Street Fame (20 page)

T
he next day, Tommy was at the lake. He’d taken only the pole his mother had bought him. The first pole. He was sitting on the bank with his shoes off, like he had done when he was a little kid, listening to the crickets. He thought about all then money he’d made in the drug trade and how he was still unhappy. It seemed the more money he’d made the more complex his life had become, and he still couldn’t find happiness. No matter how many women he slept with or how expensive the car, something was still missing. Something that money couldn’t buy.

He thought about what Alicia had said about most rich people having gotten their money from ill gains. The people that run this country had even stolen. America was built on thievery. The country itself had been stolen, taken from the Indians. He considered the fact that rappers were usually presenting an image to Black America on how to live, images of black men being players and black women being whores. An image that he himself had bought into.
I just had to have a Maybach, a three hundred thousand dollar car
. He got more enjoyment out of casting his line into the lake than driving the car.

How in the hell could I be so stupid? How could I let greed consume me? How could I let American culture get the best of me?
He felt a tugging on his line. He pulled the small brim out of the water then tossed it back. When he looked up he saw Alicia.
She smiled at him. “I figured you would be here.”
“Is that right?” He said as he stood and looked at her with concern.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“It’s just way too much shit going on. I mean, the white girl overdosed; the feds are saying she’s part of a drug trafficking ring. Alicia, I think my days are numbered, you know what I mean?”
She looked sad. “Don’t say that.”
“Hey, and now I have to decide if I want to meet this other white girl to get the X she’s bringing back from Miami.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to meet her? This is supposed to be the last trip, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
She put her head on his chest and held his hand tightly.
“What do you think I should do?”
She looked at him. “I think you should go meet the white girl, get your product, and go ahead with the plans.”
“I thought you were … always anti-drug.”
“I know, but you made your plan, so stick to it.”
“I still got a funny feeling about the whole situation.”

As soon as Tommy stepped inside his apartment, JoJo called. He sent him to voicemail. Another call soon followed from a number that Tommy had never seen. He answered, hoping it wasn’t JoJo. “Hello. Hello.”

A woman was crying. “My baby is gone … My baby is gone.” “Who is this?”
“This is Ms. Sarah, Twin’s mother.”
“Hey, Ms. Sarah. What’s wrong?”
“My baby has been found dead.”
Tommy’s heart sank. He’d known J-Black was going to pay Twin

a little visit, maybe extort him a little bit, but, damn. He couldn’t believe J-Black had actually killed him. “Please tell me you’re lying, Ms. Sarah.”

She started crying again. “I wouldn’t ever lie about a thing like that; this is no time to play.”
“What happened?”
“That’s what I was calling you for, to find out what happened. You’re around him a lot more than I am.”
“I don’t know what happened, Ms. Sarah. I saw him earlier today, but that was it. I hadn’t been around him much today.”
“Did he owe somebody some money or something? His brother said it was probably a drug debt.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I heard that white girl died on the plane; do you think her family killed my baby?”
Tommy was silent. Tears filled his eyes. He thought about his mother and how she would have felt if he had been killed. He was hurt for Ms. Sarah. He knew he had played a major part in the death.
“Do you think that trailer trash white girl’s family had something to do with my baby getting killed?”
“I don’t know, Ms. Sarah.”
“I need you to come see me, baby. I’ve been looking at pictures all day, and I was looking at the one of you and the twins at Easter when y’all was about ten, the ones y’all took when you wore the sailor suits.”
Tommy smiled. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Yeah, y’all was so cute. You was always such a chubby kid, much heavier than the twins.”
“Yeah, I was always
Fatboy
.”
“Tommy, I want you to come over to my house, baby. There will be plenty to eat, and we’re just going to celebrate my son’s life.”
“I promise to come see you, Ms. Sarah.”

