The Crucifix Killer - Chris Carter [45]
‘Shit!’ he yelled as he watched JJ disappear in the distance.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Hunter saw a figure come past him with incredible speed. Garcia was moving like an Olympic champion. With just a few steps he had left Hunter behind and was fast gaining ground on JJ who had turned right into a small alleyway next to a large warehouse. Hunter limped his way after them.
Up ahead, it didn’t take long for Garcia to be within an arm’s length of the tall Puerto Rican. He reached out and grabbed him by his jacket’s collar.
‘OK, OK I give up,’ JJ said slowing down and putting both of his hands up but it was all too late. Garcia spun him around and threw him against the wall, twisting his right arm behind his back. JJ screamed in pain.
‘Running away from armed police officers, have you always been this stupid or is it a new affliction?’ Garcia asked, catching his breath.
‘Let me go ese, I haven’t done nothing.’
It took Hunter thirty seconds to reach them.
‘Are you OK?’ Garcia asked still holding JJ’s arm.
‘I’m fine. Twisted my ankle back there.’
‘Let go of my arm.’
‘Shut the hell up.’ Garcia slammed JJ’s body against the wall once again.
Hunter turned to face JJ. ‘What the hell were you doing? What’s with all this running crap?’
‘Force of habit, homie. What’s this all about? Let me go man!’ He twisted his body trying to escape Garcia’s tight grip.
Hunter gave Garcia a nod who let go of JJ’s arm.
‘You can’t do that man, I’m a legal citizen now,’ JJ said, massaging his right wrist with his left hand and stepping away from the wall.
‘Do we look like immigration to you? Damn, you’re as dumb as you look,’ Garcia snapped.
‘Legal citizen? You’re a pimp JJ, last time I checked prostitution was still illegal in the state of California, we can take your ass straight into prison right now,’ Hunter said pushing JJ back to the wall.
‘Enough with the wall slamming, homie,’ he protested.
‘If my ankle swells, so will your face,’ Hunter threatened.
‘Ain’t my fault, homie.’
‘Of course it’s your fault HOMIE. If I didn’t have to chase you like a fucking rabbit I wouldn’t have twisted my foot.’
‘Why you chasing me man? I didn’t do nothing.’
‘Exactly. We just wanna ask you a few questions.’
‘Why didn’t you say so in the first place?’
Hunter gave him an evil look before pulling the computer portrait out of his pocket. ‘We need to find out who this woman is, if she is a pro or not.’
JJ stared at the picture for a few seconds.
‘Yeah, I have her at home in a video game,’ he said with a smirk.
The slap to the back of the head came from Garcia, throwing JJ’s head forward with a loud thud. ‘You wanna be a smart ass? I’m really starting to dislike you.’
‘Hey, man, this is police brutality. I can press charges you know?’
This time the slap to the back of the head came from Hunter. ‘Does this look like play time to you? Look at the picture – do you know who she is?’ Hunter’s voice was more menacing now.
JJ looked at the picture once again concentrating harder this time. ‘Maybe . . . I can’t be sure,’ he said after a few seconds.
‘Try.’
‘Is she supposed to be a hooker?’
‘That’s a possibility, JJ. We wouldn’t be asking you if she was a lawyer, would we?’
‘Oh, you’re funny.’ JJ took the picture from Hunter’s hands. ‘She looks too pretty to be a street girl, not that my girls aren’t beautiful.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Hunter tapped his index finger on the picture three times forcing JJ’s attention back to it.
‘If she’s a pro, she plays for the big boys – first class.’
‘And how can we find that out?’ Garcia asked.
‘A girl this pretty would only work for one guy around here – D-King.’
‘Elvis came back from the dead to become a pimp?’ Garcia asked narrowing his eyes.
‘Not the King, D-King, homie.’
‘D-King? What kinda name is that?’ Garcia frowned.
‘The kinda name you don’t wanna fuck with.’
‘Big-time pimp and drug dealer,’ Hunter cut in. ‘Rumor has it that he also deals in guns, but he runs a very tight operation. Everything very much underground.