True to the Game III (13 page)

Gena showered and dressed, packed up a small carry-on, and left the room. A continental breakfast was being served in the hotel’s lobby, but Gena would have to pass on that.
I wish I could just have something to drink. My mouth is so dry,
she thought, knowing that food and water were out of the question. Gena made her way out to the parking lot where she had parked the Mazda rental. She got into the car, exited the lot, and drove over to Thirty-eighth and Lancaster. Across the street from a bar was a women’s health clinic. She looked at her watch. It was 8:42 in the morning, her appointment was scheduled for nine.
Are you ready?
She couldn’t help but ask herself this question. Her mind roamed constantly as she parked the car and walked into the clinic.

“Hi. Your name?” asked the receptionist behind the counter.

“Gena Scott. I have a nine-o’clock appointment,” Gena said.

“Okay, here you go; have a seat and fill these papers out. Make sure you sign the bottom of each form where indicated.”

After Gena completed the forms and gave them back to the receptionist, she went back to her seat. Minutes later her name was called and she followed a woman to the second floor of the clinic.

“Have you eaten or had anything to drink since midnight last night?” the woman asked.

“No,” Gena responded.

She put Gena in an examining room, and took her weight, blood pressure, and temperature. She asked her one hundred and one questions and finally told her to undress and put on a hospital gown. She said the doctor would be in shortly and then she left the room.

Gena lay on the table and rubbed her belly. She thought of having a baby, and the thought alone scared her half to death. Then she thought of her grandmother. Gah Git would cry a hundred and one tears if she knew Gena was having an abortion. She thought of Jerrell and the times that they did have sex, how gentle and loving he was. She thought of the night he tried to kill her and realized she had been tricked by a horrible monster. Then she thought of Quadir.
I know if I have Jerrell’s baby, there’s no chance, no chance at all, that he’ll ever be with me again. He’d only hate me even more.
No, Gena knew that if she had a baby by Jerrell Jackson, she could kiss Quadir Richards good-bye.
He’s mad enough at the fact that I was messing with Jerrell—to have his baby, no way.
No, Gena knew she was doing the right thing. She just wished that it was over.

Dr. Amerson entered the room and sat down at the end of the table that Gena was lying on. Quickly, she went through a series of questions—basically the same questions she had already answered. Then she asked her if was she ready.

“Yes, yes, I am.”

Dr. Amerson explained the procedure and attempted to make her feel comfortable with the knowledge of what would be happening. Once the procedure was complete, she would be moved into a room and placed on a recliner, where she would have to stay for at least two hours before she would be permitted to leave. The anesthetic would make her drowsy, and the rule was that she would have to call a cab to come and get her. Her intention was to have the cab take her around the block and right back across the street to her car. She knew to be careful driving, but she wasn’t going far. Her plan was to have the abortion and then go check into the Sheraton Hotel on Thirty-eighth and Chestnut, just a few blocks away. She could definitely make it there.

A nurse entered the room with a needle and small bottle. Dr. Amerson explained that they were going to mildly sedate her. She wouldn’t be asleep during the procedure, but she wouldn’t feel a thing. Gena turned her head away, not wanting to watch as the nurse injected the anesthetic into her bloodstream.

Gena began to feel light, as if lying on a cloud. She looked around the room and it was as if an angel appeared right in front of her.

“Sahirah?”

And just like that the angel was gone.

“Okay, I’m going to lift your feet and place them in the stirrups. I’m going to insert my fingers; okay, Gena. I just want to examine your uterus before we get started.” She could hear Dr. Amerson’s voice.

“Dr. Amerson, I don’t know. I don’t know if I should go through with it.”

“Gena, just give me one minute.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Well, everything seems to be okay, but . . . Nurse, please hand me her chart and prep the sonogram machine.”

“What, what’s the matter?” said Gena in a state of semiconsciousness.

“Gena, your uterus feels normal. Just let me finish examining you, okay? Now, let me see, you were here three weeks ago, right? Yes, and you were six weeks pregnant. Let me count and make sure, yes, you were here and you were definitely pregnant.” Dr. Amerson turned on the monitor of the sonogram machine, only to find that Gena’s uterus was intact. She wasn’t pregnant.

