RAT, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [young adult books to read .txt] 📗

care of the Watch
Commanders, Field Lieutenants and Sergeants and I would take care of the rest. Eppilito told me that Sergeant Romano would meet each officer separately in the rear of the hardware store on 47th Street.”
“Be careful Cecilia these guys are all street-wise and
veteran police officers and can smell a set-up!”
The following morning Sergeants Eppilito and Novakski gave Cecilia two briefcases containing the pay-offs. Cecilia gave the briefcases to the commander and left his office. An hour later her called her and gave her one of the cases and a sealed envelope.
“The envelope is for you the case is for you to take care
of our friends.”
Cecilia left the office and returned to the vice room where Sergeants Eppilito and Novakski were waiting. Cecelia gave each one an envelope.
“I want you guys to meet me at the hardware store just in case
there are any problems, Ok?”
The sergeants nodded and they agreed to meet at noon. Tommy hardware store was owned by Sal Vinceti but fronted by an older black man named Tweet. Vinceti was Romano’s cousin and for allowing the pay-offs s given $300.00. Romano had contacted his cousin and told him about Cecilia.
Sal told Tweet to expect her around noon. Cecilia and arrived at 11:45 and Eppilito told her the first officer would be Officer Richard Owens and he arrived through the back door. Owens was over six feet and weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds and been on the job over fifteen year. Cecilia had worked a beat car with him a couple of times and admired him for the way he treated the people.
“Cecilia? What you’re doing here?”
“Romano in the hospital so the commander asked me to take his
place.”
“Well it’s about time you stopped being Ms. Goody Two Shoes
and got your ends, everyone else is!”
Cecilia gave him his envelope and he left. Ten minute later Officer Will Wills entered. Will was eight year veteran who mainly worked on prostitution and it was rumored that he hated prostitutes because he was a trick baby. Wills just looked at Cecilia, took his envelope and left. The exchange between Cecilia and the corrupt officers was concluded at one thirty and Cecilia and the two sergeants returned to the district and when she was entering the commander’s office a young, black woman was leaving. Cecilia noticed the commander had semen stains on his blue uniform pants and they were unzipped. The commander smiled at Cecilia, turned his back, zipped his pants and wiped his pants with a wet towel.
When he turned around Cecilia could smell the alcohol on his breath and the glassy look in his eyes and his words slurred.
“How did everything go?”
“Fine!”
“Take the rest of the day off, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Cecilia left the office and immediately contacted Commander Watson they agreed to meet at the same restaurant in Calumet City where she told him about the pay-offs.

TWENTY-TWO

The officers in the district knew that Richardo Ricks was not a member of the club so they were constantly asking Ricks for money he gave some of the black officers a few dollars but refused to give anything to the white officers.
A white officer that took exception was Richard Novaksi a Polish officer who hated black people he would come into Rick’s stations scare away the patrons and take the bet writings. Ricks informed Cecilia of the constantly harassed by Sergeant Romano to join the Commander’s club and when he refused the sergeant would send in his vice men to arrest his writers and patrons and destroy his records. He also told her of the harassment by an Officer Novaksi from the district that demanded two hundred dollar month. Cecilia suggested the next time he comes in demanding a bribe give it to his but have one of your people record it on video. Cecilia notified Watson. At 8:00 P.M. Officer Novakski entered the policy station.
“Ready to ante up coon?”
“I don’t need any problems officer.”
Ricks reached into his pocket and gave the officer a hundred dollar bill. The officer took the money and placed it in his pocket. The transaction was recorded on video camera by the old man standing at the bet window.
“Good, but next month it will be two bills!”
Ricks nodded and returned to his chess game and for the next six months all of the payoffs were recorded. The following month Watson sent Sergeant Cotton and two of his detectives to Rick’s policy station and they waited in a rear room for Officer Novaksi to arrive, at 8:00 P.M. the officer in civilian dress entered.
“Put up time coon!”
Ricks gave the officer two marked one hundred bills. The officer put the money in his pocket.
“See you next month coon!”
As the officer started to leave Sergeant Cotton emerged from the room.
“Who is this coon?’
The two other officers came into the room and showed their badges.
All of us coons are police officers from the Corruption Unit and you are under arrest.

The two officers disarmed and handcuffed Novaksi. As he was being led out he looked at Ricks who smiled at him and held up a video tape.


