Chapter 7: Secrets and Lies

Helga met Sid at Dingo's Diner the following day at noon during her lunch break. Funny last time she was here she was dressed up as Celine, trying to impress Arnold. Now she was considering not even talking to Arnold. When she got there Sid was already seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant. He had certainly changed for the better. Police Academy did him good. Not only was he buff, he had grown taller. That police uniform certainly didn't hurt his case either. He looked more like a man than a little pipsqueak like he did before. A bit like a young Sean Penn. Helga couldn't deny that Sid was attractive now, but he probably was the same pain in the a** he was in elementary school.

"Hey Sid." Helga said abruptly as she took her seat across from Sid. Sid cleared his throat on purpose and Helga corrected herself, "Ugh. I mean OFFICER Sid."

"Thank you. Now did you want to order food or something? I'm starving." Sid rolled up the sleeves on his uniform, revealing a forearm covered in tattoos. He went to become a police officer and got tough? He couldn't take a hit to save his life before, now he could sit through an arm full of tattoo needles.

"Yeah sure Sid. Listen, I really came to give you the information not make small talk so if we could speed this process up I have to get back to work."

"Helga, Helga, Helga. Always rushing. Relax. Have a drink or something. Pick out whatever you want on the menu, my treat."

Helga groaned and picked up the menu. There was always a catch with this guy. The waiter came and they placed their orders. Helga got the caesar salad and Sid being Sid ordered steak with a baked potato and a side of french fries. The food came 15 minutes later. Sid was literally inhaling his food.

"Could you be anymore gross Sid? Didn't your mom teach you table manners?" Helga almost wanted to gag watching him eat. His mouth was covered with steak sauce. Professional? Professional my ass! Sid being professional was only a fantasy he made in that marble sized brain of his.

"I'm a grown man. I need all the carbs I can get, I work out five days a week." Sid's plate was completely empty. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and proceeded to work on his fries. "Anyway, the evidence you found at Eugene's, I understand you obtained it illegally so you have to trust that I have a bit of disbelief with your little phone number here."

It seemed like Sid was now a completely different person now. He was serious with a stern tone. He sat up straight and now looked Helga directly in the eyes. He had dark, Italian eyes. Sid was kind of...intimidating? Helga could see that he took his job seriously.

"It was stuffed in a shoe, a shoe that had never been worn before. She was hiding it Sid." Helga slid the paper to Sid. He picked it up and quickly examined it.

"Hmmm definitely isn't Rhonda's handwriting. It was written on the back of a faded club receipt. Club Phoenix?"

Club Phoenix! Arnold worked there at night at the bar. Had he and Rhonda met before she was killed? Helga was silent as all the possibilities that Arnold was hiding something from her ran through her mind. That lying bastard! HE had the nerve to accuse her of hiding things from him when he was hiding things from her!

"Anyway. I'll bring it up to my partner, Detective Berman. We can run the number at the station and get some info on this Frankie character. Thanks for the tip Helga but next time leave it to the professionals. If my boss finds out I got this without a search warrant I could be thrown off the case." Sid went back to stuffing fries in his mouth.

Helga watched him silently from across the table

"You okay Helga? Silent isn't your style."

"Arnold's just being a stupid football head like always and Phoebe's being as weird as ever."

"What? Arnold not putting it out?"

Helga almost blushed that was so blunt. Sid thought he and Mr. Goody Two Shoes were together just because they lived together.

"NO! Arnold and I," Hela shouted. "are NOT a thing."

"Alright, alright. No need to be disruptive. You know I can take you in for disturbing the peace." Sid joked, putting more ketchup on his fries. "I just assumed since you had such a huge thing for him when we were younger and since you guys are two perfectly normal adults who happen to live together at least a one night stand would be in order."

Helga choked on her soda. Arnold and sex in the same sentence. He couldn't get it on even if he tried, let alone with Helga. He had no girlfriends, at least none she knew of since they've been living together. The closest thing he got to being a remotely sexual human being was his make out session with Ms. Perfect. When she was younger she used to fantasize about living alone with Arnold and how romantic it would be but, Arnold had never even hinted at having an interest in anything like that at all. Of course Helga thought about sex with Arnold before. Arnold was anything but unattractive and he was easily available with him being in the next room. She was a woman, he was a man, and they both had working parts so why not?

What was Helga even thinking! Sex. With Arnold. Her roommate who couldn't even wash his own clothes until a couple months ago. Laughable at best.

"Arnold and I haven't… we've never… we don't do THAT" Helga was so flustered and Sid was enjoying making PS 118's most feared bully turn into a ball of mush.

"I don't know why. Arnold's an idiot if he hasn't tried to make a move on you yet."

