Puzzling Pieces

Chapter 7

Viv was the Godfather of a select few. When I first met him, I had just committed a crime to solve the enigma. I stole a ring that was engraved to an engaged lady who was marrying the meanest street-credible boogie you could ever meet.

From the get-go, that was doomed to be a fail. It was a dangerous business to marry a man who only speaks the prat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat language of a machine gun. She was a good girl, and I felt bad for her. With Sidney, there was a motive. Always a motive. This one was his deadliest. And I warned a few friends around the street.

“I hear Sidney’s getting married?”

“To who?” I was surprised. He seemed incapable of love and affection. And that was all I needed to crack my own egg and boil it on a gas stove: his incapability of j'adore. Most would’ve thought to slow your noggin, you’re taking it a tad too far. But love. That word. The one I never knew existed from the time my mother said your daddy ain’t coming home was enough.

If he was going to marry her. Then he was going to execute her. Nobody knew the regime around marriage. That rainbow was missing a lot of colours here. The motive felt stronger as soon as I reached Michelle’s yard - and she came out with barely anything on, “can I see your engagement ring?” It was summer, so the short-shorts and yellow tube top made sense.

“How does everybody know about me getting hitched – yo? He asked me yesterday, I said yes. And now the words out and I've barely told a soul.”

“Did Elroy tell you that he’s excited about your engagement?”

“He did” –

“And Lewis?”

“Yes.”

“And practically all who are looking to get their foot into the engagement ring business?”

“I don’t know about that. All I know is they’ve been congratulating me. So much talk…”

“Yeah. s**t travels. All I want to see is your ring though.”

“He said I should keep it stashed away. Only try it on when he tells me to. So, I did what he said.”

“Is it in an envelope?”

“Yes. How do you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

“Why all the questions, Sia?

“You know how I roll? And you consider me a good friend. One of the few. So, let me see that envelope. I know you’ve opened it.”

Michelle let me in. If she’d have tried it on she’d be dead by now. It wasn’t my fault that I happened to stumble upon an unusual trend of street smarts that now included new found ways to invent murder. A fair few would take my word for it. Others would disregard it as poppy seeds.

Michelle showed me the ring and it was an ordinary casted engagement ring. It must have cost him a couple of hundred. By now I had the duplicate. There was only one design that was being tested on unwilling participants like Michelle. And the reason was simple, nobody would miss them. Michelle had no family. No real job. And earned her living by doing jobs that involved a bed, a stranger, and the lights switched off.

To me, a life is a life. So, when I switched those rings and hung around until Sidney made that call I watched to see how it would’ve gone down. I see it now. It’s an uncomfortable fit. The female would find she’d have to twist it a little. And in the end … I still didn’t have it figured. I let Michelle be, and decided to run back to my digs and give it a thorough examination.

But it was here that I met Viv who wore an army jacket with plenty of fake medals shaped like bald eagles and insignia of the united states flag. He had on loose-fitted jeans and looked like a man who had an inquiry to post through the mailbox.

“Always running. That’s all I see you do.” I found Viv old back then to. He just had that face that stayed wrinkly, rutted, scaly, and at times preoccupied with his full beard that made placing an age upon him even harder.

“You speaking to me?”

“I don’t see anybody else running. Do you? –

“I can’t stop to chat old man. I have to be somewhere.”

“Can’t you spare 1-minute?”

“Not for a stranger. Even if my mom asked me that I’d have to think about it. So, what makes you so special?”

“You’re always running. Always solving. But you never stop to think about what that means.”

“Sounds theoretical?”

“I guarantee right now, you’re solving something. Something that an ordinary cop would miss. Like that girl who died last week from mysterious causes. They have no idea how it got into her system. How her heart stopped beating. They put it down to a heart attack. Asked few questions. Decided that it was an accidental cause. I saw you there. Looking as if they were the dumbest dogs in need of a dog catcher. It was in your eyes.

“I don’t recall seeing you.”

“When I move through this neighborhood, I do so to find what I need.”

“You said I’m always running …”

“And that’s what will get you killed. What’s your name?”

