This week, on Old Man Young…
Sonny decides that being honest with Detective Young is better than extradition to NC, so he tells Young the truth.
“What I told you before is true. Fire had my friend shot and I came down here to make him answer for it.”
“Make him answer for it? You mean kill him?”
“Do I?” Sonny asks. “If you did your job, men like Fire wouldn’t be able to shoot good men like my friend.”
“Why would Fire want to have a good man like your friend shot?”
“You gotta ask him. Go get him, I’ll ride with you.”
“You got evidence he shot your friend? Cause if not, when I pick Fire up I’m just gonna have to turn right back around and drop him off.”
“The law is bullshit…” Sonny starts.
“Yeah, the system has problems, but it’s better than the system you live by. This ain’t the wild west or medieval times. In this society that we live in, men don’t have to have the blood of their enemies on their hands. You don’t have to avenge your friend and sacrifice your freedom.”
“I can’t put my faith in your system, man. It ain’t built for people like me. It’s made to make sure white people feel safe to spend money on houses and cars. It’s made to lock people like me up.”
“You really believe that?” Young asked.
“You don’t? How long have you worked here? How many black people have you arrested and how many white people? I bet I can answer that for you. It don’t matter how a black man lives his life, this system will treat him the same way; presumed guilty until proven innocent. You can’t deny that.”
“I can. I get it, son, I know that black people got it hard, but the system isn’t the problem. It’s the people in it, and dammit, I care about all of the people in my city and I do what I can to make sure the system works for good people. Now, I have half a mind to call up Winston Salem PD unless you can give me a good reason not to. I want to help you. Let me. Help me and I promise you, son, I will help you.”
Sonny sits with Young’s words that sound sincere, but people always eventually revert to what they know. They always show their true colors.
“Call ’em.” Sonny says and Young sighs, then storms off.
At Ivan’s bond hearing, Young is eager to speak on his behalf. As soon as it is posted, Young pays it and buys Ivan lunch. They sit outside at a restaurant.
“What do you think about the Sonny kid?” Young asks, looking at Ivan who seems different. He had only been in a cell overnight, but it had drained him and he looked pale like he had not seen the sun in weeks.
“He is a good man detective.” Ivan says, sounding strained. “Trust me. He has probably done bad things, but there is goodness in his heart.”
“How do you know?”
Ivan takes a long drink of water and it seems to give him more energy. “He fought for me last night and we didn’t even know each other. He helps people who help him. I just offered him a place to sleep and he put his life on the line for me. He shows his appreciation.”
“If I could get him to trust me then I know we could work together. But I don’t think he can be honest without getting himself in trouble.”
“Is arresting him more important than finding this Yuri guy you’re obsessed with?”
“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Grab your food, we’re going back to the station.”
At the station, Young finds Sonny in a cell.
“You’re coming with me.” Young says.
“Where am I going?”
“To get Fire.”
Young sits with Ivan and Sonny in an interrogation room; it is the most privacy they can find in the department.
“I trust the two of you more than I trust my own people. When Ivan got attacked last night by a biker no less, it got me thinking. Why would a biker be after Ivan?”
“You got some dirty ass cops in here protecting somebody.” Sonny says.
Young laughs and nods. “You’re quicker than me. But I get some slack cause things have been crazy around here. I don’t have time to figure out whose dirty, so I’m gonna ask the two of you to help me get Fire and his nephew Yuri…”
“Wait,” Sonny interrupts. “Yuri is dead.”
“He isn’t, but why would you say that?”
Sonny is silent, afraid of incrimination.
“Complete immunity from me son. There’s nothing you can say to me that will make me put cuffs on you, if you help me bring these guys in.”
Sonny nods. “An associate of mine, a powerful man, suggested to me that the price Fire paid for shooting my friend was his nephew’s life. I got it on trust worthy intel that that man was killed months ago.”
“Well I guess your associate ain’t as smart as me cause I caught that body, me and Ivan here, and it was not Yuri James. Someone was trying to confuse your very powerful friend.”
“Or they were just lying to him.” Ivan chimes in. He is starting to look wilted again under the fluorescent lights in the room.
“But…” Sonny stops to think it through. “My boss came here and saw the body himself.”
“It wasn’t him, just had some doctored ids. Who killed the fake Yuri?”
Sonny shook his head and Young sighed. “Who told your boss about Yuri? How did he even find him?”
Sonny shrugs. “Smoke, I guess, but…nah, that don’t add up.”
“Think out loud.” Ivan says.
“My boss and Smoke work together. If Smoke gave him Yuri…”
“Then Smoke ain’t a friend to that very important man is he?” Young says.
“Or someone lied to him about who Yuri was.” Ivan says.
Sonny is thoughtful and he has an angry look on his face. “Nah. My boss, Smoke, and Fire all deal with each other, and Smoke definitely knows Fire better than my boss. He’s been to his house. Smoke would definitely know what Yuri looks like.”
“So do we get Smoke first?” Ivan asks. “Where there’s smoke there’s fire.”
“Where there’s smoke there’s fire.” Young repeats.
Fire figures that the biker he paid in Memphis for muscle wouldn’t be too big on keeping his mouth shut with the police if they offered him anything beneficial. So, Fire is scared that his plan may have backfired on him and he races back to Knoxville. He calls his nephew Yuri as he drives.
“Get to my house and stay until I tell you it’s fine to leave.” Fire says.
“What’s going on?” Yuri asks.
“Don’t ask questions, just get there. I’ll be there tonight.” He hangs up and calls the man known as Smoke.
“Where are you, you black son of a bitch.” Fire is angry.
