but not sure what to do. She was crying. Looking around. Some go looking for a cop or a rent-a-cop. She didn’t.”
Anger percolated in my gut. His ambivalence toward her was maddening. I knew he didn’t know the full story, but he was the kind of asshole who wouldn’t have cared, anyway. He was just looking for the quick score and didn’t care what the result was.
“Where’d she go then?” I asked.
“Shit, I don’t know, dude,” he said, rolling his one good eye. “I just had to make sure Jess got clear. I didn’t babysit the bitch.”
My right fist struck his left eye flush, my knuckles cracking against his eye socket. He stumbled backward and fell against the car, then down to the curb.
Lauren touched my arm and Kitting dropped the shades from his head to his eyes, but no one else moved.
“Get up,” Anchor said.
Mikey lolled around for a moment, caught between the car and the curb. He pushed himself to his knees and got up slowly. The good eye, the one that I’d hit, was now swelling and there was another cut on the bridge of his nose, a slow trickle of blood dancing out of it.
“I believe a question was asked. Where did Mr. Tyler’s daughter go after she exited the restroom?” Anchor asked, staring at Mikey.
The arrogance was gone from Mikey, his shoulders slumped, his posture sagging, his bottom lip quivering. He wasn’t nearly as tough as he wanted to be.
“She stood outside the bathroom for a minute,” he said quietly. “Then she walked toward security. Then she turned around and went back toward the bathroom. She sat down at a table at the donut place. She was still crying. She put her head down on the table. That’s when I bolted.”
The image of Elizabeth, alone and crying by herself at a table in some food court, pierced me and it took a moment to catch my breath. If I’d been alone with Mikey, he wouldn’t have walked away. I was ready to empty every ounce of my anger into him.
“The money,” Anchor said. “You have the money from the purse.”
Mikey started to reach for his back pocket, then stopped. “It’s in my pocket. I can reach for it?”
Anchor nodded.
Mikey pulled a wad of cash out of his back pocket and held it out to Anchor. Anchor nodded at me and Mikey frowned, then held it out to me.
I took it and counted it out. Four hundred bucks.
“Take anything else out of it?” I asked, handing the money to Lauren. “Credit card? Anything?”
He shook his head. “Cash only. I don’t mess with credit cards. And there wasn’t nothing else in there to take.”
I looked at Lauren. She dropped the money in the bag and closed it up, then put it over her shoulder.
“Why’d you use the phone?” I said.
He scowled, his entire face wrinkling up with irritation. “I didn’t. Jess did. Which we don’t ever do. But she had to call her friend and tell her about the score.” The irritation faded. “Four hundred was biggest score in awhile. She was bragging.”
Anchor tilted his head toward Kitting.
“That’s accurate,” Kitting said. “Girl confirmed and I checked with the friend. Nothing there.”
Anchor nodded, then looked at me. “Anything else?”
I shook my head.
Anchor opened the door and Mikey slinked back into the car. Anchor closed the door behind him, then walked over to Kitting. They exchanged several words, Kitting nodded and headed for the driver’s side of the Escalade. We stood there silently as the SUV pulled away from the curb.
“I’m sorry there wasn’t more information to be had,” Anchor said. “But at least you have her belongings back.”
I nodded.
“Can I ask a question?” Lauren said.
“Certainly.”
“Do I want to know what your guy is going do with them now?” she asked.
Anchor chuckled, pulled his phone from his pocket and began thumbing away at the screen. “You make it sound so sinister.”
“In some ways, it sort of feels like it is,” she answered.
Anchor made a non-committal shrug. “Perhaps.” He
Anger percolated in my gut. His ambivalence toward her was maddening. I knew he didn’t know the full story, but he was the kind of asshole who wouldn’t have cared, anyway. He was just looking for the quick score and didn’t care what the result was.
“Where’d she go then?” I asked.
“Shit, I don’t know, dude,” he said, rolling his one good eye. “I just had to make sure Jess got clear. I didn’t babysit the bitch.”
My right fist struck his left eye flush, my knuckles cracking against his eye socket. He stumbled backward and fell against the car, then down to the curb.
Lauren touched my arm and Kitting dropped the shades from his head to his eyes, but no one else moved.
“Get up,” Anchor said.
Mikey lolled around for a moment, caught between the car and the curb. He pushed himself to his knees and got up slowly. The good eye, the one that I’d hit, was now swelling and there was another cut on the bridge of his nose, a slow trickle of blood dancing out of it.
“I believe a question was asked. Where did Mr. Tyler’s daughter go after she exited the restroom?” Anchor asked, staring at Mikey.
The arrogance was gone from Mikey, his shoulders slumped, his posture sagging, his bottom lip quivering. He wasn’t nearly as tough as he wanted to be.
“She stood outside the bathroom for a minute,” he said quietly. “Then she walked toward security. Then she turned around and went back toward the bathroom. She sat down at a table at the donut place. She was still crying. She put her head down on the table. That’s when I bolted.”
The image of Elizabeth, alone and crying by herself at a table in some food court, pierced me and it took a moment to catch my breath. If I’d been alone with Mikey, he wouldn’t have walked away. I was ready to empty every ounce of my anger into him.
“The money,” Anchor said. “You have the money from the purse.”
Mikey started to reach for his back pocket, then stopped. “It’s in my pocket. I can reach for it?”
Anchor nodded.
Mikey pulled a wad of cash out of his back pocket and held it out to Anchor. Anchor nodded at me and Mikey frowned, then held it out to me.
I took it and counted it out. Four hundred bucks.
“Take anything else out of it?” I asked, handing the money to Lauren. “Credit card? Anything?”
He shook his head. “Cash only. I don’t mess with credit cards. And there wasn’t nothing else in there to take.”
I looked at Lauren. She dropped the money in the bag and closed it up, then put it over her shoulder.
“Why’d you use the phone?” I said.
He scowled, his entire face wrinkling up with irritation. “I didn’t. Jess did. Which we don’t ever do. But she had to call her friend and tell her about the score.” The irritation faded. “Four hundred was biggest score in awhile. She was bragging.”
Anchor tilted his head toward Kitting.
“That’s accurate,” Kitting said. “Girl confirmed and I checked with the friend. Nothing there.”
Anchor nodded, then looked at me. “Anything else?”
I shook my head.
Anchor opened the door and Mikey slinked back into the car. Anchor closed the door behind him, then walked over to Kitting. They exchanged several words, Kitting nodded and headed for the driver’s side of the Escalade. We stood there silently as the SUV pulled away from the curb.
“I’m sorry there wasn’t more information to be had,” Anchor said. “But at least you have her belongings back.”
I nodded.
“Can I ask a question?” Lauren said.
“Certainly.”
“Do I want to know what your guy is going do with them now?” she asked.
Anchor chuckled, pulled his phone from his pocket and began thumbing away at the screen. “You make it sound so sinister.”
“In some ways, it sort of feels like it is,” she answered.
Anchor made a non-committal shrug. “Perhaps.” He
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