Witness Protection: Hide and Seek (3 page)

           
By the time
the plane landed, it was late. But Memphis International Airport was still
bustling with activity. People were rushing around, happy reunions were being
held, and there was a lone woman, sitting and reading the newspaper.

 
All around her, it
looked to Madison, as if life was passing her by.

Armed with just two suitcases, she made her way over to the
rental car section. In a matter of minutes, she was in the car, making her way
out of the parking lot.

Despite all that had happened, it felt good to be back in
Memphis.
Not all the memories are bad,
she thought to herself as images of Cole Harding came into mind. She was sure
that he was off living his life and more than likely had children by now. It
was the first time in a very long time that she thought about Cole. She
supposed that being back in Memphis was the reason. The day that they’d left
her in the trusting hands of Tristan Calloway, was the day that she tried to
stop thinking about him.

She had to, he was married, and that was that. But there
were times, when she was alone at night, when she would think about Cole.
Wonder what he was doing and if he was alright. No matter how hard she tried,
she couldn’t let go of him, not completely anyway, not in the way Tristan
wanted her to.

She remembered one night when Tristan shook her awake. He
was angry at her and she couldn’t figure out why.

"You were laughing and then you said his name!"
He'd shouted at her.

Even though he knew that she had no control over her dreams,
Madison's calling out for Cole had hurt him. And it was days before he would
even speak to her.

It was the first time that she'd seen him so angry, but she
knew that his anger was justified. Dreaming or not, she would have done the
same thing if Tristan had called out another woman's name.

After that she tried very hard not to think about Cole
Harding, especially right before bed.

When Tristan was killed, both she and his parents asked the
director to keep the news of his death low-key. They didn’t want his funeral to
turn into some sort of spectacle. She knew that marshals from all over the
country would want to attend his funeral. Cole Harding being one of them.

Director Marques agreed, but only because he thought that
Madison might still be a marked woman. Being dropped from the program didn’t
mean that she was completely safe.
 

                                                         
 
****

She’d made reservations at the four star, Madison Hotel. She
just had to.

She was treating herself and what better way than to spend a
few days in a hotel that shared the same name.

After checking in, she unlocked the door to her room, shoved
the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob and with limbs feeling like lead, she
crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

                                                          
****

The brightness of the sun bursting through the open blinds
roused her to consciousness. She rolled over, took a look at her cell to check
the time, and sat upright in bed. She’d been asleep for over twelve hours.

After yawning and stretching, she got out of bed and strode
over to the window.

The day was going to be a gorgeous one and as she thought
about her plans for the day, her stomach began to rumble with hunger pains.

She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d eaten. After
ordering some lunch from room service, she picked up her cell and planned to call
Hank and Donna.

Before the call could go through, she disconnected the line.
It would be better if I surprised them.

She knew that after his heart attack, brought on by
Castillo’s thug, Hank had taken the time to recover. And when he was ready to
go back to work, both he and Donna had decided to sell the bar and move to a
better location.

The new bar was located just off Beale Street and according
to Hank, was doing better than ever. Most of his regular patrons still
frequented the place and it had become a new favorite amongst the locals who
lived downtown.

Most nights, he had live jazz music and that really brought
in the crowds, he’d boasted. She was happy for Hank and Donna, they’d gone
through a rough patch after he suffered his heart attack, but thanks to the
help of plenty of friends and neighbors, Hank recovered one hundred percent.

Yes, I’ll spend the
day relaxing, maybe do a bit of shopping, and then I’ll head out to see Hank
and Donna. I so could use a night out.

Ricardo Castillo was a free man. He wasted no time in
getting in contact with his old cohorts, but only the most trust worthy ones.

They’d stuck by him and did everything he’d asked while he was
in prison. Now he was out and ready to get back into the swing of things. But
first things first, he needed to get to Oklahoma. Taking care of Juan Hernandez
was his first priority.

And even though there were phone calls to be made, money to
be picked up and illegal businesses to collect from, none of that mattered. All
that mattered was watching the life drain from the eyes of the man who’d ratted
him out.

