Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The Madam Of Suburbia Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - A Soiled Word
      The problem with hospitals is you spend all day lost inside your head because sleep is nearly impossible as they poke and prod you every two hours. Even though I've been giving strong pain pills due to my wound, my mind refuses to shut down every day for the past two weeks I've been stuck here. I sit in my bed trying to process all the shit that went down inside that house, and I'm getting nowhere. Every idea I came up with is more twisted than a fucking Slinky inside a tornado. The entire string of events makes no damn sense, and I'm going to fucking lose my mind.
      I keep recalling my snake dream, but the day of the bomb is making me second-guess my theory about Amber. She was in the room when I heard Madam. Also, she doesn't strike me as the type that would set up explosives when she's going to be in the same room. She might have a dangerous job, but I doubt she's that suicidal. That alone is making me think that the snake dream was more of my mind saying to never trust her fully. However, it also makes me stop theorizing she's Madam.
      Richard, on the other hand, is the biggest mystery I'm trying to break wide fucking open.  I already loathe his dumbass for almost getting us killed over a happy ending. Now, as I remember him holstering his pistol after I was shot in the chest makes me wonder what his true intentions are. He was the last person in the house as the gun went off as well. The only problem is I have no way to prove it. The bullet made a clear exit of my body, and if there was a gun in the house, the bomb took care of it.
      The bomb is the other part that is bothering the fuck out of me. When I was in Curva, we never used explosives. The main reason is they're purely attention grabbers which is something Blue never wanted. We were taught to be discreet when we solved problems. I don't think any of Blue's normal crew had any bomb making skills. If we had to get rid of a body, we either ditched deep in a swamp, took out into the deep parts of The Gulf of Mexico, or Butcher disposed of it by other means. It's far from Madam's normal operations, but it did achieve the goal that whoever planted it wanted. If it was Madam, her message was well received that she'll do whatever it takes to end my life.
      So, I'm back to square fucking one. I still want to know what shiteating bastard shot me, and for what reason. If it's one of Madam's crew, I’m ready to start at the bottom and work my way to the fucking top. I'm already furious that Chulupa was mutilated by Madam. Now, I have to watch my own back as well. I wonder if that Curva cop divulged any new information. He was in Atlanta on Madam's behalf, and would be nice to learn why. I swear every time I stumble on a new lead, it's literally blown to fucking pieces. I'm seriously beyond tired of the secrecy, and the depths Madam will go to keep them hidden.
      I'm startled as there's a knock at my door. I glance up to see Amber standing there holding a foam takeout box. I smile as I smell the sweet aroma of pancakes as she walks in, and sits down on the chair next to my bed.
      "Why, hello beautiful, " I say as my mouth drools over the pancakes inside the box.
      "I take it you're smelling the pancakes," she replies as she sets the box on my bed tray.
      "Maybe, maybe not," I reply smiling. No matter what happens, I can't deny how beautiful Amber is on the outside. After the bomb incident, part of me is saying to trust her a little more, but there's still the bloody gap where my heart used to be. I'm torn as I’m slowly accepting she's not Madam, but can't forget she used me. Right now, I'm struggling to accept she's not a threat, but I should try to restore at least a friendship if we want to get out of this alive.
      "So, what's your take on the bomb?” she asks.
      "I think someone is trying to be a copycat," I reply. "How Chulupa was murder screams Madam's handiwork, but the whole explosives is making me think it was someone else."
      "Why? I know my time within the cartel secrecy was key."
      "Madam prefers to stay in the shadows. We worked on the basis of stealth," I explain. "There are times where we didn't even use guns to fix the leaks so to speak. If she does have any kinds of explosives, I never seen them, much less heard of them being used."
      "Then there's the other mystery," she sighs.
      "Who shot me," I say.
      "Yep. However, whoever did plant that bomb made our jobs so much harder."
      "It wiped out any evidence, and made sure Chulupa’s body couldn't be autopsied," I state. "Did that cop from Curva know anything?"
      "Well, there's a problem with him."
      "Not talking?"
      "He was found last night in his cell poisoned," she explains. "I know it's an inside job since no one outside of the guards and us have access. Someone is covering their tracks to the point you're slowly becoming the only person I can trust anymore."
      "That's a soiled word between us," I sigh. "However, I beginning to think that this whole fucking situation is an inside job as well."
      "I have a plan," she says. "What I'm about to say doesn't go no further."
      I eat my breakfast while listening as she lays out the groundwork for her plan. The entire foundation of her idea is once I'm healed enough to get out of here, I'm going underground. I won't have any electronics or anything. She wants me so off the grid that I might have to be homeless for a bit so there's no way anyone can track me. The problem we face is if we need to reach other since I won't have a cellphone. We spend the next thirty minutes when I came up with an idea. We make a code system where I'll call from a random phone, and use a sentence to describe the place to meet and the purpose. We'll have to figure out a few places because if we keep meeting at the same place, I'll be found.
      "When you leave here, go to Peach Diner and ask for Larry," she says. "The book will be there along with a few other things."
      "Got it. Sure this will work?"
      "If you can trust me enough, yes."
      "At this point, I trust you enough to go to that diner," I reply.
      "Good. I'm going to get out of here. Again, go see Larry once you're discharged."
      She leaves the room, and I finish my pancakes while thinking about what the fuck just happened. I can't believe I made a fucking deal with the same woman who ripped out my heart. However, with someone trying to kill both her and I, it's the only way we'll survive. I also think more and more there's something up with Richard. That fucking prick is probably Madam's mole. Once I get out of here, I'm going to start my original plan of bringing down Madam. I'm fucking tired of worrying if the next step I take is my last.
      An hour later, a nurse walks in. She hands me my clothes and a piece of paper while stating. "You're free to go."
      I quickly get dressed, and walk out of the hospital. I use my last few bucks for a pack of smokes, and bus fare. As I sit on a bus heading towards Peach Diner, I hope this isn't another setup. However, I also think if Amber really wanted me dead, she could have easily done in the hospital. Needless to say, Larry is the person who holds the keys to my future. Right now, the future is unsteady as a house built on quick sand. I pray that the plan we made will work so I can end the madness of Madam while finding out the bastard that shot me. If this diner is a trap, they better at least serve me pancakes before ending it all.


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