A Quiet Street in El Paso

by Jim Daddio

  Fred took a deep breath. “Yes. I’ll get it.”

  Mat waited as Fred opened the closet and grabbed a red and white sports bag. Mat opened the suitcase and stuffed the money in the bag.

  Mat said, “Listen and listen closely. We have a deal. I walk out of here and as far as you’re concerned this day never happened. Take the little lady on the weekend trip you had planned.”

  Fred nodded. Mat walked toward the front door. Bones could see him through the opening and could see him carrying the bag. He shouted, “He’s got the money. Let’s go.” Bones and his partner ran into the house through the open sliding glass door. Mat heard the noise and turned sharply toward the two men. Bones shouted, pointing his weapon at Mat. “Drop it, Mat. We’re taking the money to Fat Baby.”

  Mat stood firm. He held the bag tightly in his hand. Bones called out again, “Don’t be a dead hero. Give it up.”

  Mat said, “I was hired to get the money and deliver it to Fat Baby. Sounds to me like you have no intention of delivering the money to him.”

  “You’re dead in two seconds, holding the bag or alive with it on the floor.”

  Mat let the bag drop out of his grip. Bones took a few steps toward him when shots rang out, making it sound like a Fourth of July fireworks display. Bones or his partner didn’t see the two Mexicans who had entered the house. The Mexicans didn’t hesitate. They opened fire. Bones was hit in the stomach and dropped to the floor. His partner got a bullet in the chest but was able to fire off two rounds before he fell to the floor. One of the Mexicans felt a bullet hit his chest, right below his heart. His body slumped to the floor.

  Mat acted instinctively and dove to the floor. He yanked his weapon from his holster and fired wildly in the air in the direction of the lone standing Mexican. The Mexican dropped behind a sofa and reloaded his weapon.

  Fred had started to walk into the living room when he heard gunfire. He acted immediately and ran as fast as he could back into the bedroom. He stopped for a second trying to collect his thoughts. He looked around the room and decided the best exit from the house was through the bathroom. He grabbed his money, scampered into the bathroom and locked the door. He ripped off the screen of the window and smashed it open with the lid from the toilet. He stood on the toilet seat, crawled out the window and ran as fast as he could behind the house and down through the maze of back yards.

  Sue reached the front door when she heard the shots. She didn’t hesitate She ran through the open door. She looked in and saw one of the Mexicans squatting behind a sofa. The other Mexican was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. She watched as the other Mexican raised up and looked around the room. He didn’t see her as she moved quietly into the large living room.

  She spotted Bones as he tried to push himself up. She watched as he stopped for a second and fell back on the floor. His partner knelt on one knee trying to collect himself. He tried crawling across the floor but stopped and rolled over. The pain was shooting through his body and he could see the blood seeping out of the bullet wound. He tried to keep from passing out. He took deep breaths and tried to get up. He couldn’t make it. He dropped back onto the floor.

  Mat crawled across the room trying to find a safe place when the Mexican saw him, raised up, fired his weapon and hit Mat in the side. He yelled and rolled over. The Mexican saw Mat hit the floor and walked over and stood over him. He aimed his weapon to finish him off. He smiled. “Nice try, gringo. I’m taking the money.”

  Sue was behind him. She raised her weapon, wrapped both hands around the handle. She didn’t hesitate. She took aim and pulled the trigger three times. The bullets struck the Mexican in the back. He screamed out and fell to the floor.

  Sue could hear the sirens in the distance. She figured someone had heard the gunshots and called 911. Bones’ partner tried to stand up and raise his weapon toward her, but the pain and loss of blood caused him to fall back. Sue looked around feeling the silence. She figured either everybody was dead or hurt too badly to move. She was ready to call for Mat when she saw the red and white sports bag. She had to believe the money was in the bag. Again, she didn’t hesitate. She ran across the floor, grabbed the bag, threw it over her shoulder and bolted toward the glass sliding door.

