The Black Market

by Kiki Swinson

  I heard Amir shuffling around in the supply room the moment I walked into the pharmacy. I saw a few boxes stacked up on the floor outside the closet. I knew they must be the new shipment of prescription drugs to replace the ones that Sanjay told the cops were taken in that fake robbery he conjured up. So, while I was sneaking around and kneeling down to get a peek at the labels on the boxes, Amir caught me in action.

  “What are you doing?” he asked immediately after he opened the supply closet door.

  “I was just checking the inventory,” I replied and stood back up.

  “No need to worry about the inventory. Just get on your computer and process the online prescription orders,” he hissed. I could tell that he was irritated by my being there and the fact that I was looking around.

  “As you wish,” I replied sarcastically. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but I wasn’t about to let him know that he just got underneath my skin. That would be too much control for him to have.

  So, as instructed, I logged onto my computer and started processing the online prescription orders. I watched Amir in my peripheral vision. When he wasn’t in the supply closet shuffling through the boxes, I saw him rearranging them and I even saw him packing a lot of small boxes into the other big boxes outside of the supply closet, which was odd because Sanjay never did that. When we got our shipments, I’d check the barcodes into the system and then I’d put those boxes where they needed to be in the supply closet. What Amir was doing was a sign that he didn’t intend to keep that shipment in the store. I would bet money that those drugs didn’t stay here. I didn’t know who he was packing that stuff up for and taking it to, but I knew it wasn’t the customers that frequent this place. These drugs were going to someone very important. But at this point, I didn’t care.

  While in the middle of helping a customer, my cell phone started vibrating. So I told the customer to give me a moment. Thankfully Amir was still in the supply closet, so I was able to answer the caller in privacy. “Hello,” I said quietly.

  “Hi, this is Priscilla. Am I speaking to Misty?”

  “Yes, you are,” I said cheerfully because I knew in the next hour and a half I would be having an interview with her, and before I walked out of there she was gonna give me the job.

  “Hello there, I hope I am not calling you at a bad time.”

  “Absolutely not,” I replied.

  “Well, I’m calling you because something came up and I won’t be able to interview today. But if you can come tomorrow, I would greatly appreciate it.”

  Disappointed by the sudden change of plans, I sighed heavily and said, “I was looking forward to meeting you today.”

  “I know. I was looking forward to meeting you as well. But don’t worry about it, we will get a chance to meet each other tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I said and then I pressed the End button.

  “You are not supposed to be on a personal phone call while you’re on the clock,” Sanjay’s brother said, coming from out of nowhere, as though I didn’t even know he had been in the supply closet. He’s one sneaky-ass coward. I wished I could bitch-slap him right now. That would definitely take some of this pressure off my ass. One more day before I could get out of this hellhole. And when that day did arrive, I was gonna tell Sanjay and his brother to kiss my ass.

  “Yeah, whatever,” I commented and then I turned my back to him and got back to work.

  When three o’clock rolled around, it surprised me when Amir told me that he was closing the store for the rest of the day. That was music to my ears, because normally the store didn’t close until seven PM. So he was giving me four hours off. I definitely didn’t see that coming. And I didn’t question it. I quickly grabbed my handbag, my jacket, my car keys, and then I headed out of there.

  17

  THE INTERVIEW

  The following morning, I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed, and headed to work. On my way there, I decided to call Jillian. She had tried calling me over a dozen times last night, but I was so upset with her after she made a fool of herself in front of our grandmother the night before, I didn’t want to hear her voice. Today was different, though. I had time to think about it. Not only that, you can’t talk to people when you’re still upset about something. But I’m good today.

  “I see you’re finally calling me back,” she commented right after she answered my call.

  “Oh hush. What are you doing?” I replied.

  “I’m in my bedroom lying down on my bed trying to figure out what I’m gonna do today.”

  “You need to be looking for a job.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m good over here.”

  “Well, I’m not good. You caused Grandma to fuss at me about you being high the other night. She is really upset with me right now.”

  “Don’t worry about her. She’ll be all right.”

  “Yeah, that’s what you say. But before I left the house the other night, she said she’ll cut me off if she finds out that I gave you more prescription drugs. And speaking of which, why do you put me on speakerphone when I call you? She said she hears all of our conversations.”

  “No, she doesn’t. She just said that so you can fall into her trap. And the crazy part about it is that you believed her.”

  “Look, Jillian, I’m not trying to hear anything you’re saying right now. Grandma told me to stop giving you drugs and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

  “I wish you would,” she dared me in a playful manner.

  “I can show you better than I can tell you,” I told her, and then I changed the subject by saying, “I got a job interview today.”

  “Where?”

  “At this pharmacy not too far from the one I work at now.”

  “Look, I know you’re ready to get out of there, but remember we gotta hit your job before you leave, so let’s not be hasty.”

  “Girl, I know what we planned to do. So calm down,” I told her.

  “So, how’s your boss treating you?”

