Tony was shoved back in his cell after an hour or so being grilled in the interrogation room.
He'd found out that Don had also been arrested along with the managers of the hotel; which probably explained why he wasn't tipped off about this woman being a cop.
The cops had been frustrated with him. He'd indulged his right to silence. He'd denied all knowledge of Don except as his boss at the strip club. He also claims he'd never known of an alliance between the hotel and the club. Tony figured that they were hoping he'd spill the beans so they could use him as a witness and make a connection. Partially from the cop shows on television that he was fascinated with and partially because they'd offered him a deal if he talked.
He'd refused though. It was known that Don had and would never give up a name of those loyal to him. Tony hoped he fit that category.
Tony's lawyer had also been to see him. A small, skinny guy appointed by the state.
He'd told Tony to keep quiet about the connection with Don and between Don and the Managers. He said that the prosecution would not be able to make a link between Don and the hotel if he didn't talk which meant that Don wouldn't be charged with having a serious prostitution racket, also making Tony's charges a lot smaller. AND, if he talked he'd probably never be able to get a good pimp every again. Tony didn't want a reputation as a snitch.
Tony leaned against the bars of the cell. Rita was sitting at her desk writing. She looked beautiful with her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders.
He sighed. He was upset to be arrested. He was upset that he was set up. But more than that, he was upset that he didn't have a chance to have sex with this woman. Life wasn't fair.
'Hey.' He called softly to her. 'That outfit you had on last night looked really good.'
Rita didn't look up from her desk, instead choosing to roll her eyes and continue to write. She had no illusions as to why she got stuck with the crappy desk near the cells. But what she didn't like was why there were younger, less experienced, male officers who got better desks and she was left with the one near the drunks and the scumbags. Life wasn't fair. Not that this man fitted into either of these two categories, but he was still a criminal.
'You haven't been doing this job for very long have you?'
She looked up at him and glared. 'I've been doing it long enough to know that prostitution is a crime.'
Tony smiled. Young, vulnerable…this he could use. 'I'm not a prostitute.' He lied.
Rita gave an exasperated sigh. 'Really? So why did you take my money and ask what I wanted done?'
'I found you attractive. You wanted to have sex with me and thought I was a prostitute. I went along with the story. Money or not, I wanted you.' He shrugged. 'Is that a crime?'
Rita went back to writing. 'It's not my problem.'
'Why not?' Tony asked.
'It's not my case.'
'But you're a cop. I'm innocent. I only slept with you because I liked you.' Which was true, he thought. He did want to sleep with her, for money or nay.
Rita's expression had softened but her message was still the same. 'It's not my case. You'll have to talk to the other officers.'
Tony waited for a minute. 'It must be annoying. You know, being given the bad jobs because you're a woman in a man's job.'
'Must be annoying being a man in a woman's job.' She retorted.
Tony smiled. 'Okay, I can concede defeat.'
Rita gave a half smile, then mentally kicked herself. Stop fraternizing with the criminals, she told herself sternly.
But this man was getting under her skin already. He was tall, tanned and very handsome, and from the moves he pulled onstage at the club, he was fit, graceful and very sexy too. Not a bad catch, except for the whole illegal part.
'Rita, you have to help me.' He crooned to her.
'I can't help you.' She replied.
'You have to.'
'Why?' Wrong option. Open ended questions lead to more conversation, Rita realized AFTER she'd opened her mouth.
'Because I'm innocent and I'll go to jail if they convict me.' Tony pleaded with her.
Rita rolled her eyes. 'Sergeant.' She called to another cop. It was one of the ones that was interrogating Tony before. The guy lumbered over to Rita. 'He claims he's innocent.' She said pointing the pen at Tony before continuing on with her report.
'They all do.' The sergeant replied.
'Well, look at her.' Tony motioned to Rita. 'If she came up to you wanting sex wouldn't you take it?'
'You took money for it.' The sergeant said. 'Sex isn't a crime. Accepting payment for it is.'
'I didn't want the money, I wanted her.' Tony insisted. 'Did you see the dress she was wearing?'
