The durham mob, p.12
The Durham Mob, page 12
“Nobody’s going to jail!”
“Get out of my apartment! I hope I never see you again.” Larry slowly walked to the door without looking back or saying anything. William immediately called Coy. Coy made excuses and said he would call Larry to find out what happened to all of the money. William asked him how much he and Sid got. He said they only got two thousand each and hurried to say they would give him a part of their split. “If he made and cashed many checks, why didn’t we all get more and why did you and Sid get more than me?” asked William. “You’re right,” Coy said, we might get more later.” William stopped talking. He realized that he had been taken and as usual, dealing with Coy, there was nothing he could do. Coy and Sid actually got five thousand each but they were willing to share only a thousand each with him. Coy had cheated him again. Like all the other dealings he had with Coy, he put it behind him.
William had been driving a rented car. Now that he had the check and the few dollars he made on the scheme, he needed to buy another car. He had been around so many Cadilacs that he decided to buy one. He called an acquaintance, Harry, who had a connection with used car dealers. He could get you whatever kind of car you wanted at a lower price than they could get themselves. William told him that he wanted a 1968 Cadillac Brougham. It was 1969 and he couldn’t afford a new one He wanted it black or dark blue. He didn’t want a loud, pretentious Cadillac like the drug dealers and the pimps drove. The Brougham was the kind that could have a chauffeur. A few days later, Harry called and told him, “I got exactly what you want and I can get you a good price. It’s a year old, not a new one like your homeboys but it’s a good deal. If you’re interested, I can come by and pick you up and take you to see it. If you like it, be prepared to put something down or pay cash if you want to.” That last part about paying cash came from the thought that William was rolling in money like his homeboys. “Come on by and pick me up and let’s see it.” Harry picked him up and took him to a large lot of used cars where most were practically new. He took him to meet the salesman who showed him the Caddy. It was just what he wanted, but he didn’t want to show his enthusiasm because that might affect the price. It was dark blue with a black vinyl top, real business like. What are you asking for it?”
“Three thousand, six hundred, and that’s a steal.”
“I’ll take it.” The salesman and Harry were surprised that he didn’t haggle but William knew it was a good price. He gave the salesman a check for three thousand dollars and said he would pay the rest in two days. He signed all of the papers and the salesman gave him the keys. He knew the salesman would give Harry his cut, so he thanked Harry and drove the Cadillac to his garage. When he pulled in, Ike, who parked the cars in the garage and a few others who hung around the garage were surprised. “Well. Mr. Smith, you’ve gone big time!”
“Not quite, I didn’t want to look like the others so I bought a quieter one.”
“I like it,” said Ike. “You in for the night?”
“No, I might be going out after the traffic dies down to take it for a spin.”
“Okay, I’ll just pull it inside. Call when you’re ready to go out.” William really liked this car. It was longer than his brother’s sports Cadillac. It was a four door with leather upholstery. It had all the bells and whistles. He called C. Red and told him about it. “Let’s take it out for a spin. I’ll chauffeur you around.” William thought that was funny, but a good idea. “I’m gonna call Linda and ask her to ride with me in the back. Meet you at the garage in five.” He called Linda and told her the plan. She liked the idea and asked him to pick her up. They met at the garage and Red said, “Get in the back, Mr. Smith.”
“The guys are gonna be jealous of you, Mr. Smith,” added Ike. William got into the back and Red got behind the wheel. They rode down to Linda’s building and she was standing outside with a big smile on her face. “Nice, William!” Red got out and ran around to open the door for Linda. She was grinning. It was fun to her. She said she’d never had a chauffeur. William was thinking that if his Mercury hadn’t been stolen, he wouldn’t have the Caddy. C. Red loved the part of the chauffeur. “If only I had a black cap!” He looked almost white and had almost blond, frizzy, hair although it was in an afro. He drove downtown. Some people looked at the back of the car with that look of, “Who is that?” look. Linda and William laughed while pretending “they were ‘somebody.”
CHAPTER 23
A few days later, Coy called to say, “I need you to back me up at a meeting. I need you to drive me so I can concentrate on the business. Plus, I don’t want to drive my Cadillac. It’s too loud.” William didn’t ask why he wouldn’t drive his Mercury. He didn’t have to drive that loud red Cadillac.
“What kind of business?”
“I’m meeting a guy who has some materials he wants me to pass on and there is some big money involved.”
“What kind of materials?”
“Paper.”
“What kind of paper?”
“I don’t want to get into details. I just need you to drive. I need someone I can trust and depend on. You know Sid is not dependable. I really need you on this. There is no danger. I just need to concentrate while you drive. If anything comes of it, I will share it with you. Nobody’s going to jail. It’s simple and easy.” Here we go again, promises made by Coy that there was money to be made without risk. William had to ask himself why he continued to allow Coy to use him. Deep down inside, he was still hoping that there was some of the Coy who shared a bed when they were kids; who went on double dates and who once shared the apartment on Audubon Avenue before the money came. He was always hoping that by doing him favors, it would bring them closer like when they screwed chicks in different rooms and discussed later which one they thought had the best pussy. He was a hopeful brother. On the contrary, Coy was always thinking about himself. Even after Coy only gave him two thousand dollars at the end of the embezzlement, he still tried to trust his brother. He still believed that they could and would be close again. “You just want me to drive you?”
