Part 3 - Gretel: Smiley’s Trash Alley

Every seedy back alley in the city was the same — same rotten stench of decaying trash, piss, and cheap blowjobs. At least Smiley’s kept a light burning. One solitary incandescent bulb wrapped in a metal cage to keep it safe from sticks and stones, but not the filth and dirt that can be found on the city streets. I couldn’t tell what the gelatinous goo that clung to the light was, but it effectively suffocated the illumination to a dull yellow burn. Just enough to see by.

I’d been pacing just outside the back door of Smiley’s, waiting for Red to come out on her break like we planned. The longer the stench of leftover sex and rotten trash permeated my nostrils — and with each step I took, shoes sticking to God knows what — the angrier I became. How dare she threaten to jeopardize everything I’ve worked for — threatening to tell the Russian who I really was — fucking greedy, whoring, blackmailing, dick-sucking, priest humping bitch. I was envisioning my hands around her scrawny throat, enjoying choking the life out of her, I could see her tongue hanging out of her mouth, her eyes wide with fear, her life draining away… I’d made up my mind, I was going to kill her.

I’d stolen some money from Ivan, the Russian my case centered around. Just a measly hundred large. Where else was I going to get the amount of dough that hooker was asking for? I was going to pay for her silence. But really, what’s the death of one tramp to save the lives of many? If Red blew my case open, Ivan would get rid of any ‘evidence’ that would send him up the river. Human traffickers didn’t have a heart where people were concerned. People were a commodity, and when those people became a liability, they were disposed of.

When I heard the locks on the door clicking, and a couple of voices spilling out with the fluorescent kitchen lighting, I ducked behind the dumpster.

“No one else would be back there,” she had said. “Just meet me, hand me the cash, and your secret will be safe with me… Special Agent Miller.”

I don’t know how she found out about me; I’d have to be careful until I knew where she got her information. It’d taken me a couple of years to gain Ivan’s trust — or what amounted to trust from a psychopath. I hoped the leak wasn’t someone on that side. My heartbeat picked up at the thought of him knowing. Shit! Breathe, G, breathe! I calmed myself.

Two figures stepped out into the alley, shadows nearly swallowing them. They stood near each other, talking in low voices. It happened quickly, unexpectedly. A few words of conversation and bam…knife in, knife out. Let the body hit the floor.

Seems I wasn’t the only one with murder in mind that night. Her crimson life-fluid pooled around and from under her lifeless, prone form, still flowing, not yet coagulated. The faint light from the jailed bulb danced off her spreading blood like a dull reflection of a dying candle flame. I could see the murderer hunched over Red’s body, could just make out movement, a hand tenderly reaching for the dead girl. At the last second, before that hand could touch the smooth skin of Red’s face, it pulled back — perhaps afraid death was contagious.

The knife blade reflected a gleam of light as it was stroked across the flimsy material of Red’s cheap shirt. Then the killer stood, flinging her blonde curls off her face. I kept my eyes on her as Smiley’s door opened again — busy night in La La Land — and a man’s head peeked around the door calling Red’s name. The killer skirted off into the shadows, dropping the knife next to the body and slinking her way towards the street. She took off running once she was sure she could get away. Run, run, as fast as you can, but you won’t get away, sweetie, because you’re stupid and left your weapon behind, I thought. The fox wins in the end.

From my vantage point behind the over-filled, graffiti riddled dumpster, I didn’t think I could be seen. Safe and snug with the rest of the trash, I silently cursed that dead bitch. Dark alleys weren’t my thing, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Like stealing a wad of cash from a Russian Mob boss to pay off a mouth. The more I thought about Red’s words, the more I was relieved she was dead. I’m not afraid of too many people, but if Ivan ever found out I took his money, man, I can’t even imagine the things he’d do to me. He already had some sick ideas of what a good time in the sack was.

I was still feeling the pain from the other night and had to wear long sleeves to cover the rope burns on my arms. He’d told me he was in a loving mood that night and was being gentle. I cringed at the thought of him finding out I was FBI. Of all people, he would make me pay heavily. At least the money would be forgotten. It was even looking like I’d be able to get it back before anyone knew it was gone, thanks to Red’s companion doing me a favor. “Ding dong, the witch is dead” played through my head. Stifling a giggle, I kept watching.

The door was blocking my view so I couldn’t see him until he stepped around it. I knew he saw Red’s body, watched as he went over and examined her. He slipped his phone out of a pocket and dialed. He stumbled back to the door and sat on the steps, whipping out a flask and taking a long pull.

It wasn’t long before the cops and EMTs arrived along with a few dozen onlookers. I have to admit, I was nervous as shit. I figured I had one shot to get out of there. I had to lose this cash, though. It wouldn’t look on the up and up if I strolled through a murder scene with all this loot. Not having many options, I stashed it under the dumpster until I could get back to it. While everyone’s attention was on Red, I slipped out of the shadows and walked towards the scene, stopping at Smiley’s back door.

It was easy to blend in as I was dressed for my job; the local authorities only knew me as another trick. “Oh my God!” I screamed from the door, and hurried towards the dead girl. Three cops were badgering the big fella that found Red. Wolfe was his name, it seemed, and the three pigs were trying to blow his house in.

“What time did you get here, Wolfe? What were you doing back here?” They kept throwing questions at him, but he was a cool cat, lighting a smoke and staring at the three in front of him. One of the pigs stopped me from approaching Red. “You’re gonna mess up the scene, now get your trick ass outta here,” he squealed.

I took my cue, fake tears streaming down my face, and started walking towards street side, in a killer’s footsteps. My eyes met Wolfe’s as I passed him. I shot him a half-smile and winked at him, his eyes grew larger.

“My, my, what big eyes you have,” I said to him, knowing he had to have heard that line before.

The text alarm on my burner shot off before I’d made the street. I grabbed it from inside my bra, thankful it hadn’t gone off while I was hiding. It read:

Hey gorgeous, meet me for dinner. Sending a car. Love, Ivan.

Damn it. I hadn’t thought about Ivan and his damn phone, or the fact that he liked to keep track of me with GPS. He wouldn’t care about Red, but he’d know I was at Smiley’s. Okay, calm down, you’re at Smiley’s a lot. Shit, I needed to get my shit together. I glanced over my shoulder and could see the brown bag of cash sticking out from under the corner of the dumpster. Shit shit shit! My gut turned. Wolfe noticed me looking at the dumpster and turned his head in the same direction, then glanced back at me. I could almost hear him saying, “The better to see you with, my dear.” I’d been left in the woods before and wasn’t afraid of the Big Bad Wolfe, but I was afraid of the giant waiting for me on the street holding open the door to Ivan’s pristine Escalade.

Time to climb the beanstalk.