TWENTY-THREE

Officer James Steele was schedule to retire in one year he was a bear of a man.
During his police career he had killed five men. All of the killings were ruled
justifiable but he was considered a little off by the other officers in the district so
he mainly worked “10-99,” one man car. Steele met Cecelia at the hardware late in
the afternoon and placed his Glock 9mm weapon on the counter in front of Cecelia.
“You know Cecelia I’ve been around a long time and
I can smell a rat. You know I once knew an officer who turned rat,
he was in the playground with his kids when all of a sudden a
masked man ran into the playground and put two in his head. That’s
what happens to rats! Everyone in the district is aware
that you don’t take money now all of a sudden you’re
the commander’s bag lady, whatsup?”
“What do you mean whatsup?”
“Are you a rat or are you fuckin’ the commander or working for the
Feds and wearing a wire?”
“It’s none of your business who I fuck and do
you think I’m a rat?”
“I’m just trying to find you out and like I said I can
smell a rat! Mind if I pat you down?”
“Go ahead and search me see if I’m wired up.”
Steele walked around Cecelia smelling her, his nose twitching like a blood hound.
He gently patted her behind her back and discreetly pattered her legs and thighs.
When he stopped the search he smiled and holstered his weapon.
“Sorry about that but I’m getting ready to retire and I don’t need anything to fuck that up. I and the wife just bought a condo in Mississippi and I can’t wait to get out of this goddamn city.”
Cecelia felt sorry for the officer for she knew he would never retire or live in his
condo. The officer ‘s search was so discreet he never search her breasts where the
wire was hidden in her bra. Sergeant Ronald Eppilito and Richard Novakski had researched the list of twenty taverns given to them by Sergeant Romano. Five of the taverns mainly on 43rd Street were real cut and shoot joints. They had numerous citations for staying opened after the 2:00 am closing time and they suspected that there had been cutting, shootings and fights in their joints but the Field Lieutenant who responded to all tavern disturbances had probably squashed the complaints for a price. Ten of the taverns had been cited for running an after-hours crap game and a hang-out for prostitutes and drug dealers the other five had no violations but had females working as barmaids that were against the law. Jimmy Pierce owned Jimmy’s Lounge a small neighborhood bar located at 5100 South Cottage Grove Avenue that catered to morning and late afternoon elderly patrons. He worked the bar and everyday put on a pot; chili, red beans and rice and on special occasions spicy Louisiana Gumbo. To keep the young people out, his juke-box had only blues records. When Sergeant Epplito entered at 2:00 pm everyone in his place knew he was the police. There were seven older men and two elderly women were sitting at the horse-shoe bar watching the African Queen on the television. Sergeant Eppilito identified himself and asked to see his state and city liquor licenses and Jimmy complied.
“Everything looks ok with your licenses but I noticed a lot of illegal parked cars in front of your joint.”
“This is a quiet street sarge and I know my customers should not park there but as you can see most of my people are elderly and it’s convenient for them but if it’s a problem I tell them to park somewhere else.”
“Do you have any problems; young people, fights, etc.”
“Aw no sarge, most of my people are drunk or broke by six and I close the joint at eight, I don’t want the hassle that comes with staying open later.”
“Well, I can provide you with police protection that way you can stay open later and make more money.”
“Thanks but no thanks sarge, I’m doing just fine.”
“There are a lot of young aggressive policemen in the district and I would hate it if they started writing parking tickets to your people or decide to make a lot of “premise checks “at your joint.”
“I would hate that too, what are you suggesting?”
“For a small fee, say two bills a month I could make all those problems disappear.”
“Sarge that would eat up most of my profit!”
“Ok, I’m just trying to help!”
Sergeant Eppilito gave Jimmy a business card.
“Ok, let me know if you change your mind.”
A week later 2nd District vice men was at Jimmy’s Lounge checking his licenses and checking the identification of his patrons. The beat officers were issuing parking tickets and scaring off his patrons. Jimmy contacted Epplito and agreed to pay a $100.00 a month. Of the ten taverns on Epplito list only five accepted his offer of protection. Tavern owners generally know each other and visit each other places especially if the tavern is having financial problems. Jimmy belonged to the Black Tavern Owners Association that had fifteen members in Chicago and had chapters in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once a year the Chicago Chapter would go to St. Louis, Milwaukee and Fort Wayne on a “Booze Cruise.” The tavern owners and their patrons would be driven to the various cities on a Chartered Bus and spend the week-end visiting the fifteen bars of the chapter. Each bar they visited had food waiting for them and each owner was required to spend at least $50.00 at each tavern but in addition to the fifteen bar owners there were maybe two hundred of their patrons and they spent money also. These yearly cruises could make a taverns day because later doing the year the members of the other chapters would come to Chicago. Jimmy and the other bar owners who the sergeants were shaking-down decided to report the incidents to the Commander of the Corruption Unit, Commander Watson.

TWENTY-FOUR

Word had gotten around the district that Cecilia was “dirty,” and a lot of the officers wondered if she had became a rat to save her own ass and was setting them up. An anonymous letter was sent to the Sun-Times naming Cecilia as