When they got near his parents' place, Higgins grinned like
a Cheshire cat as he gave Castillo one more piece of information.

“She’s on her way to Memphis,” he said and kept his eyes on
the road.

Castillo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This just
keeps getting better and better. It’s like God himself is sending me a direct
message!” Castillo raised his hands towards the roof.

Higgins nodded his head gleefully. It gave him pleasure to
see that his actions made Castillo happy. He was also sure that the info he’d
just given would earn him a hefty bonus.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. I have a contact at the airport and I gave her
Madison’s name the moment you asked me to start investigating her. Besides a
trip to Florida three years ago, there was nothing. But the other day, I get a
call from my contact telling me that Madison Calloway, a.k.a., your Madison
West, had booked a one way ticket to Memphis. And according to my contact, she
arrived late last night.”

“And do we know where she is staying?” Castillo rubbed his
hands together as if he were about to devour a delicious meal.

Higgins nodded his head. “I think I have a lead on that too,
but I’m not sure yet. It’s just a hunch so I won’t bore you with the details.
But if I’m right, I’ve already instructed my contact in Memphis to place a
wireless, real-time, personal GPS tracker on your girl.
 
So even if you’re not able to catch up with
her right away, you’ll still be able to track her every move. Now I took the
liberty of giving my contact your personal number, Mr. Castillo. She’s been
instructed to call or text you if, and only if she is one hundred percent sure
that the person we’re tracking is Madison West.

I figured that planting a GPS will give you time to do what
you needed to do before hunting her down. After all, you did just get out of
prison.” Higgins tried joking.

But Castillo was in no mood for jokes. He was anxious to get
home and get ready so that he could go and take care of Hernandez.

If Madison West could be tracked, then there was no rush in
finding her. She wasn’t going to go anywhere and so far, everything had gone in
his favor.
Let her think that she’s safe
back in Memphis,
he thought to himself.
I’ll
have to take my time and plan something very special for her.

“If this person contacts me and I pick up this tracking
device Higgins, I will personally see to it that you and your family are taken
care of for the rest of your lives.”

But for now, you need to collect your family and leave town
as soon as possible. Is that understood?”

Higgins hands gripped the steering wheel tight. In a matter
of moments, Castillo’s tone had gone from excitement to all seriousness.

“Absolutely understood Mr. Castillo.”

 
Once Higgins drove
him to his parents place, Castillo invited him inside for a moment and handed
him an envelope stuffed to the brim with money and sent him on his way. But not
before threatening him and his entire family with certain death should he
decide to go to the authorities.

After Higgins promised to keep his mouth shut, he was
relinquished of any further obligations and told to get the hell out of Memphis.

After taking a quick shower and making an important phone
call, Castillo, dressed to the nines in an Armani suit, made a motion towards
his new number one man, Manny Ortega, indicating that he was ready to go.

They were headed to Oklahoma and along the way, planned on
picking up two more men.

Even though Castillo hated being in confined places, he had
no qualms about the almost eight hour car ride that he was about to take.

Being locked up for three years had forced him to get used
to small, tight spaces.

                                                          
****

When they were an hour outside of Oklahoma, Manny stopped
for gas. Castillo, who always thought he had a way with the ladies, struck up a
conversation with the girl behind the counter.

Heather was her name and when Castillo saw her, memories of
his old life flashed through his mind. The young girl looked like the kind of
girl he would have put to work in one of his brothels. She was young, fresh,
and innocent. At least she came off that way.

For a moment he thought about grabbing her and putting her
in the car, but changed his mind when her big, muscular, store manager came out
from the back room.

“How are you this evening?” Heather had a genuine smile on
her face.

“I’m just fine, and you?” Castillo put on the charm.
Heather's looks made his blood surge through places he’d thought were dead and
gone.

I need to get fucked,
he thought to himself.

 
Three years without pussy is far too long for any man to have to
endure.

“I’m doing alright. You guys just passing through?” Heather
asked as she rung up his purchases.

“Actually Heather, I’ve come to visit an old friend of mine.
I haven’t seen him in quite a while.”

“Oh, then I bet he’ll be excited to see you.”

