Page Catch 22

Excerpt from Catch 22 (Saga of Ace) CHAPTER 2(Girl Gone)

First, he checked the bass-head hide-out, that the girl in the closet said she met Vonni.

It was a dank little get up, on a dead-end street. In the years passed, the building had been a store-front church, rooming house and, storage facility for some sort of law office. But now it houses the dead-end lives of legendary eighties and nineties street hustlers, hookers and, hoodlums whose lives seem to outlive their bodies and made this their haven.

But still no sign of Vonni...

Ace checked inside the bars that frequent her kind, and outside the ones that wouldn't allow her access. Still, no sign of Vonni.

Ace had almost given up his search for Giovanni, when he came upon the deserted playground on Wilkerson Avenue. The monkey-bars had rust. The sliding board was hanging on one or two screws. The swing set built for four only had one swing left.

It was occupied by a lonely swinger. Her disheveled hair hung to cover her face. Aminah sat quietly. Dazed, confused and, with void, her appearance was homely and torn. Her innocent beauty hung between the strands of natty weave and a girlish baby-face. But she reeked of molded basements and pissed in alleyways.

“Hey, you saw Vonni?”

The question startled her out of a distant funk and back to a semi-reality state. “Yeah...I mean, well she got busted this morning when they ran down on Stevens!” “She was holdin'...” “They told me to walk away, so that's what I did.”

Her words trailed off as the sound of an ambulance siren wailed not too far from them.

Ace wanted to question the girl for more info but decided against it. As he walked away, he heard the girl ask for a dollar for food.

Ace had hardened to the streets, since it claimed his love. That alone allows him to ignore her plea.

But his emotions wrestled with his inner guilt and he went and bought a sandwich and juice from the corner store.

When he returned to the playground with the food, the swing was vacant, and no sign of the girl was anywhere. He placed the bag on the empty swing and walked on.

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Excerpts from Catch 22 (Saga of Ace)

Catch 22(Saga of Ace), Chapter 3 (Kee-Kee said…)

His first stop is to catch up with his long-time female friend Kee-Kee Campbell. Kee-Kee is an artist of many traits. Not only a talented free-lance photographer and sketches by memory, but she also has a line of clothing that she created from scratch.

Today they’re meeting in her rented store front on E. Russell St. This building bore many signs in its history, in an area that is long over-due for a major revamping.

Even though Kee-Kee was hovering over her favorite and lucky cherry-wood easel, she took one look at him and welcomed Ace with open arms. Though their relationship has never been intimate, this embrace was warmer than any other time in the past.

Their exchange was of happier times, until she suddenly punched Ace in the arm and said, “Why didn’t you come to Chiffon’s funeral?” “We were all looking for you!”

The gesture had taken Ace by surprise, and for a few seconds he found himself stunned, holding his arm with his mouth wide open. “I didn’t know!”

“I first heard of it when you messaged me.”

“Is that why you are here Maurice?” She let a smirk escape, “I mean Aaacce!”

“Well, when you said it was unsolved…” “I came right down!” He said, standing up straight.

“Ace, I heard it was gang related!” Kee-Kee pleaded.

Now it was Ace’s turn to return the smirk, “You do know that I work for one of the biggest gangs in the U.S.”

“You’re such a smart ass!”

“Tell me what you know, Kee-Kee!”

With pursed lips, she let out a sigh that escaped through her nose, “Well, it all happened in that trailer park off Sapona Rd!” “Need I say anymore?”

Ace stroked his chin and said aloud, “Sapona Boyz!”

“Just be careful because these dudes go dumb hard, and they’re ignorant as fuck.”

Ace affixed the Michael Kors shades to his face and turns for the door. “Ya’ know Kee-Kee, its one thing that you are forgetting.”

She looked at Ace over top of her glasses, “…and what’s that?”

“I’m from here too!”

Catch 22 (Saga of Ace), Chapter 4 (Quetta and all her mess)

Ace made his way to the door of the trailer, then made eye contact with his sister and waved her over with a sideways nod.

The door was open, and Ace slid in and was met with a couple of love birds making out on the couch. They barely noticed Ace in the darkened living space! But seconds later, the door burst open and the last of the days light along with headlights of ill parked cars and ATV’s exploded into the door of the trailer.

In walked Quetta with all the attention from outside, now at her back. She slams the door to end the façade. She turns to the two love birds and by instinct they got up and joined the crowd outside.

Ace spoke first, “What in the fuck do you got going on here, Queet?”

“Say’s the Big Brother or the nosy cop?”

“Come on Sis, it’s me!”

“Don’t try to come home and wanna’ play Big Bro now!” “This is what I do!”

“Bet on fights!”

“Did you need something Maurice?”

From experience Ace knew when she called him that, she was probably upset. He chose not to pursue his intentions and left just as quiet as he came in.

Making his way through the crowd, he did notice that about half of the cars in the lot were Dodge Chargers. This is a very popular car to the southern youths. He made note of the different aftermarket parts added to the vehicles.

That night, Ace knew he had to step up his investigation and decided to employ the help of some old friends.

Catch 22 (Saga of Ace), CHAPTER 5 (Some things don’t ever change!)

The next day, back in Jersey City, Giovanni Elaine Washington is being released from a holding cell in Essex county jail, dubbed the “Green Monster”. Although her mind is rested and today, has the ability to conduct a job interview, her body is still weathered and torn, beat even, from loving those streets more then she loves herself.

