by K. L Randis
“Saves electricity,” Dex said, watching his gaze as he met Jared with a handshake. “Seems trivial but my money is better spent elsewhere. You’ll have to excuse my living conditions, there isn’t much property in this area that guarantees seclusion, space and back road entry. And woman I am positive you have better things to be doing other than standing there gawking at our guest.” Dex turned his exasperated tone towards Nicole who let out a small squeak before turning on her heel and closing the door behind her as she fled the room.
“She think’s I’m a chef,” Dex said slyly, “makes it easier to hold a partial relationship with people when they don’t know how much cash flow is involved. In a way I guess I am—a chef I mean. Care to see my kitchen?” Dex didn’t need Jared’s approval as he exited a door on the opposite side of the room where Jared had entered.
The kitchen’s yellowed décor matched the age of the rest of the house. It boasted a rusty oven between two walls of cabinets and a mismatched refrigerator and dishwasher. Jared’s mom would have had a fit at the lack of natural light the space offered.
He half expected Dex to pull out a chair as he approached the glass kitchen table on the far wall but he swerved to the right, pulling on a cabinet door that resembled a pantry. The door gave way to an opening that doubled the width of a queen-sized bed and a rush of goose bump producing air licked Jared’s face and arms. Beyond the entryway was a dimly lit stone etched stairwell that he had no intentions of descending.
“What’s this?” Jared asked. He knew better than to corner himself in a dungeon with a covert business partner.
“My kitchen,” Dex said, rubbing his arms as he started down the staircase. “There are sweatshirts down here if you’re cold. We won’t be long. Just need to show you around, get you introduced to the new product.”
As they reached the bottom of the stairwell Jared immediately understood where all of Dex’s money was going. The laboratory was a collection of stainless steel cabinets, beakers, and immaculate floors and ceilings. Fluorescents flooded the space as Jared eyed the labeled jars and whiteboard on the furthest wall.
A grated speaker box was embedded into the wall beside the light switch. An intercom system? What appeared to be a closet door actually contained a comfortable sized bathroom and one of the three refrigerators pressed along a long wall was labeled ‘Food Only’. Dex would never need to leave the basement while he worked.
“It’s late, so let’s get started,” Dex said. He handed the box of nitrile medical gloves to Jared, “Put these on I don’t want any contamination. One thing you will learn is that I run a clean, organized and productive assembly down here. Everything has its place and there is no room for laziness. You either follow the rules of production or you leave. Get it?”
“Got it.”
“Remember I told you about a pill that would push heroin out?”
“I do,” Jared said, shaking his head.
Dex walked over to one of the stainless steel containers unlatching a lock and pulling a tray from the center. He placed the tray on the island in the middle of the room and stood back, absorbing Jared’s reaction and holding both hands out to the sides in amazement. “There she is, my friend. Beautiful isn’t she?”
Pills were lined on the tray like miniature cookies, evenly spaced and perfectly aligned on what seemed to be waxed paper. “They’re Percocet’s,” Jared said, noticing the pill right away.
“Not just Percocet’s, look closer.”
“I can…?” Jared asked, motioning towards the tray that he wanted to pick one up.
“Of course, of course, I insist.” Dex’s face was lustrous. Jared’s heart pained as he recalled Troy’s face on the night he died. It was the same expression.
Jared pulled one of the pills closer to his face. Beautiful was an understatement; they were a genuine work of art.
A delicate layer of red speckles superimposed on the front and sides popped against the contrasted paleness of the pill. Turning it over in his hand Jared raised an eyebrow of approval noticing a lightening strike symbol had been etched onto the underbelly of the pill. It was the same symbol Dex had left on the stop signs at his parent’s house. A signature if he ever saw one.
“These are amazing,” Jared whispered, studying the precision of each decorated piece.
“Thank you.”
“What do you call them?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Dex replied, “haven’t been able to come up with a name that is deserving enough. You’re probably wondering about the red specks?”
