Dirty Money Honey

by Nisa Santiago

  Honey sat down and felt awkward. Why didn’t he speak with her in his office? Was she under arrest? Had one of the girls gotten knocked and gave him the 4-1-1? Had Chief snitched?

  Breathe, Honey, she thought. This will all be over shortly. The hard part’s done.

  “Ms. or Mrs.?” Detective Hernandez began.

  “Ms. Brown, or Honey.” Honey knew better than to try and flirt. That would put him on high alert. She kept her face a mask of stone but softened it slightly when appropriate.

  “OK, Honey, could you go over Wednesday, the day of the Bellagio heist for me?”

  “Sure, no problem. Well, my day started off normal, until I approached the casino. Something just didn’t feel right.”

  Detective Hernandez inched forward in his chair, an indication that Honey had his full interest. “When you say something didn’t feel right, was it because you saw something?”

  “I’m not sure if I saw anything that could help you. But my father always said, if you want the right answer, all you have to do is ask the right question.”

  Hernandez chuckled. “He sounds like a smart man.”

  Honey nodded. “I think so.”

  “OK, please continue.”

  “Well, as I was saying, I just had this eerie feeling when I pulled up. Now, as I look back, it must have been something I saw in everyone’s face. It was sheer terror.”

  “What time did you arrive at work?”

  “Between eight fifty and eight fifty-five.”

  “Could you be more specific?”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Not at all.”

  Honey smirked intentionally. She wanted him to feel that she couldn’t understand his logic for wanting to be precise, when she knew perfectly well why that was relevant.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

  “OK, that’s no problem. Continue.”

  “Well, as soon as I park my car—”

  “Where did you park?”

  “I parked in the rear and entered through the side door with the other staff.”

  “Do you always park in the rear?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you see anything out of the ordinary? Anyone lingering around that seemed out of place? Any new faces?”

  “No. It’s a mostly restricted area. Each face I saw was known to me. Once inside I heard all the commotion. I saw mobs of people gathered toward the back entrance, and I hate to admit it, but I was being nosy.” Honey shrugged like she was a kid caught in the cookie jar. “Aggressively I pushed through the crowd, and that’s when”—She started shaking her head like she couldn’t go on with the story.

  “And that’s when you saw the guards murdered?”

  Honey nodded her head.

  “In the prior weeks, did anyone stand out? We have reason to believe that they’d cased the casino for months . . . even years.”

  “Stand out? How so?”

  “Like coming around a lot, any new faces, perhaps asking questions?”

  “Not at the blackjack table that I can remember. Most of the players keep conversation limited. It’s not really a talky-talky game, if you understand what I mean.”

  Hernandez nodded.

  “With the counting of the cards, right?” He tried to make a joke, which Honey didn’t find funny.

  Hernandez was quiet for a moment, and so was Honey.

  “Is there anything ironic or anything odd that jumps out at you about the crime? I mean, anything that you can think of, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.”

  Honey thought for a moment then slowly shook her head no, looking the detective square in his eyes.

  “Well, OK, Honey, that will be all for today. Here’s my card. If you could think of anything else, just give me a call.”

  Honey took the card and was just about to give him an F for his interrogation skills when he said, “If you want to stop by anytime, we could go over the case. I’m sure you’re just as interested in helping us find out who murdered those innocent men and took the casino for nearly one hundred million dollars of marked money.”

  Aha! Honey thought. You ain’t so bad after all.

  Hernandez had done three things. The first was, he extended an invitation to Honey to be kept abreast of the investigation. Anyone heavily involved in a crime would jump at getting firsthand knowledge of any intel the police have. That way, while playing a witness, they will know if they’re a suspect. Second, he nearly tripled the real amount of cash taken, so if Honey was involved, she could have slipped up and said, “I heard they only got a little over forty million.” And, last, he lied when he said the money was marked.

  “Well, you’ll certainly be the first person I’d call if I found out anything new, but I don’t think I want to hear any horrible details about the crime. I’m still traumatized from seeing three dead bodies. I’m sure you can understand.”

  “Certainly. I was just offering you a courtesy. With all these ugly mugs we see daily, it would be nice to be graced with the presence of someone as lovely as yourself.”

  Honey smiled politely but didn’t reply.

  Hernandez couldn’t read Honey. There was something a little too calm about her. Although she didn’t go for his traps, that didn’t mean she wasn’t affiliated with the heist. She was only his fifth interview, so he decided not to include nor exclude her yet. He certainly knew he’d call her back in. One small part of him wondered, was he going to slightly harass her because she was that fine? He knew he had to tread lightly. His wife was a crazy Cuban and had already threatened to cut his dick off a million times if she ever found him cheating. He loved his wife, but he also loved chocolate pussy. The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juices.

  ***

  Finally everyone was called back to work on Monday. If Honey thought it would be routine, she was dead wrong.

  “I’m surprised to see you here,” Rosie said condescendingly.

  “And why is that? I work here.”

