A Noir Piece


I flick the light switch, and I killed the last light. In the darkness of the mirror, a good looking guy stares back at me. This guy in the mirror wears a slick blue uniform, and the guy slips a badge over his neck. This guy is ready to go, and this guy is packing heat.


The smell of rain is what hits me as I skip the last step. I take a long drag from my cigarette. I Inhale the smoke and slowly blow it out through my front teeth. The day was hot, but the night is now cool. I survey the streets. No fishy smell stings the air tonight. Perfect weather to lay down the law. I take another long draw from my cigarette, and I move swiftly to my car. When I step in to my dark fuzz cab, a sly smile comes across my face. I read off of the paper, and I look at the picture. A beautiful one is in store for us tonight. Johnny will have his way with her, and I’ll be swimming in dough stacks by the time the sun pokes it’s head over the horizon.


In Brooklyn I’m on the night shift. These streets are my children. With a cool hand and a keen eye, I am the man of these streets. Johnny at the station calls the shots. I go on long missions through thick summer air to take targets into custody. Whether I have to let my gun sing to a couple of drunks messing with one of our families, or do a quick snatch of a young lady Johnny spotted, I always am carrying out what Johnny asks me to. He repays me with cold green benjamins. He may sing sick songs to a bank teller, or he may put some rich jack away for life and take his dough. We run everything around here. I let my gun and my badge do the talking.


People know the deal around these parts. They know how we run things, and if the people don’t like it they keep their mouth shut about it. If you slide out of line, you end up with X’s over your eyes. They could end up rotting in Pelican Bay for all I care.


My ride glides down the street. This girl is supposed to step out of the subway at 9:30. I’ll tag her and pick her up once she gets to a quiet street. At 9:33 she slides up the steps and turns down central street. She’s a beauty. She must be a Rican. She has long brown hair, and she is wearing a red dress. Her hands are busy with groceries, and she walks with intent. A fine looking woman like herself knows better than to be out this late at night. Boy does Johnny have good taste.

As I slip through the shadows in my car behind her, she turns down a remote street. I blaze the sirens, and I pull up next to her. As I step out of the car, she notices me and jumps back quickly, dropping her groceries and putting her hands up. I laugh out loud. So much for a fight with this one.


I slide out of the car to see this woman’s body shaking like a leaf. I light up a cigarette with a smile. My body eases against the passenger door of the car. The first puff warms my lungs. I smile at her.


“Officer,” she asks.


“You know there is a warrant out for your arrest girly.”


“Oh officer, you must be mistaken!” Her voice sounds slightly panicked. I love it.


I inhale for a while on my cigarette, then blow the smoke through my teeth towards the black sky. I smile at her. “Here the police are always right.” Her face slides into a deer in headlights look. She knows the deal. She knows that she has no control at this point. After I cuff her, I put her into the back of the car.


The car brakes squeak as we stop at different lights. I hear loud breathing in the back seat. Fire is practically shooting from her nose.


“What’s wrong sugar?” The words hopped off my tongue as I glanced at her through the mirror.


“You’re never going to get away with this!” I grin at her. Her face is red. She knows that she has been brought into the system now.


“Oh sugar. You don’t get it do you.”


Our car kept squeaking along until we reached the station. I surfed into my normal spot, and I softly stopped.


I moved her into the station where she was booked by Jay. Jay’s a skinny guy who sits behind the counter and books the catch. Johnny and I met with her in the back room for questioning. Johnny puffed a fat cigar as he sat behind his desk. He read off of the paper and smiled. She sat cuffed to a chair across from him, and she was still puffing like a bull.


Johnny puffed a smoke ring in the air and then smiled. His smile was large and his heavy Italian features showed.


“Looks like theft charges are being put against you huh?” Johnny asks.


“I didn’t do nothin’.”


Johnny smiled. “Three charges of shoplifting huh? Doesn’t that sound like something?”


“Yeah and we got witnesses that put you at the scene of the crime. The evidence was found on the street when I picked her up sir.” I remarked. We showed our heat, and we pressured some old shopkeeper in to being a witness.


