Ch. 42
The first thing Dante noticed as he and Val were preparing to leave the next morning was that Val wasn't wearing her usual finery for work. She was also carrying a workout bag as she descended the stairs. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear jeans to work since you started working at the shop, have I?" "Probably not. I'm usually 'admin dressy' but I plan to go to the fitness club tonight and get in a good workout, so I thought I'd dress down today."
"You're going to work out tonight? Wow—you don't mess around, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just that once you decide on something, you really commit! I'm assuming you're going to the gym to start improving your conditioning in preparation for the academy, right?"
"You got me! If I'm gonna be impressive, it's gotta be from the beginning! I certainly don't intend to embarrass myself or my supporters in the department. If I play this right, I'm gonna blow you away."
"Well I hope you know you don't have to do anything to impress ME, don't you? Knowing you the way I do, I know you'll do your best, and that's more than enough for me. Don't concentrate on blowing away the 'competition', ok—way too much pressure to put on yourself."
"You have a point but I'm looking forward to pushing myself to see how far I can go and what I can accomplish. It's a good time for a challenge. For a while, though, it might mean less time for us…"
"You're already kicking me to the curb?"
"Of course not! I'm only saying that I'll try not to get obsessive about this but I really want to do well, which means focusing on accomplishing my goal. I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you to the curb, though-"
"Val, I was only joking with you. I like that you're planning to wholeheartedly take this on and that you have goals. We'll have time for each other so don't worry about that. I think the fact that we're not totally wrapped in each other and we have our own stuff going on will only make us better as a couple."
"I think you're right. That's what I'm hoping too, that we do what makes us a better, stronger couple. I know I'll see you at the shop but afterwards? We reconnect later on tonight?"
"Yeah. I was gonna hang with Nathan at Jake's for a while after work. Ever since I got saddled with Hill, West and I haven't gotten a chance to hash out cases the way we used to and I miss that. Plus I know he wants to gripe about being stuck on desk duty—it might end up being a long night. When I get home, though, we'll make sure to make time for each other—deal?"
"Deal." Together they left the penthouse and rode the elevator to the first floor. In the lobby, Rodney, the daytime concierge stopped Val with, "Miss Spencer, good morning. A package arrived for you this morning—I was on my way to deliver it to you." "Ok, Rodney, thanks. Go ahead and go," she told Dante, "and I'll see you at work." After giving her a kiss, Dante left the lobby. Val made sure he had cleared the building and then she asked for the package she had been expecting from Pippa. Receiving it and thanking Rodney again, she walked to the corner of the lobby and opened it. She perused the driver's license and the identification card for what seemed like a long moment, also noticing that Pips had added a red lace thong as Val had asked her to in another text. "Kelli Allen. Hmm. Ok, from now on, whenever I'm in Joey Robbs' territory, I'm twenty-eight year old Kelli Allen from Philadelphia, PA. I have brown eyes and medium-length black hair. Alex Arondale is my man and I'm doing all this for him. I believe in the cover. I'm gonna live the cover and never waver from it. I have confidence. I'm gonna pull this off." Val smiled as a sense of empowerment and exhilaration swept over her while staring at the IDs. She was gonna rock the hell out of this mission—she could feel it.
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As Val used the hammer strength machine in the fitness club after work, she mentally reviewed her strategy. Appearing casual was the first step in her opinion. She had come across some information, she wanted to check on the accuracy of that information and that was how she came to be at The Lucky Roll pool hall. "Don't come across as over anxious or overly interested. Don't make it seem like it matters nearly as much as it does." She glanced at the wall clock on the gym wall. No more stalling. Time to either fish or cut bait.
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"You're new. What's a pretty little thing like you want in here?" Kelli looked at the stranger with a barely disguised frown before responding, "I ain't little, I ain't a thing, but I'll give you the pretty." Dizzy smirked at her with raised eyebrows and then nodded his head, saying, "You got that, you got that. Whatchu want here, though?" "What, you got some kinda law about someone like me bein' in here or somethin'?" "Naw, but I ain't seen your face around here, and it's a face I'd remember. Guess I'm suspicious of new faces." "Must be great for business. I'm lookin' for someone—I heard he hangs here." "Who you lookin' for?" "All I know is one name—Joey." At that, Dizzy began laughing as he remarked, "Look around, lady. You gonna have a hard time findin' only one guy named Joey in here!" Laughing with him, Kelli conceded the point. "My bad. The guy I want has a rep for bein' able to get stuff." "Get stuff?" "Yeah. Like say I want somethin'. I tell this guy and he can get it for me." "Somethin' like what?" Kelli's barely disguised frown turned to an all-out frown as she said, "You kinda in my business, man. What, you the guy I'm lookin' for? 'Cause if you ain't, you askin' too many questions for me."
