After the arrest, Ice crawled out of the space and ran to Keene Street Convenience and never looked back. Carla had taken him in and let him sleep in the basement. Eventually, it became his hangout, and when other street kids started showing up, like Mick and Bobo, kids with nowhere else to go, they formed a gang and vowed to be the rulers of Keene Street.
“Look, Carla’s cool. She doesn’t know everything, okay?” Ice ran his hands agitatedly through his curly hair. “She doesn’t ask no questions, and she gets a cut of the deal. She stays quiet. I told her the kid is the daughter of one of the prostitutes who OD’d and is now getting clean at a city-run clinic.”
“Are you a fucking idiot?” Butts spat. “The missing girl has been all over the news. Do you really think Carla bought your lame-ass story?”
Ice lit a cigarette and took a drag. “We’ve been doing business with her for years. We do our thing, and she looks the other way. Carla’s never gotten her hands dirty, but she likes the proceeds from our business and the protection we provide. It’s made her enough to buy a condo in Florida.”
Butts shook his head. “You better be right about her. Or she’s gonna end up as a midnight snack for an alligator in Florida.”
* * *
“Hey, Carla, how was your trip to Florida?”
“Dawnie! Good to see you.” The older woman stubbed out her cigarette and stepped out from behind the counter, wrapping her arms around Dawn.
Dawn smiled when they let go. “Now, if only we can get you to wear sunscreen and stop smoking.”
Carla barked out a laugh. “What doesn’t kill me only makes me drink more gin.”
“Why not retire for good?” Dawn smiled, leaning against the counter. “You could sell this place and just bask in the sunshine.”
“Well, where’s the fun in that? There’s too much excitement up here.” Carla strolled back to the other side of the counter when an old man hobbled in.
“Hey, Carla, gimme two of those scratch tickets I like and a pack of Marlboro.”
“Sure thing, Bart.” Carla pulled up the lottery tickets from underneath the glass for the old man, then rang up his order.
“When are you gonna marry me and make me a happy man?” Bart winked at Carla.
“When you win the Powerball, I’ll be yours forever.” She leaned over the counter and grinned.
The old man’s chuckle turned into a raspy cough. He turned and tipped an invisible hat at Dawn and went on his way.
“See, if I retire to Florida, I wouldn’t be around to make Bart’s day.” Carla opened an old fridge behind her and pulled out a bottle of vodka and a container of orange juice. She poured two glasses of juice, handed one to Dawn, and added a healthy dose of vodka to the other. Taking a sip, she sighed. “Now that’s the way to start the day.”
Dawn grinned as she drank her juice, but inside, she was feeling panicked desperation. She had to get down to the basement storage room. Mandy had to be there. Dawn had recognized the tattered old poster of Bettie Page on the wall and supply shelves that had been in the same place forever. So she had thrown on some clothes and told her grandmother she was going for a walk. She remembered her conversation with Luca after he’d saved that man’s life at Ronaldo’s. Luca was a cop, but it was more than just his job. Despite what he said, he just seemed to know what he had to do and he did it without hesitation. That was what Dawn wanted to do for Mandy. She simply had to be careful not to involve Luca and get him fired.
“How’s Annette doin’?”
“She’s on her fifteenth pair of woolen socks to go with the hats, scarves, and mittens she knits for the homeless.”
“Saint Annette. That’s what we used to call her behind her back.” Carla chuckled and lifted her glass in a toast. “There’s nobody like her.” She downed the rest of the screwdriver and poured herself another.
“I’ll drink to that.” Dawn took another sip of her juice. “So what’s the excitement downstairs these days? Are the guys up to their usual shenanigans?”
Carla’s eyes narrowed. “You know my motto. I don’t ask questions I don’t wanna know the answers to.”
Was she onto Dawn? She knew Dawn had the “second sight.” Easy, Dawn. Keep playing it cool. “Mind if I top up my juice?”
“Sure thing.” Carla lit another cigarette and leaned her hip against the counter. “What are you really doin’ here, Dawn?” Carla crossed her arms over her ample but sagging chest.
Dawn felt a chill go down her spine. She had to keep Carla chatting, keep it easygoing. “Man, it’s tough getting anything by you, isn’t it?”
“That’s why I’m still alive and kickin’.”
“Why come back here, when Florida has all the sunshine?” Dawn tried changing the topic.
“Oh, you know me.” Carla took another sip of her drink and waved her arm, gesturing at the store around her. “I can’t stay away from the place I love.”
