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I always woke up horny and today was no exception. It was my theory that long periods of time without nookie was a lot like playing with Legos. You can stack one on top of the other, but the higher you go, the more unstable the structure becomes. At this point, I was the Leaning Tower of Pisa and I either needed to get laid or sequester myself away and pet the kitty until my head caved in. Thankfully, the phone rang before I could dwell on it any further.
"Ledoux."
"Did you sleep in the office?" Woody asked.
"Yeah."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just woke up."
He grunted into the phone. "Alright, we need to get together later today. Can you meet me at Abernathy's on 35th and Central around four? We need to decide on a few things."
My throat constricted and it took me a moment to answer. Abernathy's was a funeral home. "I'll be there."
"Good. I got a call from Glen Porter."
My eyes narrowed. Porter was the Chief of Police and a true son of a bitch. The only thing we had in common was a mutual hatred for each other. "And?"
"We need to get Gus's personal things from the station. I thought you might you want to do it."
I chewed on my lip. Wanting to do it and wanting to avoid it. Afraid that I might embarrass myself if confronted with the emotions of Gus's friends and coworkers.
"Maddie?"
"I'll take care of it."
"Good. I think he would've wanted that."
I closed my eyes. "Yeah."
"Are you sure you're okay, Maddie?"
"I'm coping. Look, I need to get going."
A sigh. "Alright, I'll see you around four, right?"
"I'll see you then."
"Bye, Maddie."
I hung up the phone slowly and sat silently for several minutes, building up the courage to face the day. I needed coffee and a shower but decided to listen to my messages first. The calls consisted of the usual assortment of people wanting advice for free and a few potential clients. I deleted all of them and headed for home, wondering what had possessed me to spend the night in the office.
----------
After a shower that included a rather intense orgasm, I dressed myself and called Billy over a cup of coffee. He didn't have anything new for me and I told him I'd be by the station around lunchtime to drop off a gun for ballistics and to go through Gus's things.
The next call was to Sarah Caruso, I was more than a little excited about the prospect of having dinner with her and waited through five rings for an answer.
"Hi, this is Sarah."
"It's Maddie."
"Hey there," she said brightly. "I was hoping you'd call. Are we still on for tonight?"
"Looking forward to it."
"Me too. How does seafood sound?"
"Sounds great."
"Wanna meet me there or do you want me to pick you up?"
I considered. "Come pick me up. I'm on the corner of Lincoln and Wellington."
"Is seven good?"
"Perfect."
"I'll be there with bells on, I can't wait."
"Me either."
She giggled. "See you then, Maddie."
"Okay."
"Bye bye."
"Bye."
Jesus, she had a sexy voice. I disconnected with nipples hard enough to cut glass, and seriously considered the virtues of another shower. Reluctantly, I decided it against it. Sarah Caruso was understandably enamored of me and if I played my cards right, I might at least get a little heavy petting for dessert. Of course, this thought prompted several minutes of wanton contemplation that I had to forcibly extract myself from. There were things to do.
First on my list was to pay a visit to the mysterious Anabel Hamilton. I grabbed my keys and made my way to the car with this destination in mind. Anabel only lived about ten minutes away, so it turned out to be a quick trip.
The address led me to a trendy little neighborhood of street front businesses and brownstones. Not half bad. I was curious to know why Joey had been so cheerfully uninformative about her the day before since it was obvious he knew her and his attitude told me he in no way considered her a suspect.
Anabel's house had a one-car driveway that was empty so I helped myself. Like many older homes within the inner city, the brownstone was within a cumshot of the houses on either side. You couldn't fart without your neighbor hearing it. Once upon a time, before the arrival of burb's and baby boomers the neighborhood had probably been home to the somewhat prosperous. It was still well cared for.
I walked up to the door and rang the bell, waiting patiently as I discreetly dug high-riding panties out of my crack. An answer wasn't forthcoming and I was preparing to knock again when interrupted by a shrill voice from next door.
"Annie's at work."
I turned to find an impressively plump, Godzilla ugly, middle-aged woman with rollers in her hair and wearing a housecoat staring at me from her front porch.
"And where is that, ma'am?"
"Where is what?"
"Where does Annie work?"
"Who's asking?"
The woman's voice sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. "I'm Maddie Ledoux," I said, digging out my ID and holding it up.
"I can't see that from over here."
I sighed and started to walk in her direction.
"Use the sidewalk, I don't want you to damage my flowers," she shrieked.
I cringed and took in the little row of winter dead plants that separated us. It wouldn't take a gazelle to avoid stepping on them.
"My husband planted those for me, he'd be very disappointed if anything happened to them,"
I drowned her out and walked around the long way, coming up her little drive and stopping a safe distance away.
", He works twelve hours a day and,"
Looking at the woman and listening to her it was no wonder her husband worked such long hours. He probably volunteered for the weekends as well. Poor bastard.
", Hey, are you a cop or something?"
"In a manner of speaking, ma'am," I said, again holding up my ID. "I'm a private investigator. Would you mind telling me where I could find Annie?"
"Is she in trouble or something?"
