The Court Chronicles (A Blog Novella) - Part II, Chapter 8

A succession of door slams echo around Jay as he squints to make out the darken figures walking towards him. Jay prepares his face for this confrontation. He knows that it well be important for him to show no fear, no desperation, or doubt. Certainly these swaying shadows moving towards him are Vasquez’s men. They’ll want to know his plan. They’ll want good news to tell their boss. Immediately, Jay recognizes El Chulo-- Vasquez’s right hand man.

El Chulo is the only one in Vasquez’s group that has a street name. Vasquez wanted his cartel to run as a legitimate operation. “We don’t live in fear,” he was once heard declaring, “We don’t hide behind the names of boys. I pride myself on running a classy operation. One where men are guaranteed a quality product, and for that I will state my name proudly and so will my men. We will never carry monikers that are only suited for Dick Tracey comic book characters.” El Chulo was the exception to this rule.

As the story goes, he was found on the door step of the Vasquez’s family ranch. Every day Juana, the maid, would prepare the children for school. She’d hand them their lunch, lick down straying hairs and wipe the corners of their mouths. As was customary, Juana would also declare how wonderful, intelligent, and beautiful the children she cared for were.

As the children ran into the foyer from the kitchen, bellies full of arroz con leche and ready for school Juana declared, “Aye, míralos. Que lindos, inteligentes, y chu…” Juana’s daily pronouncement was interrupted by the cries of a baby just outside the front door. She moved slowly to pull the massive wooden door, and as it cracked open, sun light and louder cries filled the room. She moved to the infant and swept him up and asked him where he had come from and why he was crying. “Quizás quería que le dijeras que era chulo también. Maybe he wanted you to call him chulo, also,” offered one of the children. Juana agreed with the child and declared that the baby was the most wonderful and gorgeous child she ever laid eyes on. From that day on, Juana raised El Chulo as her own and even though she baptized him Emilio, the legend of his discovery followed him along with the name.

“Jay, I am sure you are not surprised to see me,” calls out El Chulo with his arms extended to his sides and a confident smile on his face. Jay is not surprised to see him but he wonders how El Chulo found out as fast as he did. The question must have been plain on his face because El Chulo offered a, “you know I have people everywhere.”

Jay swallows first before speaking. He decides to stall before giving up any of what he knows. “Chulo, none of this is necessary. I would have called you once I had Garret with me.”

“Now, Jay you know I like to be hands on. Phones calls are so impersonal. I’d rather look into your eyes. Now tell me, what has happened to Garret.”

“We’ve hit a slight snag. “

“Slight? I hear chotas are involved,” El Chulo gives Jay a sideways glance. His nickname suits him. He is indeed handsome. His beer-bottle-in-the-sun brown eyes sit in almond shaped perfection on his high cheek bones. “Don Vasquez wanted me to secure that you and Garret are not doing anything to jeopardize his good name. Now tell me Jay, what does she know?”

The predawn light seeps through the morning chill. Jay pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks around the other eight men surrounding him. Clones. Stone faces and Italian suits. “Chulo…”

“Find out what she knows and take care of it,” interrupts El Chulo. “Can you two handle that?”

“We can.”

“Good. Andale vamanos!”

In one sweeping arm movement El Chulo and his men return to their vehicles and drive off leaving Jay with sweaty palms and more bad news for Garret.


Veronica looks at her wrist watch. 5:15am. She hopes that Garret has been let go. For hours now she has been recycling the moments of the night in her mind. Everything that could have gone wrong on a date did. She hardly knew the guy but every time she shut her eyes, his face was all she saw. Was she starting to fall for this guy? How can that be? After a string of failed relationships, Veronica had made it a habit to look for everything that was wrong with the guy she was seeing. The lawyer that was overweight; she needed a guy who was athletic. The civil engineer with a high pitched voice; she would cringe whenever she spoke with him on the phone. The project manager with a messy bathroom; she couldn’t date someone whose house toilet she had to do the hover maneuver. Then there was Garret. What was wrong with Garret?

Howell steps into the interrogation room. He tells Veronica that they have been able to identify her cousin and judging by his priors, they don’t doubt that he would be involved in something like this.

“So can I leave?” asks Veronica drained and missing her bed.

“No.”

“Can you let go of Garret?”

“He has been let go and was picked up by Mr. Romero.”

“Jay!”

“Yes, I believe that was his first name.”

A hot flash of embarrassment comes over Veronica. Hopefully Jay will use some discretion at work and not tell everybody. He probably will never talk to her again. Neither will Garret for that matter. Why did this have to happen on a date with a nice guy?

“Ms. Nunez, you are turning red. Are you ok?”

“Yes, I am fine. When will I be able to go Sergeant?”
“Ms. Nunez, have you ever been involved in a sting operation?”