The Charity Chip (17 page)

Julio winked and said, “
Hasta las seis.
” Then he hustled out the door to look for Raúl.

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

La Captura

(The Capture)

^J
ulio skidded to a stop across the street from
El Infierno
, the hangout for
los mALditos
. The abandoned two-story warehouse used to be a thriving garment factory, but like most of the industry in La Victoria, it had been quiet for several years. The original sign still hung over the front delivery door, but it had been painted over with graffiti. The symbol for
los mALditos
, a combination of the letters A and L with a three-pronged pitchfork, had been splashed across the sign and the doors. Turco, the lumbering sentinel for the gang, sat out front playing with a pocketknife.

Julio was hesitant to approach Turco, especially after their last encounter, but he didn’t feel like he had a choice. He worried about what would happen if he got caught trying to pass himself off as Raúl, but figured it might the only way to get information. He kicked off the curb and skated across the street.

As Julio approached, Turco stood and continued to open and close his knife. “Hey, Puma, I thought you were out on a job with Chicha.”

Julio thought it was odd that Raúl used his middle name with the gang, but he played along. “I’m late. I’m trying to catch up. Where was I supposed to meet Chicha?”

Turco gave him a funny look. “Where we always meet Chicha, Plaza Sol y Sombra.”

Julio smacked himself on the forehead and started skating away. “
Gracias, hermano
,” he yelled over his shoulder. He was relieved that Turco was easy to fool.

A few minutes later, he skated up to the large circular plaza near the Alianza stadium. If Raúl had followed through with his threat to take a job with Sergio, Julio didn’t really expect to see him, but at least if he checked, it would ease his conscious. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered anymore. His efforts to break Raúl free had only driven his brother deeper into the gang. It was a losing proposition, and he was getting tired of trying. He couldn’t save his brother from himself.

After one fruitless pass, he gave up and skated away.

* * *

Martín’s shop was still open when Julio walked in a little before six o’clock. Martín was helping a customer with a cell phone and only acknowledged Julio with a look. Angelica was waiting at the back of the shop. She stood and smiled when he entered.

The butterflies in Julio’s stomach fluttered when Angelica smiled and waved him back. He blushed and tried to hide his excitement as he slipped past the counter and followed her through the back door and up the stairs.

When he reached the top of the stairs and dropped his backpack, Julio was surprised at what he found. Unlike the unfinished apartment he shared with his brother, Angelica had turned this small dusty storage area into a clean and comfortable living space. Her bed was made and the entire room was neat and tidy. A setting for two was on the table in front of the window that overlooked the street, and a simple fabric curtain was drawn back revealing the view of passing traffic. A simmering pot sat on the single propane burner beside the sink. The tile floor had recently been swept and mopped. A picture of Angelica as a child on her mother’s lap hung on the wall.

Julio stopped in the doorway, nervous to enter. “Your place is very nice, and clean.” He pulled a bottle of Inca Kola from his backpack. “I brought us something to drink.”

“Thank you,” said Angelica as she stirred the pot. “I made
aguadito
. Come sit down at the table.”

Julio pointed at the picture with his chin. “Is that your mother?” he asked.

Angelica nodded. “That’s the only photograph I have of us.”

“She was a beautiful woman.”

Angelica stared at the pot of soup. “Yes, when she wasn’t drunk.”

Julio nodded in understanding and took a seat at the table. The aroma of the soup aroused his appetite. As he watched Angelica cut up the bread and serve the soup, he couldn’t help but miss Mamá.

“The furniture was my mother’s, but Martín has also been very good to me,” said Angelica when she sat down to join Julio. “He is a little paranoid, but he means well.”

Julio smiled and reached for a piece of bread, but drew back his hand when he saw Angelica bow her head. He pulled out the pendant of Saint Michael and kissed it, and then he waited for Angelica to take a piece of bread before he moved again.

Julio was in love after the first bite of the soup. It was just like the soup Mamá used to make, when she could get all the ingredients. They ate in silence for a few moments before Julio got the courage to speak. “Was your mother a good cook?” he asked.

“Yes, she could make anything taste good, and she always kept things neat and tidy when she was sober.” She brushed back her hair. “She would tell me, ‘You never know when a man might drop in to visit, and we don’t want him to be turned off by a dirty house.’ She was funny that way,” said Angelica as she stared at her soup.

“My mamá was a good cook too,” replied Julio as he dipped a piece of bread. “She would always say, ‘Appearances can fool the mind, but not the heart.’ When life was difficult, she always had some saying or proverb.”

“Really? Like what?”

Julio was stumped for just a second. “They usually pop into my head when something happens. I don’t know if I can recite any on cue.” Nothing came to mind and he drummed his fingers on the table. “I can’t seem to remember any . . .” As he spoke of remembering, he heard his mother’s voice. “Ah! The dullest pencil is better than the sharpest memory.” Angelica laughed.

“Laughter is the best medicine,” he blurted.

“So true,” said Angelica with a big smile.

“A smile will buy things more precious than gold.” Julio delivered the line with an eloquence that made Angelica blush.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he whispered.

Angelica snickered.

Julio leaned forward in his chair and continued in a soft voice, “Love is not found in words, but in deeds.”

Angelica looked down at her bowl of soup and reached for her glass, and they both returned to the unfinished meal. The awkward silence returned for few moments as the traffic on the street below hummed along. A single overhead bulb strained in vain to replace the setting sun as it sank out of sight into the invading sea fog. Car lights and street lamps began to struggle against the oncoming darkness and evening mist.

