Valdez in the Country

Gus and I played Chess every Wednesday Night, unless for some reason..I couldn't make it. The old man was actually pretty good. We sat in the room upstairs from Josie's Bar after closing and played our usual game. Rell and my son were over her mother's house...They had no idea why I asked them to stay there a few nights, but they didn't put up a fight and I was glad. I didn't know exactly where Chris or Donald Smooth or Fathead was...We were all off the streets..Valdez Diaz had a bounty on our heads and we in turn had one on his. We had people diligently looking all over Northeast Philly, North Philly and Northern Liberties for him. I felt bad that things had gotten so nasty...Victor Diaz, his younger brother was our friend...and this hurt me to have to be hunting his older brother like that.

"Ah knew their father. Fillipe Diaz" said Gus.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Oh Yes...He was evil as hell and his oldest boy Fillipe Jr. was just as evil.....That's why he's dead
and in his grave now..." said Gus.

"Killed in a war for turf?" I asked.

"Nah nothin like that..He beat on some woman and she shot him." said Gus.

"Wow!" I said.

"His next oldest boy, Valdez is even more volatile than Fellipe Jr. was..he'll kill you soon as look at you....but the baby boy, Victor..he different..he finished school, went to college..was even in the service for awhile. He's married , got a couple of kids...two girls I believe and he runs the business real quiet,low key....It's that damn brother of his,Valdez..always keeping something going on on the street." said Gus.

Just then ,my Blackberry went off!

"Hello" I said.

"Yo Chess....You need to get with me and Fathead." said Chris.

"Where yall at?" I said.

"The safehouse" he said.

"I'm there." I said.

"Watch your back ." said Chris.

"Well Gus...leave the peices where they are and we'll finish the game next time you see me."I
said.

"You got it Chess." he said as I left.

The "Safehouse" was a house out near the Airport that Fathead bought and used to take different women to , when he was married..Now that he wasn't married anymore..He used it as a
chill out spot and in this case...our hideout.

When I got there, Chris, Ralph Mole, Roscoe, Donald Smooth and Fathead were all in the living room watching Basketball on his 50 inch flat panel Television.....Fathead tossed me a corona and turned the television off.

"Chess...I got a visit from a Special Agent Frank Cotton of the FBI today....He left me this recording..you gotta hear this.....They apparently got The Diaz Brother's spot bugged..because
..well you listen to this...Ralph, run the tape." said Fathead.

On it we heard the voice of Victor Diaz chastising his older brother, Valdez...

"You asshole...you have brainless over there go and approach his woman..What did you think he was going to do? You know the rules.." said Victor.

"Hey...I gotta brain man" said Mongo. Both Victor and Valdez looked at Mongo and shook their heads.

"Don't talk to me like I am a child Victor..I am your older brother,don't forget." said Valdez

"Older brother? Only in age...You are a child in everything else....I do business with Fathead. Chris Thompson and Chess pay me money to have their floating crap game in my area, In my warehouses... You know that pretty custom made car you got Valdez? You like it? It was paid for with my end of the money they paid us to have that crap game in our area. That's how much cash working with them generates. So this stupid little war you have going on with them will end tonight...No contracts, no more nothing..it is finished, you hear me?" said Victor.

"What?? What? My son was murdered, he must be avenged. I don't care about money..You know what I see when I see you Little Brother? I see a man who bleeds green..While I am a man who bleeds blood baby.. and who draws blood..You aint hard enough for the streets." said Valdez.

'What movie did that come from? What Television show did you hear that on? What, you're the Latin Avon Barksdale now...He must be avenged, What a load of crap...He was wearing a mask, trying to stick up that card game..A card game I gave sanction to..A card game I was getting a nice peice of money from...He was wrong..and he took one for the team ..He certainly didn't need the money..Hell we give him everything ,Why was he running with a stick up crew??...We must move on..He was my nephew..I loved him...but he was as stupid and volatile as you." said Victor.

"Hey are you calling me stupid or Valdez?? I just want to be sure." said Mondo.

"Shut the hell up...you ARE stupid." snapped Victor.

"Hey Victor..I am tired of you lording everything.....I got ideas too..Who made you the head of things?" snarled Valdez.

"Papa did, because he knew I would make us money...He said that you were too much of a hot head....If it wasn't for me, your stupid ass would be in prison, ehhhh?? I made that witness disapear...My people had to give money to that other witness to make him forget..forget that you murdered Alicante Rivas...in broad daylight...you idiot. Stop watching "the Wire" and "The King of New York and step into the real Big Bro, it's about money at the end of the day, not some bogus idea you got about street cred." snapped Victor.

"So you going to keep hanging that over my head eh brother...well the hell with you! You didn't have to do me no favors...I would've offed both of them witnesses and you could have saved your precious money, since that is all you care about...to hell with you." screamed
Valdez...

"No, the hell with you..Hear me and hear me well brother....The war is over...Nothing better happen to Chess,Chris or Fathead..because if it does...and I mean this..They'll never find you."
he said.

