Piece Keeper by Antwan Floyd Sr. Read Free Book Online Page A

for all of them but he was glad that Morena suggested it
and that Teresa finally agreed. After making sure that she was
settled in he got in his truck and drove over to the police
station. He’d called Waeltz on the way and he’d agreed to meet him
at there. When he walked in hard stares fell on him coming from
both men and women. The women surprised him more than anything. No
matter how much he saw it, it never rested easy with him how the
loyalty amongst police officers was so immense it blanketed all
common sense, decency, and reason. As he made his way through the
crowd of officers standing and watching he reached Chief
Witherspoon’s office just as two plain clothes detectives were
slapping handcuffs on Hunter and Foster. He assumed they were
Internal Affairs detectives. He folded his arms across his chest as
he watched Waeltz put the cuffs on Witherspoon.
    “I can’t believe you did this, Love!” Witherspoon
called out.
    Waeltz guided the chief out of his office and
towards the exit. “He didn’t. I called I.A. I also called your
union rep. Don’t say another word Chief.”
    Black followed behind as the officers were led to
awaiting vehicles parked in front of the station. After they were
all in and the cars pulled away from the curb only Waeltz and Love
stood outside.
    “I’m surprised that the D.A. wanted to place them
under arrest so quickly,” Waeltz said, not giving Love any eye
contact as he scrolled through his phone.
    “She hasn’t been very popular in the polls. If it’s
a chance to show the public she’s on top of police corruption it’ll
look all the better come election time.”
    “Look, I have to go. Keep me in the loop,” Waeltz
said as he hopped in his car and pulled off just as news vans
pulled up. Reporters and cameramen began piling out and moving
towards Black.
    “A.D.A. Love, is it true the chief and two of his
officers are accused of the rape of a woman that was working here
as an intern?” a reporter asked wasting no time.
    “No comment,” Black said as he made the trek towards
his truck.
    “Aren’t you the District Attorney for Cook County?
Is there any special reason you were assigned to this case?”
    “No comment!” he yelled again as they continued
following him. As he reached his truck with a bevy of news
reporters on his heels he stood in awe. His truck had been
vandalized. The windows were all shattered. Glass lay scattered on
the ground and in the front seats. All four tires were slashed and
the words “She’s a liar!” were keyed onto the hood. He looked
around anxiously as if he would spot the perpetrator at any moment.
He angrily kicked a dent into the driver’s door as the gaggle of
reporters kept shouting out questions at him. He began walking in
the other direction as officers stood by; some glaring angrily,
others laughing. He walked and walked until he found himself back
at the bar. It was a poor choice seeing as though it was a local
hangout for off duty cops. Sitting in the same spot he’d sat at
only hours ago the once friendly bartender turned a cold shoulder
to him. Black removed a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and
placed it on the bar top. “Jack and coke.”
    The bartender stared at Love then at the twenty
dollar bill for several seconds before picking it up and placing it
in the cash register. Then he picked up the remote control, pointed
it at the plasma TV hanging from the ceiling behind the bar and
turned the volume up. Black hadn’t paid much attention to the TV
before but when he heard his voice yelling no comment he looked up
just in time to see himself kicking a dent in the rental. He
grunted.
    The bartender grimaced as he poured the drink and
slid it in front of him. “You have that drink and you get on out of
here and head back home. Don’t need no trouble round here.”
    “Not looking for any, won’t be any.” Black downed
his drink and slammed the empty glass on the counter. “Another,” he
demanded never wavering eye