Welfare Wifeys (25 page)

“No need for name calling, Tone.” Detective Brown walked into the room. His badge swung from his thick neck like a warning. “Why don’t you guys take a crack at this?” he told the uniformed cops. “You can still get credit for the pinch if anything comes of it.”

The two officers were more than happy to turn the interrogation over to the detectives. “Good luck with this asshole,” the tall cop capped on his way out.

Alvarez looked Don B. up and down and let out a high whistle. “Damn, looks like they really fucked you up, kid.”

Don B. chuckled. “It’s only a scratch. Listen, if you’re coming in here to question me about the shooting let me save you some time. I don’t know who shot me.”

“You got us fucked up, kid. We don’t give a damn who shot you because you’re still alive, we care about who you’re gonna have shot because knowing you they ain’t gonna have that kinda luck,” Brown told him.

“We don’t score nothing off the attempts, bro, it’s the successful ones we get points off,” Alvarez added.

“Come on, y’all know I’ve put my street ways behind me. I’m just a businessman now,” Don B. said sarcastically.

“Horse shit and you know it!” Brown snapped. “Regardless of what those asshole journalists write about you, I know what time it
is,
Donald
. You ain’t nothing but a low-life gangsta who made himself a grip for getting on the radio and promoting dumb shit. They call you a Don uptown now, but I call you a poor son of a bitch who has an unmarked grave waiting for him to lay down and take a nap.”

Don B. stared the detective down. “Flattery will get you everywhere. Antonio,” Don B. called to Tone, “please make sure you send a bottle of champagne to the detective’s house for him and his wife. Oh, and include an Xbox 360 for that handsome young son of his. Little Rudy will get a kick out of the new Halo.”

Detective Brown couldn’t hide his contempt at Don B. for striking so close to home. “What? You trying to bring my family into this, you piece of shit?” He took a step toward Don B., but Tone was there to meet him. Detective Brown stared up at the slightly taller man with trouble in his eyes. “Fuck you gonna do?” he challenged.

Tone let several different scenarios play over in his head before answering the question. “Not a thing, Detective. You got it; I just wanna make sure everything is done legal.”

“Legal? What the fuck do y’all know about legal?” Alvarez looked around the room as he spoke. “Each one of you is guilty of something. Some of you we’ve caught.” He looked at the faces he was familiar with. His eyes lingered when they landed on Animal. “And some of you we will. What’s up, Animal?”

Animal shrugged in the way of a response.

Detective Alvarez crossed the room and stood a few feet away from Animal. He looked into the young man’s eyes and saw nothing, not even his own reflection. “So this is the Animal? Funny, from the things I’ve read about you I would’ve thought you’d be a lot . . . I don’t know, scarier? The way the streets tell it, you’re the man without fear.”

Animal’s lips twisted a fraction of an inch, but not enough to even be considered a smirk. “My granny used to tell me that the only reason we fear things is because of the stories we’re told about
them. Take away the stories and fear is crippled, and I’d bet on me against a gimp any day.” Animal laughed at his own joke.

“They told me you had a very different sort of sense of humor,” Alvarez told him. “You know it’s funny that my partner and I should run into you tonight, seeing how we’ve been cleaning up your messes all day long.”

Animal gave him a bewildered look. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know just what we’re talking about,” Detective Brown told him and placed two photos on the bed. “They found this one in Pennsylvania.” He tapped the picture of Rock Head. “And this woman was found out in Brooklyn next to what was left of her boyfriend.” He tapped the picture of the murdered woman. “One guy was missing his tongue and the other had his eyes melted out. What are you some kind of collector?”

Animal chuckled. “I collect art, gentlemen, not body parts.”

“And I’m gonna collect your ass!” Detective Brown threatened.

Don B. laughed. “Yo, that shit sounded wild
homo,
son!”

Brown glared at Don B. “Shut up before I put another bullet in you. And you,” he addressed Animal, “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to look into your eyes, the eyes of the man they say kills without remorse.”

Animal shrugged. “They also say that all cops are racist cocksuckers, but you can’t believe everything you hear, right?”

“Wrong, shit-bird! We’ve already got the name of the guy who gave the order and from the way the bodies were done up we’ve figured you as the doer. Why don’t you make this easy on yourself before the situation gets uglier and you become a candidate for the death penalty?”