I gave him my name. He gave me his. There were odd stories that surrounded the name Vivian. And how a man from around these ways rose to be a lieutenant. It could’ve been the same man from that story back then. I had my doubts. But he looked the part and was smarter than half these older men who only drank rum with coconut juice.

It left me with a callous close-shave when he said I was always running. I was tired then. Real tired. Sidney wanted me dead. I needed to outrun him before he got to me. I was running from my mother. My ex-girlfriend. My responsibilities of failing to have an education. And most of all, I was running from actually having to deal with it all.

And to have somebody tell me what I was doing … it was the most care I’d heard. I listened.

“I know what went down too. Trust me. That’s why I’m here. That boy … Sidney, he’s into some rotten business. And those girls are prone to fall victim to false confessions of love and a marriage proposal. I tell you, he’s after you! And he hasn’t been the only one.”

“s**t, mister, how long have you been watching me?”

“I haven’t been watching you at all. That was the only time when you were at that scene. But you stand out. And those who stand out around here mean something.”

“I gotta go.” –

“If you keep running, you’ll end up dead.”

That played over and over in my head as I checked the ring. The police had worn-out every other avenue but missed the girl’s engagement ring. The old man was right. I noticed it. And had seen that Sidney and his boys were distributing a small handful of these things to a man who drove a pitch-black van.

It was one box only. But I saw the contents. It was strange. Nothing unusual about it then. But now, to see it on her finger and the shadiness of those guys made me wonder.

They had dropped one. And this was the duplicate that I used to swap with Michelle’s. I also found that the size of the stone, the real thing, had a stronger weight that was only a small fraction of the original. I used my hand like a scale and then brought it to my eyes for a closer inspection.

It was only at a close distance to my nose that the pong hit me. And it was so faint that it took me awhile to smell it again. A little like rotten eggs, and slightly like garlic. But still noxious and strong when it first hits. So … that’s it. I peeped through the hole … made sure that I didn’t touch a thing.

I outstretched my arm and kept the ring as far from my body as possible. I pushed down on the stone, and as soon as I did, I saw the tiniest needle appear within a flash, like the speed of an attacking snake and disappear. That was it. That was what killed the girl.

I got a thick marker that was just the right size fit through. When it did, the needle stayed down. The girl would’ve been injected continuously until her body and heart couldn’t take it anymore.

Coincidently there was a knock on the door. I had a feeling it was that old man. I go to open it, and low-and-behold, it was the old dud who I would later learn was his grandson beside him. How he knew where I lived … I found that out later too.

…

“When did you come out here?”

“Literally yesterday. I got to the apple and wanted to lay low for a bit. See Viv, and then catch up with a few other people. I needed the break.”

“When do you ever have a break?”

“I was sincerely trying to. I hadn’t expected to be running into …”

“Trouble?” –

“Something like that.” It’s weird to see him. Full grown like a personal fitness trainer. His attire suggests he’s just been to the gym with his raglan sleeves and dipped hem. The whole outfit is a brand new. Fresh. Designed to give you some flavour when you hit those weights.

I’m eating a bag of chips inside of this shop that used to be a taxi service. The window has been barricaded with cardboard. And the inside is stripped bear with a messy white paint job and barren floor. All that’s left is the section where incoming calls would be made in a setup that looks like a bank.

“What’s your name again?”

“Robbo. And your … Sia, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.” I offer him a chip, he refuses. “What brings you out here?”

“To see my grandad.”

I chew down real hard on a few chips I stuff into my mouth. “When did you arrive?” I swallow. I can’t be talking with food in my mouth.

“Like you, yesterday. He sent word for me that he wanted me to come up. Viv sounded lonely. I had to come and see him.”

I get that tick on my shoulder. My middle incisors trying to pierce through my tongue. He doesn’t know. Viv has been murdered and it’s me with that information. But how? To break that to him. Knowing that Viv was a father figure to him is too much. I might be coconut-hard, but a true bond between people has me fighting for them. “So, you haven’t seen him yet?”

“No. He gave me some dodgy address. He said, Ferum heights. Near the Bronx way.”

I blink. “He gave you that address.”

