Still snooping around Pleasant Hill, Kaz was trying to see if he could get hold of the murderer of his father Claude Jakes.
Rain was falling heavily, obscuring the view of the street. The only light came from the occasional flash of lightning. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and smoke.
And walking out from different corners was the Purple Gang boys who had been terrorizing Pleasant Hill for weeks. They robbed people of their homes, assaulted people, and even killed a few. The police were powerless to stop them.
Detective Reynold along with his other officers were out to stop them before the rain started, while rain was falling the purple gangsters were creating a lot of havoc killing and spilling blood despite the police shooting at them.
Detective Reynold went after a man on black hoodie jacket which had it written in the back "We Give A Fuck!!" Before he could get to the man with braided hair, a bullet pierced through from back through his chest and came out and Reynold fell flat to the floor.
The one who shot Detective Reynold realized who he shot so he yelled for the rest of his gang to start taking their leave out of the environment immediately which they did.
At the police station, the other detectives and officers who held the shocking news were also shaken by Reynold's death. They drew on the wall maps and placed pictures of the suspected criminals but still nothing really worthy was able to be formed from all their findings.
Then, Detective Johnson arrived. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with a deep voice. He was also a ruthless cop who wasn't afraid to bend the rules, he is a different kind of cop who often uses the N word and young black folks like himself.
The small town of Pleasant Hill had experienced a lot of crime, but Kaz knew that crimes may be hidden from the police, but they can't be hidden from a corner boy like himself. To people on the street like himself, crimes were always no secrets, however, his father's case was different.
The local law enforcement was ill-equipped to handle such a complex case, and also no one of the corner boys was airing out any signal as to who the killer was.
There were still no witnesses and no obvious suspects, the investigation was as good as dead.:
Kaz was getting confused so he began snooping around for information. He started by talking to his father's acquaintances and former associates, trying to find out any possible motives for his murder.
While he was talking to all that was related to his father, Kaz met Uncle Raymond, his father's older friend. Uncle Raymond usually comes to the house when Kaz was about the age of six.
He would come to their house with a big newspaper and sit by the door until Kaz's daddy comes out. Then, they would smoke some tobacco weed and discuss what was on the paper.
When Kaz started talking to Uncle Raymond about the killer of his father, Uncle Raymond laughed as he said, "Yo kid, your father was a dirty man."
Immediately, it clung to his mind, the same word the detective told him.
"What do you mean?" Kaz asked.
"I mean, your father was involved in a lot of shady dealings," Uncle Raymond said. "He was always getting into too much trouble."
"But he was a good man," Kaz said. "He took care of me and my mother."
Uncle coughed as he laid his right hand on young Kaz's shoulder "He was a good man, but he was also a criminal, he made a lot of enemies."
Kaz didn't want to believe it, but he knew Uncle Raymond as a very close friend of his father
"But Uncle Raymond do you know who killed him?" Kaz asked with worries clearly showing on his face.
"I don't know for sure," Uncle Raymond said. "But I have my suspicions."
"Who?" Kaz asked.
"I can't say, but I'll tell you this. Do you know Ray Turner, your father's partner in crime? If you know him you should go to him. I won't say it's him, but all I know for sure is that Your father's death wasn't an accident. Someone wanted him dead.
You might wanna check on Ray Turner"
Cassidy walked backward ready to make a run so he went to the crib his father was usually found where he was going to find Ray Turner but first he had to reply to Uncle Raymond so it wouldn't look rude.
"Okay Uncle Raymond" he responded
At this point, it became more clearer to Kaz that the deeper he delved into his father's past, the more he gets to discover how many shitty things his father was hiding and pretending to be an easygoing man.
Kaz was in his father's crib the one he usually sees his dad in he was looking to find Ray Turner.
In the crib, Kaz shook and hugged Dem boys dressed and looking all hoody, amongst Dem Boyz that shook and hugged each other.
Kaz laid his eyes on Claude's ex-partner in crime, Ray Turner he turned and was happy to have seen Ray Turner without any stress.
Ray was known to have a history of violence and had clashed with Claude on numerous occasions. However, there was no concrete evidence linking him to the murder.
Cassidy's relentless pursuit of justice led him to confront Ray, but the encounter only left him with more questions than answers.
"I didn't kill your father, I had nothing to do with it," Ray said.
"I don't believe you, because you're the only one who was close to him and the only person who could have a motive," Cassidy responded to Ray.
