Zephyrhills was filled with people this late afternoon, the streets were wide and shops lined the walkway. Kids busied with either skating or running all about, the young adults stood in clusters beside cars, on staircases, by the traffic light, laughing and playing loud music. Everywhere seemed peaceful and lively too.
Jason and Sera drove through the neighborhood trying to locate the address on the text.
Samson Book Store 23rd Julian Boulevard Zephyrhills
"I have a feeling we will unlock the mystery of her death here." Sera said as she turned into Julian Boulevard.
"I am optimistic too." Jason replied. He looked at the street they just entered, there seem to be a high level of street life down here, he thought. They seem to recognize when a strange car is in the neighborhood. Some of the young men smoking close to a barber shop threw their smoke away and started to scamper in different routes.
Jason remember growing up in Nigeria, it was a regular thing back then in Lagos to hang around your street with your mates and indulge in similar activities as this. The difference was that Nigeria is underdeveloped and lack basic but here and everywhere else in America there is abundance of everything. Funny how but places with a hug contrast in civility share same social madness. These people have home's right? He thought to himself.
"We are beginning to draw attention." Sera said as she pulled over a big signage that read, 'Samson Books Store'.
"Do cops smell in a certain way?" Jason asked pretending to sniff himself.
"Well I think you do, how else did they recognize cops riding in a BMW and in plainclothes?" Sera said beaming a smile.
Jason ignored her and came down from the car, he noticed that the guys who had earlier dispersed after noticing them had left one of their buddies still standing there.
"Is that a scout I see?" Sera asked rhetorically.
"Now I admit they have got style down here." He said and they both headed for the book store.
"Do we really smell in a certain way?" Jason asked with concern on his face.
"Yes you do, you smell of your nice body spray." Sera said with a wide grin.
The door clanged as they walked into the bookstore. First thing that hit them inside was the neatness in arrangement and the order of placement of the shelves. Most book stores smell of books but this one had a little smell of lavender in the air, it was welcoming. A young man was standing on a ladder trying to pick a book for an elderly lady. A few people where in the shop too either scheming through book reviews or authors notes. It was a busy day in the book store.
"How may I help you?" A lady's voice distracted them from behind. She wore a high school jacket and had her hair tied up perfectly in a ponytail. Her smile was very attractive, enough to make any random guy who do not read to buy books.
Sera admired the girl's beauty too but she wasn't under the influence. She noticed Jason had not replied the girls question and she quickly got on it.
"My name is Sera and we want to speak with AB." She said smiling back at the lady of about 22.
"Abel will be with you shortly he is helping the old lady over there." They turned to look at the young man who just got down from the ladder.
Sera withheld who they are as detectives because there was a lot of reactions to from the people around here just now there were cops in the area, cops they didnt know.
"Thank you." Sera said as she turned to look at Jason while the young girl looked for other people to hypnotize.
"What?" Jason asked innocently.
"Nothing, just that you were staring at that girl hair, why?" Sera asked absently.
"No I wasn't or was I?" Jason was confused. Something about the girl had caught his attention.
"Do you like ladies in a ponytail?" Sera asked with a little smile on her face.
"Ponytail? No. I mean yes it makes a lady look …. I don't know." Jason stuttered for a while and it got Sera really laughing.
"I have one on too and you have never looked at me that way." Sera said.
"Oh no don't go there, she is just a kid for Christ sake." Jason said.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting I am Abel and you must be the Detectives I spoke with." Abel said.
"Yes that will be us." Jason stretched his hands and shock Abel. "Nice to meet you."
"Is Dora alright?" Abel asked with a concerned look. "Where is she?" He continued.
"Can we go somewhere reserved to have a little talk?" Sera asked Abel as she used her eyes to gesture at the very busy book store.
"Sure." Abel said, a little confused. "Adel please give me a few minutes I will be right back." Abel said and gestured for them to follow him. "There is a coffee shop two shop away from here, we can seat there and talk."
**************************
Bill and Bob were in charge of making sure that Cash was still in business. They ran the shipments and made sure every truck got to their location. Their rackets ranged from illegal immigration into the States, drugs and pimping, they even recently expanded trade to guns and explosives. Cash was on the run but his rackets still thrived, making his operations more flexible.
