The Trouble Way (18 page)

Dwight arrived with the ladder and set it up beneath the row of worms inching their way along the edge of the ceiling tile.

“Want me to take a look?” Dwight said when he saw what Mr. Forest was looking at.

“
No, I want to see what’s going on up there myself.” Jake climbed the ladder and pushed up one of the tiles, knocking several more maggots from the ceiling, and took one step higher on the ladder to see what was in the ceiling space above the tiles.

“
Holy shit,” Jake said ducking his head to get a breath of fresh air. He looked again to determine a solution to his immediate emergency. “Dwight, get that small shovel in receiving and a small cardboard box. There’s a goddamned dead rat up here. Make it quick.”

“
Dwight, get up there and shovel that rat into that bag,” Jake said as soon as Dwight returned with the shovel and a bag. “What happened to a box?”

“
All the boxes were crushed,” Dwight said. “So, I brought this.”

Dwight climbed the ladder set to scoop the rat into the bag. The body was way too decomposed to shovel and Dwight tried to loosen the tile and remove it that way but the tile was soaked from the decomposed rat and it broke in half.

“Jesus Christ, Dwight, what the hell are you doing?”

The wet tile with the decomposed body fell on top of the table where Jake and Ann were sitting moments earlier and splattered on the floor, mingling with the instant mashed potatoes and gravy the lady dropped and the coffee Jake had just poured for himself. Several dozen worms were floundered in the hog slop.

“Couldn’t help it boss, the tile collapsed,” Dwight said. “Looks like feces everywhere.”

“
What the hell are you talking about Dwight?” Jake said.

“
You know, feces ... shit,” Dwight said.

“
Oh, right, very eloquent,” Jake said and then heard his name over the P.A.

“
Just my luck. Things just don’t get any better than this,” Jake said when the service desk supervisor called him over the intercom to call the service desk. She informed him of the arrival of the rep from the King County Health Department. “Jesus, how did they get here so goddamned quick?”

“
The representative was in the parking lot. He’d just completed the annual check on the Triangle Tavern,” the supervisor informed him. “Their dispatcher radioed him and he just got out of his truck and came in. Just lucky, I guess.”

“
Right, just lucky,” Jake said and hung up and started to the service desk to deal with his latest emergency of his short tenure at Big Richards.

“
We have a problem,” the rep said when he got a close glimpse of what constituted the moving mess on the cafeteria floor.

Early
1970’s

She had just finished her shift in the deli department in Big Richards and now she intended to take care of some real pig and pancake business. When she arrived there was a black and white parked nose out in one of the spaces near the entrance to the
Dennys restaurant parking lot. When she spotted the cruiser she decided to drive past the lot and circle the block. On her second pass the police car was edging its way onto the street. One more turn around the block just for security’s sake and she entered the lot and parked. She glanced around the lot, retrieved a bag from the trunk, and entered the restaurant.

“
Thank you so much,” she said in a soft voice to the man holding the door for her. The restaurant was located in the small town of White Center, a few miles north of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and five miles south of Big Richards on Delridge Way. Dennys was an ideal location for what she had in mind.

She spotted Joe toward the rear sitting in a horseshoe booth. He was facing the front door and observed her as she walked to his table. Sitting on the table were two coffee cups, a creamer, and a carafe of coffee. He picked up the carafe and began pouring as she neared.

He rose from the booth and greeted her with a hug.

“
Hi Joe. How nice of you to have coffee ready for me,” she said as she scooted into the booth and settled.

Joe slid toward the center of the booth but left Linda some personal space.

“If I remember right, you take cream.” He hesitated with the creamer at the ready.

“
Yes, I do take cream,” she said. “Just a little dollop, please.”

She placed the JC Penny
’s bag at her feet and nudged it with her foot until she felt it bump Joe’s. Inside the bag was a parcel about the size of a shoebox, vacuum-packed in plastic shrink-wrap and that in turn was wrapped in heavy brown wrapping paper. It weighed about the same as a new pair of hefty athletic shoes, 2.2046 lbs. To be exact, one kilo. Her supplier in Hawaii was precise.

“
Linda … you’re looking so fine … it’s always a pleasure,” Joe said, ignoring the parcel at his feet, and gestured to the coffee.

She snugged the lapels of her coat close around her.
“Thank you.” She poured a bit more cream in the coffee then cupped the coffee in both hands and took a sip. “Mmmm, that feels so nice.”

