Code Name: Crescent: A Matt Preston Novel

by Paul Shadinger

  Was she kidding? I’d really enjoy spending some more time with her. “I’d love a drink. Where do you want to go?’

  Gladys turned and pointed at a large apartment building just down the street. “That’s my building. Why not come over and I’ll make you one?”

  “Okay. Lead the way.”

  I got in the truck and followed Gladys into the parking lot of her apartment building. She showed me where to park and when I started to crack the windows for Beanie she told me to bring her in with me. I held the door open for my puppy and told her to come. I didn’t have to say it twice as she was across the truck and out the door before I had a chance to repeat myself.

  I walked over to Gladys’ car, picked up a couple of her shopping bags and followed her up to her unit. It was fun to follow her sweet shapely bottom as it swayed back and forth up the stairs.

  Her unit was large for an apartment. It was clean and her furniture appeared expensive. She showed me where to put the bags of groceries and I sat them down. Gladys waved her hand towards the rest of her apartment as she said, “This is it, my home. What none of the other tenants knows is I own this building. Actually I own several apartment buildings and some commercial properties. Dancing has been very good to me.” Again with the killer smile. “I don’t do any drugs, I don’t go out with any of the customers and I figure I can retire just about anytime I want.” Once more I was favored with her big smile, and she motioned for me to go and sit on the couch while she put away her groceries, but I elected to sit on a barstool next to a small island dividing the kitchen from the rest of the living space. “The couch is a lot more comfortable,” she informed me.

  “Maybe, but the view is much better from here.” I winked at her.

  She laughed. “Thanks for the compliments, but I’m too fat. I wish I was thinner, but for some reason I just can’t seem to lose any weight. I try, but—”

  I interrupted her, “The way that dress fits and the way you stand and move… you’re a very sexy and beautiful woman. If you feel you need to lose weight, then so be it, but I think you’re stunning just as you are. Actually, personally I think women today are too skinny.”

  “You know, your mama sure did a great job of raising a real gentleman. You say the best things. Makes a girl’s heart go pitty-pat.” Her laughter filled the room and she winked at me. She continued, “For what it’s worth, there are a lot of men who are very enamored with a woman my size. If I choose, my bed is never empty.”

  I wish I had the words to describe the way her presence filled the room; just sitting there talking with her she was so much larger than life, and I don’t mean that as a fat joke. Here was a woman who enjoyed life and you could just tell she lived it exactly as she wanted. I’d been impressed with her the first time I saw her dancing, but today she took on a totally different appeal. I really liked this gorgeous woman, a lot! I couldn’t recall ever meeting a woman who was so comfortable with her sexuality. Now I understood why she was so popular at work with so many men, and why they would have her do lap dances for them. Her question interrupted my daydreams. “What do you want to drink?” she asked.

  “Any Scotch?”

  “Single malt?”

  “You mean there’s something else?” I retorted.

  She laughed. “I did hear once there was some swill where they mix good single malt with other good single malt and ruin both of them.”

  I laughed in return. “Well, then I need to hurry and drink some before they try and mix it and ruin it.”

  She turned and stooped down, looking into a lower unit of her cabinet. She named off a couple of different brands and when she named one I liked, I told her to stop. She asked me how I liked it and I told her to fill the glass with ice and then some Scotch. Gladys was kind enough not to mention the way I drank Scotch was not the preferred way of drinking it. Once the glass was fixed, she handed it to me. I took a sip and smiled. “Thanks.”

  Once she made her own drink, she reached out and took my hand and pulled me over to the couch. We sat down at opposite ends and she turned so one leg was up on the couch. Her dress rode up on her thigh and I noticed she was not wearing hose; her leg was bare. The exposed part of her thigh and her chest were well tanned and I commented she must get a lot of sun. She smiled at me. “I’m funny that way. I can just go from my apartment to my car and I get a tan. I really don’t spend that much time lying in the sun. I have a small boat that I take out a lot so maybe that’s where it comes from.”

