Page 109 of Deuce

She took a seat at her desk and pulled up several things on the monitors.

“What are we looking at?” Deuce asked.

“The connection between Pearson and Hayes.” She pointed at the screen. “Your detective is his illegitimate son.”

“Get the fuck out of here!”

“I’m so serious. It took alot for me to find it. Hayes wasn’t lying when he said he used to be in the streets. He and Uncle Blake were rivals at one point, but Unc made him sit his ass down.

“Pearson’s mother used to be one of his mules. He name is Cynthia Pearson. She got caught trying to bring cocaine across the border so she’s been serving an extensive sentence. She had him in prison and he was raised by her sister. Hayes sent the same payment amount to her every month for years. Not only that, he’s been keeping money on her books.”

“How did you find this out?” I asked curiously.

“Well, I find that the easiest way to catch somebody doing something is to establish a pattern of spending, so I accessed Hayes’s bank statements. He had three; a joint account with his wife along with his personal savings, and then there was a separate account in which he paid the sister and commissary.

“Once I identified the prisoner, he was sending money to, I cross-referenced that with the person he was paying and discovered it was her sister. That was a little weird to me, so I looked into her and found out she had a child that there was no record of her giving birth to. When I accessedhishospital records, I discovered Cynthia was his mother and Mirron is listed as the father on his birth certificate.”

Deuce shook his head. “This muthafucka. So why is he going through all this trouble to fuck with me about some property?”

“That’s where the story gets interesting. I’ve been accessing phone records, his airline miles, and all types of shit. Every month, like clockwork, he takes a trip to Colombia. He never stays more than two or three days. Why do most drug dealers go to Colombia?”

“To meet with their connect.”

“Exactly. I put a detail on him. He’s there right now.”

She switched to another computer and pulled up a series of photos of Mirron and another man.

“That’s Eduardo Castro,” Deuce said. “He used to supply Uncle Blake.”

“I was able to tap his camera so I could get his audio. Hayes never got out of the game. He’s been moving weight in different cities for years and he’s decided he wants to bring it back home, right under Uncle Blake’s nose. What do all the properties he wants from you have in common, Deuce?”

He thought for a moment. “They’re all on the water.” He slapped his hands together. “Now that shit makes sense. It would be the easiest way to slip that shit in.”

“Exactly. My guess is he’s trying to set you up to get you out of the way. My connect down at the station sent me the video from the night of the fire.”

Jaeda looked hesitant for a moment, and it told me something was wrong. I looked between her and her brother, sensing maybe I should give them some privacy.

“I can leave if you two need to talk in private,” I said.

Deuce shook his head. “Nah. Say what you need to say, Jaeda.”

She sighed. “The car that pulled away from the scene matches yours. Down the license plate.”

“That’s some fucking bullshit that will never stick so I ain’t worried about that. These muthafuckas are playing with the wrong nigga. As soon as Mirron brings his ass back stateside, I’m putting a bullet between his fucking eyes. Pearson is gonna get his too.”

“Baby, you can’t kill a federal agent!” I exclaimed.

“Watch me.”

“This is crazy!”

He turned to me and cupped my face. “You knew who I was before this. Don’t try to change me now.”

“I’m not. I’m just… I’m scared for you. If something happens to you?—”

“Ain’t nothing gon’ happen to me, a’ight? I’m gonna take care of this shit and that’s gonna be the end of it. My uncle can handle the street shit if it comes to it.”

I wanted to cry. I’d grown comfortable with life with him. The thought of somebody taking him from me terrified me. I’d already lost one man I cared for. I couldn’t go through that shit again.

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