Witness Protection: Hide and Seek

by Dukes, Ursula

  “Every luxury that one tries to obtain on the outside, mi querido primo, you will have at your fingertips on the inside. In prison, you can be whatever you want to be.”

  After that, Salvador quickly began brushing up on his English, and perfecting his cousin’s Americanized moves and expressions. It took three years, but by the time he stepped off the plane, he was… Ricardo Castillo.

  Having gone through year after year of bribery’s and coercion’s, Ricardo knew that there was nothing that a large magnitude of inside help and money couldn’t buy.

  “And that includes freedom,” he told Nurse Higgins one day during a visit to the medical clinic.

  He thought it funny how the feds lied about freezing his assets. He still had money hidden all over the world. But most of it ironically, was hidden in the United States. Tennessee to be exact.

  Between money laundering, using aliases, and phony documentation, he was able to put away large amounts of money. Money that he knew would come in handy one day. He had so much money in fact, that when he got out, he’d be able to live the life that he’d grown accustomed to. He had enough money to go anywhere and do anything.

  When his parents suggested that he immediately leave the country once he got out, he vehemently agreed. “But first,” he told them, “there are two people that must be taken care of. I need to see it done. Only after they are gone and I’ve seen it with my own eyes, will I go back to Bolivia.”

  After a year of good behavior, he was finally given permission to visit the prison library. He then paid a guard to look the other way while he used the pass code of another inmate to sign online.

  Once he was granted access to the internet, he began searching for Juan on the more popular social media outlets. With just a couple of clicks, he was able to find the rat. He'd changed his name to Paulo Antunez. Castillo was surprised at how easy it was to find him. There, looking right at him was a picture of Juan Hernandez. You really can find anyone on the internet, he thought to himself.

  “No one and nothing is private anymore. Everybody wants to be seen and heard,” he snickered.

  “And for me, that is a very good thing.”

  Castillo was sure that the feds had warned Hernandez about setting up any social media accounts. But there he was, in the bathroom, taking a selfie.

  “You always were a fat, dumb, son of a bitch,” he mumbled and shook his head.

  “Guess the government no longer cares about you, mierda de rata,” he swore at the computer screen.

  “Enjoy it while you can, you fat fuck. Enjoy it while you can.”

  Shortly after he’d found Hernandez, he began his search for Madison West. Finding her proved to be harder than he thought. But when Nurse John Higgins told him that he used to be a private investigator, Castillo immediately went to work.

  At first, John refused to help the inmate. But after doing some digging of his own, he thought it would be in his best interest to help. In the beginning, he offered only tidbits of information about Madison, but when Castillo told him that it wasn’t enough, he tried ignoring any further inquiries about the woman’s whereabouts.

  It wasn’t until Castillo sent a couple of thugs to beat up his wife, did he change his mind. They’d beaten her so bad, that she ended up in the hospital.

  After that, Higgins became Castillo’s new best friend.

  That night, while Castillo lie in bed awake with anticipation, his cousin Salvador was making one last call to Nurse John Higgins.

  ****

  Even though there were bars upon the prison windows, Castillo could tell that it was going to be a wonderful day. He was being led to the prison medical clinic by two guards. He’d told them that his asthma was acting up and that he’d filled out a ‘sick call’ form, the night before.

  The guards only nodded their heads as they led him, unshackled, to the clinic. Nurse John Higgins and a new male intern were there waiting for him.

  After the guards deposited Castillo into the private examination room, they moved away from the closed door and began making small talk with some of the nurses that were there.

  The cousin’s exchanged hugs and kissed one another on the cheek before quickly removing their clothes.

  It took less than twenty minutes to switch identities. By the time Nurse Higgins told the guards that he was finished giving Castillo his asthma treatment, Ricardo Castillo, wearing a lab coat, dress shirt, and casual slacks had all but forgotten that he’d just spent the last three years in prison. “We’re not out of the woods yet.” Higgins warned him. “So wipe that smug look off your face,” he whispered.

  After the guards shackled the prisoner, they gave Castillo, one last nod of understanding and cooperation.

  Higgins and his new intern, checked on two more patients before it was time to leave.

  Castillo kept his cool as he passed each guarded station. Their blasé glances told him that everything and everyone had been taken care of. He had absolutely nothing to worry about.

  When they reached the last guard that would check their identification and buzz them out of the building, Castillo took one last glance behind him. Freedom was only inches away.

  “Nurse Higgins, how are you this morning?” Warden Karl Robinson was making his way into the building. He held out his hand and waited for Higgins to shake it.

  Higgins tried wiping the sweat off his hands before taking it.

  “Sorry about that sir, too much antibacterial soap.” He grinned nervously.

  “No worries Higgins and who have we here?” The warden nodded at Castillo. He'd just finished showing the guard his id badge.

