Street Pharm (16 page)

I saw Crow and Monfrey at the back of the lounge near a fireplace. I pulled up a chair and took out my phone. “Let’s go over the plan.”

Crow pushed a dreadlock out of his face. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll call Kevin and tell him I can’t go on the pickup.”

“What’s your excuse?”

“Food poisoning. I’m barfing and shitting every five minutes. I got spray from a joke store that really stinks like shit, so the guys won’t suspect nothing.”

“Kevin only asked you and Alejandro to go, right?”

“Yeah. Didn’t need Natty.”

“Good. Monfrey?”

He grinned at me.

“Monfrey? You stoned?”

“Maybe.” Monfrey shrugged. “Tomorrow I’ll wait for a call to tell me Darkman’s gone. Then I’ll help Leanne and Crow clear out the crib.”

“Right. If drugs or guns or anything suspicious is found there, Leanne could get charged. What are you gonna do after that, Monfrey?”

“I’ll say bye to them by nine thirty and hit the road.”

“Right. You can help them out some in the morning, then you get outta there.”

I turned to Crow. “What’s your excuse to leave the apartment?”

“I’ll tell Natty I’m going to see a doctor.”

“Good idea. Now gimme a time line.”

“Kevin and Alejandro are meeting the suppliers at nine thirty, but I don’t know where. Kevin always keeps the location to himself. If you wanna be safe, be waiting outside by eight thirty.”

“Do they change the place every time?”

“Yeah. Last time it was down on Coney Island. Time before that, it was in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Islip.”

“I’ll stay on his tail. Another thing. Do you think Natty will testify against Darkman and Alejandro?”

“He’ll do whatever it takes to stay outta jail. If that means testifying against Kevin, he’ll do it. He’s tight with Alejandro, though, so he’ll probably blame it all on Kevin.”

“Fine with me.”

We slapped hands.

I
woke up at 6:58 a.m., two minutes before my alarm was set to go off. It was a good sign. This was the day Darkman was gonna go down in flames, and I’d be there to watch.

I noticed my cell blinking and listened to the message.

“Yo, it’s Sonny. It’s one in the morning. I guess you getting some rest since everything’s going down tomorrow morning. Look, I know you pissed off at me’cause of how I reacted to the plan, but let’s forget about that shit. I wanna come with you, back you up. So call me, I got my phone on.”

I called him right back.

He answered, “Ty?”

“It’s me. I’ll meet you at Hertz on Bedford in forty-five minutes. We’ll pick up the car and go for coffee. I’ll catch you up on the plan.”

“A’ight.”

The car service got me to Hertz rental car at 7:45 a.m. sharp. Sonny was waiting for me outside.

“Sure you don’t wanna take my car?” he asked.

“We can’t risk Darkman recognizing it.”

“I hear you.”

A few minutes later we walked out of the building with the keys to a red Honda Civic. “I’ll drive,” I said.

“Be my guest. I’ll be in charge of the ra-di-o.” He yawned. “When we getting that coffee?”

“When we in Bed-Stuy. Let’s do the parkway now, in case there’s delays.”

There was mad construction on the parkway, so I was glad we started out early. I gave Sonny a play-by-play of what I went over with Crow and Monfrey last night.

I turned onto Utica Avenue. Traffic was thick, but moving forward. Sonny put on 97.1, and I nodded my head to the bass.

“Was Desarae pissed off that I called so early?” I asked.

Sonny turned down the volume. “She always pissed off in the morning, it don’t matter what time it is. We got a policy: We don’t
talk until after breakfast. But sometimes I can soften her up with a little morning nookie, know what I’m saying?”

“You got yourself a fine woman, Sonny.”

He smiled. “I’m a lucky mutherfucka, ain’t I?”

By 8:05 a.m., we pulled into a Dunkin’ Donuts in Bed-Stuy. I parked at the far end of the lot on the off chance that Darkman stopped here too. Sonny ran in and brought out the coffee.

I was halfway through my coffee when my cell rang.

9-1-1 Crow.

I answered the phone. “What’s going on?”

“Kevin wants me to go with them on the pickup.”

“What? Don’t he know how sick you are?”

“Kevin don’t care. He’s suspicious. If I don’t go, he’ll know something’s up.
Shit!
”

“Calm down, Crow, we’ll figure this out. If he wants you to go, then go.”

“Go?”

