PART 4
After I exchanged a few sexist comments with Kyle and got the cash he had promised me, I thought I'd go visit my other life-friend in Roswell ~ Liz Parker.
Liz was sensible, dark and classy.
All the things I was not, in other words.
She had small features, except for her big brown eyes… which soaked you in.
Those eyes worked out if you were happy, unhappy… and of course *lying* in my case.
She was the type of friend that when she found out you were lying wouldn't hold it against you, she would bring it up constantly though.
"How's it going with Michael? You able to get a fix on him?" Liz asked as she unaware sunk lower in his car's passenger seat.
"Not exactly a fix, but I know he's still in town." I had coaxed her into the 'Michael search' under the guise of spending more time with her.
"He's a serious babe," Liz replied for the billionth time in her 26 years of existence. She glanced at me, I could tell by the diamonds in her eyes that she was remembering the Crashdown scenario. "Saw him six months ago, before all this happened… Did all I could to keep from sinking my teeth into his butt."
"Sounds very carnivorous."
"The man in fine. You know it too."
"I also know he's accused of murder."
Liz didn't by my hard-arse answer for a second. Grinning she put her silky brown hair into a ponytail and said. "Gonna be a lot of women in Roswell unhappy to see Guerin on ice." She then gave me her and-you're-one-of-them smile.
She was wrong though. After last night my humiliated and vindictive heart only had cozy feelings at the thought of him locked up. And just to prove it to Miss Know-it-all I took her along with me to install a car alarm in Michael's car.
Max sized us up as we approached the caryard and Liz moved closer to me. She was such a nervous-nilly at times. However looking at Max's authoritarian stance and dark mysterious eyes I understood her reaction. This guy was… well… damn hot! And that made him scary!
"Why did you wanna meet here?" I asked.
Max eyed Liz and gave me a grin. "Nervous?"
"Why would I be nervous?" I snapped, annoyed at how easily he had been able to read me.
Max glanced at Liz. "The bodyguard."
This pissed me off I was ten times the psycho Liz was! I can't believe I just thought that… mental blush and annoyance.
"Liz. Max, Max. Liz." I grumbled.
Max nodded, and Liz nodded back. Great I was in the middle of a conversation with two silent types. 'Silent types' were a dying breed and I could tell these two were probably the last two of their kind. Well in that case I'm glad I brought them together. Maybe they could procreate...
Liz caught my grin and blushed.
I inwardly laughed and we went about putting the alarm in. After Max had showed me, well technically Liz by the way she was paying more attention, how to set it and stuff he straightened up and smiled.
"We meet here because this type of device is illegal." Max explained unnecessarily.
"Max we're not scared of you, however much you'd like us to be." I retorted earning me another smile.
Alex's words of finding witnesses echoed through my mind, so we drove over to Stark Street. I parked directly across from the gym, guzzled Liz's orange juice and set my new alien-proof alarm. If anyone knew Isabel Harding, it would be someone here.
I noticed a bubbly little blonde hooker on the corner and overcoming Liz's protests we wandered over for a chat.
"Hey girl," The lively blonde called out. "This here's my corner, you dig?"
"Great," Liz muttered. "I look like a damn hooker…"
As we came closer to her Liz pulled her skirt lower and slouched forward slightly to make her really quite minimal boobs recede.
"I'm looking for a friend. Michael Guerin." I showed the animated hookers Michael's casual picture from Kyle's file. "You seen him?"
"What you want with this Guerin guy?"
"It's personal."
"I bet." She smirked.
"You know him?"
She shifted her weight. "Maybe."
Okay different angle. "Actually, we're more than friends."
"How much more?" She asked and Liz seemed to hold the hookers same level of curiosity, from different view points though.
"The son of a bitch got me pregnant." Liz turned away so she wouldn't look at my straight face and giggle.
The short blonde seemed to consider me. "There's things you can do about that…"
"Yeah," I said. "And number one is to find the father. You know where he is?"
"Nuh uh."
"You know someone named Isabel Harding? She worked at the Takedown."
"She get you pregnant too?"
"Thought Guerin might be with her."
"Isabel's disappeared," she answered glancing at the ground. "It's an environmental hazard to us aliens."
The bubbly blonde hooker was an alien. Liz seemed shocked by this, I was too, but I didn't take a step back like Liz.
The alien hooker glanced at Liz and then turned her attention back to me. "I don't have time for this."
That was odd because I couldn't see any 'work' in sight. She was giving me the heave-ho.
Writing down my number I told her my name and said I'd appreciate a call if she saw Michael or Isabel. I asked her name and she looked at me strangely, like she couldn't comprehend why anyone would want to know that.
"Tess." Was her soft reply before she practically ran away.
"Jeez you can't tell who is and who isn't an alien now days." Liz said watching Tess' retreating form.
"Could you ever?"
"No." Liz sighed.