“Good to talk to you too. I’m in VA, why what’s up?”
“I need your dumb ass expertise. The police got somebody that might flip on me and my arms don’t reach all the way to Memphis.”
“Mine don’t either,” Smoke says. “But if you got the time, I got something else you might be interested in.”
“What’s that nigga?”
“Your man Darker is asking for a face to face. He was insisting. Said he’d be in Knoxville tonight. He wanted me to meet him and take him to your house, but I can’t make it. Should I tell him where you live?”
Fire laughs. When he sees Darker he has every intention to kill him. And maybe he has the same plan. But it is too good to pass up. “Give it to ’em. I’ll talk to him.” Fire hangs up. He is happy and it masks the worry about the biker.
When Smoke hangs up with Fire, he turns to Darker in the passenger side of his car. They are parked a few miles away from Fire’s house.
“That’s a disrespectful asshole.” Smoke says.
“Don’t worry about him. I got something for him.” Darker says.
Young took Sonny and Ivan to his house where they make decisions about the best way to find Smoke.
“I’ll call him, see where he is.” Sonny says as he calls the man on his cell phone. “What’s up Smoke?” He says.
“Not too much, it’s crazy you called. Your boss man Darker is here with me.” Smoke says.
“Oh yeah?” Sonny says. “Where y’all at?”
“In TN of all places. We got some business. Where you at? I’m guessing you ain’t found Fire yet.” Smoke says.
“No not yet. Why are y’all in TN?”
“Boss man might put out the fire before you do.”
Sonny asks, “Can I talk to him?”
Darker takes the phone. “Where are you?”
“Listen to me,” Sonny says urgently, “Smoke set us up. You didn’t kill Fire’s nephew. It was somebody else.”
“How you know that?” Darker asks, keeping his cool and looking sideways at Smoke.
“Would I lie to you? He sent me to NC and I almost got killed. Don’t trust that man.”
“Let me get back to you Sonny.” Darker says and hangs up the phone.
“That boy’s temper is gonna get him in trouble one day.” Smoke says. “I tried to talk him out of going after Fire, but he don’t listen.”
“Its my problem now.” Darker says.
“What was that?” Young asks.
“That was my boss. They’re going after Fire, him and Smoke.”
“Where are they?”
“Here, in Knoxville. I don’t know where. Do you know where Fire lives?”
“I do,” Young says, “but I can’t just go bustin up in there without a reason.”
“What about the threat of murder? You’d be protecting him.” Ivan offers.
“I guess we’re going to Fire’s house.”
By the time he makes it to his house, it is dark and Fire is tired. Inside, he greets his nephew Yuri who is restless in his living room.
“We have to strategize nephew.” Fire says. “I don’t know for sure, but shit might get sticky soon. That thing with the bikers was working so nice. That detective didn’t know which way was up with all the shit that was going down. But they got that leader that I paid, probably already questioning him.”
“You got police friends.” Yuri says.
“Yeah, I got police friends in Knoxville. Why would I be worried if I had somebody in Memphis?” Fire yells.
“I don’t know.” Yuri says weakly.
Before Fire can continue, the two hear gunshots at a distance. Both Fire and Yuri pull their weapons from their waists and approach the door.
“Police?” Yuri asks.
“Nah, they don’t usually shoot first.” Fire says as he pushes through the front door of his mansion. Daker and Smoke are waiting for him on his front porch. Both men have weapons drawn.
“What the fuck?!” Fire yells. He looks to Smoke and all he can do is shake his head. “You lying piece of shit. PLaying both sides. You tell your partner over here that you been feeding me information?”
“He ain’t gotta say shit.” Darker says and he turns his gun on Smoke and shoots the man in the chest. “He started all this shit between us. I say we go back to how it was.”
Fire laughs as he watches Smoke writhing on the porch in pain and he shoots him again. “For good measure.” Fire says laughing.
Darker laughs along with him and lowers his weapon. “What you say, man? We ain’t gotta be friends, but we can work together.”
Fire is still laughing and he shoots Darker in the head. When the man is down on the porch, he shoots him twice more in the crotch. “I burn everything man. Ain’t no survivors when I come through.”
Yuri stands next to his uncle as they eye the dead bodies on the porch.
“I guess everything that was theirs is yours now huh?” Yuri asks.
“That’s how it works. Chop off the head and all the pawn line up behind the biggest one still standing. And that’s me.” Fire chuckles to himself. I gotta get somebody to clean up this mess…” He says, before Yuri’s gunshot interrupts him. Yuri shoots his uncle in the stomach, twice for good measure.
“Chop off the head,” he says to himself, then he cleans his fingerprints from his gun and places it in Darker’s cold hands. Then he hops in his car and drives off into the night. He thinks about his uncle, the man had been very good to him in his life, but the most important thing that he had learned from the man was that successful men know how to seize an opportunity. If his dead uncle could talk, Yuri figured that he would be very proud of his initiative.
By the time Young arrives with Ivan and Sonny, they are met with the grisly scene of three dead men on the porch of Fire’s mansion.
“That’s your boss ain’t it?” Young asks Sonny.
“Yeah. Smoke and Fire too.”
“I guess this is done, then. But that slippery ass Yuri. Always a loose end.” Young says frustrated and then he calls for backup.
Young, Sonny and Ivan sit on the porch steps.
“All of this shit for nothing.” Sonny says.
“You should think about changing your life. Your boss is dead. Maybe you can do something different.” Young says.
“You could stay with me.” Ivan offers. “If you wanted to move to Knoxville I mean.”
Sonny looks off thoughtfully into the distance and sighs. “Maybe. Maybe.”
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