Animal shrugged. “Afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay, let’s see what your buddies have to say about it. We picked up two of your
yes
-men this afternoon.”

Animal shook his head at the statement. “See, that’s how I know you’ve got the wrong guy. My men don’t say
yes
they say
who
. I’d heard through the grapevine that the two of you were on a witch hunt for something that didn’t exist, but my days are a bit too full to chase incredible stories.” His phone vibrated on his hip. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Animal stepped off to the side and answered his phone.

“Hey, baby, I heard what happened and almost fell out. Are you okay?” Gucci asked on the other end.

“I’m still in one piece, love. That was Don B.’s madness. I was in the studio making the doughnuts.”

Gucci let out a relieved breath. “I’m so glad, baby. Where are you?”

“At the hospital with Don B.”

“Is he okay?”

Across the room Don B. was still going back and forth with the detectives so he stepped off to the side so he could better hear her.

“Yeah, just a few scrapes. He’ll live,” Animal told her. “What’s good with you? Are you still uptown?”

“Nah, I’m in the projects with these heifers. Why, you trying to meet up?” Gucci asked in anticipation.

Animal looked up at the detectives who were both watching him. “Nah, I may be tied up for a while.”

“Awww, I was hoping we could get into some gangsta shit tonight,” Gucci whined.

Animal gave the detectives his back so they couldn’t read his lips. “My gangster shit is gonna start long before I even think about making it to the crib. Will you wait for me, goddess?”

“I’ll wait for you on the highest peak in heaven or at the lowest point in hell,” Gucci replied proudly.

“And let nothing short of God change that.”

• • •

When Animal returned to Don B.’s bedside to join the rest of the crew he noticed that Detective Brown was still watching him. It wasn’t a curious stare like the one he’d been getting from Alvarez off and on since they entered the room. This one was a look of pure hatred.

“So why don’t you tell us what happened, Don? And I don’t mean the bullshit stories you fed those two rookies who were here a few minutes ago. You know you can keep it funky with me,” Alvarez assured him.

Don B. sucked his teeth. “Dawg, I don’t know what happened. I was in my truck talking to a lady friend when the shooting started. I didn’t look to see who, what, or where, I just ducked.”

“So is that what we should tell the little girl’s mother?” Brown asked.

“My nigga, it ain’t on me to figure out what you should tell her moms, that ain’t on me,” Don B. said nonchalantly.

“Oh, this is all on you.” Brown shoved a picture of the girl’s bullet-riddled body in his face. “You take a good look at what your bullshit got this little girl, shit-bird.” He was so angry that the veins on his neck looked about ready to pop. He had a daughter close to the victim’s age and he couldn’t help but to see her every time he looked at the picture. “If she hadn’t been in the car with your snake ass then she might still be alive.”

“Yo, Brown, I’m saddened by what happened to her, but that wasn’t on me that was on God. If you wanna make a complaint about what happened I suggest you find a church.”

Brown couldn’t contain his rage any longer. Before anyone realized what was going on Detective Brown was across and swooping down on Don B. Alvarez was too far away so all he could do was watch as his partner was about to do something that would surely get both of them kicked off the force.

Animal watched the events unfold in what seemed like slow motion. The rational side of his brain told him to leave it alone and
let it play itself out, but before he could send the signal to the rest of his body, he was already moving. Detective Brown was so focused on Don B. that he didn’t even notice Animal coming from his blindside. Animal could’ve knocked him out with little effort at that angle, but he chose just to step in enough to knock Brown off course. The detective crashed into Animal and bounced off the bed onto the floor. In a flash, he was on his feet and his anger was now fixed on Animal. He grabbed Animal by the front of his shirt and shoved him into the medicine cabinet, shattering the glass. Animal didn’t bother to try and move when the detective came with an overhand left, but when he tried to follow with the right Animal slipped under the punch and locked his arm at the shoulder. He snaked his arm around Detective Brown’s neck and began applying pressure.

“You little bastard, if you don’t get your hands off me I’m gonna . . .” Brown began, but Animal cut his air off.

