Last week we mentioned Alfredo’s meeting with the Sampson twins and how Goliath threatened him over the outstanding money Mariano owed for a number of drug pickups unaccounted for.
Alfredo walked away from the encounter no wiser than when he had arrived apart from finding out that his brother was in debt. ‘Could that have been the reason for his murder’, he thought. ‘Perhaps, they were blamable for carving him into pieces, and spreading him all over the beach. If it’s true then they are guilty and should be held accountable.'
Whether it was or wasn’t, he had been made responsible to pay the debt in its entirety. Certainly, he wasn’t vying (competing eagerly) with his brother who had left him in such a predicament. Although he hadn’t revered (deep respect or admiration for) Mariano, his moral obligation disturbed him, so that was why he’d attended the funeral in the first place which just happened to be close by to where they had arranged to meet, obviously on the same day and around the same time.
He couldn’t go to the police, as they had vowed to leave instructions with their crew that if anything happened to them then he would be sliced to pieces. And anyway, he had agreed to settle the debt over a twelve months period to settle Goliath down when he was endangering his life with a knife to his throat. Alfredo was a big boy and had the strength of an ox. He was also scared as to the outcome if he got the police involved, as that could backfire and they might hurt Natalie.
Meanwhile, Inspector Lee was following up a lead on one of Mariano’s neighbors. Ben had cursed him while brashly intimidating to throw one of his cats over the balcony. Apparently, he had lost his rag because Mariano was high and making too much noise partying the floor above him, so he couldn’t fall to sleep!
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Unaccounted (adj) = not included in (an account or calculation) through being lost or disregarded.
Wiser (adj) = cleverer, shrewder, astute, intelligent, prudent, sensible
Debt (n) = obligation, responsibility, liability, balance, dues
Blamable (adj) = blameworthy, blameful, censurable, culpable
Entirety (n) = total amount, sum, whole, entireness, totality, completeness
Vie (v) = compete, contend, contest, struggle, fight, rival, oppose. Past vied, whereas gerund form of this verb is vying which means to compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something. “Rival mobs vying for control of the liquor business."
Revere (v) =regular verb, when you revere someone or something you feel deep respect or admiration for them. Vowed (v) = past regular verb of verb to vow, (syn) swore, guaranteed, declared, pledged, give your word, promised, be determined
Settle (v) = to resolve, clear up, pay off, straighten out, patch up, or can be slow down, calm down, become calm, relax
Meanwhile (adv) = temporarily, in the meantime, for the time being
Cursed (v) = swearword, blasphemy, profanity, obscenity
Brashly (adv) = tastelessly or offensively loud, showy, bold, hasty, rash, or impudent, (syn) forcefully, rudely, obnoxiously, (ant) shyly