Harmony in Black and White by William Matthew Ruberry

Author:William Matthew Ruberry [Ruberry, William Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Doggy Dog World Publishing
Published: 2024-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Diamonds in the Dirt

The next day is Monday and I’m off work, but I’m too excited about Lawson’s story idea to let it sit a day. As soon as my eyes open in late morning, I am wide awake.

I call O’Neill at his desk.

“Jack, why are you calling me on your day off? Hell, you should be sleeping or having fun. I know I would be.”

“I would be, too, Jim, but something came up last night. I got a tip that I need to tell you about. Do you have lunch plans?”

“Not really. Guess this must be important. How about Perly’s in an hour?”

For weekday lunches, businesspeople from all over downtown pack Perly’s, a delicatessen just down the street from the paper, where old photographs adorn tan walls above dark wooden booths, with tables in the middle. O’Neill is already there when I walk in, sitting in a booth, sipping iced tea. His jacket hangs from a hook on a post affixed to the end of the booth. I hang my jacket next to his and sit across from him.

“So, what’s so important it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” O’Neill asks after we give the waitress our orders: a sailor sandwich for him and a Colonel Hamilton for me, chicken salad with bacon on wheat toast with potato chips and a pickle.

“I went over to Lawson’s house for dinner last night,” I say. “Two other couples were there, and they pitched a story idea about the reason for the city’s high murder rate.”

“I think I know what you’re going to say, Jack.”

I give him a look that says, “Well?”

“The story is about gangs in Richmond and New York City trafficking guns and drugs. Right?”

“How the hell did you know?”

“Jack, Jack,” he says, shaking his head, milking the moment for all it’s worth. “You must remember that you are addressing the master. Do you remember a couple weeks ago when I said I had to meet a source about the murder rate before I went home? Well, that’s the story. I got a tip from one of the homicide detectives and I’ve started looking into it.”

“That’s funny,” I say. “I got a tip from one of the magistrates that the murders in Jefferson Gardens in the last few months might be related. According to Lawson and his friends, the guns-for-cocaine trade is the connection.”

“A badass crew operates out of Jefferson Gardens. Seems like the detectives are down there almost every Saturday night for another dead body. I wonder why Lawson never said anything to me about it.”

“I asked him the same question. He and his friends weren’t sure you’d be interested in a story about crime in the projects. Something about growing up in Southside and going to W and L, where Robert E. Lee was president.”

“They thought I might be some kind of racist good old boy.”

“Not exactly, but they thought a Yankee from Pennsylvania might be more likely to be interested.”

“Okay, I get it, but they’re wrong. I think it’s a story and we should dig into it to see what we can find out.

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