"What's THAT supposed to mean Sid? I'm some blonde bimbo everyone can just screw?"

"It means that I think you're attractive. I think you're beautiful Helga and if Arnold doesn't recognize that he's much more of a fool than I thought."

Helga was dumbfounded at Sid's directness. Before Helga could open her mouth Sid's walkie talkie went off.

"Code 3. We have a 10-71 at Pembroke Law Firm. All officers on report at the scene. Copy?"

"10-4. 10-4. Officer is dispatching. Time, 12:41." Sid sprung up and unrolled his sleeves quickly. Something was definitely wrong. He removed the safety from his gun.

"Sid! What's happening? Pembroke is where Phoebe works. What's going on?!"

Sid's scanner went off again. He put the talkie up to his mouth and listened. He continued to run out of the restaurant.

"Hostages now involved. Please use caution. Copy?"

"10-4. Caution noted. Officer is now on the move to the location. Time, 12:43."

"SID! WAIT! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Helga ran behind him as Sid got into his cop car.

"Sorry Helga, civilians need to remain safe. Don't worry." Sid turned on his sirens and police lights and speeded off.

~/~

Helga watched the news that night. Helga could hardly contain herself she was so worried. There was a shooting and hostage situation at Pembroke's, the big law firm downtown where Phoebe worked. Later on she called Phoebe to make sure she was okay.

"Phoebe! Oh thank God. You're okay!"

"I'm fine. Remember I said I would be out of town Helga."

"Well sooooooorry for worrying about you. What is going on with you? What do you have to tell me? "

"Helga, please don't be mad. It's about Arnold and Rhonda."

"Spit it out already!"

"I went for drinks after work one night a couple months ago with Gerald and I saw Rhonda there at the bar talking to Arnold."

Well that wasn't anything new. He was a bartender for Christ's sake. People HAD to talk to him. Rhonda was probably trashed anyway. She was known to not be one that could hold her liquor.

"I overheard their conversation and it seemed like she was spilling her whole life to him about how she was so unhappy and she had been feeling not like herself lately. How she had gotten into a really big mess and she didn't know who to go to. I didn't hear most of the specifics but I did see him slip her something written on a piece of paper. It looked like a number."

"FRANKIE!" Helga yelped. Arnold was Frankie! Or Arnold knew Frankie! This bastard had been knowing what was going on with Rhonda all along.

"I, I think they were having some sort of secret affair or secret relationship, from the looks of it that night. I overheard my boss saying he was going to be Eugene's lawyer and he had something big on Rhonda that would expose her. Something about her past. I'm terribly sorry." Phoebe sounded like she was in a huge hurry to get off the phone. "They-they were trying to kill my boss last night. I, I have to go."

"Who was trying to kill your boss? Where are you?"

There was dead static on the other line of the phone.

Nevermind her boss. She was going to kill Arnold. She was going to murder his past, present, and future. HE had the nerve to be sleeping with Rhonda but lecturing her about friendship.

She just couldn't deal with this right now. If what Phoebe was telling her was true Arnold could not be trusted. She could be living with the enemy. She took out her phone and texted the only person she knew who could get the answers she needed. By now he probably had the information she needed on Frankie and it could take her mind off Rhonda and Arnold, well Arnold and Lila at the moment.

"Hey. I heard some officers got shot in the hostage situation."

"I'm fine. Bullet free. Thanks for asking."- S

"I have to see you right now."

"Come to my apartment ."- S

"Be there soon."

Helga knew this wasn't the right way to go about finding out if the accusations were true but what other choice did she have?

'What the hell am I doing?' Helga thought as she brushed her hair and put on some lipgloss before slipping on her best pair of skinny jeans. She was going to see Sid and she was primping herself? How was that even possible.

She bumped into Arnold on the way out. He took one look at her appearance and frowned/his face became very concerned

"Where are you going Helga?"

"None of your business Arnold." she got her keys and purse off the kitchen counter before heading out of the apartment to catch the elevator.

Arnold followed behind her, "Helga it's late, I know we had an argument last night but-"

"But nothing." Helga snapped, "This isn't just about last night. I know about you and Rhonda, Arnold, and how you lied to me!"

Arnold shocked "Me and Rhonda? What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me Arnold, or should I say Frankie? Phoebe told me all about it but don't worry, what you do in your spare time, is your own business. So keep out of mine!"

"Frankie? What is that supposed to mean?"

She slammed the door in Arnold's face.

Author's Note: Some explanations of the police jargon used in this chapter. Code 3 means to turn on lights and sirens. 10-71 means a shooting is involved. 10-4 means message received. As always constructive criticism and reviews welcomed.