Authors: Clever Black
“
She
might be devastated and scared,” Walee said as he sat down in
chair. “Everybody handle tragedy differently.”
“
We
all devastated. And everybody scared for Bay, but we went there,
Walee. Bay been nothing but good to ‘Nina and this how she do?”
Koko asked in disgust.
“
We
should go see how she doing tomorrow,” Kimi said.
“
Yeah.
Yeah let’s do that, family,” Walee said. “Something
up with AquaNina because it ain’t like her to not be a part of
all that’s going on.” he ended.
Naomi
and Martha, meanwhile, sat out in back of the home beside the creek.
“We’ll head to Chicago the day Mendoza leaves out with
Tiva and the babies,” Naomi told Martha.
“
What
you gone need me to do, sis?” Martha asked as she rolled a
joint.
“
You’re
gonna smoke that?” Naomi asked.
“
I
sure as hell ain’t gonna use it for fish bait,” Martha
quipped through light laughter.
“
I
have never smoked weed in my life.”
Martha
held the rolled out joint to Naomi, but she declined. “I know
Kimi ‘nem be toking, I wish they wouldn’t.”
“
Why
you don’t say nothing?” Martha asked as she reflected on
the night she herself had smoked with her neices.
“
We
actually have real good talks when they’re buzzing, as crazy as
it sounds. Kimi and Koko could be doing far worse, Martha. They’re
still virgins, you know?”
“
Yeah.
But for how long?”
Naomi
smiled and said, “I was nineteen. Minus the weed and the
murders I committed in Sylacauga, Kimi and Koko are me all over
again. They seem to have things under control. Doing good in school,
not man-hopping and they are book smart. They’ll be just fine.
Back to this Chicago business, though. All you’ll have to do is
drive. The guys we suspect are involved in Doss’s killing fell
for what we put together and they’re behind bars for now. All
we have to do is fulfill our obligations to the Asians.”
“
What’s
gone be the deal in Chicago?”
“
We’re
going to see an old friend, Martha. We’ll visit an old friend.”
Naomi ended.
CHAPTER
FORTY-THREE
CLEANING
HOUSE
It
was ten days after Doss’s funeral, early October of 2006.
Naomi’s young five had indeed gone and seen about AquaNina down
in Oklahoma City and what they saw when they got there was nothing
short of a mess. AquaNina had trashed her and Bay’s home and
was doped up on sleeping pills. She didn’t try to kill herself,
however; she was just so distraught over the thought of losing Bay
she’d entered into a bout of depression and all she wanted to
do was sleep. Her parents were of no help, telling her to move on and
find a man and to ‘stop dealing with that thug family and their
lesbian daughter’.
AquaNina
felt alone. She had no one to turn to except the Holland-Dawkins
family, but she felt like an outsider. Her feelings were unfounded,
however, because she was well-liked by the family members. Kimi and
Koko assured her that she was welcome to see Bay, and AquaNina had
agreed.
Nearly
two weeks later, however, she still hadn’t visited Bay in Saint
Louis. The young five were now furious with AquaNina at this point
and time, especially Kimi and Koko, because they felt as if she’d
bailed out on Bay in her most critical time of need. AquaNina had her
reasons, though; but it would take a while for her actions to be
understood fully. In the meantime, she would simply vanish, leaving
the family wondering just how much she really did love Bay before
she’d been shot in Saint Louis.
*******
The
wind whipped about tremendously on this cloudy late October day as
snow flurries fell sparsely from the sky. Finland Xavier had been in
court all day and was preparing to enjoy an evening dinner before
heading home. For some time now, Finland had been off the scene as
far as transporting cocaine was concerned. Ever since he’d
learned that JunJie Maruyama had been shot and was in a coma, he’d
backed away from the game entirely because his role in the business
had become obsolete for the time being. Finland was actually
contemplating retiring from the business because the Chicago Gang was
finished in his eyes.
Feds
were on to some of the organization’s members, the crew’s
supplier was out of commission and many of its leaders were either
dead or locked away. The business was defunct if Finland Xavier had
to tell it. The long time counselor had just freshened himself up in
the courthouse bathroom and headed out towards the exits where he
knew his daily limousine was waiting. He trotted down the stairs
happily underneath the snow flurries as the grey sky darkened, and he
eyed a white BMW limousine with a tan-skinned woman wearing a black
hat and sunshades, a short dress and three-quarter length black
thin-wool coat holding a sign with last name Xavier on display.
Finland
approached the chauffer as she opened the door and nodded. “Evening,”
he said politely. “I have reservations at Tru restaurant on
North Saint Claire Street in forty-five minutes. Traffic is heavy so
step on it,” he added as he slid into the limousine.
“
Don’t
worry, Mister Xavier. You won’t be needing those reservations,”
the chauffer replied as she closed the door.
Finland
looked out the window and realized that it was Martha Holland who’d
welcomed him inside the limousine.