  Castillo had tried to ease his way past the warden, but it was no use. The large man had them cornered.

  “Um, this… this is Salvador Nunez, he’s a new intern.

  The warden raised an eyebrow and after taking a quick glance at the id badge, shook the man’s hand.

  “And what school do you attend Mr. Nunez?”

  “Vanderbilt school of nursing sir.” Castillo answered quickly and with confidence.

  “Very good, said the warden. “And how do you find this establishment?”

  “I find it to be top-notch sir. I look forward to spending my rotations here,” he said and shook his hand again.

  “I hate to be rude, but I’ve got to get back to class.” He patted Higgins on the shoulder.

  “Of course, I’ve kept you long enough.” The warden stepped aside, allowing the men through.

  “Have a good day gentleman, it’s a beautiful one,” he said and made his way into the prison.

  “Yes it is.” Castillo grinned. “Yes it is.”

  Chapter Seven

  By the time the plane landed, it was late. But Memphis International Airport was still bustling with activity. People were rushing around, happy reunions were being held, and there was a lone woman, sitting and reading the newspaper.

  All around her, it looked to Madison, as if life was passing her by.

  Armed with just two suitcases, she made her way over to the rental car section. In a matter of minutes, she was in the car, making her way out of the parking lot.

  Despite all that had happened, it felt good to be back in Memphis. Not all the memories are bad, she thought to herself as images of Cole Harding came into mind. She was sure that he was off living his life and more than likely had children by now. It was the first time in a very long time that she thought about Cole. She supposed that being back in Memphis was the reason. The day that they’d left her in the trusting hands of Tristan Calloway, was the day that she tried to stop thinking about him.

  She had to, he was married, and that was that. But there were times, when she was alone at night, when she would think about Cole. Wonder what he was doing and if he was alright. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t let go of him, not completely anyway, not in the way Tristan wanted her to.

  She remembered one night when Tristan shook her awake. He was angry at her and she couldn’t figure out
why.

  "You were laughing and then you said his name!" He'd shouted at her.

  Even though he knew that she had no control over her dreams, Madison's calling out for Cole had hurt him. And it was days before he would even speak to her.

  It was the first time that she'd seen him so angry, but she knew that his anger was justified. Dreaming or not, she would have done the same thing if Tristan had called out another woman's name.

  After that she tried very hard not to think about Cole Harding, especially right before bed.

  When Tristan was killed, both she and his parents asked the director to keep the news of his death low-key. They didn’t want his funeral to turn into some sort of spectacle. She knew that marshals from all over the country would want to attend his funeral. Cole Harding being one of them.

  Director Marques agreed, but only because he thought that Madison might still be a marked woman. Being dropped from the program didn’t mean that she was completely safe.

  ****

  She’d made reservations at the four star, Madison Hotel. She just had to.

  She was treating herself and what better way than to spend a few days in a hotel that shared the same name.

  After checking in, she unlocked the door to her room, shoved the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob and with limbs feeling like lead, she crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

  ****

  The brightness of the sun bursting through the open blinds roused her to consciousness. She rolled over, took a look at her cell to check the time, and sat upright in bed. She’d been asleep for over twelve hours.

  After yawning and stretching, she got out of bed and strode over to the window.

  The day was going to be a gorgeous one and as she thought about her plans for the day, her stomach began to rumble with hunger pains.

  She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d eaten. After ordering some lunch from room service, she picked up her cell and planned to call Hank and Donna.

  Before the call could go through, she disconnected the line. It would be better if I surprised them.

  She knew that after his heart attack, brought on by Castillo’s thug, Hank had taken the time to recover. And when he was ready to go back to work, both he and Donna had decided to sell the bar and move to a better location.

  The new bar was located just off Beale Street and according to Hank, was doing better than ever. Most of his regular patrons still frequented the place and it had become a new favorite amongst the locals who lived downtown.

  Most nights, he had live jazz music and that really brought in the crowds, he’d boasted. She was happy for Hank and Donna, they’d gone through a rough patch after he suffered his heart attack, but thanks to the help of plenty of friends and neighbors, Hank recovered one hundred percent.

  Yes, I’ll spend the day relaxing, maybe do a bit of shopping, and then I’ll head out to see Hank and Donna. I so could use a night out.

  Chapter Eight

  Ricardo Castillo was a free man. He wasted no time in getting in contact with his old cohorts, but only the most trust worthy ones.

  They’d stuck by him and did everything he’d asked while he was in prison. Now he was out and ready to get back into the swing of things. But first things first, he needed to get to Oklahoma. Taking care of Juan Hernandez was his first priority.

  And even though there were phone calls to be made, money to be picked up and illegal businesses to collect from, none of that mattered. All that mattered was watching the life drain from the eyes of the man who’d ratted him out.