“Look honey. I want to make this easy for ya. I’m a family man, and I know that you are a good mother to those kids of yours. Heck, you're probably a good wife to! But look suga’, being in jail aint setting a good example for the kids is it?” Johnny’s a professional. He knows everything about the targets.


“Yeah, and three robbery charges ain't no joke either,” I add.


She was steaming now. Snot was spitting from her nostrils. Fumes were practically coming out of her head. But dang did she stand out in a room like a rose.


“Now you’re facing three to four years assuming we can’t make a deal.”


“Yeah, well what deal are you talkin’?”


“You know the deal,” I cut in.


“Okay. So that’s how it’s gonna be? Okay.” She stated.


I walked out of the office. My job was done for now. I stood outside the station taking long breaths from a cigarette. Two Puerto Rican men got out of a car, and they walked towards me.


“I want to see my wife,” one said.


“And I want to see my sister,” remarked the other.


I took a long draw from my cigarette. I blew the fumes at the man. A grin slid across my face. “We aren’t done with her.”


“That wasn’t a question,” one of them sniped.


This got the air a little tense, and this started a chain reaction that got my blood a little hot.


“Who in the world do you think you’re talking to boy?”


The men looked angrily at me. One pulled a gun and he pointed towards me.


“Who do you think you are? Who in the world are you pointing that at boy? Jay,” I barked, “Jay get out here!”


Jay dragged to the door slowly. He pulled the latch and he walked out. Jay slipped his hand into his pocket and he yanked out his pistol.


“Haha you see how it is now boys don’t you,” I laughed.


The two Puerto Ricans smiled. “Yeah we see how it is.”


I glanced over at Jay. I looked straight down the barrel of his pistol. He was three feet away and he cocked the gun.


“So that’s how it is huh? You disloyal fool! You hypocritic losers!” My mind was fizzling, and the air felt uneasy.

“Don’t you understand that I’m the man around here! Don’t you get that these streets belong to me! I’m putting cases on all of you! All of your families are going down!” My mouth was running away from me now, and I just couldn’t seem to catch it.

“Why don’t you boys bounce. I got your back boys. Get up out of here,” Jay stated cooly. He thinks he’s in control now huh?

“Who are you protecting boy? Who do you think you are?” Now I was gone.

“This is my city! I will burn these streets to the ground! I’ll laugh as ya’ll go down! Stalin ain’t got nothin on me!” The two Puerto Rican men’s guns slowly slid into their holsters.

“Just you wait and see!” I pointed at one of the men. “You’ll be under 24 hour lock down in alcatraz by the time i’m through with you! All of ya’ll are burning! Just you wait and see! I can’t lose. You can’t beat me!”


Jay pointed the gun at me still. The two men bounced. Fumes shot from my ears.


“Oh just you wait and see! You’re going down with that sister of yours!” They didn’t turn around, they just kept walking.


“Get out of here ya bum. Get into your car and get out of here,” Jay harshly suggested.


I stared at him and smirked.


“Just you wait Jay. Just you wait!”


When I turned the ignition key I lit up another cigarette. I turned through the first light and then down another street. The air seemed heavy, and the night seemed quiet. Who did they think they were? I’m putting murder on Jay. We aren’t letting the girl out either. Her husband and brother are getting killed. We’ll frame some useless bum we find on the street. These are my streets. Who do they think they are?

A gray station wagon pulled up next to me. I cocked my head to look down the barrell of a shotgun. It was the same men from the station. This time they were in the front seat of a cop car. Another officer was behind the wheel. A glum look was on his face. A face that had muscles positioned to show anger and revenge. My blood temperature skyrocketed.


I slid out of my car. “Boy don’t nobody ever teach you!” A horribly loud noise shook the air. I was blown back against my car. Barely breathing I glanced as the Puerto Rican that pulled the trigger stepped from his car. He snatched my badge from around my neck. With a quick tug he yanked it off.


“This time the case was put on you.”