“Just listen. You go with him to make the exchange, and on the way back, you tell him you got the shits and he gotta pull in somewhere. You go inside, then run out a back door and get the hell outta there. I’ll have the cops there in five minutes. Kevin’ll still have the stuff on him.”

“What if Kevin comes looking for me?”

“He’ll think you sick in the bathroom. Don’t you think that’ll buy you five or ten minutes?”

“Guess so.”

“Leanne and Monfrey can clean out the crib without you. You just gotta relax. The plan’s changed, but it’ll still work. Remember, make him pull over ASAP after the pickup, because if you get too close to home, he could tell you to wait till you get there. Let him know he has to let you out or you’ll shit in the car.”

“When I get away, you’ll pick me up?”

“Yeah, just call and tell me where you at. I’m in a red Honda Civic.”

“Okay.”

We hung up.

“Crow’s going on the pickup?”

I leaned back against the seat. “Yeah, he can’t do nothing about it. But I think the plan can still work.”

“I hope this Crow nigga is good under pressure.”

“Me too.”

A few minutes later, we were sitting on the corner of Darkman’s block. We saw Alejandro and Crow drive up, park in a visitor’s space, and go inside.

We waited. Sonny drummed on the dashboard. After ten minutes, Darkman’s silver Lexus drove out from behind the building.

I dipped the car into traffic.

The Lexus headed for the Manhattan Bridge. I stayed three cars behind and in the right-hand lane, close enough to keep an eye on him, far enough that he wouldn’t know it.

After the bridge, Darkman turned west and drove along the waterfront. I wasn’t surprised the deal was going down in this area. We met shipments here, too, sometimes.

“They slowing down,” Sonny said.

“Take a look at the place when we drive past.”

We drove by, then I made a left turn and parked the car. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a few. All I need is a look to know the deal’s going down. I don’t need to get close.”

“You be back in five minutes or—”

“You’ll come save me. Thanks.”

I crossed the street and jogged along the boardwalk. A group of South American workers played hacky sack on the pier. I walked onto the property, cool like I owned it, then jumped a fence, landing behind a storage shed. I looked around the side.

The silver Lexus was there, only ten feet from a green Camry. Alejandro, all three hundred pounds of him, leaned against the Lexus with his arms crossed while Darkman talked to a short, hairy Latino guy. Behind the Latino guy were two thugs, almost as big as Alejandro.

It was the first time I set eyes on Darkman. He looked like any brother on the street—hair in cornrows, snorkel jacket—except that this brother tried to kill me.

I checked out the area. Crow was off to the far right, holding on to the guardrail, looking into the icy water. At one point he doubled over and started coughing. Then he slowly walked back toward the cars, his hand on his stomach.

Good acting, man.

Darkman didn’t pay Crow no mind. He snapped his fingers at Alejandro, who opened up a briefcase. The Latino guy peeked in, nodded, and signaled his guys to open the trunk of the Camry.

The shipment was in two suitcases. Crow opened Darkman’s trunk, and he and Alejandro fit the suitcases in.

I saw all I needed to see.

I climbed over the fence and jogged back to where Sonny waited. I banged on Sonny’s window.

“
Damn,
son! You gave me a heart attack,” he said as I got into my seat.

“Ain’t my fault you was looking the wrong way.” I started the engine.

“Saw the deal?”

“You bet.”

I swung the car back onto South Street, heading north, then turned on a side street and switched off the engine.

“Now we wait. We’re halfway between the pickup spot and the bridge. Crow’s gonna get them to pull over somewhere around here.”

I took out a map and gave it to Sonny. “We’re right here, see? The pickup was here, and the bridge, you can see where it is. When he calls, I’ll tell you the place and you gimme directions.”

“A’ight.”

I took another sip of coffee, cold by now. I didn’t need caffeine when I had so much adrenaline pumping through my blood.

All I needed was for Crow to call.

I held on to my cell phone.

The car started to get cold. I put the heat on for a couple minutes, then turned it off again. I didn’t need the car stalling on me.

The call came.

“Crow?”

“Ty! I’m in the bathroom at Basha Gas Station, on the corner of Dover and Front Street. There’s a Carvel and a McDonald’s half a block away. Got that?”

“Basha Gas Station, Dover and Front. Got it. The cops’ll be there soon. I’ll meet you in the McDonald’s parking lot.”

We hung up. I called 9-1-1.

“Emergency center.”