“Gena, I’m so sorry. You’ve obviously suffered a miscarriage.”

Gena heard what Dr. Amerson said and the strangest feeling of relief came over her. She didn’t feel sad. She had no remorse. Actually, she was ready to celebrate. All she could think about was the possibility of winning Quadir back.

Using all her strength, she snatched her foot out of the doctor’s hand. Gena tried to lift herself up, but was too groggy.

“Here, here, it’s okay. I got you,” said Dr. Amerson, helping her off the table. “Let’s see if we can’t get you into recovery and you can wait there for the anesthetic to wear off.”

“Do you believe this? Isn’t this the most wonderful news?” She started crying. “You just don’t know what this means for me.”

This was probably the only thing Gena knew for sure. Maybe, just maybe anyone else’s, but Jerrell’s child, for Quadir to have to look after, was the last thing on this earth that would ever have happened, and Gena knew it.

“It means you don’t have to have an abortion,” answered the nurse. “Come on, we have crackers and juice. I know you’re hungry. Come on, hold on to me and I’ll get you situated.”

Gena held on to the nurse and followed her into recovery. She lay on a recliner and was given a blanket. Within minutes Gena nodded off to sleep.

Wires

D
ick Davis rushed through the halls of the police department like a schoolboy who had just received his first kiss. His smile was uncontrollable, and he pushed aside police officer after police officer, making his way back to his partner’s desk. His excitement was electric.

“What?” Detective Ellington asked, peering up from her desk. Her partner’s smile made her smile. It was infectious.

Davis held up a cassette tape. “Hot off the presses! I just came from the recording room. Guess what our wiretaps just intercepted?”

“What?”

“She’s leaving!” Davis told her giddily. “She blowing town! Which means?”

“She’s got to get the money.” Ellington stood and grabbed her purse. “How soon do you think she’s leaving?”

“Who knows. You figure she’s probably got to tie up a few loose ends, but trust me, she won’t leave that money behind. If she’s got it, then it will be going with her.”

“Call Cornell and fill him in,” Ellington told him. “Do we have anybody tailing her right now?”

Davis shook his head, “Nah, not that I know of.”

“We need someone on her twenty-four-seven from now on.” Ellington threw her purse onto her shoulder. “I’m going to see Mark and let him know.”

“You want me to have narcotics put a tail on her?”

Ellington shook her head. “Those guys are idiots. They all think they’re on
Miami Vice
or something. She’ll spot them a million miles away. We’ll all just have to take turns tailing her.”

Davis nodded and lifted the telephone. Ellington strutted down the hall to see her boss, Lieutenant Mark Ratzinger.

“In!” Ratzinger shouted.

Ellington strutted into his office and plopped down in the chair opposite his desk.

“What’s up, Toya?”

“We got her.”

Ratzinger lifted his head from his paperwork.

“Her? As in her?”

Ellington nodded. “Ms. Money Bags. She’s trying to skip town.”

Ratzinger lifted his telephone without saying another word to Ellington. “Hey, Sammy, this is Mark over in vice. I need you to put a tail on a suspect for me.” Ratzinger lifted a paper from his desk. “Gena Scott. License plate Sierra, Charlie, Alpha, six, five, six. Keep the tail loose; this is a priority suspect. And if you can, give me details of all her stops. Thanks, Sammy.”

“You really want those guys in on this?” Ellington asked.

Ratzinger shrugged. “They’re just going to follow her. Every time she stops, they’ll call me, and I’ll call you. Get out in the streets and be ready for my call.”

Ellington nodded.

“Anybody call Cleaver yet?”

“Dickie’s doing it now.”

Ratzinger shook his head. “I don’t trust that guy. I know he’s your ex-partner, but it’s something about him . . .”

Ellington nodded. “He is one to be watched closely.”

“I want this one controlled. No coming back on us.”

Ellington nodded.

“I want you to handle it. Handle everything, you understand?” Ratzinger asked, wondering if Ellington had gotten his point.

“I’ll put a hole in the little cunt’s forehead myself.”

Ratzinger nodded. “Good.”
She got my point
, he thought.

Ellington rose and hurried out of the room.

