Majoring in Murder

Chapter 27

I reviewed my plan while I backtracked to the MARTA station and then several more times as I rode the train to the Lindbergh station. It wasn't foolproof, but it was better than anything else I had, which was nothing.

When I pulled into my parents' driveway, I had gone over the plan so many times, trying to identify and iron out any wrinkles. By then, though, it seemed solid enough. I went to my bedroom, called Victor, but had to leave a message. He was quick to return my call. I answered by the third ring.

"Victor?"

"Yes."

"It's Jason. I have an idea, but I'm going to need your help to make it work. Can you meet me at Lucky Chen's on Buford Highway next Saturday to discuss it?"

Victor hesitated, probably trying to think of where Lucky Chen's was or deciding whether that day would work for him. Leaders of gangs are busy people, I guess. "Yeah. I can probably make it. What time?"

"How's two o'clock?" I asked.

Another hesitation. "All right. I'll see you there at two."

"Oh, Victor?"

"What?"

"Can you bring two guys? I'm gonna need some muscle if we're gonna pull this off."

"Okay. I'll bring a couple of my men."

"Thanks, Vic—" He had hung up on me.

I lay back on my bed and relaxed. My heart pounded hard from the adrenaline flowing through me. By making that phone call, I set a new series of events in motion. Events where I didn't know the outcome. I was putting myself into a tight situation, manipulating men who were much more cunning than I was and I had to play this with precision or risk tipping my hand too early. I waited in order to let my anxiety subside before dialing Carlo's number. As usual, I got the answering service.

"Carlo, it's Jason. Call me back. I've got a situation." I hung up, hoping my hurried tone would sound desperate, and waited for him to return my call.

It was twenty minutes before Carlo called me. Either my desperation wasn't evident or he didn't care.

"What's going on?" Carlo asked. I thought I detected a hint of concern in his voice but that might have just been wishful thinking.

It was time for my Oscar moment. "The Mexicans know I killed Hector Ramirez."

"Are you sure? How do they know?"

"One of them was asking around at school about me. He got into a car with a guy I think is their leader. Does the name Victor Santiago ring any bells?"

There was silence on the line. Finally, Carlo sighed. "Yeah. I know him. That's too bad, Jason."

"Don't give me that shit! Don't tell me it's too bad. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess. I need your help."

"Calm down, kid."

"Don't tell me to calm down. I want you to meet me so we can discuss what I should do about this guy. I've been watching him and I think I know where he's gonna be."

"Okay," Carlo said, intrigued. "Come by the restaurant—"

"No. Meet me at Lucky Chen's restaurant on Buford Highway, Saturday at two fifteen. Bring along some muscle in case I need it."

"Lucky Chen's? What's that, a Chinese joint?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you wanna meet there? Why not come by the restaurant?"

"Because, I'm pretty sure I know where Victor's gonna be that day and I wanna surprise him."

Silence from Carlo and then, "I don't know about that. Why don't we discuss it first? You might be biting off more than you can chew going after Victor half-cocked."

"Fine. Just meet me at Lucky Chen's. I'll come up with a plan, and if you don't like it, we can think of something else."

"Okay. Fine. Two fifteen, next Saturday?"

"Yeah. Can you find it?"

"I'll find it. Where's that, Decatur?"

"No," I said, "Doraville."

"Jeez. Doraville. Such a ghetto." He seemed to consider it. "Okay."

Carlo hung up. Everything was set. I'd meet Victor there at two to discuss Carlo, and Carlo would show up fifteen minutes later. It should make for an interesting day.

I removed the duffel bag from under my bed, the hiding place I used at home, and went over to lock my bedroom door. It wouldn't bode well for my mom or dad to walk in on me while I was cleaning the weapons.

I broke down the Beretta, swabbed out the barrel, and lubricated all the parts. I reassembled it, jacked the slide a couple of times to feel the action. Satisfied, I returned it to the duffel bag. Next, I broke down the rifle and gave it the same treatment as the pistol, swabbing the barrel and lubricating the various moving parts.

I returned it to the bag beside the pistol, then loaded the extra clips with 9mm bullets. I had to make sure I was prepared for next weekend when I confronted both men. When I had the hardware back in the duffel bag, I slid it under my bed. So far, the plan was materializing nicely. There was still one part I hadn't fully worked out yet: how to meet with both men and remain armed. I couldn't walk in packing heat like a cowboy in the old west; restaurant employees would call the police as soon as they saw me with a weapon. Not only that, I couldn't walk around with the rifle assembled, and the only way I could conceal it was to disassemble it so it would fit in the bag.

Considering how I would get the guns into the restaurant, I pulled out the green duffel bag from beneath my bed again, looked at it, and wondered if I could get away with just walking it straight to a table. I realized that wouldn't do, the duffel bag was too conspicuous. I needed something more subdued, something smaller. I transferred the weapons and boxes of bullets into a gym bag I received from Leo. It didn't appear as suspicious as the military-issue nylon bag and it was easier to carry.

Now that I had solved the concealment problem, I wondered how I was going to assemble them without alerting Carlo, Victor, and their men. I thought back to the bathroom at Lucky Chen's and its proximity to the emergency exit. I liked having the metal door to my back when I came out of the bathroom and I liked the narrow view into the dining room from that position in the hall. The restricted hallway would prevent anyone from coming up on my side, the emergency door would stop anyone from sneaking up from behind. That's what gave me the idea in the first place. The nasty drop ceiling in the bathroom was the key to my last problem.