Holiday (The Falau Files Book 5)

by Mike Gomes

  “I didn’t kill him. I didn’t know he was considering us. He never took any of us in. He knows we just got in a few fights and maybe picked a few pockets downtown. Nothing but small-time stuff. None of us want to go to prison so we stayed clear of the tourists. Everyone knows the rules around here.” said Carlos not raising his head to look at the officer.

  “You’re full of shit boy. You can’t look me in the eye. You’re afraid now. You thought you had the world by the tail and you could end up like one of your music video playboys. But there will be no breaks for you. No women shaking their tits into the camera for you in their little bikinis.” said Principal Chief Diaz with a smile filling his face exposing the gap where one of his front teeth should have been. “Instead, you’re going to end up dead or worse. You’re going to end up in prison living a life you never thought you had to. Rape. Murder. Threats. Constant worry of attack. That could be your life unless you just run now and let me give the order to put you out of your misery.”

  Carlos looked up at the officer lacking any expression on his face. The words of the officer danced around in his head causing him to make sense of them. Had Diaz just offered to let him run so he could be killed rather than go to prison? Did the officer have a desire to see him dead rather than take him in for a crime? All that Carlos knew of the police came crashing in all around him with just those words.

  Madeira cops don’t kill people. Madeira cops are fools, not like the real cops on the mainland. How can he be saying all this? thought Carlos looking to Candido who held the same look of confusion on his face.

  “Not going to run?” asked Diaz tapping the nightstick on the table. “That’s a shame. Well, when I come back here I am going to have everything I need to put you boys away for your life. A nice federal prison on the mainland where it will be impossible for your families to see you. Your life is over boys.”

  Chapter 23

  The collection of police officers left the courtyard in the same manner they came in. Their boots hitting the ground in lock step increased their intimidation mostly since it was clear they were not doing it with intention but rather from the fact that they had spent too much time working with one another that they had developed a cohesion that was natural and unmistakable.

  As they rounded the corner a few short moments passed before the sound of their police cars came to life and pulled away from the path that led down to the entrance of the courtyard. The boys sat in silence like they thought that Principal Chief Diaz would be able to hear them until he got in his car.

  “This guy isn’t screwing around, Carlos.” said Candido shaking his head and lowering it into his hands. “Silva was watching us. Who knows what he has pictures of. What are we gonna do?”

  Bringing his hand up to his face he saw the blood on it from the wound on his neck that the big man had left with the point of the knife. His mind snapped back to Joaquim looking down at his hands and seeing the blood. How it froze him and left him unable to do anything. Carlos felt the stir of anger and not fear seeing his blood. Maybe that was the difference he thought. When it is another man's blood it means something completely different than if it is your own blood.

  “We have trouble, amigo. There is no doubt about that.” said Carlos rubbing the center of both his eyes with his index finger and thumb.

  “So, what are we going to do about it? We can’t run. The fucking island is so small we will never get away.”

  “Who said anything about running?”

  “What the hell else are we going to do? That guy has a hard on for putting us away. They are going to parade us through the streets and hang us up for everyone to see.”

  “You’re crazy man. Nobody can say they saw us at any of the crimes. That cop at the pharmacy and Silva were all Joaquim. We just keep to the truth that we were right here all night. We never did a thing and don’t know why Joaquim would do anything.”

  “You know as well as I do that if that boy gets pushed by the cops he will roll over and give us all up. He’s been broken, man.”

  Carlos turned himself around on the bench seat and faced his gang mate and friends. “Candido, we have some work to do tonight. We must tie up the loose ends and make sure that only the information gets out that we want to get out. All we have is each other.”

  “What about José?”

  “You see how fast he ran when the pressure got hot with that big dude? What do you think he will be like when the police have him in a room and start questioning him? He will give us all up in a heartbeat. He is weak.” Said Carlos shaking his head in disapproval of his own words.

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “You know what I am saying, and you know it's true. The kid can’t be trusted. He was good for bringing us the booze from his parents, but he just does not have what it takes to be MB4.”

  “MB4?” asked Candido shifting himself in his seat and having his voice crack. “Are you fucking mad? There isn’t any MB4 anymore. It is just you and I. The four is now two and I say fuck this whole thing. I didn’t get into this to have people killed and be looking at my life being in prison.”

  “What’s the matter Candido? You not man enough to do some time for the gang?”

  “No I’m not! I am just sixteen years old. Stealing some wallets and making a few bucks from the rich boy’s tourists was all fine but this is insane, Carlos. We are looking at losing everything we had and living in a cage for the rest of our lives. Now you’re talking about José like that.”

  Carlos pulled himself up from his seat and walked over to his friend in a drawn and methodical manner shuffling his feet as he moved and looking to the ground.

  “Candido, you need to stop worrying. I have this under control. If you start doubting me now, then the wheels fall off the cart and we both end up in prison.”

