Child Not Found by Ray Daniel

Author:Ray Daniel
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Murder, USA, Aloysius Tucker, Boston, Massachusettes, Midnight Ink, Bruins, Maria
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2016-04-13T07:00:00+00:00

FORTY-TWO

SAL SPUN HIS WHEELS, turned hard, and rocketed down a long straight road with the Tobin rising on one side and the low buildings of the Charlestown Navy Yard sitting on the other.

I gripped the panic handle over the passenger door and asked, “How did you find me?”

“When I got out, I called some guys, loyal guys. They heard that Vince was going to take you out. Prove he was in charge.”

“Yeah, but how did you know he’d go there?”

“Because he’s got no fucking imagination. He just did what he was taught. Except I never taught him to leave a fucking DNA beanie behind.”

Taught? The truth hit. I wasn’t the first guy dragged into a crate. I was the first one to walk out. I rolled the revelation around in my head. Killing guys in a disposable murder scene. It was a business process, a competitive advantage, a trade secret. It was freaking patentable! It required planning, coordination, training, bribes, and guys to pick up the crate and put it on some ship. There had to be guys across the world who got the dirty crates and—what, dumped them? Cleaned them? The system required foresight and genius. Evil genius.

I had been keeping Sal in a little compartment. He was Sophia’s husband, Maria’s father, my first cousin, and maybe a guy who did a little crime. That was as far as I had let myself go. Now I saw that he was a guy who owned, and probably invented, a murder processing facility. I glanced at Sal as he drove, pulling up to the end of the street, turning hard, and firing us across the Charlestown Bridge.

Sal said, “So you’re finally quiet.”

“I’m thinking,” I said.

“You’re new to this stuff, baby cousin. So take my advice.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t think too much.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know how to handle yourself. I don’t know what to do. Ever since I got into this, everyone wants to either kill me or arrest me.”

“Welcome to my world,” said Sal. We drove in silence down slushy gray streets, through scattershot intersections, and over the Charlestown Bridge into the North End.

Sal said, “I’m glad you got into this.”

“Why?”

“You’re the only friend I got.”

I had nothing to say. Sal navigated the narrow roads in the North End, turning down smaller and smaller streets until he turned at a sign that said CLEVELAND PL and stopped in what was essentially a canyon cut between brick buildings.

“We’re here,” Sal said.

“Where?”

“Angie’s condo.”

Sal reached beneath my seat and pulled out a small gun. Handed it to me. “Be fucking careful with this.”

I took the gun. “Okay.”

Sal pointed at my gun hand. “Take your fucking finger off the trigger, unless you want to shoot someone.”

My finger had slipped beneath the trigger guard. I pulled it out, rested it alongside the gun. My hand shook and I watched it dance. Looked at Sal. “Maybe I shouldn’t have a gun.”

Sal gripped my shoulder. “Stay behind me.” He climbed out of the car.

Sal walked to a door, jingled through his key chain, produced a key, and unlocked the door.

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