Read Online Quicksand by Carolyn Baugh - Free Book Online

woman.
    The woman, whose name tag declared that she was “Lois,” glared at both of them. “Work it out, kids.”
    â€œBen. Come on. We agreed.”
    â€œNora. It’s called being polite. Besides, you brought your own weeds. Let me buy you a tea bag.”
    Nora appealed to Lois, who was still glaring, unmoved. “Fine,” she said at last, appending a muttered “Thank you.”
    â€œDon’t worry. You won’t upset the cosmic order,” Ben whispered.
    Lois took Ben’s money, still scowling.
    Nora followed him to a table by the window. “Don’t you diss my mint tea again, though,” she said, sinking into her seat.
    â€œWhat’s the story with the mint tea?” he asked.
    Nora toyed with the string that dangled over the side of the cup. “My mom always drank mint tea.”
    Ben regarded her, his gaze softening. “I’m sorry.”
    â€œThanks,” Nora said simply.
    â€œIs her passing part of why your dad is so protective of you?”
    Nora smiled wistfully. “I … yah, I guess it is.” She met his eyes and found them to be greener than she’d realized. She was lost in them for a moment, before she said, “Okay, you were gonna tell me about the A&As.”
    Ben sighed. “Yes, yes I was. The A&As used to be called African Annihilation.”
    â€œThat’s a mouthful for anyone.”
    â€œYes. Started as a black power group, actually, in the late sixties. Man named Hugo Jack. They called him Black Jack. Lot of antipolice activity, taking out a few officers as revenge for police brutality in Kingsessing.”
    â€œThey killed officers?”
    â€œBlack Jack got the death penalty for it. But the group lived on. Got into drugs. Very hierarchical organization, so succession lines were always clear, which kept them together.” Ben stopped to take a long sip of his coffee. “The Junior Black Mafia were Jamaican-based—really had nothing to do with the Philadelphia Black Mafia, despite the similar names. They are way more recent, born from the crack cocaine boom.”
    â€œAnd the rivalry?”
    Ben shrugged. “Turf. Plain and simple. Through some divine irony they both fight over the worst patch of it we have—Kingsessing. The A&As favored heroin. They originally got some product from New York just like the JBM did, and even some stuff from Pittsburgh of all places. But now it seems Mexico is their primary source. A cartel known as Los Zetas. Very scary guys. The JBM and Dewayne have been left behind in this respect. It’s been good for the A&As, but I know that some of their guys have disappeared. Permanently.”
    Nora blew across the surface of her tea, then observed, “Kevin Baker is young. He and Dewayne both are. How did they get so much power?”
    â€œMurder. They are both really good at that.”
    Nora nodded, considering this.
    Ben said wryly, “It’s a far cry from—what was your first case again? Lebanese Ponzi schemes?”
    She laughed out loud. “Not a Ponzi scheme. This idiot—well, the simplicity of it wasn’t really idiotic, I guess. He would pay new immigrants, mainly Mexicans actually, to swipe merchandise from Walmarts and Targets, then he’d resell it to the wholesalers.”
    â€œYou got to put your special skills to work?”
    â€œYeah. He kept all his records in Arabic, which he thought would keep him off the grid somehow.”
    â€œLittle did he know…” Ben grinned, then tilted his head. “You speak all the different dialects?”
    â€œOf Arabic?” She shrugged. “No, but I can understand. Thing about growing up here is the mosque communities are really diverse. Kids’ll try to speak English together, but your four hundred aunties and uncles will speak to you in Iraqi Arabic, Yemeni Arabic, Palestinian Arabic. So, yeah, I knew enough Lebanese dialect to understand him, and I can