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Authors: Charisma Chloe
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importantly, how would she break that news to her ailing father? “I’m aware of how difficult it will be either way but I’m prepared to handle it.”
“Alright, as long as you’re sure…we’re here.”
“I’m sure.”
The mid-sized café in Ladera looked like something straight out of old Hollywood. From its triangular shape, large red and yellow neon sign that read “Mandie’s” and medium sized palm trees planted in the small garden on the side of the building, she could easily picture the place featured in an episode of “I Love Lucy”. The fifties style diner had all the classic décor of the time; everything from the puffy white stools attached to a huge bar that stretched from one end of the place to the other, to the huge cushioned booths. Small circular light fixtures hang from the ceiling and red and white paint covered the walls. It even had an old fashioned jukebox loaded with music from the era. Amour felt like she had stepped into a time machine.
“This is an interesting place,” she said as she observed the array autographed celebrity headshots on the wall above the bar.
“It was my favorite place to eat as a kid. They have really good food here.” Jason gestured across the room to a large corner booth at the back of restaurant. “There they are.”
Mack and Chandra were having lunch when they’d arrived. She and Jason slid inside the booth on the opposite end of the two of them. “What did you find?” Jason asked placing his elbows on the table.
Chandra called to have all the dishes removed from the table. Once the waitress had done so, she slid a large brown bag labeled “evidence” in large black print to the middle of the table and then tore the red seal off the top of it. She looked up at Amour and said, “This is what was in the evidence room at the station. I had to do some digging because it’s such an old case but here it is. I haven’t looked inside yet.”
“Thank you so much for doing this Chandra,” Amour said appreciatively. “I know you’ve risked your job for this and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll pay you for your trouble.”
“Don’t mention it.” She sipped her cola. “It was no big deal. I doubt if anyone even notices it’s gone. I won’t get in trouble. The guy that guards the evidence room is a good friend. He’ll cover for me and like I said, no one will miss it. Besides, it’s important to Mack so it’s important to me.” She gave Mack a wink and a small peck on the cheek.
“You really think your mother was murdered?” Mack asked in an inquisitive tone. Obviously Chandra had filled him in on everything.
“I’m not sure. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Well Chandra and I will be glad to help you guys sort through all this if you’d like.”
“Sure,” Amour said quietly. “Thank you.”
“I think it would be best to go somewhere more private to go through all this stuff,” Chandra said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread a bunch of illegally obtained evidence on the table of a restaurant.”
“Yeah you’re right,” Jason said. “We can go to my place.”
It took a while to navigate through the Sea Breeze apartment complex in Venice that Jason lived in. It consisted of about five tall brown buildings that were surrounded by huge palm trees and housed a small gym, a wreck center, two swimming pools as well as two small Jacuzzis. The tiny one bedroom apartment he rented, though it was new and plush, had very little décor pass the basic needs items. The small living room had only a brown couch, a coffee table that looked ancient and a big screened television that sat on an old black TV stand. There was a small kitchen to the left of the front door and a bedroom and bathroom towards the back. She also noticed what looked like a small balcony area outside the large window in the living room.
Amour sat on the end of the couch while Mack and Chandra sat on the floor in front of the
“Alright, as long as you’re sure…we’re here.”
“I’m sure.”
The mid-sized café in Ladera looked like something straight out of old Hollywood. From its triangular shape, large red and yellow neon sign that read “Mandie’s” and medium sized palm trees planted in the small garden on the side of the building, she could easily picture the place featured in an episode of “I Love Lucy”. The fifties style diner had all the classic décor of the time; everything from the puffy white stools attached to a huge bar that stretched from one end of the place to the other, to the huge cushioned booths. Small circular light fixtures hang from the ceiling and red and white paint covered the walls. It even had an old fashioned jukebox loaded with music from the era. Amour felt like she had stepped into a time machine.
“This is an interesting place,” she said as she observed the array autographed celebrity headshots on the wall above the bar.
“It was my favorite place to eat as a kid. They have really good food here.” Jason gestured across the room to a large corner booth at the back of restaurant. “There they are.”
Mack and Chandra were having lunch when they’d arrived. She and Jason slid inside the booth on the opposite end of the two of them. “What did you find?” Jason asked placing his elbows on the table.
Chandra called to have all the dishes removed from the table. Once the waitress had done so, she slid a large brown bag labeled “evidence” in large black print to the middle of the table and then tore the red seal off the top of it. She looked up at Amour and said, “This is what was in the evidence room at the station. I had to do some digging because it’s such an old case but here it is. I haven’t looked inside yet.”
“Thank you so much for doing this Chandra,” Amour said appreciatively. “I know you’ve risked your job for this and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll pay you for your trouble.”
“Don’t mention it.” She sipped her cola. “It was no big deal. I doubt if anyone even notices it’s gone. I won’t get in trouble. The guy that guards the evidence room is a good friend. He’ll cover for me and like I said, no one will miss it. Besides, it’s important to Mack so it’s important to me.” She gave Mack a wink and a small peck on the cheek.
“You really think your mother was murdered?” Mack asked in an inquisitive tone. Obviously Chandra had filled him in on everything.
“I’m not sure. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Well Chandra and I will be glad to help you guys sort through all this if you’d like.”
“Sure,” Amour said quietly. “Thank you.”
“I think it would be best to go somewhere more private to go through all this stuff,” Chandra said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread a bunch of illegally obtained evidence on the table of a restaurant.”
“Yeah you’re right,” Jason said. “We can go to my place.”
It took a while to navigate through the Sea Breeze apartment complex in Venice that Jason lived in. It consisted of about five tall brown buildings that were surrounded by huge palm trees and housed a small gym, a wreck center, two swimming pools as well as two small Jacuzzis. The tiny one bedroom apartment he rented, though it was new and plush, had very little décor pass the basic needs items. The small living room had only a brown couch, a coffee table that looked ancient and a big screened television that sat on an old black TV stand. There was a small kitchen to the left of the front door and a bedroom and bathroom towards the back. She also noticed what looked like a small balcony area outside the large window in the living room.
Amour sat on the end of the couch while Mack and Chandra sat on the floor in front of the
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