and handed the pictures to Monika.
"Look close. I don’t think that’s the same mystery woman from the first picture."
"I think he might be right, Nick. I think I saw a picture of this one too, but she had clothes on so I didn’t pay her much attention. And there was a picture with the two of them. Looked like it might have been taken at the same party as the picture you been showing of Jake."
"Where is it?"
"I put it back in the safe."
"Great. I’d rather not show this picture around."
"Guess you gotta go back and get the other pictures, Nick," Monika said. "Want me to go with you?"
"No, you stay with Chilly." I got up and started for the door.
"How are you and the Mrs. doin’?" Jett asked.
"There’s more to this than she’s tellin’ me."
"How do you know?"
"Just a feeling," I said, closing the door behind me.
I drove back to Jake’s apartment, let myself in, opened the safe, and got the pictures that I had come for.
"That’s strange."
I was on my way out the door when I thought about the fact that we never found any camera equipment in either of our searches. I went through the apartment again. Nothing. So I walked out of the apartment and two white men in suits met me.
Cops.
"Shit."
"Hold it right there, pal."
"Can I help you gentlemen?"
"Yeah. Assume the position. I’m sure it ain’t your first time."
I hit the wall with a little help from my new friends. One looked over my ID and the other looked at the pictures in my pocket. "You mind coming with us?"
"Am I under arrest?"
"No. We just want to ask you some questions."
"What type of questions?"
"We’ll talk about that when we get there."
So there I was sitting alone in the interrogation room, waiting. It had been more than an hour before the door opened and Detective Kirkland walked in with that shit-eating grin on his face.
"Nick Simmons. What’s it been, ten years?"
"Ten years, Kirk.
"Pat, this is one of Vicious Black’s old foot soldiers. But he dropped out of sight ten years ago."
"Where you been, Simmons?" Detective Richards asked.
"Army training, Sir."
"Oh. Another smart ass, huh."
"Yeah, yeah, Kirk. What’s this all about?"
"I just wanted to see you, Nick. It’s been a long time. So when I heard you were in here, I just had to stick my hand in. And what do I pull out? Do you know?"
"No. But I’m sure you’ll enlighten me."
"Tell me something, Nick, what were you doing when the detectives picked you up?"
"Visiting a friend."
"They tell me that you’re some type of private investigator. You working on something? Maybe something having to do with your friend?"
"Just visiting, Kirk."
"What’s your interest in those women in the picture the detectives took off you?"
"They were cute. I happen to like women."
"Why do you say, were?"
"Excuse me."
"I’m sorry. I forgot you went to Vicious Black University. I’ll break it down for you. Why are you referring to those women in the picture in past tense?"
"I didn’t mean anything by it. Why?"
Richards dropped the picture I took from Jake’s safe on the table in front of me. "What’s your interest in these two women?"
"Why?"
Richards drew back his hand to hit me, but Kirk grabbed him. Vintage good cop bad cop. Corny, but I played along. "What’s with him, Kirk? I just wanted to know why. Am I being changed with something having to do with those two women?"
"Nick, I know you know something you’re not telling me. I’m thinking that since you call yourself a private investigator, that you got a case and you’re trying to protect your client."
"So far your right."
"I thought as much." Kirk pulled out a chair and sat down next to me. "But here’s the problem with that, I know more about these two women than you do. So you need to know what I know."
"I’m still with you."
Kirk held out his hand and Richards handed him more pictures. He handed them to me. The same two women, but these weren’t taken at some party. These were taken at the morgue. "Both
"Look close. I don’t think that’s the same mystery woman from the first picture."
"I think he might be right, Nick. I think I saw a picture of this one too, but she had clothes on so I didn’t pay her much attention. And there was a picture with the two of them. Looked like it might have been taken at the same party as the picture you been showing of Jake."
"Where is it?"
"I put it back in the safe."
"Great. I’d rather not show this picture around."
"Guess you gotta go back and get the other pictures, Nick," Monika said. "Want me to go with you?"
"No, you stay with Chilly." I got up and started for the door.
"How are you and the Mrs. doin’?" Jett asked.
"There’s more to this than she’s tellin’ me."
"How do you know?"
"Just a feeling," I said, closing the door behind me.
I drove back to Jake’s apartment, let myself in, opened the safe, and got the pictures that I had come for.
"That’s strange."
I was on my way out the door when I thought about the fact that we never found any camera equipment in either of our searches. I went through the apartment again. Nothing. So I walked out of the apartment and two white men in suits met me.
Cops.
"Shit."
"Hold it right there, pal."
"Can I help you gentlemen?"
"Yeah. Assume the position. I’m sure it ain’t your first time."
I hit the wall with a little help from my new friends. One looked over my ID and the other looked at the pictures in my pocket. "You mind coming with us?"
"Am I under arrest?"
"No. We just want to ask you some questions."
"What type of questions?"
"We’ll talk about that when we get there."
So there I was sitting alone in the interrogation room, waiting. It had been more than an hour before the door opened and Detective Kirkland walked in with that shit-eating grin on his face.
"Nick Simmons. What’s it been, ten years?"
"Ten years, Kirk.
"Pat, this is one of Vicious Black’s old foot soldiers. But he dropped out of sight ten years ago."
"Where you been, Simmons?" Detective Richards asked.
"Army training, Sir."
"Oh. Another smart ass, huh."
"Yeah, yeah, Kirk. What’s this all about?"
"I just wanted to see you, Nick. It’s been a long time. So when I heard you were in here, I just had to stick my hand in. And what do I pull out? Do you know?"
"No. But I’m sure you’ll enlighten me."
"Tell me something, Nick, what were you doing when the detectives picked you up?"
"Visiting a friend."
"They tell me that you’re some type of private investigator. You working on something? Maybe something having to do with your friend?"
"Just visiting, Kirk."
"What’s your interest in those women in the picture the detectives took off you?"
"They were cute. I happen to like women."
"Why do you say, were?"
"Excuse me."
"I’m sorry. I forgot you went to Vicious Black University. I’ll break it down for you. Why are you referring to those women in the picture in past tense?"
"I didn’t mean anything by it. Why?"
Richards dropped the picture I took from Jake’s safe on the table in front of me. "What’s your interest in these two women?"
"Why?"
Richards drew back his hand to hit me, but Kirk grabbed him. Vintage good cop bad cop. Corny, but I played along. "What’s with him, Kirk? I just wanted to know why. Am I being changed with something having to do with those two women?"
"Nick, I know you know something you’re not telling me. I’m thinking that since you call yourself a private investigator, that you got a case and you’re trying to protect your client."
"So far your right."
"I thought as much." Kirk pulled out a chair and sat down next to me. "But here’s the problem with that, I know more about these two women than you do. So you need to know what I know."
"I’m still with you."
Kirk held out his hand and Richards handed him more pictures. He handed them to me. The same two women, but these weren’t taken at some party. These were taken at the morgue. "Both
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