“Yeah. Have you seen Viv … is that the address he gave you?”

I’m dumbstruck. “Yeah. Are you … when are you planning on going there?”

“Right now. Elisha said he’ll take me.” Robbo prepares to go outside to the cab, I stop him from doing that. “How do you know about Elisha?”

“Viv said he was being ferried around by him. A good guy. Rough upbringing but turned out for the better. He mentioned him to me in his letter. I found it weird for him to write. I told the old man to get a phone. Use a phone … Viv. He said na, finds letter writing safer.”

“Yeah … Do you trust … this Elisha?”

“I don’t see why not? Viv seemed to trust him.” And that did it me for now. But boy, that blameworthy notion of knowing that Viv was now swimming with mermaids had me chewing on my chips longer than I needed to. It became chewing gum. The smell occupying the car with a soggy white vinegar and onion odour.

Viv gave Robbo a different home address. And the urge for a fire weapon was stinging in my arteries. Elisha was quiet. Robbo was focused on his phone. I had finished the last chip and wanted to make a run for it. There it comes again on the choo-choo train: responsibility.

What would Robbo find when he got there? What would I observe when I reached. Was I meant to know that Robbo was visiting this address he gave? Or, was this just luck? A forbidden pattern that falls into place and pieces together another part of a broken hem.

We got to the address, that included the door number Viv had given to Robbo. Elisha waited in the taxi. Me and Robbo made the journey to the front door. There was no need for a key because his grandfather had sent him a spare set.

All the houses were so boxed like cereal boxes with only 2-windows each. There was barely any trees or cars. Almost like a nice – looking slum with colorful houses and no central heating during the winter. Kids with no shoes and dirty mouths were playing with water pistols. And the women who came outside all looked ready for bed again. That was the vibe of this area: tired and forlorn.

When Robbo opened the door … it was not what we were expecting to find. There was no need to explore. The inside had been ravaged from anything that might’ve had value. I smelt gas … and immediately ran to the kitchen to switch off the cooker. The cupboards had all seen a purge with cereal boxes and cans all over the floor. A whole load of cutlery was sprayed with glasses and plates smashed.

There was food smudged on the wall like toddlers who were displaying their finest work. There were empty bowls with badly curded milk that was beyond the expiration date. The cold-water tap was running; I switched it off and then scanned for anything at all. But became interrupted when Robbo came into the kitchen to call me. “You’ll want to see this.”

I didn’t. I hoped to God that it wasn’t too late … but there was Viv, slouched in an armchair with his arms lifelessly spread and neck slanted to the right. His tongue was devoid of the color pink and he stank. The bullet holes in him were visible. His eyes wide shut.

“There’s something on his forehead.” Robbo walks a little closer. Still unable to grasp the shock. I can tell it hasn’t hit him. Like when a stroke attacks and shut’s the body down. Robbo was getting there as he neared the body. “There’s Y.O.M written on his forehead.” Robbo turns around to see my reaction … I suppose I reacted cold; hard-boiled, indifferent to him. I knew how he got killed. But that Y.O.M acronym was bugging me.

“I need to call the police.”

“And what help do you think they’ll be.”

“Sia, Viv is dead!” He raises his voice just a little. Emotion flaring from his intonation on dead. It’s not my call. I cared for the man. But Robbo is his blood relative.

“You’re right. Who am I?”

“He cared for you.” –

“Na. He felt sorry for me. The only man who ever did.”

“I just want to sort this mess out. Get him to a mortuary. And have a think at who would do this to him? Who!? For f**k sake! He shakes his head sadly at the sight of Viv. “They really let you have it.”

I agreed. But what was even more certain, is that my presence must’ve been known. “We’ll send him off right?”

“Who the f**k did this to him?”

“It might take some digging. But it has to be from his past.”

“Viv’s past is full of s**t. If you dig, you’ll be digging for s**t you don’t want to be messing with.”

“Robbo, it’s me, Sia. That’s all I end up doing. And in the end, I can’t keep running. I think I get a small gust of that … I can’t let this one run.”

“You’ll be chased.”

“At least I’m one step ahead.”