Already Gone

– 17 –



At first, I’m not nervous, but that changes once I pull off the highway and cross under the Nineteenth Street viaduct into the warehouse district. I feel my pulse echoing in my head, and a dull ache building in the middle of my chest.

I remind myself that Gabby is a friend.

It helps a little.

There are no streetlights down here, and the buildings fade in and out of darkness as I drive. My instructions were to head west until I crossed the railroad tracks, then turn north and look for the sign.

He said it would be easy to find.

When I was a kid, Gabby owned a junkyard thirty miles outside the city. He had a homemade sign out front that said you could find anything you wanted inside, and he was probably right.

The yard seemed to go on forever.

I’d spend hours out there, wandering through a sea of crushed cars and mountains of rusted appliances. There were always new places to explore and treasures to find.

When I was a few years older, my father told me that besides being able to find whatever you wanted at Gabby’s junkyard, you could also dispose of anything you wanted.

For a price.

“There are more bodies buried out there than over at Fairview Cemetery,” he said. “One day, that place is going to be all over the news, you just watch.”

He laughed when he told me, but I didn’t.

There was nothing funny about Gabby.

Even as a kid, I knew something wasn’t right about him, but my father didn’t seem to notice. If he had one true friend in his life, it was Gabby, and he trusted him completely. So, when I was twelve and my dad went to prison for the first time, Gabby took me in.

I lived with him for four years before I found my own trouble and they sent me into juvenile detention.

Gabby would visit from time to time, and once he even told me he considered me a son. Now, driving through this deserted part of the city, all I can do is hope he still feels the same way.

I cross over the railroad tracks and turn right, heading north until I see a two-story brick building with a hand-painted sign out front.

Gabriel’s Custom Wood Furniture.

Gabby was right. It was easy to find.

There’s a heavy steel gate along the side of the building surrounding a large paved lot and loading dock. I drive by for a closer look, then pull into the parking lot across the street and shut off the engine.

It’s quiet, and I can hear my heart beating against my ribs. I close my eyes for a moment, then open the door and step out. The wind sliding between the empty buildings is cold and smells like asphalt and oil.

I breathe it in deep and try to focus.

My feet don’t want to move.

The two men who cut off my finger are inside, which means the answers I’m looking for are inside. I don’t know if they’re the ones who killed Diane, but I’m going to find out tonight, no matter what.

I stay by my car for a while and stare up at the grid of dark windows on the buildings lining the street. I try to shake the feeling I’m being watched, but it’s hard.

Eventually, I cross the street to Gabby’s place and walk up to the front door. There’s a black button on the frame. I press it and hear a buzzer sound far away.

I hear a series of clicks from the locks, and then the door opens. The kid standing inside looks younger than my students. He is wearing a shoulder holster, and I see the handle of the gun by his armpit.

For a minute, we just stand there.

“What do you want?”

“I’m looking for Gabby.”

He stares at me, doesn’t move.

I look past him into the darkness. “Is he here or not?”

The kid’s eyes go wide, just for a second, then he smiles. I know the smile. He’s been assigned a job, and he thinks that makes him king. He knows he doesn’t have to put up with anyone’s shit.

I know this because ten years ago, that was me.

He opens his mouth to say something, but I interrupt and say, “No, don’t talk. Just go find him.”

The kid stops smiling. “Who the f*ck are you?”

I start to tell him, and then I hear a door open somewhere behind him and a familiar voice say, “Hey, Jake.”

The kid doesn’t take his eyes off me, but the muscles in his face go loose. He waits until Gabby gets close, then he looks down and steps away from the door.

Gabby walks up with his arms out. He wraps them around me and pulls me in. For an instant, I feel my feet leave the floor. I can’t help but smile.

When he lets go, he steps back and holds me at arm’s length and says, “Holy shit, Jake.”

It’s the first time I’ve seen him in almost ten years, and I’m shocked at how little he’s changed. His hair is a bit thinner, and the lines on his face are deeper, but the eyes, cold and blue, are exactly the same.

“It’s good to see you,” I say.

He nods. “Show me.”

I hold up my left hand.

Gabby looks at the spot where my finger used to be, and something changes in his eyes. He grabs my hand and turns it over in his. I watch the jaw muscles twitch under his skin, and my heart starts to pound in my throat.

“Those two foreign f*cks did this to you?”

I nod, don’t speak.

“And your wife?”

“That’s what I need to find out.”

Gabby looks at me and smiles. “Don’t worry about that, kid.” He puts a hand behind my neck and squeezes. I try my best not to wince. “We’ll find out. Count on it.”

He lets go and motions for me to follow him.

“Come on in, I’ll show you what I’ve been up to in my golden years.” He slaps my chest. “You know I retired?”

“You retired?”

He holds up a hand, seesawing it back and forth. “I decided to give it a try after your old man went inside this last time. I thought it best to step out while I still had the legs to do it.”

“I didn’t know,” I say. “I wouldn’t have called.”

“Bullshit. You’re family, you and your dad.” Gabby stops and turns to me. The lines on his face deepen. “I was real sorry to hear about what happened to him. He was a good man, you know that?”

I lie and tell him I do.

Gabby nods and leaves it at that, instantly forgotten.

“Well, come on in. I’ll give you the nickel tour.”

He turns and walks on, not looking back.

I step inside and let the door close behind me.