She dropped her hand beneath the table and rubbed her leg as if to warm it and Joe transferred the neatly folded stack of bills wrapped tight with a thick rubber band palmed in his hand and nudged her leg with it. Drinking a sip with her free hand, she took the bills from Joe, gave him a pleasant smile and raised her eyebrows, and slipped the bills into her coat pocket. She hugged the coffee cup with both hands again and took another sip.
“It is so chilly out tonight.”

Their encounters were exactly the same each time and lasted just long enough not to attract any attention and take care of their business. She spent the bare minimum of time with Joe. She did not intend to be known as someone who hung with him. She often changed the location where their transactions occurred, keeping them primarily in family restaurants. She would change the location and notified Joe at the last minute. More than once she even cancelled the meeting and rescheduled to keep the meetings random. If something seemed the slightest suspicious to her, she
’d abort and refused to enter the meeting place. They avoided conducting their transaction in the many bars in Seattle area as Joe had often suggested. Too risky. Sometimes they met at the Pike Place market near the waterfront and made the exchange while strolling among the throng of fish and fruit vendors. They melted in with the tourists carrying packages and looked as though they might be a couple on a date. Even then, she kept their encounter brief.

She had become acquainted with Joe through a friend in Hawaii where she had worked as a waitress in one of the plush hotels on Hawaii that catered to the wealthy tourists. It was when she lived in Hawaii that she had entered into a business relationship with the man who had given her an introduction to Joe after she had returned to the states. Their relationship was strictly business. She didn
’t have any idea where Joe lived or where he worked, or whether he worked at all. If he began talking about friends or family, Linda would immediately redirect their conversation to some inane subject like the weather or traffic; she did not want to know anything about him and she told him nothing of her personal life.

“
Want to stop for a drink someplace?” Joe offered. “My treat.”

“
I’m sorry, not tonight,” Linda said with a pleasant smile. “My boyfriend would have a fit if I’m not home soon.” That was a lie but she no intention of becoming involved with Joe.

He had offered her a drink each time they met and she found an excuse to turn him down each time.

“Suit yourself,” Joe said and took a sip of his coffee. “Would you like a warm up?”

“
No thank you, I really better scoot; I promised my honey I wouldn’t be long.” When she finished the coffee, she smiled and slid to the edge of the seat and stood. “It was nice seeing you again, Joe. I’ll see you again in a few weeks. I’ll let you know of a location,” she said and excused herself.

She left Joe at the booth and glanced back once and noticed him gathering his coat and package, preparing to leave.

She walked toward the exit where a state policeman held the door for her on her way out. She put her hands deep into her pockets and hugged her coat closely around her. The Seattle rain had not let up.

“
Don’t get wet Miss,” the officer said. A common pleasantry she heard all too often in Seattle. If she had been entering, it would most likely have been, “Did you bring this weather with you? Ha-ha-ha.”

“
Oh, I will certainly try my best, Sir.” She bowed her head, as much to shield her face from the policeman as against the drizzling wind, and hurried to her rain sprinkled new gray Audi.

Linda kept her little side business to herself. None of the coworkers at Big Richards had a clue that she was making quite a bundle on the side. She even kept her little secret from Dwight, not yet a boyfriend, but someone she had gone out with on several occasions. No need to take any risks and she was not entirely sure if she could trust Dwight. He had his own little scam going. He got back at
The Man
every chance he got and he took a few too many risks for her taste.

The only one she had come close to telling was Ann, her closest friend who worked in the deli department with her. She was schooling Ann on a few of the things she had picked up over the years. Ann was an excellent student and kept her mouth shut. She did provide Ann with all the pot she wanted, free of charge.

The fact was Linda made a lot more money from her side venture than she did at Big Richards, including the supplemental income of her skimming operation. The fewer people who knew what she was up to the better.

With so much cash on hand, Linda had to exert all of her willpower not to go on a spending spree. She kept several safe deposit boxes at several banks in the area but had only a small amount in her checking account; just enough to cover household expenses and for entertainment.

