly in the passenger seat. Her head was down so she hadn’t spotted us yet. “We?” Holly said again.

I held up the bandaged arm. The pitching arm. “No reason to save it.”

“That ain’t the only reason, nigga.”

“Nope, but it’s the only one we gonna talk about. Now, how do we get him?”

“Guess.”

It didn’t take much to put it together. “Cynthia, his son’s mother?”

“Who else?”

“How you doing that?”

“Don’t worry ’bout the details. It’s being handled.”

“You ain’t forcing her into nothing.”

“What the fuck kind of question is that? That’s Smokey’s style, putting his hands on women. That’s the reason this shit is so easy.”

“She’s willing to give him up just like that?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

I shrugged. “Why would this time be any different? She’s put up with it this long.”

“So what’s different now?” He finished my sentence. “Another nigga. She met somebody else, and she can’t shake Smokey.”

“So you’re playing Cupid?”

He laughed. “Something like that. I gave her a little cash—a lot of cash—to get in the cut with the baby.”

“You’re paying her off.”

“You saw Cissy. I’d give up all my money if I had to.”

“I hear ya. So what’s the word? When does it go down?”

“You just be ready to ride.”

“I already told you I was ready.”

He looked at me for signs of weakness. “You need a gun.”

I didn’t flinch, but I did remember the gun I’d left on his walkway. “I lost the one I had.”

He looked at me with a challenging smile. “I can get you another one. You ready to ride?”

I hesitated, then I caught sight of Felicia. Alixe was already gone, Billy was dead, Cissy was hurt, and I wanted it all to end. I stood there at the line, probably as Holly had before he started selling drugs, probably as Smokey, Clarence, Emmet, and Malcolm once had. I stood at the line and made my choice.

My choice.

I looked down, thinking maybe the line would be visible, something tangible for me to step over. I saw nothing. Concrete. Garbage. My own feet and Holly’s. He had fought my battles too long so I made my decision. Everyone had, at some point.

“I’m rolling.”

Holly pulled his gun from his waistband and tossed it my way. I caught it with one hand, and it seemed to sizzle with its own life force.

I hadn’t felt so alive since my time on the mound.

H
olly climbed into the backseat of the rental and squeezed Felicia’s shoulder. That was all that passed between them, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. Holly filled her in on his plan to lure Smokey with Cynthia’s help.

“Won’t he be expecting a trap?” Felicia asked. “He killed Billy, attacked Maceo, and put Cissy in the hospital. He’s probably not even in town.”

“You’re giving Smokey too much credit.”

“And you’re not giving him enough. I saw him shoot Billy. I heard him laugh right after he did it. He’s stupid but not that stupid. Everybody knows about you and Cynthia. She’s the last person he would trust, son or not.”

Holly leaned into the shadows of the backseat. “She’s about to get in the cut with his son. He’ll come if she calls.”

Felicia remained silent, but it was obvious she didn’t believe in Holly’s plan.

“Can you think of something else?” She looked out into the night. “I know how to find him.”
She said the words softly. “Back in the day, before Billy, I hooked up with him once.”

“What do you mean, hooked up with him once?” Holly asked the question I wasn’t brave enough to ask. Before Billy there was me. When had there been time for Smokey?

Felicia placed her hand on my knee and squeezed. “I met him the first week I was in Oakland. I met him out at the lake, and we hooked up once after that.”

“And we never heard about it? You know how big that fool’s mouth is. How come we never heard about it?” Holly leaned over the front seat.

“He met me when I was with my brothers. Reggie and Crim make a strong impression.” She paused. “He wasn’t gonna talk shit about me after meeting them. They made sure of that.”

Plausible but there was something missing.

“Felicia.” Holly’s voice was hard. “Don’t have us walking into bullshit you can prevent right now by telling the truth.”

“I’m telling the truth.” Her voice was strong and steady.

“I’ll accept that,” he continued, “but only if you tell
all
of the truth.”

“Smokey has a big mouth. He wanted to impress me and my brothers so he told all his business. He showed me Cynthia’s house and his. Not the one in Berkeley but the one up near Knowland Park.”

“Knowland Park?” Holly asked.

She nodded. “Near the zoo. That’s where he lives. You can run into the woods through the backyard. He bragged that he could get away by disappearing into the woods of the park if anybody ever came after him. It’s a good setup. Billy looked at a place up there, but Smokey owned the best spot and the houses on either side.”

“Damn!” Holly whistled softly. He sounded impressed. “He can get out through the woods, huh?”

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Then we can get in the same way.”

Holly called Clarence from a pay phone on East Fourteenth, and we headed to the Nickel and Dime. By the time we arrived at the bar, Clarence was there in a mob car, a nondescript black sedan, with Georgia license plates I assumed were fake. The Samoans were with him as always. All three of them were dressed down in jeans and dark T-shirts.

Felicia stepped from the car as he approached, and he stopped in his tracks. She stood there a moment trying to read his face. She knew she was safe—nothing would happen to her in the presence of Holly and myself—but she needed to know if she could trust Clarence.

