Page 55 of Sighs By the Sea

There’s a knock on the door, and a man covered in tattoos and a dark blue jumpsuit is led in. I lower my brow, ready to get to business. "Hello, Charley." The guard cuffs him to the table and leaves. The thud of the door shutting and being locked doesn’t exactly help the feeling of being stuck.

"Chewy," the man corrects. I had read some of his file when we were on our way. The man is an up-and-comer in the gang—not exactly a leader, but someone who is quickly becoming important. He was busted with cocaine, intent to sell. His powerful frame is positively stuffed into the jumpsuit, and I would be lying if I said he didn’t intimidate me. But his hands are cuffed, as well as his ankles, and I sink into the chair across from him.

"Chewy, then. We have secured the deal. Two-year sentence reduction if the information you provide leads to an arrest. What do you got?"

"A name." Both Harry and I wait. "Suze. Some street chick that came into money. She put $25,000 up front and the second half paid when the mob guy is dead. Axe has the cash." Suze. The name rings a bell, but I can’t place it currently. I’ll have to look through old case files to figure it out later.

"Any last name?" Chewy shakes his head.

"Description?"

"Skinny. Likes ketamine and meth. Thin, brown hair."

"Tattoos? Scars? Glasses?" These things can really narrow down a list. Every detail helps. I once found a perp just because they were left-handed and had a bottom gap tooth. Hell, just the left-handed thing was a catch. Narrowed down my suspects by 75%.

Chewy looks down at his hands. "Oh yeah," he laughs a little. "She’s got a thigh tat. Footprints and a name in cursive. But I couldn’t read it for shit; it was pretty bad."

I look at Harry, and he shrugs. "All right. We’ll let you know, then." We’re both already standing up, and Chewy looks at us in turn, panic in his eyes.

"Y’all gonna lock Suze up? I mean, I know you are, but can I add somethin’ to my request or whatever?"

That intrigues me, and my brows lower. "Maybe. Why?"

"I might have an address, but… I wanna see her." An address would certainly speed things along. I sit back down, but Harry remains standing. He seems to know what Chewy wants, and I don’t exactly appreciate the sniggers I keep hearing behind me.

I lean forward, sensing drama. "In what respect, Chewy?"

"She’s a fuckin' babe, and we kinda had a thing for a while."

Looking over my shoulder, I see Harry’s amused expression mirror my own. "We’ll do our best." He gives us the address of a hotel on Skid Row. The infamous few blocks of downtown Los Angeles where over 100,000 homeless people live. I hate that section of town. Everyone does. For me, it’s guilt. Seeing humans living that way, it’s hard. Every time I want to complain about my garbage disposal acting up or the water pressure being low, I think about how much worse it could be. How much worse it almost was. When I got out of foster care, it was touch and go for a while. Took me time to find my footing in the real world, get an apartment, and gain custody of my younger sister.

"That’s great, Chewy. Thanks, we’ll let you know about your, erm, second request."

I can read between the lines; Chewy wants a conjugal visit, not something prisoners get often. Mostly it’s for married spouses and only in lower-level prisons. Chewy isn’t likely to have his request granted. But I’ll put in a good word if we manage to find Suze.

He puffs his chest out a little as Harry goes to the door. Harry bangs on it twice, and a guard opens it up. We leave to let the guards get Chewy back to his cell. The man was surprisingly helpful. A last name would have been better, but I get it. Criminals don’t share that information easily, even if Chewy and Suze were banging. But the description and address are enough to start. Though it does mean I’ll probably need to work tomorrow, a day I had previously planned to spend with Grayson.

I pull out my phone as we walk down the hall.

Me: Hi, handsome.

Sexy Jailbait: My Maggie. How are you, darling?

I feel my smile grow.

Me: Fine. Got a lead I need to look into.

Sexy Jailbait: I see.

Sexy Jailbait: Is this an excuse to not eat vegetables? I was hoping to cook for you tonight.

Oh, this man. He doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow to see me? That’s nearly enough to make me swoon completely. I keep it in check only because I feel Harry watching me.

Me: You do have my address…

Sexy Jailbait: Then I’ll see you tonight. Maybe use your toothbrush?

I think he’s asking if he can stay the night. Fine by me. Stay all the nights.

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