Sunday 9 December 2018

Episode 21 – Some sage advice

It was mid-afternoon, and it had started raining.
Felicity didn’t seem to care, not like some of the girls Harry had known in the past.  Felicity was more of the tomboy sort, who cared little for appearances and less about what people thought of her.
They reached a cafe not far from Outtel just before the rain started to pour down.
Once they’d ordered coffee and cake, Felicity said, “You look like you’ve got a very interesting case going on.  The finance place, that’s a front for something, and it’s got nothing to do with loans, commercial or otherwise.”
“Money laundering?  I’m only here for the cheating husbands, not take on the mafia or organized crime.  That’s Sykes’ department.”
“Who’s this Sykes?”
“A cop.”
“And you think he’s legit?  Hell, most of the cops we’ve dealt with hare bent one way or another.  You want something done properly; you have to do it yourself.”
“I’m not looking for trouble.”
“You saw the mug shots on the wall, you’re already knee deep in trouble.  That Al character, he looks like an enforcer, that Miriam type, red hair or not, she looks like she escaped from jail.  She’s got criminal written all over her.”
She had he phone in her hand and had been typing in information, and now, when Harry glanced over, he could see she’d been searching the internet.
She showed me the phone and a picture of Al.  “This your guy?”
“Yes.”
“He’s got a rap sheet a mile long.  Assault, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, illegal gambling, loan sharking, even went away for a few months for suspected murder.  Guys like that don’t go straight, they just buy fancier suits and speak politely, while still banging your head against the wall.”
“What about Brightwater and the brother, Joseph.  They didn’t look like criminals.”
“If Al is, the brother is, and as for Brightwater, I’m betting he’s the schmuck front man who’ll take the fall when it all falls apart.  The Al’s and Joe’s of this world just move on.”
“You’re very cynical.”
“Realistic, Harry.  There’s a difference.”
Harry couldn’t help but think either she or her father had been a schmuck somewhere along the line
“So what you’re telling me is that I have to be careful dealing with these people?”
“Yes.  Now, I have to get back to my office, my father just sent me a message to tell me we’ve got a break in the case I’m working on.  You tread carefully with the Jones brothers, and let me know if you need any help.”
Coffee drunk, cake eaten, advice given and taken.

Time to go back to work.

© Charles Heath 2016-2018

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