"What motive?" Ray asked. "We were partners. We rolled together."
"But you weren't happy with the way things were going," Cassidy said. "You wanted more. And you thought you could get it by killing my father."
"That's not true," Ray said. "I loved your father, your father was my nigga."
"Then why did you do it?" Cassidy asked.
Ray didn't answer. He just stared at Cassidy, his expression cold and unreadable.
Cassidy still had something telling him that Ray was lying, but he didn't have any proof., So he thought of letting it go.
As time passed, rumors and accusations began to swirl around Pleasant Hill. Whispers of a drug deal gone wrong, a love triangle, and even a religious cult started to circulate within the tight-knit community.
The finger of blame pointed in various directions, but with no solid evidence, the truth remained elusive.
The accusations reached a boiling point when Cassidy's relentless investigation brought him face to face with an influential member of the community, Judge Samuel Thompson.
Rumors suggested that Judge Thompson had a personal vendetta against Claude and that he was somehow involved in his murder.
Cassidy's determination to find the truth pushed him to confront the judge, but his attempts only led to intimidation and threats.
"You're making a big mistake," Judge Thompson said, his voice low and threatening. "Leave this alone, or you'll regret it."
Cassidy wasn't intimidated. All he was concerned about was catching the killer and he wasn't going to give up until he found the truth.
"I'm not going anywhere," Cassidy said. "I'm going to find out who killed my father, no matter what it takes."
The investigation took a dramatic turn when an anonymous tip led the police to a hidden stash of drugs in Claude's old hideout. Suddenly, the motive behind his murder seemed clearer.
Was Claude involved in something far more dangerous than Cassidy could have imagined? Was his death the result of a botched drug deal or revenge from someone in the criminal underworld?
As the investigation continued, new leads emerged, and old suspicions resurfaced. Cassidy was determined to uncover the truth, even if it meant putting himself in danger.
* * *
Cassidy went to Judge Thompson's house and they faced each other across the table, they both expressed hard views on each other.
"I know you're involved in my father's murder," Cassidy said.
"That's ridiculous, why would you say such a thing? I had nothing to do with the death of your father." Judge Thompson replied
"I'm not going to stop until I prove it," Cassidy said.
"You're wasting your time. You'll never find the real killer," Judge Thompson replied.
Cassidy made a sly smile "I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be. I'm not someone you want to cross," Judge Thompson responded.
Cassidy played with the spoon on Judge Thompson's table. "Let this be clear to you Judge! I'm not afraid of anything. I'm going to find out who killed my father, and I'm going to make whoever is involved pay," he says.
Judge Thompson got up from the dining feeling frustrated with the back-and-forth banter with young Kaz.
"You're making a big mistake, Cassidy. Do you think you're some kind of hero? You're just a naive kid playing detective in a world you don't understand," he says
Kaz laughed "You underestimate me. I know exactly what to do you all have done the most already and enough is enough I'm going to make sure I stop at nothing to make whoever has a hand in my pop's case pay for what they did to him" Young Kaz spoke staring at him Judge Thompson's eyeballs which looked like he was trying to intimidate him.
"You have no idea what you're up against. There are forces at play here that you can't even begin to comprehend," Judge Thompson said.
"Maybe. But I know right from wrong, and I won't rest until justice is served," Cassidy said.
"Justice? Do you think you're the arbiter of justice now? You're meddling in things that are far beyond your capabilities," Judge Thompson said.
"I don't care how powerful you are or what secrets you're hiding. I won't back down," Cassidy said.
"You're a stubborn fool. You don't know the kind of danger you're putting yourself in," Judge Thompson said.
"I'm willing to take that risk. My father deserves justice, and I won't let anyone stand in my way," Cassidy said.
"You're in over your head, Cassidy. You don't know the real Pleasant Hill," Judge Thompson said.
"Maybe not, but I'm learning. And one thing I've learned is that I won't be intimidated by anyone, not even you," Cassidy said.
"We'll see about that. But mark my words, you're playing with fire, and you're going to get burned," Judge Thompson said.
"We'll see who gets burned in the end. I'm going to uncover the truth, no matter what it takes," Cassidy said.
The two of them stared at each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. Cassidy had a feeling he was in danger, but he didn't care at all he slammed the table and walked out of the room feeling frustrated with how Judge Thompson was feeding him bullshit.