Murder in the Magic City, G.P. Sorrells [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

“Can’t imagine that’ll last too much longer.”

“I doubt it. But we’ll be ready for whatever they throw our way.” Castillo glanced down at his watch, absentmindedly concocting an exit strategy. “You probably don’t have to worry about much since they only expected me specifically. I’ve got some extra security in the meantime. Anywho, time for me to hit the road. Got a meeting with the big boss.”

“Sounds good,” Micah said, walking over to the door. “Thanks for bringing me in on this.”

“Anytime,” Castillo said as he left the apartment.

Micah walked over to the couch, grabbing hold of duffel bags on his way. He removed a fresh stack of hundred-dollar bills and thumbed through the edges of the paper, feeling the brush of each fiber against his skin as a minute burst of air shot forth. He was honed in on the inane act so much that he didn’t even notice the front door opening. Nor the sound it made when it slammed shut.

“Good day at work?” Valerie blurted, a vein bulging slightly from her forehead. She briefly considered setting her purse down on the counter, but wasn’t certain such a move was necessary.

Micah felt his stomach drop, as though he were on the verge of cresting a hill on the wildest roller coaster imaginable. There was some truth to the fiction. “I’ve had better.”

“Feel like telling my why you’re doing business with Jimmy?”

“He’s just a friend of mine from the office,” Micah said. He felt terrible lying to Valerie, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “He told me about this investment plan he came across, so I gave him some money to work with. Just wanted to see if the thing had any legs.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Micah.”

Sensing the unpleasant direction the conversation was traveling, Micah set down the cash and stood up. “What are you talking about, Val?”

“I don’t know what kind of contracting you do, but Jimmy Castillo isn’t in that field. Not reputably anyway.”

Micah knew the gig was up, but he was dumbfounded that Valerie spoke so matter-of-factly about Castillo. She didn’t seem to know about him because she had seen his face in a news story. “How the…”

“How could you keep this from me?” Valerie felt her face flush, rage seething through every fiber of her being. “Can’t you trust me enough to tell me something like this? Instead, I’ve got to find out the truth by seeing you making a drug deal. What the hell else are you keeping from me?”

“Nothing.” Another lie. He could feel his heart growing colder, but there were some truths which were better left unsaid. “It wasn’t drugs.”

“He just gives you all that cash because he thought you were cute? Maybe he’s been pimping you out.”

Micah briefly had the urge to chuckle at the absurdity of those insinuations, but he was in hot enough water as it was. “A deal went sour, and we grabbed it before bailing.” The rate he was going, he’d be able to build a house with his fibs. This was at least closer to the truth. Valerie stared at him, her face devoid of emotion, but there was no mistaking the way she felt when she stormed out of the apartment. “Come on, hon. Valerie!”

The door slammed shut and Micah grappled with the thought of chasing after her. Ultimately, he decided against it. She was mad enough at him as it was. Better to let her cool off for a bit than to charge after her like he had any hope of changing her mind. “Good damn job, numb nuts,” he said to himself. He punched the wall near the door, for no reason other than he needed an outlet for the anger he felt with himself in that moment. The hole his strike left didn’t help matters.

Chapter 46

Valerie wasn’t sure what she expected out of the confrontation. She had hoped for something resembling the truth, but she wasn’t sure the reality of his current situation was something she was ready to come to terms with. Jimmy Castillo was a lot of things, but a Boy Scout wasn’t one of them.

If Micah was running with him, it was more than likely he had been on the wrong side of more than a few moral decisions. Valerie was no saint herself, but her transgressions were minor blips on the tapestry of an otherwise mundane life. Nothing she had ever done resulted in a life altering, or ending, predicament for another person. Every fiber of her being hoped that the obvious, low hanging fruit was a mirage. The man she fell for was truly a good person. Sure, he ran with a questionable crowd, but he could’ve done many odd jobs for Jimmy Castillo that weren’t synonymous with felony charges. The problem was, she had a hard time believing it.

The dimly lit street outside their apartment stretched out for miles in either direction. A testament to what happens when the funds in a city aren’t distributed in such a manner befitting of all its residents. Valerie trudged down, wanting to run, but desperate to keep any attention away from herself. She just wanted to disappear for a while. To get away from the source of her anger. Part of her just wanted to call a ride share and head to a bar. Let her frustrations out with a few fingers of bourbon. The seedier the establishment the better.

She pulled out her phone and began searching for options. If the “drown your sorrows” side of her brain won out in this manufactured debate, she wanted to be prepared with choices. A few promising locales popped up almost immediately. Local dive bars steeped in history and capable of delivering on the hope of a genuinely unique atmosphere abounded. Narrowing her options down to one or two would be tough. She briefly considered flipping a coin to decide between her top two choices.

In all her mental back-and-forth, Valerie had grown oblivious