The Cheese Stands Alone

One  Week Later-

The streets had been quiet..That eerie quiet when you know something is about to pop! With 75 major drug dealers behind bars and two enforcers...There were no drug related murders and not much if any drug dealing...The word on the street was that Philly was as dry as a bone..

There was an exodus to Camden and even Chester for people who needed a fix...but we knew that nothing stays the same for long..

Despite all of that we had a fresh murder on our hands...Would be Drug Kingpin, Buster Norris had been shot and killed by Drug Boss Tapioca Brown...It was not in Tapioca's nature to do his own killing..There were plenty of guys he could have hired for that...but he was angry..Angry when he found out his main squeeze, Lucretia Redding had slept with Buster Norris...So angry , he killed in plain  sight of several witnesses...and on security footage from the bar...What or who drove him over the edge?

There was also another problem...While the murder was all but closed...There was no sign of Tapioca Brown for days...

Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy had been to all three of his known residences.. No sign of him, mail piling up and all three places either empty or looking like he had just been there..

His car was full of gas with the keys on the front seat... His Grandmother, his Aunts, cousins and three siblings hadn't seen him...

There was no activity on his bank cards or credit cards and no sign of him at his usual haunts..

They had put an APB out on him and his photo was all over the city...

Plain clothes and uniformed officers were at the Airports, the Bus stations and the train stations, but there was no sign of him...

Sharon had put an FBI fugitive warrant out for him...Thinking maybe he had fled the state.. He was now wanted for Interstate Flight to Avoid Prosecution for Murder..

So in all that...After a week, no sign of Tapioca Brown...

Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy found themselves interviewing the woman who was at the center of all this, Buster Norris's girlfriend,Lucretia Reddin.

"I haven't seen or heard a word from  since the night Buster and I spent together.." she said..

"He knew you were Tapioca's girl.."said Carlotta..

"Yeah he knew...All these other guys around here claim to like me, but when they found out I was Tapioca's girl..they backed off.." she said, almost with pride..

"But not Buster right?" said Tyriq...

"No Buster loved me...He said he was gonna treat me better than Tapioca...All Tapioca wanted was sex..He treated me like I was his play thing...Had stopped taking me places, stopped buying me things..Buster did all of those things for me, made me feel special again.." she said.

"You guys kept your thing kinda low key right?" asked Jimmy..

"Yeah we was on the low...I'd meet him somewhere...Not here..but in town and we'd eat at a nice fancy joint, nowhere near here...We'd go to Baltimore or the Jersey Shore for the weekend...even New York once..and when Buster just wanted to be with me..he'd come at night and leave early in the morning...before the sun came out.."said Lucretia.

"But that one morning, he left a little late didn't he?" asked Carlotta..

"Yeah, we were both sleeping so good..I told Buster to stay, but he said he had to go...and he was seen and it got back to Tapioca.."said Lucretia..

 "You have any idea who might have told Tapioca?" asked Tyriq..

"If I had to guess...I'd say Bad News..He's a snake, always slithering around, seeing everything, running his big mouth...."she said..

"Bad News..We know him Carlotta.."laughed Jimmy...

"Leroy "Bad News " Jefferson...He is Buster's Lieutenant isn't he? why would he tell Tapioca?" asked Carlotta..

"He worked for Tapioca at one time..Then he wound up with Buster...Buster told me that he didn't trust Bad News as far as he could throw him..Said he was a snake that thought nothing of playing both ends.."she said.."I hate to say it, but I hope Buster's guys killed Tapioca..."she said, shedding a few tears...

"What guys? They're all locked up.." said Carlotta...

Lucretia didn't seem to care..
.

"Tapioca's in a lot of trouble Lucretia...If you see him, tell him to turn himself in...Here's my card...Tell him to call me."said Jimmy..

"Thanks for your time.."said Tyriq..

"Another dead end.."said Carlotta..."I'm beginning to think maybe he has fled the city.."said Carlotta..

"Where? How? No movement on his bank cards or credit cards... That wall safe was loaded with dough...but unless he had another stash somewhere else..I don't see him taking a powder that quick Top.."said Tyriq..

"I didn't want to say nothin back there, but our boy might be dead...Norris's people might have stuck back."said Jimmy...

''What people? Everybody is in jail.."said Carlotta..

"That's right ..we've chopped the head off of practically all of the crews around here...for the time being."said Tyriq.

II-

At our headquarters...Sissy sat in her office with Angie and Duke...

"The only thing about all of these busts is all of this paper work I have to review...and file...Be glad you're still detectives and not an officer yet.."said Sissy with a smile..

Duke rared back in his chair...He tossed me a football.. His wife, Hazel, Forensic Investigator and deputy coroner sat his lap, with her head buried in his chest...

"Top, Rico and Junior still haven't found Tapioca Brown yet have they?" he asked.

"No and the case is practically closed...We just need him physically in custody..."I said.

"They've interviewed his Grandmother, Aunts,Uncles, Cousins and others that know him...Nobody has seen him..or heard from him.."said Angie..

"You guys have plain clothes guys at the Bus Stations, Train Stations and Airports and I have an FBI fugitive warrant out on him..."said Sharon...

"He's got to show up sooner or later." she said..

"He was the last man standing...All of the little independent crews and their leaders are gone for the time being."said Sissy..

"They'll be replaced..People need to get high.."I said...

"I can't help but think...Lt. Tragg was right...This was orchestrated...Nobody just drops 77 big cases in our laps like that...Somebody took over a whole lot of real estate , suddenly and didn't fire a shot, didn't kill a soul and didn't break any laws...Who would that leave?" asked Duke.

