Race (36 page)

“What’s your name, boy?”

I searched, “Abdul
Karim—er
, Hakim—bin
Karim
—bin Hakim
Karim
.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“How would you know?” I said feeling offended.
 
How dare this man insult my people?

“Mahmud
Hanif
.
 
You don’t look like Mahmud
Hanif
,” he said.

“How would you know that?”

“There’s a picture of him behind your head.”

Damn
.
 
There was always a photo with the name and cab number of the driver on the back of the headrest.

Once we were past Broadview I had had enough.
 
I found a spot and parked.

“What are you doing?” Marcus demanded.

I turned and looked him in the eye. “I need information.”

“So?”

“You’re going to give me the information I need.”

“Kid, you’re dead.
 
You know that?”

“Shut up,” I said.
 
“You don’t scare me.”
 

“My boy will get you.”

“Your boy is still pumping air in the tires with his mouth.”

He moved for the door.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“When you’re out that door I’m going to run after you and with that fur coat on you’re not going to get very far.
 
Once I catch you I’ll beat the shit out of you.” I was lying, of course.
 
I was thinking more of running him over with the car.

“I’ll call the cops.
 
You can’t touch me.”

I rolled my eyes.
  
“I’ll say you bolted before you paid.”

“Shit, kid.
 
You got a lot of nerve.”

I flared my nostrils boldly.
 
I was the man.

He looked at me intently.
 
“Wait a minute.
 
Aren’t you that parking cop who was in the papers a couple of years ago?”

My nostrils deflated.

“Yeah, it was you.”
 
He started laughing.
 
“What? You screwed up so bad now you’re driving a taxi?”

“A man can’t get no respect,” I said.

He continued laughing.

“I am in the drug squad now.” I flashed him my badge for good measure.
 
“That is why you’re going to help me.”

He leaned back and spread his arms.

“Do you know anything about RACE?” I said.

“Who?”

Whenever I mentioned RACE people got that confused look.

“Do you know anything about
Nex
?”

“Kid, what are you talking about?”

“This new drug that’s suppose to be bigger than Ecstasy.”

“How’d you know about that?” Marcus asked, surprised.

“I’m in the drug squad.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

He was right.
 
He didn’t.
 
It all looks so easy in the movies, where the hero demands answers from the villain and most often than not he gets them.
 
In real life it’s entirely different.
 
I might have to beg.

“Come on, man,” I said.
 
“Help me out.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” he said laughing.
 
“The only way I’m talking is if you arrest me.”

“Fine,” I said.
 
“Last time I do anyone a
favour
.”

His eyes narrowed and he said, “What’re you talking about?”

“I’m just saying,” I started.
 
“We know you’re involved in all of this.
 
Last week we saw them—” I had
know
idea what
them
looked like.
 
“—at your place.”
 

He said, “I’m
gonna
deny everything.”

“Of course you are.
 
But let me tell you.
 
When these guys—” I was careful not to say RACE.
 
“—Get busted, you’re going down with them.”

“What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying we know they have the drug and it could be ready in a matter of days.”

“You know about that?”
        

“Of course, man.
 
We’re the cops.
 
We’ve got a huge team working on this case.
 
You’re a paper-reading-kind-of-guy so you must have heard about the RCMP’s investigation into the drug squad?”
 

He nodded.

“To bring respectability back to the force we’re going to get this gang of drug makers and we’re going to make an example of them.” I emphasized the next sentence.
 
“We’re going to make an example of
you
.”

His face went serious.
 
“The
favour
you mentioned.
 
Why?”

“Let’s just say, I want to be the one who breaks this investigation.
 
Make up for the mistake I made years ago.”

A group of people stared at us.
 
I guess they wanted a taxi.
 
I started the car and drove.

“What will I get if I help you?”

“I’ll tell them you were very helpful.”

“I’ll still go to jail.
 
I sell drugs to kids, remember.”

“That’s
your
problem, but if you help us you won’t go to jail for this new drug, will you?”

He thought about it.

“There is nothing to think about,” I said.

“Okay, okay.
 
