her head slowly.
‘You were lucky they didn’t kill you,
Blake. That was the Mustangs you were fucking with. They are notorious in this
area. They deal in heavy drugs, guns, human trafficking…child prostitution. A
friend of mine was left in a wheelchair by them nearly five years ago for
trying to score from the wrong dealer, in the wrong neighbourhood. They’re
fucking insane...’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
She raised a hand as if to stifle my
sympathy at source.
‘Look, do you want to stay for some food?
We’re having a benefit supper for the mountain activists tonight and there’s plenty
to go around.’
I shook my head.
‘I’d love to, but I have to get on. More
importantly I haven’t got any money to pay you guys.’
‘You won’t survive very long out there
without any cash, Blake. This is America. You need a dime just to take a piss
these days. But hey, you can eat for free here if you want. Anyone who is a
friend of a friend is welcome in this house. You won’t be required to pay
anything. That’s the way we work...’
‘Thanks, but I really need to get going.
I don’t think a photo will be enough to pacify Olivia’s father.’
She looked at me quizzically then
shrugged her shoulders.
‘Okay, He-Man, but if you want some money
I can lend you some. I’ve got around thirty bucks on me now. It won’t get you
very far, but it’s something. You can pay me back another time…or now if you
like?’
There was an awkward silence for a
second. It felt as loaded as the one in the tattoo shop...
‘Do you have a phone I could use?’ I said
changing the subject, thinking about Lenny suddenly, and how he’d appreciate a
call.
‘Not for phoning England, sorry.’
She turned and strolled over to the
printer and picked up the photo from the tray.
‘So, you’ve got what you wanted, Blake
from England. One photo of your missing girl...’
‘Yes I have.’ I said taking it from her
outstretched hand. ‘Do you have internet here?’
‘Sorry it’s down at the moment.’
She stepped closer and eyed me intently
again.
‘You’re an interesting guy, you know
that, Blake? Someone with a lot of secrets I think...’
‘A-lot,’ I said, taking in her voluptuous
brown eyes.
‘I mean, you know how to handle yourself,
don’t you?’
‘When my sleep is being interrupted I get
very upset, yes.’
She took the last few drags on the joint
and blew it in my face. I tried not to blink then stared back at her blankly.
‘Well, are you going then?’ she said
stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray slowly, a flicker of a smile tugging
at the corner of her generous lips, ‘or are you going to stay for a little bit
longer and try and relax?’
I contemplated the offer for a moment
then thought better of it. Minutes turned into hours and hours into days on a
case like this, and time was beginning to slip away in the hunt for Olivia
Deacon.
‘If you’re not going to give me any
inkling of where she may have gone, then no…’ I said eventually.
‘You know I can’t do that...’
I tapped her foot playfully with mine,
trying to work her some more.
‘What about roughly?’
She hesitated, as if deciding how much
she was going to reveal.
‘Sorry.’
‘What about the state?’
‘They seemed quite happy when they left,
yes,’ she said smirking.
I prodded her outstretched foot again.
‘Come on, seriously…’
‘Seriously, I can’t tell you as the poor
girl wanted to be left alone. We’ve already had some private investigator
snooping around, as well as a cop looking for his wife who decided she’d had
enough of him…The only reason you got in the door was because you looked such a
mess. The guys outside must have felt sorry for you, or thought you a genuine
activist.’
‘Actually, they were quite helpful, even
the Mohican man.’
She laughed then moistened her lower lip.
‘Well you’re quite the charmer, aren’t
you?’
‘Look, you can at least tell me the
‘You were lucky they didn’t kill you,
Blake. That was the Mustangs you were fucking with. They are notorious in this
area. They deal in heavy drugs, guns, human trafficking…child prostitution. A
friend of mine was left in a wheelchair by them nearly five years ago for
trying to score from the wrong dealer, in the wrong neighbourhood. They’re
fucking insane...’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
She raised a hand as if to stifle my
sympathy at source.
‘Look, do you want to stay for some food?
We’re having a benefit supper for the mountain activists tonight and there’s plenty
to go around.’
I shook my head.
‘I’d love to, but I have to get on. More
importantly I haven’t got any money to pay you guys.’
‘You won’t survive very long out there
without any cash, Blake. This is America. You need a dime just to take a piss
these days. But hey, you can eat for free here if you want. Anyone who is a
friend of a friend is welcome in this house. You won’t be required to pay
anything. That’s the way we work...’
‘Thanks, but I really need to get going.
I don’t think a photo will be enough to pacify Olivia’s father.’
She looked at me quizzically then
shrugged her shoulders.
‘Okay, He-Man, but if you want some money
I can lend you some. I’ve got around thirty bucks on me now. It won’t get you
very far, but it’s something. You can pay me back another time…or now if you
like?’
There was an awkward silence for a
second. It felt as loaded as the one in the tattoo shop...
‘Do you have a phone I could use?’ I said
changing the subject, thinking about Lenny suddenly, and how he’d appreciate a
call.
‘Not for phoning England, sorry.’
She turned and strolled over to the
printer and picked up the photo from the tray.
‘So, you’ve got what you wanted, Blake
from England. One photo of your missing girl...’
‘Yes I have.’ I said taking it from her
outstretched hand. ‘Do you have internet here?’
‘Sorry it’s down at the moment.’
She stepped closer and eyed me intently
again.
‘You’re an interesting guy, you know
that, Blake? Someone with a lot of secrets I think...’
‘A-lot,’ I said, taking in her voluptuous
brown eyes.
‘I mean, you know how to handle yourself,
don’t you?’
‘When my sleep is being interrupted I get
very upset, yes.’
She took the last few drags on the joint
and blew it in my face. I tried not to blink then stared back at her blankly.
‘Well, are you going then?’ she said
stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray slowly, a flicker of a smile tugging
at the corner of her generous lips, ‘or are you going to stay for a little bit
longer and try and relax?’
I contemplated the offer for a moment
then thought better of it. Minutes turned into hours and hours into days on a
case like this, and time was beginning to slip away in the hunt for Olivia
Deacon.
‘If you’re not going to give me any
inkling of where she may have gone, then no…’ I said eventually.
‘You know I can’t do that...’
I tapped her foot playfully with mine,
trying to work her some more.
‘What about roughly?’
She hesitated, as if deciding how much
she was going to reveal.
‘Sorry.’
‘What about the state?’
‘They seemed quite happy when they left,
yes,’ she said smirking.
I prodded her outstretched foot again.
‘Come on, seriously…’
‘Seriously, I can’t tell you as the poor
girl wanted to be left alone. We’ve already had some private investigator
snooping around, as well as a cop looking for his wife who decided she’d had
enough of him…The only reason you got in the door was because you looked such a
mess. The guys outside must have felt sorry for you, or thought you a genuine
activist.’
‘Actually, they were quite helpful, even
the Mohican man.’
She laughed then moistened her lower lip.
‘Well you’re quite the charmer, aren’t
you?’
‘Look, you can at least tell me the
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