Sweet Ginger Poison

“Yeah. What I found out is that he has a side business: loan sharking.”

“You’re kidding. I wouldn’t have thought he had much money to loan.”

“According to…my Mr. X, Manny started out small, making payday loans.”

“I hate those. They’re such a rip-off.”

“I’m guessing that these days he makes way more money with his illegal banking than he does on shoe shines.”

“So, you think Navy borrowed money from Manny?”

“That’s what I’m wondering.”

“Navy wasgetting desperate. He didn’t have a paying job. I think he was just holding out for help from his mother.”

“And something tells me that if he did borrow money from Mr. Monet, it was a lot more than a couple hundred dollars.”

“Let’s say it was several thousand. Then Navy couldn’t pay it back. And maybe he even thumbed his nose at Manny, thinking there was nothing he could do about it.”

“Yeah. But Manny couldn’t let him get away with that. What if word got around? Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but wouldn’t Manny feel he had to go break Navy’s legs or something?”

“Yeah—so people would be afraid of him. Very good, Elijah. I think you’ve come up with a solid suspect.”

There was a loud crack of thunder.

Elijah grimaced. “I hope that’s not God’s way of saying he’s mad at me.”

Ginger laughed. “No, I think he’s just telling us there’s a storm coming.”

“Well, I’d better go.”

Ginger stood up and walked him to the door. “Thank you so much, Elijah.” She hugged him.

Just stay right here in my arms, thought Elijah. When Ginger released him, she looked up into his eyes. It was all he could do to keep himself from kissing her on the lips. But he feared that if he did the next lightning strike would rip through the ceiling and strike him dead. Why, Lord? Why can’t I show this marvelous woman how I feel about her?

“Goodnight, Elijah. Drive carefully.” She picked up his coat and handed to him.

He opened the door. “Goodnight, Ginger.”

**********

Danny could hardly wait to get his money. He would take the five thousand to Shreveport and turn it into fifty thousand in one night. He loved gambling. But he wasn’t like most of the chumps who think they can beat the house. He really could.

As he pulled off the highway onto the dirt road, it began to drizzle. Danny wasn’t crazy about doing business in the freezing rain and lightning, but it wouldn’t take long.

He drove until he reached the illegal dump site. It was mounds of the type stuff you can’t give away or leave out for the city to pick up. The pile was more rusty than stinky—made up of things like TVs, refrigerators, bicycles, mattresses, etc.

Danny checked his watch. It was 10:57 p.m. He expected to see headlights in his rearview mirror at any minute.

A pop in his left ear made him jump. Then he realized somebody was knocking on the window. He rolled it down.

“Get out.”

Danny opened the door and stepped out. He began to shiver almost immediately, and regretted coming without a coat. The half-frozen raindrop pellets began to strike his head. It seemed like his thick hair was the only thing keeping the little ice missiles from penetrating his skull.

“Just give me my cash, so I can get out of here,” said Danny.

“Give me my gun.”

“I don’t have it.”

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know.”

The rain began to pour down. Suddenly there was a pistol jammed into Danny’s left cheek.

“Whoa. What are you doing?”

“Tell me what you did with the gun.”

“My girlfriend took it. And I don’t know what she did with it.”

“Lacey Greendale?”

“Yes.”

“Looks like I’ll have to get it from her myself. Maybe I’ll take a little sugarwhile I’m at it.”

“Don’t you touch her!”

“You’re in no position to give meorders.”

“Well…then just give me my money.”

“So, you’re going to stand there and tell me you killed Navy.”

“Yes.”

“You chickened out on shooting him, so you laced his coffee cake with fish oil.”

“Right.”

“Do you have any idea how much I hate being lied to?”

“I’m not lying!”

“I followed you Saturday morning. I watched you park your car down the road and then walk back and hide in the woods. So, you couldn’t have been the one who put the fish oil in his coffee cake since you were nowhere near the bakery Saturday morning until after he died.”

“Uh…”

“I suppose you could have gotten your girlfriend to do it for you.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But if she was going to poison his coffee cake, why would you bother to drive out to the nursing home?”

“I…uh…don’t know.”

“In fact, I would think you would have wanted to stay as far away from there as possible.”

Danny didn’t have a response. The rain was now coming down in sheetsrather than drops. He was standing in two inches of water, about to be shot in the head—if the lightning didn’t get him first.

“I don’t allow people to cheat me out of my money.”

“I wasn’t trying to.”

“Yes, you were. You expected me to pay you for a job you didn’t do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t accept your apology. Goodbye, Danny.”

“No, no.” Danny held his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes.

A deafening boom of thunder shook the ground. It was more than enough to mask the gunshot. But how was he able to still think with a bullet in his brain? He opened his eyes. He was standing alone in the rain.

Then he felt something and looked down. There was a bird pecking at his stomach. He tried to shoo it away. Then he realized it wasn’t a bird—it was the handle of knife.

He pulled downward and outward with both hands and it came out two inches. He pulled again and now he could see four inches of steel. One last yank, and it was completely out. He held it up and stared at the seven-inch blade in disbelief.

Blood gushed down the front of his pants. His knees gave way and his body began to topple.

“I’m so sorry, Lacey.”

He hit the ground face first. Mud squished into his mouth and up his nostrils. It would have been enough to suffocate him if his heart had not already stopped beating.