They came a few days ago with their new quick-dissolving formula. You know about it?”

“Yeah, of course.”
 
Quick-dissolving?

“This thing, I mean, this tablet just disappears inside your mouth.”

“You tried the drug?”

“No way,” he snapped.
 
“You crazy.”

“Where can I find these people?”

“How the hell do I know? The rule is you don’t ask any questions.
 
But they’ll probably come back when they have the drug.”

“Right,” I said more to myself than him.
 
“Once they come to you, we follow them.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said.
 

“So we have a deal, right?”

He moved his head in agreement. “Yeah, sure.”

I turned my head back, slightly.
 
“You better stick to the deal or else—”

“Look out!” he screamed.

I twisted and saw a kid crossing the road.
 
I turned the wheel sharply.
 
The car veered to the right, went onto the sidewalk, and hit a large recycling bin.
 
The heavy plastic bin flew over passing vehicles and landed on the opposite sidewalk, like a scene from a cartoon.
 

I turned to see if the kid was okay.
 
He was walking in the opposite direction with his head low and bopping. His ears were covered with large pilot-style headphones.
 
He had no idea what had just happened.

Teenagers!

I looked back and Marcus had horror over his face.
 
His eyes bulged out and his arms were spread apart.
 
He looked as if he was going to fall and was holding on for dear life.

“You okay?” I said.

He was pale and his mouth was open.
 

“You must have seen worse,” I said, unbuckling my seat belt.

He nodded and then quickly pounced out of the car.
 

“Remember our deal,” I yelled as he ran away.

It’s not pretty seeing a grown man in a fur coat run like that.

I got out to see the damage.

I nearly screamed, the kind of scream that even aliens on far away planets can hear.

There was a large dent, the size of a half watermelon, on the right side of the front.
 
The headlight was smashed beyond repair.

This was not good.
 

Mahmud would kill me.
   

I pulled out my cell phone and called the one person I knew who could help in this situation.

***

Eight minutes later a brown
coloured
tow-truck parked behind the busted taxi.
 
Out came Joe
Coultier
, his massive body moving toward me.

“Jonny,” he said.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked.
  
“Why didn’t you send someone else?”

“The boys are busy.
 
This is our peak time, you know.
  
Parking on the streets without residential permits, leaving cars in the parking lots of malls, the usual stuff.”

“Who’s watching the business?”

“Marcie.”

“She’s back?” I asked.

“Yeah, I couldn’t run the place without her.
 
I begged her and gave her a raise.”

“That’s too bad,” I said.
 
“I was looking forward to opening my very own impound with her.”

“You know what? I like the coupon idea you had,” he said.
 
“It would build customer loyalty and stuff.
 
Anyways, you hit a taxi?”

“No.
 
The taxi hit the recycling bin.”

“So what did you hit?”

“The recycling bin.”

“Both the taxi and you hit the recycling bin?’

“No. Only the taxi hit the recycling bin.”

He shook his head violently.
 
“Okay, what were you driving?”

“The taxi.”

“What?” he said.
 
“What’re you doing driving a taxi?”

“It’s a long story.
 
You
gonna
tow or what?”

“I’ll tow,” he said getting down to business. “Just because you’re a loyal customer.
 
No questions asked.”

“So how many tows have I got?” I inquired.

“Why?”

“This one could be free.”

***

Joe had taken the taxi to a mechanic he knew.
 
I was going to cover the costs, of course, but that was not the problem. How was I going to tell Mahmud?
 
He trusted me and I’d let him down.
 

Maybe I could deny it.
 

What taxi? I never borrowed any taxi?
 
I don’t even have a license to operate one, must be someone else?

No.
 
I couldn’t do that.

Mahmud was a good person, a decent person.
 
I didn’t know how I was going to tell him what had happened. This might even end our fragile relationship.
 

I got off and waited at the spot we had decided to meet.
  
I looked at my watch and was surprised to see it was almost eleven.
 
I paced back and forth, thinking of what to do next.
 
Four long minutes later I saw Mahmud turn the corner and walk briskly towards me.