Marcus "Mack" Alexander had been on the trail for over a week, and the case was starting to feel like a dead end. A high-profile murder had taken place in Gulfport, a local businessman shot in his office under mysterious circumstances. The police had a few leads, but nothing concrete, and the investigation had stalled.
Then came the breakthrough—a witness had come forward, claiming to have seen a man fleeing the scene, a man with a distinctive tattoo. The problem? The witness had seen the man in a car heading north, toward Jackson, Mississippi.
Mack knew that Jackson wasn’t just a few hours up the road—it was a different world, one where connections and allegiances ran deep. He needed to find the killer before he slipped through his fingers.
But he wasn’t going to do it alone.
---
Mack pulled into Jackson late one evening, his mind racing with what he had learned so far. He'd spoken with his cousin, Deandre "Dre" Alexander, earlier that day. Dre had been a longtime resident of Jackson, and his connections to the city’s underworld and its law enforcement made him the perfect ally in this search.
Dre met Mack outside a local bar, his tall frame easy to spot in the crowd. He greeted his cousin with a firm handshake and a wide grin.
"Man, I didn’t think you'd make it," Dre said, his eyes twinkling. "Jackson’s a bit of a jungle. You sure you're ready for it?"
Mack smirked. "You know I’ve got a good reason to be here. We need to find out who killed Lamar Hayes."
Dre’s expression immediately hardened. "Yeah, I heard about that. Hayes wasn’t exactly the nicest guy, but he didn’t deserve to die like that. We’ll get you answers, Mack. But you gotta understand—Jackson’s got its own rhythm. The right people need to be approached in the right way."
Mack nodded. "I’ll follow your lead. Just point me in the right direction."
---
The next morning, Dre took Mack through some of the less glamorous parts of Jackson—places where the streets told their own stories. The first stop was a local pawn shop. Lamar Hayes had been known to frequent the shop before his death, buying and selling various items. If anyone knew anything, it would be the owner, a man named Tyrone “T-Bone” Jackson, who had a reputation for being a bit of a gatekeeper.
The pawn shop was a cramped, cluttered place, with items piled high on shelves and a strong smell of old wood. T-Bone was behind the counter, a tall man with a crooked smile and a pair of dark sunglasses that never seemed to come off, even indoors.
“Dre! What brings you by?” T-Bone called out as Dre and Mack walked through the door.
"We need to ask you a few questions," Dre said, getting straight to the point. "About Lamar Hayes."
T-Bone’s posture stiffened, but he didn’t back down. "Hayes, huh? What’s the story? He ain't a man I'd expect to be making waves in Jackson. More like a fish out of water."
"Who was he meeting with recently?" Mack asked, keeping his voice calm. "Anyone unusual?"
T-Bone thought for a moment, his fingers tapping the counter as if searching for the right words. "Lamar... he was looking for something. I don’t know what, but he was asking around about a deal. Something big. He had a look in his eye like he was trying to make a power move, you know? But that’s all I know. He didn’t give names, but he was hanging around with a crew I don’t trust. You’d be better off asking around town.”
Mack was about to press for more when Dre cut in. "We’ll go check out his last known associates. Thanks for the tip."
---
The next lead came from a street corner. Dre pointed out a club that Lamar had been spotted at frequently in the weeks leading up to his death. The club, called "The Mirage," was a dimly lit, low-key spot that catered to Jackson’s more... discreet crowd.
Inside, the music was loud, and the atmosphere thick with smoke. Dre’s cousin, a bouncer named Tony, greeted them at the door. He was a big guy with a stern face, but when Dre introduced Mack, he let them in without hesitation.
“I heard you were lookin' into Lamar's death,” Tony said as they made their way to the back of the club, where a few familiar faces hung out. “I don’t know much, but you should talk to Marcus ‘Big M’ Turner. He’s the one Lamar was meeting with a lot before he died.”
Big M was a local businessman with questionable connections. He ran a chain of car dealerships and had a hand in more shady deals than most people cared to admit. His presence in Jackson’s underworld was a known fact, but getting a meeting with him wasn’t as easy as walking up and shaking hands.
Dre and Mack headed to Big M’s office—a sleek, modern building on the edge of town. The receptionist at the front desk was polite but didn’t give up much information. After a brief conversation, they were shown to a private office in the back.
Big M stood up from behind a large mahogany desk as they entered. His dark suit and expensive cologne gave off the air of someone who didn’t want to be disturbed. But he didn’t flinch when he saw Dre and Mack.
"Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dre and his cousin," Big M said with a sly grin. "What’s the trouble? I heard you were poking around Lamar’s death. What, you think I had something to do with it?"
Mack studied the man carefully. Big M’s charm was obvious, but it didn’t hide the tension in his eyes. "We just want to know who was involved. Lamar’s dead, and we’re trying to find out why."
Big M shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Lamar was a loose cannon. Always trying to hustle, always making moves with people he shouldn’t have been. But I don’t kill my associates. That ain’t good business."
Mack pressed, "Who was he dealing with? We know he was looking for something big, something risky."
Big M leaned forward, his voice quieter now. "Lamar got mixed up with a guy named Johnny ‘The Rat’ Romano. He’s a lowlife from Chicago who came into town a few months ago. He promised Lamar the world, and Lamar thought he could get a cut. But if you ask me, Johnny’s the one who took Lamar out. You wanna find your killer? That’s your guy."
---
With that lead, Mack and Dre set out to find Johnny Romano. After tracking him down to a warehouse on the outskirts of Jackson, they finally cornered him. When confronted, Johnny didn’t hesitate to confess.
"Lamar was a liability," Johnny said with a laugh, his voice cold. "He got too greedy, too fast. He wasn’t supposed to know what he was getting involved in. He had to go."
Mack and Dre had finally cracked the case. Johnny Romano had killed Lamar Hayes over a failed drug deal, one that Lamar had tried to back out of at the last minute.
---
With the case closed, Mack stood outside the warehouse, the Mississippi sun setting behind him. Dre was next to him, his expression thoughtful.
"You did good, Mack," Dre said. "Jackson’s not an easy place to navigate, but you kept your head in the game."
Mack smiled, "Wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, Dre. Thanks for having my back."
As Mack headed back to Gulfport, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the road to Jackson had led him down a much darker path than he had originally anticipated. But that was the job. And he would always do whatever it took to find justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment