Page 43 of Bad Seed

“What do you want?” Thor asked.

“Don’t be like that,” Ollie said. “We’ve known each other for years.”

“Yeah, youknewmy mother, in the biblical sense,but I was just the kid on the other side of the locked door who was listening to you screw her. So, again, what do you want?”

“Are you still all computer techy?” Ollie asked.

“I’m a gamer, and a hacker when I wanna be. What’s it to you?” Thor asked.

“Awesome. Want to make a couple of hundred bucks?” Ollie asked.

“To do what?” Thor asked.

“I have a name and a phone number, but I need the address to go with it. I was thinking of finding this person through food delivery services. I mean, everyone uses them these days, so their name and address should be in the system. All you have to do is check the customer lists for food delivery in Chicago and find the address.”

“Why do you want her address?” Thor asked.

“None of your business,” Ollie said.

“Are you gonna kill her?”

“Ask me a question like that again, and you’ll be first,” Ollie said.

“A thousand dollars, and what’s the name and number?”

“What the fuck!” Ollie shouted.

“Take it or leave it,” Thor said.

“Fine, all right! Fine! But you don’t get a penny until you tell me you have the name and address.”

“What if there are several people with the same name? How will I know which is the one you want?” Thor asked.

“Well, they won’t have the same phone number, though, will they?” Ollie snapped. “It will be an upscale address, and it’s a woman named Harley Banks. I’ll text you the number.”

“If I do find it, I will let you know, and at that time, you will Venmo the money, and then I’ll give you the info.”

“No way! I’m calling the—”

The line went dead. Ollie cursed and made the call again.

Thor picked up, but said nothing.

“Fine, it’s a deal,” Ollie said.

“I’ll be in touch,” Thor said, and hung up again.

“Little prick,” Ollie muttered, but if it got the results he needed, the thousand dollars would be a bargain.

He stretched out on the bed, laid the phone beside his pillow, and upped the volume on the cartoon channel he’d been watching. He’d grown up on Looney Tunes, and when he was frustrated at life in general, he always returned to the days when life consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

***

Harley ordered room service at dinner—nothing fancy, just soup and a sandwich, but when the order arrived, there was also a small chocolate tartlet on the tray, topped off by a perfect swirl of whipped cream withthree raspberries and a mint leaf strategically placed against the tart.

Brendan!

She wasn’t going to second-guess the reason, because it was basically chocolate pie, and she never said no to pie. She was wishing for something to read while she ate, but there weren’t any books in the suite, and she hadn’t thought to bring any with her, so she turned on the TV, and caught up on national news as she ate.

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