Chapter 36

On the morning I left Addie’s town house, Tiger and I went the office early. It was 6 AM, so I let him off the lead to wander around the empty strip mall parking area. I called him back, when he got close to the edge of the parking lot. I sat in the cold of an early December morning trying to think of a plan going forward. Of course I couldn’t come up with a thing.

I figured I would just wander into my next thing. I did not expect that the next thing would include a commitment to the SJL. I just didn’t like the idea of being that busy. Okay, I also admit that I didn’t relish the idea of Addie that involved in my life.

Screwing Addie had been a huge mistake. I was better off as a loner. I had a hell of a lot more experience in that than in gentle society. I decided that I owed Allen, her neighbor, an apology. I also knew he stood as much chance of getting one from me, as he did from Tiger. I hate bullies and Allen was a bully. His mistake was in his lousy intel. He hadn’t make sure his intended victim was a suitable target.

Around 7:30 I took tiger across the semi busy road to a wooded area. I let him off leash again. He explored it and found himself a suitable spot to deposit the remains his cafe breakfast. Tiger and I returned to the strip mall to await the arrival of someone with an office key. The wait helped me calm down. I still had the lost feeling of one who knows he needs to make a decision, but doesn’t like any of the options.

The receptionist arrived first. Tiger greeted her with a wagging tail and lots of sniffs. I just greeted her with a nod. To her credit she did know my name.

“Lose your key?” she asked.

“Never had a key. I’m just passing through. I would like to come in to make a cup of coffee. That shit they call coffee at the coffee shop on the other end of the strip doesn’t appeal to me. Not to mention I’m too cheap to pay five bucks for coffee. So, if you don’t object, I’ll follow you inside. I might even teach you how to make cowboy coffee,” I explained.

“You know I’d like that, but they have a fancy thing here,” she said.

“I know. When you don’t work for the money to buy your shit it’s all about convenience, and status.” I admitted. “So how did you like your first day?”

“It was fine but there was a lot going on. I felt lost most of the time,” she explained.

“Hell I was right in the middle of the shit, and I didn’t understand it either,” I said. “So don’t feel bad. This place is just the blind leading the almost blind.”

She at least smiled at that. The coffee was finished by that time, so I disappeared into Mason’s office. I had the office but I didn’t have anything to do.

“Edna do you have any of those post it things? Oh yeah and a pencil or pen?” I asked.

She showed up a moment later with both. I wrote a note to Addie. ‘Sorry had to go home for today. I’ll make the interview next time ... me’

I stuck it on Addie’s door on my way out with Tiger in tow. Tiger and I headed home in the Silver Gray Kummer. The drive took an hour and it got me home just at the wrong time to ride my bike, but I needed to ride while I tried to come up with a plan.

I rode for almost two hours, and come home with no plan at all. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just knew what I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to work for the SJL even as an Independent investigator. Going back to work for Martin was an even bigger non starter.

The phone played ‘Summer Breeze’ to alert me to the call. I had expected it. “Hello Bitsy, frankly I expected Addie to do her own threatening.”

“No threatening, am I still on for the trainee gig?” she asked.

“Sure, me not showing up for an interview has nothing to do with you,” I explained.

“Good, I’m looking forward to gathering a full file on you,” she said.

“There is no file on me,” I explained.

“Then, I will start one,” she demanded.

“Waste your time if you want, but learn something at the same time,” I suggested.

“Why the hell don’t you just do the interview and lie your ass off. Just get it over with,” Bitsy advised.

“I can’t be bothered,” I said expecting that to end it.

“I am authorized to beg,” she said with a laugh.

“Compromise? tell the boobs to meet me tomorrow afternoon in the caboose park. I will talk to her then. But no fancy shit, what she sees is what she gets,” I suggested.

The call came at 3PM. It was announced by the classic ‘Signs’.

“Betty,” I said into the phone. “I’m in middle of ordering a wireless keyboard for the new super computer Lillian wants for Christmas. So what can I do for you?”

“My camera operator and I are going to be in the park at two tomorrow. Get your ass down there. I should have remembered how you jerked me around last time,” she explained.

