Words of Mine; An Introduction


I love the sound of words; of letters strung together. Words are like little puzzles and when put together correctly they can invoke pictures of images yet unseen. I see my thoughts like a perfect sequence of still photographs and I find those visions entertaining. The stories I gather from cobwebbed corners, or the vivid thoughts that float lazily through my mind, or the rapid fire ideas all force me to write them down before they evaporate; I can't help but think others might just find them as interesting as I do. Perhaps the little stories you read will make your day a little brighter.


Monday, July 14, 2014

The Dark Tango Part IV

“What were you doing in the lab?” Franz sat on the table in front of the man we just caught. He didn’t say anything. I stood, leaning against the cinder block wall in the tiny and suffocating room and lit a cigarette. He watched me and I stared him down. “How well did you know Gregorio?” I asked. That got a reaction; a small flinch and a frown. Franz looked at me and raised his eyebrow. He knew I was on an idea and wouldn’t interrupt. “How sure are you that you won’t be next? Or did you kill him?” The man looked down at his handcuffed hands and said very quietly, “I didn’t kill him.” Franz took the lead again. “Okay, you say you didn’t kill him. Do you know who did?” The man stayed silent. “We have people testing what was in that lab. It’s only a matter of time before we find out what it is. You want to expedite the process for us?” Again, quietly, the man said, “Its wheat.” Franz and I looked at each other, not sure what to think. “Explain it to us,” Franz said. “I don’t want to go to jail.” “I can’t promise that. But your sentence may be reduced,” said Franz. “I want Gregorio’s killer brought to justice.” “You were friends with him then…Mr?” “Derringer. Benedict Derringer. Yes, Gregorio and I were friends. We worked together in the bio engineer arm of the military for many years. A year ago we were asked to break away from the department and work on a top-secret project. We thought, you see, that we were still working for the government.” “Until a year ago, more or less?” I asked. The man looked up at me, he looked scared more than anything. “Yes.” “Was it Salazar?” I asked. “Yes. When we found out we weren’t working for the government we threatened to expose him. So he drugged Gregorio and told the state department he’d lost his mind and that they should cut all ties with him to save face. And they did. Salazar also showed him pictures…” “Of Mrs. Domingo and Salazar?” I asked. Mr. Derringer nodded. “How did you know?” “We’ve seen them and a bunch of others. Seems he made a habit of bedding top officials’ wives,” said Franz. “I think that’s how he gets away with everything. He has something on everyone and they’re too afraid that they’ll get exposed,” said Mr. Derringer. “What’s he got on you?” I asked. “I’d rather not say,” he answered. “How did he drug Mr. Domingo?” I asked. “It was with the product we are working on. See, Salazar’s politics, they are even more conservative then the nationalist movement that seems to have taken a hold of this country. In the bioengineering branch, Gregorio and I were working on a way to stop the effects on chemical warfare, not to make our own. Salazar was convinced because of our immigrant population, the imminent war of Europe would end up here. He wanted a first strike. Gregorio and I, we aren’t of such conservative thought, we like the immigrants, we were both born here but our parents weren’t. We were disgusted with what he wanted us to do, but we didn’t know how to stop him. He thought if we could combine a strain of wheat berry with hallucinogenic properties, like that found in the atropa belladonna – a plant, or the amanita muscaria – a mushroom, and even ergot - a fungal disease found in rye and other cereals, then we could serve it to the masses. Control by chaos.” “He used this…this doctored wheat?” asked Franz. “Yes, but you see, it wasn’t ready. We’ve been experimenting with all of these different ingredients. The first time he used it was a year ago and Gregorio was lucky that the specimen Salazar stole was only infused with the smallest amount of ergot. What he used this time, two days ago, was heavily laced with amanita muscaria, the mushroom.” “He hallucinated to death?” asked Franz. “Probably the mushroom was too much and it poisoned him after he spent the night delirious and quite possibly frightened.” “Where would Salazar be now, do you think?” I asked. Mr. Derringer shrugged and looked very tired. “Gregorio kept an accurate account of everything we did in the lab, mainly for our research but also for evidence’s sake. In case we could ever get out from under Salazar’s thumb. I know he kept a secret copy of all of it. I just don’t know where.” “Did we find anything like that in his study?” I asked Franz, but he shook his head no. “If you were to keep something that important and worried it could be found easily where would you hide it?” I asked the room in general. “Safety deposit box,” Franz said with no hesitation. “And the key?” I asked. “Bedroom?” said Mr. Derringer. Franz and I looked at each other. Obviously we were thinking the same thing because it didn’t take us three seconds before we were both running out the door, leaving the man to ask an empty room if he was free to go. It felt like it took forever to get to the Domingo house, but that’s how it always is when you’re in a hurry. As we drove down the street I looked for the uniform that was supposed to be watching the house but he was nowhere to be found. Not bothering to park correctly, Franz made a sudden stop in front of the house and we jumped out. No one answered the buzzer and a gut feeling told me it wasn’t cause no one was home. “Gimme a lift,” I said and grabbed high onto the gate. Franz didn’t have to ask what I meant and with a heave and a shimmy I was able to get myself on top and then over the wall. Quickly I unlocked the gate for Franz and we headed towards the door. It was locked. Cursing I got out my lock picking kit but my hands were shaking slightly and it took me a little bit longer than usual. Finally it opened and we burst through the door. I took the left towards the parlor and Franz went back towards the kitchen. There was nothing in the parlor so I headed up stairs. I didn’t hear anything. Opening doors slowly, I checked rooms as I went, making my back towards Gabriella’s room until that was the last door unopened. I took a deep breath and counted to three, grabbed and twisted the handle before I could change my mind. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like what I’d find in the room. There was no one inside. A little disbelieving I opened the closet doors, keeping an eye on the rest of the room. The closet was only filled with things one finds in closets. I stopped and decided I needed to slow down. I closed my eyes and then carefully looked around the room. The bed, the dressing table, the closet I stood by, the chair by the window, the cedar chest…the window. I hurried over and saw that though the curtain had been drawn the window was open. I looked down; there was a fire escape. There were two people on the fire escape and they were struggling. I ran to the stair well and yelled for Franz. He looked up at me and I yelled for him to go out to the fire escape. I ran back to Gabriella’s room, back to the window, and climbed out. He, along with Gabriella, was on a landing half way down the building. I must have made a noise because I heard Salazar curse and Gabriella yell my name. “Give it up, Salazar! You’re cornered!” I yelled down to him. “Don’t you understand? It’s for the good of the people!” he yelled up to me. “Leave her alone. Let her climb up to me,” I said as I continued to climb down. I was now hovering over them, about ten rungs up. I couldn’t see his face, it was hidden in the shadows but the glint of a convincer was next to Gabriella’s head and I stopped. I pulled out my piece, hating that it meant tonight was going to be messy. “What do you want Salazar?” We were about half way up from the ground and it was dark. From a short distance I heard car and sirens headed our way. The noises got louder as it approached and Gabriella must have gotten some courage from it because she tried to elbow her captor and he tried to keep her in check. I heard her yelp as he hit her with the butt of the gat. In seconds the car stopped and I yelled to the uniforms down below. A huge spotlight suddenly broke the darkness and lit up the two on the landing right below me. There was Gabriella but it wasn’t Salazar that was with her. It was the hotel manager. The spotlight was directly on him, blinding him. I had a chance and I took it. Taking careful aim I shouted for Gabriella to get out of the way. She too was blinded but did as I said and ducked. I fired. The man cried out and stumbled back. The railing was at the perfect height, or the wrong height, depending on how you look at things, and he toppled over. I couldn’t move for a moment as my stomach settled back where it belonged. I’d aimed for his hand on purpose but I hadn’t factored in his reaction and the fear of getting shot at. I should have known he would have stepped back, I should have calculated the height of the railing. I quickly climbed down to the landing where Gabriella sat, her arms over her head. I heard the commotion on the street level where the man’s body landed but I ignored it and gently rocked Gabriella until she was able to but her arms around me.

