My Sister's Fear

by T. J. Jones

  "Ouch! Take it easy on a guy, would you? Careful Slater, this one has teeth!"

  "Good to see you, Randy." I hinted and picked my magazine up.

  "What are you doing now? I heard you were in the Navy. Get the boot, or did you retire? I've heard it's hard to stay in if you don't make rank."

  "I made rank, but I retired. I just thought it was time to have more say in my own life."

  "And now this one tells you what to do, am I right?" He motioned to the Red-head. Her eyes were narrow angry slits, but Randy didn't seem to notice. "How's Angela doing, Maggie? I heard her husband died a while back. He had one foot in the grave when she married him, didn't he? What the hell did she see in a guy that old? Had to be the money. Old Charlie was swimming in it from what I heard."

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" Maggie finally bristled, throwing up her hands.

  Tommy tried to come to our rescue. "Maggie, Slater, we need to have our meeting, I'm really running behind." Maggie was seething but Randy was too full of himself to even realize it.

  "I just got divorced you know, no more ball and chain. Maybe I should give Angela a call for old times' sake, she if she wants to go out sometime."

  Maggie smiled coldly up at him. "I'll be sure and warn her."

  He chuckled and tried again to get his jacket buttoned as he opened the door. "She's a pistol Slater, good luck with that one."

  I glanced over at Jarrod who had taken it all in. "Jarrod, if you want my advice about girls, don't act like that idiot."

  "I'm really sorry about that Maggie." Tommy said as we settled into chairs across his desk from him. "I shudder to think I ever was friends with that guy. RJ always has some get rich scheme, and it usually involves someone else's money. He just got out of his third marriage and I don't think any of those poor women had much left by the time he was through. I would caution Angela if he comes knocking, chances are it will cost her money. I get paid upfront for anything I do for him."

  "My sister is lonely Tommy, but I don't think she's that stupid."

  "He has a gift for bilking people out of money. He's a client so I won't say more, but I'm aware Angela is at a particularly vulnerable place in her life and I wouldn't want RJ trying to take advantage of her."

  "That wouldn't be good for his health, not at all." That was Maggie.

  "Is Camille going to join us?" I changed the subject and slid the bill they had requested across the table. "I itemized our expenses and kept the time down as best I could. I don't expect you to pay us for sleeping."

  "I'm sure you were fair, and I'm sure Camille will insist on a bonus. She tells me Wallace is very fond of you both, and you went above and beyond, shedding light on the trouble he was having with his medications. It wasn't the outcome he was hoping for, but it was the right one. He isn't able to live on his own, especially in that town. It's sad, the fact that people were willing to believe the worst, just because he's a black man."

  "It wasn't the whole town, just a few of the worst, so there's that." I shrugged, but it wasn't that simple and I wasn't really that optimistic.

  I was continually surprised by people's ability to be terrible to each other, be it Leroy Davis or Frank and Gary Jeffries. Sometimes the motivation was simple ignorance and hate, ginned up by like-minded individuals until beating up a helpless old black man seemed reasonable; and sometimes it was greed or an even baser instinct, the need to dominate someone weaker than you, be it sexually or by brute force. Just because you could. Frank couldn't do that anymore, and hopefully Gary was somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone either. I was going to have to find that out.

  Maggie's voice brought me back to the moment. "Slater, did you hear what Tommy said?"

  "Sorry, not a word. I was thinking about Wally."

  "I was saying how Lilly is going to let him help at the gallery from time to time, so he gets to see her and do some of his Art. Best possible outcome. You two seem really good at finding people. I think you could really make a go of this PI thing, maybe even specialize in missing persons cases."

  "All things considered Tommy, we were really lucky this time. Often as not, missing people get found in a ditch somewhere by a passerby and identified by DNA evidence. And I'm not interested in hiding in the bushes, taking pictures of somebodies cheating husband."

  "I get calls from time to time, people looking for their runaway kids and wondering what their legal options are, if and when they find them. Next time something like that comes up I could give out your name. You got Jasmine out of a bad situation, and you found Lilly. Good feeling, helping people and getting paid for it, isn't it?"

