The Thaon Factor Page 7

  Detective Wright greets two men in Air Force uniforms and motions them to follow him toward the interrogation room. Upon following Wright into the room, Stone frowns.

  “Never seen three of the most retarded-looking black people in all my life,” he whispers to Morgan.

  Morgan gives Darryl a barely, yet affirmative nod. “Officer Wright,” Stone begins, “in line with standard military procedure, we have to speak with these boys alone for a few minutes.

  “You may,” Detective Wright concedes as he exchanges glances with Darryl before leaving. “However, I’ll remind you both that there will be no rough treatment of those teenagers. Until this matter is resolved, this is still a police and civilian matter under my jurisdiction.”

  Stone nods in agreement before Detective Wright leaves the room. Stone and Morgan sit across from the three young men. Stone’s primary focus falls on David. “Despite what your lawyer may have told you, you boys are in big trouble. Breaking onto a military base and stealing military equipment are federal offenses, punishable by twenty years in prison!”

  “We’ve already been over this,” Nathan objects. “You have no proof that we were involved in any theft!”

  “Your other accomplices,” Morgan interrupts, “admitted that you and your buddies sitting here were involved in the scheme.”

  “And I think we have the third suspect right here,” Stone adds, looking at David.

  “You think?” David counters. “So you aren’t sure.”

  “Nigger, don’t you dare get smart with me! You are addressing a white United States Air Force Officer!” Stone lashes back. “Keep it up and I’ll make it a lot hotter for your black tail.”

  “You better watch who you’re talking to!” Tyrone yells. “You’re the one who’s asking for trouble!”

  “Tyrone,” David interrupts, “ease up bro. We all know where we’re going with this.”

  “Is that so?” Stone counters angrily. “I’ll tell you where you’re going! If you don’t cooperate, all of you are heading south to San Quentin to join the rest of those black monkeys! Twenty years for each of you!” Morgan is smiling in total agreement with Stone’s tactics.

  “Plus,” Stone continues, “by resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and selling cocaine by your two friends, that’s another twenty years. You still wanna break bad with me? Huh nigger?”

  “What do you want, Mr. Stone?” David asks, struggling against a building rage.

  “That’s Major Stone, Sir, to you, boy! You’d had better start showing me respect! You can make a lot easier on yourself if you give us what we want. And who knows, we just might be persuaded to drop all charges against you and your fellow thugs.”

  Looking at Stone with acute animosity, David is struggling to hold his temper in check. He feels that if he were ever tempted to become a black power militant, it would be now.

  “In other words, Major Stone…Sir…you want the alien device that is in my possession.”

  “I’m amazed! You people do have intelligence!” Morgan replies with a cynical laugh as he turns to face Stone.

  “David! Don’t do this! Wait until our lawyer arrives. These guys don’t have a shred of proof.”

  “Nathan! I have to do this,” he replies with a look of concern. “Those two devices aren’t worth seeing any of us behind bars for the next twenty or more years. I will not take that risk!”

  “Two devices? What two devices?” Stone thinks to himself.

  “Risk?” Tyrone yells. “What makes you think you can trust these redneck, confederate-flag-wavin’ honkeys? They might take the device and we’d still end up in the slammer!”

  “You better watch who you’re calling a honkey, boy! I’m an Air Force officer and your superior!” Morgan threatens.

  Tyrone, unlike David, feels little inhibition about showing his feelings. “Lying mothersucka’, I don’t care who you are! Call me boy just one more time, and I’m putting my black foot up your white tail!”

  Tyrone jumps out of his chair. Stone and Morgan stand up out of their chairs while David and Nathan forcibly restrain Tyrone.

  “Tyrone! Ease up bro!” Nathan yells. “You’re only making it worse!”

  Suddenly, Detective Wright and two other officers force their way in.

  “What is going on here? Major Stone!” Wright yells. “I told y’all no rough treatment!”

  Inwardly, Wright feels little inclination to be hostile toward minorities. He is angered by his precinct’s hostile treatment of minorities, blacks and Latinos especially.

  After graduating in 1948 from Nacogdoches High in Nacogdoches, Texas, Charles left home and moved to New York City to pursue a career in law enforcement. In 1969, he was among various police officers involved in the infamous “Panther 21” case. In that case, 21 members of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party were arrested and charged with attempted arson and attempted murder. NYPD officials had charged the black panthers with conspiracy to blow up police stations, school buildings, a railroad yard and the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Federal officials had singled out Dhoruba Bin Wahad, actual name Richard Moore, as the principal leader of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party.

  New York newspapers, such as the Daily News, repeatedly had run the story. Like a few others, Wright knew that many of the charges were erroneous. He finally transferred to Anonwood in June of 1971, one month after the New York Black Panthers were found not guilty and subsequently acquitted of all charges.

  “Officer Wright! I am charging this boy as an accomplice to the theft. His buddy tried to assault Lt. Morgan without provocation!”

  “That’s a lie, officer!” Nathan shouts. “They threatened us!”

  “Okay! Enough of this!” David shouts, raising his hands, looking at Major Stone, “I’ll cooperate. I’ll give you the device back!”

