THE DAWNING

Carlos the young gangbanger who had choked Paco was still in the infirmary. It was confirmed that he had definitely lost his eye. There was tension in the jail between the gangs. Rollo's gang Los Noche Negro and Hose's older established gang - Los Manos De Infernos lived at peace on the streets but Hose had fueled up a rivalry between them behind bars.
Word got back to Rollo quick that the hit on Paco had gone awry. He was furious. He called a meeting of several of his friends and set it up for after his shift ended. He punched out early took his paycheck and while standing in line at ACE'S CASH YOUR CHECK on South Central spotted a hand drawn picture with a notice -REWARD $25,000 reward for information concerning CHOP SHOP KILLING OF BIG PETE PEREZ. Goes by the name ROLLO. He pulled out his check and was about to hand it over to the clerk when he realized that the check was written to Rollo Rodriguez. Thinking quickly he pulled out his wallet and handed the girl a twenty-dollar bill.
" You got change for a twenty?"
She handed him the change and he went to his car. His emotions ranged from anger to paranoia and his heart was beating so rapidly that it felt like a sledgehammer. The walls around his anominity were closing in. There was only one person who could identify him and he was determined to step on him and grind him into the dirt. 'Kill or be killed' he rationalized.
As he drove up to the top of South Mountain he started thinking about how many people knew him, knew where he lived and how few of those would be loyal with a twenty five thousand dollar reward riding on his head. The thought caused a layer of ice to form around his heart. He doubted if he could even count on his girlfriend the mother of his child to remain loyal. He wondered how he could sell off the remaining gold coins and get some more cash. He knew every day in town increased his chances of being caught. The windy road offered little in terms of release to his troubled mind. The setting sun cast a pale red color over the mountains causing the valley below to glow as if it were on fire but his emotions were impervious to the awesome beauty on display in front of him. All he felt was death. It was starting to dawn on him the heinous nature of the crime he had committed. For love of gold he had snuffed out another life and also put his own life in jeopardy. He wished he had just stolen the coins and left Big Pete alive.. He parked his car on top of the mountain where a few scattered tourists looked out at the spreading city of Phoenix. The lights below were just starting to flicker.
It was a transcendental moment he felt like he had lived it before but that knowledge provided him little comfort with how to proceed. He wondered how many people he would have to silence. As he glanced over hesaw two of his fellow gangbangers pull up. Roco and Telli got out of the car and swaggered gangland style over to him. Roco reached in his back pocket and pulled out a wadded up sheet of paper.
" There's a price on your head bro." Roco thrust the paper at Rollo. "It won't be long before every chollo is looking for you. It's true isn't it? You pulled the Chop Shop job?"
" Yea, it's true." Rollo acknowledged exchanging gangster-greeting handshakes. "I can't have no regrets."
" Is that why Louis and Juan disappeared so quickly?" Telli asked. "Nobody has seen them since then."
" Yea." Rollo answered. "I should have gone with them."
" A million dollars you guys nailed Big Pete for a million dollars." Roco bragged as if identifying with the crime made him more important like it was milestone event.
" It wasn't close to a million dollars. When you fence stuff off you don't get what it's worth you get what the fence wants to pay you. Especially when they know it's hot. We got about seven grand each. I still got several coins. Look."
Rollo showed them his small bag with the coins in it. "Don't take them out they are supposed to be pretty much scratch less. That's how collectors like them. This one is worth ten thousand if it wasn't hot. I got to find a way to dump em and leave town."
" What about little Pablo? Teresa?" Telli asked
" Can't take a kid and a woman on the run Telli. I got to go solo." Rollo stated knowing they would understand. "I've left her some money, she'll be O.K.."
Telli felt like he owed a lot to Rollo for all that had done for him in the past years. "I've got an uncle Gabriel in Albuquerque maybe he can help you out. He's my dad's brother owns a pawnshop but fences a lot under the table. I am sure he could fetch you a good price. Look we'll take care of your problem." Telli pulled his shirt up revealing the gun to give the message. "It was a fluke the kid survived in jail. He can't stay hidden forever. When he surfaces we'll pop him. You just get out of here. Head out towards Albuquerque and I'll call you at my uncle's number's."
*

Chi Chi answered the phone in his office. A young female voice was on the line.
" Is this the reward hotline?" the female caller spoke.
" Yes." Chi Chi answered. "Do you have some information on the man Rollo from the poster."
" Yea." The voice responded. "How do I know he is not going to find out I told about him and he won't shoot me?"
" We are not going to reveal the identity of the person who tells us. Only the teller at the bank is going to know when you make a deposit and if you don't tell her where the twenty five thousand dollars came from we are not going to either."
