by R Weir
“I didn’t rape her, I didn’t even have sex with her. It’s all a lie.”
“Was she a client?”
“Not a paying one. I offered to help her. She worked at Boone’s and her boyfriend came in and threatened her. I intervened and offered to help if he returned.”
“Is that what happened here?”
I shook my head. “A few days ago, she called, saying he was coming to hurt her. I got there chasing him off. She was upset and tried to force her tongue down my throat, unbuttoning her top and flashing her chest. I stopped it there and walked away.”
“What happened tonight?” she said, looking right at me, showing no emotion.
“She knocked on my door in apparent distress. Against my better judgement I let her in…” From there I filled her in on all the details.
She shook her head, “You’re a magnet for crazy females. First Emily and now this woman. What do you think this is about?”
I thought about it for a minute. There was my current case, though it didn’t seem to fit. It could have been possible that Liquid Investors was behind this, but it didn’t seem their style. And I doubted they would have cooked this up that quickly after Rocky and I had clocked their three enforcers. There was something else going on I just wasn’t seeing at the moment.
“I haven’t the foggiest. If it’s from something in the past, I’m not sure what.”
“What do you know about this girl?”
“As I said, she worked at Boone’s as a waitress. Not much else other than what Nick the bartender told me. Said she moved from Hawaii recently.”
“Interesting she works there, as it says here she is seventeen. Can’t be a minor to work in a bar serving alcohol. I have a feeling there is more to her story.” Melissa was all business, sounding like a lawyer.
“Alias?”
“Possibly. Cooked up to get you in trouble, maybe. Someone who knows your weakness for women. Loose women mostly.” Melissa said it with a little punch in her voice. A failing, I had known so well.
“I said no and tried to walk away. She jumped on me. I did the right thing, no matter how difficult it was to do. She was putting up a good fight and attacked me.”
“Reputations are hard to rebuild,” she said, coming to some conclusions. “Likely they hoped you’d succumb to her female charms. When you didn’t they went to plan B. Even with the scratches, the marks and the DNA, if you didn’t penetrate her, and leave behind any semen, then it will be hard to explain. If the rape kit reveals semen, and it’s not yours then you should be cleared. But that will take time.”
Looking at her, I wondered what she thought of me through all of this. It had to be difficult to remain objective, no matter the evidence. I wished now I hadn’t brought her into this, but I had little choice. Even though she wasn’t a licensed lawyer yet, she was close and the best option I had.
“They found a flash drive,” added Melissa. “In the sofa. There were some pictures and videos stored on it.” This time she sounded concerned.
“Let me guess,” I replied desolately, remembering that they had bagged something they’d found. “They weren’t vacation pictures and videos of me on the beach.”
“No. Appears to be of underage girls doing things with older men they shouldn’t be doing. They are talking about filing child porn charges.”
I put my head in my hands. This was going from bad to worse. “A plant. Someone is working hard to hurt me. If they check, they won’t find fingerprints on the drive.”
“I agree, but it’s enough for now. We can poke holes in their case, but it will take time.”
This was a big mess. If there was a soft wall, I’d be punching it right now.
“When is Barry back?” she asked.
“I believe it will be another ten days before he returns.”
“Can you reach him?”
“Doubtful. I don’t think he’d take my call anyway. He was hoping for sun, sand and sex with some tanned-skin native. Nothing is going to pull him away from that, especially me.”
She leaned back into the chair, crossing her arms. Her brain was thinking through what to do.
“Are you telling me the whole truth?” she finally asked.
I took my fingers and made a cross on my chest, giving her my most honest look. She grabbed the folder again, flipping through the pages. Once done, the folder closed, taking her glasses dropping them into her black purse by her feet, a weak smile on her face.
“Despite your past, I do believe you. I doubt Tony will take the case and Don hates your guts.” She was referring to Bristol & Bristol, the law firm where she worked. “I’ll help you as much as I legally can. I’ll be taking a bar exam here soon but I’m not a lawyer just yet. But close enough to keep you out of jail until Barry returns. We need to work on bail. What do you have to work with? I imagine it will be pretty high.”
There was money in the bank, thanks to Rocky’s payment and the check from Jonas. Plus I always had the bike or car to hock if I needed to.
“I can get the money. So long as it isn’t astronomical.”
“Good. I’ll get the process started.”
She got up from the chair, smoothing out her skirt, throwing her purse over her shoulder. She looked fit and in marvelous shape. The walk to the door in her low heels had just the right sway to it.
“Thanks Melissa,” I said quietly and sincerely, as she reached the door. “Though the circumstances aren’t ideal, it’s good to see you.”
She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, turned and smiled.
“It’s good to see you too, Jarvis. Hang in there. We’ll get this straightened out.”
Out the door she walked, her words bolstering my confidence that there truly was a light at the end of these miserable hours.
