Sergio De La Pava - A Naked Singularity

“That’s not a spot Ramon.”

“Of course not man. That’s the whole point. That’s just like some guy’s private house and shit. You have to understand what’s going on in the DR with Flaco. That shit can’t even be called an operation any more. That’s just some free-floating drugs there. Flaco’s not a dealer man. He’s just some guy who’s got a lot of shit on his hands that he’s trying to get rid of. There’s no infrastructure man! He’s getting his shit in through Fatso’s old line then some girl, some dumb poor sap mule, is getting a buck fifty to drive the stuff in the trunk of a car into the garage at 368. At the same time E and I will arrive at the garage with the money. The guys at 368 will be under strict orders to only give the keys to the mule’s car to me and E personally and only after counting every last dollar. If we’re a dollar short, or if we’re a minute late, or if someone other than E and me goes to that house, then they are to give the keys right back to the girl, give her another hundred bucks, and tell her to drive it back to where she got it and the whole thing’s off. If everything is kosher, we get the keys and drive off with the stuff. The car’s a throw-in. That’s it man. It’s not complicated. If you storm in there at 4:00 a.m. you’ll walk out with ten million dollars and shit that’s worth ten times that on the street. You’ll also pop Escalera and maybe one or two big guys from Santo Domingo. But if I’m not out, none of that is going to happen. Flaco won’t even ship the shit from the DR if he hasn’t heard from me.”

“Are you sure about 368 Riverside?”

“Of course I’m sure. That’s one of the few places we have with a built-in garage like that so it’s perfect.”

“It doesn’t sound very secure. That’s not the way—”

“No kidding. Listen, with undue respect, have you been listening to me at all? Flaco’s only using people like me who he can trust. This way of doing things would never fly normally. That’s why it’s going to be so easy. You guys are going to seize a shitload of shit.”

“What about Red Bags?” said ADA Dacter who I had forgotten was in the room.

“What about him? He’s shit. He doesn’t know anything about this. If he did he’d probably go in there firing guns like the stupid fuck he is.”

“What can you tell us about him?”

“What did I just do?”

“Are you familiar with any violent acts by him that you personally observed and can give details about?”

“What the hell’s this guy talking about?” DeLeon took an aggrieved look around the room but everyone looked away until he came to my shrug. “Haven’t I given you guys enough? You know how much you’re going to seize? You’re all going to be famous! What does he want to talk about some small-time piece of shit like Red for D’Alessio?”

“I’ll tell you what,” D’Alessio soothed. “You’ve just given us a lot of information to think over. I know you want to get out and we want to make sure we don’t jeopardize this deal. Why don’t Roger and I and Detective Gans go meet with the DA supervisor and start exploring our options.”

“Can I talk to my attorney?”

“That’s perfect. We’ll leave you guys in here alone for as long as you need and meanwhile we’re going to be discussing all of this. Okay? We’ll be right back. Come on Gans, bring the soda.”

“Right if I tell you something you can’t tell anyone else unless I want you to? That’s the doctor/patient privilege right?”

“Similar but you mean attorney/client right?”

“Yeah, that’s it. I don’t trust these guys at all man. I’m not giving them shit till I get the fuck out of here.”

“Sounds to me like you just gave them quite a bit, no?”

“Look man I know you said tell the truth and shit and I basically did but I lied about where this shit is going to happen.”

“Why’d you do that? I mean you either want to cooperate or you don’t. If you do then you have to tell them the truth or else how will they benefit and, more importantly, how will you benefit?”

“I know but I don’t want them to get what they want then leave me hanging. I don’t trust these guys. They’re worser than the guys I deal with on the outside.”

“Listen I can appreciate your paranoia but what happens when they burst into 368 and find some guy watching Married With Children in his underwear? Think you’ll get a good deal then?”

“No man, I can’t get caught in this lie. This thing really is as quiet as I’m saying. If they do what they’re supposed to do and get me out then I’ll just tell them the location was changed and give them the real place.”

“What if they check out 368 before then?”

“I know 368. If they check it out it will look like I told them basically. It actually could have been the location so it’s not that big of a lie.”

“What else?”

“It’s just like an average house.”

“No, what else did you lie about?”

“That’s it, everything else is true.”

“I don’t buy that Ramon.”

“It’s the truth man!”

“Why wouldn’t you just let Escalera bail you out? It would be months before the case went to trial and during that time you could have done the deal with Flaco.”

“No man, it’s just, nah.”

“It’s just what? Give me the explanation for why you chose to stay in jail.”

“All right man, you got me there. Remember though, you’re not allowed to tell anyone.”

“I’ll try and remember.”

“All right. Truth is the deal’s really far along and it’s going to go down whether I get out of here or not. I can’t make no twenty-five thousand dollar bail. I have to get the fuck out of here or else I’m not going to get my part of the deal. This is the only way I can figure to get out.”

“What are you talking about your cut of the deal? You just said that if they hook you up and you get out you’re going to tell the cops the real address”

“I will man!”

“Well at that point there’s not going to be any deal right?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, I’m telling you. There’s not going to be any deal. They’re going to be there and seize everything. So you’re not going to be getting any money right?”

“Oh I see what you mean. No, see, the deal I cut with Escalera is that I get a hundred thousand. I get fifty when we get confirmation the stuff is in the U.S. and another fifty after he’s picked up the stuff from the house. Everything I said about me being the key to getting this deal done was true. Believe me, why else would I be getting a hundred thousand for my part knowing what a cheap bastard E is? The lie is that I’m not supposed to be going to the house to pick up the shit and the deal is already set up for ten days from today whether I’m a part of it or not. I know Escalera. If I’m in here when the deal goes down I get nothing, that’s why he hasn’t offered to get me out.”

“I see, unless D’Alessio and these idiots think the deal’s only going to be consummated if you’re out, in which case you’ll be free with your dough and everyone will live unhappily ever after. Of course then you’ll have something else to explain besides just the change of location.”

“What?”

“Why it is you’re not going with Escalera to make the pickup.”

“Listen I won’t have to explain anything. I’ll be out of here and I’ll have fifty thousand in my pocket. My days of explaining anything to anyone including those morons Escalera and Red Bags will be over. You understand what I mean?”

“Yes and no. Yes, I think I do but no I’m not interested in discussing it in much detail with you because it would put me in a delicate situation.”