The one thing she did do was to splurge on the new Audi. She didn’t have the legitimate income to apply for a loan. Not a bank in Seattle would grant her one on the basis of her W-2 statements. And, she definitely could not include her side income on her taxes even if she were so inclined. So, what she did was to fork over four-thousand and some change in cash to the Audi dealer. He didn’t ask diddly about where she came up with that kind of cash other than to raise his eyebrows slightly when she handed him the cash. She was prepared to say that her father was not particularly well off but had enough to offer to buy her a car or give her money for college as her belated graduation present. Her uncle had died and left her father a bit of money. However, she was relieved she didn’t have to lie because the dealer was more than happy to accept the cash and the subject never came up. Keeping lies straight always had risks and she avoided lying if she possibly could. The salesman did, however, ask her if she would like to join him for a drink after his shift and celebrate her purchase, on him, of course. Again, she had no intention of becoming involved with someone who could link her with a suspicions cash purchase should someone come nosing around, a narc for example. She had no inclination of ever setting eyes on the dealer again and never intended to take her new Audi to that dealer, even for routine maintenance.

Linda had just finished putting the few dishes from dinner in the drainer and there was a tap at the door.

“What a nice surprise. Come on in. What are you doing out on such a stormy night?”

“
I was getting bored and needed some company.” Ann said as she took off her jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“
Of course not, you are welcome anytime. Actually, I was getting a little bored myself and was wondering what I was going to do tonight.” She settled onto the couch. “I was about to watch a little TV and then just turn in. It’s been a long day.”

“
Mind if I put some music on?” Ann started scanning the records on the shelf below the stereo and selected her favorite Beatles album, “Rubber Soul” and slid it from the sleeve.

“
Be my guest, Hon.”

Paul and John began singing
What Goes On
, and Linda rose and began turning some of the lights off and came back to the couch where Ann had made herself comfortable.

They sat and talked for a few minutes before Linda got up and went into the bedroom. She returned with a little dark wooden box and put it on the coffee table in front of them.

“I was hoping you had a little something in your stash,” Ann said and watched as Linda rolled a joint.

“
There’s always a little something,” Linda said as she revealed a perfectly rolled doobie, as if she were performing a slight of hand of a carney performer on a midway, pinching a tightly rolled end between thumb and forefinger and making it appear as if by magic. “Voilà.”

Ann pulled a matchbook from her pocket and handed it to Linda who struck a match and put it to the joint. She sucked a few times on it before she managed to get the joint glowing, then took a hit and pressed it, butt first, snuggly into Ann
’s fingers.

Linda jumped up and dashed to the kitchen. When she returned she was balancing a giant bowl, a bag of Lay
’s potato chips, and two glasses of wine in her hands.

“
Drinkin’ and tokin’ always gives me the munchies,” she said and tore into the bag and dumped the chips into the bowl. “This is for cotton-mouth.” Both picked up a glass and each took a sip of Merlot.

They passed the joint back and forth as they munched on chips, listening to George Harrison singing,
If I Needed Someone
.

After a few moments, Linda picked up the matches from the coffee table and went to the fireplace and put a fireplace log on the grate and lit the wrapper. She returned to the couch and watched as Ann took a final hit and put the roach in the ashtray.

“Whew, enough for now,” Ann said.

Linda pulled the Afghan off the arm of the couch, flung it over the both of them, and they sat cuddled together looking out at the lights of the West Seattle night. The wind picked up and the rain began to pour. They listened to the music and watched the rain hit the picture window, the trees bending to the wind, and the sparkling lights of the distant city beneath the towering cumulus clouds.

The Presto log caught on and was throwing off a warm glow.

“
I love it when it storms. It is so cozy here in front of the fire watching a storm.” Linda said and drew closer to Ann. “It’s really nice that you came over.”

“
I’m not so sure of this. I know I was a little forward in the car the other night. This is just a little scary. I’m not sure what I am doing.” Ann said, but did not retreat.

“
I’m sure, Hon. Don’t be frightened, I won’t bite ... but then again, I just might,” Linda said with a smile and reached for Ann’s hand and held it with both of hers.

John Lennon
’s soulful voice began the breathy soft lyrics to
Girl
.

“
I just love this song,” Ann said.

“
Your hands are so soft,” Linda said as she gently massaged Ann’s fingers. “You have such beautiful hands.” She drew them to her lips and kissed Ann’s fingertips, one by one. When she got to her ring finger, she slipped it into her warm, damp mouth.

“
I haven’t done anything like this before. I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m not sure if I should, but I kind of like what you are doing, Lindy. That feels nice.”