“Yeah, what are they?”
“Tell me Jared, what is one downfall to being a heroin user?”
“Just one?”
Dex narrowed his eyes. “Specifically when the high dissipates. What’s the major complaint everyone has?”
“The crash.”
“The crash, yes, no one wants to crash and burn. No one has time for that, you want the high not the after-burn.”
“So…?” Jared’s sole attempt at using heroin was less than ideal, he wasn’t sure what was normally expected or how hard the crash really was. He was crashing for other reasons that night.
“Chloral hydrate,” Dex said, pointing to the tray. “My solution was Chloral hydrate. Highly soluble in water, just add a bit of red food coloring for pizzazz and there she is.”
“I’m not following, I wasn’t the smartest kid in class, might have skipped a few science classes here and there.”
“Science?” Dex grimaced. “Chemistry Jared, follow me here. Chloral hydrate dissolves when mixed with water. It’s more commonly used as a sedative.”
“So you bypass the crash of a high by putting your customers to sleep?”
“How ridiculous, not at all. It took months of testing but I’ve finally perfected the right ratio of the Chloral hydrate to use as a coating for the Percs so that when the user comes off of a high, they feel comfortable. It gives them a longer window to not deal with withdraw or nasty side effects, long enough to go to work or sleep. In this case, it holds them over long enough until they purchase more.”
“So it’s like getting high without the crash?”
“Exactly.”
“How would you even get your hands on enough of the Chloral hydrate to meet demands? Wouldn’t that be something you’d need with a prescription?” Jared asked
“That is my area of expertise, not yours Jared. I have an arrangement, a lucrative offshore one, to ensure that we will always have our fill of the supplies we need. Flick set it up months ago.”
“Flick?”
Dex smiled. “Everyone has a higher up Jared, Flick is mine.”
“Oh. He going to be stopping by anytime soon?”
The light in Dex’s eyes temporarily skipped. “Flick doesn’t come here. I’ve never seen him. We have other ways of communicating and meeting. It’s none of your concern.”
Jared nodded. It was odd that he’d never even met the guy who was supplying him with what he needed but Jared wasn’t about to argue. It seemed like their arrangement had been in motion for months, long before he got there, so if Flick was not who he claimed to be the DEA would have swooped Dex up long ago. Jared could appreciate the need for privacy, he had worked that way for years himself.
“How about the lightening strike? That’s great, how’d you get it on each pill?” Jared asked, changing the subject.
“Glad you asked,” Dex replied perking up. “I wanted our customers to know that they were getting a quality product not easily replicated or knocked off. Percs have a very delicate outer skin—again the process took me months—but with the right combination of water and heat I was able to impression each pill without sacrificing the pill itself. The tray I lay them on initially has the symbol etched into the stainless steel, so when that perfect moment occurs, the symbol is stamped and I have my signature beauties.”
“And the red specks?”
“Oh, I save the best for last.” Dex motioned for Jared to follow him across the ro
om to an impressive steel door. “Go ahead, open it,” he said, tilting his head.
It took two hands but the door swung open and a burst of arctic air engulfed the room. Jared stumbled back not expecting the change of temperature and Dex laughed.
“Would you look at that? No other Kingpin has this set-up, I guarantee it,” Dex said. “One thousand square feet of freezer, racks lining the walls with fresh product and a damn near perfect assembly line of Percs ready to be christened. See, the Chloral hydrate solution is warmed ever so slightly, just enough for me to bring it in here and spritz the Percs all over. The specks freeze on contact and I let the solution set for about twenty minutes before moving the tray to a storage chest.”
“The solution doesn’t melt once it’s at room temperature?” Jared asked, utterly blown away by the intricate set up.
“Not at all. Chemistry, remember? Just enough water to make it soluble for application, and just enough chemical to make sure it solidifies and stays that way afterwards.”
