Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #1: Books 1-4 (A Dead Cold Box Set) Blake Banner (love books to read .TXT) đ
- Author: Blake Banner
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To my surprise, Dehan nodded and there was a warmth in her eyes I hadnât seen before. She said, âWhat can you tell us about this problem they were having?â
âHe was vague, but he said her family were objecting to her seeing him. Itâs the age-old story. But I had a feeling there was more to it than that. He never told me where she was from, but I got the feeling she was maybe from a rough neighborhood. The way things played out, I wish I had listened to my motherâs intuition.â
I said, âCan you tell us about the events of that night, and what led up to them?â
She looked a bit distressed and started rubbing her hands with her thumbs, staring at the carpet.
âShe broke up with him. He was devastated. She was the love of his life. He was crazy about her. He went nuts. He was crying, he wouldnât eat. He had no fatherâhis father, God bless him, is in heavenânobody could help him, and nothing would do but getting Maria back. So he went there, he called, he called her motherâhe was nothing if not persistent. And eventually she spoke to him.â
She threw her hands in the air. âWellâŠ! That was the worst thing that could have happened. Because now heâs convinced that she has been kidnapped, or abducted, or being held to ransom⊠God only knows what he was imagining. Personally, I think sheâs trying to get him off her back. Her mother has told her, âyouâve got to marry a Catholic!â I told him, âMarry a nice Jewish girl!â But Sam isnât having it. He is convinced that sheâs being held against her will.â
âSo what happened?â
âI said, âGo to the police!â She told him not to. Thereâs a bent cop at the precinct. A likely story! So on the night of the November 13, 2007âI will never forget it so long as I draw breathâwithout my knowledge, he goes up into the attic and he gets his fatherâs revolver. A very nice pearl handled Colt .45, one of a pair that was given to him by his commanding officerâŠâ
âThey sound beautiful,â Dehan said. âIâd love to see them later. What happened?â
âSo he takes the revolver, and he goes to the Bronx. It seems she had told him there was a man called Nelson who was forcing her to have sex with him and with other men. That night she was being forced to go to a poker party, where she would be raped. Well, poor Sam lost his mind. He was crying his heart out. He was raving. He said he couldnât stand by while the woman he loved was raped. Like I said, he was a real mensch. So he went upstairs, took the gun, and went to look for her.â
I frowned. âBut he didnât know where to goâŠâ
âHe was a mensch, but he was stupid, like his father. He went to the roughest part of the BronxâHunts Point, down by the warehousesâand he was going like a crazy man from one bar to another, yelling and shouting, saying he needed to see Nelson Hernandez right then. It seems some feller said heâd take him to him. He led him outside andâŠâ
She folded up, buried her face in her hands, and started to cry. Dehan got up, sat next to her, and put her arms around her. It was like her chest had clenched around her heart and wouldnât let go. Her voice came, squeezed through her pain. âIâll never have him back. Never see him againâŠâ
We eventually soothed her and apologized for having brought back the memories. She called her neighbor to come over, and we left.
Eleven
Dehan rested her ass on the hood of my car in the dappled shade of the plane trees. âIt wasnât Pro, it wasnât Zhu, and it wasnât Mick. So by the process of elimination, that leaves us only one possibility.â
âThe Angels of Satan.â
âThe Sureños, the Ăngeles de SatanĂĄs. There is nobody else.â
âThat will not be the main thrust of the DAâs case.â
She didnât seem to hear. She stared at me, and her eyes were on fire. âIt has to be Mick!â
I shook my head. âStop right there, Dehan.â
She held up her hands and closed her eyes. âOkay. Okay⊠I agree.â
We started walking, as though one of us had suggested it, but neither of us had, down the avenue toward the park. She kept talking.
âEarly hours of Tuesday, November 13, 2007, Mick and Jennifer are at Hunts Point, goddamn it! Where Sam has been gunned down, a few streets away from where Nelson has been killed. At the same time, Pro is arriving in the neighborhood with his guys, for the purpose of killing Nelson. Zhu is arriving in the neighborhood for the same purpose. They are all there, and they all want the same thing. They all want Nelson dead.â
The sign said walk, so we crossed the road and stepped over the wall into the park.
I said, âBut while theyâre playing cards, the bell rings and Maria opens the door to somebody else.â
âProfessionals, accustomed to killing. They work efficiently. They have a grudge against Nelson, and they take his money, which suggests they feel they have a claim on that moneyâŠâ
âButâŠâ I stopped and faced her. âThey leave his stash of dope, of coke, of H, which must have a street value of several hundred grand or more, and they take Maria.â We walked on a few steps in silence. âAnd here is another question. Who was Mick drinking tequila with
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