The sergeant shook his head. They'd been following this prostitution ring for about six months now. With the information they thought they had last night, it was almost a straight forward conviction. Now this guy denied everything about the ring and was now claiming he was only in it for the sex. Their case was unravelling fast. 'You should be talking to your lawyer about that.'
'I already did.' Tony went over to the hard wooden bench and sat down. These people were impossible to deal with.
Rita got a call at her desk. 'Officer Collingwood speaking.' She said into the phone. She listened for a few moments before handing the phone to the sergeant. 'It's the DA.'
From the look on the sergeant's face Tony could tell that the DA wasn't telling the sergeant he was getting a pay rise…or anything else that was good.
After arguing a point for a few minutes the sergeant ended the call by slamming down the phone.
He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked Tony's cell. 'You're free to go.'
Tony gave him a puzzled look. 'Damn, and I was just getting comfortable.' He said sarcastically.
The sergeant led Tony through the station grabbing a clipboard and papers along the way. 'The DA says we couldn't make a case. But I'm warning you. We'll be keeping an eye on you.' He shoved the clipboard at Tony. 'Sign this and you can go.'
Tony scribbled his signature and left.
+++++
Tony had called Tim from a payphone to pick him up.
Tim was revelling in the money he'd made from the rich red head the night before.
'You're loss, man.' He said to Tony.
'Yeah, well you'd better keep your head down for a while. Don got busted last night for the ring and I got done too.'
'Shit.' Was Tim's response.
'Tell me about it.'
'So that chick you went with, did she have something to do with it?'
Tony nodded. 'She was a cop.'
Tim made a face. 'That's gotta suck. She was all right too, for a chick.'
'Tell me about it.'
Tim dropped Tony at the club so he could get his bike.
'I might take a few days off. Wait till this thing blows over.' Tony told him before they went their separate ways.
Tony got on his bike and rode home.
First thing he did when he got there was get the phone book.
+++++
Tony went up to the door, knocked and stood back and waited.
The neighbourhood was nice. White picket fences, playgrounds, swing sets…perfect family neighbourhood. So what was she doing here?
Rita pulled the door opened and huffed.
'Hi, I'm wondering if you're interested in buying insurance.' Tony said jokingly.
'What do you want?' Rita asked, pushing a few strands of hair off her face. It had been quickly thrown into a bun of sorts and strands had come loose.
Tony noted that it went well with the faded jeans and simple t-shirt she was wearing. 'I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee sometime.'
'No.' She said bluntly.
'No?'
'That's right. No. I don't date criminals.'
'Didn't your sergeant tell you? The DA let me off.'
Rita shook her head. 'You're as guilty as sin. Just because we didn't have any evidence doesn't mean you're not a criminal. It just means you're biding your time.'
'Well, can we bide some time over a coffee?'
'No.' Rita said sternly and shut the door in his face.
+++++
Tony sat in the park reading a newspaper. He'd been watching Rita over the last couple of days and had formulated her routine.
Lunch time, she'd go to a café and buy sandwiches and go to the beach to eat them.
He watched as she rode up to the café and handcuffed her bike to a pole.
Tony folded up his paper, tucking it under his arm as he crossed the street and waited.
Rita came out of the café a short time later carrying a plastic bag containing her lunch. She wasn't particularly pleased to see Tony waiting by her bike.
'What do you want?' She said frustrated.
'Is that the way you always greet people?' Tony said holding up a long stemmed rose.
Rita looked at it but didn't take it. 'What's it for?'
'For helping me.'
'The DA let you off. If it was up to me you'd still be in your cell.' She uncuffed her bike and started pushing it towards the beach.
Tony tucked the rose into a pocket the black storage compartment of her bike and walked with her. 'Yeah, but you called your sergeant over to talk to me. That says something doesn't it?'
'It just says that I didn't want to talk to you anymore. I had work to do and you weren't my case.'
'So why were you at the club?'
'I was bait. You wouldn't have fallen for the sergeant now would you?' Rita started walking faster hoping he'd get the message and back off. He didn't. In fact, he probably didn't even notice she was walking faster, his legs being longer than hers.
'There was something there that night. You didn't act like a cop.'
