The durham mob, p.1
The Durham Mob, page 1
THE DURHAM MOB
Based on a true story
WALTER E. SMITH
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© 2021 Walter E. Smith. All rights reserved.
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transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue
in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Published by AuthorHouse 06/15/2021
ISBN: 978-1-6655-2669-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-2670-8 (e)
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Post Script
To
Sam Jordan
Karen Jarrett
Anita Alston
and my best friend, Nickolas Frangakis
CHAPTER 1
“I always wanted to screw on a pile of money,” Coy said as $33,000 in small bills rained down on the glistening, nude body of his girlfriend, Lauren, who was posed on the bed. Before Coy could kick off his shoes, he heard the living room door open. William, his younger brother had arrived with a new first date, Charlene. Without missing a beat, Coy put one leg outside his bedroom door. “Hey, your money’s on your dresser!” Then, he shouted, “Do not disturb.” He kicked his shoes across the room, dropped his pants and jumped on top of Lauren and began his work.
William was a little stunned. He didn’t exactly know what money Coy was talking about but he led Charlene into his bedroom. And sure enough, on the dresser was a stack of greenbacks. It looked like a lot of money because it was all in small bills. Charlene’s eyes got bigger. Sensing he was making an impression; William sat on the bed and counted the money playing it as if this was a casual thing. It was two thousand, five hundred dollars. Although it was kind of understood that he and Charlene were going to have sex, the sight of the money made the task a whole lot easier.
William and Coy had come a long way since their days in Durham, North Carolina where they were born and raised. Hardship was something they knew all too well. They were from a family of four; two older sisters, Coy, and William who were the youngest. They had grown up separately until William was ten years old. Because of poverty, all of the siblings had to be raised by different families. William, being the youngest, was the only one raised by his mother. Their mother was single and only twenty years old by the time she had her four children.
It was as if this misery of life had been seared into the bloodline; like a brand in the flesh. Their mother was the result of a rape by a white policeman; their grandmother forced to raise her child in shame, without a father nor any financial assistance. This happened in the first half of the twentieth century when justice was scarce for women and almost unheard of for black women.
Like some Greek tragedy their grandmother came to an early end after being poisoned by a jealous neighbor, the motive still a mystery to this day. At thirteen, their mother had been forced to live on the streets, but had been taken in by a married couple soon thereafter.
At first glance, it must have seemed as though angels had swooped in from above to give the young girl the peace and love she so prayed for. But soon, the intentions of the husband were clear, visiting her room night after night. After several years, the girl had given birth to four illegitimate children.
The result was a fractured, tempest resemblance of a family. Although William, his mother, and later stepfather and uncle lived in only two rooms, the others eventually came to live with them. Coy came because he had become quite ill. He had been born with Rheumatic Fever and a defective heart valve. Some doctors had given him six months to live. Years later, his uncle would joke that Coy’s mother gave him a miracle pork chop sandwich that cured him.
All Coy knew was that he hated being weak and powerless. He hated the fact that he had to rely on his younger brother to take care of him. And it was then that Coy swore he would never be weak again. From that time on, Coy and William were raised together. Since Coy was a year behind in school from having been sick, they ended up in the same grade, and often in the same class. This continued throughout high school and into the same college. During this time, the boys were inseparable.
In high school, they both excelled academically. The main thing their mother instilled in them was the importance of education. She knew that it was the one thing that would give the boys the upper hand. She knew well because she had only finished the 8th grade. Knowledge was the one thing she knew could transcend race, poverty or social status.
So, the boys followed their mother’s advice as if it were scripture. Not only did they pursue academics, they also took part in numerous ancillary activities. They both played in the high school band. William played the trombone and Coy the clarinet.
They never really competed but they were both motivated to do well. They got along well; never fought and seldom argued. They were both out-going and had many friends. William was more serious about girls and Coy was more of the playboy. In spite of this terrible beginning, William and Coy became the firsts in their family to finish high school and to graduate from college. They didn’t have much money and material things, but they were brilliant students who attended college on scholarships.
And just as their mother had preached, education had eventually paid the dividend and now, here they were in the biggest city in the United States, living in a great neighborhood, beautiful women in their beds and stacks of money; at least for Coy.
The sisters got married and moved away and Mom moved to Ohio. William and Coy were together throughout high school and college. They lived with an uncle who provided a rent-free house for them to continue their education. Coy finished his bachelor’s degree and masters in four and a half years, so he took a teaching job at South Carolina State College. He was recruited from there to join a Fortune Five Hundred Corporation in Dearborn, Michigan as its first Black accountant. Except for the brief teaching job and another six months when Coy lived in Detroit, they were together. Later, Coy moved back to North Carolina and got married. After a little more than two years of marriage, he got divorced and returned to New York City.
CHAPTER 2
Charles Clayton, a homeboy of Coy and William had just dropped out of law school after only one year. He didn’t have enough money to continue paying tuition and for his social life. He was just tired of struggling! He left Durham, North Carolina in the fall of 1967, with only fifty dollars after he bought his bus ticket for New York City. He arrived at the Port of Authority Bus Terminal without a place to stay. It was fall in New York City, and it was getting cold at night. Not the best kind of weather for homelessness. The trees had begun to drop their leaves as they turned brown and yellow. New York City was beautiful this time of year. Charles had been brave enough to come to the City without a place to stay because he knew so
“Hello,” came a confident voice on the other end. “My name is Charles Clayton. Perhaps you’ve heard of me. I’m your home boy from Durham. Your brother gave me your number.”
“What can I do for you,” asked William impatiently. After all, he was almost asleep and had to get up early the next morning to go to work.
