Part II-Chapter 12: THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC

 

 

 

Chapter 12

That Old Black Magic
(Ó 2009)

Friday Evening

11:20PM
 

South Side Chicago

Alderman Diondra Dorothy Stillwater, commonly known as Dee Dee, paced all alone in her south side Chicago office with anxious vivacity. The last of the staff had left her aldermanic headquarters at five past six earlier that evening, yet she remained there alone for all these hours afterwards. The cause for her qualms were simple, for the first time in her political career; things were not going as well as planned. The reason being because things were happening that were not in her control, and Dee Dee Stillwater was never use to not having matters in her control.

Her office was located in the back corner of her aldermanic headquarters. As she paced the floor nervously back and forth, she would every few minutes open the door to gaze out to the dim lit and empty open bay of her headquarters. Only four lights illuminated the large open working area with its six desks. It was just the same as it was when she looked out to the area some five minutes before. She stepped back to her desk and lit up another KOOL cigarette, taking a long draw on it, exhaling the smoke through her nostrils, then sat on the edge of the desktop.

Her problems began about three years prior with the attack on Jared Bartholomew. The evening after Jared’s initial surgery she received a disturbing phone call from Mr. Gregior Divic, the man who would help to satisfy her need for a “fresh little white girl every now and then.” Divic reminded Ms. Stillwater of the “past paid invoices” that he had not only on her, but with Jared Bartholomew and of the other well known predominant people in the Chicagoland area that he had in his special dossier. He insisted that she cooperate with these other citizens in order to keep any of the local authorities from discovering his “business,” that he would hate to see what would happen to her and the others if the way that he made his living were to ever come to light.

Fortunately for Dee Dee, as well as all the others, all Divic was demanding from them was protection, plus for safe passage out of the country if the authorities ever made their way to his doorstep. She assured Gregior that she would do all in her power to give him any assistance that he would call for. Then the news came of his own attack. She was quite the bundle of nerves the whole time he was in the hospital, for she knew her limitations, and that her influence only can reach the border of the city of Chicago. Divic was miles away north in Lake County, and there are no people she could squeeze for information, or use her strong arm influence on, because up there nobody gives a damn who she is.

She knew that those cops, that Todd and that Jaworski, will have any of the information that she could use, but Dee Dee Stillwater is in no way friends with any type of law enforcement officer within, or even outside of, the boundaries of Cook County Illinois. She was somewhat relieved though when it was reported that the FBI would be taking charge of Gregior Divic because of the federal kidnapping charges. Divic was taken out of Illinois and transferred to a federal medical holding facility in Missouri, where he would remain in federal custody.

Her relief however was short lived when she received a “priority” phone call from a Special Agent Jay Boldini. Agent Boldini informed Dee Dee that her name was found on a certain document that was the property of Gregior Divic and now was in his possession. He had this document in a safe place in order for him to “continue his investigation” of Mr. Divic. He asked Dee Dee if he could continue to call her privately and to set up a “special private meeting” between the two of them. A meeting between the two of them was arranged, and when she met Agent Boldni two months before, the subject of the conference caused Dee Dee to become quite distressed. Boldini presented to her the file on which Gregior Divic had kept. It was in a large pink binder and Boldini had her name separated from the others by the use of paper clips. Agent Boldini also pointed out some of the other names in the file and asked her just how connected she was with those he mentioned.

When Dee Dee asked him straightforward what it was that he was really looking for, Agent Boldini gave her a straightforward answer. It was what anyone would want in this type of situation … money. However this money was going to be transferred in a special fund that he was constructing. These funds were going to be used for his future political campaign that he would be implementing. He informed her that the FBI was basically his stepping stone that he needed to get the political career that he would be seeking soon afterwards. He knew he needed three things to get that political career. First was a personal history. What better background to have than to be the FBI agent who helped destroy a white slavery network. The second was connections, and the third of course was money. Boldini then made an arrangement with Dee Dee that this situation with her, and her connection with Gregior Divic could never come to anyone’s attention as long as he was assured by her that he would have her utmost support with his future campaign. Both politically and of course financially. Agent Boldini then suggested to Dee Dee that an initial donation to his campaign of one million dollars would be greatly appreciated. In addition, her personal introductions to the political machine of Chicago and Cook County would prove to him that she would be “in his corner” for any and all political ambitions. Also, he would greatly appreciate her personal introduction especially to those other persons who are in this file that in now in his possession.