“You’re gonna what? Die in my arms like a fairy tale?” Animal whispered into his ear. “Yeah, the noble prince gets the shit choked outta him by the wicked ogre.” Animal pressed a little tighter. “I hate you and every
Chicken George
cop like you, Brown. Not because you a cop, but because you ain’t grow balls until they presented you with that badge and gun, lil sweet bitch.” Animal kissed him on the cheek. “You think the hood will throw me a parade if I waste you, Brown?” Animal tensed when he felt the cold bite of steel against the skin behind his ear.

“If you don’t let my partner go then they’re gonna have a nasty mess to clean up off that wall,” Alvarez told him seriously. Animal smirked and released his grip on Brown. No sooner than the detective was loose he spun around and punched Animal in the face.

“Muthafucka I should kill you.” Brown reached for his gun, but Alvarez stopped him.

“Cool out, man. He ain’t worth it,” Alvarez told his partner.

Brown thought about it. “You’re right, but he’s going to jail. You
just assaulted a police officer, boy.” Brown advanced on Animal with his handcuffs drawn.

“If that’s the case then we’re both going in because you sure enough tried to take my jaw.” Animal rubbed his chin.

“And we all saw it,” Don B. cut in. “I wonder how much the city is gonna offer us to settle when we sue y’all?”

“You think anybody is gonna take the word of you low life criminals over a public servant?” Brown laughed at them.

“No, but they’ll take my word for it.” A dark-skinned woman entered the room. She was dressed in a gray pant suit and a pair of stylish flats.

“Marlene Silva.” She handed him a black business card with the words
Gould and Silva
etched above the line that read
Attorneys at Law
.

Detective Brown looked down at the card and snorted. “Damn, Don B., you must be real desperate to call in a divorce lawyer on something criminal.”

“He didn’t call her. I did,” Tone spoke up. “And for your information my sister is fully licensed to practice criminal or any other kind of law.”

“Yes, I just specialize in divorce because I like giving men dick and leaving them broke with bad credit instead of them always doing it to us.” Marlene winked. “Now, what we have here appears to be a Mexican standoff, Detectives. If this young man is getting arrested then I’ll have to insist that your partner be taken into custody too and all that will leave us both swamped with is paperwork until the Chinese New Year. Or we can get both parties to call it even?” She looked at Animal, who just shrugged. “Detective?”

Detective Brown shot daggers at Animal and he shot them right back. Prior to that meeting they had just been adversaries working on opposite sides of the law, but blood had been spilled which always changed things. This wasn’t over and both of them knew it. “Whatever,” Brown said grudgingly.

“Great, glad we could work that out.” Marlene gave him her predatory smile.

“So am I. Now everyone can get out. This is a hospital, not Madison Square Garden!” a doctor barked upon entering the room, with hospital security hot on his heels.

“Cool it, Doc, we’re the law”—Detective Alvarez flashed his badge—“and this beautiful soul over here is his lawyer.” He thumbed at Marlene, who was in the corner whispering to Don B. and Tone. “We’ve got some questions we need to ask this guy and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Then I suggest you do it quick,” the doctor shot back. “Now,” he addressed everyone else, “if you’re not a cop or legal representation, get out of my hospital.”

“I’m outta here. Holla at me when you can, blood.” Animal gave Don B. dap.

“I got you, my nigga. Y’all hold ya head out there. Get wit y’all when they cut me loose,” Don B. told his crew.

As the men exited the hospital room Detective Brown had some parting words for Animal. “I’ve got my eye on you,
blood,
” he said sarcastically.

Animal stopped and gave Detective Brown a cold expression. “I hear you talking, Brown. You ain’t got nothing to worry about for as long as I’m in your line of vision, it’s when you don’t see me that you better clutch that rosary a little tighter. Enjoy your night,
Detectives
.”

“That guy gives me the creeps,” Marlene confided in Tone after Animal had gone.

Tone looked over at Detective Brown, who tried to keep his game face on, but you could see the worry in his eyes. “You ain’t the only one, sis.”

It was after 3:00
A.M
. when Animal finally made it back to his apartment. The adrenaline of the day’s excitement had bled off and fatigue was starting to set in. Normally he would’ve taken a shower before going to bed, but he was too tired. All he wanted to do was crawl under the blanket and go to sleep.