“Guess I jumped at the right opportunity,” Jared said. He could already imagine the customer base that would be after such a product. The amount of junkies looking to get high without experiencing the crash afterwards would be endless. Even if heroin were cheaper, the value of what the pills could do would be enough to get people to pay a premium.
“Of course you did. Let’s head upstairs, your lips are starting to turn blue.”
After Dex locked up the laboratory and lead Jared into one of the great rooms he sank into a musty armchair that was next to the woodstove and pushed a glass of wine into Jared’s hands. “So you’re impressed?” Dex asked.
“Very,” Jared agreed.
Dex nodded, a hint of a smile forming. “There are two trails at the park you’ll be patrolling, both have No Trespassing signs at the entrances. Your boss has deemed them too unsafe for patrol officers and hikers, but of course that was our arrangement. We couldn’t have your co-workers spotting what you’d be doing.”
Jared stared at the grate on the woodstove, no longer wondering why Dex had it running when the temperatures outside were mild. He spent most of his time in a frozen dungeon below his farmhouse, crafting Percs like Michelangelo and coming up here to sip wine and marvel in his achievements.
“There are a few trails, some abandoned dirt paths you’d need to maneuver but most importantly there is a waterfall at the end of each one. You’ll look for the boulders with my lightening symbol. You can easily move them yourself, they’re false boulders, but the product will be stored there. Twice a week you’ll do pick up’s. Then you’ll distribute an even amount of product to your Pillbillies and they’ll take it from there.”
“Pillbillies?” Jared said laughing, “so what’s that a Hillbilly that pushes pills?”
“Don’t take the term lightly Jared, it’s a privilege to the men who’ve run these parts since you were away to be labeled a Pillbillie. They are the crème de la crème navigators of every back road, wooded area and town in all of Monroe County. They work tirelessly to bring new customers and are viciously loyal to me.”
“Who are they?”
“Farmers, felons, doctors, you name it. They’re all raised local though. One of the criteria is that they’ve been a native to Monroe County for more than ten years. You are the exception of course but we’ll keep that between us. Not only is it a loyalty thing but we need the people on our side who know how to handle the dirt roads, ponds and fields. It’s no secret that this area has a lack of employment opportunities so the stacks of twenties they have at the weeks end is what makes their loyalties priceless. They are the heart, knowledge and pushers that make this possible, hence the name. Their local status keeps them under the radar: they drive trucks, go to the fairs and know all the local watering holes. No one ever suspects a thing.”
“Seems like you’ve thought of everything.”
“Not everything, I still can’t come up with a name for it. Nothing seems right. So Jared, are you in?” Dex said, moving next to the woodstove to poke the ashes.
“Let me name the pill.”
“Oh you have a suggestion? Let’s hear it then,” Dex said.
“Don’t look so amused. I wasn’t offering a suggestion, more of a personal requirement before I agree.”
Dex paused at Jared’s sudden firmness. “I’m listening.”
“I want to call it Lace,” he said.
Jared knew that surrounding himself with Percs was a risk to staying clean. He wanted to make sure that there would be a reminder every time he looked at the pills of why he shouldn’t take one. If they were called Lace it would remind him of Lacey. He would never let her down a second time.
“Interesting,” Dex said, raking the poker through the ashes, “It’s fitting really, since the Percs are technically laced with the Chloral hydrate. I love it.”
Jared relaxed and brought his wine glass to his lips.
“Glad to have you on board,” Dex said, walking towards Jared with an outstretched hand.
It was slow motion as Dex tripped over the lip of the area rug, his arms sprawling out in front of him, propelling wine and soaking the front of Jared’s shirt as he collapsed to the floor in a thud.
“Take it easy man, you okay?” Jared asked, reaching for his arms to help him to his feet.
“Not my most graceful moment,” Dex said, annoyed at the broken glass lying in shards around his feet. He wiped his hands on his trousers and huffed when he noticed Jared’s shirt. “Your shirt is a mess, I’ve got one you can have. Take that one off, the stain will never come out. Damn wine. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.”
