Belonging Season

Chapter 6: Cry of an innocent.

Finally, the day when I had to go undercover came closer. Jorge kept all of us so busy that I didn’t find time to go to Dead Street again. Beloved Jamir is Houston’s problem now and he refused to me any details about him when I asked. 

No one but Jorge, the Commissioner, Sheriff Logan, John, Koa, Jessy and Houston know about this underground operation. Everyone else in the department have no clue about this operation. 

A fake identity was created and my name now is Lucia Rodríguez. It sounds as badass as my original name, Alice Evianna Atticus Smith and I very much like it.  

According to Lucia, my father is from Spain, Madrid and my mother is an American. Both died in the flight crash from Newyork to Madrid in the year 1999. I was one year old then and was shifted from one foster to another foster care till I turned 16 and started earning on my own. The story is partially true since there was a flight crash and there was a couple who died in the crash and had a little one-year girl, who was changed from one foster to another. Afterall that was case was seen by the ATF. 

The original girl is now in Spain. We deleted her data as for now and added my face and the name we created as the original daughter of the dead couple. Criminals have become so well versed in technologies that we get caught when we totally create a new identity. That’s how I was caught last time. Can’t repeat that kind of mistake more than once. 

When I get into the underworld and they check out my profile, they’ll see what we want them to see. The rest of the story how I landed up here and this way is my own story. They did let me write the boring part of the script, after all. They always take the main part.  

After taking all the required details and signing in places that needs my signature, I left the department in the evening with Koa and John, Houston had to stay behind to finally get Joyce’s body from the autopsy center after 3 days. Anna hasn’t asked me any question about her mother for the past three days and stayed at John’s place during day-time and at my place during nights. She has been stopped from going to school and it’s only been two days as the media needed only 24 hours to know that Joyce has a daughter. With her mother’s body coming in the evening, I’d have to pick her up while John and Koa will arrange for the funeral. 

When I reached John’s home, Anna came running at the sound of my bike and stood at the doorstep, watching me with a grave expression. 

I smiled at her but the smile dropped instantly when Karen came right behind her with teary eyes. Just then my phone rang and I quickly attended it. 

‘Hell – 

‘Check the news now’ Koa exasperated.  

I quickly got off my bike and ran inside the home and switched on the t.v for news channel. 

‘— being wheeled by the Agent Supervisor Houston Williams. Joyce is said to be r***d repeatedly and brutally murdered by the drug dealers who captured her and the police or the ATF are not willing to reveal any further details. Please support this good cause and message us #NoDrugs #JusticeForJoyce to show our support and join us on the silent march For Joyce on 12 October evening at the central synagogue, Manhattan. Over to Sasha on about Joyce’s past life.’ 

‘Thank you, Miss. Kim. As we’ve mentioned earlier Joyce has a daughter of age 10 who studies – 

I switched off the t.v. March on 12. That's exactly 10 days from now. f**k! 

‘Alice?’ Karen’s soft voice came from behind.  

I clutched the remote controller in a tight fist, trying my best not to throw it on the wall. 

‘Alice?’ It was Anna now. Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, I kept the remote on the table before turning to face her with a stiff smile. 

‘Get ready Anna. We’re leaving’ I said and was about to get out to release my anger when Anna’s words stopped me and made Karen gasp and sob. 

‘What is r**e, Alice?’ 

I didn’t turn around to look at her nor did I answer her question. I stormed out of the home. 

Anna didn’t talk when she got dressed up and hoped on my bike. Karen gave a kiss on her forehead and asked me to take care before I rode directly to the grave where the other’s must already be there with the body. Anna sat quietly with her arms wrapped around my stomach and by the time we reached the place, it was dawn and the cloud were dark, threatening to pour down. 

They were media and other people carrying posters and candles at the gate. The cops refused to let them inside. I quickly wore a mask and pulled up hoodie before carrying Anna and hiding her face in the crook of my neck before making way to the graveyard. 

The media started to question, the cameras started to flash and click number of times, people started to whisper loudly, pointing out at Anna and the Cops tried to keep on their line. 

Houston, Koa, John, Jorge, Sheriff Logan, Commissioner Wally and other cops were present. A preist was praying with a bible in his hand and Anna who saw all this, quickly got down from me and ran towards the six feet pit where her mother is placed in a coffin.  

One sight at her only mother’s face, the rest of the body covered in white cloth, she lost it. She let out a strangled scream that shocked all of us and fell on the ground. The thunder above roared and the rain poured down heavily, making the people at the gate hustle and run about, while the opened their umbrellas. 

I watched Anna from the distance as she cried her heart out. The gravediggers quickly jumped in and covered the coffin with its glass so it won’t drench the body. John kneeled down on the wet mud and held Anna close to his chest as she cried.  

I couldn’t see the rest of it and my tears remained invisible due to the rain. 

*** 

9 DAYS BEFORE THE MARCH 

John insisted on taking Anna with him last night and I didn’t have any strength left to say no. With all the documents containing information about my new identity, Lucia and the gangs involved in drug dealing, I went home alone. 

