Chapter 5

Everyone slept in. It had been a long night, even longer in Maya’s and Keiko’s room where they returned with Nat, playing dress up and make up with the precocious transvestite. Joe and Estella pretty much passed out when the others left.

When Joe awoke close to noon, Estella a bit slower awakening, he called the neighboring room and it took three rings before Maya answered. “Are you awake, or...?” Joe asked.

“We are now,” Maya mumbled.

“I wanted to bring Nat to his mother and then head to Honey’s.”

“Breakfast first?”

“It’s pretty much lunchtime.”

“Whatever. There’s a coffee machine here which will help.” She asked what the others in the room wanted for lunch, and Joe wrote it down. “We’ll be there in a few minutes,” she finished.

Joe called down the order while Estella brewed up their own coffee. She let him piss first before she did her ablutions, finishing about when the order arrived, as did their neighbors, Nat done up in a blouse and skirt, though without make-up.

Everyone chowed down, Nat especially, gobbling a cheeseburger and fries and drinking a large Coke. Others took the brunch route with omelets.

Joe also ate quickly in order to take a quick shower and shave, bringing his clothes with him to change in privacy. Once he was done, everyone was ready to head out.

“Would you mind if we stayed and gambled?” Keiko asked.

Joe looked at Maya. “We may have some business to take care of.”

“You can call me,” Maya shrugged.

Joe nodded.

He and Estella drove Nat to the safe house for a reunion with his mother who seemed fine with his outfit. “Do you think we could return to the apartment?” she asked Joe.

“I don’t know if it’s safe,” Joe told her.

“Just to pick up Nat’s stuff.”

“If you give me his sizes, I could get him clothes,” Harvey, the caretaker of the safe house offered.

Joe could tell Nat wasn’t trusting of Harvey’s taste.

“How about one change of clothing, and we’ll go shopping later,” Joe countered.

Nat smiled at that idea.

“Will we be able to get back to the apartment eventually?” Sylvie asked.

“Probably,” Joe answered.

“You can stay here as long as you want,” Harvey told her.

“Honestly I prefer it here,” Sylvie told them. “Too many bad memories.”

Joe could see a friendship had developed between the two. Harvey was a few years younger than Sylvie and was part of the nerdier side of the operation, on the plain and shy side, and Sylvie retained her prettiness and had filled out a bit, though not fat.

“I meant what I said,” Harvey grinned.

Sylvie grinned back.

“Before you go,” Harvey said to Joe, and waved him to a study. Estella followed them in and closed the door.

“Are we closer to the top?” Joe asked.

“You met Gene, right?” Harvey asked, pecking away at his computer.

“Jack’s detective pal,” Joe nodded.

“Gene’s partner, Harry, investigated that bodyguard’s place.” He opened up a page of photos of older men with younger men, most about Nat’s age, some including Nat.

“Shit,” Joe muttered.

“You know any of them?” Harvey asked.

Joe looked closer, though he didn’t want to. He only recognized one. “Isn’t that some rock guy?” he asked.

“Brick Stone of the Jesters, formerly at least.”

“You’re kidding?” Estella laughed. “Brick Stone?”

“Brick should have given it away,” Joe chuckled.

“How come?” Harvey asked.

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? Never mind. Should I know the others?”

“Mostly local power. Politics and Justice with a couple CEOs, one of whom is a Mormon do-gooder. A couple I don’t recognize either.”

“Probably out of towners like the Saudi,” Joe figured.

“Probably. But one of them is Harry’s and Gene’s boss.”

“Shit,” Joe said.

“Harry’s got it covered,” Harvey insisted.

“Before the shit show that Jim started.”

Harvey decided not to react to Joe’s snark. Truth be told, Joe hadn’t encountered any off the rails shit that felt that off the rails from the group. Any deaths seemed appropriate and not overkill like this had been. The royal had been a pederast, but his entire entourage?

Instead Harvey moved on. “The thing is everything stopped at the bodyguard.”

“Everything as in...?”

“As in the blackmail. Nothing looks like he sent it on or anything.”

“So this isn’t some network.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“What are you saying?”

“That it was only the bodyguard’s thing. The blackmail. He communicated with someone in charge, or at least higher up then him...”

“No local.”

“No. Someone in Kansas of all places. Kansas City, Kansas.”

“Sounds fishy,” Joe said.

“Because it is,” he heard from the computer speakers.

“Hey, Jackie.”

“Joe. The location is a telephone service. The dirty kind.”

“But it’s not a 900 number,” Jerry asked.