  “He hasn’t been there. His brother has been filling in for him for the past two days.”

  “What, is he sick or something? I mean, you guys do have enough drugs around there for him not to get sick.”

  “You’re absolutely right about that,” I agreed. “But I was told that he’s out of the country.”

  “Wow! So, when does he come back?”

  “I was told last night.”

  “Is that where you’re on your way to?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, keep your head up and don’t let that asshole get underneath your skin.”

  “Trust me, I won’t. Oh, and speaking of which, while I was at work yesterday, UPS dropped off a ton of prescription drugs and instead of Sanjay’s brother stocking them in the supply closet, he packed the smaller boxes into a bigger box and left them on the floor, outside of the closet. So, when I asked him about what he was doing, he got sarcastic with me and in so many words he told me that I needed to get to work and not worry what the fuck he was doing.”

  “He cursed at you?”

  “No, he didn’t. But the way he said it, he might as well have.”

  “What do you think he did with those boxes of pills?”

  “He took them out of the pharmacy.”

  “Wow! You’re really working with some big-time drug dealers,” Jillian said, and then she burst into laughter.

  “Shut up! It’s not funny.”

  “Yes, it is. I know one thing, if I was working there, I would be stealing all kinds of drugs from there. I mean, I would have it going on. And the awesome part about it is that they wouldn’t be able to call the cops on me because they’re doing the same shit I would be doing. Everybody in that pharmacy would be getting paid big bucks. Speaking of which, how much money do you think they’re making off all those fucking jobs?”

  “I heard Sanjay tell the cop the other day that the street value of the drugs that were ‘stolen’ the other day was over a half million dollars.”<
br />
  “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Jillian yelled through the phone with excitement.

  “Will you stop? You’re hurting my damn ear.”

  “To hell with your ear. We need to get our plan in motion. Shit, I would love to have a piece of that half-million-dollar pie. Do you know what I could do with half a million dollars?”

  “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

  “You got-damn right,” she said and then she paused. “First, I would get me a Mercedes Benz truck. I’d go shopping and get a whole new wardrobe. And then I’d get me a diamond necklace and earrings like the rappers be wearing.”

  “Sounds like you’ll blow through that money in one week.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I’d still have a lot of money left to play with.”

  “Yeah, okay,” I said nonchalantly because I knew she’d throw that money down the drain in a matter of five, six days. It’s good to fantasize about places you’d go and how much you’d spend. That’s all a part of dreaming.

  “You know what, Misty? We need to set the bar high when we make the move on your job. Because real shit, if your boss robbed his own store and got away with a half million dollars’ worth of drugs, I know we can do it too.”

  “Are you out of your fucking mind? I wouldn’t dare let you take that much.”

  “Then how much do you think we should take?”

  “I’m thinking like, fifty thousand. You know, something that’ll give us a nice cushion to sit on.”

  “Hell nah! We should at least take one hundred grand. That way, the guys who are running in there could get a nice chunk of the pie too. Because on some real shit, I’m not trying to split up fifty grand worth of drugs. If we’re gonna do this, we gotta go out with a bang,” Jillian reasoned.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. But I’ll consider it.”

  “Yeah, you better because you deserve this.”

  Jillian and I talked up to the moment I arrived at the pharmacy. I told her I’d call her again after I had my interview with the lady at the other pharmacy. After she told me that she loved me, we ended the call.

  When I got out of my car, I noticed that Sanjay’s car wasn’t anywhere in sight. But his brother’s car was. Knots in my stomach formed at that instant. I swear, I wanted to get back in my car and leave. “Don’t do it, Misty. Don’t let this guy win. Go in there and show him that you don’t fear him. Let him know that you can stand your ground no matter what kind of environment. Show him where you’re from,” I said, giving myself a pep talk as I strolled toward the building.

  After I entered the store I saw Amir standing behind the counter looking down at the computer that Sanjay normally worked from. I was shocked when he looked up from the monitor and said good morning. I greeted him back and then I went straight into question mode. “Where is Sanjay? I thought you said that he was going to be here today,” I pointed out.

  “He’s still out of the country because we had a family situation and he has to take care of it.”

  “Aren’t you his blood brother?”

  “Yes,”

  “Well, then why aren’t you there too?”

  He got defensive. “Because I’m supposed to be here.”

  “Do you know when he’ll be back?”

  “In a couple of days. Now stop asking me questions and get to work,” he instructed me. Right off the rip, I’ve pissed him off. I know today is going to be one rocking day.

  As instructed, I got to work, processing the online prescription orders. But when I started processing a customer’s prescription order for Lormat, I noticed in the system that we were out of it. Now this puzzled me, because I remember seeing a case of it, stacked on other boxes that were on the floor near the supply closet. In my head, I knew Sanjay’s brother packed them up and took them out of the store, but I felt like I needed to put his ass on front street and ask him where they were. So, I got up the gumption and asked him why the system hadn’t been updated. “Can you tell me if we’re out of Lormat? Because I don’t see them in the system.”