  Mat knew he was losing blood. He tried to focus. The shooting had stopped. He tried to raise himself up. He reached for the arm of the chair but dropped back down. He heard a noise and turned over. He could see someone moving but his vision was blurry. He could see colors flash by. Red and white. It was the bag with the money. He felt like he was going to pass out. He kept telling himself to hold on.

  Sue ran out through the opening and out the open gate to the house next door. She found a side door that led into the garage. She tried to open it. It was locked. She fired her gun at the door and the handle went limp. She pushed it open and raced into the dark garage.

  Two police cars pulled up and several officers hurried into the house. They yelled out, “El Paso Police. No one move.” Nobody did. One of the police officers used his cell and called for backup and ambulances.

  Mat rolled over and called out. “Over here. I’m Mat Watkins, El Paso Police. I’m hit. There are four people in here. All of them have been hit. Be careful. Check them out.”

  One of the officers found one of the Mexicans bloody and lying still. The other officer checked the other Mexican. He was dead. The other officer called in, “Officer down. Please respond.”

  Bones was coming around. He didn’t move. The officers found him and his partner and took control of their weapons.

  Mat sat up. One of the officers came over to him. He said, “Here…my badge on my belt.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “I’m hit in the side. I’m bleeding, but I’ll make it.”

  “Hold on. I called for backup and an ambulance.”

  Mat closed his eyes and laid back down. The officer asked, “What the hell went on here?”

  “I got a tip on a drug deal. I came in late. The shooting started, and I took a hit.”

  Mat held on to a chair and pulled himself up. He looked around. The sports bag was gone. An image of Sue flashed into his mind. It was her. She shot the Mexican and took the money.

  He tried to work his way toward the front door. He looked outside. The Mustang was still there. He reached for the doorknob. He couldn’t make it. He felt the pain, saw only darkness and passed out. He didn’t feel a thing as he bounced off the hardwood floor.

  Fred kept running down the street. One of patrol cars spotted him and pulled the car in front of him. Fred stopped. One of the policemen jumped out of the car and pointed his weapon straight at him. He yelled, “Hands on your head and hit the ground.”

  Fred did what he was ordered to do.

  Forty-two

  Charlie decided to take a chance. If Mat was a cop, then he was a bad cop. He figured that if he took the money from him, he couldn’t do anything about it. He tucked his weapon in his waist, calmly opened his front door and began to take a step out when he heard the sirens. He jumped back into the house and slammed the door. He looked out the window to see several squad cars roar down the street. All he could think about was that the little quiet street in El Paso wasn’t quiet any longer. He ran to his office, opened his safe and took out a bundle of money. He found his ticket to Las Vegas, grabbed his suitcase and headed to the garage. In a few minutes, he backed out of the driveway and was on his way to the airport. His whole body trembled as he drove out of the neighborhood. All he could think about was he would not be returning to 11646 El Camino Real for a long, long time; maybe never.

  ~ * ~

  Sue looked around the dark garage and saw the button for the automatic garage door. She looked out the window. Two ambulances had arrived along with two more cop cars. She waited for everybody to go into the house. The street looked empty. She pressed the button and the garage slowly rose. She took a deep breath and grabbed the bag. She walked toward the red Mustang. A police officer appe
ared from the side of the house. She took a second to compose herself. She was no longer Sue, but Divine, the dancer, the actress. She turned her head toward the garage and called out, “I’ll call you from the airport, dear.”

  She turned back toward the officer, smiled at him and kept walking. He stopped and glanced at her. She said calmly, “I heard some sounds coming from that house there. I’m on my way to the airport to catch a flight. What’s going on?”

  “I just arrived. I’m going in.”

  “I’ll have to call my husband later and find out what the hell happened in there.”

  She turned and walked toward the car. She didn’t know what to expect. The officer called out, “Have a nice flight.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door and threw the bag in the back seat. Hector had rolled on the floor and curled up in a fetal position. She pulled the gear shift into drive and drove slowly down the street. She looked over and saw the police had someone lying on the ground. She kept on driving. No one noticed her. She was on her way to the Ford dealership. Her only concern was what to do with Hector. She found a gas station, pulled in and stopped the car. She turned around, “Hector, take some of the money and count it out.”

