Mr. Paradise

On the way one of the ROPE guys called Violent Crimes and asked, "You guys still looking for Orlando Holmes?"

A senior Violent Crimes officer said, "Yeah, but we think he's in Mississippi."

The ROPE guy said, "No, he's in the back of my car."

Delsa arrived and Harris filled him in about the federal task force making the arrest. He said Orlando was waiting in the interview room.

"He confess?"

"Not yet."

"What's the problem?"

"Says he wasn't home at the time. Must've been somebody else did the Mexicans."

"I'll talk to him," Delsa said.

He thought of Jerome as Harris told him, "It was Orlando's brother's girlfriend's brother who called Crime Stoppers wanting the twenty thousand. They let him know the woman who'd put it up changed her mind, as she didn't have time to raise the money, but Crime Stoppers would give him a thousand for being a good citizen. Orlando's brother's girlfriend's brother said, 'I risk my ass to help you all out and that's all I get?'"

Delsa walked back to the interview room with a pad of Witness Statement forms and sat across the table from Orlando Holmes, who sat hunched over picking at a fingernail.

"What you're doing is fucking up my evening," Delsa said, and Orlando looked up. "Your girlfriend Tenisha, Tenisha's mother, and your neighbor Rosella Munson, have all signed statements that you were home the day you and Jo-Jo and another guy killed the three Cash Flow Mexicans. You can tell me a member of the Dorados posse made you do it. Two members of the Dorados have disappeared. If you stayed on the street much longer, you'd of disappeared too. We'll get to motive. I've got your prints on the chain saw Jo-Jo bought at the Home Depot that evening and a tape of Jo-Jo making the purchase from their security camera. So don't waste my time."

Delsa began filling in the top of the witness sheet, his name and Orlando's, time and date, where they were. He said, "I'm putting down that you willingly gave me this information. Now tell me what happened," Delsa said, writing it on the form, "at 2210 Vermont regarding the three men shot and burned, one dismembered, on or about April 15. What time did the three men arrive at your home?"

Orlando didn't answer, looking past Delsa now.

"I know later on at the motel you told Tenisha, 'My fuckin life is done.'" Delsa paused and said, "You think it is?"

Orlando was looking at him now.

"I'd like to hear your side of this," Delsa said. "Tell me why the three guys came to see you."

"It was about weed," Orlando said. "I told them I wasn't dealing with them no more and they become upset. They brought a hundred pounds and said I had to pay them for it."

"Where'd you take it, to your mom's house?"

Orlando straightened a little. "How'd you know?"

"So these Cash Flow guys tried to get tough, uh?"

"Thought they could make me pay 'em."

"They threaten you?"

"Say they be back."

"So what you did was like self-defense, shoot them first?"

"Exactly how I saw it. Shoot the motherfuckers before they come and shoot me. Wouldn't you do the same, you in my shoes?"

"Not exactly," Delsa said. "Why'd you try to burn your house down?"

"Was a Posse guy did it. He say get a chain saw, cut 'em up and burn 'em. You ever cut into a body full of blood?"

"No, I haven't," Delsa said.

"Man, I threw my clothes in with theirs. Those greasers, man, they spooks. I knew that house wouldn't burn."

"You know who put the stuff on you?"

"Somebody close to me, his girlfriend's punk-ass brother. Is how it goes. But listen, I'm on tell you something, I was scared."

"I would be, too," Delsa said.

"Thinking of 'em coming back with guns."

Delsa put it in.

In two hours or more he filled nine pages with Orlando's statement, each one signed. It was ten to eleven when he gave Orlando to Harris, going to the Seventh Precinct for the night, and had a chance to call Kelly.

Her voice said, "Leave a message."

He had told her in the note, if she wanted to make other plans, go ahead. And that's what she did. He had assumed she had a date last night, and she went to Alvin's to get the stock. Why didn't she tell him? Because he wouldn't understand why she wanted to get it and check out the value of what she had by herself-in case it was enough to commit fraud to get. His mind took him there, he was an investigator, he looked for motives. But he didn't believe that was the reason she made him think she had a date and went to Alvin's alone. No, she was honest with him. Except in the begi

Or she was tired and went to bed.

What he could do, drive over there and see if her car was in the lot.

28

Montez said, "We can't take my car. she knows it, she's even been in it."

Carl thought about it before saying, "You don't want to go, do you?"

Art said, "It ain't even the smoke's car, it's that old man's."

Montez said, "She sees it coming she'll scream her lungs out."

"There's an all-points on the Tahoe by now. It stays in the garage." Carl said, "We'll take Lloyd's car," and asked him, "you want to drive us?"

"I don't drive at night," Lloyd said, "account of my vision ain't too good."

Montez said, "Who's staying here with Lloyd and the gangbanger, see they don't pull any shit on us?"

"I guess you are," Carl said, "since you don't like to put yourself out. Me and Art'll get her."

While it was still light they had checked out the loft, and where Kelly parked her VW in the lot across the street. Art drove. Carl sat in back. They waited on the south side of the lot toward the river. Art kept looking at his watch saying, "Well, she coming or not?"

Carl said, "Give her time."

Finally, when they saw the black VW coming from Jefferson and Art said, "This must be her," it was almost ten o'clock.

They watched the VW pull into the lot and find a spot and waited for Kelly to get out and lock the car. Now Art brought the Camry around the corner with the lights off, creeping up to where she would cross the street to her building, timing it. There she was, starting across, a leather bag hanging from her shoulder. She didn't see the Camry creeping up on her. Art braked and popped on the brights and saw her face and how scared she was as Carl appeared in the beams and grabbed her. They got her in the backseat with the bag, no problem, Carl's hand over her mouth. She tried to fight him but quieted down as he began to tell her, "I come across a gook sleeping in a tu

He held Kelly in his arms patting her back.

Montez was waiting in the kitchen. He took her bag from Art and pushed her ahead of him through the swing door. She didn't know where she was until she saw the living room, the old man's chair and the TV set gone. Montez was feeling around in her bag now saying, "What you got in here?" He found her cell and put it in his pocket. Now he was bringing out the stock certificate, the papers and her printout. Montez said, "Go

She didn't answer. She hadn't made a sound since she was thrown in the car. They were in the foyer now and Kelly was looking at the two guys standing in the short hall from the living room. Like they didn't want to get too close to her. White guys. She realized they must be the ones from the other night. It surprised her and she said, "They're hiding out here?"