Jared turned his back to Dex pulling his t-shirt up over his head.
The hiss of melting skin brought Jared to his knees. For a moment Jared saw red as the pain surged through his right shoulder blade. It happened so quickly that by the time he caught his breath enough to turn around, Dex was placing a fire poker with a lightening strike emblem back into the ashes of the woodstove.
“What the fuck man, are you crazy?” Jared yelled. Tears brimmed the corners of his eyes, the pain almost unbearable. “Did you just fucking brand me?”
“Damn right I did,” Dex said, his voice smooth. “You belong to me now, just like every other Pillbillie in this area. You may have had a change of heart before you killed your sister, wanting to switch teams to heroin, but that thought should be eradicated from your thinking from this moment on. Pillbillies aren’t just loyal because of the money, they’re loyal because every other drug pusher out there knows my branding and anyone who tries to switch sides is seen as a threat and a rat. Things have changed Jared, you can’t just call a guy up and start selling their stuff anymore. There are meetings like this one, a process, and every Kingpin wanna-be out there has added strip search to the list of criteria for newbies to make sure they aren’t sporting my brand on their bodies.”
Jared stood up feeling the heat from his shoulder radiate. “If you ever touch me like that again…”
“You’ll do nothing,” Dex finished, “you are not the martyr type Jared, it is what it is. You’re here to make money as my lead guy, get the name of the heroin dealer who sold to you and move on, am I right?”
Jared was too pissed to agree with him so he stood still, the adrenaline overtaking his extremities and forcing his hands to shake.
“So Lace it is,” Dex said, his tone returning to its typical pitch. “You should consider meeting up with your lead pusher, Rick, sometime tomorrow. He’ll be waiting to hear from you. I’ve programmed his and several other numbers into this,” he said, pulling a prepaid phone from the drawer of a nearby bookcase. “You’re also going to need to come up with newer ways to push Lace through the county, we’ve had some dead ends coming up with ideas. We need something on a grander scale. We have the product, the pushers and a solid customer base to get things moving but we need distribution. Think you can handle that?”
“Yeah, I got it,” Jared said, watch
ing Dex fill a fresh glass with Rioja.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hiding the burn from Tina while the skin healed on his shoulder proved to be difficult. She noticed it three days later, surprising him by jumping into the shower while he still had suds in his eyes. Jared almost swung at her she screamed so loud.
“I fell at work. I knew it was infected,” Jared said, flinching. He straddled the toilet, shoulders hunched over to let her get a good look.
“You’re full of it,” Tina accused, dabbing antibiotic ointment onto the wound. “You think I haven’t seen this before?”
“You have?”
“I’m not stupid Jared. When things started changing hands a bunch of guys were walking around with this on their shoulders and backs. I even saw someone who had it on his calf. I didn’t ask but word was that they were the newer crew pushing in with pills. Is that true? Did you get back into that?”
“What if I did?” Jared asked.
He never really thought to talk to Tina about what kind of lifestyle he was aiming for once he was home. She made it clear she wasn’t going to stop doing pills herself but after the car ride home she was more conscious about where and when she did it when Jared was home. Jared had found one on the bathroom floor near the heater vent a few days earlier. He thought about giving it to her but had flushed it instead.
“I would say I hope you plan on sharing. The stuff they have isn’t cheap but I heard it’s amazing. You could get some, right?”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why the hell would I be mad? I know you took the rehab plea deal for a shorter prison sentence, I didn’t think you’d take it seriously or anything.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, don’t get offended. I just know you is all, you wouldn’t quit because of something stupid.”
“Something stupid?” Jared stood up and faced Tina, her eyes widening. “What makes Lacey’s death something stupid? You don’t think I would take it back if I could? Or that I could change now that I’m out? You haven’t even asked how long I’ve been clean.”
