to get away from Mother’s surreal world-capsule and back to the crisp reality of my beloved streets, I walked briskly to clear the cobwebs, picking up a half-dozen assorted pastries from Malek’s before heading to my office. On the way I texted Mickey to meet me there immediately.
Once inside, I went upstairs to my kitchenette and brewed a pair of quadruple lattes, dividing the baked goods evenly into two baskets. Putting them all in one risked Mickey making the rest disappear before I’d finished with the first turnover.
From behind my desk downstairs I dialed Mickey’s cell.
“On my way, Boss,” he said when he picked up, not sounding on his way at all.
“Your four-shot and fresh pastries are sitting on my desk getting cold and stale,” I told him.
His next response seemed more sincere. “Be right there.”
I knew the food and coffee would motivate him. Three minutes later he stomped heavily up the stairs to throw himself into the chair in front of me, both hands reaching for the goodies before his butt hit the seat. “Mm,” he said after the first bite of pain au chocolat .
“Enjoy it, because I want you handy all day.”
“You know I’m very handy, Boss. Your wish is my command.”
“Right now I command you to keep working.”
“I got a couple things for you,” he said with a did-I-do-good expression.
“Let’s hear it.” I finished my first turnover and wiped my fingers on a napkin. I’d long since learned not to lick them with Mickey around; his eyes would lock onto my mouth and sometimes he let out an involuntary moan. Do you wonder why I never set foot in the basement bathroom?
“Okay, your pharmacist client called several different numbers since Friday night. Two to prepaid cells, I think. Another to your buddy Cole, his private cell number, but it was very short, fourteen seconds. Probably voice mail. After that she received a call from one of those prepaids. Doesn’t have to mean anything. Everyone uses them nowadays, even you.”
I sighed audibly, making a hurry-up motion with my non-eating hand.
“Okay, okay. Then she gets a call on her home phone from a different prepaid, but what’s weird is, it’s a number that’s almost sequential to one of the other ones she has been talking to. Like it was in the same lot, maybe bought at the same store near the same time.”
My mind chewed on that one for a moment. “Anything else?”
“She called Cole again Sunday morning. Short. Probably just left a message again.”
“Hmm. She never said anything about that.”
“What do you think it means?”
“No telling. That it?”
“I still have more numbers to correlate.”
“Okay, here’s a new lead to research. Somebody in the drug trade called Houdini. A big player, I’m thinking. Might be the guy who commissioned the heist, or at least will be buying the load.”
“Houdini. That’s all you got?”
“There’s another guy called Luger. Aryan Brotherhood, neo-Nazi, mid-level dealer by the look of things. Might be into other stuff; he’s a little unusual. I believe he owns the entire block of apartments where he lives.”
“I’ll add that to the list.”
“Be careful. These guys ID you fishing in their pond, they might come after you.”
“I didn’t know you cared, Boss.”
“I don’t, except they’d come after me next. Or your mom.”
“Ouch.” Mickey’s face lost its banter. “I’ll be very careful.”
“Good.” I stared at him for a long moment, and then snapped, “Go on, take your goodies and get to work.”
“Right. Don’t have to be mean,” he mumbled as he got up.
“Sorry, Mickey.” I pulled out my freshly recharged money clip. “I’m just wound up and running on very little sleep right now.” Tossing five twenties onto my desk for him to pick up, I said, “That’s a down payment. I’ll give you the rest later.”
“Thanks, Boss,” he said, mollified, scooping up the cash before heading downstairs to his lair.
I checked my
Once inside, I went upstairs to my kitchenette and brewed a pair of quadruple lattes, dividing the baked goods evenly into two baskets. Putting them all in one risked Mickey making the rest disappear before I’d finished with the first turnover.
From behind my desk downstairs I dialed Mickey’s cell.
“On my way, Boss,” he said when he picked up, not sounding on his way at all.
“Your four-shot and fresh pastries are sitting on my desk getting cold and stale,” I told him.
His next response seemed more sincere. “Be right there.”
I knew the food and coffee would motivate him. Three minutes later he stomped heavily up the stairs to throw himself into the chair in front of me, both hands reaching for the goodies before his butt hit the seat. “Mm,” he said after the first bite of pain au chocolat .
“Enjoy it, because I want you handy all day.”
“You know I’m very handy, Boss. Your wish is my command.”
“Right now I command you to keep working.”
“I got a couple things for you,” he said with a did-I-do-good expression.
“Let’s hear it.” I finished my first turnover and wiped my fingers on a napkin. I’d long since learned not to lick them with Mickey around; his eyes would lock onto my mouth and sometimes he let out an involuntary moan. Do you wonder why I never set foot in the basement bathroom?
“Okay, your pharmacist client called several different numbers since Friday night. Two to prepaid cells, I think. Another to your buddy Cole, his private cell number, but it was very short, fourteen seconds. Probably voice mail. After that she received a call from one of those prepaids. Doesn’t have to mean anything. Everyone uses them nowadays, even you.”
I sighed audibly, making a hurry-up motion with my non-eating hand.
“Okay, okay. Then she gets a call on her home phone from a different prepaid, but what’s weird is, it’s a number that’s almost sequential to one of the other ones she has been talking to. Like it was in the same lot, maybe bought at the same store near the same time.”
My mind chewed on that one for a moment. “Anything else?”
“She called Cole again Sunday morning. Short. Probably just left a message again.”
“Hmm. She never said anything about that.”
“What do you think it means?”
“No telling. That it?”
“I still have more numbers to correlate.”
“Okay, here’s a new lead to research. Somebody in the drug trade called Houdini. A big player, I’m thinking. Might be the guy who commissioned the heist, or at least will be buying the load.”
“Houdini. That’s all you got?”
“There’s another guy called Luger. Aryan Brotherhood, neo-Nazi, mid-level dealer by the look of things. Might be into other stuff; he’s a little unusual. I believe he owns the entire block of apartments where he lives.”
“I’ll add that to the list.”
“Be careful. These guys ID you fishing in their pond, they might come after you.”
“I didn’t know you cared, Boss.”
“I don’t, except they’d come after me next. Or your mom.”
“Ouch.” Mickey’s face lost its banter. “I’ll be very careful.”
“Good.” I stared at him for a long moment, and then snapped, “Go on, take your goodies and get to work.”
“Right. Don’t have to be mean,” he mumbled as he got up.
“Sorry, Mickey.” I pulled out my freshly recharged money clip. “I’m just wound up and running on very little sleep right now.” Tossing five twenties onto my desk for him to pick up, I said, “That’s a down payment. I’ll give you the rest later.”
“Thanks, Boss,” he said, mollified, scooping up the cash before heading downstairs to his lair.
I checked my
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