Agent Boldini also informed Dee Dee that he had knowledge that she was still the person in charge of the street gang known as the South Side Stone Soldiers. Dee Dee informed Agent Boldini that she has no other choice than to gladly help him with any political campaigns he would be involved in. Boldini informed her that he would not need the money anytime soon; however he would need to see a serious effort by her to raise the funds. During this whole encounter, it was Jay Boldini’s never ending sardonic smile that made Dee Dee Stillwater despise him always.

In two days time Ms. Stillwater approached the president of the Community Southside Bank to inform him that she was going to need to make a seriously large withdrawal sometime in the future. The amount she required would be no problem for her considering that the Community Southside Bank was in reality run by Dee Dee Stillwater, and used primarily as the main method in which to launder the cash that was generated by the 4-S. Dee Dee then received a quick education in the banking industry, that a withdrawal of this magnitude, one that would come to the total of one million dollars in cash, would raise red flag alerts with the federal government some time down the road. Yes, she could take the cash, but it has to be somehow returned within a reasonable amount of time.

Dee Dee found herself subsequently in some desperation, so she decided to rely on one of her best political weapons, blackmail. She approached the man whom she was waiting for this evening, her “distinguished colleague” in city hall, Alderman Jorge Garcia. If Dee Dee Stillwater was the African-American Amazon Warrior, the Jorge Garcia was the Hispanic equivalent. What both Dee Dee and Jorge had in common was their corruption, what their difference was that Jorge Garcia practiced civility in his political career, and that always made him appear as a Hispanic gentleman. Always smiling, shaking hands and presenting himself with calm, assured dignity even with his most avid of opponents.

Jorge Garcia would always be taking “official trips” to other Hispanic countries; Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, and Columbia. Jorge Garcia had connections, especially in Columbia and was using his aldermanic office as a cover for his own drug trafficking. Dee Dee knew of his side business while speaking to Gregior Divic, who informed her that Jorge would sell him product. Jorge Garcia though, was not the type of customer that would earn him a place Divic’s “Pink Book.”

Dee Dee approached Jorge to buy some of the best cocaine from Columbia. She informed Jorge that Divic told her of his business dealings with him. That she would need enough so that she could take a smaller amount of money from the Community Southside Bank, turn it around to make her enough profit as to have the million dollars wanted by Jay Boldini, then return the initial investment back to the bank soon enough to insure that the federal government would never even notice. Jorge never reacted once in the slightest way with her threats of exposure, in fact he offered to help her to generate more cash, “Why shouldn’t you not make a profit for yourself to further your own campaigns?” He asked with his swashbuckler smile.

That is when one of Dee Dee’s imperfections surfaced … her greed. With that she returned to the president of the bank and informed him of her plan to buy a substantial quantity of cocaine, turn a profit vast enough to not only pay off Jay Boldini, but to give herself and the bank president a considerable bonus, and even build her war chest for all future elections. Jorge told her that with demand the way it was on the street, that she would have the initial investment returned in practically no time, and that the feds would never even know that her withdrawal was taken.

Dee Dee then felt confident of how the idea would work, so she had the president of the bank pull out a total of three million dollars in cash. Jorge Garcia set up the meetings and how the cocaine was to be delivered. It was to come to the home of Dee Dee’s lieutenant and acting head of the South Side Stone Soldiers, Percival Higgins, also known as Gem P.

The transaction was to happen in one night; however, as was well documented in the news, Gem P and his bodyguards were brutally attacked that evening by a serial vigilante that appeared in Chicago some three years previous. He left behind three broken bodies and a missing satchel of cash.

Now, it has happened again, only this time it was Jorge Garcia’s money that had been taken by this vigilante, money that was supposed to go to the same Columbian cartel in an attempt to help make up for the fiasco of Gem P. Jorge offered to assist to put Dee Dee back in the good graces of the Columbians, and to help her return the cash to her 4-S bank. All this coming at a huge price for Dee Dee though. Not only the political price at city hall, but the political price on the street as well. Jorge Garcia was also well connected to all the Chicago Hispanic street gangs as a supplier in illegal narcotics.