  “Mr. Williams,” Wright interrupts, “I thought you said that you were not involved.”

  “Officer Wright, he is involved,” Stone states. “As you can see, he has just admitted that he has the stolen device.”

  “Mr. Williams, is Major Stone right? Are you willingly admitting to being an accomplice to the theft?” Two officers approach David.

  David looks at his two friends. Seeing that David is nervous, Tyrone and Nathan are beginning to have serious doubts about any plan that David may have.

  “Officer, My friends and I are not entirely responsible for the theft,” David begins. “But, I can take you to where the device is hidden.”

  “Not entirely?” Wright asks with surprise. “Mr. Williams, this proves your direct involvement in this. Your candid admission of the fact makes you an accomplice in this crime.”

  “I understand. Yet, I have to do this.” Tyrone and Nathan are shocked.

  “Mr. Williams, I have to inform you that you will be arrested, charged and arraigned before a criminal court. Also, that altercation between you and Mr. Johnny Coleman will be a factor in your court hearing.” Nathan shakes his head in disbelief. If something goes wrong, he reasons, then they all will be spending the next twenty or more years in prison.

  “I understand. First, I need to make an important phone call.”

  “You are allowed only one phone call,” Detective Wright replies.

  In the hallway, David, followed by Tyrone, Nathan and several police officers, walk to a nearby pay phone. David deposits a dime into the coin slot. After dialing a number, he hears two rings before the person on the other end answers. Shocked, Tyrone turns to Nathan and whispers. “Why is he calling the phone booth across from our house?”

  Nathan whispers back. “Beats me. He never mentioned this. I’m praying hard that his plan works.”

  “Hi mom! It’s me, David. I’ll be late coming home. I’ll be okay though. I love you. Bye.” David quickly hangs up the receiver.

  “Mr. Williams, I don’t think you’ll be going home anytime soon after this,” Detective Wright tells him.

  “Officer Wright, I just want
ed to call my mother anyway.”

  “I love you too…son,” Sylvia replies just before hanging up. She opens the phone booth door.

  “What did he say?” Diane asks.

  “I know one thing,” Sylvia responds, “I sure ain’t his mama!” The women break out in a loud laugh.

  “We’re getting the Williams boy to hand over that alien device that you want so badly,” Stone speaks into the receiver. “The police are taking us to the Clark house where he hid it.”

  “Good work!” Anthony replies. “I knew you and Paul could do it.”

  “You make sure that you deposit the other twenty grand into our bank accounts,” Stone demands.

  “Don’t worry. Arlene has already deposited twenty thousand into each of your accounts. You just have that device. I’m on my way.”

  “Mother! Look! Come here! Quick!” Samantha yells, as she looks out of the front window. “Police cars!” Rushing to her youngest daughter’s side, Janez is aghast as she peers out of the front window. She opens the front door and runs out into the front yard. She is speechless as she observes various police officers, her two sons, David and two Air Force men exiting various cars. Despite the joy that she feels in seeing her sons, the presence of the other men frightens her. For some inexplicable reason, her attention falls on David. A small crowd of the neighborhood youths is beginning to form across the street. Police officers are becoming nervous as black teenagers begin hurling verbal assaults. One officer immediately calls for police backup. Three other officers, hands on the butt of their guns, move into a defensive position and order the teenagers to keep their distance.

  Across the street, 17-year-old James “Benny” Mizell, along with his younger friend, Randall “War” Ward, is watching the scene through an open front window. While listening to Marvin Gaye’s What Going On playing from an old floor model stereo, James is surprised to see the Clark brothers standing beside two police officers. “Y’all shouldn’t have been snorting that coke,” James says to himself. “Now look at ya’.”

  “All right, where is it?” Darryl demands while looking at David.

  David catches Janez’s look of surprise.

  “Officer Wright! What is going on here?” Janez begins. “Why are my sons here with all these police officers?”

  “Mrs. Clark, David Williams has admitted to his part in the theft of a military transceiver. He also admitted that he hid it in your home.”

  “Then you did steal it!” She yells. “You brought these police officers to my house. Now, you’ll get us all in trouble!”

  “I’m truly sorry, Mrs. Clark. But I had to do this.”

  “Mother! He’s right,” Sylvia states. Janez turns around and sees her two oldest daughters walking toward her. Sylvia is carrying a metallic silver-looking rectangular device in her hands.

  “You’re in on this too!” Janez screams in surprise.

  As they are sitting farther away in a gray Ford El Dorado, Arlene and Anthony are eyeing the device in Sylvia’s hands with eager anticipation. Anthony is thoroughly excited as the potential to make billions is almost within his grasp. Without another word, David walks up to Sylvia. After exchanging a glance with her, he removes the device from her hands. Tyrone and Nathan look at each other in stark surprise. “I tell ya! David is my main man!” Tyrone tells Nathan with great pride. As he walks toward Detective Wright, David presses a momentary switch on the side of the box. For eight seconds, a series of modulated audio tones stepping from 500 KHz to 5 KHz emanate from a small speaker within the box.

