Phil replied, “We’ll go—”
“Ahem.”
Phil and Saddam turned their heads to see King Kong’s ugly face bent out of shape.
“Look, Saddam. I feel for you, my brother.” King Kong stepped closer to the two men. “Elder Bloom was a nice man, and we’ll get his killer. But right now, I want to know where my stuff is.”
Saddam hung his head, his fists folded, breathing in and out through his mouth. He was close to beating down his insensitive boss like he was the one who killed his grandfather. Huffing and puffing, Saddam trudged off toward the house again.
Phil shot King Kong an “I can’t believe you” look, which he ignored. “King, let’s deal with that later. Our people are inside, and we should get some word soon.” He nodded toward a detective who was on King Kong’s payroll.
Earlier, King Kong was home relaxing when the detective called to tell him about the shooting. Part of the detective’s job was to patrol the Blooms’ neighborhood to keep an eye on things.
“What?” King Kong had screamed into the phone. “Who? When? Did they take anything? Where are you?” He was flabbergasted.
“I was working a homicide in Eltham Park,” the detective informed King Kong. “I’m en route now, but other cops are already there.”
King Kong fired off a slew of curse words. “Keep close and find out what happened!” He pressed the end button on his cell phone before dialing another number. “Come get me now,” King Kong yelled when Phil answered. “Shooting went down in Spain.”
Phil was there in fifteen minutes, and half an hour later, the men pulled up and parked across the street from the Blooms’ residence.
King Kong’s heart fell as he walked toward the house and saw the number of police scurrying around. He wouldn’t get a chance anytime soon to check for his drugs and money. In his mind, King Kong felt they were gone, but he still held out hope. After all, only a few people knew about his stash. If Elder Bloom got killed, it was safe to assume he put up a fight to prevent the robbers from getting access to the stuff.
“My goods better be in there,” King Kong complained to Phil after Saddam left. “You know if we lose this, we’re in big trouble.”
Phil nodded and replied, “I know, but it’s not the right time to hassle Saddam. His grandfather was just killed.”
King Kong sucked his teeth without sympathy. Fear and anxiety filled his eyes. “I owe people a lot of money for that shipment. The money from the last six months is in that house. I cannot lose that,” he hissed. He turned to stare at the action a few feet away.
The house was taped off as detectives from the Spanish Town Police Station went in and out, searching for clues to the murder of the gentle, kindhearted, Christian man. The couple lived in a very nice house, but they didn’t have anything worth killing for.
“I bet it’s some crackhead who knew that they lived alone,” King Kong lied to the police when questioned.
Detective Stone frowned. “From what we can see so far, nothing obvious was taken. The television and other electronics are here. Mother Bloom’s jewelry box with a few nice gold pieces is still on her dresser. Of course, we’re not finished yet.” He ran a hand over his smooth bald head.
“Nothing was taken?” King Kong’s eyes lit up. “No furniture—”
“Maybe Elder Bloom prevented them from robbing the house,” Phil remarked, discreetly stepping on King Kong’s toe. “That would explain why they killed him.”
Detective Stone bobbed his head and said, “You could be right. This could be a random burglary that went wrong.” He was young and just became a detective a few months earlier. “But I’m going to solve this one.” The hunger showed in his eyes. Detective Stone had to prove himself worthy of this position. “Whatever happened here tonight, I’ll find out.” He turned on his heels and marched back to the house.
“Anything new?” Detective Stone asked as he walked into the kitchen where two officers were.
“No, we haven’t found a thing,” one answered. “We searched the entire house.”
“But do you know what you’re looking for?” asked a gravelly voice from the doorway.
The three men turned to see Detective Bird leaning against the door, a toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth.
“We’re looking for clues to a murder.” Detective Stone’s voice held resentment at the insult. He frowned at the older detective.
Detective Bird said, “I bet you think this was a normal burglary gone wrong.” His voice was grainy from years of smoking and drinking. Gray hair sprinkled all over his head and in the thick beard he sported.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Detective Stone snapped. He was an admirer of the veteran detective, who had been on the police force for almost forty years. However, he didn’t like the way Detective Bird was trying to undermine his investigation. “Why are you here, Detective?”
Detective Bird peered at him through slanted eyes. “Watch your tone, son.” His droopy face had a hard look. “I’m taking over the investigation.”
“No, you’re not!” Detective Stone was appalled. “The lieutenant sent me over here.”
“Why don’t you give him a call? He’ll explain everything to you.”
“Explain what?”
Detective Bird sighed aloud. He walked over to the kitchen counter and rested his hip against it. “Can you give us a minute?” he said to the other two officers. “Do you know who that is outside there?” He pointed toward the door that the officers just exited through. “That’s King Kong and one of his right-hand men, Phil.”
Detective Stone looked puzzled.
“Do you know who the victim’s grandson is? Saddam.” He answered his own question. “He is King Kong’s other right-hand man.”
“And who is King Kong, and why should I care?”
Detective Bird threw his head back and laughed out loud before dissolving in a whooping cough. After composing himself, he replied, “That’s why the lieutenant reassigned the case to me. The three biggest drug dealers in Jamaica are King Kong, Suave, and Queen Bee. While their headquarters are in Kingston, they operate in all fourteen parishes. I’ve been after King Kong for years, but he’s always one step ahead of me. Yes, he owns legal businesses to justify his wealth. But trust me, most of that comes from the cocaine and marijuana that he deals. Weeks ago, my informant told me that King Kong was robbing his rival, Suave.”
Detective Bird continued. “Suave is even bigger than King Kong in the drug business. I’ve been working with some detectives in Kingston to get him too, but nothing ever sticks. Rumor has it that Suave had kidnapped King Kong’s partner, Danny, in retaliation of the robberies. Danny was badly beaten and released. Now Saddam’s grandfather is dead.”
“So, you think it’s all related?” the younger detective
