Bright light streaked in through the window, illuminating the room and creating a long shadow of Freckle. Freckle stood at the far end of the room from said window, rummaging through his closet for an outfit. Normally he wasn't still in his pajamas this late into the morning, but he'd been a bit lazy today. He was still nervous about Lackadaisy, vis-à-vis the investigation, but everything at least seemed, seemed, okay. He'd seen Rocky pull up outside last night, and saw that they were gone now. Nothing had happened up to this point, and it would seem, if things continued, that nothing would happen. Freckle wasn't overconfident, but he could relax some, knowing that things were alright for the time being.
He laid the clean clothes on the edge of his bed and started changing, throwing his pajamas into a small pile at his side. It was as he was pulling his pants on that there was a soft rapping against his bedroom door. "There's someone at the door for you, Calvin. Says it's important," Nina explained through the door.
"Oh, uh, just a minute," Freckle replied, still dressing. He wondered who it was, but hurried himself nonetheless; he didn't want to keep them waiting. After a short time, he descended the steps towards the front door as he finished buttoning, up at his collar. He dusted himself off, pulled his sleeves to full length, and opened the front door.
Out of all the people who it could have been, it was probably the person Freckle least wanted to talk to today. He'd briefly thought it was them, in the back of his mind as he had finished getting dressed, but to be confronted with them was immediately nerve-racking. Dominic stood on the porch, slightly at the side, hat in one hand, the second holding the first. Seeing Freckle, he gave a smile that ranged somewhere between 'weak and unconvincing' and 'suave and condescending', but Freckle couldn't quite place it. "Calvin, pleasure to see you again. Agreeable weather today, huh?"
"Uh, what do you want?" Freckle asked, nervously, still standing within the threshold.
"Just wanted to speak with you— ask some questions." Dominic saw the instant worry on Freckle's face and chuckled softly, "Nothing as rigorous as before, I assure you. Come out here onto the porch."
Freckle did so, closing the front door behind him. His head was full of anxious thoughts. Had he finally succeeded, and Freckle's cousin and all of his acquaintances were in jail? Was he going to put Freckle in jail? Was he trying to intimidate Freckle? "So, how are you, Calvin? How have things been?" Dom wondered.
"Um, fine," Freckle muttered.
"Busied yourself at the café recently?" Dom leaned against the railing behind him, still subtly, politely smiling.
"No, I haven't." Freckle felt it necessary to give a firm answer. And that answer, based in truth, was that he hadn't; he'd kept away from it like it was the Plague.
"That's good. And you haven't divulged anything about our little conversation the other day?"
"No." That answer was not based in truth, of course, but what else was he supposed to do? Say yes and risk being arrested or something?
"Good. Great, even, Calvin. I knew you were better than those guys you were working with." Freckle, due to necessity, neglected to comment on that. "But, what I need to ask you— everything you told me the other day was accurate?"
"...Yeah. After you figured out I was lying."
"Of course, of course." He waved his hat slightly; he already knew that much, "Even about those secret entrances you told me about?"
"Yeah." Freckle really didn't want to be answering these questions. He was providing information that he had been entrusted with, information and secrets that could be used against his friends. It made him feel nearly nauseous, practically double-crossing them like that.
"Where they were? How you accessed them? Where they led? All that?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Can you not just give me an answer?" Dominic huffed, standing up straight again. Freckle could take advantage of this. He seemed to be something approaching desperate.
"I'm just wondering." Freckle's typically innocent, childlike demeanor was serving him well now.
Dominic exhaled, again, more a huff than a sigh, and put his hat back on, "Well, I just need answers. I went to the damn place, went there myself, and I looked where you told me, and found nothing— nothing at all." Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose. "I see you as something of a good guy, Calvin. Perhaps even a samaritan, if you were inclined. You've been helpful, whether you wanted to be or not, and even still, you seem to have strayed away from returning to the way of life I pulled you from." He was giving himself a bit too much credit there. "You're good. But I haven't the evidence I need, and I'm, for the time being, ceasing investigations, because no amount of pilgrimages to the café is gonna get me what I need. So what I'm wanting from you, Calvin, is a simple favor from an ally; confirmation that there is evidence to be found."