'I wasn't supposed to act like a cop.' Rita crossed into the park on the way to the water.
'But you didn't act like any other clients did you?'
Rita stopped and looked at him. 'Any other clients?' She questioned him.
Tony thought quickly. He shrugged his shoulders. 'So I was in the business ages ago. I was poor and I wanted to go to college. I needed the money. I gave it up when I got the stripping job. They pay well.'
'So why didn't you go to college.' Rita asked, continuing to walk.
'I didn't get the grades. Nobody would accept me.' That was the truth. He'd applied to almost everyone…even the beauty schools.
'I don't believe that. You don't seem like a complete fool.' And he didn't. He'd just run rings around the DA, the sergeant, her lieutenant, and almost everyone else.
'I had a bad time in junior. My parents divorced. My dad moved over the other side of the country and my mom got remarried. The new guy didn't want me hanging around so I moved out.'
'But surely your mother was supportive.'
Tony shook his head.
'What about your dad? Couldn't you have gone to live with him?'
'I couldn't find him. He never left a forwarding address. And there wasn't anyone else I could live with. After I managed to barely pass junior I flunked senior.'
'What did you want to do? For a job I mean.'
Tony smiled to himself. 'Believe it or not I wanted to be a cop.'
Rita a pulled a face. 'You're kidding aren't you?'
Tony shook his head. 'Nope. It's what I've wanted to be since I was a little kid. I always wanted to carry a badge and a gun and be all important. But you need a pass in Senior english.'
'You could always go back to night school or something.' Rita suggested. She could picture him as a cop. Especially a bike cop, with the tight pants…no, no, no, she told herself. Don't even start thinking about that.
Tony shrugged. 'What's the point? Even if I do pass, the academy would just look up my file, see that I was arrested and they'll laugh me out of the place.'
'Well, do you really want to be stripper for the rest of your life?' Rita reached her favourite spot on the beach and sat down to eat her lunch. Well, it wasn't quite her favourite spot. There was a better spot but it was further down the beach. It was more secluded and a lot prettier view of the water.
Tony sat down with her. 'I guess not.'
+++++
He'd found out that Don had also been arrested along with the managers of the hotel; which probably explained why he wasn't tipped off about this woman being a cop.
The cops had been frustrated with him. He'd indulged his right to silence. He'd denied all knowledge of Don except as his boss at the strip club. He also claims he'd never known of an alliance between the hotel and the club. Tony figured that they were hoping he'd spill the beans so they could use him as a witness and make a connection. Partially from the cop shows on television that he was fascinated with and partially because they'd offered him a deal if he talked.
He'd refused though. It was known that Don had and would never give up a name of those loyal to him. Tony hoped he fit that category.
Tony's lawyer had also been to see him. A small, skinny guy appointed by the state.
He'd told Tony to keep quiet about the connection with Don and between Don and the Managers. He said that the prosecution would not be able to make a link between Don and the hotel if he didn't talk which meant that Don wouldn't be charged with having a serious prostitution racket, also making Tony's charges a lot smaller. AND, if he talked he'd probably never be able to get a good pimp every again. Tony didn't want a reputation as a snitch.
Tony leaned against the bars of the cell. Rita was sitting at her desk writing. She looked beautiful with her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders.
He sighed. He was upset to be arrested. He was upset that he was set up. But more than that, he was upset that he didn't have a chance to have sex with this woman. Life wasn't fair.
'Hey.' He called softly to her. 'That outfit you had on last night looked really good.'
Rita didn't look up from her desk, instead choosing to roll her eyes and continue to write. She had no illusions as to why she got stuck with the crappy desk near the cells. But what she didn't like was why there were younger, less experienced, male officers who got better desks and she was left with the one near the drunks and the scumbags. Life wasn't fair. Not that this man fitted into either of these two categories, but he was still a criminal.
'You haven't been doing this job for very long have you?'
She looked up at him and glared. 'I've been doing it long enough to know that prostitution is a crime.'
Tony smiled. Young, vulnerable…this he could use. 'I'm not a prostitute.' He lied.
Rita gave an exasperated sigh. 'Really? So why did you take my money and ask what I wanted done?'
