BULLETS (30 page)
“Nice pink shirt. Since when do private investigators wear pink?”
“I’m not a PI and this shirt was a gift from a very special lady.”
“Yeah, right. Sure you’re not a PI. Listen, I don’t know how you found me, but tell my father that I’m not interested in his help or even hearing from him—”
“I’m not here on behalf of your father. I’m a friend of Pedro’s.”
That stopped her. “You knew Pedro?”
“Briefly, yes. I’m here on his behalf. Have a seat, please.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Rob, who glared at her.
“Don’t worry about your manager, I’ll take care of him and make sure to tip big. I just need a minute, that’s all. For Pedro.”
Jenny gave in to curiosity and sat down.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“My name is Jon Elder, friends call me Slick.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Did your father find out about you and Pedro, or did you tell him?”
“I told him, I had to tell him. He was furious. I didn’t tell him that I was—”
“Pregnant, I know. This was a couple days before—”
“Before Pedro was arrested, yes.”
“And you left town when you heard—”
“No, my father sent me away the next morning. I didn’t know why, exactly, I only heard Pedro got arrested and that my father was going to try to help him. He said he didn’t want me to get into trouble too, it was a legal issue, he said, and I … I believed him.
“I shouldn’t have. I thought he’d just get sent back to Mexico, and I could see him there, at the very least. I didn’t even know Pedro was in the hospital until it was too late. I sent him text messages, but … when I heard … when I finally heard that Pedro was dead, I … ran away. From my father’s friends, from everyone. Ran here. I had a friend who let me stay with her, helped me find a job. This job.”
She looked up at Slick. “We were going to be married.”
“I know. Your father’s in jail.”
She started at that. “I didn’t know. For what happened to Pedro?”
“And other things. That bother you?”
“Not if he was responsible for what happened to Pedro.”
“He was. I guarantee it.”
Jenny closed her eyes, bit back more nausea and tears.
“I somehow knew he was, in my heart.”
“You planning to keep the baby?”
“Not so loud,” she said. “My boss doesn’t know. If he finds out I’m pregnant, he’ll fire me now so he won’t have to pay for maternity leave. I have fifty more days before I get any benefits.”
“So you’re keeping it.”
“I want to. I really want to.”
“You were in college, right? This fall was supposed to be your junior year. You were pre-law, too, right? You thinking about going back?”
“I’d like to, but … I don’t know, with the baby and everything—”
“You can, if you want. Here.” Slick reached down, picked up a satchel and plopped it on the table.
“What is it?”
“Take a look.”
She unzipped it and glanced inside. It was filled with money. She shoved it back at him. “I told you before, I don’t want my father’s help.”
“And I told you, this money ain’t from your father. This money is from me, because I considered Pedro a friend in need. Now it’s yours, take it. It’s enough that you can quit this shit job, go back to school and take care of the kid without slaving away, hoping you get enough tips to pay the bills. This is for you, from Pedro, not from your father. I helped put your father where he is. For Pedro. He’d want you to have it.”
She glanced over his shoulder at Rob, who was steaming and now walking over to their table. Slick turned and stared at the manager, gave the officious prick his prison yard stare and that did the trick. Rob stopped in his tracks and found something else to occupy his attention.
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’m not going to lie, I could really use the help.”
“Take this and walk out of this place now, get yourself set up in a nice apartment and go back to school. I only have two conditions, if you take the money.”
“What conditions?”
Slick slid a card over. “This is the lawyer who represented Pedro, Melvin Hayes, he’s suing the city, and your father I might add, for wrongful death on Pedro’s behalf. He’ll want to talk to you. There will probably be a big settlement, though those things take time. Melvin also has the name and address of Pedro’s mother in Mexico. I want you to call and introduce yourself to her and explain that she’s going to be a grandmother. I know that you learned to speak Spanish in school. She’s your family now, she’ll need financial help from you as well, but mostly I want her included in the life of her grandchild. Pedro worshipped his mother and it’s what he’d want.”
She took the card. “Yes. I’ll do that. Definitely. What’s the other condition?”
Slick stood and headed out. “If it’s a boy, you name him Pedro.”
“I’d already planned on that. What if it’s a girl?”
Slick didn’t stop, just kept going.
“If it’s a girl, name her Camilla.”
Elijah Drive
was born in the Midwest with a large chip on his shoulder, one that he still carries with pride to this very day. Currently based on the east coast, among his many interests are literature, politics and martial arts. He doesn’t believe in murder for money, but he does believe in karma and kicking ass, big time.
Bullets
is Elijah’s first novel.
Follow his Facebook Page for more information:
Elijah Drive – Author
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