Morgan’s number appeared on the caller ID again. Tommy answered the phone.
“So what you gonna do, Tommy? I’ve been calling you for the past twenty-four hours now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have your product, remember? I’ve been back since yesterday but you─”
“No, I don’t remember, but you remember me hanging up on your ass before, don’t you?”
“Are we going to meet or what?”
“Right now, I got too much on my mind. Twin has been murdered, you know?”
“Murdered?”
“Yeah. He was found dead in a hotel room.”
“Wow! I’m sorry to hear that.”
Tommy took a deep breath. “Yeah, I got a lot going on.”
“Tommy, I know you got a lot going on, but I’m getting nervous, man.”
“Why?”
“The news is saying that Jennifer is suspected of being part of a drug ring.”
“That has nothing to do with you.”
“I know, Tommy … I don’t want no part of this shit no more. I think I’m going to flush these pills; they’re the reason for all this shit happening.”
“No, you can’t do that.”
“But, Tommy, I’m scared.”
“Everything is going to be okay. Whatever you do, don’t get rid of my shit! You hear me?”
“Okay, Tommy, you don’t have to shout.” Morgan was now calm again.
“Listen, let me go to see Twin’s mom, and then I’ll meet you. No … matter of fact, we’ll hook up tomorrow because ain’t no telling how long I’ll be at Twin’s house.”

Mark Pratt had convinced the Magistrate to let Morgan out on her own recognizance. He conveyed the fact that she was being very cooperative in an ongoing investigation. Before Morgan was released, Mark told her how important it was that she kept in contact with him. He told her to tell him if Tommy calls again and wants to meet immediately. A sting operation with the local task force could be set up quickly.

“I got immediate release,” J.C. said to Tommy over the phone. “Where are you now?”
“I’m at a little bus station about five miles away from the prison.” “Do you need me to come and get you?”
“No, I can catch the bus. I should be there around eight tonight.” “I got something to tell you.”
“What’s wrong, Son? You sound sad.”
“Yeah, Twin got killed.”
“Oh my God, Son. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, they are going to bury him in a few days.”
“You going?”
“Naw, I ain’t going. I might go view the body.”
“My God … Son, I’m sorry to hear that; I know he was your

friend.”
“Yeah, I’m a little fucked up behind it.”
“But how is everything else going?”
“Everything has been going fucked up, to be honest with you. I’ll

just wait to tell you when I see you in person.”
“Well come pick me up at the Greyhound bus station at eight
o’clock.”
“Okay.”

T
ommy was in his Porsche truck, on his way to Alicia’s place. He decided to call Don to fill him in on what was going on. The Mercedes dealership had just repossessed the Maybach. He dialed Don’s number and an automated recording revealed that the number was no longer in service. Tommy looked at the number then dialed it again, reaching the same message. He immediately dialed Alicia’s number. Her number was out of service, too.

A neighbor walked over. A small white lady with freckles and thick glasses. “I think she moved out yesterday.”
Tommy looked puzzled. “What do you mean,
moved out
?
“I saw a big moving truck outside and a couple of guys taking all of her stuff out.”
“Did you find out where she was going?”
“Didn’t think to ask. I really didn’t know her; we just kind of spoke here and there in passing.”
Tommy walked off without thanking the lady. He got back in his truck and drove aimlessly. He was just trying to take it all in. Alicia was gone and nobody knew where the hell she was. Her phone was disconnected; her dad’s phone was disconnected; and he had $750,000 of Tommy’s. He called Alicia’s school and asked for admissions. “I need to know if you have an Alicia Anderson still enrolled.”
“Hold on a second, I’ll take a look,” a voice on the other end said.
Tommy held onto the phone, fuming. He wondered what the hell was going on. He wondered whether he would get his money back. For the first time, he felt as though Alicia and her father might have been crooks. He was hoping he was wrong.
The woman came back on the phone. “Sir, are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“I searched all my records and I don’t have an Alicia Anderson.” “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“What the hell is going on?” Tommy said.
“Sir, why are you cursing?”
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking out loud.” He terminated the call. His mind drifted back to their first conversation about money.
Most people steal somehow or another. My understanding is that very few get it honestly.

