Chapter 27: And The Witnesses Were Saying

“Well gentlemen we have witnesses that claim you started all that trouble at the club. Now you can help yourself out by telling us what you were really doing there. I will put in a good word with the D.A. if are just honest, as we are here and we really want to help you. You can only help yourself by being honest, as we have enough evidence to hold you right now.” Det. Sipowicz informed us. My Dad and I looked at each other and with a nod I said. “We need to make a phone call to our Lawyer then, as we have nothing more to say.” I said.

“You need to think about this as your best option because we won’t be able to help you if you get your Lawyer involved. It will be easier for everyone to just say why you were there.” Det. Sipowicz said.

“Well we know enough that our Lawyer works for my son so he will be on our side, can you really say the same? So be let’s all clear that we have asked for our Lawyer more than once. Do whatever you intend to do. But if you don’t intend to arrest us at this moment we want to go back to our Hotel Right Now!” My dad said firmly.

Det. Sipowicz and Det. Simone put us at a desk with a phone. We called home making a collect-phone call. I told Pam after she got on the phone what was going on to get us so assistance proto as they are trying to scare us into confessing to something, and or anything at this point?

Meanwhile both Detectives went into Lt. Arthur Fancy’s office. “We are following up on the stories the guys told us in regards to the clubhouse shooting. More than one of them has stated that those two just walked in off the street and threw $100,000 dollars on the floor saying kill Raul and the money is yours. But these two are not saying anything about that story, or why they were really there.” Det. Simone said.

“They have no lawyer here in the City so we are letting them think on their options. We will go at them again in a few minutes.” Det. Sipowicz said.

“Well tread lightly as they have asked for an attorney, as well dressed as they are I don’t think they are your run of the mill skels.” Lt. Fancy advised.

They said they were going to lock us in the cage in the room. We began dragging the two chairs we had been sitting on in there toward the cage, as neither of us intended to get our suits dirty sitting directly on the floor. “Who said you can take those chairs in there?” Det. Sipowicz shouted.

“Detective, Our suits run about $750.00 apiece I will not sit on that dirty floor or lean upon those dirty walls either thank you.” I shouted.

Det. Sipowicz attempted to knee me in the nuts, I block his attempt by turning my hips to the right. He never saw the left-hook that knocked him out as he was out-cold before he hit the floor. Det. Simone drew his weapon while stepping closer to me, my dad grabbed him and forcibly took his weapon away from him. We put him in the cage, and took his gun along with Det. Sipowicz’s gun and wiped off any prints off both guns, and sat them on a desk we were not near. We calmly sat at the table waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Lt. Fancy was coming to see what was going on, looked in through the two-way mirror in the observation room. After seeing what had happened to the two Detectives, Lt. Fancy came in and had his weapon drawn, as we just sat there waiting for whatever happened next. He told us we were under arrest for assaulting a Police Officer. Det. Sipowicz was sitting up handcuffed to the table leg still a little groggy as he had also hit his head on the floor when he fell. While Det. Simone was unharmed in the cage while their guns were on another table as far away from both my Dad and myself as possible.

The Lt. called for help and other Detectives came into the room and roughly dragged us to our feet, and when we got hit, we hit back. And we did not stop until guns were stuck to the back of our heads. We were both proving to be one punch knock-out artists. A man we would learn later was the Borough Commander Haverill, came into the room wanting to know what the hell was going on as Detectives were either groggy or out cold with the two female Detectives holding the two of us at gunpoint. “What the fuck is going on in here Fancy?!” Cmdr. Haverill shouted. The Cmdr. and the Lt. left the room. “Fancy is this how you run your squad?” The Cmdr asked. “When you came into the room I was getting down to the bottom of what was going on.” Lt. Fancy said. About this time Det. Simone knocked on the door to Lt. Fancy’s office. After being told to enter Det. Simone told them truthfully what happened starting with Det. Sipowicz trying to intimidating young Mason by kneeing him in the nuts only to have the move blocked. Young Mason hit Det. Sipowicz in one fluid motion after blocking the knee of Det. Sipowicz, and Det. Sipowicz was knocked-out for his troubles.

Det. Simone left nothing out including the fact that he had been disarmed and locked inside the cage unharmed. Lt. Fancy took over to explain that he called for help after seeing the two men calmly sitting at the table. The Detectives rushing in started hitting the Mason’s, and they once again hit back.

“I had my gun on them but as new Detectives kept rushing into the room I couldn’t take the chance and shoot the Detectives accidently.

Neither Mason would hit the female Detectives they both shoved the ladies hard into the walls. And that is how Det. Russell, and Det. McDowell were able to bring all of this to a halt just before you walked into the situation.” Lt. Fancy said. “Well gentlemen we got a real problem here, somebody with some real juice called down to One P.P. (One Police Plaza), and made it clear it would be better in the scheme of things to let those two go. Other than the statements of the surviving gang member’s do you have any evidence they were even in the clubhouse there during the shooting? And did you recover the money?” Cmdr. Haverill asked.