" Alright." My name is Katerina Filberto. "Next door to where I live with my parents is a gangbanger named Rollo. He looks just like the drawing. Nobody in the neighborhood ever says anything to him. Everyone is afraid of him. He used to live in the house with his mom but she died he has a girlfriend and they have a baby. Real cute.'
Chi Chi was stoked. The reward idea had worked and now he had his first link to the real killer. "What's your address and phone number?"
" You sure he's not going to find out?" She asked again feeling the panic.
" I promise. First of all he's never going to find out who told us secondly once the police find him they are going to lock him up so tight he'll never get out."
" I live at 2451 W. Eldorado Park it's right behind the Circle K by Thomas."
" Do you know his address?"
" No but we're on the corner and he's right next to us. It's a small brick house with green trim. He got a 1964 Blue Impala all tricked out. Can't miss it. When do I get my money?"
" As soon as we confirm that this is the same Rollo on the picture. You are the first one to call in so I am sure there won't be a problem getting you your reward. What's your phone number?"
After Chi Chi hung up the phone he called Marisa. She put him on hold and called Officer Tommy Mendoza a close friend. He agreed to go over to Rollo's house with Chi Chi. Mendoza was off duty and saw no problem going to Rollo's address to provide backup for Chi Chi.. They met at the Circle K.
" We have no arrest warrant so if they don't let us in we've got no right to enter." Mendoza stated
" I know. I just want to get a look at the guy. If it is the same guy that abducted Paco then maybe he's the same one who murdered Big Pete."
` "What makes you so sure your kid didn't do it?" Mendoza questioned.
" Gut instinct. Sometimes you just got to go with your gut instincts. Paco's not a killer."
" Let's go in my car." Mendoza said. "Let me go to the door. You keep a little in the background. I'm wearing my Kevlar vest if there is any shooting I don't want any civvies getting in the crossfire. Capice?"
`"Yea. I thought capice was Italian?" Chi Chi smiled
" I'm Mexitalian. My mom was a gumba my pop Mexican. They had their own language. Let's roll."
Chi Chi was impressed by the confidence Tommy displayed. He saw right away the qualities Marisa saw in him. They pulled up in front of Rollo's house. The lights were on. A young girl came to the door holding a squirming baby."
" Can I help you?" She asked. "Are you one of Rollo's friends?"
" No." Tommy answered. "We're looking for him hoping he can answer a few questions. Is he here?"
" No he never came home from work. He is usually home by now just to see our baby. Almost all of his friends have called everybody says they have seen his picture on a reward poster."
" Like this?" Tommy pulled out a folded reward poster.
Teresa looked at the pencil drawing and was surprised how much it looked like Rollo. "That looks just like him. What is the reward for?"
Chi Chi piped in. "He is not wanted by the police for anything except to answer a few question about Big Pete Perez. Did Rollo ever talk about Big Pete?"
" Yeah he used to go over there. He hasn't talked about him much lately."
" Do you have a recent picture?" Tommy questioned.
" Yeah. I have one from the State Fair last year with me and the baby in it. I'll get it for you."
Tommy looked in her living room and saw the new television, stereo, furniture when she came back he was ready to ask a few more questions.
She handed him the picture. "He's very proud of little Pablo."
" Teresa do you mind if I ask you a question? Has Rollo had a lot of extra money lately?'
" Yea. He said he won it gambling out on the Indian Reservation. Why?"
" Seems like your television and stuff probably cost quite a bit are they new?"
" Yea. He bought a bunch of stuff for the house from his winnings but he has a janitor job that also pays pretty good." She looked at the clock nervously. "He should have been home right now."
Tommy handed her his card. "Do you mind if we take this picture. We'll get it back to you tomorrow. This is my number please call me when he comes home we want to ask him a few questions. By the way what kind of car does he drive?"
" Sixty-four blue Impala. I'll tell him to call you."
They left her alone and went back to the car.
" He definitely could be the killer." Tommy agreed. "That television and stereo must have cost a mint. That's usually what punks do when they make a big score they go out and blow it on things for their crib. Look Chi Chi I don't want to be a pessimist but something tells me Rollo is long gone. The flyers flushed him out of his hole and now he's running for his life."
" So what are you saying?" Chi Chi questioned disappointed that he had gotten away.
" The arm of the law is long. We'll just have to hope he comes up for air and when he does we'll have to bring him in. Maybe I can get a search warrant for his house and get some prints there were quite a few at the crime scene that were never identified. In the meantime let's go, we can't sit around if he hasn't been back it's because he knows somebody from the hood will turn him in. I'll ask my captain if he'll consider a stake out."