Chapter 245: the Cop Out Revisited.

I slept late the next morning. I had been up very late the night before and it wasn't much fun. Sure Jen, Ruth, and James were good company, but pancakes wasn't what I had planned to be doing at 3AM.

Anyway it was noon before I got my ass out of bed and dressed. It was 2PM by the time I made it to the West End Bike Shop. There was a new manager every time I went in. I never had to tell the manager who I was, they always seemed to know.

"Ms Stone, what can we do for you today?" The current manager asked. He was a blond kid, but he didn't act blond. He was also slightly past college age, but not a lot. He did have a bike rider's body. That was a body not quite as skinny as a runner's body.

"I think the motor on my bike is gone. It seized yesterday," I explained.

He rolled the bike through the showroom and into the back workroom. "Lucille," he said to the older chubby lady who was cleaning, what was obviously, a donated bike. "Would you watch the front. while I take a look at Ms Stone's bike?"

"Sure Bobby," the older lady said as she headed to the front of the shop.

After she had gone Bobby tried to turn the motor. "Yeah it's seized. Most likely it threw the rod or melted the bearings." He paused to let that sink in on me. "So what do you want to do with it."

"Bobby, I know you are used to people who need to know all the details, but I don't really. What do we do to make the bike work again. So that is all I need to know."

"Easiest and fastest would be a new motor. I have a couple to chose from." he said. I made a windup motion with my hand so he went on. "So let's pick one out.

"Let's do it," I said.

"I don't have the 33cc you have now. The motors are kind of catch as catch can for this design." he explained.

"Too much information Bobby, what do you have. This is like picking a coffin," I said without any particular emotion."

"Huh?" he said.

"Never mind, so what you got that you can just bolt on and let me ride out?" I asked.

"Nothing really, but I can fabricate the mount by noon tomorrow for any of them." He said.

"So what are my choices?" I asked. I was really getting tired of prompting him.

"Yours was 33cc I have a 40cc and a 65cc either would be fine as a replacement. You might get a little more speed with the 65cc since I could put a larger roller on it." he said.

"That might be nice when I am in traffic." I admitted.

"It wouldn't me much maybe five to eight more miles an hour," Blondie suggested.

"Okay go with the big one. Tomorrow at noon you said?"

"Yes noon tomorrow," he replied.

It was after 3PM when I answered my phone. I was still in the bike shop but ready to leave. "Good timing Jen, I'm ready to get back out into the world. So what's up?" I had a feeling I knew already.

"Looks like we are going to have some new residents here in good old Aster," she said cheerfully.

"So which one of them are you screwing?" I asked.

"You know I don't do women, unless somebody puts me up to it and nobody did. I didn't screw James, but I did screw a friend of a friend." she admitted.

"So you are going to take care of the paperwork and now you have told me to look out for them, what else is there?"

"Julie just got her driver's license and is going to work for Lucas," she said. By the time she dropped that bomb on me I was sitting outside the bike shop in my cruiser. It was the maroon one because it was the only one with a bike rack.

"All this happened since 2AM last night?" I asked.

"Well she just had to take the test for the license, she already knew how to drive. Jack agreed to that after he talked to James last night." Jen said.

"No shit," I replied.

"Yeah, James does have a way with words. I called Lucas since he is always looking for someone to deliver court papers." Jen informed me. "I had her the job before she got home from the DMV. You know as long as she is half assed dependable Lucas will keep her."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will. I thought James had her set up for a part time job and going to the community college?"

"Now she has a choice," Jen said all proud of herself.

"When you get involved, you really do get involved," I said.

"I am not going to lose Helen as a caterer or friend. So yeah I'll get the little slut a job." she said. "So what are you doing for dinner tonight?"

"I'm not going to dinner with the loving couple from Swamp Thing." I said.

"But they do so love you," she said.

"Yeah, I noticed that last night when I was alone in the car with James. Actually I think I'll get a pizza later and take it to the Cop Out." I said.

"Good plan, I think we will join you," she said.

"Jennifer you wouldn't dare?" it was a question.

"Of course I would, and you better be there at nine." she said.

"What if I'm not?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten I have access to all your money. I will have you bankrupt by morning if you force me to have dinner with Bob and the couple from the Swamp Thing." Jennifer might have been kidding about robbing me, but she had convinced me she needed help.

I left the bike shop with Jennifer and the couple from Swamp Thing on my mind. I sure as hell hoped that they got their business done soon, so that Jennifer would stop pestering me about them. I mean they were nice enough, but I was pretty sure they could fend for themselves. After all she was most likely some kind of spook and he was most likely swamp things answer to a gun thug.