"Do you reckon that there could be different types of aliens?"
Liz looked at me confused. "Yeah… anything's possible in Roswell. What brought that thought on?"
She knew though, and the reason had spiky hair. "It's just I've only really ever met 5 aliens, and well they all have um different vibes…" I tried to explain.
"What do you mean?" Liz asked as we wandered back to the jeep, which I was annoyingly becoming attached to.
"Michael, Tess and Max give out this sort of annoying 'safe' vibe, whereas do you remember those two aliens guys from High School, they were kinda um scary if you know what I mean."
I looked over at Liz to try and verify that I was making sense but all I got was a Liz-deep-in-her-own-thoughts.
"Liz?"
"Oh… um yeah I actually get what your saying… those two didn't um 'act' like Michael and stuff… they were even pretty nasty to him…" She stuttered by way of a replied.
I eyed her curiously and we got into the car.
Outside the Crashdown she eventually spilt her mind. "I just didn't know Max was um you know…"
"You weren't expected too." I smiled gently still watching her movements. Liz levered herself out of the car and lingered with the door open. "What's up chica?"
"I'm just, worried about you… Pierce coming around to your place and this all involving Michael…" Her eyes flickered to the Crashdown and a grin appeared on her face. I narrowed my eyes and her grin widened. "Just um, be more careful babe."
Leaving Liz with a snotty remark and her barking with laughter, I understood her concern. This Michael chase seemed to be part of a bigger problem and it was like the key was buzzing right in front of me.
Ignoring her 'careful' warning I headed back to see if I could locate that Tess again. I got this strange vibe that she was a little fearful of Liz and I together so I hoped if I just went back it wouldn't be so intimidating as two humans had obviously been.
I also was hoping I'd see Michael again and be able to buzz his arse with my Max-inspired stun gun.
As soon as I had set the car alarm a woman came hurrying across the street to me. "Excuse me," She said. "Are you Maria DeLuca?"
"Yes."
"Mr Necedo would like to speak to you," she said. "His office is just across the street."
I didn't know anyone named Necedo and wasn't eager to hover in the shadows of Daniel Pierce out on the street, however I was out of leads and had I firm belief that if I got into trouble again Michael would pop up – and wasn't that my main objective?
A man in his late forties leaned forward as I entered the office and extended his hand. "Ed Necedo. I manage Daniel Pierce."
I nodded not sure how to respond, shrieking was unfortunately not an option, but it was the only one I could think of doing. "I wanted to take this opportunity to apologise. I know what happened in the gym…"
His apology stirred anger. "Pierce's behaviour was unprovoked and inexcusable."
Necedo looked embarrassed. "I never thought I'd have problems like this," he sighed. "If Pierce bothers you again, you let me know right away. I don't like when this kind of stuff happens."
I stared at him in stony silence and remembered what Michael had told me about Pierce and his previous rape charges.
Necedo either had his head in the Roswell desert or was engaged in client clean-up duty, he was also a tad scary. It was like this guy was really nasty but able to hide it effectually under the guise of noticeable naivete.
"He came to my apartment the night before last and tried to get in. Was abusive in the hall and left a mess on my door. If it happens again I'm filing charges."
Necedo was visibly shaken. He took a card from his desk draw and gave it to me. "That's my home phone," he said. "You have any more trouble and you call me straight away."
"Just keep him away from me." Necedo pressed his lips together and nodded. "I don't suppose you know anything about Isabel Harding?"
"Only what I read in the papers."
The rest of my day was spent getting bolts for my door and thinking Necedo wasn't all that trustworthy and looking for Michael's blue van.
The next day I would talk to Tess again, she seemed interesting enough. Maybe it was just because of the alien thing though. I have to acknowledge that aliens do this to me everytime. They're my weakness, totally intriguing for a gal like me. I knew of four aliens, Isabel, Michael, Max and Tess and had to admit they all intrigued the hell out of me.
The following day I headed back over to Tess' corner in Michael's car and only parked when I saw her sitting down on the curb.
"Still looking for Guerin?" She asked as I approached.
"No, only his van," I smiled. "You seen it?"
"Don't know nothing about a van. Lately Guerin's been driving a car like yours." Her eyes widened. "Sheee-it, that ain't Guerin's car, is it?"
"I sort of borrowed it," Tess' face spilt into a grin and mine followed suit. "A couple days ago I saw him driving a faded blue van, it had antennae sticking out all over the place. You see anything like that?"
"Tell me the truth now… you really pregnant?" Tess asked.
"No, but I could have been." Nine years ago.
Tess cocked an eyebrow and I told her all about the Bounty Hunter gig, Kyle Valenti, the $10 000 paycheck, the lot; she was really easy to talk to, a really good listener.
"I could do that," She said when I was done. "Maybe I should change my profession."
