Chapter
6
Pettiway and Parish pulled up on 138th Street and Willis Avenue in the South Bronx. They parked directly in front of the building, in front of a fire hydrant. Parking anywhere was one of the perks of being a New York Detective.
“How you want to play this?” Parish asked as they stepped off the elevator on the 18th floor.
“You can take the lead. If he doesn’t have a solid alibi then see if you can trip him up. We do that then we take him back to the station house for an official sit down.”
Parish gave the door three hard knocks with his bare knuckles, remembering the verbal bashing Pettiway gave him the last time about using his radio. He waited patiently as a the door open revealing a middle aged brown skinned lady.
“Good morning, ma’am. I don’t mean to disturb you but I’m looking for Antonio Richardson. Is he home?” Parish asked as polite as possible.
“And you are?” the middle aged lady asked toughly with the door lightly ajar.
“I am Detective Parish and this is my partner Detective Pettiway. We’re from the 47th Precinct.”
“And this little visit is in regards to?”
Parish was already beginning to get frustrated at the lady’s attitude. “We’re investigating an incident he had a few weeks ago. Is he here so we can speak to him?”
“What incident?” the lady pried.
Pettiway sensed the situation was about to get out of hand so he stepped in. “I apologize, ma’am. Maybe my partner should have been a little clearer about our visit. I assume, you’re Antonio’s mother? Well, a few weeks back Antonio arrived at the E.R. with lacerations and bruises. It was apparent he was assaulted. He made a statement to the doctor who tended to him but when the officer arrived to take an official statement he was gone. Hence the reason why we’re here.”
“It took you long enough,” the lady said with disdain. “Wait right here.” She closed the door in the detective’s faces. She returned several minutes later with a shirtless Antonio.
“Antonio Richardson?” Parish asked for conformation.
“Yeah. What do you want?”
“We came to ask you some questions about the person who assaulted you.”
“Yeah? Well, like I said before, I don’t know who jumped me. It was too dark,” Antonio told them.
“Actually, you didn’t say much. When the officers came to question you, you were gone. But the doctor who treated you made sure to relay the story you gave him,” Parish told him with a snide smirk. “Now, you want to invite us in so we can get the official story or you want me to run with what I got?”
“And what exactly do you have?” Antonio asked calling the detectives’ bluff.
“I know you got tuned up over a girl. And I think I know who that girl was. Now here’s the interesting part. The person who allegedly tuned you up over said girl was killed yesterday. Now, do you want to go inside and discuss this in private or do I need to drag you back to the station house for an official interrogation?” Parish threatened. “Who knows, maybe some of your buddies are outside working the block already. They’ll speculate on why you being taken in by two detectives. Once they put two and two together the word will spread. How long do you think it’ll take before the next knock on the door or the next tune up comes at the hands of one Ali’s buddies.”
The color drained from Antonio’s brown cheeks. “Wh…what makes you think it was Ali?” he stuttered nervously.
“Don’t insult me Antonio. I’m a detective. I do this for a living. Now, what’s it going to be? A talk here or a talk back at the station house?” Parish pushed.
“Aight. Come in,” Antonio conceded. He opened the door wider for the detective. “What do you want to know?”
“For starters, why don’t you tell us what happened a few weeks ago. And exactly assaulted you,” Parish told him.
“I was hanging out with some chicks in the back of the projects. One of them was Ali’s girl. I guess word got back to him.”
“And what happened, he stepped to you?” Parish asked.
“Yeah. Somebody told him we was a little too close so he stepped to me.”
“And that’s when he assaulted you?” Parish pushed.
“Yeah. I was trying to tell him we wasn’t doing nothing but he was already worked up. You don’t know A like we do. Once he get going there’s not stopping him. I had two choices. Run or fight back. I tried to fight but he wasn’t in the mood for a fair one. He pulled out his piece. I thought he was going to shoot me. Kisha was yelling and cursing at him.
“I thought it was over but when I went to walk away Ali hit me with his .40. He split my eye open. Before I knew it the hits was coming fast and furious. All I could do is ball up to protect myself. Somebody pulled him off me. I laid there for a few minutes. I don’t know how long. When I got up I was bleeding and sore. So I walked down the block to the emergency room at Lincoln,” Antonio explained to the detectives.
Parish gave Antonio’s face a good look. “How many stitches?”
“Seven. Had a nasty gash over my eye.
“Never thought about paying him back?” Parish asked.
“Of course I did. But you know how it goes out here. He hurt me. I hurt him back or kill him. If I don’t clear it with the homies first then I’m the one getting hurt or killed. More than likely killed. So I let it slide,” Antonio told the detectives.