Julio finished his soup and broke the silence. “The
aguadito
was delicious.”

Angelica wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced up at him. “Thank you.” She stood and began gathering the dirty dishes. “Shall we go see Graciela?”

Julio had almost forgotten the reason for their meeting. “I guess so. Does she live very far from here?” He stood to help clear the table.

“About a five minute walk,” answered Angelica, wrapping up the leftover bread.

Julio smiled and grabbed his skateboard. “Who says we need to walk?”

“But I don’t know how to skateboard,” said Angelica as she pulled on her jacket.

Julio grinned and winked. “Mamá used to say, there’s no time like the present.”

* * *

“Bend your legs slightly and tilt from side to side to steer,” instructed Julio. “I won’t pull as hard this time.” He grabbed Angelica’s hand and pulled her along slowly on his skateboard. “That’s it!” He gave a gentle tug on her hand and propelled her forward. She managed to remain on the board, until she tried to kick herself forward. When she tried to kick, she lost control and sent the board flying but landed on her feet.

“You make it look so easy,” she complained.

“It is easy,” said Julio as he stopped the board and hopped on. “You just need to get the feel of it. Let’s try it together.” He offered her his hand and she hopped on to the board in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and kicked off. “Feel the way the board responds to your input?” He carved back and forth along the asphalt. “Left. Right. Kick.” Her hair was tickling his cheek.

“This is more fun than trying to do it by myself,” said Angelica. Julio had almost forgotten where they were going and why they needed to get there, but Angelica pointed and reminded him. “Graciela lives with a
vieja
, Orfelia, down the next street.”

Several streetlights ahead were broken and the street was dark until the corner. Julio tightened his hold on Angelica and kicked forward, focused on the lights at the corner. An ambulance without its lights on sped through the intersection ahead of them.

“What was that?” asked Angelica.

Julio kicked again. “It looked like an ambulance.”

“Go faster!”

Julio felt Angelica’s body become tense. He tried to go faster, but he was afraid of wiping out because she had become so rigid. He slowed down as they approached the corner.

“Stop!” she commanded. “We don’t want to be seen.”

“It’s just an ambulance.” Julio braked, and Angelica jumped off and peeked around the corner.

“Yes, but it stopped at Graciela’s house,” she whispered.

Even from half a block away in the dark, Julio recognized Isak Blixt as he got out of the ambulance and went to the door of the house. Doctor Kozyar was not as clear, but it had to be her. He got a sick feeling in his stomach.

“We have to get closer,” whispered Angelica. Julio picked up his board.

The houses were all square concrete buildings butted up against one another, but about thirty meters away was an opening with a broken down cinder-block wall. They scurried up the street keeping to the shadows and crouched behind it. “Why do you think they are here?” asked Julio.

Angelica looked at him in disbelief and said, “To take Graciela, of course.”

“Okay, but take her where? Do you think something happened to her? Did she get injured?”

“I’m guessing the ambulance is just a cover. They’re going to kidnap her and sell her to the highest bidder.” Angelica poked her head over the wall. “Looks like the ambulance has attracted a few of the neighbors.”

Julio looked over the wall and could see a handful of people standing around the ambulance. The front door of the house opened up, and Doctor Kozyar walked out with a black bag slung over her shoulder. A lady with gray hair stepped outside and held open the door. Isak stepped through the door carrying Graciela.

Angelica squeezed Julio’s arm and shook him. “I told you,” she hissed.

Julio watched Doctor Kozyar open the back of the ambulance and slide out a gurney on wheels. Isak carefully placed Graciela’s body on the gurney, and the two of them shoved the gurney back into the ambulance. Doctor Kozyar climbed into the back and Isak shut the doors. Before he climbed into the driver’s seat, he stopped and comforted the old woman who had opened the door for him. Then with the lights flashing, they hurried away in the ambulance

As the ambulance drove off, Julio crossed himself and pulled the pendant of Saint Michael from under his shirt and kissed it. “Saint Michael, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, pray for us.”

Angelica jumped to her feet and hurried into the street. “Come on! We have to follow them.”

Julio stood there chewing on his lip. “It’s no use, Angelica. We can’t keep up with the ambulance, even with my skateboard, and by the time we got a mototaxi it would be too late.”

“You know they’re going to Caritas. Let’s go!”

“Angelica,” he said in a calm voice, “we don’t even know what happened. What are you going to do? March into Isak’s office and demand answers?”

Angelica began to pace back and forth. “Do you believe me now? You said I was just being paranoid!”

Julio stared down the street with the image of the departing ambulance still lingering in his mind. He glanced down at the space between his left thumb and forefinger.

Angelica continued pacing. “You said that we didn’t have any proof! How about now?”

Julio realized there was nothing they could do for Graciela. Either she was legitimately sick and they had taken her for medical care, or they had successfully kidnapped her right in front of everyone. He thought about his passionate testimonial for the camera earlier today. He still wanted to believe in Caritas.

“Are you even listening to me?” shouted Angelica.

Julio did what he had seen his father do hundreds of times with his mother. He grabbed Angelica by the shoulders and kissed her on the lips. She pulled back at first, but then let his lips linger on hers. After the kiss, he stepped back and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Angelica stopped pacing and licked her lips. “What was that for?”

Julio shrugged. “I guess I just wanted you to calm down.”

Angelica grabbed his face and kissed him again. Julio hadn’t expected her kiss and felt the blood rush to his face. “Apology accepted, but now what are we going to do?”

Julio saw the old woman still standing at the gate talking to neighbors about the incident. “What did you say the old woman’s name was?”