  Shrugging his shoulders, the younger boy placed his hand down on top of his arm as he started to let a slight cry out from his terrified body. He tried to conceal his emotions but his back started to rise and fall with each passing moment that filled with his sobbing.

  “We didn’t do it, Carlos. It was Joaquim. Maybe we should just tell the police and they can take him. We can help them with their investigation.” said Candido mixed within his tears and anguish.

  “No. No! That’s what they want then they will put us all on trial for the crime. That’s the way they do it with a gang. If one guy does something, then they charge them all saying they were working together. Besides who is going to believe that gang members like you and I had nothing to do with what happened. We are the leaders. The other two will get all lawyered up and they will just say that we were the ones who did the whole thing. Save their own asses while hanging ours out to dry.”

  “What can we do about that? They are not going to look out for us. I doubt if they will even talk with us after what happened tonight.”

  “We don’t need to talk with them. We just need to make sure that they don’t talk with anyone else.” said Carlos pulling himself back in close to his friend and sitting beside him.

  “Just say it, Carlos. Just say what you keep talking about but not saying. I know what you’re meaning so just say it.”

  “They have to die, and we have to do it.” said Carlos not trying to shield his friend from the harshness of his words. They were cold and direct, and it was like he had never met the two boys he said he wanted killed by his own hand.

  The tears started to flow heavier and more violently from Candido and the boy’s body shook uncomfortably.

  “I... I can’t do that. They... they are ... our friends. We can’t hurt them.”

  “I know, Candido, but we have to. If we don’t then we go to jail. Is that what you want?” asked Carlos with a pressing force behind his voice.”

  “No.”

  “You want to end up on the mainland in some life prison with real criminals and rapists doing everything they can think of to us?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want to say goo
dbye to your family and this island and never see any of it again?”

  “No.”

  “Then get a spine and do what needs to be done. You can’t just wish this all away. Do you understand that?”

  “Yes. I know but killing Joaquim and José is too extreme. There needs to be a better way.” said Candido pulling his head up a few inches and turning it toward his leader with a look of desperation in his eyes.

  Carlos placed a gentle smile on his face and soothed the boy instantly with his confidence. “So far I have led MB4 and we have blazed a trail like nobody before us. Everything we have wanted to do was exactly what we have done. Didn’t I tell you that we needed to stick together in the hard times and keep the story straight?”

  “Yes. You did.” said Candido with widening eyes thirsty to hear Carlos show him the way.

  “Well, you can’t change the game now. We are too far into this thing. Joaquim and José abandoned us. We are alone now. They are taking the easy road and going back and hiding with their families. Just you and I are out here right now. Just you and I keeping things real. Why should we trust them?”

  “I... I...”

  “You don’t know do you?” asked Carlos placing his arm around the shoulders of the younger boy. “They are going to sell us out. They are going to tell the police everything that happened, but they are going to make you, or me pull the trigger. So why do they get to go on and have a happy little life in Funchal helping the tourist up and down the mountain side while we rot in prison for sixty years?”

  “Do you really think that they would do that to us?”

  “Yes, Candido, I do. Why wouldn’t they. They ran from us. They abandoned us. What about that do you not understand? What part of that makes you think they would stand up for us and take the fall themselves? There is nothing there that you or I can feel good about. We can only do one thing to make sure that we will get out of this in one piece.”

  “Kill them.” said Candido sheepishly.

  “Yes! We must kill them and make sure that the version of the story is our version and not theirs. Only you and I can be trusted. Only you and I are left. If you pussy out on this then your whole life will be gone in a flash. There is not time to think about this. Tonight is the night. If it goes by then we end up in jail but if we do the things we need to, then we are all set.”

  “What were you thinking that we should do?” questioned Candido pulling himself up into a sitting position.

  “Just give me a few minutes to think about what needs to be gathered and how we can take care of things all at one time. We can do this, but we must be smart and loyal to each other. You think you have that in you?”

  “Yes. Just promise me we will not end up in jail. I can’t deal with that and let's just let the MB4 thing die tonight. At least for a little while until the cops calm down and we can get readjusted.”

  “Ok, Candido. I can promise you that. You and I will be sitting here next New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks over the harbor talking about how we saved ourselves from being in jail. Think you can deal with that?”

  “Ya, I can. But I don’t want to ever talk about tonight again. I want this over forever.”

  Chapter 24

  Carlos set off into the darkness leaving Candido behind by the fire. The boy would have to sit with his own thoughts, but Carlos felt that would be better than him trying to do anything of substance at this point. He was too shaken to make a difference and his demeanor would be nothing more than a hindrance to the objectives he had.

  The older boy who had just barely moved into manhood left the friendly confines of the courtyard. The move was in direct contrast to what he needed to execute his plan. He needed supplies that were not available in the courtyard. He had to go outside, and risk being seen and blowing the alibi that the boys had never left the courtyard.

