‘Are you a buyer who will buy from us for a long time?’
‘I am a buyer.’
‘You have many clients?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where did you get these clients? You say you have a network of people you supply and we can’t find anyone that knows you. The world is large so who knows, maybe you do. But it would be a very bad mistake to go forward if you are trying to fool us. The one we work for is very unforgiving.’
‘I’m not worried; I brought a list and we need to talk logistics. I want to deal only with one person. I want to establish how I take delivery of the live product and separately the rest. I don’t want to trade phone calls. I want a system and I’ll pay on delivery.’
‘You have yet to give me your name, but you want a system.’
‘Call me John.’
‘Like the John Doe the police find? Or like the John the whore sleeps with?’
‘John Artura.’
‘What do you want to buy, John Artura?’
‘Live birds, snakes, turtles, everything on the banned list, and I have a client who will pay very well for a condor.’
The man laughed.
‘A condor, yes, of course, a condor—and who is this client who is willing to pay what it will cost to get you a condor?’
‘How much?’
‘At least one hundred fifty thousand dollars.’
‘He has the money.’
‘Then maybe it’s more.’
Marquez shifted stance and looked past the man through the fence. He was still being challenged so maybe this wasn’t going to happen and he should back away.
‘What else do you need?’
‘Venomous snakes and as many parts as you can get—rhino horn, elephant tusks, big cat, and everything that sells into the Asian medicinal market. I brought a list.’
‘Yes, you said you have a list, and you’re prepared to pay as you take possession.’
‘I am.’
Marquez pulled the list and the man didn’t touch it, but said, ‘Okay, my friend, let’s move this conversation inside. Are you carrying a weapon?’
‘A gun.’
‘Where?’
‘In my belt.’
‘At your back?’
‘Yes.’
‘Take it out please. We’ll hold it for you.’
He pointed to the building behind Marquez. ‘We have an office in that building but perhaps you are afraid to go inside with me or with Lia who could kill you—and I have to tell you she once killed for me an old general who she was on top of and he was inside her and with him inside her she strangled him. But she has also killed much younger men, some bigger than you.’
‘Do you want to make me afraid of you or do you want to do business?’
‘I know already you are afraid. You brought a gun and that tells me you’re afraid or you don’t trust us or you are ordinary in a way we don’t want to deal with. Lia will search you before we go in.’
Marquez pulled the clip before handing the Glock over. In the office the man methodically made certain the blinds were down and Lia threw the deadbolt on a steel door.
‘Take off your shoes.’
‘Why?’
‘We need to know more about you. Take off your shoes, your socks and the rest of your clothes, or you have the choice of leaving now. If you are wearing anything that records the conversation, walk out now and never call me again. If you work for the Fish and the Game, then walk away. This is your last chance for that.’
Marquez stripped his clothes, stopped at his boxers, and then slid those off when she gestured.
‘Lia will check you for anything small and taped onto you. She will want to look at your hair and in your mouth and ears and it will be like your doctor, but she will also look in your eyes in a way that your doctor never has.’
Marquez faced the wall as told and her hands moved over him and she turned him to face her. Her touch moved up his body and without saying anything she hooked a finger in his mouth and opened it and with saliva from his mouth on her hands she felt the curve of his skull, moved her hands through his hair. Then she stood face to face looking into his eyes for long seconds before turning away.
‘Do not dress yet,’ the man said after he had stepped away and whispered with her. ‘She is not sure about you. You are not easy to see into.’
‘I had a hard childhood.’
He laughed. ‘So did I. Very hard, so hard I had to cut the throat of my father to get away. She will look again in your eyes.’
‘Come on, man, you can’t be fucking serious about this eye shit. I’m going to put my clothes back on and leave. I can’t deal with this.’
‘Not yet.’ He pulled a gun. ‘I’m sorry, but not yet and it is still possible we will do business and someday laugh at this. I want her to look in your eyes again.’
Marquez allowed it and as she looked again into his eyes he wasn’t at all ready for the pinprick of a needle and within thirty seconds he was on his knees and dizzy. Then he was on his back and unable to move his arms and legs as she hovered over him, a needle with a large syringe near his left eye.
‘What she injects will blind you and will be quite painful,’ the man said. ‘I am not so convinced but she says you are lying and I know if you could speak you would say you are a buyer with a large but quiet operation. So first one eye then more questions and if the answers are satisfactory you keep the other eye. If not, I’m sorry.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s crazy the things we get into.’
He turned his back and Marquez saw the concentration as she brought the needle down and got ready and he tried to turn his head and then the man turned back and commanded, ‘Wait! Lia, come talk to me again.’
Ten minutes passed with Marquez paralysed and lying on his back. As they returned he began to get control of his limbs again. There were apologies in the time it took for the paralysis to leave. Now Marquez was dressed but shaky on his feet. The man held out Marquez’s list of what he was looking to buy.
‘I can get many of these, maybe all of them. The supply of animals is less and more are fighting over what’s left to sell. I know you understand this and it makes things more expensive and everyone is risking more, including the police. I think you can forgive that we came close here to taking your eyes. You must always remember that Lia was just seconds from blinding you.’
He reached and touched Marquez’s head. ‘Right now, you could be blind and in pain and they say the pain from what the acid does never goes away. Do you understand?’
‘I hear you.’
‘I’m asking if you understand.’
‘I get that you stopped her.’
‘Why did I do that?’
‘So we can do business.’
‘No, not that, but I am responsible now. I am risking that maybe you will work with us in a different way. Do you understand?’
‘No.’
‘We know who you are. We didn’t take your eyes but we could find you again or find your wife. We want you to work with us.’
‘Who am I?’
‘You are in the Fish and Game.’ He pulled his phone out. ‘I will show you a picture.’
