by Kiki Swinson
While Amir was in the supply closet stealing all the drugs he needed to pay the mafia, an influx of customers filed into the store. I told Amir that I needed help, but he just kept shooing me away, telling me that he was busy. One time, I knocked on the supply-room door and asked him if we had any two-milligram opioids and he told me no, yet I had just seen a huge box of it delivered by the UPS driver. I just shook my head and worked with what I had.
I finally got the crowd down during the next hour. And I noticed that when I was not busy I was thinking about the possibility of Sanjay being dead. I couldn’t get this off my mind for nothing in the world. The fact was that I might never see that man again.
22
THROWING STONES
When my lunch break finally rolled around I damn near broke my neck trying to get out of that pharmacy. “I’m leaving now,” I yelled into the supply closet and then I bolted for the front door.
I could tell that the DEA agents were monitoring my every move because as soon as I got in my car and drove away from the pharmacy, a black van followed me. I drove close to a mile before the black van stopped me. Agent Sims got out of the van, walked to my car, and then he took a seat in the passenger side. “How are you feeling?” he asked me, giving me his full attention.
“What kind of question is that? Did you hear him tell me that Sanjay isn’t coming back to the pharmacy?”
“Yes, we heard. We’re thinking that maybe he made a mistake by saying it.”
“That man did not make a mistake. He said what he meant. And I believe that I came through on my part, so you can take this camera and wire off me.”
“I’m sorry, Misty, but it doesn’t work like that. If we take this to our prosecutor, he won’t be able to get a government indictment, based on that alone. We need more. We need for you to get him to talk more. This is the only way we can wrap this case up and you can go on about your life.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You have him on tape. His words were clear,” I protested.
“Okay, let’s say that Sanjay is dead. We don’t have anything to prove it. We need a body, so that’s why you gotta go back in there and get as much information from him as you can.”
“Are you hearing me right now? The fucking man doesn’t like me!” I screamed. “He hates me, so why are you throwing me in the lion’s den?”
“Call it what you want. But you still have a job to do,” he said, and then he opened the car door. But before he got out he said, “Oh, and that stunt your boyfriend pulled this morning better never happen again. He could’ve compromised our investigation with his antics. And if it does, I will lock you and him up in jail cells next to each other. Now try me!” Agent Sims then got out of my car and slammed the door.
“So, is that it?” I roared, and then I started banging on my car’s steering wheel. My horn sounded off a few times while I hit it. I saw the agent get back into the black van and close the sliding door. I felt so fucking stupid and used. It’s like going from one bad relationship to another. I swear, I am over it.
I had no appetite whatsoever so I didn’t bother to stop anywhere to get something to eat. I did, however, drive over to the self-service car wash one block up the street and call my cousin Jillian to see what she was doing. I couldn’t believe that she answered her cell phone. “What’s up, Cuz?” she said.
“Girl, I am so tired of everyone playing with my feelings. I am so over this shit.”
“What happened?”
“I can’t talk about it right now,” I said because I was wearing the wire.
“Are you working today?”
“Yeah, I’m on my lunch break right now.”
“Have those DEA agents been bothering you?”
“I told you I can’t talk about that right now.”
“Why the fuck can’t you talk about it? You talked about it with me before,” Jillian protested. She was really throwing me underneath the bus right now.
“Look, I’m gonna call you back because you’re tripping and my mind can’t deal with your mouth right now.”
“You’re acting like I called you,” Jillian replied sarcastically.
“I called you so we could talk about something other than my job. Like, what’s the weather going to be like tonight? Or what basketball team’s playing tonight? Or which celebrity has cheated on their spouse?”
“When have we ever talked about that shit you just listed. If we ain’t talking about your man problems, Grandma, or your mama, we ain’t talking.”
“I guess I made a mistake by calling you. You’re probably sitting next to Edmund’s tight ass.”
“He’s in the bathroom.”
“I figured that much. I’ll talk to you later,” I said and then I hung up.
Jillian was right, we never talked about those things I mentioned. Drama was always the thing to talk about. That’s what kept our conversations going. But I couldn’t talk about those things right now. I was wired up. And if Agent Sims heard the information I’d be giving Jillian, he could become livid like he did a few minutes ago.
After I disconnected my call with Jillian, I called my mother since I didn’t call her back last night. I knew she was going to give me an earful, so I braced myself.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hey, Ma, how you doing?”
“I’m doing better today. But I would’ve appreciate it if you would’ve called me back last night.”
“Terrell stopped by my apartment unexpectedly, so that’s why I didn’t call you back.”
“Please don’t tell me that you let that fool back into your life. You know he doesn’t mean you any good,” she said with disappointment.
“No, Ma, I’m not letting him back into my life.”
“So, why was he there?”
“He came by to get some old mail,” I lied. I couldn’t tell her why Terrell was really there. Nor could I tell her what he and I talked about.