Ratzinger sipped from his cup of warm coffee, then rubbed his tired eyes. He couldn’t believe that things were finally coming together. He shifted through the papers on his desk until he found his boating magazine. He turned to the classified pages in the back and stared at the boat he had been dreaming about since the current issue came out. He could see himself retired, sailing off the shores of Cape Cod in the four-hundred-thousand-dollar beauty. He was one or two days away from having the money to leave this shit behind, one or two days away from having the money for his dream boat. He couldn’t wait.

Ellington stormed out of the police station and climbed into her car. Davis was right on her heels. As soon as he hopped inside, they were on their way. Neither paid any attention to the gray van parked in the corner of the police station parking lot.

“I can’t believe you!” Agent Phil Covington shouted, tossing his headset onto the console. “We’re dead! We are so dead! Galvani is going to fire us, and then kill us!”

“He’s not going to fire us,” Agent Josh Harbinger replied. “Lavon, tell him.”

“He’s not going to fire you,” Agent Lavon Stokes said flatly, without peering up from her computer.

“Yeah, right! He’s going to fire us all, and then he’s going to shoot us, and then he’s going to throw us in jail!”

“He’s not going to throw us in jail,” Josh told him with a smile.

“He didn’t authorize this! There’s no way you can get me to believe that Galvani authorized this!” Phil said hysterically.

“Authorized what?” Josh smiled.

“Josh! You bugged a police station! Jesus! You bugged a lieutenant’s office! A lieutenant who just happens to be in charge of the vice squad!”

“A dirty lieutenant, I remind you.” Josh retorted.

“We wouldn’t have known that unless we bugged him!” Phil threw himself back in his chair. “Josh, we are in so much trouble. We have broken so many statutes that it isn’t funny! And you brought me along! How could you have done this to me!”

Josh patted Phil on the shoulder. “Relax, Phil. You’re going to be a hero. Tell him, Lavon.”

“You’re going to be a hero,” Lavon said flatly, without peering up from her computer.

“See, Lavon sees the big picture,” Josh told him. “We’ve got them on conspiracy to commit extortion, murder, robbery, and about a half dozen other criminal statutes.”

“Oh, God, what am I going to tell my mother when I get fired?” Phil lamented.

“You’re not getting fired,” Josh told him, then he added, “Lavon.”

“You’re not getting fired,” she said just as flatly as she had before, still focused on the screen of her computer.

“Do you think they get care packages in Terre Haute federal prison?” Phil asked.

“Yes, but you’re not going to Terre Haute,” Josh told him. “We’re sending those assholes to federal prison. We need backup. Lavon, you got that license plate number?”

“Sure did.”

“Call Rich and tell him to tail her. No, change that. Tell him to tail them. We want to catch them when they’re making their move. If they see a tail on her, they may back off. Let him know that it’s cops he’s tailing, so hang back and be on his Ps and Qs.”

“I can’t believe you bugged the police department,” Phil whined.

“Phil, we’re going to save this girl and put away a bunch of crooked cops. See, I told you that bastard Cleaver was dirty!”

Lavon nodded. “You did say that.”

“Did you at least get a judge to sign off on the wiretaps?” Phil asked.

Josh smiled deviously, looking like Brad Pitt’s twin.
“I did.”

Phil shook his head. “No, no you didn’t. Josh, please tell me you didn’t.”

Josh nodded. “I did.”

“You got my father to sign off on the warrant?” Phil asked incredulously.

Josh nodded and smiled. “I did. Your father is a federal magistrate.”

“This whole thing is bordering on illegal. Christ, I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a federal penitentiary,” Phil whined.

“Improper, not illegal,” Josh corrected. “Lavon, we need to get this tape in front of a grand jury pronto. Who’s the best deputy United States district attorney to get this to?”

“Watts, I’d say, seeing as how this thing was so fast and loose.”

“Can you get this over to Watts for me?”

Lavon exhaled. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”

Josh kissed her on her cheek. “I got to go and smooth things out with Galvani. Get him on board.”

Phil shook his head. “Galvani’s going to kill you.”

“We’re heroes, Phil. Relax.”

“What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

“Check with the guys in the van over at Philly PD’s headquarters.”

“Another van? You got another van? You brought more guys in on this thing? Who’d you bug over there, the chief of police?”

Josh smiled. “Cleaver’s office.”