Chapter 39

Three weeks after our interview with the cousin, Bitsy and I officially opened our partnership. We called it “Black & White Investigations”. I know it was kind of cheesy, but it did have a ring to it.

Even with Addie and the Chairman trying to help, It was a slow start. I had to make the business five grand in loans just to pay expenses during the first month.

We had entered into the contract which SJL wanted all along. We agreed to do all their jailhouse interviews for three hundred bucks within twenty five miles of Raleigh, and five hundred in any state geographically attached to North Carolina. Anything outside the area would require a special negotiation. We also agreed to do background computer checks for one hundred dollars each.

After a month we had our first insurance client. After six months we had three insurance companies in our portfolio. The work was still fly by night, and would remain so until we manage to bring Lillian into the business.

She managed to keep us both organized by phone and Email. I felt like she needed the stability of the group home, so I didn’t push anyone else to move to Siler City. To be honest I didn’t want to hang out with either of them that regularly.

“Mrs Everhart,” I greeted the house mother of Lillian’s group home.

“Mr Selfridge, it nice to finally get introduced to you,” she replied.

“Thank you. I realize what I’m asking it a little out of the ordinary, but I will make sure it doesn’t cause a problem for the house,” I promised.

“Well Lillian is one of my favorite tenants, and she swears that you are trustworthy, so I’m inclined to agree. You must submit your request in writing, but I will forward it to the advisory board with a favorable recommendation.” she promised.

Couple of weeks later I got permission to have a super fast internet connection installed into her room. I also purchased a small computer desk and a full sized powerful desk top computer. Lillian was an official employee of Black & White Investigations.

“Now listen Lillian, you are still on probation. You have to primarily work for the company to whom you are indebted. All this is just to work for B&W Investigation from home in your spare time. If it becomes a burden, we will work something else out.”

“Sarge, one of the other residents here would like to build your trailer for himself. Would that be possible?” she asked.

“Of course, but there are easier ways to get an electric bike. There are a few advantages to the trailer, but he might want to investigate the other options,” I suggested. “But sure tell him to build it if he wants, I have no objections. By the way do you still like yours?” I asked.

“Of course, Bill promised that he would check mine over, if you said it was okay,” she suggested.

“If you trust him, it’s fine,” I replied. “Just be careful. Especially the first time you ride it after he monkeys around with it.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “He can be a bit OCD, so I expect he will be very careful.

The first out of town prison interview I did alone was weird. It was in West Virginia. It was technically not covered by our contract. Also technically the SJL shouldn’t have any interest in the case of Charlie Perkins. Since I made the full months fixed expenses in the two days I was gone, I didn’t ask too many questions.

Perkins was due to get out after five years for an accidental Vehicular homicide. Addie wanted to keep him from being extradited. He was looking at a couple of more years for a DWI in North Carolina. The state wanted him to come stand trial, so that they would have a chance to interview him in relation to come other shit. Stuff he had been into before his arrest in West Virginia. If charlie could be extradited to North Carolina for the DWI, it would give the cops a chance to poke around the other things as well.

I had to find out about the NC DWI case to give Addie some information to fight the extradition. They were paying me seven hundred bucks to do a routine investigation. Bitsy could easily have done it. If she didn’t already have a list of interviews to do. The insurance Companies loved her. It was easy for her to move around in the black neighborhoods. She had worked out so well that we had to change our pay system to increase her monthly bonus.

Anyway that is why I found myself ten miles from the Mount Olive Correctional facility at 8PM on a Friday night. Since I hadn’t bought a new folder bike, I had a trailer hitch mounted bike carrier installed on my Kummer. Once it was attached to the car, I bought a five year old Denali road bike. I bought the twenty four inch bike for less than a hundred bucks. The kid who owned it obviously needed the money for pot. I didn’t judge him, I just had him sign a quick sales receipt for me. Just in case his dad saw me riding it in town.

