Chapter 13
Sakou and I had torched the Lex soon as we were back in the city. We dumped it over in the swamp-like waters of the Far Rockaway marshlands. We torched its interior and exterior, but that fucking DNA can find moose genes inside Sarah Palin’s chromosomes. And the only thing the detectives, police, National Guard, and Marines had to do was find the killer of this white man found murdered behind a church. Even with the car singed beyond recognition, technology still discovered fingerprints, blood splatter from Max getting shot in the ass, and the footprint from getting kicked in his ass, not to mention Tawana’s footprint on his condo door she’d kicked in. We all touched the steering wheel. Only thing we did do right was remove the license plates.
“Oh.” Grandma held her face as she sat at the table in the kitchen, watching a live news report on the twelve-inch black-and-white television.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, walking beside her.
“A ol’ white man done got himself killed, and they saying the suspects they looking for is black. That’s bullshit. Don’t no black people be near that side of Mount Vernon.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been.”
“You not missing nothing. So when you supposed to start that job?”
“I got to call them. I missed my first day because something came up.”
“Came up like what? Why you gotta be missing your first day at work? I hope it ain’t that girl you been seeing. You know I don’t approve of that kind of living, but you my granddaughter and I love you anyway, but that girl looks like trouble. How come you ain’t never bring her inside so we could meet?”
“You never asked. Besides, I know how you are about strangers in your house. Especially openly gay ones.”
“I’m willing to make an exception. Bring her on by this weekend.”
“I will, Grandma. I was on my way upstairs to kick it with Dana.” I looked back at the live telecast.
“Good evening. I’m Angela Pileggi of Channel Zero News. I’m reporting live from the scene of a horrific murder on Mount Vernon’s northern side of town. Max Cogelleti, also from here, was heard struggling earlier this morning, but his neighbors thought it was one of his usual late-night arguments with one of the many women he entertained frequently. The question that everyone is asking is, Why? How could such a savage crime take place in such a quiet community? Investigators say they’ve tracked down a vehicle that’s been burned and dumped that was spotted at the scene. They soon hope to have a break in the case. This is Angela Pileggi reporting live from the northern side of Mount Vernon, New York. Back to you, Jim.”
You never think shit can get that deep, until you find yourself knee-deep in it. My world was spinning, and all I could think was, If they’re showing the shit on the news, eventually they’ll catch up with us. Even though I wasn’t the shooter, I may as well have been, because I did nothing to stop it.
“Hey, Dana”—I stopped in mid-sentence as she jerked her door open.
Thumping sounds of bass vibrated the frame of her doorway as a young rapper’s platinum hit single shook the house.
“What you want? You here to front some more?”
“Shut up.” I pushed her into the room and closed the door behind me.
“What’s the problem?” I asked, shoving her onto her bed. “Is there an issue you feel you need to get out?”
“Why you owe dude money? He the reason this house got saved, ain’t he?”
“Why does it matter to you?”
“You the one walking around acting like you the shit. Turns out, you are. Straight bullshit, if you ask me. What was it all about between you and him? What you done did? Get into debt wit’ a loan shark?”
“Mind your business, Dana. You need to be focused on stopping them niggas you be fucking. Stop them from ringing my grandmother’s bell all times of the night.”
“Look at you, fresh out of jail and tryin’a give orders. You don’t get to tell me what to do. My daddy been dead since I was three. You the one that was out in the yard the other day like yours was talking to you. And what?” Dana swirled her neck as she stood up to my chest. “What’s the sense in being butch, if you not gonna defend your manhood?”
“This ain’t about me, bitch. You don’t want me to have to talk to one of them li’l niggas.” I pointed down on her forehead as she sat defenselessly on her bed.
“Ain’t nobody fazed by you. Get out my room. Just know that your shit stink just like everybody else’s.” Dana stood then pushed past me toward her door. “Make moves,” she said, opening it.
“Hold up.” I closed the door. “You can’t let Grandma know. It’d break her heart if she thought I got that money up the wrong way. Besides that, if she loses the house, all of y’all will be lost. She’ll lose every last one of y’all. And you’d end up in a shelter because you’re not a child anymore.”
“So you feel you saved the day, right?”
“I feel I spared my grandmother a broken heart.”
It was a little after two in the morning when I heard noises on the side of the house. I peeked out of the basement window and saw two sets of feet shuffling back and forth in the driveway, near my truck.
I crept out through the front door with a bat in hand. Slowly walking down the four steps and across the yard’s raggedy brown grass, I crept around the side of my truck. It shook and squeaked vehemently as I closed in.
“What the fuck?” I shouted, the bat raised over my head.
There was Dana, bent over the hood of my truck, her plaid skirt lifted up over her ass, getting fucked from the back.
“Oh shit!” She pulled her skirt down.
I swung the bat into dude’s leg, and he dropped to the ground, holding his leg and groaning loudly.
“I should cave your fucking head in.” I stepped forward with the bat as if to hit him again.
“Stop!” Dana yelled, dropping by dude’s side. “You crazy or something?”
“That’s what you do—fuck niggas on the side of your house in the late night? Get your ass outta here, man.” I kicked dude in his shoulder. “You turn around one time while you getting up out of here, I swear to fucking God, I’ll swing this bat into the back of your big fucking head.”
“Who do you think you are?” Dana yelled, getting up in my chest.
“Get your ass in the house.” I grabbed her by the arm. “You out here disrespecting my grandmother’s house. I should slap the shit out of you,” I said, releasing my grip on her arm.
Dude slowly rose to his feet and began his painful trail out the driveway.
“Don’t come back,” I warned.
Dana began following dude.
“Where you think you going?” I asked her.
“You ain’t my father, nigga. Remember that.” She slapped her ass.