Anna was taken away from the reporters and media undetected. We made sure no one got a glance of her face, even though cameras were clicking. 

Next day in the morning, the breaking news was Joyce’s funeral and not Trump being a usual asshole. All the channels showed videos and pictures of Anna who had her face covered and John’s uniform jacket covering her tiny form with the hood drawn up as John carried her to the department’s car and buckled her in before taking off from the pouring rain. The Commissioner answered some of the questions of the reporters but neglected many. When asked about the rally and #JusticeForJoyce, he said that justice has already been granted; the men who did this to her were encountered. When the reporter fired back with the question ‘But the mastermind of this is still alive and the drug dealing hasn’t come to an end, what you got to say to that?’ The Commissioner had no choice but to walk away. 

I can already imagine how everyone in the department are getting screwed up at this time while I am here, watching the news, applying peanut butter to my bread. As for from now I am Lucia Rodríguez, a twenty-one-year-old adult working in the kfc for full-time and living the 3rd block of Avenue Street in a very haphazard lonely house that I bought by earning in a five star hotel that gave me a huge salary check for a year before throwing me out for not sleeping with the manager. 

But I’m still in my dingy old apartment, dressed up as Alice, with Joyce’s apartment on the other side. 

The Movers must be here anytime to shift all my necessary items to my apartment that Koa helped me to pack up when I signed up for the operation. 

When done with the breakfast, the Movers were here and everything was shifted in an hour. Jorge made sure to choose a house that hardly got no neighbors around and he got the perfect one. It isn’t a layout, but it ain’t barren either. Another house is far from mine to see anything from their window. A fat neckless man with pink face kept staring at me and everything that’s been shifted into the new apartment. Realizing that I’m Lucia and not Alice, a Special Agent in ATF, I tried to be polite by giving a soft smile and wave but the neckless round fat man turned away and walked into his duplex home. 

The house was not worst. The living room was bigger than my apartment’s, the kitchen a little wider and one large bedroom. There was also a fireplace in the living room. Paying the Movers a hefty tip rather than their original pay, they left bowed and left happily. It took me a whole damn day to arrange my new house. The living room, bedroom was all done, the kitchen still remained unpacked. It was five in the evening when the doorbell rang. I cautiously looked through the window, looking at a plumpy woman and a small fat kid beside her. I looked at the duplex home where the fat man turned and walked away from me and then back to the lady and the kid before opening the door. 

The woman blushed and smiled widely at me ‘Hello, I’m Mrs. Bethany Shufflebottom’ She squealed, the kid beside her snickered but coughed when his mother elbowed him. 

I tried not to laugh and gave her a tight toothless smile ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Lucia Rodríguez’ 

‘That’s a sweet name, darling’ She said politely ‘I live on over there, in that duplex house and this is my son, Fergus’ 

‘Nice to meet you too, Fergus’ I said. 

The boy went pink, just like his father and replied shyly ‘Hi’ 

‘Well, darling, we’re your close neighbors and I was wondering if you’d like to join us for dinner around six’ the lady requested in her shrill voice. 

‘Yeah, sure. If you want that. Thank you’  

‘That’s okay, honey. This house is been empty for years now. I’ll see at my home’ 

I waved and she and her flushed son smiled at me one last time before walking to her home. I closed the door behind. 

‘Shufflebottom’ I laughed loudly in my lonely house before getting ready for the dinner. 

I didn’t know the dinner would go as pleasantly as possible for me when I stood at the Shufflbottoms doorstep exactly six. 

They have a garden and a garage with a porche in it. The door opened and instead of seeing Mrs. Shufflebottom with her kind smile, I met Mr. Shufflebottom wearing a black suit with a red tie. He quickly recognized me and covered the entire doorway with his huge enormous size. I smiled but he only narrowed his beady eyes. 

‘Good evening, Mr. Shufflebottom’ I said and he narrowed his eyes to slits before grunting in response. Guess he doesn’t like his own name. 

‘Come in, Lucia. Come in, come in’ I heard Bethany call out from the inside. 

Mr. Shufflebottom moved aside for me to enter and I swear I wouldn’t have gone in if it isn’t for my decent size that squeezed through the tiny space, he let me. 

The home was luxurious with costly paintings on the walls and family photographs designed in a shape of a huge butterfly. They were couches, a large tv and a fire place at the corner. The flooring was white marble and they were staircase leading to the upper floor. 

Fergus came from the kitchen, all dressed up as a little gentle kid, excluding the coat and tie. His face went red when he saw me and tried to smile but it turned out to be an awkward lope sided grin. 

‘Hello again, Fergus’ I said and he went even reddish in color.  

‘M-Mom is in the k-kitchen, asked me to escort you to the veranda where we’ll be having bimmer, I mean dinner’ He stammered and hesitantly pulled out his hand. Though he hardly reached my shoulder, I could easily hook my hand in his and let him escort me. 