The first thing I did even before my first ride was to strip off the chain, all the gear changing cables, and other related things. Of course I left the brakes on the bike, but I added rear view mirrors and a led headlight and tail light kit. I planned to use it just like I had the folder. It was much lighter than the folder had been. If I felt that I needed something tougher, I still had the mountain bike.

Since the winter had passed, I looked more like a bike rider. Not so much like a snow man riding a bike. In other words the thermals were gone by that May night. I rode the ten miles from my motel to the prison to have a look around before I headed back to wait for my Saturday appointment with Charlie Perkins. Addie and then Lillian arrange the appointment for eleven in the morning. I planned to be there at ten thirty with my shit all packed up to go home after the interview.

Perkins story was that he hit the tree and was so disoriented he sat down by the side of the car and drank approximately a pint of Jim Beam green label Kentucky bourbon. That was his story and there was no one to deny it. The cops did find him drunk and holding the bottle of Jim Beam when they arrived. His statement was part of the police report. He wasn’t likely to be convicted for that offense. The state wanted him, so he could be investigated for growing pot. There seemed to be someone trying to corner the weed market. Charlie Perkins was the best buddy of that grower. The local cops and the DEA wanted to flip him.

SJL wanted to protect his rights. They didn’t want the judicial system used to piggy back a DEA investigation. They felt like the states arrest warrant was going to be bull shit, so Addie wanted his statement to begin his request that the bench warrant for failure to appear to be quashed.

Since I needed the money, I didn’t bother with the ethics of the case. I just dealt with the ethics of my job. In the end it came down to the concerns of my own bottom line vs the freedom of a pot farmer. Guess which one I chose.

Riding the bike ten miles in the hilly terrain took a toll on me. I was sore during and after the interview, so I drove home filled with Tylenol. That proved to be typical of the kind of work we did at the time.

When Bitsy had a serious Surveillance gig, Lillian and I both helped out. The trailer and all the other toys worked just fine. Lilian helped us to re-purpose several types of consumer video camera’s for investigative tools. We often had to ride by a subject’s house when he was in the act of cutting his grass. We used the bike to stop and get a good photo of him or sometimes her with our high end cell phone.

After six months the reviews were in. We were quite the hit. As I always did, I made sure the two of them got the largest share of the profits. The business proved to be the right mix of work and down time to keep me from becoming bored. Lillian was proving herself to be a real asset doing computer research for both Bitsy and me. The two girls could get along without me and that actually made me feel good.

By the middle of June everything was pretty much routine. That is until Bitsy demanded a meeting. I had a suspicion that she wasn’t happy with our arrangements. I would have been happy to renegotiate them.

I stopped by to pick up Lillian from her home. We scheduled the meeting for a Sunday morning, so Lillian wouldn’t be at her real job.

“What is this meeting all about?” Lillian asked,

“I have absolutely no idea. Bitsy called for it not me,” I said. The meeting was being held in Bitsy’s favorite pancake house in Raleigh. I was surprised to find Addie there waiting for us.

“What is she doing here,” Lillian asked. I just shook my head.

“So what’s up?” I asked.

“Bitsy had me have our business planner take a look at your books. He made some recommendations. She wants to discuss it with you. I am here since ours is the only carved in stone contract, and it comes up for renewal next month now seemed like a good time for this meeting. You know the fiscal year ends June thirty,” Addie said.

“I had forgotten that,” I admitted. “So where is Bitsy?”

“I’m here,” Bitsy said from behind me.

“This all sounds serious, so let’s get down to the bottom line.” I suggested. “Do you think your cut needs to be larger or something?”

“Not at all. Actually the accountant said that you are being grossly underpaid.”

“This concerns you how?” I asked.

“Look Ray,” she began.

“Well this is going to be serious. Just spit it out Bitsy, what do you want,” I suggested.

“Okay, I want to dissolve our partnership. Frankly, I want to make the insurance work the only thing I do,” she admitted. “I can make it grow and you don’t want to grow it.”