It was late afternoon the next day. Franz sat at his desk and I on it as he filled me in on the day’s activities. I’d gotten sauced after last nights adventure; a little self-medication had been in order, especially since I used my gun and a man died. I’d also slept in. The search hadn’t taken long; the hotel manager’s living quarters were filled with anti government pamphlets. The fear that the war would end up on our shores was real on both sides; Salazar and his conservative cronies were afraid of race dilution and the immigrants were afraid of oppression. For as hard as Salazar worked to be safe, so did the people who’d escaped tyranny once before. It was dumb luck on the part of the hotel manager that Salazar chose his establishment for blackmail fodder, but he’d gotten things wrong. In his fear he thought everyone associated with Salazar held the same conservative views, including Mr. and Mrs. Salazar. Eberstark, the photographer, the one who was good friends with the hotel manager, he’d been in on it too. No surprise when the dots connected, he helped Salazar with blackmail then took the money he got from that to bring Salazar down. That’s what we figured anyway. He wasn’t singing though, not that caged bird. We could only surmise that he and the hotel manager had broken into the lab and got a hold of the mushroom stuff and then hit him on the head. “You got enough to book him?” I asked. “Not for murder. But we’re still looking. Word of this spread faster than scabies on a ship. La Boca residents are scared and some of them are eager to separate themselves from the radicals.” “And Salazar?” “Missing.” I stood up and held out my hand. Franz took it. There was a quick an urgent knock on his door but the officer didn’t wait for Franz’s response. He burst through and said “You’re needed quick. Double homicide.” He didn’t wait again for Franz to respond but left as quickly as he came. “What do you say? Want to come along?” “Not this time,” I said. “Like you have anything better to do,” he said. I smiled. “I was summoned by Gab – Mrs. Domingo. Seems she needs comforting.” Franz grinned. “Well then, I won’t stop you.” “I’m hoping she won’t either.” And she didn’t. And I didn’t stop her and the only thing that stopped either of us was sleep. The End

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