The Samoans watched quietly, we all did, until another car arrived, carrying Malcolm and Emmet. They drove in between Clarence and Felicia, joking loudly in the car. Emmet stopped abruptly when he saw Felicia.

“Damn, girl.” He bounced from the car and wrapped her in a tight embrace. The gesture broke the ice. “You alright? We’ve been worried about you. Yolanda asks me every day if anybody heard from you.”

Felicia tried to pull herself away but Emmet held tight. “I’m alright.”

“We didn’t know if you were dead or alive. Nobody knew anything.”

She finally managed to wiggle free. She put her hand on Emmet’s chest to keep him at a distance. Her smile was weak, and she blinked rapidly to fight back tears. “I’m fine, I’m fine. How is Yolanda?”

“She was worried about you. You’ve been on her mind every day since this happened. We missed you at the funeral.”

“I couldn’t make it.” She looked down. “I didn’t know if I was safe.”

Emmet raised her head up by her chin. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t have anything to do with Billy dying, and everybody here will make sure you stay safe.”

Her voice was hoarse and husky as she answered. “I didn’t have anything to do with that. I would die first before I hurt Billy.”

I saw Clarence and Holly share looks of doubt but they would follow Emmet’s lead. Emmet took his job as a ladies’ man—a protector of women—very seriously. He fell easily into the role, perfecting it once he got married. They would have to battle him too if they decided Felicia was lying.

He held Felicia at arm’s length and continued to look at her. “That’s all I had to hear. You say you didn’t hurt him. I believe you.”

“I could never do that.” Felicia turned to face Holly and Clarence. “I know you two don’t believe me.” Clarence relented a little under her gaze, but Holly stood firm. She addressed him directly. “Especially you, Holly. There’s no love lost. I understand that. But you got to know I would never hurt Billy. I didn’t pull the trigger, I didn’t have anything to do with setting him up, but I can’t force you to believe me.”

Holly looked at me and chose his words carefully before he spoke. “Maceo needs me to cover his back. I have to make up for Billy’s death, and that’s what I’m going to do.” He pledged his allegiance but he hadn’t mentioned her as a reason.

Inside the bar I flipped on the lights and directed everyone to a center table. Both bar and restaurant had been closed tight since Cissy’s attack. I took my place behind the counter and started to pour drinks for everyone.

The Samoans grabbed their drinks and clicked them together. The others followed suit while Felicia watched. There was festivity in the air, no doubt about that, and the smell of blood. They were all ready to kill to ensure that the rules stayed the same in a rapidly changing world.

“I know how to get to Smokey,” Holly offered. His words brought a hush to the group. He looked at Felicia and made the decision not to betray her trust. “I found out where he stays.”

“For real?” Clarence smiled.

“Yep, and I gotta admit the shit is kinda genius.”

“Genius from that monkey?” Emmet pulled a cigarette from a gold carrying case and crossed his legs.

“Monkey’s appropriate”—Holly laughed—“ ’cause it’s up by the zoo. Knowland Park. The man bought three houses side by side, and all three feed into the woods. Sweet escape route.”

“Word?” Emmet blew smoke into the air. “Sounds kinda fly. Maybe I’ll move in there after we bump him.”

Clarence gave him a pound. “I was thinking the same thing myself.”

“He said there was three.” Malcolm spoke up. “I wouldn’t mind being ya neighbor.”

They laughed loudly at the idea of splitting up Smokey’s bounty. I kept quiet and watched Felicia. She twitched nervously while the fellas talked all around her. She wouldn’t meet my gaze whenever I offered a smile. I had been locked on her for a couple of minutes when I noticed Holly watching us both.

He caught my eye and shook his head. I held my hands up in surrender.

We followed the 5 80 highway along the rim of hills that lined Oakland. Below us the city glittered with colored lights like the inside of an exposed transistor. The three of us—
Holly, myself, and Felicia—were in the lead car as we moved toward the entrance to Knowland Park. The park was a heavily wooded area, with campgrounds, abandoned buildings, and a decrepit zoo that housed the saddest animals I’d ever seen: blind bears, scabby lions, and giraffes with limps.

The houses along the mountains were supported by metal stilts above the sloped canyons. The drop-off was steep and the area was still roamed by wildcats and coyotes. Few of the homes, million-dollar or not, had traditional backyards, and most of the residents had grown used to the sight of deer outside their windows. It was beautiful and sad at the same time, just like the rest of the city.

I pulled off the freeway and drove directly into a bank of redwoods. It would be impossible to spot the car from the road below.

Felicia led the way as we trekked through the dense valley of trees. Emmet and Malcolm stayed near the cars to serve as lookout while the rest of us made our way toward Smokey’s house. We walked north up a hill with little support, using the lights of the houses are our guides.

I focused on the route, unwilling to let my mind explore the how and why of my situation. Before leaving the bar I took two painkillers from Clarence, but the aches in my body were still vivid.