CHAPTER 6- COME AND GET IT

TETHER DREAMS IN THE SHADOW GAME

By Claude L Arango

CHAPTER 6

COME AND GET IT

The Shot Caller laid on his bunk, wide awake, listening to the sounds that the County Jail made after Lights Out. The steady hum of the ventilator was like music to the prisoners, and they all were fast a sleep.

The night guard sat at his desk at the front of the dorm, reading girly magazines, occasionally interrupted by an inmate asking permission to use the latrine.

The Shot Caller heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He knew that they were guards because they wore boots, inmates wore sandals.   

“It’s time” the lead guard told him, as he signaled for the cell door to be opened. “Let’s go”. Four guards surrounded him as they escorted him to the elevator, down three floors, and into neon lit room, where he changed into civilian clothes. Five minutes later he was standing in front of the LA County Jail, when a black van pulled up, with the side door open and Special Agent Jack Crush told him to get in.

They drove to Echo Park in Los Angeles and parked in front of a house in the middle of the block, across from the lake. This is your new home, the agent told him and handed him the keys to the house and twenty five thousand dollars in a big manila envelope. We don’t want you robbing banks or doing anything stupid. Get your crew together and we will contact you in two weeks with your first shipment.

 The Shot Caller brought his brother, Antonio, in from Mexico. He would be the muscle and keep the crew in line. They bought three used cars for transport, to serve as taxis, and 15 beepers for communication.

At the end of two weeks he got a call on the house phone, and was told by a voice that he didn’t recognize to go to the rear of the police station on Rampart, and on the back street he would find a green Toyota. The keys would be under the front seat and the junk would be in the trunk. He was told to ditch the car after he made the transfere.

Everything went like clockwork, and every two weeks he would get new instructions on where to pick up the new shipment. Six months later they were rolling with 20 taxis and dispersing a kilo of cocaine powder a day.

Now when they made the pick up, they would leave the car that they drove, with $600,000 in the trunk, at the curb.

After their last pick up the Shot Caller got a call from Agent Crush, which was unusual, because he hadn’t n heard from the agent since he was handed the keys to the house six months earlier. “We got a problem. The money was not in the trunk. Somebody got to it before we did.” Agent crush said, without any emotion. “We have to meet tonight. I will send a car”, and then he hung up.

The black van was outside of his house at midnight, and he was driven to a warehouse near the airport. Once inside he was met by agent Crush and three other men in dark suites who never spoke.

Agent Crush told him to have a seat at a metal desk in the middle of the floor. The lights were dimmed and a film began to play against the back wall. It showed Plino, one of the Shot Caller’s drivers pull up, and parked the money car, at the designated location the day before. He then got out and walked pass two cars up to a black sedan, got in and fished under the seat for the key and drove away.

The film then speeded up five minutes, and a white Toyota Camry came into the frame and stopped beside the money car. A young Chicano got out, and opened the trunk with a crow bar, garbed a dark green trash bag, got back into the waiting Camry and drove away.

“That’s who got our money, and you have until midnight to get it back. Agent Crush said to The Shot Caller in a calm, steady, menacing voice. He is a member of White Fence, the local gang in the area where you live. More important, I believe that you have a traitor in your crew. When you bring the money tonight, bring the traitor too. Here is a copy of the tape.”

With that the meeting was over, and The Shot Caller hadn’t said a word.  He knew that he had to deliver on both counts or the Feds would terminate him and his crew.

He called his brother, Antonio, and told him to bring the three drivers that they had used to make the pickups from the Feds. He, Antonio and the three drivers were the only people who knew about the pickups.

When they all got to the house he told them that there had been a problem and that they had to make another delivery that evening. Only this time they were going to split the package. Each driver would be carrying $200,000. They were told to meet him back at the house at 3:00 pm.

Antonio had all three of them followed. Two went home and the third went straight to the White Fence hang out at Fountain and Western Ave. in old Hollywood.

We got the snitch, Antonio said to his brother, The Shot Caller, as he hung up the phone. Miguel went straight to those putas, White Fence, up in Hollywood. I bet that our money is still there. It will take those dumb bastards a week to count all of that money.

Go get my money and bring that puta, Miguel, back here alive, the Shot Caller told his brother as he walked around the desk and hugged him. We back in business Bro.

An hour later Antonio walked in the front door of the casa in Echo Park, carrying a green fifty gallon trash bag, with Miguel in tow, escorted by two of the Mob’s soldiers. He didn’t have a scratch on him, Antonio, said with disgust in his voice, they laid down like pussies when we busted in on them. And like I told you, they were still counting the money, out in the open, like they didn’t have a worry in the world. We lined the four of them up against the wall and shot them, and found this pussy trying to get out of the bathroom window.

“We treated you like family Miguel, the Shot Caller said as he walked up to Miguel and kissed him on both cheeks. “ And this is the way you repay us. Not only have you killed yourself but your family too. They all must pay for the sins of the father.”

That night at midnight the Shot Caller and his crew met Agent Crush at the warehouse, near the airport. They drove their cars into the warehouse, and the agents shut the door behind them.

The Shot Caller got out of his van with Antonio behind him with the green plastic bag and Miguel in tow. “Here is your money and here is the snitch.” Antonio said as he pushed Miguel toward the agent. Then the Shot Caller pulled out a Gluck pistol and pointed it at Agent Crush’s head, “And if you ever threaten me again I will killed you. I know that I cannot beat the agency, but you, I can get to.”

The other agents started to make a move for their guns, but agent Crush put up his hand and stopped them. “That’s what I like to see, Geronimo, a little imitative. Now you are ready for the next step. You will become the sole supplier for the entire West Coast. Now tell your people to get rid of the snitch and step into my office. We got things to talk about”.