LITMIR.BIZ

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out are they organized or disorganized,” Canseco interrupted, “sexual or nonsexual. Sadistic? Vengeful? We all know how to read psychos and every shrink tries to turn it into a bigger deal than it is.”

      “Fucking A,” Valdez popped. “Fucking A-plus.”

      Roy rubbed his big palms together. “How often do you hear me say my mind’s made up, chillun?”

      ‘’Bout once every two years, boss,” Tatum said.

      “Then you got nothing to worry about for the next twenty-three months. Class dismissed.”

      The group filed out like scolded schoolchildren. Only Gershwin acknowledged my existence, pausing to extend his fist as he stepped past. I knocked my knuckles against his.

      “Nice meeting you, Alabama,” he grinned. “Welcome to the Sunshine State.”

       6

      “Leala Rosales? That’s your name?”

      “Y-y-yes, señorita.”

      “Stop your bawling. You look like you have something to say. What is it?”

      “Th-the man, the man who b-brought me here … h-he did things to me in the car. Fi-filthy, sinful things and—”

      A crack like a whip.

      “Do you know what that slap was for little Leala? LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU! It was for being a snitch. NEVER tell me such things. And what the gentleman did was not filthy … it’s how you make money. And you better start making money, little Leala. You have a debt to be paid off.”

      “P-please, señorita. I want … to go back. To g-go home.”

      “In that case you must pay what you owe plus the return costs. Do you have thirty thousand dollars?”

      “I HAVE NOTHING! I w-was told that …”

      “You must work, Leala. It’s as simple as that. And there is one very important thing you must know: It is about the police. They are muy peligrosa, dangerous. They hate illegals and will throw you in prison for ever. Look into my eyes, Leala, so that you will see the truth. Do you see it?”

      “Y-yes.”

      “The man who told you of our service. Back in Honduras. Does he not know exactly where you are from?”

      A tentative nod. “Si. He has been to my home.”

      “Then here is God’s truth, Leala: If you are ever stupid enough to talk to the police, you will never see your mama again. You will return to a headstone.”

      “No … please …”

      “So now you know what you must do. Pay your debt.”

      “I c-c-can cook, I can clean. I-I was told I might be a housekeeper.”

      “Are you a virgin?”

      “I-I did not hear. What did you say?”

      “You seem as stupid as you are beautiful. I’ll say it slowly so maybe you can understand: Are you a virgin, Leala Rosales? Have you managed to keep the peasants and priests from your pussy?”

      “The man in the car, he …”

      “He fucked your mouth. Hopefully you learned something useful. Come here and lift your dress. My finger will tell me.”

      “P-please señorita, I beg you. No.”

      “No is not a word you can use any more, Leala Rosales.”

      The footsteps of the investigative staff disappeared down the hall. Roy broke the silence. “That went well, I think.”

      “Went well? I was smelling a lynching.”

      “You’re over-reacting, bud. My guys are intuitive detectives, edgy and a bit self-centered. Like most natural-born dicks they’re basically high-strung children.”

      I shot Roy the eye. He said, “Present company excepted, of course.”

      “It was like they had a personal grudge against me, Roy. I understand being pissy about me having the case, but it seemed bigger than that.”

      Roy beamed at me like I’d just called every winner at Hialeah an hour before the starting bell. “You are beautiful, Carson. Reading people, situations. You absolutely nailed it.”

      “Nailed what?”

      “Initially I planned to add a junior investigator to the staff, got Tallahassee to budget the extra bucks, with enough left over to bump my guys up a well-deserved grade in pay, two actually.”

      “And?”

      “Then I thought, why a junior investigator? I’ll put the money into a seasoned pro. The idea felt so good I thought, Go even further, Roy. So I decided to not only hire a senior investigator but one who was a specialist in crazos as well, more bang for the buck. Bingo, here you are.”

      I replayed Roy’s scenario in my head, following the money. I was making double my salary in Mobile. I sighed. “Degan, Valdez, Canseco, Tatum … not one of them got a raise, did they, Roy? What would a two-grade jump average, about seven grand?”

      “Closer to ten, actually. No big deal, there’s another state budget session in the winter. I’ll get the guys their jumps then.”

      Not being a high-strung child I avoided banging my head against the wall. “So not only do I grab a plum case from your crew, I’ve pulled ten grand from their wallets.”

      Roy’s brow wrinkled in puzzlement. “I told you some of this, right? Before you got here?”

      “No, you didn’t.”

      “Sorry, things get tangled in my head at times. Probably because I’m still figuring it all out.”

      “The crew hates me,” I said, perilously close to a moan. “They won’t rest until I go down in flames.”

      Roy’s hand fell over my shoulder. “You’re a pro and they’re pros. Maybe it’ll be a teensy bit tough at first, but I know you, buddy. You’re gonna fly like an eagle.”

      I slumped in Roy’s footsteps as he led me to where my office would be when in Miami, right now just a fifteen-by-fifteen box with a cheap metal desk and chair and a phone on the floor. The why-am-I-here? thoughts started afresh.

      “You can work from wherever suits you, Carson. Here or at your place or from a ship at sea. If a police chief from Deltana says he’s got a perp killing hookers and chopping off their toes, you can advise what to look for. Or go to Deltana and handle the case directly. Your decision.”

      “You give your people a lot of autonomy.”

      “I’m a lazy bastard. When my crew handles stuff without me even knowing it, I’m thrilled. Basically, all I want to see are files stamped Case Closed.”

      “Speaking of crew, what’s the word on that other guy? The kid who looks like a skate punk?”

      Roy frowned, a rare event. “Ziggy Gershwin. Christ, did you ever hear a goofier name? Gershwin’s kind of a special case.”

      A trio of clerical types passed by the open door, two women and a guy. They shot micro-glances inside: Look at the new guy.

      “Special?” I said. “How is Gershwin so special?”

      “A couple months back a trio of Albanian psychopaths grabbed a ten-year-old kid from West Palm, wanted five mil in ransom. The family called the authorities. BOLOs went out on a green van noted at the scene, everything real hush-hush. Gershwin was a newbie county cop working in Glades County, rural, west of Okeechobee. Two days after the grab – by then the family had received a pinky

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