“You didn’t let him spend the night, did you?”
“No, Ma. He was only there for a few minutes and then he left,” I lied once again.
“Look, Misty, I hope you’re not lying to me. That boy took you through some serious heartache. And it would hurt my heart if you get mixed back up with him. He doesn’t deserve a woman like you. You’re special, so you deserve to be with someone special. And not his ol’ cheating butt,” she continued.
“I know, Ma. Trust me, it’s over.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, Mom, I promise,” I reassured her.
“Are you working today?”
“Yes, I’m on lunch break now.”
“Have you talked to your grandmother today?”
“No, I haven’t,” I told her and I refused to tell her why. Not only would the DEA agents hear my admission of giving Jillian prescription drugs, my mother would be livid at the fact that I’d been feeding Jillian’s addiction.
“You know tomorrow is my birthday?”
“Yes, I know.”
“I was thinking that maybe you, myself, and my new love would go to dinner. Or I could cook and you come by here?”
“Why would you want to cook on your birthday?”
“You know I don’t care about cooking. I just want to be around the people that I love.”
“If you decide to cook, what will be on the menu?”
“I was thinking of making a good ol’ lasagna. You know lasagna is one of my favorite foods.”
“Mine too. What time do you want to do this?”
“Think eight o’clock is good? Aren’t you off work by that time?”
“Yeah, I get off at six tomorrow. So that gives me time to pick up a gift for you,” I replied, and then I said, “Since you’re cooking, I’m gonna get your cake. So, tell me what kind you want.”
“Get me a strawberry cake with buttercream frosting.”
“That sounds good. I can’t wait to try a piece of that,” I continued. My mom and I talked for another ten minutes. I started
driving back to the pharmacy near the end of our conversation. Before we hung up, she asked me to promise her once again that I wasn’t going to give Terrell another chance. After I did that, she told me to have a nice day and for me to call her later.
23
WHAT ON EARTH WAS HE THINKING?
When I walked back into the pharmacy once my lunch break was over, I never expected to run into the same two mafia guys that’d had a gun shoved into Amir’s back the other evening. One of the guys was sitting down in the chair Sanjay normally used. I had no idea where the other guy was until I heard the bathroom door open and close. He smiled and greeted me as he passed me by. I was as nervous as a whore in church. Seriously though, I wanted so badly to turn around and leave the pharmacy, but I knew I had a job to do. So, I walked behind the counter and logged back into the system. I could feel both men staring at me while I pretended to be working. Thankfully, the guy that came from the bathroom went directly into the supply closet while the other guy stayed to watch what I was doing. “Do you like working here?” he asked me. I wanted to ignore him, but I knew it would be rude and dangerous at the same time.
I slightly turned my head around, facing him, and said, “Yes, I do.” But I was lying through my teeth. I really wanted to ask him where the hell Sanjay was. And if they killed him, where was his body? I would ask both questions while this broach and wire were recording it.
“You seem like you are quiet. Are you a quiet lady?”
“I can be.”
“Please let her work. She has a lot of prescriptions to fill,” Amir interjected.
“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” the guy asked Amir after he stood up on his feet. His tone was menacing.
Amir became extremely nervous. “No, it’s just that we have a lot of orders and she has to do them before she leaves today,” Amir explained.
“I don’t care how much work she has. If I want to carry on a conversation with her, then that’s what I will do,” the guy informed him.
“What is your name?” the guy asked after he sat back down in the chair.
“My name is Misty,” I answered, while I tapped a few keys on the computer.
“That’s a nice name.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like to know my name?”
“If you want to tell me.”
“My name is Ahmad.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I told him while I continued to stare at the computer monitor.
“Misty, do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s too bad, because you are a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you,” I replied modestly.
“Want to come work for me?”
“I’m fine working here.”
“You don’t even know what job I could be offering you. I could be offering you a million dollars to come work for me and you didn’t even give me a chance to put the proposal on the table,” he said, trying to convince me to do more than I wanted to.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t like jumping from one job to the next,” I lied. I couldn’t wait to get out of this freaking place.
“Okay, I get it. You win.”
“Ahmad, leave the lady alone and come help me with these boxes,” the other mafia guy instructed. And at that moment, Ahmad stood up from his seat and walked into the supply closet and helped the other guy carry some boxes out. I turned around and faced them all three times that they walked into the closet and came out with boxes. I figured this would be some nice footage for Agent Sims’s and Montclair’s investigation. Amir didn’t have much to say. Those two guys were running the show and I wanted Sims and Montclair to see that as well.
Once they got the last box, I heard Ahmad tell Amir that they’d be back in two days to finalize everything. Yes, my wiretap recorded him saying those very words too. Let’s see what the DEA agents had to say about this intel.
* * *
As I left my job, I noticed Terrell’s car parked directly behind mine. The sight of him got me so irritated. “What are you doing here, Terrell?”
“I’m checking up on you.”
