My girls all go nuts at the idea save for Rachael who looks a little concerned. Everyone mounts up after getting our stuff on, everyone being my girls and Natty, before we head off to the tattoo shop. Abigail's Prius is the only one in the parking lot and it's surrounded by motorcycles of all shapes and sizes as we all dismount our various vehicles and I head in the front door to see Smitty coaching a few people on tattooing. The Old Man sees me and I head past Vicki at the counter and get a handshake from him before all my girls give him a hug. We go down the order of who wants what and who's getting it when Rachael pulls me aside.
"I can't get a tattoo," She says nervously.
"Why not," I replied, confused.
"Daddy said if I got a tattoo down here he'd ground me from seeing you till next summer," Rachael says very nervous.
It sucks for her being the odd girl out but I explain the situation to the rest of my girls who understand completely and Vicki lets me know that she'll keep Rachael company as I have business to attend to and head back out on my bike.
It's not a terribly long drive to the spot where I'm supposed to meet Detective Escalante and I see plenty of business but as soon as I'm inside I can tell I'm a stranger in cop land. The whole place is full of police officers in and out of uniform and I take the one booth I can find at the back and just watch as I can tell I'm being eyed up as a perp. I got a menu from a very nice older woman whose badge says 'Maude'.
"I'm waiting for a Detective by the name of Escalante. She doesn't know I'm here but could you direct her back here when she arrives," I ask politely as I start to look at the menu.
"Okay honey just let me know when you're ready," Maude says as she heads away to get me a soda.
I'm waiting patiently for what seems like forever but only ends up being fifteen minutes when I see my Detective come over quizzically. As soon as she sees me her eyes widen and it takes a second for her to regain her composure before she sits down across from me.
"What the hell are you doing here," Escalante asks in a quiet voice.
"I'm on vacation and I'm saying hello to my friends," I tell her smiling," Hello."
"No, I mean what are you doing here," She asks, pointing her finger down on the table.
"I just answered that, I wanted to see you. I'd like to think that we're at least friends of some sort," I explain as I nudge her menu towards her with my finger.
We sit and while she thinks about her order I reexamine my friend. She's still a shapely Latina with fuller features and she doesn't have a wedding ring on still which gives me some headway if I get an urge later. We place our orders and I sit there wondering what to say.
"I need to ask you a favor," we both get out of our mouths at the same time to our shock.
We chuckle a little and I let her have first crack at the requests.
"Okay so you didn't tell anyone about us right, anyone who would be able to make my career a living nightmare," the Detective asks quietly.
"No, my girls know and we keep our business as OUR business," I explain simply.
"I've got a couple things that I need help with," She says, keeping her voice confined to our booth.
"Okay but I have a big problem and I need information," I say as she gives me the lead," I have a friend who is pregnant on the streets right now as we speak. I need
to know where the homeless camps are and I need to know that she's not dead or in a hospital somewhere."
"What's her name and is it yours," Escalante asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Her name is Jackie Alden and no it's not mine. She's important to me and I need to help her," I say, a little desperate.
"I can help with that but I have my own problems and one of them is right here," the Detective says looking over her shoulder at a uniformed cop at the bar," Recognize him?"
It takes me a minute but I actually do, he's one of the asshats who arrested me last year when Hector got stabbed. I am not pleased that Escalante is having problems with him but I turn my attention back to her as we continue our conversation.
"I didn't see him when I walked in but he's been keeping tabs on me," She says, taking a sip of her coffee.
"He's a snitch," I ask, getting an odd look.
"No, at last year's Christmas party I had just solved a big case and we were all having a good time when I passed out and the next day he somehow had my panties. I immediately went to the hospital to get a rape kit done and it turned out negative, the pervert drove me home and took them while I slept but he keeps telling everyone that I'm some great lay and that I will come crawling back to him sooner or later," She says biting on her rage," He won't do it in front of anyone important but I'm losing respect I earned and it's not helping me with other cases."
"So you want me to take him out back and beat him to death," I ask smiling.