Chapter 39
The wheels of justice move slowly, especially when you’re sitting in a cold cell waiting for the gears to mesh and open the doors of freedom. Time lumbered on, and after meeting with a judge, the shakiness of the evidence, and Melissa’s expert argument to keep the bail low, I was finally released without costing the entire limit on my credit card. I was tired and I felt dirty and hungry. Still I wanted to buy her breakfast as a thank you. Any time spent with her was a bonus.
“Do you know what time it is?” she said incredulously at my suggestion. “It’s after one.”
“I had no idea how late it was. Looks like lunch then, if you’re up to it. I need to run to Boone’s and find out some things, but first I need to run home and clean up.” I felt slimy, smelling of sweat and beer after the rough night and time in the cell with the unwashed of the world.
She wrinkled her nose at me. “I didn’t want to say anything. But you’re, how should I put it…pungent. We’ll want to crack some windows on the drive.”
I laughed, which felt good. I hadn’t been in a laughing mood for a while. Life had gotten tense and laughter was good medicine.
She dropped me off, agreeing to meet me in an hour, for she needed to run an errand and make a couple of calls herself.
Once inside I stripped and did a full head to toe, letting the water run off me. I was still sore from the beating, but was getting better, some of the more colorful bruises nearly gone. Now there were new scratches needing to heal from Milani. I dressed in good jeans and Colorado Avalanche t-shirt. I reached for some cologne but decided against it. No matter how hard I tried, I know reconciliation wasn’t going to happen, plus there was April to think about.
When I arrived, Melissa hadn’t shown yet, so it gave me some time to find out more about Milani. Nick had just arrived himself, getting situated behind the bar. I motioned him over.
“I need some info on Milani,” I said. “Do you know when she is working again?”
“Hasn’t shown the last two days,” he answered.
“Did she quit?” I asked.
“No word from her. Had to call in Julie on her day off yesterday. Is there something we should know?” Nick inquired while
wiping down the bar top.
“Well for starters did you know she was only seventeen?”
He frowned. “No shit? I’ll need to tell Tilly. We could lose our license if the city found out.”
Nick went into the back room to find Tilly, the manager. She hadn’t been running things for too long now, maybe four months. Having this happen on her watch would not make her happy. She soon walked out, with Nick right behind her.
“Jarvis,” she said. “Tell me what you know.”
Tilly stood there, arms crossed staring right at me, devoid of a smile. She was tall, an over six-foot black woman, with a short afro, speckled by a touch of gray showing in spots. Now in her forties, she wore reading glasses which hung on the tip of her nose. She was wearing a black pants suit, with flat beige heels. We had only talked a few times, but she knew me by name, as did everyone at Boone’s.
“There was an incident with Milani,” I stated. “She has accused me of something, I won’t get into the details, because it’s all false. But in the process of being arrested I was told she was only seventeen years old.”
Tilly swore loudly. A multi-syllable one as well, that brought everyone to a standstill. If she was embarrassed, it didn’t show.
“From your reaction, I would say that wasn’t reflected on her job application?”
“No. It shows her as being twenty-two.” She put her hands on the counter.
“Background check?”
“Came through cleanly, with no red flags. Everything matched.”
“Interesting. Any chance I can get a copy?”
She leaned forward and gave me the evil eye. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying. Can you call me when she finally shows up for work?”
“We can probably give you a call. So long as you don’t cause trouble.”
I looked at her innocently. “Who me? I only want to discuss why she is accusing me of something I didn’t do. And after I offered to help her too. Though I’m starting to suspect all may not be as it appears.”
“Is it ever?” responded Tilly. “Of course, I will be firing her for not showing up for work and lying about her age. If she does come back.”
I slid my card to her. I knew Nick had my number and would call as well, though I didn’t expect her to come back. Still it was best to cover my bases. I let him know I was going to take a booth and headed over.
As I sat down Melissa walked in and joined me. I smiled, there was a small jump in my heartrate, which was normal when I saw her. She was the one woman that still could get my blood flowing on first sight. April at times did this to me as well, but not like Melissa.
When she sat down, Julie stopped by and got our drink orders. We both decided on ice tea with lemon and I wanted an order of wings with sweet sauce.
“No surprise on the wings,” Melissa said with a wry grin, after Julie walked away.
“I’m famished. I might let you have one, but that is all.” I offered generously. Boone’s wings were famous around here.
She laughed her tinkly laugh, which I always enjoyed the sound of. It was one of the many things I missed about her.
“Did you get the info you were looking for?” she asked.
“No surprise that they didn’t know she was a minor. On her application, she claimed twenty-two.”
“Which one is correct?”
“Hard to say. It might not be her real name. I plan to find out for certain.”
“Be cautious. Going after her could give the appearance of stalking or intimidating her,” Melissa said with concern in her voice.
“Not sure I can stand by and be idle about this,” I said darkly.
She touched my cheek gently. “From the bruising on your face I can tell. Not the first time I’ve seen you this way.”
