Page 32

"I’m fine, Nick, and how about you, Monika?"
"I’m fine, Jett." Monika giggled.
"Report."
"Completed surveillance set up of the house. I was able to pick up cell phone frequencies for Chilly and two guy’s that appear to be his top lieutenants. I reviewed the tapes of the house. Noda. But that wasn’t the highlight of the evening. I copied and reviewed the videotapes we found in Jake’s safe. Bad boy, that one."
"Figures, watching other people fuck would be the highlight of the evening for a pervert like you," Monika said.
"That ain’t it. I think I found something interesting." Jett handed me two pictures.
"Damn, she got a big mouth. Is that what I think it is?" They were stills he had extracted from the videos. "What’s so interesting about this?" I asked, and handed the pictures to Monika.
"Look close. I don’t think that’s the same mystery woman from the first picture."
"I think he might be right, Nick. I think I saw a picture of this one too, but she had clothes on so I didn’t pay her much attention. And there was a picture with the two of them. Looked like it might have been taken at the same party as the picture you been showing of Jake."
"Where is it?"
"I put it back in the safe."
"Great. I’d rather not show this picture around."
"Guess you gotta go back and get the other pictures, Nick," Monika said. "Want me to go with you?"
"No, you stay with Chilly." I got up and started for the door.
"How are you and the Mrs. doin’?" Jett asked.
"There’s more to this than she’s tellin’ me."
"How do you know?"
"Just a feeling," I said, closing the door behind me.
I drove back to Jake’s apartment, let myself in, opened the safe, and got the pictures that I had come for.
"That’s strange."
I was on my way out the door when I thought about the fact that we never found any camera equipment in either of our searches. I went through the apartment again. Nothing. So I walked out of the apartment and two white men in suits met me.
Cops.
"Shit."
"Hold it right there, pal."
"Can I help you gentlemen?"
"Yeah. Assume the position. I’m sure it ain’t your first time."
I hit the wall with a little help from my new friends. One looked over my ID and the other looked at the pictures in my pocket. "You mind coming with us?"
"Am I under arrest?"
"No. We just want to ask you some questions."
"What type of questions?"