Chapter 217: Not Lucy Eve

I felt much better that next morning. I actually woke up cheerful. Nothing like a huge orgasm the night before to put one right again. I toyed with the idea of fixing my own breakfast, but chose not to do it. Since the weather was chilly, I did wait for the sun to clear the horizon before I left the apartment.

Once the temperature cleared 35 degrees, I rolled the bike out and headed to Helen's. I had already decided that when the temperature stayed before 35 until 10AM, I would drive the car. The bike was fun, but I didn't plan to suffer too much just to ride it around.

When I got to Helen's at almost ten, there was a totally different crowd. Most of the cops and medics were already home and in bed or doing whatever else they did. Even the office workers, the few there were who patronized Helen's were at the office by that time. The crowd that morning seemed to be a lot of self employed people trying to get organized. People who made their living, first finding, then servicing their customers. Lots of men in work clothes and men in suits all mixed together. Sometime both at the same table even.

I sat at one of the smaller picnic tables with my brown paper bag. Once I finished breakfast, I had no excuse to linger and drink coffee, but I didn't feel that I needed one either. Only the exercise guilt monster could drive me from the warm restaurant. I knew I should be at the mall walking, so I headed over.

I parked the bike outside in the sunshine and began to walk as soon as I got inside. I began to shed my excess clothing as I went. I got my coat and inner sweater off before the Dancer caught up with me.

"Even taking off your clothes you are the least graceful person I know," she said with a laugh.

"Hey, nobody else ever complained," I said with a smile to let her know that I was taking it in good humor.

"That's because I'm not trying to get into your panties," she said with a smile.

"Too bad," I answered as I began to walk. She quickly caught up with me.

"I saw your show the other night. You are one tough old bird." she said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Remember it's just TV." I said.

"I thought it was all filmed live," she said.

"Yeah hidden camera shit mostly. I do some on camera interviews to move the story along, but mostly it's just scenes from life."

"So it all really happened more or less like they show it?" she asked.

"More or less, usually we were applying motives after the fact, so they sound a little more grand than they probably were." I informed her.

"Of course," she agreed. We did our laps together mostly talking about her dance experiences in New York and San Francisco. Tiny Dancer had been in both companies at one time or another. She was a really interesting person. She had stories of her own, so she didn't need me to fill the vacuum of silence. It was one of the many things I liked about her.

After my morning walk, I swung by Lucas's office. I wanted to know if he had learned anything about my two cops. One of them was a veteran of over ten years and the other just over two. Both were long since off probation while my client was still in her first years. She was the most obvious to have a problem. but it could be anyone of them. Drug money laying around had to be a temptation to anyone.

I pulled the bike up to Lucas's door. His wasn't a retail store. There were never crowds pushing to enter a bail bond office. Just like there weren't crowds to enter my office either. I still wasn't sure what to call my business.

"Hey Lucas, how's it going," I asked from the door.

"Come on in Maxine." I walked past Marge with a pleasant smile. Lucas would not know, from our actions, that we had spent most of the night together but slept very little.

"So have you heard anything yet?" I asked.

"Just that you have one of the most highly decorated cops on active duty in Mike Delso. Of course he also holds the record for the most disciplinary hearings. If it weren't for all the atta boys, he would be gone. The people I spoke to said he isn't likely to be good for the missing money. His wife was a lost little rich kid. She met Mike during an burglary investigation at her condo. Mike says it was love at first sight, and it must have been something like that.

Anyway he doesn't need money. He does the cop thing for fun these days, I'm told. If it gets too rough, he will just blow out and go into the beer distributing business with his father in law. The offer is on the table and will be forever. Mike saved his daughter from herself, at least according to the old man.

"So you don't think Mike is no way good for it?" I asked.

"No, but I have been wrong before," Lucas said.

"You certainly have," I agreed.

He just smiled and then went on. "Now Roy Smith is as clean as a whistle. He has been on the PD just under two years. He is also your rookie's training officer. Even though he is clean he does have a girlfriend and the girlfriend has a record for larceny." Lucas explained.

"What did she steal? Do we know?" I asked.

"She ran away from home and went to New York. She was involved in a theft ring there. When they busted her, mommy got her a lawyer who arranged for her to come home and serve her probation. She met Roy Smith here at church of all places.

It seems that her mother insisted that she attend and Roy was one of the fair haired boys there. They met and for some reason got along well. They dated his last year in community college and when he went to work they planned to get married."