Give me strength. "No, I just need to talk to her."
She eyed me warily. "What about?"
"I'm afraid that doesn't concern you," I said, quickly tiring of being in the woman's presence. "But I assure you she's not in any trouble. I just have a few questions she might be able to help me with."
She huffed and much to my disgust, a wiener dog came out of the house to stand behind a pair of legs that resembled two pillars of chewed bubblegum. The vile little creature began barking at me in a tone just as piercing as its owner's.
I hated dogs.
I hated wiener dogs most of all.
"Who do you think you are walking up here and telling me,?"
I was confused. Just where did I go wrong? Had I not been polite? The woman's blathering and the barking dog was too much to handle. I took a step forward.
"Look, lady," I snarled. "Just tell me where Anabel works before I fuckstart your head and punt your dumbass dog into traffic."
Her mouth closed with an audible collision of teeth and she looked at me as if teetering on the hysterical. I suddenly felt a real pang of sympathy for her husband. He deserved a medal or at least a night of freaky sex with a group of teenage girls.
"Tell me, goddamn it," I growled. "Your fuckin' mutt is pissing me off."
"Annie owns the video place just down the street," she said, pointing in the general direction and quickly bringing the hand back to her chest protectively as if afraid I would bite it off while it was extended.
"Thank you, ma'am," I said sarcastically. "You've been very helpful."
She didn't reply and I didn't really expect her to. I started in the direction of my car but changed course, the store was only a block or so down the street and it wouldn't kill me to walk. I lit
up a smoke and gladly left the yelping dog and its offensive owner behind to console each other.
The cigarette lasted until I was within sight of my objective. 'Rocket Video' was a little shop emblazoned with painted glass windows depicting various types of spacecraft. It was cute in a girlish sort of way.
The door opened with the soft rattle of bells that hung in its path and I stepped into a warm but cluttered room. My eyes instantly pinpointed the little but supremely alluring brunette behind the counter talking spiritedly with a customer. She didn't look over when I entered and I hid behind a shelf of movies so I could study her unnoticed.
Anabel was gorgeous in a way that made my knees go weak. The eyes behind a cute pair of slightly tinted glasses were an expressive hazel. Her features soft yet defined, almost Elven in appearance and crowned by thick, dark brown hair that she wore loose around her shoulders. I'd be the first to admit that I'm a shallow person in a lot of areas, but she attracted me in a way that I can only describe as pure. Sex was never far from the forefront of my mind and strangely, it suddenly seemed inappropriate to indulge in the fantasies I usually immersed myself in when confronted by a beautiful woman. Anabel was too good for that and I hadn't so much as exchanged a word with her. For the second time in two days, I wondered if I was in love.
Watching her interact with the customer had me mesmerized. With an easy grace that I could only envy, she smiled and giggled flirtatiously with the elderly man who clearly ate up every second of the attention. I was jealous.
Eventually, it appeared that the old man was gearing up to leave and I was at a loss. What if she didn't like me? Thoughts like this were as alien to me as fellatio and it was bewildering. I usually didn't give a shit what people thought about me, but this was somehow different. I also didn't buy into instant karma yet that was exactly what the moment felt like.
The bells from the front door jingled and I looked over to see the man exit the store. My eyes strayed back to Anabel and she looked around curiously, obviously aware that someone else was present although she couldn't see me. It was time to come out of hiding and I ran my hands over my hair, wishing I had a mirror and willing to piss on a sparkplug for a breath mint.
I picked a movie off the shelf at random and approached her as casually as I thought I could pull off. Surprisingly, she looked in my direction and gasped in apparent recognition. It wasn't the reaction I had been hoping for and I groped for an opening.
"Uh, Hi."
She started to blush. "Hi, Maddie."
My brow wrinkled. "I'm sorry, have we met? I can't imagine not remembering you."
She bashfully studied the countertop. "No, but we were supposed to."
"We were? When was this?"
"The other night," she said, raising sympathetic eyes. "I heard about Gus. I'm so sorry."
"Me too." I faltered for a moment but quickly regained my focus. "But I don't understand."
Her gaze returned to its timid but intense investigation of the counter. "I guess Gus didn't tell you,"
"Tell me what?"
She sighed and took a deep breath. "Uhm, he invited me over the other night thinking you'd be there. He was, uh, well, he was matchmaking."
I hid a frown for her benefit. Long ago, I made Gus promise to refrain from playing Cupid. His first and only attempt had merely resulted in adding another person to the long line of people that would like to see me in Hell with a broken back. It had been disastrous. No wonder Joey had been so evasive yesterday, he was an accomplice.
"Uhm, maybe we can pretend this didn't happen and,"
Shit. She thought my silence was a rejection. "No, it's okay. I think Gus did me a huge favor."
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Really. Would you like to have lunch tomorrow?"
"Yes," she said, bouncing a little on her feet but then scowling slightly. "I can't leave the shop though. Would it be okay to get together here and order in?"
"Sure. I'd like that."
She beamed a smile that made me feel faint. "Great!"
I smiled back at her, more charmed than I cared to admit at her exuberance. "I," My response was cut short by the door chimes and I turned to see a group of ladies enter the store.