Bill sat in front of the TV where he was playing Grand Theft on PS4, he was punching another thug seriously on the face and screaming, "Eat shit, foul".
Bob on the other hand was trying to have a nap but the screaming from Bill wouldn't giving him the opportunity to nap a little. He kept turning from left to right and back again. His phone vibrated and he picked it up to check, he suddenly froze when he saw the text on his phone. He jumped out of bed and went for the TV remote, I just got a text to check the news, it on the news already.
Bill got furious as Bob's action made him get shot in the game. "What is on the news you freaking asshole." Bill cursed. "You just cost me my life, you damn idiot." Bill kept cursing.
"You had better get yourself together and call Cash or you will be surely dead." Bob said and turned on the news.
The image of a 20feet truck with lots of cops around it and a helicopter hovering the sky, filled the screen. Swat team was helping the Koreans out of the container, they were more females than males as shown on the screen. The medical team was also on ground treating the wounded from the gun battle.
"How the fulk did this happen?" Bill asked as he stared at the news with his mouth wide open, "That is Pharrell's truck, he wasn't supposed to be on that route." He said to nobody exactly.
They started to offload wooded boxes of various sizes and the camera zoomed into the scene. The swat team had cordoned the area off and was redirecting the traffic away from the truck.
There were three people in the truck, the driver plus two others. The camera Zoomed to a police officer who was shot on the arm.
"Tell us officer Chillwell, how you established that the truck was running a human trafficking racketeering." The TV correspondent asked the cop.
"I didn't, I was rushing to respond to a 911 call. I assume the drive panicked as I came from behind with the sirens on and he intentionally tried to run me over so I called it in and stayed on him. He shot at me and I shot at his tires. When he pulled over, I did too and he came down from the truck and started shooting at me in the vehicle. I managed to get off through the back door and shot at him.
The other guys with him joined in the shooting but that was when other cops showed up and they were outnumbered so they were forced to drop their weapons.
The camera returned to the truck and the SWAT team were seen carrying down wooden boxes from the truck, one of the boxes was knocked open and it contained grenades.
*******************
Cash was enjoying the late afternoon breezed under the closest trees to the cabin, this was something you don't get to see in the cities. From the shuffling of the leaves, to the sound of distant birds deep into the bushes made the afternoon a very interesting one. Two of his guys stood a few distance away chatting to themselves. They had a pistol each, strapped around their waist. Brian his trusted man was beside him, he hung this adaptive combat riffle across his back with a pistol strapped around his thigh.
One of the boys broke this quietness of the afternoon from the cabin.
"Boss, something is up and it's on the TV, you might to see this." The bearded fellow announced as Cash got off the rowing chair he was seating in.
It has to be important for the fool to ask him to come and see for himself. He checked his watch and it was five minutes passed 3pm. "Did Bill call?" He asked Brian.
"No call yet." Brain told Cash. As he made his way to the cabin, the rest of the boys followed him.
"What the fulk is going on!" He screamed in his head.
**************
They found a seat at the back, and they occupied it. The coffee shop was wide but just about 10 feet in length. It had a glass wall the whole of the length facing the street the opposite of the glass wall was the counter and sales point. The counter was long and also had long stoles for people who didn't want to seat at the regular tables. There were three uniforms ladies who worked the various tables and two more over the counter attending to customers seated on the long stools.
Jason choose the last table because it was far from the others, he sat on the chair facing the rest of the coffee shop while Abel and Sera sate on the opposite chair facing Jason but backing the rest of the coffee shop. Abel sat inside, while Sera sat beside him but close to the aisle.
They had all ordered for coffee and Jason couldn't wait for it to come so they can commence this meeting. He observed the shop and the inflow and out flow of customers. Most people come in for a take home purchase, a few stayed back to enjoy their orders.
The closest seat to them had an old man in it reading a newspaper. He had a cup of coffee before him a plate of cookies beside it. A couple sate on the table closest to the old man's, they were also engulfed in their chattering that they didn't care about their surroundings. Soon the orders came and the long wait ended.
************Author's Note*********
This work has not been officially proof read, kindly ignore the little blunders. Thanks.