“I just saw a big drug deal go down outside Basha Gas Station, on Dover and Front.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive. I’m from Flatbush, lady. I know what a deal looks like.”

“Can you describe the people involved?”

“Yeah, there was a big fat guy, and another guy wearing a blue snorkel jacket. He’s got a silver Lexus parked at the gas station with Florida plates.”

“I’m dispatching the police. Where are you located now, sir?”

“I’m on my cell a block away. Me and my cousin saw the whole thing. Them fools shouldn’t be pulling that shit out in the open like that. Excuse my language, ma’am. My cousin’s only eight. He don’t need to see that.”

“Sir, are the suspects still at the gas station?”

“I think so. The Lexus is still there.”

“Do you know if the suspects are armed?”

“Hustlers is always strapped. Tell the cops to be careful.” I hung up.

By now, I was driving. Sonny told me to turn right. I did, rounding the corner too close and screeching the tires.

“Go straight through the next two sets of lights. Wait, it’s only one—turn!”

I turned onto Dover Street and spotted Basha Gas Station right away. I slowed down. “We gonna drive past it. Tell me if you see Darkman and Alejandro.”

I coasted by the station at a relaxed speed. Sonny said, “A guy’s smoking outside the car. Don’t know if it’s Darkman or Alejandro.”

“He look three hundred pounds?”

“No.”

“Then it’s Darkman. There’s nobody in the car?”

“No.”

I parked in the McDonald’s lot.

“Maybe Alejandro went inside to buy something, or he went to the bathroom,” Sonny said.

“Maybe.”

A gunshot.

Sonny and I looked at each other.

“What the fuck?”
we shouted at the same time.

I opened the car door. Sonny grabbed my arm. “You fucking crazy? You don’t wanna get in the middle of whatever’s going down.”

“Crow might need help.”

As soon as I got out, I felt someone practically jump on my back. I let out a shout and swung around. It was a sweaty-faced Crow.

“Get me outta here, Ty.”

“Get in the back, and
get down!
”

I jumped into the driver’s seat.

“Sonny, meet Crow.” I started the engine and swung out of the parking lot.

A muffled voice came from the back. “I shot Alejandro.
Fuck!
”

“What happened?” I asked over my shoulder.

“After I called you, I left the bathroom. I was gonna bounce, but Alejandro stopped me and asked where the fuck I was going. I told him I had to run, and he should too. He tried to grab me. I had to shoot him. Then I took off running. Thank God you was here.”

“Don’t thank God yet,” I said. “Maybe nobody saw you. That means they’ll think Darkman did it.”

He breathed heavy. “I have to get outta town. I can’t risk going down for shooting Alejandro.”

“Is he dead?”

“I don’t know. He was bleeding a lot. I shot him in the stomach. I didn’t want to, but his stomach’s so fucking huge and I didn’t have a chance to aim. Ty, you gotta take me to the airport.”

“I’ll take you.”

“Thanks, man.” I heard him using his cell phone. “Leanne, honey, things didn’t go so good. Alejandro came after me and—listen, just listen, I shot him. Baby, he was attacking me! Shh-shh . . .
I’ll explain later. Meet me at JFK. You been to the bank already? Great. Meet me at the Air Jamaica desk at JFK. Love ya.”

Crow sat up in the back. “I hope you understand, man, I can’t stick around, not after what I did.” He put his face in his hands.

“Easy, Crow, you’ll get on a plane just fine.” But it wasn’t Crow I was worried about. I was thinking about Darkman. Did they catch him with the drugs? If he ran when he heard the gunshot, would they be able to trace the car to him?

It took forty minutes to get to the airport. I dropped Crow off at Terminal 4.

“I’m good from here,” Crow said. “Thanks.” He leaned forward and squeezed my shoulder, then got out.

*  *  *

On the ride back, we flicked from one radio station to another, trying to find some local news. The airwaves were filled with dumbass Christmas jingles.

Finally we got lucky.
“. . . the murder victim’s name has not yet been released pending notification of his family. After a car chase in Lower Manhattan, the suspect was arrested with a sizable amount of narcotics.”

I slammed the wheel. “That’s gotta be him! Darkman’s locked up!”

We howled and cheered.

“He won’t see the light of day till he’s old and gray, if he survives that long,” Sonny said. “They’ll get him for drug possession with the intention of dealing. Plus, I betcha they’ll charge him with Alejandro’s murder.”