  “I thought you’d be on an extended vacation somewhere in the South of France getting your already dark body tanned.”

  “Who could afford that?”

  Rosie exhaled. “Not me.” And she walked away.

  Honey didn’t know what to make of that bizarre exchange and just shrugged it off.

  The next day Rosie was more direct. “You still here?” she asked.

  “What the fuck is your problem?” Honey barked. “You’re acting like a mental patient.”

  Not moved by Honey’s aggressive behavior, Rosie said, “I just thought that with the hundred million you and your crew stole the other day that you’d be long gone.”

  Honey swallowed hard.

  “Bitch, are you crazy?”

  Rosie inched closer to Honey’s face and stared her directly in the eyes. “I’ll be all the bitches you want me to be, but I ain’t crazy! Either you cut me in on the heist, or I’m going to the cops!”

  Honey’s eyes popped open in pure shock.

  “Oh, you ain’t got shit to say now, do you?” Not allowing Honey to respond, Rosie continued, “You got twenty-four hours to get me twenty million dollars, or you go down!”

  Honey thought, The nerve of that fat bitch to want twenty mill, and she didn’t even do shit. I planned and executed the whole heist and only walked away with just under seven.

  “The money has been deposited into an off-shore Swiss account by my partners. If you want twenty million, it’ll take months for us to withdraw that large amount and get it back to the States undetected. It was hell getting it out on Wednesday.”

  “That’s your problem!”

  “Well, do you have any suggestions? Because, if you go to the cops, then your fat ass will stay a fat broke-ass bitch!” Honey cou
ldn’t help herself. She had to sling a few insults. Just looking at Rosie’s extra rows of skin and jiggling cheeks irked her.

  “No need to be so nasty,” Rosie said and began to retreat. The look in Honey’s wild eyes had unnerved her. She remembered all the dead bodies. “Well, if I gave you my account number, would that be easier for you to transfer the money? At least some of it? A few hundred thousand, so I could pay some bills and buy a new car. If you do that within twenty-four hours, then that’ll buy you time to get the rest before I go to the cops.”

  “How do I know you haven’t gone already? How do I know you’re not wired?” Honey grabbed Rosie by her plump hand. “Let’s go!”

  “Go where?” Rosie panicked. Did Honey have a gun? Would she shoot her?

  “We’re taking a trip into the ladies’ room.”

  Rosie was relieved. Once inside the stall and Rosie proved to Honey that she wasn’t wired, Honey’s voice softened.

  “There’s more than enough money to go around,” Honey said. “All you have to do is keep your mouth shut and don’t run to the cops.”

  “I haven’t said a word. I was in there giving them false leads.”

  “Let me ask you a question. If the police didn’t turn you on to me, how did you know?”

  Rosie smiled.

  “I didn’t see much that day, but I did see someone that I thought was a man dressed in all-black with a helmet on.”

  “So?”

  “Well, before I turned to run, this same man adjusted his neck from side to side, just three quick-paced head movements, and it hit me. I’ve seen you do that same maneuver a million times. Each time you get out of your car in the mornings, you do that same routine. Each time you setup at your blackjack table, you do that same routine. I always wondered why but never asked. And the last dead giveaway was the green bandana on your arm. You always wear something green and it seemed out of place that a robber would choose a green bandana and not red or blue for the bloods or crips.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s all I needed. I knew it was you.”

  Honey could have slapped her own face. How could she have been so dumb? With all the elaborate planning, she got pinched by a wannabe detective because of some head movements and a green scarf.

  “You’re one smart lady, Rosie. And I’m sorry about the ‘fat’ remarks.”

  “No need to apologize because, once I get that money, guess who will have access to even more food?”

  “Good. I’m glad no hard feelings. I’ll need your account numbers if you’re serious about getting paid.”

  “Of course, I’m serious. Do you have a pen?”

  “I’ll need the routing numbers as well.”

  “No problem.” Rosie began digging in her purse for something to write on.

  “Do you have your checkbook on you?” Honey casually asked.

  Rosie hesitated.

  “It would be easier to just have a check. I don’t want anything to go wrong with the transfer. The check will have both.”

  Rosie reached into her purse and pulled off one check. Before handing it to Honey, she wrote void in large letters. You just can’t trust anyone, she thought.

  ***

  From the secure line, Honey called Mercedes.

  “Change in plans,” she said, and read off the routing and checking account numbers. “Split the money between accounts.”

  “How are things going in Vegas?” Mercedes asked.

  “They going,” Honey replied. “Don’t worry about me. Things are good. I can hear seagulls and waves crashing, so I know you’re good. Take care of yourself, Mercedes. You won’t hear from me anytime soon unless it’s urgent. Remember that.”

  “I’ll remember.” Mercedes was just about to hang up, and blurted. “Honey.”

  “Yes?”

  “It was nice knowing you.”

  Honey smiled inside, “We’ll meet again.”

  Chapter 15

  Who’s that?” Rosie thought she heard something and sat straight up in her bed, listening.