  “How big is your boat?”

  “It’s an old 38’ Chris Craft. I have it stored up in Anacortes. I try and get out whenever I can. I grew up on one of the San Juan Islands and I love being on the water.”

  I’m sure my chin must have hit my chest. “You have a 38’ Chris Craft?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah, an old wooden one.”

  I was stunned. Those are a lot of work. “No shit! Who does the upkeep on it?”

  With some pride in her voice, she replied, “I do.”

  “I’m impressed. When I was a kid, we had a summer home up on Whidbey Island, that’s where I learned to drive a car when I was a kid. I’ve always liked the old wooden boats. When they’re fixed up, they are so sharp.”

  “If you’d like, we could go for a ride sometime. Let me know and I’ll have the boat put in the water and we can go.”

  “That sounds like a plan. I love boats.” We continued to chat. As we talked, we found we both enjoyed opera. She remarked that nobody at the club knew she liked it. She didn’t bother to try and explain some things about herself to the girls she worked with. The conversation drifted back to Robbie’s and I asked her if she minded if I asked her a question.

  She beat me to the question. “Why do I do exotic dancing for a living?”

  I chuckled. “Yes, and I know it’s none of my business but, I have to admit it, you are a very impressive woman. I’m wowed just sitting here talking with you.”

  Her voice wasn’t exactly friendly, and she made sure I understood her point. “What? If I strip for a living, I must be stupid?” I hung my head and was embarrassed. She went on, “I have a master’s degree in sociology and I’m here to tell you that there are not a lot of things you can do with that degree that will let you live the way I want to live.” She grinned and I had to laugh as well.

  “I started dancing when I was a senior and I kept doing it through grad school. When I graduated, I looked around and found there was nothing that paid as well, gave me the time off I wanted and made me feel as good about myself as dancing does. I know I need to lose a little weight, but I can dance the legs off almost every girl at the club.” Gladys took a sip of her drink and made a face as she continued, “I’ll admit, I do get tired of being pawed sometimes but, you know, every job has downsides to them. Right?”

  I replied, “The one thing I’ve discovered in my life is judging a person is not a good idea. Either good or bad. People are people and you have to take each one on their own merits. I will admit I’m embarrassed about some of my attitudes about you and your girls. I really do believe that if you develop opinions about things, well like dancing like you do… you can miss out on some really nice people. Like I told you in the parking lot, I was impressed with you the first time I saw you. Now that I’ve had a chance to get to know you better, I’m even more impressed. You know what you want in life, you know how to get it and you’re not afraid to reach out and grab it. Gladys, you’re a really neat person.”

  Gladys sat her glass on the table and took mine from my hands. She turned on the couch so we were face to face and I took her in my arms. She reached out and took my face in her hands and kissed me. When our kiss ended, I wanted to get up and go look at my lips. I was positive they were blistered from the heat of her kiss. When she leaned back and looked at me, I could see she was breathing hard. “Wow. You really know how to kiss a girl.”

 
I swear I blushed. “Thanks. The drinking fountain at my elementary school had very little pressure and you had to suck really hard.” Her laughter filled the room. I paused for a moment; I needed to try and clear the air. I wanted her to know my status with Sharon. “Ah… I need to explain something here. I’ve been seeing somebody, but we’ve kind of decided to cool it a little. We were living together, but we’re not now. We still haven’t come to any conclusions about our relationship. I don’t know where this is leading,” and I moved my hand between us to indicate me holding her and kissing her, “but I need to be honest with you, and I need to stop until I know more about what my friend has in mind.”

  Gladys’ smile curled my toes. “You need to tell your friend she has competition. You tell me you think I’m sexy, well, I think you’re rather sexy yourself.” She laughed and added, “You brown-eyed devil.”

  I explained I really wanted to stay longer, but I also didn’t really trust myself. This brought a huge smile to Gladys’ face. I asked for her phone number and as she handed it to me, I asked, “Do you mind if I call you?”

