LaToya: Episode IX – Deadline's Deadly Echo

 

One odd thing about prudence is that too much of it can be bad, or even deadly. For instance, timid drivers crawling along a highway create more risk than they avoid. Children who are over-protected from germs end up with a weaker immune systems. The list is endless. Nevertheless, in my current situation, I need all form of prudence in order to stay alive.

For a long moment, man with the gun and I stared at each other. Then he said, “Don’t move.” His voice was high pitched but slightly hoarse.

“Which of you is Emeka?”

“I am,” I said in an unsteady voice.

“Alright; now listen very carefully: you two must get out of West Baltimore tomorrow. In fact, get out of Baltimore City altogether. We don’t want you snooping around here. Go to another town – Middle River, Rosedale, or somewhere else. We don’t give a shit. But you must be out of West Baltimore by eleven tomorrow morning. We won’t tell you a second time – this is our first and last warning. And, if you think we are bluffing, stick around and you’ll regret it. Get it?”

I drew in a deep breath. By now I have recovered from the shock of seeing the gun. I was no longer afraid of him – instead, I was angry for his audacity to order us out of town.

“Whose order is this?” I demanded, glaring at him. “And who are you, anyway?”

“Never mind whose order it is!” he snarled. “Just do what you were told, when you were told.” He suddenly began to shake. He put his left hand against the wall to steady himself. I noticed that it was with great effort that he got himself talking again: “I would have taken care of you two punks right now if it wasn’t for the boss! You know what happened to Devon, don’t you? I will do that to you two if you’re not out of West Baltimore by eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.” With his hand on the door knob, he took a step back into the passage. “And don’t think the cops can protect you, for they cannot. Baltimore City don’t have enough cops to keep us from taking you  out. Don’t be stupid. Pack up and get lost!”

With that he reached for the door handle and slammed the door.

Medgar  and I remained motionless, listening to the quick, light footfalls going along the passage. Then when they have died away I got slowly to my feet and looked at Medgar.

“This guy’s a nutcase,” I said. “And he’s obviously high on some drugs, right or wrong?”

“Jesus!” Medgar exclaimed. “I warned you that this case is very dangerous.”

With a shaking hand, he grabbed his glass of cranberry juice and drained it.

“I was scared at first,” I said. “I guess my nerves are playing games with me.”

“Mine always play games with my mind,” Medgar said, scrambling off the bed. “My God! No one has ever pointed a gun at me before.”

Crossing the room to where his suitcase was standing, he picked it up, set it on a chair, and began throwing his stuff into it.

“What do you think you are doing?” I asked.

“What the hell does it look like I am doing?” Medgar said, without pausing. “I’m getting myself ready to leave. And, I suggest you start doing the same thing too. We may as well get out of here early in the morning tomorrow instead of waiting till elven o’clock. As a matter of fact, why can’t we leave tonight?” He threw his socks and pants into the case and then crossed the room to get his folder.

“So, you think I’m going to allow a cokehead scare me off a good story, right?”

Medgar put his shoes in the case.

“Don’t be a hero now,” he said, looking around for more belongings. “Anyway, I’m no longer interested in this case. You hear what the guy said: get out or perish. He’s already knocked off Lamar, Breonna, and Devon. You heard him, didn’t you? He mean business! Did you see his eyes? I almost had a heart attack. I don’t care if you chose to stay here and play the tough guy. I have to think of my wife and my dog. Who will take care of them if something happens to me? I always heed a warning, and, my good friend, was that a warning!”

I poured some cranberry juice into my glass and drank some of it.

“I thought you liked working with me, Medgar,” I said. “Remember you are the one who is working full time at the Baltimore Star. I am just an intern working under you, and you are supposed to be my direct supervisor. You forgot?”

Medgar shut the lid of the suitcase.

“What are you trying to say here?”

“Well, if you give up now and walk out on me, how is it gonna look?” I said. “How do you think Mr. Sessoms will feel about it? Between me and you, he will be very mad at you. After spending his money so far, if you quit without delivering, I can bet he will fire you. Anyway, remind me to give you a dollar when I see you begging for bread in the streets of Baltimore.”

Medgar paled.

“You don’t think Mr. Sessoms would want me killed, are you?”

“Come on, Medgar,” I said. “You know how these things work. You are worth what’s in the last good news you deliver. So long as Mr. Sessoms got a good story, he don’t give a damn. And, I am very sure he will blacklist you if you walk out now. You know him better than I do.”

Medgar sat on the bed.

“Can’t we just tell him there’s nothing to this LaToya story?”

“There’s a lot to it!” I said in a loud voice. “And I’m going after that crazy bastard. Didn’t you hear what he said about Devon? If we catch him, we will crack this LaToya case.”

“Take it easy, will you?” Medgar pleaded. “You must remember that we are not cops. We are just two law-abiding writers. Our job is to write for the Baltimore Star; not to catch killers.  So, be reasonable. Let’s leave him to the Baltimore City police. It is their job; and that’s what they are paid for. I am really concerned and I don’t give a damn who knows it. Besides, I don’t have a life insurance policy. I’ve got to think about Anna.”

“Anna would be better off if you died,” I said jokingly. “Mr. Sessoms would have to give her a pension.”

Medgar licked his lips.

“Now, let’s consider this option,” I said. “How about if I  go back to the office right now and start a new story. Believe me, I’ve got plenty of work to catch up with. The crazy guy don’t have to shoot both of us. Do he?”

“You need to pull yourself together,  Medgar,” I said. “No one’d going to shoot us. The Baltimore City police will look after us until they catch that crazy guy.  And we will bust this LaToya  case when he’s caught.”

Medgar tried to sneer.

“Stop kidding yourself, Emeka,” he said. “You don’t think that crazy guy is behind any of this, do you? He is just carrying orders, and he said so. If the Baltimore City police do manage to catch him, we will still be in danger because there will be a flock of others to come after us.”

I reached for the telephone book, turned up Captain Donald’s home number and put a call through.

Captain Donald’s growling voice came over the line.

“This is Emeka,” I said. “Medgar and I just had a visitor with a gun…”

“Medgar?” he interrupted. “Who’s Medgar?”

“Medgar Weaver is my work partner in this LaToya’s case, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “I remember now. Please go on.”

“Well, our visitor had a gun and he was full of threats. He admitted killing Devon Weaver and he gave us until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning to get out of West Baltimore or else. He said there weren’t enough cops in the entire Baltimore City to keep him from putting a bullet into us.”

“Did he now?” Captain Donald growled. “Stay right where you are. I’ll send my guys over there pronto,” and he hung up.

“Tell you the truth, Captain Donald is the kind of police captain I like,” I said, replacing the receiver. “No stupid questions, no argument, but lots of action. Save your worries,  Medgar, for protection is on its way.”

Medgar finished his drink.

“I still don’t like it, Emeka,” he said. “I think we should clear out.”

“You surprise me!” I said. “Can’t you see we’re making good progress? We’ve put the fear of God into someone. That means we must be on the right track – we are getting places.”

“What good will that do to us if we are dead,” Medgar said, pouring more cranberry juice into his glass. “Now, Emeka, we…”

While he was still trying convince me to leave  West Baltimore when the telephone bell rang and Stephen told me there were two police officers in the lobby waiting to see me.

“Please tell them to come right up,” I said. And I turned from the telephone to Medgar and said, “The law have arrived, so we are safe now.”

Medgar gave a wild laugh.

“Safe?” he said. “You must be very naïve. What made you think any Baltimore City police can take a bullet for you?”

 

 

 

 

END OF EPISODE 9

P.S. Stay tuned for Episode 10, which  will be published here next Sunday.