  Meow! Pebbles, her cat, hopped on the bed.

  Rosie was relieved. She was on high alert and thought she would feel this way until she had the money in her hands. She didn’t like the way Honey had looked at her. It was a cold, heartless stare that chilled her bones. And the vision of the bodies on the hot pavement riddled with bullets was frightening.

  She wanted a midnight snack to calm her nerves. Groggily, she stumbled into the kitchen.

  “Don’t turn the light on!”

  “Ahhhh!” Rosie screamed.

  A strong hand immediately silenced her around her mouth and something firm pressed into her kidney.

  “Don’t be frightened,” Honey said. She was sitting calmly at Rosie’s kitchen table. “No one’s going to hurt you. Now if I ask my good friend here to take his hand off your mouth, do you promise you won’t scream?”

  Rosie nodded emphatically.

  “Good. Luther, will you do the honors of releasing our new partner in crime.”

  Slowly Luther dropped his arm.

  “W-w-what are you doing here?” she asked weakly, her knees buckling under the stress of the situation.

  “Well, earlier I didn’t quite tell you the truth about the money,” Honey said, her voice level and calm. “It isn’t in a Swiss bank account.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No. That type of shit you only see in movies. Where my black ass gonna get a Switzerland connect?”

  “I dunno.”

  “And you don’t have to know, because it ain’t true. I just said that to buy time, just in case you were setting me up with the cops.”

  “I told you I didn’t go to the cops.”

  “I know. And I believe you. But my friend here, he doesn’t believe you.”

  Rosie looked into Luther’s menacing eyes and then down at his large gun. He never said one word.

  “But I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Here’s what you’re gonna do for us, Rosie. You’re gonna leave town tonight and promise you won’t return.”

  “But where will I go?”

  “Rosie, with fifteen million dollars you can go anywhere on this green planet.”

  “Twenty million,” Rosie corrected.

  “Rosie, are you really gonna argue with a man holding a gun?” Honey asked. “It was hard enough for me to get him to cut you in. He’s not the most reasonable man in the world. Just look at him.”

  Rosie cut her eyes toward Luther.

  “Does he look reasonable to you?”

  Rosie shook her head no.

  “Correct. Now hurry up because we’re running out of time.”

  “Hurry up for what?”

  “Rosie, you have to follow along now. I can’t keep repeating myself. You’re leaving town, remember?”

  “But where’s my money?”

  “We have to go and get it. Now pack only your necessities.”

  Rosie was led back into her bedroom, where she loaded up her suitcase with her valuables.

  “What about Pebbles?”

  Honey looked perplexed. “Oh, your cat?”

  “Yes. I can’t leave her.”

  “Then take her too. That’s not a problem.”

  Honey took the driver’s seat, with Rosie riding shotgun, Luther crawled in the back, and the three took off.

  Seconds before they arrived at the pre-dug grave in the Nevada desert, Rosie began getting suspicious. “What are we doing this far out? I don’t suspect there’s much of nothing around here.” She clasped her chubby hands together to stop them from trembling.

  “Nothing much, but fifteen million dollars,” Honey remarked. “You didn’t think we’d hide it in t
own, did you?”

  “I guess I never thought about it.”

  “You didn’t think about it because you weren’t down with the plan. You never had to concern yourself with the details or cry over your friend who caught a bullet for the millions you’re trying to get your greedy hands on.”

  Rosie thought Honey’s voice had become edgier. “Now calm down, Honey. If it weren’t for me, you’d be in jail right now.”

  Honey pulled over and shut the lights on the car.

  “If it weren’t for you, you’d be alive right now. Bitch, get the fuck out the car!” Honey’s voice was gruff. “Are you thanking yourself for your own murder?”

  Luther was already out the car and at Rosie’s side. When he swung the door open, Rosie tried in vain to shut it back. She began pleading, “Honey, you don’t have to do this. I promise, I won’t tell a soul.”

  Luther reached in and grabbed a chunk of her stringy hair.

  “Oooooooowow!” Rosie screamed as she was dragged out the car. “Pleeeeassse, don’t do this!” Rosie fell to her plump knees, crying and begging. Then she said, “I told them! I told the police! If you kill me, you’ll go to jail for murder!”

  Honey bent down and spat in Rosie’s face. “I would love to get knocked for your murder. It would be my pleasure.”

  That wasn’t the response that Rosie wanted or expected to hear.“Honey, please, woman to woman, don’t let him do this to me.”

  “OK, I won’t,” Honey sang. “Don’t worry at all.”

  “No!” Rosie cried. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”

  Honey wanted her to go to her grave tormented. She thought about all the lives that were sacrificed to pull off this plan with fluidity―the prostitute, Big Meech, Chief, Delano, Tee-Tee, Brian, and many more. And for Rosie to come in at the thirteenth hour and demand a cut of that dirty blood money had Honey seeing red. She wanted to hear Rosie begging for her life and also have the satisfaction of taking it away. Luther wasn’t going to kill Rosie, she was.