  "I'm all in Slater, you know that." Maggie smiled at me. "If we helped one kid, or even just gave a family closure, it's worth doing. I know we're not going solve every case, but it's like you said, we don't want to chase ambulances or take pictures of cheating spouses. Trying to find missing people would be a good use of our talents."

  "So is pounding nails, I like being a carpenter."

  "From what I've heard, you’re a much better PI than a carpenter." She pointed out awkwardly.

  "Have you been talking to Luis? He told me I'm getting better. At least they aren't spending all their time fixing my screw ups."

  "You'd probably make more money turning houses by just letting them do the work Slater. And you can always help them when we're not on a case."

  That hurt a little, but I knew it was true. I usually broke more than I fixed. "So that's it? Slater and Jeffries, Private Eyes. It does sounds kind of cool."

  "We'll work on the name, but since you have the license, I suppose your name should come first." She was kidding, I think.

  It was kind of a big moment.

  "What about our other deal Tommy, the offer on the Lauderdale office." Maggie asked. He glanced at me, then back at Maggie who waved her hand. "You can talk in front of Slater, he's not after my money. Until just recently, I didn't have any."

  "Alright, I do have those papers ready for you to sign. Let me know when that works."

  "My Mom needs to sign them too, right? She's already booked her trip to Spain."

  "Yeah, let me know and I'll sit down with you both and go through them. Pretty basic real estate deal, all things considered."

  "I'll explain it all to you later, Slater." She said to me. "Turns out my Dad's building is worth more than we thought and I have an inheritance."

  There was a noise and Camille came bustling into the room apologizing. "Why am I always late! Did you bring that bill?" Tommy handed her the paperwork, and she sat down behind his desk.

  "You can just mail it to us." Maggie volunteered.

  If there was one thing I had learned in the construction business, it's that when people offer to pay you, you take the money. "Make it out to S and M Investigations." I said, not really thinking it through.

  "Say what?" Camille asked.

  "Slater and Maggie, S and M Investigations, sounds catchy doesn't it?"

  Maggie laughed. "Sounds like one of Devine's movies, Slater. Just make it out to Eric Slater for now, we'll keep working on the name. Wait, what about Slater and Partners?"

  "There's only one of you." I stated the obvious.

  "For now, but we might have to hire help, you never know."

  "Alright, Slater and Partners it is." Camille said. "I know a good lawyer that can help you set up your LLC or a corporation. I added a little bonus and I have something else for you." She handed me the check and motioned for us to follow her. She insisted that we take the two statuettes from the outer office.

  "I saw you looking at them, and Jarrod said you checked them out every time you came in. I already told Uncle Wally I wanted another set. He's really happy to have something to do."

  I was blown away. From the first moment I saw them I had fallen in love with the figurines. "Which one do you want, Maggie?"

  "But they're a set." Camille complained. "They're for when you two get your own house. I heard you were moving in together."

&nbs
p; Maggie and I looked blankly at each other, then back at Camille.

  "That's what Jasmine told us." Jarrod volunteered.

  "Oh really!" Maggie laughed. "It sounds like something she would say. Thank you, Camille, we'll find a nice place for them, one way or the other."

  I didn't say another word.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jasmine Thatcher bit her lip nervously and looked across the table at Maggie and me.

  "Thanks guys, for coming along. My Mom bailed, as usual. My Dad called her and said that Tiffany isn't coming, and that her mother wanted to meet me first."

  "Tiffany?" I couldn't help myself. "Who picks these names?"

  "Tiffany is a pretty name." Maggie said.

  "If you're stripper." Jasmine giggled. "I've seen pictures. If all goes well with her mother, I'm going to call her. It would be kind of cool to have a sister, someone I can hit up for a kidney if the time comes."

  "Do you even know what your Dad looks like?" I looked around the Denny's. There were two or three couples. "Could it be any of these people?"

  "He said he'd be wearing a straw hat and sunglasses. That looks like them coming in now." Jasmine flipped her hand at the entry and motioned to the young couple that had just walked in.