Dizzy paused and stared at Kelli for a moment. "Naw, I ain't the guy you lookin' for," he finally answered, going on, "but I think I know who he is. Let's go over to that booth in the corner and talk." Once they were sitting across from one another, Dizzy noted, " You ain't from around here. Who put you on to him?"
"Aroun' my way, some old guy started hangin' in the park in my 'hood. Likes to run his mouth. He said he had 'connections' in Port Charles and he knew a guy who could get anyone whatever they wanted, for a price."
"This guy—what's his name?"
"I didn't ask his name—I wasn't tryna be his friend and stuff." His eyes narrowing, Dizzy inquired, "What's this guy look like?" "Man, I didn't check the guy out! I don't know, old. Kinda tall, skinny. Scraggly grey hair. Oh, yeah, and he was wearin' a baseball cap. That's all I got."
"Sounds kinda like Scribbs but last I heard, he was in Jersey, not Philly."
"Couldn't tell ya. I didn't get his name but I guess it ain't your 'Scribbs' 'cause this guy was in Philly." "It had to be him, though. He's the only one stupid enough to be runnin' his mouth about Joey Robbs like they're buddies or somethin'." Kelli's heart rate accelerated at the mention of Joey Robbs' name but she played it cool as she remarked, "Joey Robbs? Is that the guy I'm lookin' for?" "Yeah." "Ok. So how do I get with him?" "Whadda you want from him?" "Dude, seriously, you his front man or somethin'? Why you askin' me all these questions if you ain't the guy I want?"
"You got a problem answerin' questions?" "When I think someone's bein' nosy, yeah. If I gotta talk to you before I talk to him, say that; otherwise, you just somebody tryna be all up in my business. I'm not down for that." Putting her hands on the table, Kelli acted as though she was getting up to leave.
Giving her a wide smile, Dizzy told her, "Ok, ok, slow your roll, girl. Gotta ask questions sometimes—it pays to be suspicious. For all I know, you might be a cop." In disgust, Kelli huffed, "You the one got me on spotlight. I look like a cop to you? I came in here to do some business and all I get is you in my grill. You tryin' to trap ME or somethin'? Maybe YOU the cop." "What's your name, girly?" "Kelli, but my friends call me 'Honey'," she replied, adding, "because most of the time, I'm sweet as." "You definitely fine as. Maybe I'll get a chance to find out how sweet." A bark of laughter escaped before she could stop it and when Dizzy gave her an offended look, Kelli raised her hand in a placating way, telling him, "Sorry. Just got a flash of my man jackin' you up for thinkin' you could come near. He'd kill you first and then me if he thought I was tryna creep. I'm all about my man, though, so you got no shot." With disappointment, Dizzy asked, "You got a man, huh? Shoulda figured." "Yeah. He's why I'm here. Gotta special day comin' up and I wanted to get somethin' for him." "Somethin' like what?" "Ol' dude said this Joey could get whatever I wanted. I'm after two Sig Sauers—one for my man and one for me." "That's a lotta gun for a little girl like you." "You try to piss off all your customers or am I special?" "Naw, just sayin'. You don't look like the type." "The type to what, carry? My man knows his way aroun' guns so I wanna impress him. He's been meanin' to get himself one but he hasn't done it yet. I get this for him, I'm solid in his eyes."
"Let me see some ID." Warily, Kelli narrowed her eyes at Dizzy, wondering, "Why you want my ID?" "Gotta check somethin'—you gotta problem with that?" "It ain't easy just passin' my ID aroun' to strangers but whatever," she muttered, fishing in her jean pocket for her license and ID card. She slid them across the table and Dizzy picked them up, gazing hard at both cards. Pushing them back in her direction he announced, "I think we might be able to do some business, Miss Kelli Allen of 5258 Hazel Street, Philadelphia, PA. You got a number where I can call you?" Cocking her head to the side, Kelli appeared to visibly wince before scratching her head through the cap she was wearing. Sensing her hesitation, Dizzy rolled his eyes. "Look, you wanna do business, I gotta have a way to get you. I ain't tryna hook up or anythin' ok?" Sighing heavily, Kelli gave him the number to her burner phone. "I don't give that number to anyone so I'm trustin' ya. You sayin' we can do business?" "I'll check aroun', get back to you." "Cool." Getting up from the table, Kelli paused and pointed in his direction, asking, "You gotta name?" "Yeah, my friends call me Dizzy 'cause back in the day I had a turn aroun' jumper that'd make you dizzy." "Trackin' that. Ok, Dizzy. Let me know." She almost extended her hand but at the last minute stopped herself, thinking, "Let him offer his hand first." On cue, Dizzy stuck his hand up toward her and said, "Nice to meetcha, little girl." Seeing her bristling, he laughed and added, "Jus' messin' with you, Honey. I'll be in touch."