"Bad News Jefferson?" asked Sissy..

"Him? That low level hack? He's been everybody's Lieutenant...Never the boss..."laughed Angie..

"Maybe now is his time...He's got no competition...He's the new guy on the street..."said Sissy...

"But who is his connect?"I asked...

''Sirena and Hop are on the street now looking into that.."said Sissy..

III-

From a perch at Penn's Landing, Sirena and Hop sat in an innocent looking van

watching a boat docked near the pier....

Hop passed his partner some coffee..

"Thanks....How is your studies going?" she asked..

Hop was in an accelerated Law course at Drexel University...He had dropped out of Penn Law school years ago, one semester shy of his degree...Since he had nearly finished and had experience in law enforcement, he was put in this course....

"Not bad...I'll be glad when it's done and I have my degree.." he said..

"You and your wife will both be attorneys..Nice..Something to pursue when your law enforcement careers are over.."said Sirena..

''And if you guys get in trouble..you won't need an F.O.P. lawyer...You got us.." Hop joked as he sipped his coffee..

Sirena adjusted her telephoto scope,

which was hooked to a Television Monitor ...

"And there is our guy.." she said..

a light skinned Black man ,with long hair, a moustache and a beret walked on a boat...

"Isn't that Vincenzo Maserati's boat?  I thought the feds impounded it when we busted him last month?" asked Hop..

''They did and he bought it...A friend of mine in Auto Theft was going to buy it and he bought it right from under her...She told me about the sale and about him and I got a little curious ,so I did some digging..."said Sirena.

"His name is Marcus Cable...He's from the Dominican Republic...He's a real estate developer...He's put up a few buildings here in Philadelphia..He's got a lot of money...Long green...He's also suspected of supplementing his income with High Grade Heroin and Opiates and even a little Cocaine...He's on a watch list by authorities in Haiti, Dominican Republic  and Puerto Rico...Now he's here.."said Sirena..

''Who put you on to this?" asked Hop.

Carol Redding of the DEA...They've had their eyes on him for a long while...He is rarely seen on the streets..His business is conducted almost exclusively by his niece..

Raheema Ellis..An Attorney, Educated in Miami Public Schools, Undergraduate degree in Business administration from FAMU...Attended Howard University Law School, graduated and passed the bar in D.C. Then went to work exclusively for her Uncle." said Sirena.

''I take it she's an American Citizen"said Hop..

"They both are..Born in Miami ,Florida.. His parents split up...His Father took him back to the Dominican Republic where he grew up...He studied in France...His sister lived in Miami, where she gave birth to Raheema. He returned to the U.S. and paid for her education, FAMU and Howard..."said Sirena.

''Wow...you did a thorough work up.."said Hop sipping his coffee...

"I suspect he's got a lot of dope and wants to sell it...Only most of his buyers are behind bars..."said Sirena..

"Not everybody...Look who crawled out of the mud.."said Hop..

A Brown skinned , heavy set gentleman with a Brim and a Blue Pin stripped suit was stopped at the boat by Raheema..

''Who are you and what do you want?" she asked.

''They call me Bad News baby...but I could be good news to you if you know what I mean..Heh Heh heh?" he laughed..

''Let him in...I've been expecting him.."said Marcus Cable..

"Leroy "Bad News " Jefferson...The Flunky's Flunky, Who is he representing?" asked Hop..

''He's representing himself....77 guys are behind bars now...His boss, Buster Norris is our latest homicide victim and his only standing rival, Tapioca Brown is currently missing...That Makes Bad News, the new kingpin...the man..He's cornered the market...His competition is gone...He's the one...That's why he's here..He's the connect.." said Sirena..

"If only we knew what they were talking about.."said Hop..

"We've seen enough...Time to report to Sissy." said Sirena, who signaled the driver of their van to pull off..
There were three uniformed policemen in the van with them, a technician and a driver..

IV-

Sirena and Hop were returning at around the same time that Carlotta ,Tyriq and Jimmy were returning..

"It's like Carol told me...I'm certain the new connect in town..The man with the hot package is this cool cat.."Marcus Cable.."said Sirena

Showing his photo to Sissy, Angie and Carlotta..

''Aye Mios Dios..He is attractive."said Carlotta.

''I'll say."said Angie.

 "He is."said Hazel..

"Cute but no good."said Sissy.

"He bought Maserati's boat...That's where he has set up shop...

Him and his niece..

said Hop...

''And look who visited him tonight.." he said ,showing another photo..

Leroy "Bad News" Jefferson...

 ''Well I'll be damned..We were just talking about him today.."said Duke.

''His name came up a time or two in our travels.."said Tyriq.

"It makes sense...Who would better know and have all of the information we got on those 77 guys but him?...We said we got anonymous tips and information only an insider would know..He was too smart to call us himself..He had two different people contact us...He got rid of all of his competition without a shot being fired..Kinda brilliant.."said Jimmy...

"Well Three shots were fired into Buster Norris.."said Carlotta.

"We took out all of the lesser competition... Thanks to his well informed anonymous tips..We did his dirty work for him..Tapioca's his boss..We didn't get him in our sweep, him or old neighborhood rival Buster Norris...but he knows something..His old  boss is making time with his current bosses lady..He knows how crazy Tapioca is about this girl..He tips him off about the affair and it sends Tapioca into a murderous rage..Tapioca kills Buster...Another obstacle gone.."I said..

''And Now Tapioca's gone..more than likely dead..And nobody stands in his way..Nobody.."said Sissy..

"The Cheese stands alone." mused Duke.

(TO BE CONTINUED)