There was some polite applause as I made my way to the front of the room and stood behind the podium.
“Good afternoon, and thank you, Derrick. It’s certainly a pleasure to be here today with you all to celebrate the induction of all of your fine leaders. We at Duncan Motors know the work that you and your departments put in day after day and how dangerous it is out there protecting and serving your communities. Sadly, we also know that they don’t pay your officers and staff anywhere close to what they’re worth, which is why we support you the way we do,” I said.
“And we appreciate it!” someone in the crowd yelled over the applause that my remark received.
“We appreciate you too.” I smiled. “And we will continue to show our appreciation. But, this year, we wanted to do something a little special for you. So, each of your departments will be the recipient of a brand-new chase car, courtesy of Duncan Motors.”
The applause became louder, and animated conversations broke out at a few of the tables.
“Now, these aren’t just regular chase cars. These are brand-new 2020 Corvette police interceptors, completely outfitted with everything you need and more. And let me tell you, there won’t be a vehicle out there that you can’t catch in a high-speed chase.”
A particularly enthusiastic guy in the front row yelled out, “Are you serious? Whoa!”
“Yes, I’m serious.” I laughed. “Oh, and in case you’re wondering, each one of these babies runs about a hundred and fifty grand, so Duncan Motors won’t be covering the insurance on them. That’s gonna be on y’all.”
“Oh, then I’ll be the only one in my department driving that some-bitch. Might as well park it in my driveway right now,” a sheriff in a mustard-colored uniform yelled as laughter erupted from the officers at his table.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” I joked. “In addition to the cars, we would also like to continue our support of your children and widow’s benevolent fund. Junior?”
Junior walked up to the podium and held up the large cardboard he carried. The audience gave a standing ovation at the oversized check made out to the National Sheriffs Association in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars.
Derrick came over and shook my hand. “Thanks for coming out, LC. We truly appreciate your support.”
We did the obligatory pose with the check for a few pictures, then Junior and I returned to the back of the room while Derrick wrapped up the meeting. Many of the attendees shook my hand and thanked me personally as they exited. I’d known many of those sheriffs for years. The value of building relationships with law enforcement was a lesson I’d learned a long time ago, and ironically, I’d learned it from KD Shrugs and his cronies.
Derrick came to stand with me and Junior as the last stragglers were filing out. “LC, this was an unexpected surprise,” Derrick said.
“We needed to talk—and it never hurts to have a PR moment and show a goodwill gesture to law enforcement,” I told him. “Congratulations again. You should be very proud of yourself.”
“Hey, I couldn’t have done it without you and your family’s support. Any of it.”
“Well, you’ve always been the right guy for the job, and everyone knows it. I’m just glad we were able to help you spread the word. Let’s take a walk,” I suggested.
The three of us exited the ballroom out the back door to where Junior and I had parked, away from everyone else. It was empty except for one of the cooks, who stood several yards away, smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone. He didn’t even glance in our direction.
“I’ll pull the car up, Pop,” Junior said, giving Derrick and me some privacy.
“So, how are things going so far?” I asked, looking over to make sure the cook was still ignoring us. “Any dissention in the ranks?”
“No, not really, thanks to those envelopes that were placed under everyone’s hotel room doors. Sheriff Richards and his buddies are still a little sore that he lost, but they’ll get over it. The rest of them all seem to have fallen in line.” He smirked.
“Well, I’ll have to see what we can do to appease Sheriff Richards and his people. Help keep them in the ranks.”
“That would be appreciated.” Derrick became serious. “So, what did you really want to discuss?”
“I’m concerned about one of your predecessors, KD Shrugs in Texas. I’ve spent the past few days talking to some of our mutual friends, and we’re concerned that he’s planning something, and it needs to be nipped in the bud.”
“You do realize that Shrugs is done. He’s a nobody, a convicted felon.” Derrick shook his head as if KD were the least of his problems. “I’d be more concerned about Richards than him.”
“Richards can be controlled. KD can’t. He’s too ambitious. He’s also got friends all over the South that he’s helped to make a lot of money. The kind of people who would love to see me and you in the fields.” I studied his expression. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“One hundred percent, and I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I’ll see what I can find out and put this Shrugs in his place as quickly as possible.”
“Smart man.” I patted him on the shoulder as Junior pulled the car around. “But remember, we’re talking about a man who’s ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. You be careful.”
Roman
15
After a night spent in the Miami airport, guzzling coffee and Red Bull to stay awake, Kandace and I were finally able to get on a flight back to New York. I put her in a Lyft back to her apartment and then went straight to Mercy General Hospital. As I walked through the doors, I said a quick prayer for my mother’s health. I’d tried calling Aunt
