Chapter 359

The pretty boy Jerrod showed up at my place first. He wanted directions to the Second Baptist Church. "Come on in, they probably won't be ready there until ten. I'll take you to breakfast," I said.

With that I took the cruiser out, so that I could run Jerrod and Sylvia to breakfast with me. I drove to Helen's of course. "It's not very fancy I'm afraid," I said.

"Well if the food is good, fancy isn't important," he replied.

"I'm going to let you decide how the food is," I suggested. We walked from the low counter to a picnic table in the rear of the dining room. Once we were seated Jerrod tried the food. I got a laugh at watching his eye light up.

"It isn't French cooking but it is very good for peasant cooking," he said,

"You mean most cooking in France isn't peasant cooking?" I asked.

"Not the really good French food. Sure the run of the mill food you would get in a roadside tavern is like this for breakfast. We have a different kind of bread but this is still very good, in that rustic kind of way.

"Right," I said. Sylvia just smiled.

I was about to ask her what she found so amusing, before I could Jerrod asked, "What am I going to be looking for on this job?"

I looked around to be sure no on was watching. "There is a guy named Jerome white who lives there. He has a connection to the management, but he is involved in something he shouldn't be. We need to find out what it is.

"So my first job is just to find out what this Jerome fella is involved with?" he asked.

"Yep that's it. Find that out and we will have a meeting to decide what to do with him." I replied.

He smiled and shook his head. Then he began a conversation with Sylvia. Both of them were gorgeous. Both of them were also sexually dysfunctional. I wondered if there was a correlation.

Once we arrived back at the house, I gave Jerrod his communicator. The one pieced together by Peter. I demonstrated it as much as I knew about it. He was pretty familiar with cell phones so he knew how it would work.

"Now call me and tell me what time your shift starts. Leave that line connected, Peter did something to it. He swears it will stay open. Go in the bathroom and turn it on. I will monitor you.

The first two nights it was a waste of everyone's time. I parked the pickup across the street from the project. I was amazed that Jerrod didn't just jerk some smart ass teenager up and pound them. I decided right there that the security business was not for me.

On night three Jerrod got in the middle of a husband and wife trading blows. The husband wasn't beating the wife, the were standing toe to toe trading blows. Neither one of them was scoring the knockout punch.

The regular security man said to Jerrod, "We have to separate them, even so they will be back to this in a couple of days. She is eventually going to kill him."

"What makes you think he won't kill her?" Jerrod asked.

"Because he is going to hurt her one night, then go to sleep. That will be the end of him for sure," the man said.

"Probably be for the best, but of course she could just leave," Jerrod said.

"Man they don't never leave till someone's dead or in prison. It's just the way it is in the project." The old time security guard said.

The two of them were walking back to the car when the security man said to Jarrod, "You see those three walking there. They are a thorn in my side," he said.

"How so?" Jerrod asked.

"They running some kind of protection scam. The old ladies and old men pay them to leave them alone," He said.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Jerrod asked.

"Of course it does, but he is the directors brother. I am not fooling with that guy. He is also one mean prick and so are those kids who run with him.

Jarrod shut up at that point and let the night just pass. He came to see me the next afternoon before he went in to work. "So what are we going to do about them?" Jerrod asked.

"Well it's like this. Jerome is not going to go peacefully is my guess. His family had go him in to the project with no money at all. He is making his spending money with this protection scam. I would bet you that it isn't the only thing he is up to his ass in."

"So do I keep looking," he asked.

"Yeah at least finish the week. If nothing has come up by then, I will try to think of something based on this. Something else would be better, but I guess we can make it work this way."

"Well let me know, I don't care much for people who take money from little old ladies," Jerrod said.

"Tell me, what are the two younger ones like?" I asked.

"Wannabes, nothing more, I would keep on eye on them if they got behind me otherwise they are hardly worth any effort at all," he said.

"Watch them anyway, keep an eye on them all for the rest of the week at least." I said it with a smile. "While you are at it take some pictures with your cell phone of him collecting from the old ladies.

Once Jerrod left Sylvia and I got to work on the houses. It was difficult to get all the paperwork in order but it had to be done. Jennifer's girl Edsel checked it at the end of every day. She gave us a list of things to correct it was worse than being in school again.

Even so the two of us stayed at it. I knew it was the only way to learn. I learned the first time of course, there were just so many things that needed doing. When I got one day's list completed the next days list would be ready.

"Sylvia don't worry honey, it will all fall into place one day soon." I said on Friday morning of that week. The deals were made for all of the first phase and most of the second by the end of that week. It looked as though I had guessed right for a change. The small houses were a hit.