“I’m sure he will be. Something tells me that he is just
going to die when he sees me!” A wicked smirk spread across his lips as he paid
for his items and left the store.

                                                          
****

When Maria called and told him that she’d be unable to come
over and spend the night, Juan was upset. He was looking forward to her
company; he looked forward to her company every night. But this night was a no
go, she told him. Her landlord was sending someone over to fix the plumbing
over at her place, first thing in the morning, so she thought it best if she
stayed home.

He sulked and pouted as he made his way over to his favorite
recliner in the living room. Beer in one hand and remote control in the other,
he plopped down on the well-used chair and started channel surfing.

When he heard what sounded like a trash can being knocked
over, he turned down the volume and made his way over towards the living room
window.

The living room had two large windows, both had shades that
were tattered and torn, but both were pulled down all the way.

“Fuckin’ kids,” he mumbled and peeked out of the window. All
the streetlights were on and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Everyone, including
himself, was in for the night. Probably doing the exact same thing that he was
doing, sitting down in front of the television, or perhaps they were reading in
bed, or on their computers. Whatever they were doing, it didn’t matter to him.
He’d taken no interest in getting to know his neighbors, nor had they taken any
interest in getting to know him.

 
When he saw that
nothing was out of place, he shrugged his shoulders and sat down.

A soft creaking sound came from the kitchen and he shook his
head at his growing paranoia. “Being out in the sticks will do that to a man,”
Maria once said to him. She was commenting on his ever-growing need to check
everything out.

“I don’t understand it,” she said one night.

“What?”

“Why do you always look over your shoulder? I noticed that
you do it even when we’re at home. A man shouldn’t have to look over his
shoulder, especially in his own home.”

Maria’s question was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a
kiss on the cheek.

But habit was habit, so when he heard the soft creaking
sound again, he sat upright in his recliner and put his beer down on the coffee
table.

Something wasn’t right.

There was no light in the hallway that led from the living
room to the kitchen and Juan always had to feel his way around. When he reached
the kitchen and flicked on the light, his bladder immediately betrayed him.

Sitting at the kitchen table, was Ricardo Castillo.

Castillo looked down at the puddle of urine and shook his
head. He placed his hands, palm down on the table as he spoke.

“I thought that my search for you was going to be a bit more
like a game of hide and seek. But in this day and age, nothing stays hidden for
long, not when one has access to the internet.

I wonder, Juan... or should I say Paulo? Whatever, it
doesn’t matter,” Castillo waved his hand in the air dismissively.

“I wonder if you know what the word retribution means. I’m
guessing by your reaction that you do not. Well then,” he got up from the
chair.

“Let me explain its meaning to you. First, just let me say
that while I’ve been in prison these last three years, I’ve learned a lot of
important words. You see, being locked up, day after day, night after night,
with nothing to do, but think and read, allows one to reflect on the many
things that have caused them to be in such a predicament.

So you can imagine that I’ve spent these three years, not
only reading, but thinking about you… and Madison West of course. Because the
two of you are the ones who put me in such a horrible predicament.

If it wasn’t for you two, I’d be a very, very rich man by
now. But I digress; let’s get back to the meaning of retribution. It’s very
simple. Retribution means punishment that is justified or morally right. Now,
watching you die will not only give me great pleasure, old friend, but it will
give me piece of mind. You gave me up to the feds for your freedom, now you
will give your life for mine.”

Castillo had moved in closer, he wanted to see the look of
horror in Juan’s eyes. It was a look he’d waited three years to see.

“You are one disgusting pig.” Castillo lifted up his foot
and shook off the urine.

Beads of sweat began to appear on Juan’s upper lip and his
body trembled.

 
“Adiós, rata.”
Castillo nodded to his two associates and stepped away from Juan.

The two associates pulled black leather gloves tight over
their hands and moved towards Juan.

It took almost thirty minutes for him to die.

Castillo watched while Juan Hernandez drew in his last
gurgle of breath. He sucked back the saliva in his mouth before expelling it
into Juan's face. He then turned around and walked away.

“Now come on, I just got a text. I’ve got to see a woman
about a GPS locator." He grinned and walked out the door.