Deep Deception 2

by McKinney, Tina Brooks

  I studied the foot traffic in the surrounding buildings, but our building was strangely void on human activity. Rather than going into our apartment, I decided to visit the rental office to make sure my things weren’t put on the street. When we first got the apartment, management made us pay a deposit equal to a year in advance. At the time we were pissed off. I was grateful now because, even though I’d missed a few months paying the current rent, it should still have been okay. And if it wasn’t, I still had my sister to fall back on.

  Lucky for me, the rental office wasn’t crowded like it normally was when I went inside. I assumed that was because most people were at work. “I’d like to speak to the manager please,” I said to an attractive receptionist.

  “Are you looking for an apartment?” She handed me a brochure with the different floor plans that they had.

  “No, but I still would like to speak with the manager.”

  “He’s on the phone right now. If you would like to have a seat, I will let him know that he has a visitor.”

  “Will he be long?”

  “Uh, I’m not sure.”

  “Thanks.” It was a dumb question and I realized it as soon as I had said it. I sat down on the sofa feeling nervous, but I wasn’t sure why. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. The manager came out of the office. I could tell by the look on his face he was surprised to see me.

  “Ms. Mendoza, wow! It’s Ms. Mendoza.” He looked to the receptionist and bobbed his head, clearly excited.

  I was thankful I didn’t have to go through a big spiel explaining who I was. We stood there staring at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds.

  “Can I speak with you in your office?” I felt like a lab rat under observation. So naturally I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could.

  “Absolutely. I am so glad to see you,” he said as we walked to his office. We weren’t close friends, so I didn’t know why he was feeling all giddy and shit.

  He closed the door behind us and took a seat at his desk.

  “Uh ...” I searched his desk for a nameplate but there wasn’t one. “Sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.” The sad part about it was that his face didn’t even look remotely familiar, but it could have had something to do with my partial loss of memory.

  “Not to worry. My name is Richard Peyton.”

  “Thanks. Richard, I’m not sure if you remember me but I lived in—”

  “Of course I remember you. I’m so sorry about your family.” He paused. “I follow the news.”

  “Wow, really? I wasn’t aware that it was on television.” I was going to have to speak to Verónica so she could fill me in on exactly how much of our business was public knowledge.

  “Yeah, it was the number one story for days. The most excitement we’ve seen around here in years, no disrespect.”

  I didn’t even know what to say. He was talking about my life like it was some soap opera on television.

  “I’m glad you survived. The news didn’t say a lot about how you were doing, so I’m glad to see you.”

  If you were so concerned, you fucker, why didn’t you bring your ass down to the hospital and ask? It was a mean thought but I meant it. “It’s my apartment that I want to speak to you about. It’s a two bedroom and I won’t be needing the second room. Can I switch to a one bedroom, and what would that entail?”

  Richard didn’t appear to be surprised by my request.

  “That’s not a problem. We’ve been holding your things in storage waiting for someone to come and claim them.”

  I was confused. Why would my things be in storage? “Storage? Someone moved my things?” I felt violated. I couldn’t believe that someone had actually touched my stuff. It was a weird feeling. It was bad enough that it felt like someone was stomping around in my head. I was relying on being able to go home and trying to piece together the puzzle my life had become. I never contemplated anyone moving those pieces around. It was a bit disheartening, to say the least.

  “Um, yeah. Uh, someone vandalized your apartment and the entire building had to be cleared. Whoever did it poured gasoline throughout the apartment. There was a phone tip before any permanent damage was done. Since we didn’t know how you were doing, I had your things put in storage.”

  I was speechless, but there was no doubt in my mind of who attempted to torch the apartment. Richard confirmed my suspicions that Tilo was not dead.

  “... police but they never came.”

  My mind was spinning and I wasn’t really paying Richard any attention until I heard him say “police.”

  “What? Excuse me?”

  He looked flustered and uncomfortable but I didn’t care about that.

  “I said I was surprised the police weren’t interested in searching your apartment with all the other stuff that was going on.”

  I wanted to slap the fat, pompous fuck right in the face but he wasn’t worth the time or the trouble. He was a mini-drama queen, and I didn’t have time for that shit.

  “Okay, whatever.” I wasn’t about to go into my personal business with him. I rolled my eyes, letting him know exactly how I felt about the situation. “So what now? I really want to get settled.”

  He logged on to the computer and found me another apartment, then handed me the keys. “I will have your things moved within the hour. You will need to switch the utilities over to your name. I believe we were able to save everything except the beds and the sofa. You might also want to get your clothes cleaned just in case they still smell from the gas.”

  “Thanks for your help.” I wanted to tell him to kiss my ass so badly, but I held my tongue until I got outside. Even though I was mad about the violation and destruction of my property, I took it as proof that Tilo was still alive. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I was going to find that bitch and make her pay! I was sure of that much.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  MOSES RAMSEY

  I left for the office early today. Last night’s temperatures had dropped down to the thirties, so I wanted to get an early start before all the idiots and fools hit the streets. The weather was absolutely crazy these days. One minute it was seventy degrees and the very next day ice was on the roads. Due to the recent rains, the streets were still wet so I wanted to get off the road before the rest of Atlanta started moving and killed someone.

