Papa Jack Chapter 112
Kate sticks her head in the doorway of Deirdre's office. "Do any of the SUSI lawyers concentrate on cases from Harlem?"
"I don't know about concentrate," Deirdre says, "but Janelle Watkins grew up there. She's the first one her neighbors would come to for help."
"I haven't met her yet. Does she have an office here?" Kate queries.
"Like a lot of our lawyers, Janelle does part-time pro bono work for us. At this time, on a Monday morning, she's usually in the multi-purpose room at the Drew Hamilton Center. People from the area know they can find her there if they have a problem. She deals with a lot of that pro bono, too, or on a sliding scale for what they can afford."
"How does she make her rent?" Kate asks.
"She handles some business for the only former president who has offices in Harlem. That keeps her afloat."
"I guess it would," Kate says. "That's something to like about the man besides the way he plays the sax. Bert Josephson gave me an idea about who the mystery witness against him might have been. There's a chance Janelle might have run across this guy. I'll go sound her out."
"You may have to get in line," Deirdre cautions. "A lot of locals go to see Janelle, and they usually have a damn good reason."
"Deirdre wasn't kidding," Kate murmurs to herself, eyeing the line at Janelle's makeshift work area at the community center. Everyone looks desperate, with one man on the verge of tears. They eye the obviously out-of-place Kate with suspicion, but no one says anything to her as she takes her place at the end of the queue. Two hours later, she finally reaches Janelle. The lawyer smiles. "Kate Beckett?"
"Mm-hmm. How did you know?"
"Deirdre texted me a heads-up that you'd be coming down. Most of the folks here were too caught up in their own problems to worry about the downtown white lady at the end of the line. But a couple of them asked about you."
"What did you tell them?"
"That when it was your turn, I'd find out what you need. So, Deidre said you're on the Bert Josephson case. How can I help?"
"Have you ever heard anything about a dealer named Samuel Clinton? As far as I know, no relation to our former president. He dealt for Vulcan Simmons and went by Flash."
"Flash," Janelle considers. "Big gold tooth in front?"
"That's him," Kate confirms.
"I was still a kid when he dealt," Janelle recalls, "but I remember some talk about him. Some of his buyers thought he was a big man because of his mouth bling."
"Do you know if he was still around after Bert Josephson went to prison?" Kate asks.
"Not that I heard. But dealers come and go. No one would have thought much about one disappearing."
"Any idea where he would have gone?"
"No. Well, maybe. There was a club that opened up around then, kind of a big deal. A lot of groups with songs on the charts played there. Word was that there was a silent partner who might have funded the operation with drug money. I wasn't plugged in enough back then to know if the rumor was true. But if Flash wanted to put his cash somewhere, that would have been as good a laundry as any."
'Is the club still operating?" Kate asks.
"Yeah. It's not far from here on 145th Street. It's called Bass Run. As clubs go, it's not that popular anymore. More have opened that can attract bigger names. But it has some groups that draw steady customers."
"I should check it out," Kate figures.
"No offense, Kate, but you'd stick out like a white thumb. If Flash has anything to do with the place, no one there would tell you. But you could try working with Lily Ealey."
"Oh, Lily! One of the other investigators for SUSI. Deirdre introduced us. But she's got a full caseload of her own."
"Still, she likes good music. She's been to a lot of the clubs down here. For her, checking out Bass Run would just be a night out. And she can use one."
"I'm sure she can," Kate says. "I'll talk to her."
"Good. Now get out of here. I see more people coming in. I don't need some white woman scaring them off."
Daniel Lucerne opens his case and takes a seat with Richard at the table in the loft. We've got the church and the reception venue your fiancée wanted. I also booked Soul City Sound and the church organist to play the requested processional. We'll still have to talk about the recessional and any other music during the service. We do, however, have a more pressing issue – the purple flowers. Unfortunately, my usual vendor for specialty color arrangements had his major supplier hit by fungus. He's replanting, but the usual offerings won't be ready by March. I have other sources that can offer purple anemones, allium, asters, and irises. Still, I'll need to place an order as soon as possible to ensure we reserve the best blooms. Here are photos of all the purple flowers that should be available in late March. Ms. Beckett should take a look and pick her first, second, and third choices, just in case. Several growers have been hit by infestations in recent years, and we don't want to be caught unprepared."
"I'll have her look as soon as she has a minute," Richard agrees. "Is there anything else?"
"Cake tastings. The top bakers have added several new options this season, and you and Ms. Beckett will need to pick what you prefer. We can order both the bride's and groom's cakes, so your guests will have an option. Especially in that case, both of you should definitely attend the tastings. The bakers will have samples set out when you arrive to minimize the time required. However, slots are limited, so we'll have to reserve at least one time as soon as possible."
Richard nods. "Got it! Flowers and cake tasting appointments. I'll give you a call as soon as Kate makes up her mind."
"We don't want her to take too long," Daniel warns. "The months before a wedding can seem to move at warp speed."
Richard smiles at Daniel's Star Trek reference. "I, for one, hope that they do."
After Daniel's departure, Richard flips through the pictures of flowers. Other than learning which ones are edible and which ones will kill you if you're lost in the woods, Richard's never paid too much attention to plants. But the otherwise intensely practical Kate Beckett seems to care about flowers – at least their color. So, he can care, too. As for the cake, he knows that Kate will adore anything chocolate, as will he. Unfortunately, the reality is that some of their guests won't. Kate does love strawberry milkshakes even more than chocolate ones. Who knows what she would like in a second cake? While technically it will be the groom's cake, for Richard, it's the bride's wishes that count.
Richard doubts that Kate will be back for hours yet to give her input on the wedding questions. That will give him time to get some writing done. Maybe he'll create a Daniel Lucerne-type character. The more buttoned down a man seems, the more interesting the possibilities can be when the business suit comes off. Whistling, he heads for his computer.