Chapter Twenty-three
After Carmen left the hotel suite, Jada prepared to receive Chanté for breakfast. With things being the way, they were, Jada decided that it would be best to speak with her in person and more importantly, in private. Rain had allowed her to handle the situation with Detective Bautista and she wasn’t going to fail her. Jada meant it when she said she respected Rain’s position and authority and her respect and loyalty for her were absolute and not to be questioned by anybody.
Jada had the Clement Restaurant in the hotel cater a breakfast buffet in the study with Maine lobster, beef tenderloin, smoked salmon and Canadian bacon, grilled ham, country sausages and applewood-smoked bacon. There were poached eggs, sunny-side up eggs, hash browns and spicy roasted tomatoes. And not to forget the New York bagels with cream cheese and toasted English muffins.
“All this for me?” Chanté asked as the room service attendant held a chair out for her.
“Goodness no.” Jada laughed as the other attendant seated her. “Caprice and Fantasy are here with me. Victor and Simone will be here sometime this morning too. And between you and me, Fantasy eats like a horse.”
Chanté laughed. “I don’t think I’ve met Fantasy.”
“I’m sure that you will. I promised Mr. Freeman that I would stay in the city while he gets my case resolved.”
“So you’ll be here for a while?”
“Yes, Chanté, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”
While the attendant served, Jada and Chanté made idle chitchat about this and that. Talking around, but not about the situation with Bautista until he was finished serving and closed the doors behind him.
“So you’re familiar with these guys?” Chanté asked as soon as he was gone.
“We’ve had run ins with them before,” Jada replied.
“I’ll reach out to a friend of mine at the ATF; see if she can give me anything on them that you can use.”
“Thank you, Chanté. I’m sure that information will be useful.” Jada paused. “But is there anything else you can tell me about the detective and her informant?”
Chanté told Jada again what she overheard Kirk and Bautista say that morning at the precinct. “She said that her informant told her about the meeting at Salsa Con Tarifa with El Decreto de Guerra and she was there.”
“Was the detective able to identify any one at the meeting?” Jada asked and sipped her coffee.
“No,” Chanté said with her mouth full. “This smoked salmon is incredible.” She wiped her mouth. “They put her out with the rest of the crowd before the meeting began.”
“I see.” Jada took a bite of her poached eggs. “But you’re sure that it’s a woman?”
“It’s a woman and by now, she’s wearing a wire, and if she isn’t now, she soon will be,” Chanté said and continued eating the delicious breakfast.
“Why hadn’t she been wearing one all along?”
“Bautista needed to know that she was real. Overhearing someone give the order to go to a meeting with a group of gunrunning Colombians was all she needed to bring Kirk into it. He’s the one that insisted she wear a wire.”
“But they’re still running her off-book?” Jada asked.
“Yes. Sanchez thinks a lot of Kirk, but he is a by the book guy, and they don’t have enough to go to the lieutenant with.”
“Well that’s something.”
After Chanté left for the precinct for her first day with her new partner, Jada took time to consider her next move. Although there were a number of women that were associated with the family, this woman seemed to have access to power and if she was about to get wired up, that wasn’t a good thing.
Later that afternoon, Patrick Freeman called to ask if Jada had some free time, if she did, he would like to hear from her.
“It’s nothing earth shattering, Ms. West, just some things that I need to share with you personally.”
“Of course, Mr. Freeman. These matters are best handled face to face. So let’s say four o'clock. Is that good for you?”
“See you then, Ms. West,” Patrick said and ended the call.
Jada put the phone down and turned to Victor. “With Mr. Nesmith recovering from his injuries, I am going to need somebody to escort me to Mr. Freeman’s office, please.”