  I sat down at my desk and pulled a cigar from the humidor. I rarely smoked in my office, but today I was going to make an exception. I snipped the tip off the cigar and lit it up quickly before I changed my mind. With any luck, the remnants of the smoke would be gone before my staff arrived.

  The cigar relaxed me somewhat, but I was still feeling suspicious. I felt like I was missing something that was staring me right in the face. I turned on my computer and started scanning the headlines as I pulled deeply on my cigar.

  “Ah.” I exhaled. I missed smoking my cigars. Ever since the baby, I hadn’t been able to smoke in the house. I didn’t want to smoke in my truck either because there would be times that they would be in the vehicle with me, and I didn’t want the baby to smell the fumes. I wasn’t worried about Verónica so much; she claimed to enjoy the smell. So rather than feel guilty about lighting up at work, I cherished the stolen moment.

  I studied my cigar as I blew smoke rings at the ceiling. Tilo enjoyed a good cigar as well. I had already contacted the local cigar shops and left pictures of her and asked them to contact me if she came to their stores. It was a wild shot, but I was trying to think of every angle to get some type of lead on her whereabouts. My gut told me she hadn’t gone far. With each passing day, however, the chance of losing her forever was becoming more of a probability than a possibility.

  Every time that I thought about that bitch beating me at my own game, I wanted to hurt someone. I wasn’t used to losing. It was a bitter pill for me to swallow.

  “Verónica must think I am a total failure,” I mumbled to myself. I swung around in my chair and focused my attention on the scenery outside
my window. I needed to relax and get my mind off the case.

  The case was only one of the reasons that I came into the office early. I was supposed to hear from the doctor today about the DNA test that I’d had performed on LM. My mother insisted I test the baby after I sent her a photo. She claimed that I used to look exactly like LM when I was his age. I didn’t pay much attention to what she said. Frankly, I thought it was wishful thinking on her part, but I indulged her nevertheless. I wasn’t holding my breath, but I was spending more time with LM and I was enjoying it. I’d already forgiven Verónica for letting me believe she wasn’t sleeping with her husband. I even accepted her baby as my own, but in the back of my mind, he would always be her child. I had been fooled once before and I had no intention of getting fooled again. I blew another plume of smoke into the air as I reached for my coffee.

  “Yuck.” I spat the coffee on my desk. I expected the coffee to be warm, but it was downright frigid and it left a nasty taste in my mouth. I slammed the cup on the desk, causing the coffee to slosh over the side of the cup.

  “Shit.” As I scrambled to grab a napkin out of the center drawer of my desk to wipe up the mess, the phone rang. “Not now dammit,” I yelled at the phone as if it would hear me and stop ringing.

  “Hello,” I barked into the receiver.

  “Uh ... may I speak with Moses Ramsey please.”

  “This is he.” I didn’t recognize the voice, and this only added to my irritation.

  “Oh, okay. Is this a bad time?”

  “No, of course not. Who is this?”

  “Uh, I’m sorry, this is Dr. Richmond’s office. I have some test results for you, and I was trying to schedule a time for you to come into the office to discuss them.”

  “Is that really necessary? I mean can’t you tell me over the phone?”

  “No, sir. Dr. Richmond will not allow us to read the results over the phone. You understand confidentiality and all... .” Her voice trailed off, leaving me to fill in my own blanks.

  “Fine, what time do you want me to be there?” I was beyond pissed at this point. Part of me understood the need to deliver the news in person, but the other part of me was irritated and eager to hear the results.

  She said, “We have a ten o’clock and a two o’clock available today.”

  I glanced at the clock. It was nine and their office was only twenty minutes away. “I’ll see you at ten.” I hung up the phone without waiting for her to confirm. When I got to the office, I would apologize to her for my rudeness. I took my cup over to the little wet bar and rinsed it out. I didn’t want to admit it but suddenly I was nervous.

  “Nigga, don’t let this get you all twisted in the head.” Even though I knew that LM wasn’t mine, my heart wanted to believe there was a chance. I tried not to get emotionally attached, but I couldn’t help myself. I turned off my computer and grabbed my suit jacket from behind the door. I also grabbed my overcoat and slung it over my arm. I was feeling a little warm. I knew it had everything to do with the news I was about to receive and nothing about the weather.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CARLOS MENDOZA

  As I suspected, the basement was also emptied of furniture, and I wondered what happened to our furniture. I wouldn’t mind getting it back because, even though it wasn’t worth anything, there was sentimental value to it for me. The only piece of furniture in the whole house worth its weight in gold was my wife’s old desk. I would have paid handsomely to have retained that piece. I made a mental note to ask my daughters if they knew anything about it. Not only was the wood handcrafted, the desk had many secret compartments that Alelina used to hide important documents in.

