Alone (II)

That night, a young man walked along the streets of Newark alone, sporting a a red basketball jersey, sagging jeans and a red bandana. A police cruiser driven by Officer Amara pulled up beside him and slowed down.

"Doogie, is it?" Amara said, "Look a little lost there. How 'bout I give you a ride, hm?"

"Man," said Doogie, "Fuck off, a'ight? I ain't got time for your shit."

"Now is that any way to talk to your friendly neighbourhood police officer? I'm just trying to do my duty and help a citizen in need. Now get in the car, asswipe!"

Amara brought the cruiser to a halt, allowing Doogie to climb into the back. Amara then started up again and began driving through the decrepit neighbourhoods of the inner city.

"Word on the street is," began Amara, "The Brooklyn Red Stainz have a new leader."

"Yeah," said Doogie, "Call it a coup d'état or whatever. I don't give a shit."

"Right, right, so long as you get your dough. I just hope you and all your little fuckbuddies have already passed along the message about how we roll here in Newark. Whatever freakshow they got goin' on in Brooklyn better stay there."

"Yeah, yeah," Doogie said, "They know, a'ight?"

"Good. Now, what can you tell me about the other 'operation' they got goin' on there? Somethin' 'bout a...'Happy Pill'?"

"I wouldn't know nothin' 'bout no drugs, officer, sir!"

"A smart-ass, eh Doogie? I love it! But no, I'm for real here. I have a 'friend' on the force who needs a 'boost', if ya catch my drift."

"Fuck do I know? It's all in some warehouse in Brooklyn. They run a tight ship over there. Word is, leadership keeps the pills locked up. They don't just distribute 'em at random on the street, they choose who gets it."

"If that's the case, then I'm gonna have to reach out to my Brooklyn buddies. Meanwhile, you can leave, my friend."

With that, Amara pulled up to a street corner.

"Hey man," said Doogie, "This is Sharks territory. If I'm caught wearin' red here, I..."

"Don't care," said Amara, "Now get the fuck outta my car and don't make me draw my piece!"

Doogie sighed and stepped out of the cruiser.

"By the way," said Amara, rolling down the passenger-side window, "Thanks for the tip. Your cooperation is always appreciated!"

"What?" said Doogie, "Man, fuck no! I ain't no snitch! I..."

Amara drove off, laughing. Doogie glanced around in a panic as several gangbangers in green garb surrounded him.

"Aw, fuck this!" he moaned.

As Amara sped down the street, he received a call on his radio.

"Amara," said dispatch, "We have a situation that the cap needs you to check out. Got a minute?"

"Sure," Amara spoke into the receiver, "What is it?"

"Head to Elm Street. Officers Darrow and Carvalho will fill you in."

"Copy that."

-

Some time later, Amara arrived reached Mary River's apartment on Elm Street, where two other officers were waiting. The three men received their instructions from Lúcia Alvares via radio.

"You find the bitch," Lúcia commanded, "And you bring her to me. Sound simple?"

"Sure," Amara said into his radio, "We'll make sure she regrets having ever threatened you."

"Good," Lúcia said, "Give me a status report once you've apprehended her."

Amara instructed the other two officers to follow him. Quietly, they made their way up the stairs to Mary's apartment. The lights inside were off as it was the middle of the night. Amara approached the door and knocked on it.

After receiving no response for a few seconds, Amara nodded to his companions, then kicked the door down.

"POLICE!" he yelled, "LEMME SEE YOUR HANDS!"

The apartment was empty. Most of the furniture inside was covered in dust and cobwebs, suggesting the place had been abandoned for some time.

"We sure this is the right place?" said Darrow, "No one's been here in a while."

"Let's search for clues," Carvalho suggested, "Maybe we can find out where she's hidin'."

Just then, the officers heard a noise coming from the bathroom.

"Sh," whispered Darrow, "Anyone else hear that?"

"Yeah," Amara whispered back, "Darrow, cover the fire escape. Carvalho, you're with me."

As Darrow headed for the kitchen, Amara led Carvalho down the corridor leading to the bathroom. It was dark inside, but the door was ajar. Amara stood at one side of the door and nodded toward it. Carvalho nodded in acknowledgement, then opened the door and entered.

However, as soon as he stepped inside, a man dressed in black emerged from the shower and pounced on him, forcing his head into the medicine cabinet mirror. A second man, also dressed in black, emerged from the shower and sprinted past both Carvalho and Amara.

"FREEZE!" Amara yelled.

Since the man did not comply, Amara was forced to shoot him, causing him to trip and fall onto the living room coffee table.

With Carvalho knocked out, the first man pounced on Amara and tried to wrestle the gun from his hands. However, Darrow had heard the commotion from the kitchen and came running into the corridor with his gun raised

"FREEZE!" he commanded, "BACK AWAY FROM THE OFFICER NOW!"

The distraction gave Amara the opportunity to punch the man in the face. Both Darrow and Amara fired their weapons at the man, killing him.

"You okay?" Darrow asked

"Yeah," Amara replied in between breaths, "What about you, Carvalho?"

Carvalho emerged from the bathroom, clutching his bloody forehead.

"Gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow," he said, "But yeah, I'm fine. Who the fuck were these guys?"

The three officers approached the man in the living room, who was still alive, albeit barely. As he choked to death on his own blood, Amara bent down and removed his balaclava, revealing the face of Larry Ingalls.

"Fuck if I know," Amara replied, "Probably just some low-lives who picked the wrong night to rob the place."

"We're gonna have to report this to the Cap," said Carvalho, "She ain't gonna be happy."

"No shit," Amara said, grabbing his radio, "Cap? We got a situation here."

"A situation?" Lúcia demanded.

"River ain't home," Amara replied, "And it doesn't look like she has been for months."

"What do you mean?"

"The place looks abandoned. Like, all her shit's here, but she's...Gone. If I had to guess, I'd say she changed address after you threatened her a few months back."

"She's smarter than I give her credit for."

"Sure, yeah. Also, we, er, had an 'intruder problem'."

"What?"

"These two guys were ransacking the place and we had to gun 'em down. We're gonna need a clean-up crew."

"Puta que pariu! Alright, nevermind that for now. What's more important is finding out where River went."

"She could still be in town," Darrow suggested, "Maybe she's staying at a hotel? Or with a friend?"

"A friend you say? Hmm, yes I think I know how to find River. Amara, meet me at St. Michael's in twenty minutes."

"You got it, Cap," Amara said, "You two, stay here and greet the clean-up crews."

The other two cops nodded as Amara stepped out of the apartment.