“And every other one is,” Jackie answered.

“So it would be a signal,” said Estella. “Any idea who runs the place?”

“Working on it.”

“I don’t suppose any of our group is around there?”

“Chicago’s the closest.”

“What if we call the number?” Estella persisted.

“There might be some password,” Joe shook his head.

“Or we could talk to one of the operators using one of the 900 numbers.”

“And if she won’t want to talk?” Havey asked.

“Bribery goes a long way,” Jackie suggested.

“And if they don’t trust us?”

“The carrot and the stick,” both Joe and Jackie said. Jackie’s image disappeared.

“The carrot and the stick?” Estella asked.

“Either take the bribe or we’ll come after her,” Joe answered.

“With what kind of heat?”

“The kind where the system’s about to get fucked because someone’s using it for blackmailing.”

“So not the good guy kind of heat.”

“Nope.”

“And if she doesn’t go for it?”

“Chicago isn’t that far, and they’ve just been sent,” said Harvey, tapping at the computer keyboard.

“So you’re sure the blackmail is local?” Joe asked.

“Nothing’s been sent as far as I can tell. My guess is the idiot planned to pay these assholes a visit if he hasn’t already.”

“Can you check the assholes’ accounts and any coincidental uptick in the idiot’s account?”

“On it,” Harvey replied.

Estella and Joe left him to it.

“What’s going on with Ned?” Sylvie asked.

“Can we step outside?” Joe asked her.

“Okay.”

When they did, Joe asked, “Does Nat know Ned is his father?”

“He figured it out not all that long ago. I’m not very good at lying, especially to Nat.”

“So what will he think when he finds out Ned is dead?”

“Ned’s dead? I just thought...”

“Long story,” Joe sighed.

“I suppose I’m to blame for that. For Jack, too.”

“The guys who beat the shit out of him and shot him are to be blamed for Jack, okay? And as for Ned, I’m much more to blame for his death than you are.”

“Honestly it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Sylvie muttered. “As for my son, I’m not sure how he’ll react. Ned always acted like the rich uncle around him. The one who takes him out to somewhere fun or buys him gifts and so forth. That changed when Ned could no longer ignore Nat’s...”

“Gayness.”

“Yeah. He hit him once, and then I put my foot down. I suppose being protective kind of created the mess that followed. Ned played nice until Nat realized ... And then it was about protecting each other I guess. So...”

“Kind of messed up, the way Ned played things with his son.”

“Yeah. Like I said, no tears shed over that asshole. So there’s no way to get some of Nat’s clothes? He kind of is happiest playing dress up, whatever he wears.”

Joe sighed. “Give me your keys. Estella and I will check it out.”

“Thanks. They’re in my purse.”

They headed back in.

“Nat wants to go shopping,” Estella said.

“We’re heading to your apartment, Nat,” Joe told him. “We’ll grab your stuff there.”

“Something happened with Uncle...,” Nat stopped. “Is he being punished because of me?”

“Because of you?” Sylvie shouted, eyes tearing up. “Because of you? He was the monster, Natty! He...”

“Was?” Nat asked, looking stunned, his face shifting as if searching for how to react.

Sylvie plopped down on the chair beside her son. “He really was a monster,” she muttered.

“He was my father,” Nat swallowed.

“The only good thing he ever did,” his mother responded.

“You think I’m good?”

“I think you’re an angel, Natty.”

“Don’t look much like one right now.”

Somehow the laugh that followed between mother and son seemed to diffuse things at the moment.

“Keys?” Joe asked.

Sylvie fished them out of her purse and handed them to Joe, barely looking away from her son.

“Be back soon,” Joe told them. He and Estella stepped into the office. “Guns?”

Harvey opened a panel and Joe and Estella pulled out a couple automatic pistols, checking the clips. They slipped them into their pants and hid them with their shirts.

After stopping at a Walmart to buy a large canvas bag, they headed into the city. Circling the apartment to see if anyone suspicious was around, including driving through the alley, they decided everything looked normal and parked near the front of the apartment building and headed in.

“Nice apartment,” Estella decided.

“Part of the pacification I guess,” Joe shrugged.

“And no one’s been here. Gene must have listened when told to steer clear.”

“Gene isn’t the problem,” Joe muttered.

“You think Jim is?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“The Saudi was no angel.”

“He was a fucking pedophile and murderer.”

“He shot Jack in the back.”

“I know. And those that were killed were protecting him and were killers too.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is it’s so fucking pat.”

“Killing Ned with the Saudi’s gun.”

“Ned’s no innocent by any means, but...”