  Ducking into the shadows he slid down the path and found his way to the paved street. Carlos pulled back and pushed himself to the side of the road. Flipping up the collar on his jacket he hunched up his shoulders and tried to conceal himself the best he could. Locals would have a chance to see him and make an identification because they knew his face, but the tourists would have no ability to recognize one local boy from the next especially in an alcohol filled haze of New Year’s Eve.

  The air had grown cooler as the night hit eleven o’clock and the breeze turned from the sea in on the island. The girls had pulled on sweaters and jackets got buttoned and zipped up tight. The breeze was steady holding the flags at a constant movement. The air eventually hit the mountain and pushed its way down into the lower areas of the city causing the street to become funnels for the air that carried occasional gusts that seemed to come out of nowhere. A phenomenon that was not so different than so many other coastal communities.

  Carlos felt the leg on his jeans pull tight with the air pushing down behind him and his jacket gave the occasional flapping sound from the wind. His hunched shoulders and flipped up collar fit in well with the change of weather.

  Trash discarded from the tourists on the celebration night increased in volume the deeper the boy got into the town. The wind pushed the trash in different directions causing it to eventually pile up in different corners ready for collection the next morning. Carlos sifted through the hats and noisemakers finding a plain black mask that just covered the eyes and the nose of the person wearing it. He placed it on his face and grabbed a party hat that looked like a British bowler, but it was made of plastic and placed it on his head. He caught his look in the window of a vender shop and thought he made the grade for looking like every other person trying to be festive and bring in the New Year. He would blend in just fine with the rest of the population and be able to move undetected and unable to be identified later.

  Turning onto Estr. Dr. João Abel de Freitas the boy took aim at the first hotel he could find. They were sure to have the instruments that he was looking for. On the right side of the road a black door sat with a red knocker. Off the front of the building was a sign that said Casa Del Toro and an indication that there were vacancies available. The size of the building and experience showed the boy that the hotel was not just a bed and breakfast but a fully functioning hotel with various rooms.

  He pushed the door open with confidence and walked in with a stumble and bounced himself off the doorframe causing the man at the front desk to look at him and then look down to his work passing the masked man off as a drunk who had not paced himself at the parties.

  Reaching the elevator Carlos pressed the button and the door immediately opened. He entered onto the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. With any luck nobody would be in their rooms on New Year’s Eve. They would all be at parties or on the streets looking at the fireworks that were due to set off in just thirty minutes.

  The door opened to the second floor and Carlos exited and moved up the hallway until he found the door he was looking for.

  Cleaning Room said the plate on the door and the boy reached out and turned the knob finding it unlocked. Pushing the door open he reached in and flipped the light. The room was stark. The floor was a basic tile of one by one foot squares. Easy to clean and without any style. On the far side of the room was a slop sink deep and with an extra wide drain able to handle the contents of mop buckets. Along the wall was a series of shelves with many cleaning products and treats used to fill the mini bars and refrigerators in the rooms. Carlos pulled himself in front of the shelves and immediately saw a box labeled Cleaning Chlorine. He grabbed the box and a small plastic container able to hold a quarter of the contents in the box. Shaking out the contents he filled the container and popped on the top and slipped it into his pocket. Moving to the side he saw bottles of soda and he took two and put them in the pocket of his jacket followed by taking twelve bottles of miniature vodka that he stuffed into any area that he could to transport them away from the hotel.

  Drawing the door back open Carlos went back to the hallway and spent the next twenty min
utes getting himself back to the entrance of the courtyard.

  The boy Candido sat just where he had been left like he had not moved a muscle waiting for orders from his leader. Carlos smiled widely at the obedience of his gang mate and for the first time felt like they may have a shot to get away with the plan he had developed.

  Walking in double time he moved in on Candido fast and sat himself at the picnic table.

  Candido pulled himself back in shock as this friend moved so aggressively. Looking twice he raised his fist in fear of an attack from the boy fearing that silencing him may be part of the project as well.

  “Be cool man. It's just me.” said Carlos. “I have everything we need. It will all be over in just a little while.”

  Nodding his head vigorously Candido looked as the boy took the items from his jacket and pants. The rag tag set of ingredients made no sense to the younger boy.

  “Thirsty?” asked Carlos opening one of the sodas and starting to pour it on the ground. “Just kidding.”

  “What is all this?” asked Candido still confused.

  “Bomb.” said Carlos not looking up as he emptied the second soda. “I saw how to make them on the internet and just never forgot. Fairly simple if ya asked me. Just mix the vodka and the chlorine in the soda bottle and put on the cap. Give it a good shake and leave it where you want it to blow something up. It’s not a huge explosion but it has fire and the old apartments around here will light up like nothing.”

  “We are going to burn them?” questioned Candido.

  “Do you want to kill Joaquim or José face to face?”

  “No.”

  “Then we fire bomb them. All the apartments have just one entrance and exit. We start the fire there then they can’t get out. Besides, the explosion will spread the mixture and it will coat the doorway letting the fire spread even faster. It is about as full proof as we can get with what we have here.”