Dee Dee now snuffed out her cigarette and then instantly lit another. As she took the first draw of the fresh cigarette she heard three loud knocks on the back door of her headquarters. She placed the cigarette in the ashtray on her desk which now had ten other crushed cigarette butts, all with her dark burgundy colored lipstick on the filter tips. She hurriedly left her office and made her way to the back doorway that led to the alley. Once there she opened it, and standing there smiling was Alderman Jorge Garcia. “Good evening Dee Dee, burning the midnight oil?”

“How can you be so fuckin’ calm?” She snapped at him.

“Relax Alderman Stillwater,” Jorge said calmly and smiling, “nothing has happened yet, nobody still knows anything, and as long as we have that, we have time.” He stood for a second longer then asked, “Aren’t you going to ask me in?’

“Get yo’ ass in here.” She snapped again.

“Oh how humiliating,” Jorge said sarcastically, “to be forced to come in through the back door.”

“My people been coming through the back door for years, don’t like it do ya?”

“Dee Dee, if we are going to reconcile any this then I’m going to have to insist right now that you cut that shit with me instantly. Listen Dee Dee, you can’t bullshit … a bullshiter, don’t even think that you can give me any portion of that shit that you’ve been feeding everyone all these years that you are a descendent of slaves brought from Africa. Yeah, your family came from Africa alright, part of your family anyways, the rest came from Cuba. And the ones from Africa didn’t arrive here until the nineteen-twenties and the Cubans came later. Unlike those uneducated imbeciles that keep re-electing you, I’ve done my research.”

Dee Dee Stillwater was taken aback by Jorge Garcia’s answer and reaction, for she was just not use to anyone speaking, or countering to her in such a manner. Garcia stood fast with his vain smile. She stayed silent, and then she motioned him to follow her to her office. Garcia then gently shut the door behind him and abided. Both made their way through the dimly lit open bay of her aldermanic headquarters then stepped into her office. Once the office door closed behind them, Garcia’s face grimaced from the strong aroma of menthol cigarette smoke. He fanned the air, “For Christ sakes Dee Dee, the midnight oil is not the only thing you’ve been burning in here. Damn!”

Dee Dee then picked up the burning cigarette that she left in her ashtray, took a long draw from it, and then exhaled the smoke in his direction. She then sat in the chair behind her desk. “I’ll ask you again, how can you be so calm in this situation? This has now become some heavy serious shit.” She said in a semi panicked tone. 

Garcia calmly stepped over to the front of her desk, smiled with poise and said, “I’m calm Dee Dee because unlike you, I always am pursuing other avenues, always looking for new options and back doors just in case, I’m always making a ‘plan B.’ I also keep myself as discreet as I can, I don’t go around insulting and fighting rabidly with my opponents. That guiding principle helps to keep unwanted attention towards me and to my side affairs. You have managed to make enemies all around, and keep doing so as if you enjoy it. Your addiction for media attention is your biggest fault and it‘s going to be the cause of your downfall if you don‘t learn how to back the hell off.”

She looked at him as if he had struck a chord with her, she asked, “Do you have any of these options now? This time it was your guys who got fucked up, your guys who lost a lot of fucking money for the same people. What avenue you got to stroll down now?”

“May I sit down?”

“Sure.”

Jorge stepped over to the chair in front of her desk and sat down. “As a matter of fact I think that I do may have an option for us. But, I have to warn you now Dee Dee, don’t start raising your voice to me while I present it to you. I know that you aren’t going to like it.”

A cross expression came to her face, “If you’re going to mention who I think you’re going to mention then my answer now is not only no, but hell no.”

“Hear me out Dee Dee … you may not have any choice now.”

She stood up from her seat and leaned onto the desk with both palms flat, “Just what the fuck do you mean that I may have no choice now asshole. You’re involved in this too, up to your ass. You have much to lose here as I do.”

Garcia smiled up to her, “Like I said Dee Dee, you have more enemies than I do. You cooperate with nobody. I can cover my ass a thousand more ways than you can, and I already have.”

She then sat back down, “If we involve those crazy motherfuckers we’ll always be under their thumb.”

“Well that’s another difference between you and I Dee Dee, I would rather be under their thumb and go home at night, than take it up the ass every night before I return to my jail cell.”

She then looked concerned, “But those Russian bastards are fucking crazy. Do you ever see some of the shit that they do when they get pissed off at you? I mean that is some medieval shit.”