“Betty try to remember you want something for nothing. You want me to interrupt my day to sit down and talk to you just to stroke my ego. I just don’t need the shit an interview with you brings to me.”

“Just get your ass down there tomorrow,” she demanded.

“So dominant,” I said. “I’ll be there in at two and wait ten minutes.” I agreed. Then I opened the door for Tiger and off we went. Trotting right along.

First thing I noticed when I awoke the next morning was that it was raining, not hard but steady. Tiger and I didn’t want to go out but he had to. Fortunately I could pee inside. By noon the rain had stopped and the sun came out all hot and bright. By two the roads and the park benches were dry.

I saw Betty boobs holding court on a park bench, while her camera lady filmed it. I recognized Bitsy at first glance as the person being filmed. I moved quietly to stand behind the camera tech. Like a true professional Betty gave me the introduction.

“Ray Selfridge, the fixer, just walked up. Come on over Ray,” she said.

“Nobody calls me Ray, unless I owe them money,” I said.

“Well, I did buy the coffee last time we met,” admitted to the camera.

“So Betty, what brings you to Siler City?” I asked.

“I’m here to talk to you and your partner,” she said.

“Ah you mean Bitsy. So has Bitsy told you all about the current SJL projects,” I asked giving her a chance to shine.

“Yes she has as a matter of fact. It is my understanding that you are going to enter into a formal agreement to do investigations and consulting for the Southern Justice League.” Betty Boobs suggested.

“That is still in the planning stage. Nothing has been finalized. Bitsy and I haven’t even had a chance to discuss our arrangements. There is more than a casual interest, but less than a contract,” I admitted on tape.

“Tell me why did you get so involved in the criminal investigation of Laura Welch?” Betty asked to bait me. I knew what she was up to. It was stupid. She should have known that I would recognize it for what it was. She wanted me to throw dirt at the local cops. I chose to avoid pissing them off.”

“It wasn’t a criminal investigation. If it had been, I wouldn’t have gone near it. It was just another run away.” I said. “A friend of the victim hired Bitsy and me to find Laura. We did that and along the way we found out what happened to her.”

“Your record on this sortap of thing is excellent,” Betty suggested.

“I don’t think so Betty. I fail a lot more than I succeed,” I said. “Bitsy and Lillian should get all the credit for finding Laura and her killer.”

“But, you did orchestrate the confession,” Betty said.

“I’m not sure I would go that far. “Bitsy come on talk to our friend Betty. I have to take Tiger home for dinner. He gets cranky when he doesn’t get fed on time.” With that I walked away, got into my car and headed home.

I did drive Tiger home, but I didn’t feed him. I left him closed in the house while I went for my early morning, and evening rides combined. I rode the folding bike two hours out into the country, then I rode it back two hour, with a short detour into the neighborhood.

I was pretty much exhausted after I rolled the bike into the storage building. I had a return of the pain in my hips. It was worse when I walked away without the bike to lean on. Obviously I had overdone the workout. I made myself a promise not to change my riding schedule for publicity or sex ever again.

I limped inside to prepare my dinner. Tiger of course had been waiting for me to prepare his dinner as well. First I checked the unanswered messages on my phone. I never, ever split my attention when I ride the bike. Hell I didn’t even do that when I drove the Kummer.

I listened to Bitsy’s message first. She wanted to tell me she was leaving Sunday morning for her drive to DC. I sent her a text message with Lucy’s gym name, and phone number. I ended it with have fun ... sarge

The next message was from Addie. ‘We need to talk about an agreement. Call me... ‘ I didn’t call.

I suffered all afternoon then slept lousy that night. The joint pain in my hips flared up again big time. I didn’t plan on going to the research triangle metro area that day, so I slept in until the sun was about to rise. I let Tiger out to pee while I limped into the small bathroom to do the same thing. I gave him his breakfast on the deck, because I planned to ride a shorter version of my normal morning route. The painful flare up forced a change of plans. I stayed off the bike for the next few days.

