Chapter 348

"Well Sergeant Thompson how is the family?" I asked, when I finally got her on the phone. Yes I realized that calling a new homicide investigator, while there was a body floating in the river seemed pretty damn stupid. Then again maybe not, since I wasn't calling with anything to do with the floater.

"Everyone is fine and I hope you and your band of cut throats are as well," she said obviously referring to the Ex patriots who hung around the Cloak and Dagger.

"As far as I know they are all fine., I do know that I am just fine. I'm sure you are busy so let me cut right to it. Your mom has decided that I am the devil for some reason. I was hoping that you might suggest to her that we meet and iron out our differences," I suggested.

"I have nothing to do with my mother's business, and she has nothing to do with mine," she said.

"I see well I don't guess there was any harm in trying. Just thought I would mention it. So have a good day and be safe," I suggested. The worst the call could have done was put me into her mind. The truth is I expected her to call her mother just to ask what the hell was going on. When I called Althea the next day, she would most likely have heard my name mentioned enough time to be curious. Curiosity should lead her to either call me or at least agree to a meeting. That was just one scenario.

I ran the situation through my logic program and the only thing that made any more sense was that Althea wanted something from me. If she had opposed the project just on it's merits, she should not have let it be known that it was personal. No she wanted the meeting as much as I did. I just had to play along to find out what she wanted.

The best I could tell she was the god mother of the black good guys. There was probably a thug god father as well. I had no idea. If there was, he hadn't made himself known to me. As long as his business didn't effect me or my friends, then it was purely live and let live.

I was positive that Althea expected me to make the first move. After all I was the one who needed something. I didn't even mind making the overture. It was just how business was done in small town America. Come to think of it maybe it was how things were done among all humans.

I waited two days, then had Sylvia call her assistant to make the initial contact. The suggestion was lunch together at a place of her choice. If not that then a meeting in her office at a time of her choosing. What I did not authorize Sylvia to say, was that there would be a meeting somewhere and soon, regardless of Althea's response.

During those two days Sylvia took care of the day to day details of the Mill Village. Either Edsel or Jennifer was doing research on how I could be sure that the people I wanted to help, got the help they needed to buy inside the Village.

"I think I have a plan to finance the 'Village of the Damned',"Jennifer said when she called. "If you are agreeable, I will have Walter, the money man, meet us at the office one day this week. At that time we can lay it out for you."

"I'm going to bring Sylvia, since she is more closely involved in this than I am at the moment." I replied.

"No problem at all, Actually I expected her to be there." Jennifer said.

Jennifer sounded a little snippy. Surely she wasn't jealous, I thought. I smiled as I went to relay the information to Sylvia.

"I got a call back from Althea Thompson's assistant. You are on for lunch Friday at Sadie Mae's Cafe." she said.

"That's great, I can almost walk there," I said. Sadie Mae's was a legend in the black community. Sadie Mae was actually a man who had opened the comfort food style cafe in the fifties. It was a struggle, but legend has it he fed white cops free, in exchange for protection. The protection might well have been from the white cops.

Since everything politicians do is to send a message, the site of the meeting had to be a message as well. If she was trying to make me nervous, she needed to come up with a lot more than a restaurant filled with black people. Give them all guns and it might work. Short of that, I expected that I was a lot more dangerous with the cutlery than any of them.

"Edsel called, she has arranged the meeting with Walter the money man for Friday at 4PM." Sylvia informed me.

"Friday is going to be a busy day," I said.

"More than you think, we are going to have the model ready to open as well," Sylvia informed me.

"You don't need to be there do you?" I asked.

"No, I am going to show it by appointment only, until we have the open house. We need a little publicity before we do that," She admitted.

"It looks like your life is about to become complicated," I commented.

"Yes and I have exams coming up. The end of the year is almost here," she said. "We need to talk about what happens after I graduate. Just not right now."

"I agree with the not right now part. Let's just get past Friday, then we will have the talk." I suggested.

"That's the same thing I had in mind," Sylvia admitted.

For the next three days the business ran on auto pilot. Yes I had begun to think of it as a business. I never considered myself a business woman, but I did consider those around me competent to take care of my interest.

Friday morning I was met at Helen's by Peter. I hadn't forgotten about him, but I hadn't worried much about him either. I figured Sylvia was keeping up with him. "Good morning Ms. Stone, could I show you something." He asked before sitting down.

"Sure," I replied between gulps of coffee. Helen's was probably my Sadie Mae's, I thought. I had the meeting with Althea on my mind. Anyway Peter handed me his I phone. There was a picture of a comic book page, with something that looked a little like me, on it. "What the hell is this?" I asked.