  Various LED lights are blinking randomly along with the audio tones. With a pretentious act, David pushes the button again, thus stopping the audio tones and the lights.

  “Is that the transceiver?” Officer Wright asks him.

  “Yes Officer! This is a narrow-band, UHF communications transceiver used in specialized military applications.”

  “Hand it over now!” Stone orders David. “You are holding sensitive military property!” David hands the device over to Stone, who snatches the device out of David’s hands. David slowly raises his right hand over his head and brings it down to scratch the back of his neck.

  “Easy money!” Morgan thinks to himself.

  After a quick examination of the device, Stone hands the device to Morgan. “Lieutenant! Put this into the trunk.”

  Morgan complies as he walks toward his car, which is parked in front of the El Dorado. Placing the device in the trunk, Paul lowers the trunk door without locking it. He leaves.

  “David, your cooperation in this has been helpful,” Stone begins. “Yet, in doing so, you have proven beyond all doubt that you were an accomplice to the break in. Officer, I demand that you arrest him for his involvement in this crime. I will inform my superiors of this situation.”

  Janez buries her face in her hands.

  David, however, looks at Stone and smiles. “You’ll be doing no such thing, jackass!”

  Stone reddens with anger. “Stupid Nigger! What did you call me?”

  “A jackass!”

  Before Stone utters another word, two black, 1973 Ford LTD Sedans are racing toward the scene and come to a screeching halt in the middle of the street. Four men in black suits exit both cars and show their badges.

  “FBI! No one moves!” Detective Wright and his officers are stunned. As wild pandemonium ensues in the surrounding crowd, Arlene quickly exits the car. Two FBI agents approach Officer Wright.

  “What is the problem here?” Wright asks.

  “Sir, are you the officer in charge?”

  “Yes I am! I am Detective Officer Charles Wright of the Anonwood North Hill Precinct. We have three teenagers here charged with theft of military property!”

  “Detective Officer Wright, I am FBI Special Agent Craig Daniels. My partners are Special Agents Tony Evans, Neal Washington and Julian Reeves. You indicated that you have in custody three teenagers charged with theft of military equipment, sir?”

  “Yes,” Wright replies. “With me are two Air Force OSI agents, Major Darryl Stone and Lieutenant Major Paul Morgan of Beale Air Force Base. Both have confirmed that these teenagers are in collusion with three base personnel in the theft.” Stone and Morgan turn to look away.

  “I understand,” Agent Everett replies. “Detective Wright, as you have indicated, three Air Force base personnel did attempt to pass military equipment to their civilian accomplices.”

  “Yes, I know,” Wright replies, “we have the accomplices right here.”

  “No sir, you do not,” Daniels counters. “Three other civilians out of North Sacramento, California were arrested over three weeks ago.”

  “What?” Wright yells in shock. He looks at Stone. “You told me that these teenagers were part of the theft! You even showed me the papers to prove it!”

  “Apparently,” Stone replies embarrassed, “there was mix up.”

  “Mix up!” David yells. “You and your KKK Confederate Bushwhacker buddy standing next to you are the lying bastards that are mixed up! Now, both you idiots can drop the pretense!”

  “Stupid nigger!” Stone yells. “You better watch who you’re talking to! I’ll drop your black tail quick!” He lunges for David.

  “Go for it you freakin’ white cracker!” David yells as he balls his fists. The crowd of teenagers erupts with excitement as two police officers react immediately to restrain the two men. “Hold it,” Police Officer Davis yells. Police Officer Raymond joins Davis to keep David and Darryl apart.

  “Okay, I’ve seen enough! It’s time to get to the bottom of this,” Wright demands. He turns his attention first to Darryl. “Major Stone, what in the Sam Hill is going on here? What pretense is Mr. Williams referring to?”

  “Pretense?” Janez asks herself.

  “I have no idea what that crazy nigger is talking about!”

  Special Agent Everett turns his attention to both men. “Major Darryl Stone and Lt. Major Paul Morgan! May I please see your military IDs?”

  Stone a
nd Morgan give David their meanest look. Stone wishes that he had his Smith and Wesson Model 66 revolver at this very moment.

  “I’m not talking to anyone but my lawyer,” Stone admits.

  Angered, Detective Wright reaches a disappointing realization. “I had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong. You two bozos aren’t real Air Force officers or OSI officials! Are you?”

  “Officer Wright,” David begins respectfully, “Bozo was a real clown. These two are phonies!” FBI Special Agents Evans and Washington come behind Darryl and Paul and handcuff both of them.

  “Suckers!” Tyrone yells. The other teenagers break out in a loud laugh.

  “Mr. Stone and Mr. Morgan,” Everett begins, “both of you are hereby being placed under arrest for the charge of falsely impersonating Air Force officials according to U.S. Criminal Code Title 18, Section 912.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Wright states loudly.

  "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. With these rights in mind, are you still willing to talk with me about the charges against you?"”

  “I have nothing to say!” Darryl fires back. Paul remains silent.

  Darryl Stone and Paul Morgan are escorted by FBI officials toward a car and put into the back seat.