'I found you attractive. You wanted to have sex with me and thought I was a prostitute. I went along with the story. Money or not, I wanted you.' He shrugged. 'Is that a crime?'
Rita went back to writing. 'It's not my problem.'
'Why not?' Tony asked.
'It's not my case.'
'But you're a cop. I'm innocent. I only slept with you because I liked you.' Which was true, he thought. He did want to sleep with her, for money or nay.
Rita's expression had softened but her message was still the same. 'It's not my case. You'll have to talk to the other officers.'
Tony waited for a minute. 'It must be annoying. You know, being given the bad jobs because you're a woman in a man's job.'
'Must be annoying being a man in a woman's job.' She retorted.
Tony smiled. 'Okay, I can concede defeat.'
Rita gave a half smile, then mentally kicked herself. Stop fraternizing with the criminals, she told herself sternly.
But this man was getting under her skin already. He was tall, tanned and very handsome, and from the moves he pulled onstage at the club, he was fit, graceful and very sexy too. Not a bad catch, except for the whole illegal part.
'Rita, you have to help me.' He crooned to her.
'I can't help you.' She replied.
'You have to.'
'Why?' Wrong option. Open ended questions lead to more conversation, Rita realized AFTER she'd opened her mouth.
'Because I'm innocent and I'll go to jail if they convict me.' Tony pleaded with her.
Rita rolled her eyes. 'Sergeant.' She called to another cop. It was one of the ones that was interrogating Tony before. The guy lumbered over to Rita. 'He claims he's innocent.' She said pointing the pen at Tony before continuing on with her report.
'They all do.' The sergeant replied.
'Well, look at her.' Tony motioned to Rita. 'If she came up to you wanting sex wouldn't you take it?'
'You took money for it.' The sergeant said. 'Sex isn't a crime. Accepting payment for it is.'
'I didn't want the money, I wanted her.' Tony insisted. 'Did you see the dress she was wearing?'
The sergeant shook his head. They'd been following this prostitution ring for about six months now. With the information they thought they had last night, it was almost a straight forward conviction. Now this guy denied everything about the ring and was now claiming he was only in it for the sex. Their case was unravelling fast. 'You should be talking to your lawyer about that.'
'I already did.' Tony went over to the hard wooden bench and sat down. These people were impossible to deal with.
Rita got a call at her desk. 'Officer Collingwood speaking.' She said into the phone. She listened for a few moments before handing the phone to the sergeant. 'It's the DA.'
From the look on the sergeant's face Tony could tell that the DA wasn't telling the sergeant he was getting a pay rise…or anything else that was good.
After arguing a point for a few minutes the sergeant ended the call by slamming down the phone.
He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked Tony's cell. 'You're free to go.'
Tony gave him a puzzled look. 'Damn, and I was just getting comfortable.' He said sarcastically.
The sergeant led Tony through the station grabbing a clipboard and papers along the way. 'The DA says we couldn't make a case. But I'm warning you. We'll be keeping an eye on you.' He shoved the clipboard at Tony. 'Sign this and you can go.'
Tony scribbled his signature and left.
+++++
Tony had called Tim from a payphone to pick him up.
Tim was revelling in the money he'd made from the rich red head the night before.
'You're loss, man.' He said to Tony.
'Yeah, well you'd better keep your head down for a while. Don got busted last night for the ring and I got done too.'
'Shit.' Was Tim's response.
'Tell me about it.'
'So that chick you went with, did she have something to do with it?'
Tony nodded. 'She was a cop.'
Tim made a face. 'That's gotta suck. She was all right too, for a chick.'
'Tell me about it.'
Tim dropped Tony at the club so he could get his bike.
'I might take a few days off. Wait till this thing blows over.' Tony told him before they went their separate ways.
Tony got on his bike and rode home.
First thing he did when he got there was get the phone book.
+++++
Tony went up to the door, knocked and stood back and waited.
The neighbourhood was nice. White picket fences, playgrounds, swing sets…perfect family neighbourhood. So what was she doing here?
Rita pulled the door opened and huffed.