The dinner table was already set and I could smell the delicious food. There was a large tree aside, draped in lights, making the whole setting look wonderful. 

‘Is it always like this or what?’ I asked Fergus. 

‘No... I mean, mother welcomes guests this way’ he said proudly. 

‘Well, I’m just a neighbor.’ I said. 

Fergus pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. He held both his hands together and looked at me ‘Mom and Dad will be a in minute. Can I pour you wine?’ 

‘Oh, no. It’s alright’ 

‘Some before meal snack?’ He asked pointing to the snacks on the table. 

‘No, just sit down please’ I pulled the chair close to me and he thought hard before settling down and looking down at his hands. 

‘Are you always this shy type?’ I asked. His eyes widened and he blushed even harder, making me laugh. 

‘What’s wrong, Fergus?’ 

‘Well, nothing’ He said softly.

‘You’re lying’ I said. 

‘You...you look pretty’ He said and looked away from me. 

‘Thank you. You look handsome as well’ I replied. 

‘I do?’ He asked shocked. 

‘Yes, you do. You look plumpy and cute, and girls like boys who are cute and nice’ I said. 

Fergus gave me a wide smile ‘Thank you. Everybody in school bullies me because I am fat like my father’ his smile faltered. 

‘People bully because they are not as good as the one who is bullied. You should scare them of saying that you’ll eat all their lunch and sit on them if they ever try to trouble you again’  

Fergus laughed and just then someone cleared their throat, catching our attention. Mr. Shufflebottom took the head at the head of the table and Bethany was carrying a bowl as she smiled at me before placing it on the table. 

‘Rupert, this is Lucia Rodríguez and Lucia, this is Rupert, my husband’ Bethany introduced. Mr. Rupert grunted again and I smiled sheepishly at him. 

‘I hope you like salmon, dear’ Said Bethany and I nodded. Bethany insisted on serving me everything of what she made. Roasted chicken, salmon fry, brown rice, chicken soup and I immediately realized why they are so healthy and fat. 

I was about take a spoon of my brown rice, when Mr. Shufflebottom grunted beside me again. I looked at Bethany was sat in front of me, on the other side of her husband and at Fergus who sat next to me. They all were looking at me. I placed my spoon back in the plate and Fergus took my hand and held it on the table and took hold of his mother’s on the table. His mother held her husband’s hand and another hand came up to me. I clasped my hand with Rupert’s right hand and we sat in a circle holding hands before they bent their heads down and closed their eyes. 

I kept my head up and looked at the veranda for any threat or what’s happening, when Mr. Shufflebottom spoke. 

‘Bless, O Lord,  

This food to our use 

And keep us ever mindful 

Of the needs of others. 

In Jesus’ Name, 

Amen’ 

‘Amen’ I said too and my hand was released from Mr. Shufflebottom’s beefy soft one. 

Typical catholic family.

The food was delicious and we ate in perfect silence. I usually eat these kinds of heavy tasty food at John’s or Houston’s as I keep myself full with raw eggs, bread, milk, nuts, fruits, ramen noodles and junk food. Fergus kept asking me softly if I needed something and complained that I eat very less. 

The silence was finally broken by Mr. Shufflebottom with his grunt. 

‘So, where did you live before?’ He asked. 

‘Spain, Madrid’ I replied. 

‘Ain’t an American?’ He asked. 

‘Half American, Sir. Father was Spanish, mother was an American’  

‘Was, darling?’ Mrs. Shufflebottom asked very softly with a hurt expression. 

‘They died in the plane crash in 1999. I was one-year old then. Been in foster cares since then but nothing worth and finally the country and came here’ 

‘Oh, I’m so sorry, dear’ she blew her nose in a kerchief. 

‘It’s okay,’ I waved my hand ‘I don’t have any memory of them’ 

‘The American airlines, right?’ Mr. Shufflebottom asked softly. I nodded. ‘Disaster, I remember reading that in the newspaper. Number of lives, disaster, indeed’ 

‘How’s the food, darling? Do you like it?’ asked Mrs. Shufflebottom, changing the subject. 

‘Oh, yes, it’s very delicious, Mrs. Shufflebottom. Thank you very much for all the effort’  

She giggled before replying ’Call me, Bethany. The maids were the effort too’ 

‘So, what are you working?’ Asked Mr. Rupert.

‘I got a job in Kfc at Times Square. Full time. It must suffice me enough’ 

‘What’s your education qualification?’ he asked me right away. 

‘Well, you can’t expect to get good education when you’re shifted from one foster to another faster than you could even complete a semester’ 

‘Is Spain so worst?’ Asked Fergus. 

‘It isn’t. It’s a beautiful country. It’s just some people are not beautiful anywhere you go’ I replied. 

‘What are your skills?’ Asked Mr. Shufflebottom ‘I could get you a decent job at the place I work’ 

‘No that won’t be necessary. I’ve got no skills, by the way’ I joked but I’m sure they didn’t see it as one since they don’t know.