Anabel frowned disappointedly but then brightened. "When you come by tomorrow, I'll lock the doors," she whispered.
One of the ladies sauntered up behind me and I felt cornered. "Okay," I said but managed a sly grin. "I guess I'll let you get back to work."
"Noon."
"Huh?"
"I have lunch at noon."
I giggled. "Okay."
"Are you gonna rent that?"
I looked stupidly at the box I had picked up, having completely forgotten I had it and why I grabbed it in the first place. I felt heat rise to my face. Could I be a bigger dork? Like I would really rent 'Kama Sutra'.
"Uhm, no," I said lamely. "I didn't realize I had it. I'll put it back."
I got a small chuckle and I mustered a weak smile. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Maddie."
I gave her an embarrassed wave and hurried over to put the ridiculous movie back where I found it. I offered another smile before I slipped outside and got one in return. A few strides up the sidewalk; I caught myself close to riding a hesitant wave of euphoria. A possible love life? Who would've figured? I sure didn't.
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Sobriety encompassed me as I traveled across town. The worst part of my day was ahead of me and my apprehension was growing. When I arrived at the station, I parked the car and smoked half a pack of cigarettes before I gathered enough courage to call Billy and let him know I was coming in. It took another ten minutes after that to actually leave the car and cross the street.
He was waiting for me just inside the doors and I felt a wave of relief.
"Hey, Maddie. You got something for me?"
"Yeah," I said, digging Robby Frank's revolver out of my jacket. "I'd be surprised if it matches, and I'd like to have it back if possible."
"I'll give it a go. Where did you get it?"
"Can't say."
"Alright," he agreed easily and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Porter's here, I'll try and run interference."
I rolled my eyes. A confrontation was inevitable but I knew Billy would delay it as long as possible. "Thanks."
"I let the guys know to give you some space and I gathered up some boxes for you. They're in his office. Take all the time you need."
I gave him a desperately grateful look.
"You ready?"
I nodded and he led me to the elevator. We rode up three floors in silence and, not for the first time, I marveled at what a smart and deceptively sensitive man Billy was. He didn't feel the need to fill the quiet with conversation but he stood close, relaying to anyone who might notice exactly where his allegiance stood. He gave me distance and respect yet offered support by proximity. I had both friends and enemies among the police force. Principal among the enemy was Glen Porter.
Porter had thrown the book at me after my incident with Senator Hilary and he wasn't alone. Many of his colleagues, including the mayor and the governor, wanted nothing short of my public execution. I was an embarrassment to the police force. Only three months out of the academy and still probationary, I was considered a rookie hothead with obvious ties to Organized Crime who had brutalized a public servant for no apparent reason. Battle lines within the department were immediately drawn. One camp political, the other fraternal.
Up in arms over the treatment a beloved liberal Senator had suffered at my hands, the press portrayed me as a monster. Little if anything was ever mentioned about the Senator being drunk off his ass and driving around with a bottle of Jim Beam between his legs, and of course, it didn't matter. No one was going to pursue charges against him while he lay in a hospital bed unsure if he would ever walk again. It was only a matter of hours before I was suspended and standing before a judge.
Truth be known, I lost my temper. Lost it in a way I
hope never to experience again. He pushed every one of my buttons and he did it with a sadistic glee, confident that a man of his stature didn't have to answer to anyone. He told me as much before he spit in my face. Until that moment, I'd never hurt or wanted to hurt anyone just for the hell of it. I didn't think I had it in me. Senator Hilary proved me wrong and if backup hadn't shown up and intervened, I probably would've killed the man.
I never admitted my loss of control; in fact I never reached the stand to testify in my own defense. After two months of suffering through a public lynching, the hoopla died quietly and without a word of apology. A hasty and clandestine backroom deal brokered my resignation and the dismissal of charges.
It turns out that the good Senator made a practice of recording conversations that, among other locations, included his car. Surprisingly, and I emphasize that word with heavy sarcasm, a tape of our encounter turned up in an evidence locker that had somehow been overlooked by the prosecution. The tape not only exonerated me to a certain extent, but also incriminated the Senator in a host of other, indiscretions. I was unimpressed and didn't need a recording to tell me he was and is a piece of shit. The charges against me couldn't be dropped fast enough. Unfortunately, my return to duty was out of the question, the department couldn't justify it to the public or to the press. I lost a career and the Senator can't walk without pain. I think I got the better part of the deal.
However, grudges within the department ran deep, and there were more than a few of the politically elite that would pounce on me the minute I fucked up, eager for the vindictive opportunity to settle perceived wrongs.
The elevator doors opened and Billy began the process of leading me toward Gus's office. I knew the way of course; I'd been there many times. It was Billy's way of providing me with a shield.
My worries turned out to be unfounded as we made our way across the room; no one approached me or commented. Most gave me silent nods of sympathy or a friendly wave. It struck me then, that even though there were those who might dislike me, almost no one disliked Gus. They had lost a brother, a man everyone respected, friends and enemies alike.
Stories by Kiera Dellacroix Page 82
