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He was already looking for air-conditioning companies he might be able to work for. And he blended back into the family fairly easily. The boys played basketball at Holy Name, where the faculty seemed thrilled to see Brian home. My grandfather and I sat in the bleachers and watched Brian, Trent, Eddie, and Ricky play for hours.
On the third day after Brian’s release, Seamus turned to me in the bleachers and said, “You did a great job raising these kids. I’m proud to be pa
rt of your family.”
I waited for the punch line. Then I realized the old man was sincere. I draped my arm around his bony shoulders and said a silent prayer of thanks. What else is there to do when you realize all the blessings God has given you?
I went back to work a couple of days before I’d intended to. But it was for a good reason. My informant Flash had gotten word to me that he might have found the suspect in the murder of the nurse and her daughter—the elusive Tight.
Usually a suspect like Tight would have some kind of record. An assault charge is common. Those kinds of charges always get pleaded down, but there would still be a record. But we had nothing on him, not in either police intelligence or arrest files.
Flash told me he was supposed to meet Tight at Convent Garden on 151st Street up near Washington Heights, one of the places where Flash and I usually met. It was quiet and comfortable and, from a tactical standpoint, suitable for a quick arrest.
Even though I had worked with Flash for a few years and I knew his real name was Evis Tolder, I didn’t tell anyone else what was going on. Informants are notoriously unreliable, and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.
I thought about calling Terri Hernandez, but if things went south, I didn’t want her in the trick bag. She had a bright future ahead of her. I decided if I was able to grab Tight, I’d call her, and she could take the collar.
The second reason, as important as the first, was my overwhelming need to be the cop who put cuffs on this killer. I thought back to the murder scene of the nurse and her daughter, with those giant holes the .45 slugs had made in their heads. I saw them at night when I started to fall asleep. I also remembered Tight goading the young man who’d robbed me. Without Tight, it would’ve been a simple robbery and we both would’ve walked away.
As soon as I met Flash, he said, “Did you bring the 2K for the pills he wants to sell?”
“Nice try. This is not a dope case. We don’t have to do any kind of deal. As soon as I see him, I’m going to grab him. That’s the end of this caper today. Understood?”
Flash looked troubled. Finally he said, “Then you’ll throw some cash my way afterward?”
I said, “Have I ever stiffed you on information you gave me?” That seemed to satisfy my informant. He told me everything he’d done to find Tight. It wasn’t much. He had been lucky and had met the pill addict at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Now he was supposed to buy a few thousand dollars’ worth of pills from Tight.
Once we got to Convent Garden, I made Flash wait at the far end of the park. No one was inside the fence, and I was able to sit on a bench across the park without being seen easily. I ran through the drill in my head quickly. Once I grabbed Tight, I could charge him with attempted robbery. I could articulate how he had been part of the robbery with RJ and had fled after the shooting. Then Terri Hernandez would have to tie him to the homicide. If he had his pistol on him, we could match the slugs. Otherwise, it might be up to DNA.
I sat quietly, looking across the park, until about three twenty. I wasn’t worried that our target hadn’t shown up yet. He was working on DST, doper standard time. Addicts rarely stuck to schedules. It was one of the things that made it so hard to work in the Narcotics unit.
Then I looked up and he was there. Standing by the entrance to the park, the tall black man was all shakes and jitters. The time since the murder had not been kind to him. A threadbare coat over ripped sweatpants hardly made the profession of drug dealer look glamorous.
His eyes darted in every direction, and he never stopped moving. He noticed Flash and began shambling toward him.
I immediately stood up and started to stroll through the park, headed in the general direction of the two men. I had already told Flash to just walk away once I showed up. No chitchat, no staying to watch, just leave the area. It was the safest thing to do, and that way I didn’t have to worry about Flash getting hurt.
I approached the two men at an angle where Tight couldn’t see me. They talked for a few seconds. I stood directly behind them. As soon as Tight turned around, Flash started to walk away. I couldn’t believe an informant had actually listened to directions.
I smiled at Tight. “Remember me?”
His right hand reached for his waistband.
But I was ready. My Glock was in my right hand behind my back. I reached out and pinned his arm with my left hand, then brought my pistol up to where it was almost touching his nose.
I said, “I guess that means you do remember me. Do you remember Sondra Evans and her daughter, Alicia?”
I yanked the pistol from his waistband. I stuck it in the back of my belt before I shoved him to the ground and put cuffs on him.
When he was securely in custody, I carefully pulled the pistol from my back. It was the same Colt .45 I had seen the day I was in the shooting.
I had the right man.
Tight screamed, “Police brutality. Help me, help me.”
I pulled him to his feet and dusted him off. “Relax, Tight. The whole park has video surveillance. You need to find a new excuse.”
Instantly he shifted gears and said, “I been framed. I been framed.”
