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MARCHING POWDER

for you, so I gave it to her. Julián was there, if you don't believe me. I made her count the money in front of him and sign for it.'

‘OK, OK. I need to think.' He sounded panicky. ‘Have you seen her since?’

‘No. But she said she was going straight up to visit you. Didn't she come?’

‘That bitch hasn't visited me once.’

‘I'm sorry, brother. She said you had asked for it. She's your wife — what was I supposed to do? I had no way of calling you up there.’

I had difficulty hearing his response, but I thought he said, ‘She's not my wife.’

‘Pardon?’ I moved the phone around again.

‘Doesn't matter. Anyway, listen, Thomas. Try to find her. Ring my house. Ring everyone you can. I'll try to find her too, but in the meantime, I need you to send me money with one of the wives you can trust. Right now. Anything. I'm desperate here, brother. I've got nothing.’

‘I'll try, but I've got nothing either.’

‘Well, then get the fucking money back that you made me lend to the Velascos. Do whatever you have to.’

The line then cut out. I didn't know whether he had to hang up or if we just lost the connection, but I had no way of calling him back. I forced Orlando to wait for ten minutes longer in case Abregon tried to phone again, and during that time I started to think about how it was all my fault for having given the money to his wife. The only thing I could do to make it up to him was to get the money back from the Velascos.

I couldn't get back to sleep at all that night. Thinking about Abregon suffering in Chonchocoro made every one of my muscles tense up. All the Velascos had to do was what was right in the first place: pay back the money. I'd sent them several messages since Abregon had been transferred, but they never answered. Abregon had saved the son's wife from going to jail, but now that he was in trouble himself, they refused to help. They were too cheap to admit the debt and too cowardly to face us. By morning, I was ready to kill them.

After lista I got even more wound up. Although I hadn't eaten breakfast, I did a line of coke and sent for Lucho. While I waited for him, the effects came on. I paced the room back and forth. I could feel my heart rate going up. I began having violent flashes of what I was

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