Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

‘Hey, check that out!’ Aidan nudged his friend and gestured towards the pickup truck he’d just seen.
‘What about it?’ Xavier asked. ‘It’s a stupid pickup truck.’
‘Look at the cover on it. I bet you could fit under it.’
‘Why would I do that?’
Aidan grinned. ‘Dare you to do it.’
‘That’s just stupid. What if the driver comes out and sees me?’
‘You’ll be hidden.’
Xavier shook his head and pushed Aidan a little. ‘You’re such an asshole. If you want to get in under the cover, then you do it.’
The two boys walked a little further down the block. Then Xavier stopped. ‘What if we both do it?’
Aidan shrugged. ‘OK, why not?’

Both boys looked around. There was nobody on the street, and nobody looking out of any apartment windows. Xavier nodded at Aidan, who nodded back. Then they turned around and walked back towards the pickup. Aidan murmured ‘One, two, three,’ and he and Xavier hopped onto the back of the truck and slid as quickly as they could under the cover.

For a minute they lay, flat and silent. Then Aidan whispered, ‘How long do we stay under here?’
‘Just a couple minutes more. We can take pictures and post them.’ Xavier arched himself a little, reached down, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. For a few minutes, the two took pictures of each other to post. The light wasn’t good, so they used their flashlight apps. Aidan stopped when he heard the footsteps. He pushed Xavier’s arm and cupped his ear. Xavier nodded and both boys lay flat again.

They heard the crunch of stray leaves and twigs as the footsteps came closer. Then, they heard a beep as the pickup truck was unlocked. ‘Shit’ Aidan muttered. ‘What are we going to do?’
Xavier was silent for a minute. Then he pointed to his phone and texted Aidan: We stay put. The truck can’t be going that far. Then we get out and Uber back. Aidan read the text and nodded. The truck door opened and then slammed as the driver got in. A minute later, the engine started.

Aidan and Xavier didn’t move at all, and they breathed as quietly as they could. After about twenty minutes, the truck pulled into what must be a parking lot. The engine stopped and the driver got out, slamming the door behind him. His footsteps faded with a few hollow crunches as he walked over gravel. Xavier and Aidan waited for a few moments, but there was no sound. Very slowly, they inched their way out from under the cover and slid off the back of the truck. They brushed cobwebs off themselves and crouched down in case anyone saw them. Then, Aidan straightened up a bit so he could see where they were. The truck was parked at the Starlite Motel, a seedy place with two letters missing from the fading sign, and just a few other cars in the parking lot. Aidan turned to Xavier. ‘Do you want to get the Uber or should I?’
‘I will.’ Xavier pulled his phone out of his pocket. When he was done, he said, ‘We’ve got about a fifteen-minute wait.’

Aidan had an idea. ‘Want to check the place out?’
‘Sure, why not.’ Xavier shrugged, and the two headed towards the building. Behind them, headlights flashed as two other cars pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the small group of cars already parked there. Aidan glanced over as the drivers got out. ‘They must be making a drug deal or something,’ he murmured.
Xavier nodded. ‘Probably.’

Then, Aidan froze in place and grabbed at his friend’s arm. ‘I think one of them just knifed another one,’ he hissed.  Xavier turned. One of the men was slumped on the ground, and the other three looked around quickly. Xavier and Aidan started to walk as quickly as they could to the motel, but they were too late.
‘Hey!’ one of the men called out. ‘Hey!’ ‘You two!’ He said something to the other men and all of them moved towards Aidan and Xavier. With nowhere to go, the two boys stopped. ‘Where ya going so fast?’ the man said when he caught up to them.
‘Nowhere,’ Aidan managed. ‘Waiting for our Uber.’
‘I got a better idea.’ The man showed them his knife. The others slowly moved to surround the boys. ‘How about me and you two have a talk.’
Neither boy said anything as they were herded back to the group of cars where the body lay still on the ground, blood seeping everywhere.

The man spoke again. ‘My name’s Ian. These men’ – he waved his hand towards the others – ‘are my business partners. You’re about to join them.’
Xavier swallowed hard. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You boys go to the college, right? You look about the right age.’
Aidan nodded.
‘Good.’ Ian went on. ‘I’m looking to sell there, and you can be my…representatives.’
Aidan and Xavier didn’t have to be told what Ian was selling.

Xavier finally spoke. ‘And if we don’t?’
Ian held up the knife again. ‘I don’t think you want to make that choice.’
After a silent moment, Aidan nodded to Xavier, who nodded back. ‘OK.’
‘Smart boys. Jeff here will give you a small supply of fentanyl. We meet here on Monday, after the weekend sales. You give us the money. Clear?’

The boys nodded again, and Jeff reached into the back of his car and pulled out a few bags, handing some to each boy. Just then, another car pulled up.
‘Our Uber,’ Xavier explained.
‘Well, go get in,’ Ian gave them a cold smile. ‘See ya Monday.’

Aidan and Xavier said nothing during the ride back to their block. When they got out, Aidan said, ‘We can’t do this.’
‘I know,’ Xavier grinned. He held up his phone. ‘I recorded the whole thing. We go to the police with this.’ Aidan grinned back.