  The washer and dryer that I had purchased from a secondhand store when we first moved to Georgia was still there. I breathed a sigh of relief. If someone had disposed of them as well, I don’t know what I would have done.

  I probably would have dug up my brother, the son of a bitch, and shot him again. I laughed but I was dead serious. I pushed a button, hidden from view, which lifted the appliances off the floor and slid them away from the wall. I entered the combination that would unlock the door to the secret room hidden beneath the appliances. I held my breath as I walked down the stairs. I hadn’t been in the room in years, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was fairly certain it hadn’t been detected but I was still nervous.

  Secrets of our past and the hopes of our future were in this room. The books lining the walls would be a gift to my daughters. In them were firsthand accounts of what we were forced to do to ensure their safety. Perhaps if they read the journals, they would find it in their hearts to forgive us for the deep deception we perpetrated.

  I turned away from the books. I didn’t come for them. I came to make sure the money we hoarded was still safe. This money was going to be the means of our escape from the grips of the Cali Cartel, but unfortunately we waited too long. Another tear slid down my cheek. I thought I’d left all my tears upstairs in the bedroom but I was wrong.

  Greed kept us in the game, and I knew that I would pay for that sin for the rest of my life. My brother Monte sucked me into his world and used the threat of my family’s safety to keep me in it.

  I pushed back the wall of books and stared at the stacks of money. I had no idea how much was there, but I was sure it was more than we could spend in a lifetime. The realization should have comforted me but it only made me cry harder.

  “Why didn’t we get out sooner?” Weeping again, I fell to my knees.

  “I’m so sorry, Alelina ... so sorry. I really did love you ... I thought I knew what I was doing.” The walls of our makeshift safe seemed to shake as my wails shook the rafters of the seven-by-eight-foot room that I was in. I stayed on the floor until I was ready to lift my head without sorrow.

  “Verónica, did your sister come home yet?” I said into the phone.

  “Uh ... yeah. I got her.”

  I could tell that she was still uncomfortable speaking with me. “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine.”

  She wasn’t offering any additional information, which really bothered me. Something was wrong, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to tell me about it.

  “Great. Listen, I really need to show both of you something. Can you come over to our old house?”

  She hesitated before she responded. She let out a loud sigh. “Padre, I’m not sure I—”

  “Will you come over?” I tried not to sound overly eager. They had been through so much, and I didn’t know how much more they could take.

  “Now?”

  I could feel her irritation even through the phone line. They had every right to resent me. I couldn’t blame either of them if they decided to completely cut me out of their lives. “I’d really appreciate it. But if you think Victória is not up to it, we can do it later.” I tried to prepare myself for the rejection I was sure was coming.

  “I’ll have to ask her, hold on.”

  I held my breath as she muted the phone. “God, please.” I prayed like I had never prayed before. It felt like an eternity before she came back on the line, even though it was only a few seconds.

  “We’re on our way.”

  I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Okay, I will see you when you get here. Thanks.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  VICTÓRIA MENDOZA

  “What is this about?” I had so many other things that I could have been doing, so I didn’t feel like participating in this little outing with my dad.

  Verónica said, “Your guess is good as mine. He didn’t offer any explanation when he asked us to come.” She held my adorable nephew in a baby carrier.

  We were standing outside of our old home, but I didn’t feel anything. I’d already said my good-byes, so I wasn’t feeling this reunion at all.

  I turned up my nose. “This is some bullshit. You may have accepted him into your life, but I don’t give a rat’s ass about him.”

  “It’s not about accepting him into m
y life. He’s still our father; you can’t change that. You haven’t spent any time with him. He’s really not that bad.” She pushed a pacifier in LM’s mouth.

  My sister was always the gullible one, but this time I thought she went too far. We went through hell, and I wasn’t the forgive-and-forget type of person. Since I didn’t really know who the fuck my parents were, I didn’t know who I got that shit from. So if she was willing to forgive our father for the sins he committed against us, fuck them both. “Whatever.” I wasn’t up to debating with her at the moment. I wanted to get back to my apartment to see if I could learn something that would help me to find that lying-ass Tilo. If someone wronged me, I was all about payback being a motherfucker. As far as I was concerned, Tilo won round one, but I intended to take home the prize and hang that bitch out to dry.

  “Do you want to leave?” Verónica asked as I paced back and forth in the driveway.

  Part of me wanted to leave, but the other part wanted to know why he wanted us to come. If he was going to provide any answers, I was willing to stay. “Naw, we’re here now. Let’s see what that motherfucker wants.”

  “Victória, he’s still our padre,” Verónica said with a hitch in her voice as she smiled at LM.

  “Well, the jury is still out on that as far as I’m concerned. Being a father is more than donating sperm, and that’s all he ever did for me.” I opened the door and led the way into the house. If I was going to do this, I wanted to get it over with so I could get back to my business back at the house. “Hello?” I yelled. I refused to call this man Padre until he showed me he was worthy of the title. I tapped my foot as I impatiently waited for his response.

  “Padre, it’s Verónica and Victória,” my sister yelled.