Two weeks later, I rode out twenty minutes then back again. I also did a quicker than usual neighborhood sweep. Everything was quiet in SC it seemed. I couldn’t decide what to do, so I gave in to taking another nap. The idea was to speed the recovery of the joint damage. It seemed that Tiger approved of the nap since he joined me in it. It had been over two weeks since the marathon ride, and I was finally getting some relaxation in the pain level without drugs. I wasn’t sure the ride brought the attack on, but something I did had to have caused the problem.

My Orthopedist told me during my two recent visits to her, to just slow down. I told her that my partner was out of town so I didn’t plan to striking a lick at a snake. That was still my plan, I thought.

Two hours into my best sleep in two weeks, the phone played ‘We Built This City On Rock and Roll’. My first thought was that the pain in my back was almost gone. My hips were still a little sore but not nearly as bad. My second thought was that the number was another ‘unk’ number.

“This better be good,” I said. I obviously was not trying to win friends or influence people. I was concentrating on pain management not customer relations.

“What?” The unknown caller asked.

“Never mind, what can I do for you.” I asked.

“You can keep my daughter alive,” the man’s voice stated.

“You probably need the police,” I suggested.

“No Sergeant I need you. I need someone who is capable of more than one thought at a time. If I don’t have someone like that, I won’t be able to sleep at night,” the unknown voice said.

“I’m not really a bodyguard,” I said. “If you have a ton of money I can recommend someone?”

“I have money, but Cindy Has more,” he suggested.

“To be honest I am recovering from an injury. What I am trying to say is that I’m not one hundred percent at the moment,” I said.

“What am I going to do?” he asked.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but if your daughter is in danger, you need someone who is fit and on his toes. Make some more calls I’m sure you will find someone who is more fit,” I suggested.

I checked my phone and placed a call to Bitsy in DC. “When the hell are you coming back, or are you not coming back,” I asked. “Call me damn it.”

Since I was awake I tried the twenty minutes out and twenty minutes back ride. I made it back with only minor pain. I managed to stumble around the house while I cooked dinner. I guess you can call heating a microwaveable box of precooked spaghetti cooking. Okay it was probably a stretch, but I really didn’t feel like standing for more than ten minutes at a time.

Yes, the bike ride was a struggle, but it was something I felt that I needed to do. Cooking, on the other hand, just didn’t seem that important. After dinner, I found the energy to take out the trash. The fancy trash can from the city had a lid that was high enough off the ground to prevent Tiger and his friends from searching for scraps.

Lucy called me before Bitsy did. “Do you want to know how your girl did?” she asked.

“She is not my girl, but sure. Is she coming back with any broken bones or black eyes?” I asked

“I give her a four and a half out of five. She needs more seasoning, but Sarge she has all the tools to be a cracker jack partner for you. I wouldn’t have a problem going through a door with her. Walking through the woods to wipe out a patrol, I just don’t know. She is likely to try to find a reason not to shoot someone, while she is getting shot. Would she allow you to get shot? Absolutely not.

Martin told me to tell you, that if you train her for a year, he will give her a job.”

“That’s not much of a recommendation. If I spend a year with her, she won’t want to work for you guys,” I said with a laugh.

“So, was she trained by a MMA champion,” I asked.

“No, she was trained by a woman who plans to see you alive for the next ten Christmases,” Lucy said. “She will have your back I guarantee it.”

“That’s all I need to hear. What do you hear from Tasha,” I asked.

“Believe it or not, Tasha wanted to hear about your work with SJL. She and her dad flew into DC. He worked on oil leases, and she picked Bitsy’s brain. I think there is a fixer two on the way.”

“Oh hell no,” I said.

“You know damn well you can’t stop her, if she wants to do it,” Lucy said.

“Any more than I could stop you from staying with Martin,” I said.

“Someone had to keep his head above the water. I’ll send Bitsy home on Saturday. You probably should warn people she is not someone to mess with,” Lucy suggested.

“You mean you changed her that much in two weeks?” I asked.

“She got into the ring with me, or Tasha every night. That worked wonders for her confidence,” Lucy replied emphatically.