“You don’t look like a total loss, Ballard,” Meat said, inspecting me. “Looking pretty good. You still work out?”
Vigil gave me an odd look and then replied, “He’s kept up on his forty-ounce curls.” Meat laughed.
“Not in a while,” I said, giving Vigil a mock silent laugh. “Life tends to give me plenty of cardio.”
We reached Meat’s car, a fire-engine-red 2016 Mustang with white stripes. His nickname was proudly proclaimed on the tags. He put the gym bag in the trunk and then turned and leaned on the back of his ride. “What you need, Ballard? I owe you big, man.”
“We’re looking for someone in the biz,” I said. “She works under the name Crystal Myth. You know her?”
Meat nodded as soon as I said the name. “Yeah, yeah, Crystal, yeah, I’ve heard of her. That’s the only name I think anyone knows her by, though.”
“We know who she really is,” Vigil said. “We’re trying to find her.”
“I know folks who’ve worked with her,” Meat said. “She was working everywhere, for everyone, up until a few years ago, then she, y’know, kinda faded … the way a lot of folks do in the business. But she dropped off the ride at, like, the top of her game. She was making serious bank, man.”
“Who for?” I asked.
“Far as I know, she never had an agent,” Meat said. “She had a boyfriend, some producer that was looking out for her. I’m trying to remember the guy’s name—”
“It’s important,” Vigil said, interrupting. “We can make it worth your while.” Meat looked at Vigil with the demeanor of a deer in headlights, mashed up with the suspicious scan reserved for street predators and undercover cops. He glanced over to me for confirmation again that this guy was cool. I nodded.
“It’s okay, Meat,” I said. “Do me a solid and ask around a bit; see if you can shake loose some names for me. There is a finder’s fee involved. I’d like you to get it, man.”
“Yeah, sure, Ballard,” Meat said. “I can tell you this: Crystal wasn’t just working the teenybopper circuit. Before she dropped, she was doing the sick shit—gonzo, shaky-cam, semi legal stuff—simulated snuff and rape, extreme fetish—even grotto. She swam out to the deep end, bro.”
“Wait,” Vigil said. “Grotto? Porn with actual supernatural beings in it? That’s a real thing? I thought that was all bullshit.” Again, Meat gave him an incredulous look and shook his head.
“Yeah, right,” Meat said. “First time in the big city?” He looked back to me. “I know she worked one of the Weathermen’s parties a couple of years back. They might be able to help you.”
“Fat chance, but I’ll look them up anyway. Is the Iron Cauldron still in business?” I asked. Meat nodded and grinned.
“Yeah, it’s in Westmont right now, a couple of blocks west of Century and Vermont. You fucking owls are still trying to shut it down. You can’t catch what you can’t find.”
“Owls?” Vigil asked.
“The Nightwise,” I said. I was getting a little irritated with him now. “Dirty Fifi still run the Cauldron?” Meat shook his head.
“Naw, they did the ‘saw a man in half’ trick with Fifi back a few years ago, but they didn’t bother to put him back together. It’s Roland Blue’s place now.”
“Shit,” I said. Meat nodded.
“Yeah,” he said, “your favorite soul-challenged L.A. Mobster. I hear you and Dragon gave him hell back when he was coming up, working muscle for the Golem Father.”
“Son of a bitch is crazy, and that’s coming from me,” I said. “He enjoyed his work for Saul a little too much. But I’m pretty sure he’d rather rip me off for information than kill me.”
“Hope is a beautiful thing, Ballard,” Meat said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Dare to dream, but watch your ass and the officer’s here too, man.” Vigil bristled at the remark but said nothing. “I’ll put out some feelers and see what I can dig up on Crystal for you.” I gave him my number and like any professional street criminal he didn’t need to put it in his phone or keep it on paper. Meat snapped his fingers as he was opening the door to his Mustang. “Oh, shit!” he said as he slid into the car’s seat, “I just remembered, Elextra used to be Crystal’s roommate!”
“Elextra?” I asked.
“Elextra Dare,” Meat said. “Talent. She’s on her way up these days. She’s not in the Life, but Lexie and Crystal were besties back before Crystal took off. She’s one of George Wilde’s girls.” Meat named a few clubs where we could probably find Elextra and her manager partying. I slid him several hundred dollars as he clasped my hand. “Talk soon, man. Good to see you, Ballard.”
We walked back to the Trevita. I glared at Vigil, and he looked back at me.
“What?” he asked.
“That,” I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of the gym, “is why I need to do this alone. You were freaking him out back there. He almost bailed on us a couple of times because of you.”
“Look,” Vigil said, “first of all, the last time you went out on your own, I had to jump in to save your drugged-up, drunken, arrogant ass because you don’t think, you react, and second, I do not read like a cop, okay?” He stood on one
