Ray Carney

Ray Carney is a furniture salesman with a history in the criminal underworld of Harlem. Although he attempts to carve out a straight life for himself as a stand-up salesman with a family, his desire to procure Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter, May, gives him an excuse to contact Munson, a corrupt police officer that he previously had dealings with. Although Carney attempts to justify this initiation of contact with the past he has sworn off as a one-time arrangement in order to uplift his family, he privately nurses the knowledge that he misses his criminal life.

Carney quickly settles back into his thieving and dishonest lifestyle by betraying Munson, who is attempting to flee the city, and currying favor with Notch Walker, a local captain. Carney is allowed to operate his businesses uninhibited with Walker's protection and sees an uptick in profits both legitimate and illegitimate...