They better not try anything.
Lucy continues walking past them not bothering to give them another glance. Smart girl. For all anyone knows, she’s walking alone with no one to protect her. However, I decide now I will protect her. I will make sure that she stays safe, and I will keep close tabs on her. It’s my duty as an officer of the law, after all. As well as her boyfriend.
Watching as she finally turns as the young men are back to their original business, I consider driving away. However, something else causes me to stay put. There’s something about the way they are huddled together now. Great, I have probably just stumbled onto another drug deal between the stupid teenagers.
The real question now is what do I do? I can wait and hope to see something or I can walk over and be casual and try to catch them in the act. But that may not work just because everyone knows who I am now. I don’t think they have seen my car yet.
Well it’s worth a try.
Sliding out of my cruiser and taking off my badge, I pull a long sleeve flannel shirt from the backseat. Thankfully, I’m wearing civilian clothes today. There is a chance that I can get by without being suspected. Hopefully.
Walking across the street, dodging cars along the way, I lower my hat trying to look as unassuming as possible. “Hey there!” I call. The boys look at me and whisper to one another casting sideways glances as if deciding to trust me or not.
“What do you want old man?” Calls a young man in a ball cap and a monster energy drink T-shirt.
“Oh I am looking for what everyone else is looking for,” I say with a casual look.
“Oh?” the boy asks acting innocent.
“Yes, do you think you can help me out?”
“How much do you got on you?” asks a short redhead with freckles.
“I have enough,” I tell him, pulling out my wallet and letting the cash show. Really it’s only fifty bucks, but all the fives make it seem like more.
The boys pause and look side to side once more.
“Well, we can probably help you,” another kid says glancing nervously back to his friend. “But not here. We don’t do this kind of thing on the street.”
“Is that so?” I ask a little surprised.
“Yeah, we have to be careful becau
se the big man is back.”
“The big man?” I ask. “What big man?”
“Sir, if you don’t know who the big man is maybe you are after the wrong thing with us.”
“No, no,” I say quickly. “I know what I am after. I just thought the big man was gone,” I say thinking of Lucy’s dad. If it is him, this will be a huge mess and she will never forgive me for busting her father.
“Well we can’t say,” another boy interrupts giving a warning glance to his friend.
“You ask a lot of questions buddy,” the same boy points at me. “Either buy or get out of here.”
While I could let it go and ruminate on the knowledge, I can’t put it off. The cop in me tells me that I should try to see this through further. I can’t turn a blind eye because of Lucy
“Sorry, I just have a question in mind I suppose. It always gets me in trouble at home with the Mrs. Where are you? You been out with Kyle again? You get the idea,” I say with a shrug.
“No man,” says the boy with the baseball hat. “It’s always a Kyle,” he says tapping the shoulder of the redhead. “But just last week I was talking to Jeanie and she and?”
He gets cut off by who I believe to be the kid who was the brains of the operation. “Ricky, no one cares about you Jeanie’s problems. Now you, man? I don’t like you. I don’t trust you, so why don’t you get out of here.”
Shit. I’m about to lose my lead. I’m just waiting for him to start signaling his friends to turn away and get back to their original conversation.
“I’m legit man. I’m hurtin and I need this,” I say doing my best just seem desperate.
“Do I look like I care what you need?” the boy snaps.