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Leaving the pool hall, Kelli took a deep breath and then crossed the doorway threshold. Pausing briefly on the sidewalk, she looked to her left and then to her right before leisurely making her way back to the Port Charles Spa and Fitness Club where Valerie Spencer was waiting to resume her life.
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Valerie walked into the Women's locker room of the fitness club and changed out of her disguise, packing it away carefully into her gym bag. She then placed the bag into a locker she had specifically rented for the purpose of storing it. She made her way to the sitting area near the front of the locker room and collapsed into the nearest chair. She sat there for a moment and then began laughing almost hysterically. She had done it! At least, she thought she had. This "Dizzy" character didn't appear to be disbelieving of her story but time would tell the tale. This wasn't the time to become overconfident. She had laid the groundwork, baited the hook. Now it remained to be seen whether or not she could net the big fish.
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As they sat down to a late dinner, Dante asked Val, "So, how was your workout? Did stretching your muscles make you wanna quit or work harder?" Still feeling somewhat euphoric, Val responded, "I feel like I could conquer the world!" When Dante frowned at her expansive answer, she amended, "Well, I feel stronger, anyway. I pushed myself harder than I've ever done before, something I'm sure I'll regret tomorrow when my body protests my ill treatment of it." "Pace yourself, Val. Don't forget, you don't have to prove anything to anyone so don't end up hurting yourself. It's been a while since you've been in the gym. Start small and build up." Giving him a wide smile Val said, "I definitely don't plan to go beyond my limits. Tempered confidence, that's what I have. I just feel good. How was your talk with Nathan?"
"I feel for the guy, for sure. He's sure he's ready to hit the streets but Jordan won't sign off on it so he's all ticked off. Of course I had to appear to take his side but if I'm being honest, I agree with her. I keep seeing him lying on the ground covered in blood. He might never be one hundred percent but I want him to be as close to it as he can be before he gets back out there. Joey Robbs is still a free man and if they tango again, I want Nathan to be at his best. I have a feeling that if he gets caught off-guard again, this time, he might not make it through. I still can't believe we haven't been able to apprehend that slug. And the weirdest thing? I think I want him more than I ever did Sonny when I went after him. Sittin' across from me tellin' me my partner deserved to get stabbed in the back! Smirkin' because he's thinkin' he's gettin' away with somethin'. No, I don't think I've ever wanted to take down a bad guy the way I want to take Joey Robbs."
"You can't see the future, Just Mine. You never know when that crucial evidence will show up or something happens that cracks the case wide open." "True enough, but him bein' so smug is what kills me. I wanna plant his fat face right into the concrete when we take him down, just like I promised him." Dante stared off into space as he allowed that fantasy to play out in his head. Suddenly coming to himself, he realized Val was sitting quietly, watching him. With a sigh, he admitted, "Ok, maybe that was a bit over the top. I don't want to get eaten up about this, Angel—I only want him off the streets for what he did to my partner." "Hey, I get it, believe me. You don't have to explain how you feel to me, Dante. I was with you at the hospital, remember? When the time is right, we'll get him." "We'll?" "Well, you all. Although if I make it through the academy, I'll be even more a part of the 'we'll', won't I? In the meantime, though, I'm still a member of the PCPD family like you told Maxie that night. I want to see justice done, too."
"Then WE'LL do what we can to make that happen. Oh, I just remembered. What was in the package you got this morning?" Startled, Val answered, "My friend Pippa sent me a thong, of all things! I told her I was dating and I guess she thought she was being clever. It's been a while since she's seen me date so she doesn't want me to mess this up."
"A thong, huh? Your girl Pippa sounds like a woman after my own heart! When do I get a preview of this thong?" "A preview? What are you willing to do to get this preview?" "Whatever you want me to do." "Ok. If you'll go fill the tub with some warm, soapy water so I can soak my sore muscles, we can first enjoy that and afterwards, I'll give you a private, exclusive lingerie fashion show. Wait until you get a load of me in that red thong with my red Jeffrey Campbell pumps. Make you holler." "We'll see which one of us ends up hollering, baby. You're on." Dante dashed up the stairs to comply with Val's wishes. Once she had made sure he was distracted, she went to her purse, retrieved her cell phone and sent two texts. To Pippa: Girl, thx 4 the docs! Good stuff—came in handy. Thank Nicky 4 me, 2. TTYL. She paused and then sent the next one to Anna: Anna, I made contact today. So far, so good, I think. Will let u know when I hear from contact. Thx again.
Val stood and mentally reviewed the events of the day after sending her texts. She was still vacillating between elation and trepidation, which, she supposed, was a good thing. Confidence without being TOO overconfident, that was the key, she thought. In the middle of her musings, Dante yelled from the bathroom, "Hey, Angel—you coming or what?" "I'll be right there!" she shouted back. She put her cell phone back into her purse and sighed heavily, then adopted a bright smile before quickly making her way to the bathroom to enjoy what she hoped would be a much needed relaxing, fun-filled evening.
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