He did and when Marquez said nothing, he said, ‘Tell me about this one who wants a condor. This fascinates me. We have other orders for condors now. Soon they will all be gone. If someone wants a condor it should be very expensive.’
He laughed.
‘We will be in touch and tell you what we will pay you to work with us. I will tell you next time. But you should go now. You should leave and tonight get down on your knees and be thankful you can still see. You are a very lucky man.’
He laughed again.
‘And do not worry, we will do business, just not the kind you thought.’ His face hardened. ‘Go now before I change my mind.’
W
ay back when she thought he was so cool and limber and loose, Kevin told her he would one day give her a thousand roses. That was before the constant fist bumps and the endless
what’s up, dude
that came after he stopped caring about anybody, or maybe he never had. Maria watched him walk toward her, watching his body, remembering how he got when he was seriously annoyed like he was now.
He slid a chair out, sat down and said, ‘I hate this place.’
‘That’s why I wanted to meet here.’
‘So what’s on the menu today, Maria? Are we going to talk the murders, your dad, or the investigator dipshit?’
‘The murders were Sarah and Terry.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m saying, babe. They were Sarah and Terry. They aren’t anymore.’
‘What’s your deal stonewalling Voight? Did you know they were basically attacked at a party held by one of your friends?’
‘Look, they wanted to connect with some people along the river and I tried to make it happen for them. It wasn’t visiting where weed gets grown that got them offed, and who in the fuck are you that you can ask me about this and then turn around and give it to Voight?’
‘Sarah wanted to see grow fields. Who showed them to her?’
‘A friend of a friend and I don’t know where.’
‘Voight says there was a knife pulled at a party and the same man came on to Sarah.’
‘Good luck with that.’
‘With what?’
‘Coming on to her.
‘You are seriously cold.’
‘I’m the same. You changed.’
‘You weren’t like this.’
‘They’re dead, Maria. They got murdered. They’re not coming back and I’m not giving Voight people I might need someday just so he can fuck with them.’
Sometimes when Kevin lied he did this thing with his right eye where he blinked; he did it now and she called him on it.
‘You know what parties they went to with your friends up there. Why lie about it?’
‘Keep it up, M, and I’m out of here and we’re done with anything we ever had.’
‘You mean after you tried to kill me you’ll stop talking to me if I ask the wrong questions. What are you so scared of?’
‘I never tried to kill you. I told your dad that to fuck with him. I knew you would be fine. I watched you. You can still ride.’
Kevin leaned forward so his face was right in front of her, the corners of his eyes all crinkly with lines and his mouth that used to smile so sweet now looking cruel. What he cared about was his dope business. It’s why he wouldn’t help Voight. She knew he wasn’t going to remember anything that might help. He’d already made his mind up about that, but she wanted him to say it, to admit he could have helped more two years ago and he didn’t because the people he would have named could have given up information about his business.
‘When did you turn into a little bitch?’
‘When you quit caring about anything except you.’
‘I do business with some people up north and I put Sarah and Terry in touch with a couple of them. They got into a party or two they wouldn’t have known about and Sarah got to see where dope is grown. That’s what you already know.
‘What you don’t seem to get is that the local deputies don’t trip out over people growing dope. The Feds do their flyover shit and they bust people, but growing isn’t that big of a deal anymore and it’s not like they took some big risk going out to a grow field. No one killed them because they saw a grow field. Didn’t happen and it’s a totally fucking stupid idea and I’m not giving up connections to help that fat slob Voight figure that out.’
She stared at him and he got on his business rant.
‘Do you know what they’re afraid of in Humboldt County? What they’re afraid of is that dope will get legalized. When that happens the market will crash and all that will be left will be some plots of organic high-end specialty bud and a toothless white-haired dude tending to it.’
‘So you did nothing.’
‘Both of them got a look up a road and an hour hike in and out and that was it. They saw a big grow field and that was because the two guys who showed it to them were hoping to get laid that night. Where they went I’ve never been but it didn’t work out for anybody and it doesn’t have anything to do with them getting killed. These dudes don’t want to talk to Voight and I don’t want them to talk to Voight because they do know stuff about my business.’
‘Is one of them the one who pulled the knife?’
‘No.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I’m positive.’
‘Then tell Voight that.’
‘You’ll tell him so I don’t have to.’
‘Who pulled the knife? What’s his name?’
‘Mack Ellington and he’s a paranoid meth cook who lives out in the woods and is so scared of getting busted he doesn’t own a car or a computer or ever use his real name. He didn’t follow them and this is all dead-end bullshit Voight shouldn’t waste his time with. Voight doesn’t know his head from his ass.’
‘So call him and tell him you know they went to parties and tell him the names of your friends who got them in. Then he can track them down and find other people who were at those parties.’
‘And he’s going to do this two years after they were killed? Are you telling me people who were stoned and drunk and usually can’t remember the next day what they did the night before are going to remember what happened at a party two years ago?’
‘They’ll remember Sarah and Terry were murdered.’
‘Why are you fucking with me?’
‘I’m not. Why have you blocked Voight from getting to these guys?’
‘I told you why.’
‘You basically told me you didn’t care enough about Sarah and Terry to let Voight talk to them. But it could have been someone they met at the parties and if these two were hoping to score then they probably watched who else talked to them. They may remember that.’
Kevin leaned back. He was thinking about what he was going to say next, how he wanted to end this and Maria knew this was it. Everything else led up to this and this was the end.
‘It’s like this, little girl. Your friends got murdered and they’re gone. Nothing can change that and I’ve got a business that’s only going to last another five years or so because at some point dope will get legal, so I’ve only got so long to make as much money as I can and you don’t get to fuck that up. I’m not going to let you.’