Indeed, there was an opportunity here— one that led Freckle to feel nearly confident. The investigations on the speakeasy were done for now. That was big news. Dominic saw him as an ally. That was false, but was a useful tool. A desperate investigator, lost on facts, coming to a clearly undedicated "ally" was useful. "Okay. You're right. I don't wanna get arrested for that stuff. I don't really know why I did it in the first place." Freckle cleared his throat. "There are secret entrances where I told you."
"Do you have… evidence? If you had any pictures of those, or any of the alcohol, that would be of great use." He didn't see Freckle's lies for what they were, despite the fact that Freckle felt that they were rather shallow and transparent.
"I don't." But here presented further utility. Dom had stopped investigating, something that could let the Lackadaisy reopen, because he had no evidence. Freckle could promise to get him evidence, and could use that as leverage. He could say it would take time, and could delay Dominic, perhaps even indefinitely. "But," Freckle switched his weight from one leg to the other, "I could try and get some."
Dom's ears perked at this, and although he was trying to hide it, he was clearly excited at the prospect. He harrumphed to try and distract and disguise said excitedness. "Could you, now?"
"It would probably take a while though. The other guys'll probably be suspicious of me after everything that happened, and I'll need time to throw them off and get pictures. But I can get you pictures."
"That sounds good. I would appreciate that."
"Uh, but do you think you could let me know if anything changes? I don't wanna be there if you start investigating again. I'm not getting evidence for my own arrest."
"Oh, yes, of course." Desperation-based leverage working its magic. "I wouldn't want my man on the inside to be caught up in all of this. You and I made a deal, and with you keeping up your side, it's only fair I keep up mine." Freckle felt a bit bad taking advantage of him like this, until he remembered Dominic's dramatic, self-confident, ruthless way of extracting information out of Freckle, and he remembered Zib being in jail— still in jail. And then he wasn't exactly too conflicted. Dom had and would do the same to him.
"And then, after you've got evidence, what do you do?"
"Then I've got reason for further investigation or even arrests. From there we can dismantle this whole operation."
"Well, you probably shouldn't be investigating it yourself for the time being. You might get noticed and let them know about everything." If all this was to work, a longshot already, then Dominic couldn't come by and find things out.
"Hmm, that's a good point." He took it as if it was genuine advice. "If they knew, it would jeopardize both of us. I'll be keeping my distance while you do your work, then."
"Good. I can get you some evidence. Eventually, at least. And then it's done, right?"
"After you have what I need, consider yourself done. You can put this chapter of your life behind you. I know you will."
"Yeah, I will." Freckle was feeling that nervous feeling in his stomach come back.
"Well, I don't need to keep you any longer than I have already. Your mother seemed like a nice woman. And if she asks, just tell her I was returning this." He reached behind him and grabbed Freckle's hat, card and all; it had been sitting on the top of the railing behind him. Freckle didn't even realize he had forgotten it. He extended his hand and grabbed it. "Thanks, Calvin. I knew you could help me out." He waved and started descending the outside steps and walking towards his car, the same one that had driven him home that night he had been questioned. "Just know you're making St. Louis a safer place. That's what we're fighting for. Have a nice day," Drago called back to Freckle before getting in his car.
Freckle nearly felt sick, watching Dom drive away. Making St. Louis safer. He wasn't doing that. He was making it more dangerous. He had been outright lying right to Dominic's face. Freckle watched the car drive off and disappear, and then he turned around, hat in hand, and walked back inside.
That night, when Rocky had returned from the Little Daisy, he was sure to tell Rocky about what happened. The investigation had come to a halt. Dominic trusted Freckle to the point of no longer looking for proof. The threat of Dominic had been subdued for now. The only cost had been the stability of Freckle's moral compass.
Rocky, after making completely sure that Freckle was telling the truth, then quickly returned to the Little Daisy, bringing Mordecai back with him. The two, Rocky leading the charge, made their way to Mitzi.
Rocky relayed the information to Mitzi now. Rocky, with a smile and full of enthusiasm, said that that meant Lackadaisy could open for business again. Mitzi wasn't completely convinced, but Rocky said that if Freckle's story wasn't completely accurate, and anything went wrong, he would take all the blame. He would be responsible. Perhaps that was enough. Perhaps it wasn't. But Mitzi elected to open the Lackadaisy for business again the next night. Rocky and Freckle would be busy tomorrow night.