“Well, then that’s the secret Dee Dee, don’t ever let them be pissed off at you.” She fell silent and he continued, “I have done favors for Pieter Chekov, political favors that helped him with his legit business. However you and I know that his legit business helps his not so legit ones, he needs them both running in fine tune with one another. Well, I have sort of called in those markers with him shall we say. He tells me that he can help to make things right with the Columbians.”

Dee Dee gritted her teeth and said, “Your markers won’t mean shit with that man. His favor will outweigh anything you’ve done for him; there is no equaling this out with that Russian psycho. His repayment of his favor will then become a hostile takeover.”

“That could well be, but it beats the alternative. Besides, Chekov will be the least of our problems; we have someone else to think seriously about.”

“And who’s that?”

Jorge cut his smile in half, “Why Dee Dee, this crazy vigilante motherfucker who’s been making life difficult for all. He’s still out there, and nobody knows who he is or where he is. But I’ll tell you one thing, he’s been hitting people that are connected to us and everything we do. Sooner or later, those two cops, Jaworski and Todd, they’ll start learning things that will eventually lead to us. We can’t trust and pacify Percy and Carlito forever. They may slip, or even cooperate. Having Chekov on our side can help in that aspect.”

“How the hell do you think that we can find this man if those two cops can’t? They’ve only been looking for what, three, four years now?” Dee Dee snapped. “Shit, I wouldn’t put it past them if they’re slacking off deliberately, it makes their job easy and it keeps them in the papers.”

Jorge then looked as if he were having a revelation. He did not speak for a few seconds and then said, “You know Dee Dee, sometimes answers come to you in strange ways.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that sometimes the whole idea just pops into your head, you just need something to slap the side of it.” He then began to smile slyly at her, “We’re going to need something to distract everyone from us, you, me, and Chekov. Why not just reverse it, let these darlings of the media start to feel the backlash. You know how those guys in the press are, they build you up to knock you down. Maybe we should find a way for them to start knocking down not only this vigilante, but Jaworski and Todd also.”

“You have my attention.”

“I’ve already been starting some dialog with Chekov, that’s some good news there.”

Dee Dee shook her head and looked down to her desktop, “I still say anything to do with that crazy assed Chekov is bad news,”

“No, I’m sorry Dee Dee, that’s not the bad news.”

“What’s the bad news then?” 

“The bad news is,” Jorge smirked, “that if this is going to work somehow, that it’s going to have to be your people again this time.”

“My people?”

“Yeah, you know what I mean Dee Dee; it’s going to have to be black people again.”

She began to get angry, “You want me to set up some brothers and sisters? No fucking way asshole!”

“Be calm Dee Dee, after all I am the one who can get Chekov’s help; this is going to be one of my conditions that I’m insisting on. But, I tell you what, it will be some brothers and sisters that you don’t particularly care for, but they will have to be black all the same.”

“Just why the fuck so?”

“Because then Dee Dee my dear, then you can start working, let’s say, that old black magic of yours.” Jorge began to laugh a little, “Hell, I even have the perfect candidate for you.”

“And just who might that be?”

“The General of course.”

Dee Dee Stillwater’s eyes lit up a little when she heard Jorge mention ‘The General’. The General was the man in charge of the Eight Ball Thugs, the main gangland competition, and enemy of the South Side Stone Soldiers. The General was known to all because of the fact that he had never been arrested or even spent one day in jail anywhere. The ‘General’ was known to all only by that name, and that was the mystery of him. His real name is unknown to all, and nobody knows where he even came from. “You want to find a way to use The General as a fall guy? Or a patsy?”

“The Columbians are going to look again for someone to sell and distribute their product to. If you could find a way to call a truce, maybe even eat a little shit to The General, he could be the new runner. We’ll get cut in for a portion, and Chekov can take care of him later when things are evened up with the guys from Bogotá. I’m sure considering you history with the Eight Ball’s you wouldn’t mind if that crazy assed Russian as you say would turn his medieval shit on them in the end.”

“You’re really starting to intrigue me Jorge, I never seen you really work before.”

“Well, don’t start falling in love with me yet sweetheart, this is going to be some really complicated shit, but things are starting to fly around in my head, care to dance?”

“Yeah, I’ll dance; let’s hear what you have in mind.” - - -

- - - it was another two and a half hours until, as he watched from the rooftop of the aldermanic headquarters of Dee Dee Stillwater, he saw Jorge Garcia return to his car in the alleyway entrance and leave for his home.