"You are threatening my life??? You are threatening my life??? YOU ARE THREATENING MY LIFFEEEE???...Do you hear this punk ass cock roach Mondo? I brought you into the business..I taught you how to be a gangster..Schoolboy, choir boy..I was on the street making my name for the family with Fillipe when you were sucking on a bottle.. Oh it's like that huh??..You got a pair on you little brother. You're a biggg mannn now" screamed Valdez..

"You heard what I said... It's over...no more violence.. I mean it.... .Goodbye Valdez." said Victor... (Sound of a door closing)

After hearing that, Chris, Fathead,Smooth and Roscoe burst out laughing......

Chris got silent, then he said -

"Ralph play the rest of it."

We heard Valdez give a directive to Mondo...

"Mondo...Chess is getting married in a few weeks....Find out where.....Take him, Chris Thompson and Fathead out and anybody at that wedding that stands with them.....and then when they are dead ..I want you to kill my brother, Victor. Talking to me like I'm a child...I'm just as smart as the next guy, I know some things...He's not the boss of me..I'm king of the streets" He said.

" Yeah..talking to me like I'm stupid ..I'm no more stupider than the next guy.....Where will you be?" said Mondo.

"In the safe house out in the country. "No more stupider than the next guy", what the hell Mondo?...Mondo, you need to think about what you say before you speak man...sometimes you do sound like an idiot." said Valdez. (click)

Chris, Fathead, Roscoe ,Smooth and Ralph Mole were on the floor laughing....I didn't find anything funny..these fools were planning to shoot up my wedding.

I was steaming mad...I pulled out my gun and loaded it.. and was heading for the door when Fathead of all people blocked me.

"Relax Chess...We aint told you the good part yet." he said.

"Good part? What good part?" I said.

"The FBI played that tape to me right? That means they got them on tape conspiring to commit murder, talkin about jury tampering, witness bribery and all kinds of stuff..If they watchin and listenin to em like that, that means the federalis are close to making a case...Meaning a few folks is about to be on they way to the slams...you feel me?.....Now...we aint got
to do much if anything, but sit back and watch everybody go to jail.....Turn on the news Ralph." said Fathead.

He sounded more sensible than usual..It was almost frightening..Maybe some of Chris's teaching had paid off. Chris eyed Fathead, then he looked at me, the way I was looking at Fathead ( With a new found respect) and he couldn't help supressing a smile..He turned his head and laughed....Not wanting Fathead

to see him. I kind of smiled myself looking at my friend.

On an earlier broadcast, which had been taped... FBI agents had arrested Victor Diaz and thirty nine of his associates on an assortment of charges...amongst them, RICO charges, Money laundering, Witness tampering, bribery and conspiracy to commit murder....a warrant was out for Mongo Alvarez, on three counts of murder and conspiracy and Valdez Diaz for multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

"It's over Chess.... The Diaz Brothers are gone and we didn't lift a finger...they did it to themselves." said Chris.

"Yeah? Well what about Mongo and Valdez?? They're still out there in the wind.." I said.

"Yeah and they are going to do what? They got no backing, nothing..Victor was the brains and the money...with him gone, they are just two free agents...No muscle, no nothing...They'll show up sooner or later.. rats always come up out of their holes." said Fathead.

This was the second time this afternoon that Fathead had made sense...I didn't think I could take much more of this...I looked at Chris ,who was now visibly laughing and slapping his knee. We all laughed at our good fortune and turned the television back on to watch the game...

Chris's phone went off....

"Hello."

"Yo Chris..we found Valdez." came the voice.

"Word? Where is he?" said Chris.

"Man, he was dead when we got here." came the voice.

"What are you sure?" said Chris.

"We went to the Farm house..The one that you told us was their safehouse and when we got inside ,him and another guy was shot to death....So we got the hell up out of there.. I mean ,I aint never seen him in person...but I know Mongo..I did time with him and he's definitely dead....The other guy was on the floor ,but he look like Valdez from the photo you showed me...I'm sure it's him." said the

voice on the phone.

"Yeah? Well don't sweat it kid...Fathead will pay you anyway." said Chris, who hung up.

"Guess what? Somebody already got to Valdez and Mongo....It wasn't our people...The youngin said they was both dead when he got there." said a puzzled Chris.

"If the FBI played me that tape...you can be sure they played it to Victor too..They got Valdez on there puttin a contract out on Victor...I guess Victor got to him first." said Fathead.

Three times for Fathead..This was more than any of us could take..I needed a drink. Ralph Mole pulled out some Champaigne and handed me, Chris, Roscoe,Smooth and Fathead a glass....

"Man, I'm gonna miss The Diaz Brothers.." he said.

'You know something...so am I." said Chris as we all raised our glasses.....

"To the Diaz Brothers!!!" I said as we all raised our glasses and toasted! Little did I know....This little drama was far from over.

(Conclusion Next)