“Well, I’ve been in New York for a few months now and I have yet to acquire a job that suits my abilities and education,” Charles said arrogantly. He went on to tell how intelligent and educated he was. “See, I graduated with a BA in Sociology and I have one year of law school under my belt.”
“With that background, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a suitable job,” responded William. Charles came from a lower-class family in Durham, North Carolina and was the first in his family to go to college. He was a tall, slender, handsome young man who talked rapidly. Afros were in style and Charles wore a very conservative one. He was an immaculate dresser but at that time, he only had two suits, two sport coats and several pairs of trousers which he knew how to mix and match to make several out-fits. “I work part time in this anti-poverty program, Harlem Helpers,” said William. They always need qualified people. You should try there. I’m sure you can get a job there.”
“Thanks for the info. Your brother said you were the man. By the way, he told me to tell you to be kind to the ladies.” The next day, Charles went to Harlem Helpers and applied for a job, but there were no openings. The personnel director suggested that he go to another poverty program, Heads Up. Charles immediately went there. The program director there was impressed, as Charles told him how much of an asset he would be to the program. He was hired as a summer teacher and was placed in a public school on 135th street in Harlem.
After two weeks, no one had been paid. The superintendent of the district even suggested that all the teachers go on welfare to dramatize their plight with the program. Fortunately, it was not necessary. They were paid on Friday. Charles left work and walked home. He passed the office of Harlem Helpers Program, and he was recognized by the personnel director. The director called him into his office and offered him a job. Since the other job was so shaky, and this job paid more, he accepted. He was asked to come to work that Monday to begin as a Crew Chief.
On his new job, he was in charge of thirty kids whom he had to take on field trips and other outings. After working diligently for two months, his superiors acknowledged that he was an excellent worker and a bargain at his salary. He was offered a permanent job at twice the salary. Shortly after taking that position, Charles’ boss was promoted to a higher position downtown, with the Youth Employment Program. He was so impressed with Charles, he asked Charles to come with him to head his payroll division, as Payroll Supervisor. Charles had gone far, very fast.
William was high school French and Spanish teacher who also worked two other part time jobs teaching at risk children after school. He graduated from the same high school and university as Charles, two years earlier. William had been an honor student and so had his brother, Coy, who had just returned to NYC from North Carolina. They were both thinly built and William was about an inch taller and weighed about ten pounds more. They resembled each other and were handsome. William thought he was handsomer, but Coy was more of a notorious player.
After Coy returned to New York, he got a job with a large pharmaceutical company, Richardson-Merrill, as a traveling auditor. He was such a good accountant with an impressive resume that he never had trouble finding a job. He worked in different cities during the week and returned to New York on the week-ends. They were both renting rooms at a large three-bedroom apartment from a good friend, Hank, who was also an accountant. Hank had met Coy at an accounting meeting downtown, a few years earlier. Hank was five years older and was impressed with Coy and took him for the younger brother that he never had, and wanted. They became good friends. Hank had a three-bedroom apartment at 61 Hamilton Place on the sixth floor. It was actually an old two-bedroom apartment that had a servant’s room with a toilet inside, off of the kitchen. Hank had converted the dining room next to the kitchen, to use as his bedroom, so he could rent the other rooms. The living room was large. but the door was kept closed in the winter because there was no heat in it. However, they had parties in that large cold room twice a year. The many bodies kept it warm.
The June before, William had given up his apartment on 96th Street that he had shared with Bill, one of his best friends and had spent the summer in Europe, especially in Paris. When he returned from Paris that September, he needed a place to stay so he moved in with Hank. Coy had stayed there before, but had left that summer to get married in North Carolina while William was in Paris.
William stayed at Hank’s apartment from September of 1964 until Coy returned in the Spring of 1967, after he had left his wife and son. Hank became a very good friend and landlord. At different times, other friends came to stay there until they were able to find their own apartments.
“I found a spacious, two-bedroom apartment in a new building on Audubon Avenue and 178th Street”, said Coy. “The rent is only six hundred a month. We can have our own place and do our own thing.”
“Let’s go and see it,” said William. The building at 260 Audubon Avenue had 32 floors, and the apartment they wanted was 14-F. The building was only a year old and was built over the Cross Bronx Expressway that led to the George Washington Bridge. There were four of these buildings, and the Audubon was the farthest south, and had an unobstructed view. From the windows, you could see the Tri-borough and the Whitestone Bridges. The apartment had two spacious bedrooms with two windows in each. It had a large living room, with an adjoining dining room area and a kitchen. There was one spacious bathroom. What was also great about the apartment was that on the fourteenth flour, you could not hear the noise from the traffic below. They moved into the apartment in April of 1967 but William had the place to himself during the week while Coy traveled.
At that time, William didn’t have a steady lady, so he was dating several ladies. He was twenty-eight years old and Coy was twenty-nine. He had a master’s degree in French. He had broadened his education by traveling. He had spent another summer in Europe in 1966.
One of the young ladies whom he was dating was a part-time model he had met at a party. She worked downtown in Manhattan and lived in Queens. Their relationship was mostly sexual. Twice a week, she would come by after work, “To avoid the rush hour”. They would talk for a while, have a snack and have “great sex”. William would then, drive her to Queens in his Volkswagen after the traffic had diminished. This lasted for a few months and tapered off until he no longer called, and she no longer came by.
Coy was travelling five days a week, auditing books of branches of the pharmaceutical company. It was a good job with several perks. He had a traveling expense account and traveled business class on the planes. After several months, he grew tired of not being able to have a social life, and not getting enough sex. Occasionally, he would meet young ladies on his travels, who were impressed with his position and he had sex with a few. Even a player like Coy wanted some continuity. He wanted a social life, partying with friends, and meeting ladies with whom he could screw more than once. He was looking to get out of this job but he wasn’t about to quit until he had something better. So, he was biding his time.
