A Crooked Waitress

Chapter 24

They arrived at the South Station at 9:40.

"There it is. Train for Miami at ten, platform eight." Natalie pointed at the Flipboard.

"We have to split so we can cover more ground," Eric said.

She walked down the tracks, and he moved up toward the locomotive. Christina was somewhere among this crowd. He looked at the faces and peeked into the carts but didn't see her. It was almost ten. The last of the passengers were getting on board. He decided to get on the train, go to Miami and find her on the way.

But a conductor in a dark suit blocked his way. "Excuse me, sir. May I see your ticket, please?"

"I don't have any but I can buy one now." He pulled two hundred dollars out of his wallet, " How much is it?"

The conductor shook his head. "I'm sorry sir. We don't do that here."

"But you always sell tickets to people who don't have them," Eric said.

"No. not tonight." The man turned his gaze and welcomed a couple on board.

"Passengers of the 10 pm Miami. This is your last call. Your train is about to depart." The loudspeakers echoed a sweet female voice across the station.

"How about a drink on me?" Eric added another hundred to the cash.

"Sorry, sir. This is not your local bus. You can catch the next one, which leaves at 6 a.m." He pointed at the Flipboard and shut the door.

"Jackass!" Eric ran toward the next cart, but its door was closed. The wheels slowly rolled, the train gained momentum, and he watched as it left the station.

"We can go to Miami." Natalie joined him.

"And do what? How are we supposed to find her? It's not a village, you know! Besides, she might just change trains there. Or on the way to God knows where. She's in the wind now."

***

A few minutes before midnight, Eric parked his car in front of his home and went inside. Tiptoeing into the living room, he saw Jimmy had fallen asleep in front of the TV. He lifted him up and walked to his bedroom.

"Hey, Dad." He woke up in his arms.

"Hey, kid."

"I'm hungry." After blinking a few times, Jimmy's eyes were fully open.

"I'll fix you something to eat. I'm sorry I haven't been able to find you a nanny yet."

"It's okay."

He put the boy on the bed, went to the kitchen, and made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When he returned to the room, Jimmy had fallen asleep again. He put down the plate on the nightstand and sat on a chair, watching him sleep. With each breath, the boy's chest went up and down, and a smile had landed on his face. Eric wondered what happy planet he was visiting.

His phone rang, and he rushed out of the room so the noise wouldn't wake Jimmy up. It was Natalie.

"What?" He said.

"You should come over."

"Why?"

"Just come. Now." She hung up.

Half an hour later, he parked the Mustang in front of her home. And she opened the door for him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Toby. When I came back, he was unconscious. He's fallen and hit his head on the floor. I poured some water on his face and he woke up. But passed out again. I couldn't bring him back. I think he might die."

They went downstairs to the basement. Toby was tied up on the chair, and his head hung down. Eric looked at the red stain on the ground and at his head wound. Blood had clotted and sealed the large cut.

"You found him like this?" He wouldn't put it past her to take her frustration out on Toby. But he needed the young man alive; he was Eric's only bargaining chip.

"No, he was on the floor. I dragged him up on the chair. He wasn't exactly in a condition to do it himself. Being unconscious and all. He probably tried to escape and fell."

"Go get some water." Eric took off his jacket and slapped Toby a few times until he opened his eyes.

"Good, you're still alive," Eric said.

Toby's gaze wandered around the room, and he muttered something. Natalie returned with a bottle of water.

"Drink." Eric removed the cap and put the bottle on his lips.

Toby drank some of it, then pulled his head back. "I need my drug... Give it to me..."

"Drink this, and we'll talk," Eric said.

Toby downed the rest of the water.

"You lost some blood, but you'll survive. Were you trying to get away?" Eric asked.

"What about heroin?" Toby moistened his lips.

"How do you use?" Eric took the small plastic bag out of his pocket and showed him the white powder.

"I shoot up," his hungry gaze followed the fix.

"We don't have syringes around here," Natalie said.

"Where is your sister? Where in Miami is she going to stay?" Eric dangled the bag in front of his hungry eyes.

"I don't know. We thought we make plans as we go. Give that to me." Toby raised his hand to take the drug.

"Uh uh not yet," Eric pulled back his hand, "have you sold any of the jewels?"

" No, we couldn't."

"Who was going to buy from you?"

"A pawnshop. But we left the diamonds at home and couldn't sell them."

"You're a couple of geniuses, aren't you? Did you think you just go to the market and unload all that Jewelry? Sorry, no dope for you." He put the bag in his pocket.

" I need that. Give it to me." Toby's open hand clenched into a fist.

"Let's make sure the chair doesn't fall again. Give me more rope." Eric told Natalie and tapped his fingers on a pole that supported the ceiling.

"He didn't just fall. He was trying to run." She gave him another piece of rope, and he tied the chair to the pole.

"Give me my fix. Please! I'm gonna die if I don't use." Toby's voice cracked.

"One last time," Eric put his hand on his shoulders. " Tell me where she's staying in Miami, and I'll go to the pharmacy right now and get you a syringe."

His face trembled. "I don't know where she's gonna stay. We didn't plan that far. I need that heroin. Give it to me."

Eric shoved the oily raginto his mouth and duct-taped it around his head.