“So you want me out. Just pay back half the start up loan and I’m out of here,” I said angrily.

“Don’t be upset Sarge. It’s nothing personal,” Bitsy said before I interrupted her.”

“I know it’s just business,” I said it for her.

“Exactly,” she said.

“Over the last six months you put fifty K into the business. You drew less than half that out in total. I figure I owe you at least the fifty K, plus you keep all the toys.”

“Do you have that kind of money?” I asked.

“I would have to go looking, but I could borrow it,” she said.

“You mean you could, if you could cut me loose?” I asked.

“Yes you and Lillian,” she was looking down when she added that.

“So you want to get rid of Lillian and me cause you don’t think we would add any value to the company. Bitsy you built the insurance part of the business. As far as I’m concerned, make a plan to repay me the start up money, and it’s yours before I finish my pancakes. But you should rethink your decision to terminate Lillian, she brings a lot to the table for you.”

The business consultant Addie brought in, suggested it for various reasons,” Bitsy said.

“Let me say something please. If Sarge goes, so do I. There is no need to talk about it.” Lillian said.

“Well, that settles it. Draw up a repayment agreement, and I’ll hand it all over to you,” I said.

“Not quite all,” Addie said.

“SJL and another defense group want to hire you to keep interviewing the incarcerated and even the prisoners waiting trial. Since you are retired you should enjoy the challenges. We also want you to provide research in addition to your interviews and surveillance services. In other words the same arrangement as before, but with a second client. The new contract will be more in line with industry fees,” she said. “No you won’t make as much money as black and white did, but you will probably get to keep more of it.”

“Addie, I don’t need the charity gig,” I tried to explain.

“You are crazy. What you bring to the table no one else can. You are worth so much more than you ever charged. We aim to fix that,” she said. “It’s a win, win, win.”

“Let me talk it over with my new partner Lillian,” I suggested.

“So we are all good?” Addie asked.

“No,” I said simply. “But it’s just business. By the way what’s your relationship to the law firms who are interested in hiring us.”

“What makes you ask?” she said.

“Come on too many of the people I interview lately should not be of interest to SJL,” I noted.

“I don’t know how much longer SJL will be around,” she said. “We may be investigated for our accounting practices.”

“Are you in jeopardy,” I asked.

“I don’t think so,” she replied. “But I admit that I am looking for a place to land.”

“Well do what you need to do to stay safe. If I can help let me know,” I said. I sat at the table until everyone but Lillian had gone.

“So what does this mean for us?’ she asked.

“It should mean we won’t be too busy,” I explained to her. “Don’t worry we should be okay.”

“I am not going to worry. I just want to make plans,” she explained.

“Nothing is going to change, so don’t worry,” I said again.

“Could I go home with you?” she asked.

“Probably not a good idea,” I suggested.

“I think it’s a great idea,” she admitted.

Then you need to stop by for your work clothes. In the morning I’ll drive you to work before I ride,” I explained.

“Easy peasy,” she informed me with a huge smile. I couldn’t help it, I smiled as well. I had no choice about the home visit, I couldn’t say no to her. Even in the group home, I was sure she was lonely.

The next morning we drove to an early breakfast at Tonya’s diner. Tonya was happy to see Lillian. She spent more time at our table that morning, than anytime since we stopped dating. They seemed to hit it off well. Lillian was liked by everyone it seemed.

I didn’t get back to my place until 10AM. I went instantly to the chopped up road bike. The light weight bike make easy work of the short route. I made good time on the twenty mile round trip route. I took a shower and redressed for the day. It was the start of summer, so more showers were the order of the day for me.

Since I didn’t have a case to work, I cut the grass. It meant even more exercise but that wasn’t a bad thing. Right in the middle of the yard cutting, Addie called. I allowed it to go to voice mail. I didn’t want to deal with the company breakup. I knew one thing for sure, it was my last ever partnership. I had worked that out during my morning ride, and reinforced it during my lawn cutting twenty minutes.