X is for Xavier
(continued from U )
Don and his team were doing some undercover work, It went on smoothly on the first day, then Xavier……
The 'undercover' agents in .
Don and his team, together with Maggie and her team, were in St Johns doing some undercover work to uncover the real culprits in the drug distribution to the school. They were interested in smoking out the leader and the minions he had recruited. It had to be stopped before more students get caught in the trap; the trap of money, easy money that was being offered to them.
It was very early in the morning when the teams of FBI arrived in St John's High school. The Headmaster, Basil Traville, was already in and was expecting the 'undercover' Agents.
They were escorted to the meeting room where a few selected teachers were waiting for them. These teachers were vouched for by the Headmaster.
Don held the meeting and told them about their plan, and he emphasized that they should work as if nothing was different. Go their own ways, and let the FBI do their jobs. When they finished for the day, just go home as usual.
Don told the basketball coach to introduce Colby as the replacement and go home. Have a two day holiday, same with Jenny who was told earlier not to turn up for work. Don was ready for the headmaster to introduce him to the class when the classes start.
He went round the school grounds to check the technicians for they wanted extra cameras to be put in special places. Together with Max and David, Don went to the school's security room and after talking to the two security officers, Don told Max to stay in the room and be David's contact.
It was still early. Soon the school's activities started, and the students slowly dribbled in.
It was afternoon now, and there was still nothing unusual going on. The students came and went.
Colby was having a fine time playing basketball with Charlie's students. David reported nothing out of the ordinary going on. Jim did report some maintenance men came but went off after an hour.
Earlier, while Don was in the classroom handing out their test papers, he was the center of attention of one particular student.
This student, named Xavier Lionel Grant, had recognized Don and David who were in school pretending to be what they were not.
He kept to himself, and instead of doing his Geography test, he thought about the day the FBI came into the house where he lived with his parents and two brothers. He specially remembered Don for he was the one leading the arrest of his father. He was also the one who had apologized to his mother.
They had arrested their father in front of all of them. They were having their dinner, and his brothers had cried to see all big bad men bursting into their home, pulling their father aside.
The other man saw them eating. He quickly pulled their father to the next room and told the rest of the people, "Move out, we got our man."
A little while more, he came back and told his mother, "Sorry mam, but you know why we are here. Sorry to have disrupted your dinner." With a nod to them, he went off taking their father along with them.
His mother was shocked, and he looked carefully at his mother. All the time she said nothing and clung to his two small brothers, holding them tightly . She looked at him, and somehow, he had a feeling that his mother had a look of relief and resignation at the same time.
He knew his parents were expecting the law enforcement people to come to their house.
His mother and father had been talking for the past week in whispers and were very secretive about something.
He was only thirteen at the time, and he knew something was very wrong. When he confronted them, his father told him to take care of his mother and brothers. Be the man of the house while he's gone.
He didn't understand then. Finally, after all the news in the media, he learned about the previous robberies. After the arrest of his father, his mother told him that his father was the driver of the group of people robbing the banks.
She said it was the money that attracted him in the first place, and he did not take part in the actual robberies. He was the driver standing by for them.
His father was sentenced to six years and this happened two years ago.
He knew his father had stashed away money for them, and they were doing alright with their mother working full time in a supermarket. Recently, his mother had not felt good and they found out she had a heart problem. All the rest of the money was used for her medication. They had no more money left, and it was up to him to look out for his mother and brother.
His mother forbade him to quit school. He had another year to go. He started taking weekend jobs to help out, but money was little, scarcely enough to buy food. His mother had to leave her job in the supermarket. The manager knew them and took pity and offered to take him in as weekend full-time help.
Frankie came to him and offered him a way out. How Frankie knew about him and his family, he didn't know and didn't care. All he wanted was enough money to feed his family until his father get out of jail or till he graduated and got a proper job.
From there on, it was easy money, and he quit his supermarket job.
The FBI that came to arrest his father was this one named Eppes, now standing in his classroom, and another named Sinclair. He saw him earlier on the school grounds and was shocked when Eppes came into the room pretending to be the school teacher.
He knew they came to catch whoever who was supplying drugs to the students to sell. He knew who was involved, for he was one of them
He had been doing some things for an older student, Frankie Kingston. He knew it was wrong, but Frankie paid him well. So far, there was no problem except one time two of Frankie's recruits decided to try the drugs out for themselves. They caused havoc in school which required some law enforcement action. The police came, and all their lockers were searched thoroughly for drugs and pills.