Tommy met his dad with a big hug. “Man, I’m glad to see you on the other side of the fence,” Tommy said.
“He’ll, I’m glad to be back.”
“Let’s get in the car and ride. I have some things I need to tell you.”
When they were in the car, Tommy fired up the ignition and turned to his father. “Dad, I think I’ve been robbed.”
“Somebody broke into your house?”
“Not that kind of robbed. You remember the girl I was telling you about, the fine one from California?”
“Yeah, you said you were investing your money with her dad.”
Tommy looked in his father’s direction but avoided his eyes.
“Come on with it, son, what happened?”
“I think I’ve been had.”
“What do you mean?”
Tommy made eye contact with J.C. “Well, I gave her dad $750,000 and now I can’t find him.”
J.C. was speechless for a moment, then he said, “Pull this muthafucka over right now.”
Tommy pulled over to the side of the road.
“Nigga, how in the hell can you give a muthafucka that much money? Do you know that I ain’t seen that kind of money in my life?”
Tommy took a deep breath but remained silent.
“Boy, what the hell were you thinking?”
“I don’t know, Dad … I don’t know. All I know is that I went out to Cali with Alicia, and her dad had all these Benzes and shit like real expensive jewelry. I thought he was legit.”
“Oh my God. You still got some money don’t you?”
“Only product.”
“Only product? Well, you need to get rid of the product and get some money.”
“I got one problem.”
“What’s wrong now?”
“I don’t actually have the product. I was supposed to meet the white girl yesterday to get the dope that she brought back from Miami, but then Twin was murdered.”
“What does this have to do with you getting your shit?” J.C. ran his fingers through his braids. “I’m not understanding.”
“Dad, it’s something strange going on with the white girl. I don’t know but my gut is telling me not to meet her.”
“Well that settles it; don’t meet her. What ever you do, don’t go meet that girl.”
“But I ain’t got shit.”
“We got each other, and that’s all we need.”
“I know that but, Daddy, you don’t know how I feel,” Tommy said as tears rolled down his cheeks.
J.C. turned Tommy’s face toward him. “Now you gonna stop all that whining and shit. You gotta be a man, and money don’t make you a man. What makes you a man is what you stand for, and all this shit these niggas did was just to show you that they are cowardasses, including the man that took your money.”
J.C. had always had a way of making Tommy feel like everything was going to be okay. Tommy remembered when he’d tried out for basketball in middle school and had gotten cut. He’d cried and cried for three days. J.C. pulled him aside and explained to him that since he was a little overweight, he would probably make a better wrestler. Tommy later tried out for wrestling and made the team. He went on to become the state champion. J.C. had never had anything to give to him, but he had been there for him. He’d taught him how to be a man.
Tommy hugged his father. J.C. whispered in his ear, “Everything is going to be okay.”

Mark Pratt met Morgan at
Dean & Duluca
for coffee. They sat in the back.
“So you’re the guy that used to meet Jenny here, huh?” Morgan asked.
“How do you figure?”
Morgan played with her hair. “Just guessing. She once told me about this fabulous man that she would meet for coffee sometimes.”
Mark smiled but didn’t say anything.
“This is crazy,” Morgan said.
“What’s crazy?”
“The fact that Jenny’s been on the inside the whole time.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say she’s been on the inside … more like playing both sides of the fence.”
“Is that what you call it? Let me ask you something, Agent Pratt?”
“Go ahead.”
She looked him straight in his eyes. “This is kind of a personal question.”
“What is it?”
“Do you miss Jenny?”
“Why do you ask that?”
She twirled her hair again, looking innocent. “Just curious.”
“I hate that she’s gone, if that’s what you mean.”
She smiled. “That’s what I meant.”
He sipped his coffee. “I need you to get Tommy, and he’ll lead us to JoJo.”
“I don’t think Tommy and JoJo are speaking now.”
“They aren’t. I know this.”
“Damn, you know everything. How did you know this?”
“Telephones. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy.”
“Okay, I’m going to need you to wear a wire.”
“A wire?”
“Yeah. I’m going to need to have his voice recorded during the transaction.”
“Couldn’t you just bust him when I deliver him the drugs?”
“Yeah, but we want to make sure the case is airtight.”
Morgan stared at Mark then asked, “Do you have a conscience?”
Mark laughed. “Of course I have a conscience. Why do you ask that?”
“Because you’re ruining people’s lives.”
“People are ruining their own lives with the decisions they make. I didn’t tell you to traffic drugs; you decided that on your own.”
“Agent Pratt, you’re a cold-hearted individual.”
Mark grabbed his cup of coffee, sipped it, then left.

Tommy picked up his cell phone and noticed that he’d missed four calls. Three calls were from Morgan. He went against his gut feeling and called her.