The Vendor V

-"I'm taking him to a makeshift graveyard site. He is going to show me where there are more cadavers buried." Pedro said as they left the station, with Rene restrained by handcuffs.

-"Where to?"

-"Obviously, to my home. You've made a wise decision my friend, as for what you get paid, it is not worth risking your life. You will prosper and I will mend my ways. I will be an honest man, and stick with what I do best - my tamales. Chicken, and pork, of course." Rene added as an afterthought.

Pedro sat on a box, as Rene excavated into the flooring of the cellar. He digged about three feet in, when his shovel made contact with metal.

-"Here, care to give me a hand? The box is pretty heavy, as I also collected watches, and gold jewelery from my exes. They just did not appreciate the jewelery which I bestowed on them to lure them into my bed. It was a wise investment considering the value of gold today." Rene said with labored breathing, as he grabbed one end of the metal chest, and waited for Pedro to help him get it up to level ground.

They both struggled with the weight of the treasure chest, and Rene quickly grabbed his set of keys, to open the lock of the metal case. The light from the weak light bulb reflected the contents of sandwich plastic bags of stacks of dollars, gold rings, separated gold chains and necklaces, and another enclosed link bracelets.

Pedro directed the light of his flashlight to the treasure chest and his face beamed with undiluted pleasure. This was indeed a jackpot! He was due this unexpected bonus, for the fifteen years he had devoted to the force, and barely made ends meet.


-"Here officer, let me get you a duffel bag for you to count the money if you like; it's all there. We can split the jewelery in half, since there are quite a few thousand dollars worth of gold here. All I ask, is that you respect my ten grand.
I need to start from scratch, and live a decent life." Rene said this humbly, as she went to gather two large, navy-blue duffel bags and deposited those next to the open metal case.

Without wasting anymore time, Pedro expedited the transfer of money in a neat fashion into the bags. He put the jewelery aside, to split with el Tamalero after he was done.

He had vacated all the contents in record time, and was sorting through the jewelery, now dispersed on a nearby table, when he made the fatal error of exposing the back of his neck to the brutal and swift contact of Rene's shovel. One judiciously placed blow on the neck was sufficient to render Pedro unconscious.

Rene was of medium stature and slight of frame. He had trouble picking up Pedro's corpulent body over his shoulder to haul upstairs. He ended dragging the unconscious body from underneath his armpits.

He arrived at the kitchen, and unable to place the massive body of the long kitchen table, he traveled further more into the bathroom. I short time he placed Pedro's vital organs, including his eyes, into the cooler filled with ice.

He placed the cooler last in the trunk back of his SUV, as first he had carpeted the back seat flooring with the duffel bags full of loot. With no time to vacate or clean the tub, Rene disrobed and grabbed the loose shower head to cleanse his body of the blood, sweat and dirt covering his form. He shampooed his hair, and lathered his body with thrifty strokes of the soap, as the soapy water gathered on the tile floor, next to Pedro's cavernous cadaver laying prone on the bathtub with bloody tears streaking his face, now devoid of his eye balls.

-"Let's meet for a chat in half an hour; I have to split." Rene said this into the telephone receiver, and proceeded to leave his home, for the last time.








-"I don't like airplanes; I have a distinctive aversion to flying. How about you?"

Turning to address his seat companion on the charter bus, Rene politely engaged her in conversation. She was a rather plain woman of perhaps late thirties. Her alabaster skin, the gold tones in her hair, and hazel eyes, bespoke of her European heritage.

-"Ah, me too. I'd much rather travel cross country by bus, than buy an airplane ticket. If you only knew why. Rene thought to himself.

Leticia smiled happy to find someone so nice to converse with on the long trip to Monterrey. And a fellow passenger who dislike planes too!

-"Are you traveling for work or pleasure?" Leticia asked to keep the momentum going.

-"Both. I intend to scout the terrain for new opportunities. I am a chef."

-"Oh that is so interesting! My father used to cook delicious meals as a hobby. He never let on to others' his 'secret' recipes.

It was the usual topic of conversation post a delicious feast he enabled, deciphering which ingredients he used in his succulent blackened turkey. It was marinated the previous day and holes were poked through and through to stuff cloves of garlic, and black Spanish olives. And the bird had been marinating the the blackened concoction of garlic, red wine, chilies, a dash of oregano...anyway, the point is that no one knew the exact recipe for sure. Many tried to duplicate his recipe, according to the taste.

All modesty aside, I must say that I think I bettered his recipe a slight notch in the end, by mixing in fresh cilantro to the blended mix. This transformed the color and flavor into something that was mouth-watering to inhale. I do think some men have an extraordinary hand for the kitchen, though that is rare to find."

-"We are coming to a stopover for lunch. Would you care to accompany me Mrs..."?

-"Miss. I am Leticia Medina. I am single, and I have no romantic attachments." Leticia beamed when she smiled.

-"It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Medina. My name is Rene Rodriguez. And as I was saying, it would be a pleasure to invite you to lunch on our stopover." Pedro say with a charming smile.

-"I'd love to." Leticia said, her heartbeat accelerating just a bit.

-"Tell me, what is it that you do?" Rene asked measuring her potential for a partnership.

-"I am a second grade teacher. I am taking advantage of Easter holiday to travel for business affairs to Mexico City. I am a member of the board, although occasionally do I make roll call.

-"Board? Which board?" Rene asked, his curiosity peaked.

-"I inherited a portion of my father's holdings, along with my brothers. They live in Mexico City, while I rather stay in the ranch where we were raised. I love the country, so much more than the multitudes of a large metropolis."

-"Who do you live with? If it's not too forward to ask." Rene asked with acute interest on the subject.

-"I live alone with my dogs. My housekeeper and her husband also live there, yet in separate lodgings."

Rene bestowed a brilliant smile on Leticia. He was in good form to start a clean slate. He was in good form indeed. He caressed his face devoid of any facial hair, and his newly shaved head. With sunglasses, he was unrecognisable.



To be continued...