“Oh shit!” Mario said, then shouted into the microphone. “Abort, abort!”
Stella hit Lucy in the leg and they both slipped out of the booth. Lucy leaned over to Frank and said, “I’ll be right back,” then kissed him on the cheek. He smiled like a schoolboy making out under the bleachers.
They hit the dance floor, then Stella guided Lucy out the front door. Mario’s car stopped sharply at the entrance, and they both jumped into the back seat. They were a few blocks away before Mario said a word.
Over drinks, Mario explained Frank’s involvement with undercover narcotics agents. Lucy belted back a few drinks to stunt the pain. Her plan to get Frank locked up for years on drug charges and get him out of Bernie’s life had just blown up in her face.
There were only two ways for Bernie to be happy and for Lucy to look like the hero: either Frank had to end up in jail or dead.
Mario lifted his glass and gave a toast. “To Frank Pearson, who was smart enough to cop a plea.” Mario took a sip. “He’ll walk and live happily ever after. And Felipe Cruz will finally go to jail.”
Stella took Lucy’s hand. “You’d make a hell of an undercover cop.”
Lucy smiled. “We could make a good team.” Out of nowhere, a thought came to her. “What if he doesn’t testify?” Lucy asked Mario. “Or fails to produce the kingpin?”
“He’d better produce something solid, or they’ll pull the plug on the deal, and Frank will take the fall.”
“That’s interesting,” Lucy said, with a slight grin that opened to a big smile.
“Lucy, why are you so interested in this?” Stella asked.
“I think I can use this to my advantage,” she said.
Stella snickered. “How so?”
“I’m going to be an informant.”
“An informant, for the police? Mario asked.
“That’s right. For the police.” And the bad guys too.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It took only one day for Lucy to get her ducks in a row. She gave Felipe a three-hour advance notice of the location where they would meet. That would give him enough time to get his bodyguards in place. Felipe was always cautious. Lucy was too. Her plan was well laid out and ready to execute and contained an offer Felipe couldn’t refuse.
That evening, she arrived at Port of Call, a popular local restaurant on Esplanade Avenue just off Rampart Street, and sat at a table in the back facing the door. Right on time, Stella took a seat at the first table near the entrance. Lucy acknowledged her with a head nod and a smile, grateful that Stella thought that much of her to show up without knowing any details, other than that Lucy might need help.
Felipe walked in with two bodyguards and went straight to Lucy. Her legs shook under the table, but she kept her eyes glued on Felipe.
Taking a seat, Felipe directed his men to another table, where they’d be close enough if he needed them. The waiter delivered two mason jars filled with iced tea and fresh mint, a signature drink of the restaurant. To this point, it was a faceoff, and neither was flinching.
When Lucy had walked the floors of the salon pondering her strategy for approaching Felipe, it had sounded like a good idea. Now, she was having second thoughts.
“So pretty lady, you came to your senses,” Felipe said, breaking the silence. “You have an envelope full of cash for me.”
Stone-faced, she glared at him. Then glanced at Stella, whose eyes were locked on the two thugs. If things went south, Stella surely could take care of the two idiots. The gun in Lucy’s hand, covered by a black napkin on her lap, gave her confidence. Should Felipe disagree with her and retaliate, she’d have the gun in his face before he blinked.
Felipe showed his frustration. “Lady, I don’t have all day.”
Just then, Darlene Davis walked in and took a seat at a table near them. Lucy had paid the hostess to hold that table open. All the pieces were in place; it was up to Lucy to make her play. It was the only chance for Voodoo Lucy to come through as the hero again.
“Felipe, your world is about to come crashing down,” she said. That alone in the drug world was a threat and would get most people killed. Lucy quickly explained that Frank Pearson was now an informant looking to take Felipe down, as well as his supplier. She offered Felipe a way out that would protect his supply chain and not jeopardize his cash flow. That got his attention. She assured him everything she knew came directly from the police and that it was one hundred percent accurate.
Lucy suggested Felipe stop selling cocaine immediately. It would be like his distribution chain had disappeared and he’d retired from the white powder business. His retirement could last on the high side of two months but could be a lot shorter. Then everything could go back to normal.
Lucy pointed to Darlene, who responded with a nod. “My friend has enough pills to make up for your cocaine drought and will distribute directly to your street pushers.” Lucy stopped, giving Felipe a chance to absorb everything she’d told him. His eyes said he was thinking hard. Letting go of the gun, she reached over the table with her hands out, as if befriending him. While the idea turned her stomach, it was part of her strategy. “You never touch the drugs, and the cash keeps flowing.”
Her plan was simple; with Felipe out of the coke business, Frank would be stopped in his tracks. No coke, and no chance of Frank setting up Felipe on a drug drop only to find a team of FBI agents waiting. Without Felipe’s arrest and a lead to the kingpin, Frank would
