Garbage Gold
who visits her?…relatives or friends?’ Joe P asked Mrs. Rivas.
‘My daughter is…rather was a friend of hers. Maybe she knows but she’s out yet.’
‘Would you please give me a call when she’s available?’
‘Sure I would officer.’
Thank you ma’am.’
Joe P gave her his card then said goodbye.
The next day, Mr. Maceda was found murdered.
Mrs. Rivas phoned Joe Picasso and informed him that the murdered man visited her yesterday asking about Sally. Joe P decided that he must talk to her personally as soon as possible.
This time, it was Nina the daughter of Mrs. Rivas who were talking.
‘I saw Rolly coming in with a man and a lady and they all seemed upset,’ Nina said.
‘Anything else unusual you noticed?’
‘Aah… I don’t think so. But I took down their car’s plate number just in case they’re…you know…involved.’
‘You’ve got a wise daughter here Mrs. Rivas,’ Joe turned to her. ‘And I’ve got a feeling she’d just put a nail on the coffin.’ Joe P said smiling.
The LPPD traced the plate number to a certain Carmi Laperia. Address: 5542 Ortega Avenue. After a few more hours, Joe P and his partner Bravo were there knocking on the door.
Carmi opened the door and was shown a search warrant. They were interrogating her when Mel Figuerra entered the house.
‘Excellent timing Mel! Bravo greeted with enthusiasm. He remembered the security guard from Sally’s crime scene. ‘Just in time for our interview.’
After Mel was bodily searched, they found a photocopy of the ‘hit list.’
Both Mel and Carmi ended up testifying and accusing each other as the mastermind and killer of Sally and Mr. Maceda.
When the LPPD got hold of Rolly for questioning, his statement was: ‘Mel and Carmi were forcing me to produce a list I know nothing about.’
In retrospect, Joe P thought this was the most farcical and wasteful case he ever had. Two murders for a ‘hit list’ where no one hit pay dirt (as far as the investigation went).
Garbage Gold.
Garbage indeed.
Clyde Quintos is a computer hacker who once tried ‘Identification theft’ and stole more than 5000$ from his effort. Then he heard that someone named Rolly Valero was trying to sell ‘contacts’—names of people and their credit account numbers.
Most people are careless with what they throw as trash. And most people throw mails and receipts from banks and companies in the garbage—not burn or shred them. And that’s how Rolly ‘RV’ Valero collects his ‘contacts’ or ‘hit list’—through garbage!
CQ will buy RV’s ‘hit list’ tonight.
But Rolly was having a fierce quarrel with his girl (milking cow is more precise).
‘I’m paying for all our expenses and now you’ll even put me into debt!’ Sally screamed. Rolly made a blunder by showing his ‘hit list’ as proof of his labor. Sally grabbed it and said, ’I don’t trust you no more! I can sell this myself.’
‘Hey! You don’t have to do that! I’ve got someone buying that tonight all ready!’ Rolly shouted back.
But Sally was already outside slamming the door.
Sally bakes and sells home-made cookies and pastries and Sam Maceda is her number one customer. Sam is 75 and was beginning to have amnesia. He was driving when he decided to stop by Sally’s favorite hang-out—the Sunshine Café.
After Sally left the apartment, Rolly was roughed-up by two thugs from whom he owed gambling debts.
‘I’ve got a hit list someone’s buying from me at nine tonight. If I could just get it from my girl, I’ll give it to you. Worth at least 20 grands.’ Rolly explained to the two.
‘Orright,’ Al Garcia growled. ‘Show us the girl with the list.’ He turned to his partner. ‘That okay?’
‘Beats waiting.’ Benny ‘BA’ Amante said with a shrug.
They saw Sally walking towards Sunshine and followed her.
But she went inside the big mall that the Sunshine cafe occupies and they lost her.
‘My buyer’s waiting for me in a nearby restaurant. You should let me talk to him before he leaves.’ Rolly told the thugs.
‘Go with him and watch them,’ Al said to his partner. ‘I’ll stay here and maybe spot Sally.’
Clyde saw Rolly arguing with the guard outside the door. He stood up and walked toward them.
‘Something wrong?’ He asked.
‘This man is insisting to go inside sir.’ The guard said.
‘I’ts okay. I know him. You can leave us pal.’ Clyde told him. The guard left.
‘My girl ran off with the list.’ RV said. ‘I have to get it from her. But I have to find her first.’
‘So find her.’
‘Ahh…you see it got complicated. That guy out there—Sally owes him a lot of money’ He lied. ‘ He’s the one who bruised my face and now he wants the list for