Grumpy Best Friend

“What else can you tell us about him?” I asked.

“I can tell you that he’s dangerous,” she said. “When I left him, he made some very awful threats, none of which he carried out, but still. I’ve heard rumors in the meantime, about things he’s done to people that have owed him money, and they weren’t nice things.”

“Like what?” Jude asked, and I wished she hadn’t.

“You don’t want to know,” Lady Fluke said, glancing at her. “Suffice to say that Zeke and his friends are not nice men. I do not know what his game is, or what he’s after, but I promise the both of you that he has no control of the Fluke Biscuit. He owns no patents, and never shall he see a single dime of the money we make, do you both hear me?”

“Of course,” I said, and Jude only nodded.

Silence fell like a cloud over the sun. More runners came past, two men in short shorts, tank tops and sunglasses. They darted around a bench and were drenched in sweat. I studied Jude’s lips, the nervous twitch of her eye, the way she kept tugging at her hair, and I could tell this was devastating to hear—not to mention scary as hell.

I didn’t want to get involved with a real gangster. As lucrative as this project would be, and as much time as I’d get to spend with Jude, it still felt like an actual gangster getting involved would likely cause some problems. I had experience bribing reticent local officials, but never in pushing back against a real criminal, for whom violence might be an option.

“I was so stupid back then,” Lady Fluke said suddenly. “So stupid, and he was too charming. I know he only liked me for my money, and maybe I was pretty, when I was younger, but I was much too uptight for his taste. Still, I liked being with him in America, he was so much fun. We’d go to the movies together, start in the morning, and jump between the different theaters until we got caught and thrown out.” She smiled fondly, and looked out over the water. “We’d go dancing, and he’d wear these dark pants, gosh, he looked so good. I’d dress up for him, and he’d call me beautiful, and I was smitten with him. And stupid, so very stupid.”

“How did it all end?” Jude asked. “I mean, you found out somehow. What happened?”

“Oh, it was so boring,” Lady Fluke said, and her thumbs rubbed up against each other. “I noticed phone calls at all hours of the night, and eventually I picked one up, but the man on the other end hung up, at least I believe it was a man. Then he went on long trips, vague trips, left me home for days at a time and never called. I confronted him about it, and he told me that his job was important, that sometimes he had to go visit faraway places.” She laughed to herself, shaking her head. “The last straw was the baggie of cocaine I found in his pants pocket. He denied that it was his, of course, but I was staunchly against drugs then as I am now, despite them being quite common in those days.” She stopped talking and looked at me, her eyes narrow and hard.

“He fought like hell during the divorce,” she said. “I accused him of being a gangster and he more or less admitted to the whole thing. Said his imports, his exports, they were a front for his real business. He said he could give me so much, if only I waited. I told him to go to hell and flew back to England the next day.”

“And now you’re back,” I said.

“Yes, well,” she said, and let out a frustrated breath. “You must not let him have a thing, do you understand? He’s taken so much from me already, and I thought he was gone from my life a long time ago. I do not like that he’s back, and I do not like whatever game he’s playing.”

I spread my hands and glanced at Jude, who seemed thoughtful. “I’m not sure what we can do,” I said. “If it comes down to a court battle, we’ll need money.”

“You’ll have it,” Lady Fluke said, waving a hand. “If you want lawyers, you will have good ones. If you need protections, I shall buy the security. Whatever you need, but we will not stop, and we will not be bullied, do you understand?”

I smiled a little, incredulous, but nodded. I didn’t know why this was so important to her, and wondered if maybe now it was simply to prove that he couldn’t bully her anymore, although I doubted if he ever could to begin with.

“We’ll make it work,” Jude said suddenly, her voice sounding firm. “I’m sorry you went through that, Lady Fluke. And I’m sorry your past is back to bother you. I won’t let him stop the project, and I’ll make sure his claims are debunked in court, as well as in public opinion.”