  “If it’s not in there then we don’t have it,” he said coldly.

  “Well, that’s strange because I saw a whole box on the floor yesterday while you were in the supply closet,” I pointed out while I searched his face for guilt.

  “That box was empty.”

  “Are you sure? Because I saw a UPS tracking ticket on it, like it had just come in with yesterday’s bulk order.”

  “Look, the box was empty. And if we don’t have that brand in the system, then give the customer the generic brand,” he hissed. He was getting upset with me.

  “We don’t have any more of the generic brand either.”

  “Well, write it down and I’ll order some later.”

  “Do we have any Percocet, because I don’t see that in the system either,” I said, pressing the issue.

  “If it is not in the system then we don’t have it.”

  “That’s strange, because I saw three boxes of that yesterday too.”

  “Those boxes were empty too,” he insisted.

  “Did Sanjay tell you what was stolen in the robbery?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “Well, it seems like we can’t keep the most potent prescription drugs in here,” I commented and waited for him to say something.

  “My brother told me about the drugs you stole from here. And if it were up to me, you would’ve been fired. So, don’t question me anymore about the supply of drugs we have. If it’s not in the system, then we don’t have it,” he barked.

  I don’t know why I was surprised that Sanjay told him about the bottle of pills I took. I guess hearing it coming out of his mouth was the shocking part. My first thought was to tell him to go to hell, but I decided against it because I had an overall goal here. And once that was completed, then I could make my exit.

  18

  DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!

  This interview couldn’t have come at a better time. I told Amir that I was going on my lunch break and left without hearing him say okay. The pharmacy where I applied for a job online was like three miles away from where I was already working, which wouldn’t affect my driving time.

  My adrenaline was pumping mighty fast because I knew that when Priscilla got to meet me she would find out that I was going to be an asset to that business, that when I left that place I was going to have the job.

  After I parked my car, I took one last look at my face just to make sure my makeup wasn’t flawed, I played with my hair a little bit, and then I said to myself, “Misty, go get that job, girl.”

  Armed with intelligence, willingness to make my life better, and wanting to be prosperous, I held my head high and strolled into the pharmacy. I was greeted by one of the store clerks, and then I was escorted to the back of the store. Surprisingly, Priscilla wasn’t there. The guy that ended up interviewing me told me she was out today because of a family emergency.

  I was bummed out that I didn’t get to meet her, but it didn’t matter because my interview went very well and the gentleman offered me the job and told me I could start working for them as soon as seven days from now. I accepted the offer, shook his hand, and told him thank you while I was leaving.

  The moment the fresh air from outside hit my face, I inhaled it and then I exhaled. “You did good, Misty,” I told myself after I popped my collar.

  But then out of nowhere two white men approached me. I knew they were plainclothes cops after I looked at them from head to toe. I was standing outside near my car when they approached me.

  “Hi, Misty, my name is Special Agent Sims and this is Agent Montclair. And we are investigating Sanjay Malik,” the agent said.

  As if I’d been hit by a ton of bricks, my legs buckled and I almost fell down on the ground. Both agents saw me about to lose my balance. They grabbed ahold of my arm. “Are you all right?” Sims asked me as he held on to me gently.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “Can we talk for a minute?” the
same agent said.

  “That depends on what you want to talk about,” I said as I leaned up against my car.

  “Well, first of all, we are here to talk to you because we’re investigating your boss.”

  “Yes, I know that already. What does that have to do with me?”

  “We know you’ve been working for him for a few months now. So, we know you’ve seen some things while working there.”

  “Listen, you guys, yes I’ve been working there for a few months, but I don’t know how I can help you. I mean, it seems like you’re doing good by yourself. Especially after telling me that you know how long I’ve been working there.”

  “Misty, your boss is running an illegal prescription drug enterprise. So, we’re building a case against him and his brother so we can make the arrests and shut them down.”

  “Look, I know nothing about that,” I quickly lied.

  “Misty, cut it out. We know you’ve seen a lot of things, so were asking for your help.”

  “But I can’t help you,” I protested. I did not want to be implicated in anything Sanjay had going on.

  “Do you know that we can book you on charges too?”

  “What charges? I haven’t done anything wrong,” I spat.

  “We know you’ve been taking prescription drugs behind Sanjay’s back. We also know that he told you that he knew you did it too.”

  Hearing these DEA agents tell me that they knew I stole drugs from the pharmacy and that they wanted me to rat Sanjay out so they could arrest him, formed over a dozen knots in my stomach. Those knots in my stomach tossed and turned with every word these guys uttered. Please tell me that this is a dream.

  “What exactly do you want me to do?”

  “We want you to wear a wire and a hidden camera. So we can record everything that goes on in there.”

  “So, what exactly are you trying to catch on camera?” I wanted to know.

  “We want you to engage in conversations with your boss and his brother about the drugs they are selling. And we want you to record them taking boxes out of there and stashing them in the trunk of their cars.”