Martha
stared at her own relfection, knowing all the while Finland was
looking directly into her eyes through the mirror tint before she
walked off.
“
Good
evening, Finland,” a voice was heard.
Finland
was so puzzled over the reasons why Martha was in town, let alone
chauffeuring the limousine, he’d never noticed the three people
sitting inside the car. He turned and made eye contact with Phillip
Tran, Grover Kobayashi, and Naomi, his childhood friend.
“
Phillip,”
Finland said surprised as Martha opened the door and slid into the
front seat. “How’s your father? I’ve been trying
to—”
“
They
know everything, Finland,” Naomi said calmly as she held onto a
silencer-tipped Ruger .9mm with her right hand.
“
Everything?”
Finland asked. “Everything about what? All I know is that
JunJie was shot and is in a coma, Naomi.”
“
Let’s
not play the ‘find out what I know’ game, okay, Finland?”
Naomi said as she threw a stack of photos into Finland’s lap as
the car began moving forward
“
Jarkowski
has played both sides of the game, my friend,” Phillip said as
Finland eyed the photos, which showed him talking to an FBI agent by
the name of Lisa Vanguard. “The son-of-a-bitch thought he’d
killed my father, but he was able to hold on and give us the lowdown.
Jarkowski is now dead. This agent, a Lisa Vangaurd, she blew his ass
way in his office the day he shot my father.”
“
How
did you get those?” Finland asked anxiously.
“
Jarkowski
was not our only contact, my friend,” Phillip remarked
stone-faced. “When Lisa showed Jarkowski those pictures, he
went back a couple of days later to cover his tracks because he
believed my father was going to give him up on indictment. We never
thought Jarkowski would flip. Can’t trust a mutherfucka in this
game can you?”
“
We
also know you gave up one of our own, Finland,” Grover said in
calm manner.
“
I
gave up no one important! I gave up Asa Spade! Asa Spade? The man was
a worthless ex-pimp who knew nothing about this business! Carmella
kicked his ass and he was becoming a burden on the organization!”
“
He
was a stand-up guy, Finland!” Phillip yelled. “You gave
up one of our own to save your own ass! Lisa had nothing on you, man!
All you had to do was deny everything! Deny
everything
!
But you panicked when she caught you coming out of Goddesses and
asked you a few questions about my father! You gave up Asa Spade, and
the date of the next shipment!”
Finland
knew Phillip had him dead right. He’d committed all of those
said acts of betrayal. He may have been a smart business mind and an
excellent criminal defense attorney, but even his own knowledge of
the law wasn’t a strong enough deterrent when he was confronted
by the federal government and questioned as to whether or not he and
JunJie Maruyama, his main counterpart, were involved in criminal
activities.
Lisa
had asked him whether or not he knew if JunJie was involved in the
hit on the Onishi brothers and he’d answered by saying he had
no information regarding the hit.
“
So
you know JunJie Maruyama?” Lisa asked on that rainy day in July
of 2006 as she followed Finland to his waiting limousine as he left
Goddesses, his
‘
second
home’
,
over in Seattle.
“
I
know the man. We’ve done business.”
“
What
kind of business?”
“
A
few real estate deals. Nothing more.”
“
And
you’re in town today because?”
“
I
love the night life.”
“
Your
driver? The guy from Midwest Express? He says he’s here to pick
up a load of produce and take it back to Chicago in a couple of days.
What if I were to say that he was unknowingly picking up a load of
cocaine at the port? What if I was to say that if I find cocaine on
your truck, I can bust your ass for distribution of cocaine and hit
your ass with a thirty year sentence?”
“
I’d
say you’re making a mistake.”
“
Am
I now? Okay. This warrant will prove me wrong or right.” Lisa
said.
Finland
thought back to that day and how he’d forged his own deal. He
dropped Asa Spade’s name on Lisa Vanguard to draw heat off
himself and the Chicago Gang, believing he was making the right
decision for all involved, but his actions had led to JunJie getting
shot by Jarkowski in order for Jarkowski to cover his own tracks.
Jarkowski had tipped JunJie off to the impending bust and JunJie was
able to hide the container of cocaine the first go around, but Lisa
was on to him by early August and salivating over his next shipment,
where Laddy found 230 kilograms of cocaine.
JunJie
was on his way to prison once healthy, but he’d held on long
enough to let his son know there was a bug planted in his office the
day he was shot. When Phillip and Grover went silent in the room that
day, Lisa had no way of connecting Phillip and Grover to JunJie’s
business. They could easily deny that they knew anything and the case
against them was weak. JunJie would bear the brunt of the federal
indictment, but all roads led back to Finland Xavier, who by all
accounts, had betrayed the crew and had basically sunk JunJie
Maruyama and now had Asa Spade and his bunch in suspended animation.
“
I
can, I can reimburse the entire loss you guys took on the last
shipment. One million eight hundred thousand dollars. I’ll,
I’ll make it an even three million dollars. All my, all my
savings,” Finland pleaded as he eyed the three individuals.