It wasn’t in my nature to be cautious, but she was right. I would have to take it slowly, no matter how much my instinct pushed me to do otherwise. Still I intended to get to the bottom of this whole ordeal. Of course, some BBQ wings would have to come first, they arrived nice and hot, with lots of napkins, for they were layered in sauce. I allowed Melissa first choice and she took two and moved them to her plate with a smile.
“What do companies look for when doing a background check on a potential hire?” I asked.
“There are certain laws you have to follow when it comes to them. FCRA, Fair Credit Reporting Act, is one, with each state having some of their own laws that need to be followed. Colorado pretty much is in step with FCRA. Criminal history is another, but you’re only allowed to go back seven years.” She stopped to lick the sauce off her fingers. “Past employment history, though only verification of employment and how long they worked there. Education verification. Check of social security number. Sex offender and terrorist listing. Even credit history, though additional approval is needed by the applicant and only when the job requires that information. The checks can be pretty thorough.”
“These checks are done by third parties?”
“Yes. There are many companies whose sole business is conducting these checks. If she passed one, then someone did a thorough job of creating a false identity for her.”
“Exactly what I’m thinking,” I said, after savoring a wing. “And normally that wouldn’t be anyone off the street. She may be working for someone with the juice to build one that stands up to scrutiny.”
“Knowing your past, I suspect that isn’t a short list.”
The wings were gone, most of the napkins had disappeared as well as they had been necessary for the cleaning of face and fingers. For lunch, I decided on a bacon cheeseburger, while Melissa stuck with a salad.
“What is your plan from here?” asked Melissa.
“I need to learn more about her. I’ll do some digging but keep it low key. I’m in the middle of a couple of jobs right now, one relating to The Front Range Butcher and another I’m working with Rocky. Both are taking a lot of my time, so I’ll see.”
“Could what happened with Milani be related to either one of those?”
I had already contemplated this several times, with no solid conclusion.
“Possibly, though I’m not certain what the connection would be.”
“Someone exploiting a personal shortcoming. I’m not trying to conjure up old wounds, but you’ve had a history of having a weakness when it comes to women, especially clients.”
She might not have meant it as a dig, but still the wound hurt, though I did my best to hide it. This time I had taken the high road and not succumbed to my earlier weaknesses. Still she had a point. And one I couldn’t ignore.
Chapter 40
The rest of lunch went well, and we parted on happy terms. She agreed to assist with my legal issues until Barry returned, which was good to hear. Not only to have her by my side to fight the charges, but to have her near, for legal and friendly counselling, was a plus. Though I decided, against her advice, to pursue one possibility.
Since I knew where Milani lived, I went over to her apartment. Knocking on her door got me no answer. I found a management office for the complex. When I walked in a Hispanic woman behind the desk greeted me. When I asked about her, she told me Milani had suddenly moved out a day or so ago.
“Rent was paid in full,” she explained. “In cash no less. No notice, just up and left. The place was furnished, so she didn’t need to take much.”
“Forwarding address?” I asked, disappointed in what I heard.
“Nope. No phone number either. She is simply gone as if she was never here.”
I thanked her and walked away, knowing this situation made little sense. No matter how much I wanted to pursue Milani, I decided to hold off for now. I was busy enough as it was. I knew once she was found, I could shake information out of her, but it was best to lay low and see what develops. There could have been a secondary reason for what happened. Could it have been related to the Butcher case? It didn’t seem likely. Nor did it seem like it was related to Rocky’s
pursuit of Vicente. There was a lot to process and keeping it all straight in my head was challenging. I knew one thing for certain; that there was a link between the Butcher case and Liquid Investors Inc.
Since it was late afternoon there wasn’t a lot of time left in the day. I decided to stop by the Mission of the Invisible Souls and see how things were going there. Last Christmas I had forced Liquid Investors to make a deal to keep the mission open, after catching them trying to run them out of the neighborhood due to their expansion into the area. Their development had started, but the mission would remain and even receive assistance from the corporation, so they could continue to help those homeless in need in the area.
When I arrived, the place had gone through some changes since I had last seen it, though one constant was that it still was being managed by Sam, a tough black woman I was happy to call friend. When I stepped into her office, she walked towards me and gave me an embrace.
“Good to see you, Jarvis,” she said with a warm smile. “It’s been a while. You must be busy fighting crime.”
“It never takes a day off,” I replied. “It would seem you don’t take a day off either.”
“There are always homeless needing help. No matter how hard we work, the well never runs dry.”
She was dedicated to her job, trying to help those on the streets. It was a calling driven with a personal passion, since she had once been homeless herself.
“I’m working on a few things right now, but one may be bringing me into the crosshairs of an old foe we both know,” I said.
“Have a seat. You know I’m always glad to assist in any way I can.”
Finding the chair, I saw no change in her office; chairs, desk, filing cabinet and pictures of her now and in the past. Outside I heard sounds of construction going on.
“New work getting done?” I asked.
“Some needed upgrades. A few private rooms on the first floor being added. Improvements to electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning too. It’s an old building always in need of work to keep it running properly.” She sounded excited about the new work.