  Hector ripped open the zipper. He grabbed a stack of money. He counted. He yelled out, “I got a stack. Ten thousand.”

  “Take another ten and I’m going to let you out.”

  Hector fumbled around in the case and grabbed another stack. He put it in his pocket and crawled out of the car. He ran as fast he could down the street. Sue drove away and couldn’t wait to buy her new Mustang and get out of El Paso.

  ~ * ~

  Hector Morales was a wreck. He had found a bar and called a fellow worker. He told him his truck had broken down and he needed a ride home. The man declined at first, but Hector begged and then offered him a thousand dollars. The man followed Hector’s direction and was there within the hour.

  Hector called his house. He knew his wife would be there. She answered. He said, “Listen to me and do not ask any questions. Just do as I say. Call your sister and have her come pick you up. Go to the school and get the children. And go to her house. I will be there in a couple hours.”

  His wife began to speak. “Hector—”

  “Stop. Just do it now. Go. Hurry. Please go. I will explain later.”

  Two hours later, Hector and his family were traveling to a small fishing village to stay with a friend until he figured what the hell he was going to do. He had gone too far and now he had to worry about what would happen to him and his family.

  ~ * ~

  Fat Baby couldn’t believe nobody was calling him. He tried Mat’s phone. He didn’t answer. He called Bones. He didn’t answer either. He knew someone had taken the money. But who? Could it have been Hector? Or Mat? Or Bones? Or maybe his trusted accountant?

  It wasn’t the money that bothered him; it was the fact someone had betrayed his trust. The only thing he cared about was people trusting him and he would offer trust in return.

  He couldn’t wait any longer. He called for his driver and two of his men. He decided to drive to his accountant’s house. He wanted to find out first-hand who the thief was and who had betrayed him.

  The limo turned onto El Camino Real and stopped in front of Charlie’s house. Fat Baby couldn’t see out of the darkened windows. He couldn’t see the half dozen police cars and the two ambulances parked a few houses down the street.

  One of his men got out of the car and stood frozen for a second as he saw the drama down the street. He gathered himself and knocked on the back window. The window rolled down. He said, “There’s a fucking mess down the street. Cop cars and ambulances everywhere.”

  “What the hell do you mean?” Fat Baby asked.

  “There must be a half dozen…shit, they’re bringing bodies out right and left.”

  “We need to get out of here.”

  “Something bad went down. That’s for sure.”

  The man rushed back and jumped into the front seat. The driver began to turn around when a squad car pulled up beside the limo. Two officers slid out of the car and walked toward Fat Baby’s car. The driver stopped the limo as one of the officers motioned to the driver to roll down the window. He looked in. “You live on this street?”

  The driver responded. “No, sir.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I got lost. The streets are a maze around here. I made a wrong turn and am turning around.”

  “Then keep going. We are blocking off this street.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Fat Baby sat nervously in the back seat. He relaxed when he heard the conversation. As they drove off , he didn’t see the officer write down the license plate of the limo.

  Later that night he heard what had happened, on the news. The next morning the police surrounded his mansion and he surrendered peacefully.

  Forty-three

  Mat Watkins was a beaten man. The pain was there but it was tolerable. He had been in the hospital for five days. He was to be released in a few hours. For days, he ran through his mind what had happened that day. He read the paper and saw the TV shows reporting the events. There was no mention of Sue or Hector. He knew the blurry figure he saw dash across the room must have been Sue. He couldn’t believe she had not contacted him. It was on the news that he had been wounded and taken to the hospital. She knew where he was. She had taken the money and run.

  He figured Bones had decided to take him out and take the money for himself. Or maybe Fat Baby had decided he was expendable and saved fifty thousand. Either way he had learned Bones had been wounded and taken to the same hospital. He also saw on the news a man called Fat Baby had been arrested.

