The Big Gamble - Michael Mcgarrity [56]
“Can you trust him?” Rojas asked as he poured Staggs another shot.
“As much as you can any lawyer. I get to review and approve any offers before he can close the deal.”
“That’s smart,” Rojas said, returning to the couch. “Did you tell him where you were going today?”
“Nope.”
“Why don’t you set up shop here, in El Paso? The Indian casino outside of the city is starting to draw a lot of high rollers. I’m sure many of them would find their way to you, once the word got out.”
“Like I said, it takes money.”
“Let me help you with a loan. When you sell your property, you can pay me back the principal with no interest.”
“We’re talking two hundred fifty thousand, minimum.”
“I’ll still come out ahead,” Rojas said with a shrug. “Some of your customers are going to want some female companionship, right?”
Staggs smiled. “Like always.”
“So, let’s do it.”
“That’s damn good of you, Mr. Rojas.”
Rojas raised his glass. “Then it’s settled. Do you need a place to stay?”
“I thought I’d get a motel room for the night.”
Rojas shook his head. “That won’t do for my newest business partner. I’ve got a nice house that isn’t being used in a good neighborhood in Juárez. You can stay there until you get settled. It’s fully furnished and supplied. I’ll have Fidel drive you there in your car, so you don’t get lost. In the morning, we can talk again to finalize things.”
Staggs got a little leery, wondering who the fuck Fidel was. “You don’t have to go to any trouble on my account.”
“It’s no trouble,” Rojas said, reaching for the telephone.
He asked Fidel to come to the living room and in less than a minute a well-groomed, smiling, skinny kid no more than twenty years old arrived. Staggs stopped feeling wary. Polite introductions were made, Fidel was given his assignment, and Rojas said good night.
In the car, Staggs asked Fidel if he was from Mexico.
Fidel smiled at the question. “Nope, born and raised in El Paso.”
“What do you do for Rojas?” Staggs asked.
“I’m an errand boy, mostly,” Fidel replied. “I pick up his laundry, get his cars serviced, take him to the airport when he’s flying on a commercial plane—stuff like that. It’s only part-time, because I go to college a couple days a week. I’ve got an apartment over the garage. No rent. It saves me a lot of money.”
“Sounds like a good deal,” Staggs said.
“It’s the best.”
“What are you studying?”
“Business administration.”
They passed through customs and drove over the Rio Grande into Juárez along a main street teeming with cars. Locals and tourists strolled past gaudy storefronts, neon signs blinked out messages, loud mariachi music blared, and food vendors hawked their specialties on every corner.
Fidel’s cell phone rang. He flipped it open and said, “What’s up?”
“Kill him,” Rojas said.
“That’s cool,” Fidel said enthusiastically.
“Lose the body, lose the car, and everything in it. Any money he has with him is yours.”
“No kidding? That’s great. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.” He disconnected and smiled at Staggs. “My girlfriend just found out one of our favorite groups is going to be in concert here soon. She’s already scored some tickets for us.”
“You got a girlfriend, do you?” Staggs said.
“Yeah, a real hot chiquita, and smart as a whip,” Fidel said as he made a turn that would take them toward the Juárez dump. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Staggs leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Everything was going to be just fine.
Back in Albuquerque late in the afternoon, Detective Ramona Piño sat next to Sgt. Jeff Vialpando in front of a computer screen. A supervisor in the Albuquerque PD vice unit, Vialpando talked as he moved the mouse around and clicked on some of his favorite sites stored in memory. They ranged from adult porno sites to escort services to personal ads.
“Computers have changed everything,” Vialpando said, “and the day is gonna come when street-walkers will go the way of dinosaurs. Well, maybe not entirely: there will always be guys looking for action on the streets. But they’ll