“But I don’t need you to do that.”
“What kind of man would I be if I didn’t check on my woman?”
“Terrell, I am not your woman,” I reminded him while I stood next to the driver-side door of his car.
“Forget about all that. I saw all those Arab dudes when they left the pharmacy not too long ago.”
“That was over an hour ago. You’ve been out here that long?”
“I ain’t have nothing else to do. And besides, I just wanted to see the dudes that the DEA agents trying to arrest.”
“Terrell, please don’t do that anymore.”
“Girl, stop overreacting.”
“Look, I gotta go, I can’t take this shit from you anymore. I’m over it.”
“You act like this is the end of the world.”
Instead of making a comment, I got in my car and drove away from that dumb-ass nigga because he had no idea the type of people Sanjay and Amir deal with. They’re cut from a different cloth. And to know they were affiliated with some sort of mafia, took this mission to another level. I was gonna stay in my lane until this was all over.
24
FAMILY WILL GET YOU KILLED
En route to my grandmother’s, Agent Sims called my cell phone. Before I answered it, I knew exactly why he was calling me. I was sure he heard every word Terrell uttered after I approached his car. I disliked Terrell and the man he had become, but I didn’t like the law telling people where they can go and congregate. It irritated me to see Terrell parked outside the store, but legally I couldn’t do anything about it. I had more important things to do than to babysit a grown-ass man. I’d let Terrell create his own demise. I wanted no parts of it.
I finally answered Agent Sims’s call on the fourth ring. After I said hello, he chimed in and said, “You did a good job today.”
“Really?” I questioned his sincerity. This guy never said anything nice to me.
“Yes, really. We heard some good things today. But we need just a little bit more.”
“How did I know you were gonna say that?”
“Great minds think alike,” he said with dry humor.
“Am I supposed to laugh?” I replied sarcastically.
“Just continue to do a good job. The quicker you can get the information we need, the quicker we can let you go.”
“Haven’t I heard that somewhere before?” I commented nonchalantly.
“I’m sure you have.”
“Is that it?” I asked, because I was ready to get off the phone with him.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said as if he was unsure. “Oh yeah, tell your boyfriend to stay away from our investigation. If we see him again hanging around the pharmacy, we will lock him up.”
“Why don’t you tell him? And stop saying that he’s my boyfriend, because he’s not.”
“Boyfriend, baby, husband, partner. All of it is the same.”
“Are you done?”
“Yes, I am. Oh yeah, remember you have to be very gentle when you take the wire from around your waist. There is an off button directly at the bottom of the case so you can turn down the volume. You can even shut it off.”
“That’s good to know. Talk to you later,” I said, and disconnected our call. “Fucking moron!” I uttered.
* * *
I pulled up to my grandmother’s house, and Jillian’s car was nowhere in sight. This woman stayed on the go. She had the energy of ten football players. And I can’t tell you where she gets it from, because the pills I give her are downers. So how is it that she’s always on the move? She may need her doctor to reevaluate her.
After I pulled up alongside the curb in front of my grandmother’s house, I called Jillian’s cell number. “Hello,” she said with loud music playi
ng in the background.
“Girl, turn that music down,” I demanded. There was no way she was going to hear me talk over all that loud music.
She turned the music down a few notches and said, “I was getting ready to call you.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to your house.”
“Well, I’m here at Grandma’s house. So, turn the car around and come back here.”
“Okay.”
It only took me eight minutes to get to my apartment from my grandmother’s house. It was late in the evening. The sun had already set. And the air felt marvelous. The only thing I was missing was peace of mind. Anxiety had consumed me. I felt like I had no say-so about what went on in my life. I had Terrell stalking me and trying to bully his way back into my life. My mother was an alcoholic and in denial about it. She and my grandmother had the worst relationship ever. My cousin was a prescription drug junkie. And last but not least, I worked for men that were indebted to a notorious mafia. But what’s worse, I was being forced to work for the DEA so they could bring those guys down. I never thought that I would ever be an informant. I’d seen documentaries on television where people got killed for snitching on big-time drug dealers. How did I get here?
I noticed Jillian was on her cell phone when I pulled up to my apartment building. Immediately after I got out of my car, I motioned her to come to my apartment after she finished her call, because that’s where I was going to be. She joined me a couple of minutes later.
“Whatcha got in here to eat? I’m starving,” she told me as she sifted through the things in my refrigerator.
I stood near my counter and started going through the mail I picked up on my way to my apartment.
“I got some leftover spaghetti in there and the other half of the Subway sandwich I was eating yesterday.”
“I don’t want no spaghetti. But I’ll eat this other half of Subway sandwich,” she said as she retrieved the sandwich from the refrigerator. “What’s in it?” she asked while she was sniffing it.
“It’s a cold-cut sandwich, Jillian.”
“When did you get it again?”
“Yesterday. Love, you don’t have to eat it. I’ll eat it later.”