  “I really hope you do. Why else do you think I gave you my number?”

  “You don’t think I’m a bit too old for you?” I joked.

  “No! I prefer my men a bit older. That way I don’t have to spend so much time and energy training them.” We grinned at each other. “Seriously, I don’t think you’re too old for me. And I really would like to take you for a ride sometime on my boat. But since it’s fall, that may have to wait. But I still would like to see you again. I think you’re a very handsome and interesting man. Please call me.”

  I swear I blushed again. I collected Bean and we headed for the front door. At the door, Gladys stepped up close to me and put her arms around my neck. “I like the way you make me feel, Matt.” As she pressed her lips against mine, one hand went to the back of my head, holding my face against hers. While she was kissing me, Bean managed to crawl up between us and gave Gladys a big lick on a cheek. Gladys laughed, gave Bean a kiss on the top of her head and gave me one more kiss on my lips. Damn, I liked the way she kissed.

  Later when I got to my truck, I checked to see if my lips were blistered…

  They weren’t.

  CHAPTER 6

  Let’s visit the police

  The next morning, I was watching Beanie finishing her morning rituals in the vacant lot as I sat on the step at the end of my walkway, nursing my cup of coffee. I was waiting so I could pick up after her. I used to just leave my dog’s droppings in the lot but ever since somebody had slipped and fallen and had broken their leg, I thought it might be a good idea to keep the area policed better. The fact the man broke his leg due to all the drugs he was taking because of his cancer was beside the point; I just decided it was the right thing to do. Actually, it’s the right thing for all pet owners to do!

  As I stood there waiting for Beanie to finish, my mind wandered over what I wanted to do today and I decided to check on a few things. One thing for sure I planned on doing at the Seattle Public Safety building was to see my old childhood friend. Now he was the new chief of detectives: Captain Jeff L. Davenport. When Jeff’s boss, Frank, was promoted to chief of police, Jeff interviewed for the detective’s position and was immediately moved up to fill the vacancy. Jeff and I go all the way back to childhood and I always enjoy seeing him. I thought as long as I was there, I would take care of trying to find out who actually owned the van that was following me. I wanted to know who it was registered to, in addition to spending some time with Jeff.

  From the first day I had Beanie, she followed me everywhere I went, and since she stays by my side, I let her come with me. I loved my old dog Blackjack and how well she obeyed, but I believe Beanie is the most obedient dog I’ve ever seen and I’m very proud of her. When I talk to her I swear she understands every word I say and will mind me without question. I know you’re not supposed to have an animal in the police station, but Jeff has never told me not to bring her with… yet.

  I was in luck and found Jeff sitting behind his desk talking on his phone. He raised a hand in greeting and pointed at a chair. While I sat down, Jeff held up his thumb and finger a small distance apart, showing me he expected the call to last just a few moments longer. I made sure Bean was curled up under my chair and I settled in to wait. Finally, he said goodbye and hung up. Jeff smiled at me and asked, “Matt, what brings you in today?”

  “I just came by to say hi.”

  Jeff gave me snort of laughter. “Bullshit. You never come by to just say hi. What do you want?”

  I placed both hands over my heart and tried to put on the most wounded expression I could. “Jeff, you cut me to the quick,” and we both laughed. I shrugged my shoulders and continued, “Okay, now you found me out. Do you know who William Tate is?”

  “Bill Tate? You mean as in The Bill Tubs Tate? The famous fabulously wealthy basketball star who is perhaps the greatest player of all time?”

  “One and the same.”

  “Of course I know who Tate is. One of my sons even has an old pair of Bill Tate sneakers. Shit, I even have a CD of his music somewhere. Do you think cause I’m a cop I live under a rock? Back in the day I was a huge Tate fan. Come to think of it, wasn’t he part of that big lawsuit that was filed when they moved the Sonics away?”

  “Don’t know about that, but there were a lot of people who were pissed as hell about the Sonics leaving. And not just Tate.”