I left Tess soon after her assurance she hadn't seen the van and went to my mothers for dinner. Over dinner I nearly catapulted my pasta out of my nostrils when she said. "You had a phone call this morning from that nice young man you went to see. Daniel, so polite…"
"What did he want?" I asked my fork trembling at the thought he had actually took time to find out where my mother lived.
"He said he'd been trying to get in touch with you, but your phone had been disconnected," Thank heaven for unpaid phone bills. "I told him it was okay now though, I went to the company today and payed your bill." My mother beamed and my stomach lurched.
"Daniel Pierce is a sleaze. If he calls again, don't talk to him."
"He was polite to me on the phone." I mentally banged my head against the wall.
After I left mum's house I was driving slowly back to my apartment, wondering how I was going to nail Michael, in the purely law enforcement sense when a blue van come into my line of vision. Mentally patting myself on the back I followed the van, carefully keeping a good distance behind it so as not to spook him. This went on for a couple of minutes until all of a sudden the van vanished. Damn.
Cruising around for awhile annoyed, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw his van parked in the back parking lot of the local Deli.
Parking four cars away I was about to get out when the driver's side door was ripped open and I was yanked from behind the wheel. I stumbled forward, slamming into the wall of Michael's chest.
"Looking for me?" he asked.
"You might as well give up," I told him. "Because I never will."
The line of his mouth tightened. "Suppose I lay down on the pavement and you run over me a few times… just for old times. Do you get your money dead or alive?"
"No reason to get testy. It's nothing personal."
"Nothing personal? You're telling people I've gotten you pregnant! Jesus, isn't it enough I'm accused of murder?"
"You're overwrought."
"I'm beyond overwrought. Everyone has a cross to bear… you're mine." His eyes flicked to the car interior. "You're not making phone calls, are you?"
"No. Of course not."
"Shit," he said. "My life is shit."
"Probably just a phase."
His expression softened. "I like this outfit you're wearing." He said hooking a finger around my wide collar and looking inside at my cream bra. "Very sexy."
A flash of heat shot through my stomach and I told myself it was anger. "Don't be rude." I replied smacking his hand away.
"Well hell, I've made you pregnant, remember?" He moved closer. "One more little intimacy shouldn't bother you."
He lowered his mouth and kissed me.
I should have kneed him, but the kiss was delicious. Michael Guerin still knew how to kiss. Starting slow and tender then ending hot and deep. He pulled back and smiled, I knew I'd been had.
"Gotcha," he said.
"Dick breath."
He reached around me and removed the keys from the ignition. He then walked to a nearby Dumpster and threw the keys inside. "Happy hunting," he said, heading for the van. "Make sure you wipe your feet before you get into my car."
"Wait a minute," I yelled after him. "I want to know about Pierce and Topolsky."
He hitched himself up into the van and drove away.
I stared at the Dumpster, a lesser woman would have burst into tears, and a smarter woman would have an extra set of keys… I however hoped into the Dumpster making up some pretty damn creative swear words.
After what seemed like an eternity I discovered the keys sunk into some yellow-brown glop. Chanting that it was 'just mustard' I threw the keys out of the Dumpster and quickly followed suit.
Newspapers had been stacked for recycling beside the Dumpster and I used it to wipe off the keys.
A headline jumped out at me. 'Local Man Killed in Drive-by Shooting.' Beneath the headline was a picture of Hal Carver.
I'd seen him on Wednesday. Today was Friday.
The paper in my hand was a day old. I read the story without breathing. Carver had been gunned down late Wednesday night in front of his apartment building.
It went on to say how he'd been a hero in the war, getting the purple heart and how he was a colourful, well-liked neighbourhood figure. As of press time, the police had no suspects and no motive.
I leaned against the Cherokee, trying to absorb the reality of Hal Carver's death. He'd been so alive when I'd spoken to him, and now he was very dead.
First Milton Ross, the hit and run, and now Hal. Of the three people who'd seen and remembered the missing witness, two were dead.
I thought about Betty Osario and shivered. When I got back to my apartment I'd call Alex to get some reassurance of Betty's safety.
I'd just locked my apartment door behind me when the phone rang. The voice was muffled, so that I had to strain to hear, squinting at the handset as if that would help.
Fear is not a logical emotion. No one can physically hurt me on the phone, but I flinched all the same when I realised it was Pierce.
"Saw you talking to that alien whore Tess Maria. Didn't like it, maybe I'll deliver you a special present so you'll talk to me to, or maybe I'll just make you beg…"
I immediately hung up and when the phone rang again I snapped the plug from the wall. I needed an answering machine pronto.
Going out to Michael's car I used the phone to call Max and make my answering Machine request.
"Yo," Max said after two rings.
"I have a problem." I said by way of a hello.
A beat went by. "Are you naked?"
I narrowed my eyes at the phone "No."
"Too bad." I could hear him grinning over the phone.
Tbc…