  He figured the two Mexicans were there protecting their money or maybe to take it for themselves. He had already called his friend at the Ford dealership. He confirmed Sue had bought the car that same day with cash. He then checked with his contact at the Beach View Villas. She had called to confirm she was on her way and to save a room.

  ~ * ~

  The door opened and his boss, Captain Ramirez, and two police officers entered the room. Mat felt a different kind of pain flash through his body. He could tell by the look on his boss’s face that something was wrong.

  The captain spoke first. “How are you feeling, Mat?”

  “Good. I’m being sent home today. I’ll probably hang out at home for a few days before I report.”

  “Mat, I’m sorry to tell you but you’re under arrest. The district attorney has filed multiple charges against you. There’s not much to say except that Fred Cummings used his get out of jail free card and well, he told quite a story. The drug boys finally found Fat Baby. He also had a lot to say.”

  “You talk to him?”

  “No. I learned that he told them what they wanted to hear. There were no drugs to be found and nobody found any money. It’s bullshit, but Fat Baby wasn’t charged. There was nothing to charge him with. I guess giving you a bribe wasn’t what they were interested in. Just the fact you took the bribe.”

  Mat didn’t say a word. He knew the best thing to do was to remain silent and as soon as possible hire a good attorney. He knew several who would represent him.

  “Officer, read him his rights. Mat, get up and get dressed.” He paused. “And get yourself a good lawyer. You're going to need one.”

  One of the officers read Mat his rights and the other waited until he was dressed, pulled his arms behind his back and put the handcuffs on. The captain left the room and returned in a few minutes with a nurse who pushed a wheelchair toward him. Mat sat and was pushed out of the room, down the hall and out the door. He stood and was pushed into the back seat of the patrol car.

  ~ * ~

  Mat sat across from his attorney. He was dressed in his orange prison jump suit. The lawyer said, “You holding up all right?”

  “They got me in a private cell. What’s going on?”

  “The truth is, well, it’s not going t
oo good. The arraignment is Friday. It’s not going to go well. I’ve heard the D.A. and the police commissioner want to make a big deal out of all this. You know, a bad cop taking bribes, withholding evidence, obstruction of justice…should I go on?”

  “What’s your feeling about getting me out on bond?”

  “Not good. The D.A, is going to say you’re a risk to run. Plus, because of your criminal activity, you’ll be a danger to society.”

  “That’s a bunch of bull. Who am I going to harm?”

  “Some guy named Fred.”

  “So what now?”

  “I’ll do what I can. I’m asking for a speedy trial. I’m not too sure it’s going to happen. They want you to stew in this jail for a long time before the trial. They want to milk this and use you as an example to other cops who think they can take bribes.”

  “Jesus. Any good news?”

  “I was able to get Bones out on bond.”

  “That’s funny. A drug dealer and murderer is out on bond and you’re saying I got no chance.”

  “What can I say?”

  Mat thought for a second. He leaned over and said, “Give me a piece of paper and pen.”

  Mat wrote a note. ‘Bones. Get your butt to the Beach View Villas in LaPaz and find that dancer you said was hot. You know who I mean. She’s got the money. Leave some for me. I’ll need a ton to pay for my defense. And don’t try to fuck me over this time.’

  “Give this note to Bones.”

  The attorney took the note and put it in his pocket. He said, “Just hang loose and let me work this. Just remember; be humble, apologize, tell everyone how greed caused damage to your family and the department.”

  Mat didn’t say a word. He stood and walked back toward the door. He turned around and said, “Work it hard, Counselor. Find something or somebody who can help us.”

  ~ * ~

  Sue sat on a lounge chair outside her villa in La Paz. After she dropped Hector off and bought her new car, she hid out in a small motel for several days outside of El Paso waiting to see what was going to be reported. She read the paper and followed the news. Every local station aired the whole story. Even CNN and Fox jumped on the bandwagon. They couldn’t get enough of a local cop taking bribes and being caught up in a drug deal. Her name was never mentioned.