Ah did plan tuh ask eef de State did hear what de jurors was tellin it when dey take four hours tuh find dat gang ah men innocent ah killin Vindra Naipaul-Coolman. Ah even had follow-up questions. Buh de DPP make mih plans moot wid he assertion dat de State had ah strong case against dem accused.

Is he word against common sense . . . not so?

So expect anudder strong case when dat next gang ah accused face trial in ah upcomin higher profile murder case. Dat go be sometime in de next . . . five years?

Me eh know exactly what gettin learn from each case like Vindra’s buh she own embodies everyting dat rong wid de Trini justice system.

Tanks tuh de DPP ah switchin gears.

When de phone ring, ah steups. Ah did just just reach back from de grocery store an put de larse bag orn de grong tryin tuh decide how tuh spend de next ten minutes given how hot it was outside. Ah could eidder siddong an relax or, put de groceries away den relax mihself.

Ah should ah save mih steups cause was mih pardnah.

“Tell mih,” ah say.

He ask mih eef ah remember de story about de fella shot dead orn Eastern Parkway larse year durin J’ouvert. De Jamaican-born aide tuh New York governor.

Ah tell him yes.

It was ah big story at de time. Aide tuh de governor ah New York caught in gang fight, shot in he head before de start ah de West Indian Day parade; in hospital gravely wounded. Den yuh read he dead. It was sad. De NY press play up all de angles: He born in Jamaica, grow up in Brooklyn NY; was ah Harvard-educated lawyer; he marrid ah Trini; dey was expectin dey first chile; dey was examples ah immigrants livin de American dream.

All people really needed tuh know was he character — he wasn’t rakin in de big bucks as ah high-priced lawyer. He was wukkin as ah true public servant an dead in ah next senseless murder.

As fuh de West Indian Day parade in Brooklyn? Over de course of ah day of merriment, enough people tuh almost double de population ah T&T does take part. Some ah dem cyar behave. Ah tell de story about de larse time, ah few years ago, I went J’ouvert. How me an mih pardnah full we belly wid Trini Chinee food at ah restaurant den gorn tuh Brooklyn. How while we was limin, somebody buss bullet. How right den an dey J’ouvert over fuh we. Lucky fuh we two geezers de car wasn’t park too far so we head fuh it frighten no tail while dodgin panicky people. How we jump een de car, agreein tuh bounce dong anybody standin in front de car an not movin farse enough tuh get out we way. How we leave Brooklyn an J’ouvert tuh dem energetic young people who doh fraid nuttin.

None ah dem tings was orn mih mind as ah listen tuh mih pardnah. Ah was interested in which part he was goin wid all he excitement. Ah didn’t even remember de fella name durin we tork. Ah not go fuhget now — Carey Gabay.

“Dey cyatch he killer.”

Right away ah did know where mih pardnah goin.

“Ah hope yuh eh doin nuttin dotish like comparin how de New York poleece does operate wid polece in Triniland.”

I did done know de answer because I does cyatch mihself doin de same ting. It hard tuh stop when tings look obvious tuh mih.

“Dat is exactly what ah doin.”

“Den yuh go get disappointed every time,” ah say comparin he tuh me.

“Buh look how much people was arong,” he protest.

Ah wasn’t sure eef he was meanin dey was potential eyewitness.

“Look how random de shootin was . . . . dis is one case ah would ah give odds wasn’t gettin solve,” he added sayin he tort solvin dat case was goin an be like findin ah needle in ah haystack.

Ah didn’t have ah good answer so ah decide tuh agitate him lil bit.

“Meanwhile, remember de video yuh did call me about de time? De one yuh swear had everyting de TTPS need tuh solve de murder it show ah dat Trini fella orn he bike outside ah Lotto place?”

Ah tink ah hear he grunt so ah went orn.

“Well it languishin in ah drawer someplace cause it eh give de poleece enough tuh charge nobody.”

He start tuh cuss.

“Needles smaller in Triniland an de haystacks dong dey bigger,” ah say.

Ah turn serious.

“Ah was watchin de parsin out ceremony ah de second batch ah recruits from larse year. Eef yuh see how sharp an excited dem new poleece officers look. Ah sure is de same wid every parsin out ceremony. De men wid dey head shave bald smilin. De women who eh have tuh cut dey hair, smilin too. Buh what does happen in de followin years tuh sour dem so? Yuh see me? Eef I is ah homicide detective, I would be damned eef some fool go come orn my turf an commit ah murder an tink he go get way wid it. Not when solvin murders is my bread an butter. Dat go be like lettin somebody who does buy ah car once in ah blue moon come orn de car lot an tink dey could outsmart me. An all I does do is sell cars fuh ah livin? Yuh mad or what?”

“Ah bet de NYPD does get plenty tips,” mih pardnah say.

“An eef yuh bun yuh wife wid acid it doh take dem long tuh track yuh dong hidin by yuh sister.”

Both ah we buss ah laugh den went orf tuh we own torts.

“Well I tell you . . . . dey arrest de shooter . . . ”

Dat first phrase is he favorite whenever someting too big or unbelievable fuh he tuh digest one time happen.

“Man ah would ah never guess dat is where yuh was goin when yuh call mih nah.”

“. . . ah whole year later,” he add.

“Dedicated poleece,” ah reply.

Silence.

We did kill de topic. Plus he had tings tuh digest.

“Okay borse, leh me go finish put away mih groceries. It hot an ah tirstee.”

He agree it hot. He mentionin he done get he sno-cone.

“Awright man we go bounce.”

“Later.”

Me eh know how he does do dat. He could leave home, jump in he car wid he big cup an spoon, drive tuh where de Guyanese woman does be sellin sno-cone, buy ah large an finish it orf in he car before he reach back home.

Not me.

I eatin it right dey by she den buyin ah next one tuh take home. Cyar enjoy it in no car.

Ah reach into one ah de plastic bags from de grocery an pull out ah bottle ah lemonade. It was still cold. What was in it would have tuh do. What he does do have tuh be ah sin eef not ah crime.

Mih case strong . . . not so Mr. DPP?