  “So, why did you want to know if I know who Tate is?” Jeff asked.

  “Well, he’s part of my poker group.” Jeff knew about the poker games. I had asked him if he wanted to play, but he begged off, telling me he didn’t feel comfortable with his skills playing at our level. He’d heard about some of the pots won and lost at our games. However, Jeff has bugged me several times to invite Sakol to play in our games. I politely refused.

  I continued, “The other night we had a game and during one of the breaks, Tate asked me to see if I could try and locate his daughter.”

  “Why? Is she lost?” Jeff asked.

  “Well, kind of…” I hesitated, not really sure how to explain what I was working on.

  Jeff interrupted, “What do you mean, Matt? What does ‘kind of’ mean?”

  “Be still. Let me work up to what I’m trying to tell you. Neither this girl’s mother nor Bill has seen the kid for about a week now. The kid’s roommate has a new boyfriend and she said Kim hasn’t been back in the apartment very much lately. It also sounds like the new boyfriend is keeping the roommate busy, if you catch my drift?”

  Jeff nodded his head. “I take it you’ve spoken to the roommate?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I went by there. Roommate’s name is Samantha, they call her Sam. Anyway, Sam was so stoned she didn’t even know she was nearly naked when she was standing there talking to me. She told me she thought some things of Kim’s had been moved in the apartment but she wasn’t sure. She also told me that Kim Tate claims she was almost raped.”

  Jeff was quiet for a moment and then asked, “Did the roommate know who?”

  I hated to tell Jeff this part. “Yeah. And you ain’t gonna like the answer.”

  “Come on, just tell me.” He rolled his hand in a motion to try and encourage me to go a little faster.

  I blurted out, “Bud Cox.”

  Jeff had been leaning back in his chair with his feet on the edge of his desk. When I said the name, his feet came crashing to the floor, his mouth dropped open and his eyes actually bugged out. “Do you mean as in star running back out at the U Bud Cox? Perhaps the number one NFL draft pick next year Bud Cox?”

  “Jeff, I told you you weren’t going to like the answer.”

  “Fuck me. Who knows about this, besides Tate’s kid and this Samantha girl?”

  “According to Samantha, Kim’s roommate, Cox has tried to rape or raped several women. Samantha also told
me Kim went to some of the head administrators and complained about him. She was told to keep still and forget it. Anyway, I wanted to run things by you first and see if you’d heard any of the rumors.”

  “Matt, I really thought you’d learned your lesson.” Jeff was referring to my last brush with legal problems. When I won the houseboat, the fellow who lost the boat was murdered. The man who murdered the old houseboat owner turned out to be somebody from my past. I could tell he was suggesting I not get involved and it might be a better idea to just leave things alone.

  I tried to explain, “Yeah, well, you didn’t have Bill Tate in your face crying and begging you to find his kid. Jeff, do you know how big that dude is? Did you want me to tell him to go fuck himself and I wasn’t going to help him?”

  “No, but you could have suggested he file a missing person’s report,” Jeff pointed out.

  “I did and that’s one of the weirdest things about this so far. He told me he couldn’t actually prove the kid was missing. Her mother thinks she might have stopped by and picked up some clothes when the mom was out, and the roommate thinks Kim might have been by; so just because she won’t pick up any calls from her dad, it’s not really a missing persons thing is it?”

  “Well no, but—”

  I interrupted, “Look, all I’m going to do is chat with this Bud Cox kid if I can find him. Okay?”

  “You know, Matt, I’m not really happy about this. I still remember our last go round. My advice is that you make sure you keep me in the loop.”

  Behind me, I heard a familiar voice, “What loop? What Matt doing now?” It was Sakol. I jumped up and extended my arms. Sakol wrapped me up in a bear hug and we clapped each other on the back. (By the way, his name is pronounced Say-kol.)

  “You’re back,” I exclaimed.

  “Miss ugly face.” He pointed at Jeff. “‘Sides, he need help. Place all fucked up. Need Sakol badly.”