  The guy looked thirty-two, maybe thirty-five on the outside. Too young to have a daughter Jasmines age, but Divine must have been into younger guys back then. He looked like he had just walked off a California beach, stuck his board in the sand, and was ready for a game of volleyball. He had a floppy light colored straw hat and dark sunglasses with yellow frames, a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, and the best suntan I'd ever seen. His companion looked to have a couple years on Jasmine.

  "Jasmine?" He asked as he walked up. "Bring it in!" She stood up hesitantly and he grabbed her and swept her into a hug, spinning her off the ground. "This is so cool."

  When he released her, she stepped back quickly and pointed at us. I slid out of the booth and extended a hand. "Eric Slater, and this is Maggie. We're friends of Jasmine's and her grandmother."

  "Derrick Longfellow, and this is Honey."

  I had to bite my cheek. Were they all in the business? "Really good to meet you, Honey."

  Honey looked over at Derrick. "I thought it was just going to be the three of us."

  "I asked them to come." Jasmine volunteered. "Honestly, I was nervous and I don't get nervous very easily. Sorry Tiffany couldn't make it."

  "Yeah, she's with her Mom." Honey commented. "Not like that woman would ever let her spend time with me." They were sliding into the booth. "We have a gig lined up in Daytona so we were in the area."

  "You aren't Tiffany's Mom?"

  "Do I look like a Mom? How old do you think I am, go ahead guess. How old?"

  "Twenty-six." Maggie jumped in. It was clear she was supposed to guess younger from the hard look Honey pointed her direction. Maggie just smiled at her. "I'm really good at guessing people's age."

  "Well, I'm twenty-nine, but a lot of people say nineteen or twenty. No stretch marks for this girl."

  "But Derrick, I thought you wanted me to meet Tiffany's Mom? That's what my mother said." Jasmine did a poor job of hiding her disappointment. "I thought this get-together was so your wife could meet me."

  "You can call me Dad, Little One. Yeah, I don't get what Divine was thinking, I haven't been with Tiffany's mom for, like, years! That's messed up, am I right?" The waitress came and asked about our order. Derrick fumbled around then looked my way. "Dude, I left my wallet back at the place."

  "We've got lunch, no worries. Dude." Maggie kicked me under the table and we all ordered.

  Jasmine was still trying to get an answer. "Is there a chance I'll get to meet my sister sometime? Kind of why I'm here."

  "Wow, sorry Babe." Surfer Dude mumbled. "I was kind of hoping we could hang out, maybe have, like, a bonding experience."

  "Yeah, way to kill the vibe." Honey muttered.

  "I guess my Mom gave me the wrong impression, or just plain lied. So, you're in Florida on business?"

  "Honey's dancing in Daytona, then we're going down to Lauderdale, then Miami. East coast tour. All the big names are doing it."

  "The big names?" I kept a straight face, but it was hard.

  "All the best exotic dancers." Derrick nodded seriously. "Money is tight on the West Coast, so we decided to expand our horizons. Florida needs our kind of entertainment, am I right?" That expression was getting annoying. I was pretty sure he wasn't right.

  "And what is it you do?" Maggie asked.

  "Management. It's a fulltime job lining up gigs for the little lady here. When the money's tight I pick up a dancing gig myself. Been a while since I've done a movie, but my agent is working on it. Money's always tight in this business."

  "Yeah," Honey said dryly. "We can't all be Divine Thatcher. Better stake out your share Kitten, before your Mom gets it all from the old lady."

  "It's Jasmine, not Kitten." Jasmine growled. I could see that she was holding back. "And what goes on between my Mom and Grandmother is none of your business, Honey."

  "Woah, harsh!" Derrick held up his hands. "Honey didn't mean anything bad, did you Honey? Let's just all chill. I get that your disappointed about not seeing Tiffany. Maybe we could work something out and we could all go out there. We could rent a motorhome, or does Maryanne have one we could borrow? Road trip! That would be a great way to get to know one another."

  "Nothing my Mom said was true." Jasmine said as much to herself as to her alleged biological father. "She's always been a liar."