“Right, you can sit in the car and wait for me. I really need you to do this, just drive me!”
“Okay, come on by. I’ll drive but that’s all. I don’t want to be involved in anything.” Coy came by and parked his car. They got into William’s Cadillac. At first, Coy sat up front with him. They drove downtown. Coy gave him the address. They stopped in front of a restaurant and a white guy with long hair got in the back and Coy got in the back with him. William became the chauffer. Coy introduced him. “Stacy, this is my brother William. William, this is Stacy.”
“Hi, William. Looks like you, Coy.” They began talking softly so William couldn’t hear. Stacy said, “There is a half million dollars of stock in this valise. Are you sure your people can handle this much?”
“I wouldn’t be meeting you if I believed they couldn’t handle it.”
“So, how’s it gonna go down?”
“I’ll contact you in a few days after I show them the merchandise. Nobody’s going any place. It’s about trust”?
“It’s a half million!”
“Doesn’t matter how much it is, it always has to be some trust. You know where I am and I know where you are.” About that time, Coy was looking out of the back window. He told William, “Make a right turn at the corner.” William made the right turn and drove two more blocks. Coy said. “Turn left and drop me off at the subway and drive Stacy home. I’ll talk to you later.”
“What’s going on,” William asked.
“You believe we’re being followed?” Stacy asked.
“I got a funny feeling. Follow me on this one.”
“Okay, it’s your show,” said Stacy. William made a quick stop at the subway. Coy got out quickly and disappeared down the subway stairs with the valise. William pulled away. “Where to, sir,” asked William?
“I got a black chauffeur,” said Stacy. “Take the Lincoln tunnel and I’ll tell you where to exit.”
“We’re going to Jersey?”
“Jersey! Absolutely,” said Stacy. William chauffeured him to Jersey with Stacy giving him directions. Since they had very little in common, there was no conversation. When they arrived in front of this tall, luxury building, Stacy said, “We’re here.” William stopped and waited for him to open the door. When he didn’t, William looked back at him to see why he had not exited. When he looked at him, Stacy was staring wide eyed out of the side window. William turned and looked to see what he was staring at, and suddenly the car was surrounded by several men. One was pulling at the driver’s door knob, trying to open the door. The entire car was shaking. The men were yelling, “Open the door, open the door!”
William was in shock and he slowly pushed the door lock button to unlock the door. The driver’s side was opened as well as the passenger door where Stacy was sitting. They were both pulled out of the car and told, “Put your hands on the car and spread your legs.” They put Stacy in the back of the car seemingly to keep them from communicating. One was talking to William and another one was talking to Stacy. They were both patted down while two others searched the car. William was scared shitless. He had never had any physical contact with a law officer. These guys didn’t have uniforms, so he thought they must be FBI. They didn’t show him any ID and he was afraid to ask. Actually, he didn’t remember that one should ask for ID. One asked William, “How do you know this guy?”
“I just met him today.”
“How did you meet him?
“Through my brother.”
“Who is your brother?”
“Coy Smith.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know what this guy does for a living?”
“I have no idea.”
“You don’t find it strange that he doesn’t seem to be employed?”
“I’m in between jobs myself.”
“You a smart ass?”
“No sir!” Another agent was questioning Stacy. “We know who you are.”
“I know you do.”
“Where are you coming from?”
“You know where I’m coming from. You’ve been following me.”
“Where’s your partner?”
“I don’t have a partner.”
“Where’s the package?”
“What package?”
“You’re a wise ass. We’ll be watching you and we’ll get you.”
“Until then,” said Stacy. The agents thoroughly searched the car and found nothing so they had no reason to stay any longer. They drove away and Stacy walked towards his building. “Later, William. Nice meeting you.” Without saying a word to Stacy, William got into his car and drove across the George Washington Bridge into upper Manhattan which was near where he lived in Washington Heights. All the way home, he kept playing over and over in his mind, ‘If my brother hadn’t thought he saw something and gotten out of the car, we would all be in jail. I would have lost my car and my freedom, and all I would be guilty of is driving my brother and his criminal friend around.’ As soon as he crossed the George Washington Bridge, instead of turning right to go home, he turned left and headed north on the Westside Highway to Coy’s apartment. He parked in the guest parking space and went upstairs to Coy’s apartment. He rang the bell. Coy peaked out of the peak hole and opened the door. “Surprised to see you. Did you drop off my acquaintance in Jersey?”
“Yes, I dropped him off after the FBI let me go!”
“The FBI! What happened?” William told him the entire story in a tone that showed he was very pissed. “Do you realize if you hadn’t gotten out of the car downtown, we all would have been arrested, since I assume that the valise contained some illegal shit, stocks or checks or something.” Coy talked in a calm voice trying to calm William down. “That’s why I got out of the car. I thought we were being followed!”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have put me in a dangerous situation. You told me you wanted me just to drive. You can gamble with your life and future all you want, but you have no right to put me in danger?”
