Donnie stays in the back of us, by the door, folding his hands in front of him. Joaquin stands beside me quiet, reserved, looking to me to take the lead.
“How long have you been in this city, this community?” I ask.
Jeremiah pursues his lips, “Oh, I’d say about a few decades now.”
“What can you tell us about the Falcons drug distribution history?” Silent comes, you could hear a pin drop.
“What the hell did you get yourselves into now? I thought y’all don’t do drugs?” he asks defensively.
I throw my hands up, “We don’t. You know that. But there’s been a few too many connections and coincidences. So, let me rephrase, what do you know about them using older teenagers as mules?”
Jeremiah sits up with a grim look on his face as if a weight landed on him. He lets out a sigh. “Let’s just say this isn’t the first attempt, if that’s true.” He reaches for his desk drawer, pulling out a cigarette, offering me one before he lights up.
I sit down in front of him. “How many times have they recruited, then operations shut down?” There’s only a certain amount of time that police and the law can take.
“I say a few, but honestly, they kept coming back stronger, more defenses.” He admits. “Sometimes Aggie would run into some of their runaways.”
He looks at me with curiosity, “Something I need to know about, son?”
I should remain tight lipped, I shake my head. “Just following a hunch. Let me ask you, what would you say they had to overcome to prevent their shutdowns?”
He thinks for a moment, “They always had trouble with the middleman, they relied on their middle person to be a recruiter and distributor.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, I think I’m following along.
“Typically, they just use the person’s business as a recruiter to cut out an extra person,” he starts to explain.
“Like a modern-day Fagen,” Donnie chimes in, I turn back to glare at him, but he’s not wrong.
“Sort of, but over the years and the amount of busts, they may have gotten smarter.” Jeremiah solemnly says.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I may have gotten a lot of answers, but my hunch may be right. If they have gotten smarter, they may have found a primary recruiter, but the question is who it is.
“Thanks Jeremiah for your time,” I extend out a hand to shake it, and he returns the favor.
“Anytime, but I gotta ask. Does this have anything to do with Miss Tessa and the foundation?” he asks. He’s a smart man, more than people give him credit. I want to lie to him, keep him out of it but he will see right through it.
“I’m hoping it’s not, my friend. But knowing the coincidences and the past few months,” I say, turning to leave.
“If you need anything else, I’m always here.” he extends the offer.
I give him a nod and we head out the garage. My phone vibrates from my pocket. A slight smile spreads across my face.
Charlotte:Still waiting on you to fulfill that promise.
I type back.
Me:What promise?
Charlotte:You said you were going to claim my heart.
I laugh, someone is being impatient.
Me:We can end the suffering now and just say I have your heart now.
I see the bubbles of her typing, I anxiously await her response. I mount my bike, ready to get back to the clubhouse.
Before I strapped on my helmet, I got one final message.