“And you and Kisha, there really wasn’t nothing between y’all?” Parish asked with a devilish grin.
“I liked her but she wasn’t feeling me so I left it alone. She said she didn’t want to cheat on Ali. Besides, there was a chick testing her luck with Kisha that night. And by the looks of it, Kisha as was game. I guess she didn’t consider it cheating,” Antonio said smartly.
“And this young lady’s name?” Parish asked. When Antonio gave him a stern look that said he was telling Parish pushed. “Come on, you know how this work. You and the victim had an altercation over a girl. You was assaulted by the victim. Now the victim’s dead. You claim the girlfriend turned you down only to be pursued by another girl. If that’s your alibi then I need to talk to her to see if she’s singing the same song.”
“Her name is Tiana. I don’t know her last name but she live in 177 on Alexander Ave.”
“And for the record, where were you two nights ago between the hours of five and ten?” Parish asked.
Antonio thought about it long and hard. “I was at my P.O.’s office until about seven. Then I was laid up with this chick uptown.”
“Chick’s name?” Parish asked as he prepared to write it down.
“Sophia. Sophia Lauren.”
“Sophia Lauren? Really, that’s what you’re going with?” Parish asked when Antonio gave the name of the long ago actress.
“Listen, man. I didn’t shoot anyone,” Antonio argued.
“I never said Ali was shot,” Parish said with a smirk. “I think you just earned yourself a free ride to the station house. Let’s go.”
“Wait, wait!” Antonio said nervously. “I’ll give you her name. I just didn’t want to involve her!”
“This is a murder investigation that you fit real good for. Involving her should be your last worry,” Parish told him ready to haul him in.
“Her name is Stephanie. I don’t have her last name but her number is (347) 555-5555. Give her a call. She’ll tell you I was with her.”
“And what about yesterday around ten in the morning?” Parish questioned.
“Around ten?” Antonio asked scratching his head as he thought about it. “I was here sleeping. I don’t think I got up until about eleven or twelve.”
“You was sleeping? That’s your story?” Parish asked skeptical. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“I swear! You can ask my moms. Me and her got into it because I was sleeping so late. She don’t like nobody sleeping late in her house!” Antonio said frantically.
“Oh I am. And i
f she don’t sing the same tune then you’re taking a trip to the station house,” Parish threatened. Little did he know, Antonio’s mother was actually in her bedroom with her ear to the door listening closely. When she heard the detective threaten her son she emerged from the bedroom.
“There’s no need to threaten my son, detective,” she said as she came down the hallway. “My son was here. He got in some time after five in the morning. At twelve o’clock I went in there and snatch the covers off his worthless ass. No body sleeps late in my house if they’re not working. I didn’t have it with his older brother and I will not have it with him,” she told the detective sternly.
The fierce look on Antonio’s mother’s face told the detectives she was not one to be tested. “Okay, ma’am. We’ll take his alibi for now,” Parish told her. He removed a business card from his pocket and handed it over to Antonio. “Here’s my card. If you hear or remember anything, give me a call.”
“O…okay,” Antonio said nervously as he took the detective’s card.
“Have a nice day,” Parish said before the detectives filed out of the apartment.
Antonio’s mother waited a full minute after the detectives left her apartment before she turned and slapped Antonio with all her might. The fact that Antonio had a full six inches over his mother didn’t soften the blow. He stumbled back as he held his stinging face.
“What…what you do that for?” Antonio demanded shocked and stunned.
“You run the streets all hours of the damn night selling drugs and hanging our with the hoodlums. Now you have detectives coming up in my house asking about some murder? Are you outta your goddamn mind?” she snapped furiously.
“But I didn’t do it, momma,” Antonio pleaded.
“Whether you did it or not is between you and God. But I will not lie for you again. You have until the end of the day to get out of my house. Or so help me God, there will be another dead black man around here. And I mean it,” she threatened furiously as she backed him against the wall. She then turned and stormed back down the hallway to her bedroom.
“What you think about Antonio’s alibi?” Parish asked as they headed for their sedan.
“Initially, no. But his mother is either a damn good actress or she really believes he’s innocent,” Pettiway answered. After a second of hesitation, Pettiway said, “There was a Brooklyn address scribbled down on a piece of paper in the victim’s pocket. I was thinking maybe we should head back over to the father’s apartment and see if he recognize it. It maybe nothing. I just want to close all the doors.”
“Find with me. Let’s do it.”