  When they got near his parents' place, Higgins grinned like a Cheshire cat as he gave Castillo one more piece of information.

  “She’s on her way to Memphis,” he said and kept his eyes on the road.

  Castillo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This just keeps getting better and better. It’s like God himself is sending me a direct message!” Castillo raised his hands towards the roof.

  Higgins nodded his head gleefully. It gave him pleasure to see that his actions made Castillo happy. He was also sure that the info he’d just given would earn him a hefty bonus.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am. I have a contact at the airport and I gave her Madison’s name the moment you asked me to start investigating her. Besides a trip to Florida three years ago, there was nothing. But the other day, I get a call from my contact telling me that Madison Calloway, a.k.a., your Madison West, had booked a one way ticket to Memphis. And according to my contact, she arrived late last night.”

  “And do we know where she is staying?” Castillo rubbed his hands together as if he were about to devour a delicious meal.

  Higgins nodded his head. “I think I have a lead on that too, but I’m not sure yet. It’s just a hunch so I won’t bore you with the details. But if I’m right, I’ve already instructed my contact in Memphis to place a wireless, real-time, personal GPS tracker on your girl. So even if you’re not able to catch up with her right away, you’ll still be able to track her every move. Now I took the liberty of giving my contact your personal number, Mr. Castillo. She’s been instructed to call or text you if, and only if she is one hundred percent sure that the person we’re tracking is Madison West.

  I figured that planting a GPS will give you time to do what you needed to do before hunting her down. After all, you did just get out of prison.” Higgins tried joking.

  But Castillo was in no mood for jokes. He was anxious to get home and get ready so that he could go and take care of Hernandez.

  If Madison West could be tracked, then there was no rush in finding her. She wasn’t going to go anywhere and so far, everything had gone in his favor. Let her think that she’s safe back in Memphis, he thought to himself. I’ll have to take my time and plan something very special for her.

  “If this person contacts me and I pick up this tracking device Higgins, I will personally see to it that you and your family are taken care of for the rest of your lives.”

  But for now, you need to collect your family and leave town as soon as possible. Is that understood?”

  Higgins hands gripped the steering wheel tight. In a matter of moments, Castillo’s tone had gone from excitement to all seriousness.

  “Absolutely understood Mr. Castillo.”

  Once Higgins drove him to his parents place, Castillo invited him inside for a moment and handed him an envelope stuffed to the brim with money and sent him on his way. But not before threatening him and his entire family with certain death should he decide to go to the authorities.

  After Higgins promised to keep his mouth shut, he was relinquished of any further obligations and told to get the hell out of Memphis.

  After taking a quick shower and making an important phone call, Castillo, dressed to the nines in an Armani suit, made a motion towards his new number one man, Manny Ortega, indicating that he was ready to go.

  They were headed to Oklahoma and along the way, planned on picking up two more men.

  Even though Castillo hated being in confined places, he had no qualms about the almost eight hour car ride that he was about to take.

  Being locked up for three years had forced him to get used to small, tight spaces.

  ****

  When they were an hour outside of Oklahoma, Manny stopped for gas. Castillo, who always thought he had a way with the ladies, struck up a conversation with the girl behind the counter.

  Heather was her name and when Castillo saw her, memories of his old life flashed through his mind. The young girl looked like the kind of girl he would have put to work in one of his brothels. She was young, fresh, and innocent. At least she came off that way.

  For a moment he thought about grabbing her and putting her in the car, but changed his mind when her big, muscular, store manager came out from the back room.

  “How are you this evening?” Heather had a genuine smile on her face.

  “I’m just fine, and you?” Castillo put on the charm. Heathe
r's looks made his blood surge through places he’d thought were dead and gone.

  I need to get fucked, he thought to himself.

  Three years without pussy is far too long for any man to have to endure.

  “I’m doing alright. You guys just passing through?” Heather asked as she rung up his purchases.

  “Actually Heather, I’ve come to visit an old friend of mine. I haven’t seen him in quite a while.”

  “Oh, then I bet he’ll be excited to see you.”

  “I’m sure he will be. Something tells me that he is just going to die when he sees me!” A wicked smirk spread across his lips as he paid for his items and left the store.

  ****

  When Maria called and told him that she’d be unable to come over and spend the night, Juan was upset. He was looking forward to her company; he looked forward to her company every night. But this night was a no go, she told him. Her landlord was sending someone over to fix the plumbing over at her place, first thing in the morning, so she thought it best if she stayed home.

  He sulked and pouted as he made his way over to his favorite recliner in the living room. Beer in one hand and remote control in the other, he plopped down on the well-used chair and started channel surfing.

  When he heard what sounded like a trash can being knocked over, he turned down the volume and made his way over towards the living room window.