  "Now, I know I haven't been much of a Dad, but it's not cool to say that about your mother, it's bad Karma." He looked to me for support. "Am I right?"

  "Yeah, you are right." Jasmine said sadly. "You haven't been much of a father. This is all a big mistake."

  "Aw, come on Little One, that's harsh. I haven't had it easy like your Mom. Not my business, but having a mother worth billions kind of takes the pressure off."

  "Maryanne isn't worth billions, and she's worked really hard for what she has. But you're right about Mom getting money from her, she just hit her up again. She pretty much paid her off to get custody of me."

  "Well at least my daughter's rich, glad you don't have to pinch pennies like me."

  "Maybe the old broad would pay you to go away, too." Honey joked. Nobody laughed. Our food came and we all started eating. Derrick and Jasmine talked and Maggie and I stayed out of it. It seemed clear that Jasmine wasn't going to get to meet her sister anytime soon. I was beginning to doubt that she existed.

  We all sat around after lunch and tried to make small talk, but it was awkward. The Surfer Dude and his Honey seemed desperate to hold onto their youth, and wanted us to all go to Daytona and party with them. Derrick kept complaining about the business, and how the money wasn't good. Honey bemoaned the fact that the younger girls got most of the tips. Finally, Jasmine laid it out for them.

  "Maybe you two should look for real jobs."

  "I'll be damned if I'm going to let Honey be a waitress." Derrick announced.

  "You'd rather she gets up on a stage and takes her clothes off?"

  "Rich people never get it." Honey said looking back at Jasmine. "You'd think being family, you could help your Dad out a little."

  "My grandmother gives me a car to drive, and a hundred bucks a week for spending money. If I don't carry a three five in college this fall, the car goes away. As far as help, where's he been all my life? Family? I have a sister that I didn't even know existed, what's up with that?"

  "Honey, chill, would you?" Derrick tried. "It's cool. The money will be good in Daytona, then it's on to Lauderdale. A lot of big tippers in Florida, am I right?"

  He was looking straight at me and I couldn't help myself. "When you're right you're right, Dude."

  When it became clear there was no money to be had, Derrick and Honey lost interest in a hurry. I bought lunch, and we walked out and said our goodbyes to the pair. Maggie insisted on a pict
ure of them with Jasmine. Family was family, she said.

  Derrick nodded and took me aside. He pulled a card from the wallet he had claimed not to have and wrote something on the back of it.

  "Here Dude, if you can shake loose from the girls, swing down to the beach. The club we're working at is wide open, if you get my drift. A guy needs a little variety, am I right? The name I wrote on the back will get you special access to the backroom. Anything you want back there, and I do mean anything."

  "Probably not my thing, Derrick, but I'll keep the card in case we have to get ahold of you."

  "Okay, but if you land in the dog-house, come to the Doghouse. We'll be there for a couple weeks." It took me a second, then I looked at the card. That was the name of the strip club, the Doghouse. Sounded classy.

  Honey, still pouting that there would be no Motorhome, started the car and they drove away. No waves or hugs or nice to see you.

  If it upset Jasmine, she refused to show it. "Well, that was pretty awful." She chuckled. "My Dad is kind of a tool. Not sure I even want to meet my sister."

  "Sorry Jasmine." Maggie put an arm around her. "I hate to say it, but I wouldn't bet that there is a sister. The whole deal seems sketchy to me."

  "Yeah, you would think they would have given me a phone number or something. I wasn't expecting much, but having a sister would be cool." She glanced at Maggie and me quickly. "But what am I saying, I already have a sister, right? And Slater, you're kind of like my brother, my much older brother."

  I grinned and slid my arm around her from the other side. "Forty is the new thirty, Dude."

  Susy Foster texted me the next day and said she wanted to meet with me alone. I drove to the I-Hop, a few miles from my house. I was early, but she was already there. I didn't recognize her at first. She had cut her hair, dyed it a dark brown and was wearing a faded sweatshirt, cutoff jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes. I walked right by her, then looked around the restaurant for the woman I knew.

  "Slater, behind you." She called out, pulling off the large sunglasses she was wearing.