“No sir to both of your questions sir.” Lt. Fancy said. “Fancy this is a real mess here, as I was sent here to tell you to release them until we have more evidence against them. Some of the statements claim there was a woman with them when they entered the clubhouse. Do we know where she is by chance?” “No sir.” Lt. Fancy said.

“Do we have a description of this woman that we can circulate around to try and find her!” Cmdr Haverill shouted.

“No Sir, not at this point, and this was one of the things that was frustrating to Andy. Thus this was his intent trying to get the kid to crack. But as you can see neither he nor his Dad cracked” Det. Simone said.

“Well as you know where to find them we need to let them go because you don’t have enough to hold them, and we can’t just hold them. We need to release them as by your own statements this can only get worse if we try to hold them claiming assault when clearly we started the violence first.” Cmdr. Haverill stated.

Both Lt. Fancy and Det. Simone were clearly upset about this new wrinkle about letting the both the father and son go. “Look any of you that want to head down to One P.P. and discuss it with Commissioner Reagan, be my guest. But I advise you to take your snowshoes with you as you may need them, as I hear it is quite cold at the border with Canada. I would advise against going down there and trying to sell keeping them in custody, but please be my guest if you want to. They don’t know about the assaults yet obviously, but do you really want them to know as heads will roll about this shit, and mine won’t be among them rolling I can promise you that.” Cmdr. Haverill said.

Det. Sipowicz was very upset, but knowing both his job and pension would be in serious jeopardy if it got out he that he had struck a minor.

About this time two Detectives Frank Reagan and Dino Arbogast from the 12th precinct came in to ask if anybody in 15th precinct knew or heard about the LaDrania situation that happened both here and in Tennessee? No was the answer around the Squad Room. The light comes on in the head of Det. Sipowicz who asked. “You don’t mean that wild story going around about a Black guy from Michigan holding the MOB hostage to keep a war from breaking out do ya?” Det. Sipowicz asked. “Yes” Lt. Joe Abner from the Bias Unit said. Lt. Abner had just arrived at the same time as the Detectives from the 12th precinct.

“Well from what we got from the Detectives from Tennessee Mrs. LaDrania is in fact living in Michigan either with the kid, or very close to where he is living. This is a fact, and when Mrs. LaDrania was accompanied by the kid, his father, and some lawyers both from Michigan and local talent. Theodore Jr. was in charge and running the show with help from the lawyers as well and the women he came with. This fourteen year kid is no innocent, believe you me.” Said Det. Reagan

“What are you saying Reagan?” asked Det. Sipowicz. I am saying this kid is a Multi-Billionaire as in one of the richest people in the world.” Every eye in the room was suddenly staring at Det. Reagan and his partner. “That would explain the pressure coming from One Police Plaza wanting make sure this is both air-tight and by the book.” Lt. Abner said.

Right on cue one James Sinclair Esq. stepped up to the PAA (Principal Administrative Assistant; Police Administrative Assistant) and asked to see his clients a Theodore D. Mason Sr. And Jr. John Irvin phoned into Lt. Fancy’s office to let him know Mr. Sinclair was here and who he was here to see about.

That went over real well in Fancy’s office as they knew that trouble was about to start for them as Sinclair was a shark of a lawyer and he and Det. Sipowicz had bad blood between them from the past. When Detectives Sipowicz and Simone went to get the Mason’s and bring them to the coffee room that Sinclair had requested, as he didn’t want prying eyes looking into the room while he met with his clients. As he had been here before and put nothing past Det. Sipowicz.

Sinclair had seen more than a few black eyes including both Detectives Sipowicz and Simone, but when he saw his clients he turned to the Detectives and asked. “Is there anything you want to tell me before we go into the room?”

“No!” was all Det. Sipowicz said.

The Mason’s quickly bought their lawyer up to speed on how their day went, excluding what exactly happened at the clubhouse. They were only willing to say they brought a friend to said clubhouse, and she dropped her purse in the scuffle. And that the Mason’s and their lady friend got out of there got out of there just before all hell broke loose, in the joint.

Sinclair walked into the Squad Room and let them know. “If they dropped all charges against both of the Mason’s, father and son from whatever they thought they could think of concerning the clubhouse visit. As well as any potential charges concerning the fight with the Detectives, the Mason’s would not pursue any legal remedies concerning violations of their civil rights for talking to them after they asked for legal consultation. As well as assault charges against all involved in the fight.”

After making a few calls both to his bosses and the D.A.’s office Lt. Arthur Fancy was told two A.D.A.’s were coming to wrap up their interests in Teddy’s weekend in New York City.

Both A.D.A.’s came into the room at the same time so everyone knew what was going concerning any and all cases involving both Masons, father and the son. A.D.A. Sylvia Costas who is Detective Sipowicz’s wife went first and signed off on the deal. A.D.A. Valerie Heywood who is the girlfriend of Det. Baldwin Jones whom was fighting with Ted Sr. when Det. Russell encouraged Ted Sr. with her gun to stop fighting, also signed off on the deal. So now both men could now leave New York as soon as the jet was ready, and return to the safety of good old Grand Rapids, Michigan.