The Big Enchilada

Domingo.”
    The room was filled with the sound of the gun exploding. The bullet hit Domingo in the middle of his large belly. The entry hole was small, but the exit wound was about the size of a basketball. Most of Domingo’s internal organs were propelled out of that hole, splattering obscenely on the wall behind him. The fat man fell to the floor, a thick, red puddle immediately forming around him.
    Ratchitt looked at the mess without much interest. “My, my. Dum-dums. Don’t you know that’s illegal?”
    “So are lots of things. You going to bust me?”
    “No, Hunter, I’m going to kill you.”
    “That’ll be messy.”
    “For you, perhaps. Not for me. In fact, it will solve my troubles. You see, I happened to come in here just as you blasted Domingo. I ordered you to drop your gun. You took a shot at me, fortunately missing. I had no choice but to shoot you. I aimed to wound, but in the heat of battle, my aim was off and I killed you. That’s the way things go. I’ll leave a few bags of heroin around to show what the fight was about. I’ll take the rest of the stuff and hide it. I should be a big hero. I got a killer and I broke up a dope ring. In a few months, I’ll retire from the force. Between the dope and the blackmail, my retirement should be most pleasant. Perhaps the South of France. What do you think?”
    While he had been talking I had worked my hand under the cushion in what I hoped looked like a nervous gesture. I got my hand on the stock and my finger on the trigger. I sure as hell hoped the safety was off.
    “The South of France is okay,” I said. “I guess this means you won’t do me a favor?”
    “I’m doing you a big favor, Hunter. I’m ending all your difficulties.... Now, I’m afraid I have a lot to do, and we won’t be able to talk any longer. I would enjoy using your own gun on you—it makes such a nice large hole—but I’m afraid I will have to use my own.”
    He transferred my gun to his other hand and reached inside his jacket to his shoulder holster. It was now or never, as they say. I threw myself off the couch, bringing up the gun and firing at the same time. I caught him right beside his nose and saw his face fall apart. He was dead before he dropped.
    That was that. And that was a little closer than I liked. The end result was just what I had planned. The way we got there was not quite as smooth as I had intended.
    I got up and looked the scene over. Just about perfect. Ratchitt had the right idea; I was only going to change the combination of the players.
    I wiped my prints off the gun I held and put it in Domingo’s hand. Ratchitt held my gun, which became his weapon when I took the gun from his holster. What we now had was one of those terrible tragedies—a shoot-out with each participant simultaneously killing the other. Mountain was an early casualty of the episode. It wouldn’t hold up to a lot of scrutiny, but I was counting on Green to make sure it was accepted at face value.
    I called Green. I told him the police department had a new hero. Thomas Ratchitt had single-handedly broken up a heroin ring, killing the big boss in the process. Unfortunately, he, too, had met his death, felled in the line of duty. I gave him the address of Casa Domingo.
    “So you’ve left another two bodies for me to clean up? Is that what you’re saying, Hunter?” “Actually, there’s a third body, but I wouldn’t worry about it.”
    “I know you’re not worrying. Maybe you should start.” “Look, Green, you couldn’t want anything better. A big porno-sex-dope operation has been smashed, a crooked cop has been taken care of, everything holds together, and no one’s going to ask embarrassing questions. You’re a hero. Enjoy it.”
    “And what about you?”
    “I’ll leave your jurisdiction until this settles down. See you around.” He started to sputter protests, but I hung up.
    I wasn’t worried about him. He’d keep me out of it. He had to, or he knew I’d be talking. And if I talked he wouldn’t look very good, being an accessory to a whole string of felonies. Yeah, it was okay.
    I looked at the two suitcases. I thought about taking some of the heroin but decided against it. Too complicated. Why fuck up a good thing?
    Now the suitcase with the blackmail material, that was a different story. You never knew when the assistance of influential friends might be helpful. I snapped the suitcase closed and was about to leave when I remembered something.
    I