He was smart. He never put those things inside his locker. As soon as Frankie handed it to him, or rather as soon as coach handed it in bulk to Frankie who then sub-distributes it to the recruits, Xavier quickly got it off his hands.
He didn't know who coach was, but he knew that he was from another school.
He didn't like the drugs. He never kept it overnight. He immediately delivered it to the waiting buyer. He never handled any cash. It was between his buyer and Frankie .
He hated it, but it was necessary for his mother had quit her full time job and was doing a bit of part time as and when she could.
Finally she had to stop and money was scarce, they needed the money for their food.
His mother thought all the time he was working at the supermarket after school. She asked how he got all the groceries, and he told his mother it was half price at the supermarket.
He kept to himself. When he saw those FBI agents, it sort of broke the dam of hatred he was carrying inside. He hated them; hated them for making him do what he did not want to; hated them that their father was taken away and now no one was there to look after his sick mother; hated them because his brothers had been asking for their father who was in jail.
For Don, everything seemed to be normal. After a session in the classroom handing out test papers, there was nothing else for him to do. So he walked the school grounds.
Everything else were normal in school. He thought that maybe Charlie's calculations were wrong, but he doubted it.
It seemed that when the cat was out the mice refused to come out and play.
The mice or rather the mouse was biding his time. Frankie saw the FBI agents around the school. He saw the so called geography teacher, the gardener and some other new faces around the school. He knew he had to warn Coach not to bring the 'things' today.
Coach said it was all planned, and he would come tomorrow as scheduled. He said the buyers did not want any delay. Frankie thought and thought, then a plan came to him. He needed a distraction, and the one person who could provide it was XL. He knew XL could carry this off very well.
Frankie knew all about XL's father being arrested by the FBI, and Frankie believed this was a good opportunity for XL. He knew about his 'boys' before he recruited them.
Some of them were just plain greedy and willing to do his bidding, but not XL. He knew about XL's history, and he needed money desperately. He knew all about his mother and brothers. It was plain sailing to recruit him, and he was the best sub distributor available.
Even XL had been doing this for a short time, he was still his best 'boy' .
That afternoon, he pulled XL aside after school and told him to do something extra, and he will get triple money. He said he needed him to go to the roof and lure the FBI there.
XL asked, "How can I hold them there? What if they come and get me down?
Frankie pulled out a gun from his pocket and said, "Here take this and threaten to shoot. They won't come near you if you wave this around. It's not loaded, but be careful with it."
Xavier believed Frankie and took the gun.
Frankie continued, "We just need about thirty minutes, then you can come down. Remember, thirty minutes."
Xavier agreed, "Okay, but I want my money now."
Frankie agreed and gave him five hundred dollars. XL pocketed the money and went home.
The next day, Don was talking to the headmaster when one of the older student came rushing in. "Sir, XL, I mean Xavier Lionel's on top of the roof. He says he's going to …"
"Oh no, not another! Kingston, where is Xavier now?"
"The south side roof top," Frankie said eyeing Don who was pulling out his cell.
Headmaster Traville waved Frankie off. "Thank you Kingston. You go back to your classroom."
"What do you think?" Traville asked Don.
"Let us handle this. I will have my men go up to the roof. Don't worry, we won't let him fall."
Don was on his cell, "David, we have a situation here. A student informed the headmaster that a student named Xavier Lionel is on the roof, the south side."
"I think this is the distraction. The student may be the distraction," Don continued. "David, you and Max go up there now. I will go another way. This way we can distract him and get him down. I will inform the others. Go!"
Don talked to his hidden mike, "All of you listen carefully. We have a situation on the roof. But you all do not, I repeat do not, leave your post. Be extra vigilant. This may be the distraction. Besides David and Max, Jonas, get two others to go up the roof. Listen to David's instructions."
Continuing his instructions, Don stated, "Others stay put. Maggie, you are in charge. Colby, stay at your post. I will go on the roof too. Jimmy, you got all that? Make sure you get who's coming in and out. Alright everyone?"
"Alright, Don, we all got that. You be careful. If that's a trap, do you need extra hands?"