"I wish but I need something to shut him up," She tells me, gritting her teeth as we get served.
We eat and I can see him get served his meal and the whole time the detective and I are eating I'm just trying to get information about my old friend at the bar. Officer Dugan, has been on the force for five years now but hasn't been promoted yet and he goes by the nickname Dickey because of turtlenecks he loves to wear. We sit and finish our meal which I pay for when I almost start laughing at myself.
"I am going to do something right now," I tell the detective getting up and pulling my hood up," wait for my signal."
"What signal," Escalante whispers as I start to walk up to 'Dickey'.
I look shaky and scared as I approach him and the sweet waitress Maude is watching me close as I finally tap him on the shoulder. He turns to see me but doesn't recognize me at all.
"Can I help you kid," Dickey asks confused.
"Yeah Dickey, it's me Allen," I tell him, getting a confused look," You don't remember me from last Valentine's Day with Jamie?"
"Kid what are you talking about," He says, turning around to face me confused.
"Listen Jamie and I never did anything like that before or on camera but she says that she found it on the internet and she wants…. We want our money too," I tell him as you can hear every cop in the area go quiet at the statement.
"Kid I don't know what you're talking about but you might not want to make shit up," Dickey tells me getting quiet and angry.
"I'm not making up that you keep lube in your underwear drawer and that you said it doesn't hurt when you put it in if I just keep breathing," I say out loud raising my voice," I want my cut of the money you made selling that video."
"Is there something going on here," I hear Detective Escalante ask as she approaches me from behind.
"No Detective, this kid's just mistaking me for someone else and needs to get his facts straight," Dickey replies standing up.
"If he's so wrong about who you are then why are you so nervous when he's obviously talking about something that he is intimately acquainted with," Escalante asks, getting into a defensive questioning mode.
Dickey starts to leave and I shamble quickly after him calling his name and asking him to stop. I finally get to him in his car and Escalante is hot on our heels as Dickey starts to get pissed.
"Listen to me you little shit stain I don't know you and I am warning you to back off now before something bad happens to you," Dickey says trying to get into his car.
"But I know you, Officer Dugan, we've met before," I tell him, dropping my act and straightening up," And if you think you know bad you haven't heard what I'm planning to do so let me break it down for you. I will have boys and girls parade themselves around every place you are in public. They will go into restaurants, they will sneak into the movies, they will find you in the bar. It doesn't matter where you go and they will want their money for the sex acts you are making them do. After a while nobody will believe anything you say because if I say it once people can play it off but when the thirtieth or the fortieth young man or woman comes to you crying or demanding their money then everyone is going to go through your life with a fine toothed comb. They may not find me there but they will find something won't they?"
I watch him freeze and Detective Escalante is holding her distance. Dickey is petrified at the prospect and I pull my hood back enough to let him see my face. It finally hits him who I am and that's when the fear comes into his voice.
"Oh god you're the lawyer's kid. Just tell me what you want and please don't come after me," Officer Dugan says with a trembling voice.
"I'm glad you remember me, I'd ask how the old Captain is but we both know what happened there. First off I want the Detective's undergarment, it doesn't suit you. Second I want you to start taking back everything you said about her and you, you lied and now you need to pay for it," I say before pausing.
"And the third thing," Dickey asks as he searches his pockets for something.
"You apologize to her, in front of the other officers at shift change today," I say before starting to walk away," And Dickey? Don't think I won't know because you watch me with two eyes and I watch you with everyone's eyes."
My crypticness has them both confused and I hop on my bike and head back to the tattoo parlor grinning like the Cheshire cat. I get in to find that not only are my girls coming along swimmingly with the tattoos but Imelda has even got the Sixth tiger on her started. Smitty directs me to a chair where I pull off my shirt and let the man get his prep work started so I can get my last tiger, the red one. Rachael comes over to hold my hand and watch as Smitty begins. I got that ball rolling now. I just need to see what the Detective has to say about Jackie. I hope the news will be good as the needle kicks on and Smitty begins his work.