'Hi, I'm wondering if you're interested in buying insurance.' Tony said jokingly.
'What do you want?' Rita asked, pushing a few strands of hair off her face. It had been quickly thrown into a bun of sorts and strands had come loose.
Tony noted that it went well with the faded jeans and simple t-shirt she was wearing. 'I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee sometime.'
'No.' She said bluntly.
'No?'
'That's right. No. I don't date criminals.'
'Didn't your sergeant tell you? The DA let me off.'
Rita shook her head. 'You're as guilty as sin. Just because we didn't have any evidence doesn't mean you're not a criminal. It just means you're biding your time.'
'Well, can we bide some time over a coffee?'
'No.' Rita said sternly and shut the door in his face.
+++++
Tony sat in the park reading a newspaper. He'd been watching Rita over the last couple of days and had formulated her routine.
Lunch time, she'd go to a café and buy sandwiches and go to the beach to eat them.
He watched as she rode up to the café and handcuffed her bike to a pole.
Tony folded up his paper, tucking it under his arm as he crossed the street and waited.
Rita came out of the café a short time later carrying a plastic bag containing her lunch. She wasn't particularly pleased to see Tony waiting by her bike.
'What do you want?' She said frustrated.
'Is that the way you always greet people?' Tony said holding up a long stemmed rose.
Rita looked at it but didn't take it. 'What's it for?'
'For helping me.'
'The DA let you off. If it was up to me you'd still be in your cell.' She uncuffed her bike and started pushing it towards the beach.
Tony tucked the rose into a pocket the black storage compartment of her bike and walked with her. 'Yeah, but you called your sergeant over to talk to me. That says something doesn't it?'
'It just says that I didn't want to talk to you anymore. I had work to do and you weren't my case.'
'So why were you at the club?'
'I was bait. You wouldn't have fallen for the sergeant now would you?' Rita started walking faster hoping he'd get the message and back off. He didn't. In fact, he probably didn't even notice she was walking faster, his legs being longer than hers.
'There was something there that night. You didn't act like a cop.'
'I wasn't supposed to act like a cop.' Rita crossed into the park on the way to the water.
'But you didn't act like any other clients did you?'
Rita stopped and looked at him. 'Any other clients?' She questioned him.
Tony thought quickly. He shrugged his shoulders. 'So I was in the business ages ago. I was poor and I wanted to go to college. I needed the money. I gave it up when I got the stripping job. They pay well.'
'So why didn't you go to college.' Rita asked, continuing to walk.
'I didn't get the grades. Nobody would accept me.' That was the truth. He'd applied to almost everyone…even the beauty schools.
'I don't believe that. You don't seem like a complete fool.' And he didn't. He'd just run rings around the DA, the sergeant, her lieutenant, and almost everyone else.
'I had a bad time in junior. My parents divorced. My dad moved over the other side of the country and my mom got remarried. The new guy didn't want me hanging around so I moved out.'
'But surely your mother was supportive.'
Tony shook his head.
'What about your dad? Couldn't you have gone to live with him?'
'I couldn't find him. He never left a forwarding address. And there wasn't anyone else I could live with. After I managed to barely pass junior I flunked senior.'
'What did you want to do? For a job I mean.'
Tony smiled to himself. 'Believe it or not I wanted to be a cop.'
Rita a pulled a face. 'You're kidding aren't you?'
Tony shook his head. 'Nope. It's what I've wanted to be since I was a little kid. I always wanted to carry a badge and a gun and be all important. But you need a pass in Senior english.'
'You could always go back to night school or something.' Rita suggested. She could picture him as a cop. Especially a bike cop, with the tight pants…no, no, no, she told herself. Don't even start thinking about that.
Tony shrugged. 'What's the point? Even if I do pass, the academy would just look up my file, see that I was arrested and they'll laugh me out of the place.'
'Well, do you really want to be stripper for the rest of your life?' Rita reached her favourite spot on the beach and sat down to eat her lunch. Well, it wasn't quite her favourite spot. There was a better spot but it was further down the beach. It was more secluded and a lot prettier view of the water.
Tony sat down with her. 'I guess not.'
+++++