"No, Mags, just, just stay where you are, alright?"
Don got some affirmatives before he ran off.
Xavier Lionel was standing near the edge of the roof. Any false movement and he could have fallen straight down.
Don eased himself by the side away from the boy's view. David was talking to him slowly, urging him to get away from the edge. Max and Jonas were spread out behind him.
"Ah. Xavier Lionel, XL? Come down and we'll talk, come on," coaxed David slowly going up to the student standing at the end of the roof, swaying.
He walked a bit further out, and Max pulled at David, "Careful, he can drop over easily."
They heard him saying in a singsong tone, "XYZzzzapped, and you're dead!" he kept on repeating the rhyme, and David answered, " No, no, you don't."
"XYZzapped and you're dead. DEAD! You hear me. Come nearer and you're dead."
Max whispered to David, "I don't think he's on drugs. He looks OK. He's pretending. I think Don's right."
"Don, Max said the boy is pretending….. it's a diversion." David whispered in his mike.
"You distract him. I'm coming over by the other side." Don whispered back.
"How are you going to zap me, XL?" David asked.
"This!" Xavier took out a gun, and he was swaying and waving the gun .
David and Max got a shock. Where on earth did he get a gun?
Max looked at David, and then Don's voice came on, "He's holding a gun?"
"Confirmed, the student has a gun," replied David.
"OK, continue to talk to him, David. Any movement, Maggie? Colby?"
"None so far. I have another coach here. He's talking to some of the students," Colby replied.
"Ok keep an eye on him. I'll try to disarm the boy."
"Careful, Don," Colby added.
While David and another FBI agent were trying to distract Xavier to come back down, Don went slowly almost crawling towards Xavier, he didn't want to be seen by him, he was watching his movements on the ledge.
When he was almost near Xavier, there were some leftover sand and stones in his path which he didn't notice and he almost slip on it.
The noise startled Xavier.
He swung around tottering almost losing his balance.
Don made a grab for him and flung both of them inwards, towards safety. They landed on the rooftop with a loud thud, and the gun went off.
The gunshot startled David and the rest of the FBI personnel and the recently arrived LAPD officers on the rooftop.
David jumped into action. "Don!"
XL was pinned underneath Don when he realized what had happened. He had shot a man!
"Get off, get off me!" Xavier suddenly yelled. " I didn't shoot him. I didn't shoot him!" Xavier was very frightened.
He was supposed to lure the FBI to the roof top as Frankie had told him and hold them there for a while. He didn't know he was afraid of heights.
After taking out the gun that Frankie gave him, he saw the ground from where he was standing. He wobbled a bit and was startled by a noise.
Then, out of nowhere the FBI agent came and grabbed him, and they fell. The gun went off. He was scared. He didn't know that the gun had bullets. He didn't know.
Max kicked the gun away, caught hold of Xavier and drug him to one side while David looked after Don.
"Hey, Don's OK?" Max asked while grabbing hold of the now scared Xavier.
David slowly rolled Don to his back. They saw a spreading red stain on the side of his stomach. He located the bullet hole, and it was not good for the bullet was still inside as there were not an exit wound.
None of them were wearing any Kevlar. Not that it would help if they were wearing it by the way the bullet had entered Don's body.
"Call 911! Don's been shot!" David yelled, hands holding on to the place where the blood was oozing out .
Max already had one hand on his cell,"You keep still!" he growled to Xavier and pushed him towards Jonas.
Maggie's voice came on in their hidden earphones, "OK done, ambulance on the way. David, how's Don?"
"I didn't shoot him!" Xavier kept repeating and David called out ," Take him away. We'll deal with that later."
Max told Jonas to hand him over to Lt. Walker's men.
David pressed the bloody wound and said, "Entry wound side of stomach, no exit . Don's awake."
"Yea, damn it! It hurts. Kid? Kid OK?" he asked.
"Taken away, he was acting high."
Don struggled to get up, "Hey man, you've been shot. Lay still the bullet's still inside you." David pushed him back.
Don was frantic, he raised himself up.
"No, No, David, this is the distraction they needed. Get, get…get… them to be on the alert. Someone is bringing the drugs into the school. David..Da... urgh…" Don fell back to the ground.
David was relieved when he heard the sirens of the ambulance and shortly Max came up with the paramedics.
tbc