Strangers in Costumes: I'm Just Being Honest

The evening rain veiled the city’s atmosphere. Crypts skip and stumble forgotten burgundy blood at the parking lot liquor store, disappearing under tents behind empty homes. The brothers hurried indoors, dampening exfoliated navy skins that decorated the floor.

“Aye, you think he dead yet?” Fonzo asked Tez.

“I don’t know but if he ain’t dead, he ain’t happy.” Tez replied.

Tez opened the basement door and flicked the lazy light on the stairs. Awakened sounds of dragging links and kinks rose from the dusty tomb.

“Damn it stinks in here! The stench knocked Fonzo backwards and he masked his nose with his shirt. “Yeah he almost dead.” Fonzo said.

I made my way to the basement and sat in the folding chair across from Oz. The brothers quietly watched like young pitbulls from the stairs.

Oz sat up against the sweating wall, loosened crusty blood from his chapped hands. “Diaz, I don’t know how long you plan on keepin’ me but I keep tellin’ you I don’t know anything.” Oz said exhaustedly.

Rita enlightened me a few days ago she’s investigating leaked secrets. For the first time today, I learned of her nemesis and she believes someone’s leaving him a trail of breadcrumbs.

“I wanna know who told you to pick me up. Whoever it was, tell them you dumped my dead ass in a river somewhere, a pig farm or some shit like that.” Oz suggests. “If you let me go now, I’ll pay you for your troubles and leave the city by sunrise.”

“Hm. That’s not a bad idea.”

“Cool and only the four of us will know.” Oz said, excitedly shaking his shackled hands.

“Nah. I mean really dumpin’ your dead ass at a pig farm.” Oz’s face turned to stone. I passed him a water bottle and ham sandwich Tez got from the liquor store. “Tell me about Detective Samuel.” Oz choked on his sandwich but kept his eyes low.

“Not much. Maybe he had somethin’ to do with Jerome’s death. When he died, Rita took over everything. She convinced some people to stay and made businesses better this time.” he explained.

Better?

“Whoever this detective is, she could make his death look like anything.” I said.

“An accident if she wanted to, but obviously there’s too many of these badge flashing idiots playing on both sides of justice. Rita knows what she’s doing.” he said. “To protect and serve, they say. Hey, you know something about that, don’t you, Sergeant Diaz?” I boiled underneath my skin.

I guess people like me don’t know how to live honestly. I just wanted to blend in quietly and live a normal life as a loadmaster, but Oz found me hidden in camouflage. Drop a load here, sell a secret there and make people disappear. The familiar.

“Rumor has it that you got loose lips.” I said.

“And I keep tellin’ you it ain’t me. I love Rita way too much and she knows I’ll do anything for her. She has plenty of people workin’ for her with snitchin’ tendencies. I know a few.” he said confidently.

I listened and pondered longer than I wanted to. I don’t know all the power players or how far this goes but I’m tired of forcing the pieces to fit. All this talking and I don’t know what to believe or if he’s even the guy…unless…

“Bring me the axe.” I commanded. Oz jolted himself awake. Fonzo rushed to hand me the axe and raced back up the stairs. Oz shifted in his discomfort and rubbed the rawness on his wrists.

“Enough of this bullshit. You better start talkin’ because I know you know somethin’, ‘specially ‘bout that snoopin’ ass detective.” I snapped. I smashed the side of his face against the wall with the top of the axe.

“Shit! I said I don’t know any damn thing!” he yelled. Oz wiggled away from the axe with tears welling in his eyes. He’d been talkin’ in circles for days and unusually too chill for my liking.

“What are you afraid of right now, being chained in a basement with a mothafucka like me holdin’ an axe or Rita findin’ out you’s a scary snitchin’ ass bitch?” I asked, pressing the axe against his chest.

“I swear I don’t know anything! But wait! What about them?” nodding towards the brothers. “Tez and Fonzo are always around. How you know they ain’t talkin’?” Oz asked.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Tez shouted. He rose quickly from his seat. Fonzo kept himself firm and blocked Tez from leaping down the stairs.

“You better tell me what’s goin’ on or me and the boys start separatin’ your body parts.” I threatened.

“Happily.” Tez said.

If Oz could disappear within the gaps of the walls, he would. “I must be at the top of Rita’s list. I’m not surprised.” Oz said, catching his breath. “I guess this is the easiest way out of my contract.”

What the hell is he talkin’ about? I turned to the brothers in confusion and they stared back, knowing.

“Oh shit. I see Vincent didn’t have time to tell you.” Oz chuckled.

Vincent? My boy Vincent?!

“Damn.” Oz laughed harder at my ignorance. “We know more about your boy than you do.” Vincent and I have known each other for years. We did a few hustles together but I wasn’t expecting him to get caught up with this type of crowd.

“You better have a seat Diaz. After I explain my involvement, you’ll wanna kill me after this.”

Share your thoughts. Which part(s) did you like the most? What/Who pissed you off? It’s ok, you can tell me.

This is the final story to the series. If this upsets you, well I don’t know what to tell you but other stories are coming. I started this series a year ago. Yeah, a year ago, but life situations happened. I wrote through it all…the good, bad and mothafuckin’ ugly. And from it, I was still able to birth an incredible story.

A huge shoutout to every single supporter and those who’ve been spreading the good news about me on and off the platforms.

If you’re seeing this story for the first time, I highly recommend you read stories ONE through FOUR as well.

Thanks for reading my shit. I love you.

peace,

alex b.