But her mission is simple and hasn’t changed in almost a decade…get clean and to get her Ace back! But that thought was short lived when she ran into her gang of buddies that, like her view life through a smoke filled haze to numb the hard parts of life.

After checking in at home, she left holding a crumpled paper-bag carrying the bullet-less snub-nose. It created a slight bulge under her clothing, and now that the sun had all but disappeared and started making its presence known on the other side of the world, the darkened street corners were no match for the even darker alleyways that plagued Jersey City, NJ!

Streetlamps cast ghostly shadows, as she walked the lonely streets of Bergen Ave. Giovanni shivered as the wind whistled…but she pressed on.

Two more blocks and she can unload the despicable cargo that once was her younger brother’s “Tool of Reckoning”!

Josh…or to the homies J-Guttah, lost or have misplaced his gun during a drunken blackout several days earlier. Giovanni stumbled upon it on this morning while searching the couch cushion for loose change. She knew she could score at least $250 bucks for this nickel-plated, marauder of good times, from the boys that hang on Grant Ave.

Now with only a block away, Giovanni’s mind began to wander. But the thought of using the gun and sticking up the dope boys on the next corner quickly dissipated, as she saw the rugged Shi5e homie Dracc.

His ditty-bop was steady and confident. Their paths met at the corner of Bergen and Boswick.

“Sup’ Shortie?”

“You Dracc, if you are holding something” “Take a look at this.” She reached for the paper bag in her waist band.

Expecting to see some stolen I-phone or I-pad, he said, “Nah Shortie, I need bread, boo!” Then he started to step.

Although the paper bag totally engulfed its contents, she held it in a way that revealed what was inside.

“Hold on Shortie, what you doing?” He asked as a natural response, with his hands slightly raised.

She simply said, “What can I get for this?”

The streetlamp shined on the polished chrome and made the gun appear to be worth more than it really was.

Dracc regained his cool and snatched the gun from Giovanni.

She was afraid but didn’t cower to his menacing demeanor. Fore she knew that if she showed any sign of weakness, he could just take it from her.

He looked it over and as he looked at Giovanni, he handed it back to her. “What you want?”

Her mind raced again at the possibilities of obtaining more if she waited until daylight. But her cravings deceived her into believing that a fifty rock and a fifty-dollar bill were worth way more.

The witching hour has come, and Giovanni was completely out of crack and money. Now in a narcotic stupor, she found herself wandering aimlessly outside the window of her former lover and friend, Ace!

With disheveled hair, she reeked of the streets. Her frail body and tattered clothing made her appearance to be beyond her actual age. After relieving herself of tainted piss, she made a slight attempt to doll herself in the mirror of a SUV, then lightly tapped on Ace’s window.

Catch 22 (Saga of Ace), Chapter 9 (Dreaming Of Her)

Ace walked and walked, and time seemed endless. There was hardly anything worth seeing anymore. Cities were gone. Towns were gone. The road he walked was destroyed. The scene reminded him if that movie “Book of Eli”.

There was evidence of this being a highway about two hours back. A sign reading 95 South still hung from its brackets but it bore holes from a tank blast…maybe.

As he walked on, it became evident that the population had significantly decreased. No others were around.

In the distance, he watched a white horse running across an open stretch of land. Behind it was a woman in all white dancing like a ballerina. She performed leaps and pirouettes as she acted out the ballet.

It was hard for Ace to make out if it was smoke or dust being kicked up from the active dancer. She wasn’t getting closer or further with her dance.

As she continued the horse started to circle her ballet act and became more clouded and even more difficult for Ace to see the woman. The cloud started to rise and widen.

Within seconds the cloud grew to enormous widths and heights and started to take form of that very dancer.

Ace was able to identify the figure that started to take shape. It was the woman from Kinlaw’s parking lot. The cloud grew even more and her form dissipated, and then started to take on another shape. It was Giovanni with her drug of choice in hand.

She exhaled and the smoke covered her face. When that disappeared so did Giovanni face. It was replaced by his sister Quetta’s face.

She smirked and said, “I gotchu now, Maurice!” She blew ganja smoke down in his direction and he was engulfed in it this time.

In the dream he had cough and hacked so much that he woke himself up, only to find Quetta down on all fours about a foot away from his face.

Still dazed, he watched the smoke dissipate around him.

He sprung from the couch, ready to kill…or at least hurt something.

“What the fuck, Bro?” was her only response for the obvious treachery.

Ace ignored her question, “Who is Khublah?”

“Who you been talking to?” Quetta answered the question with a question.

Ace ignored her again. “Look we can do this all day!” “Now who the fuck is Khublah and why you got some kids medication in your fridge?”

Quetta walked to the back of the trailer where her bedroom is. Ace heard her coming back but this time she was on the phone. “Yes, that’s right an intruder and he is still here on my couch asleep.” “My address is 31 Aardvark Lane.”

Ace couldn’t believe his ears but he acted quickly. His and Quetta’s eyes never broke contact as he left her residence.

She watched him leave the trailer park, and then sat with her head in her hands.

Saga of Ace (Book Two)

Ace felt that he owe it to his friend to solve his murder!

Exit 11

The 1st of a six book mini-series!