“If I thought there would be any danger, I wouldn’t have asked you to drive me!”
“That’s just some more of your same bull. You always say the right words to get me to do stuff, but I’m always on the short end!” Coy started to speak but William cut him off. “Don’t ask me to be in the presence of illegal materials again!”
“I’m sorry. I promise I want.” William walked out and slammed the door, thinking to himself that he had been duped again by his brother.
That didn’t last very long. Coy called a few days later and said, “Wait, wait, before you say anything, I need you to do something for me but it doesn’t involve any risk.”
“Everything you do and ask me to do involves risks, so what is it this time?”
“No, no. this time is different. Hear me out. The DA wants to ask you about Larry, the check guy.”
“I don’t know anything about Larry. I met him through you.”
“Didn’t you tell me that some of your buddies in Copenhagen met him.”
“I don’t want to get involved!” William remembered how Larry pointed that big gun at him.
“Well, do me a favor and go with me down with me anyway, to talk to the DA; it might help me.”
“I don’t know anything about Larry, you introduced him to me. How do you know him?”
“I met him through some acquaintances who move paper around but you said your friends in Copenhagen told you some stories about him and the DA just wants to find him.”
“I’ll go but I don’t know if it will be helpful.” They went down to the DA’s office. “I understand that you know something about our Larry,” said the assistant DA.
“Not much.”
“Are you aware that Larry cashed about fifty thousand dollars of your copied check?” William looked up abruptly. He wasn’t aware that the DA knew about his check that Larry copied. “You knew that was my check?”
“Coy should have told you. All checks have numbers at the bottom that tell where the check comes from and who it is made out to.” William looked at Coy who lowered his head.
“Since Larry cashed more than fifty thousand dollars in checks, how much did you get?”
“Fifty thousand dollars! Why didn’t you guys arrest me?”
“We talked to Coy and we knew that you were involved, but innocent. We could have arrested you but we don’t want you, we want Larry.” William was scared and at the same time, angry that Larry had made all of that money, and had only given him $1000. “Some buddies of mine in Copenhagen told me the last time I was there that a guy who talked fast and reminded them of me had been there and had gotten arrested in Copenhagen for using stolen credit cards. You should check with the Danish Government to catch his lying crooked ass! I’m sorry for talking like that.”
“It’s okay. I know this all makes you angry. Thanks for the information. You’re in the clear. Put it all out of your head.” William left with Coy. “You see, you could have gotten me arrested. You told me they couldn’t identify the check, and all of you cheated me and made more money that I did. I’ll never do another thing again for you that can possibly be illegal!” Coy just rode in silence. They both did.
CHAPTER 24
William was back to his quiet life but his money was low. He decided to go back into teaching. Since he needed a job, a friend told him about a possible job at a rising Black owned business magazine company. He knew the publisher’s son, Nathan Cook, Jr., who ran the day-to-day operations. He told William he would call him and set up an appointment. He didn’t exactly know what he could do there, but he was a college graduate and could learn on the job. He called the company and was given an appointment by a secretary with a lovely voice and a slight southern accent.
When he arrived, he was greeted by the secretary. “Come in and take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?” Her name was Lottie and she was originally from a small town in North Carolina. She was gorgeous and very southern. They hit it off and became friendly very fast which was noticed by Nathan when he came out to greet him. They exchanged numbers and he made a date with her.
The interview with Nathan didn’t go well because he was arrogant and seemed to be jealous of the comradery between William and Lottie. William wasn’t really interested in working in an office anyway, so he wasn’t disappointed.
William was still driving around in his Cadillac, looking prosperous to the populous like he really didn’t need a job. The homeboys didn’t know his financial situation, but they were aware that his brother had not shared his wealth with him. William never let them know what he had. These guys would share when they were struggling, but now that most of them had lots of money, they tended to look down on those without; just the way many rich people in America look down on the poor. They could still party together occasionally, but each one of them became more independent and less generous; except to the ladies they wanted to impress. William did not want to reveal his weak hand to his once good buddies. They would spend on those deemed inferior because it made them feel superior. William wanted no parts of this psychology. He would just get a job and leave the speculating about his finances unknown.
He did find a job teaching English to Puerto Ricans adults in the South Bronx at St. Rita’s School. St. Rita was a small church next to the projects off of 149th street, in the South Bronx. They had unused space and rented it to the New York City Public schools, Adult Division. The only problem was that the job didn’t start until April.
The first week of April, just before his birthday, William went to the site to register his students; all adults and Puerto Rican. The good news was that there would be no on-site supervision; only a secretary and her assistant, a college student. Registration for him meant only to accept the registration form from the students which allowed the student to enter the class. After all of the students had arrived, he introduced himself speaking slowly and clearly. There were more women than men, which was the usual case with adult classes. They were relaxed because he looked like them and spoke Spanish, which he only spoke when it was absolutely necessary and to make a joke. It went smoothly. It was an easy job. He could teach at his own pace without answering to anyone. The adult schools paid almost twice as much as the regular schools which, was good news for him since his funds were low. The secretary was very friendly and looked to him almost as a supervisor, but he made it very clear to her, “You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”
