I grimaced and punched in the number for my FBI contact. “Who says I’m a crook? My shirt and pants were covered with blood, so the night crew left me in this outfit.” The charcoal gray nylon body suit I still wore was ideal for slipping through tight spaces when sneaking into somewhere like a bank late at night. But now, it raised suspicions as to what I did for a living.
He snorted in laughter. “Told ‘em you were too smart to fall for a stupid question like that.”
The phone clicked. “This is Hilyard.”
Relief washed through me. “Hey, Mike. Francis here. Sorry to call, but I was picked up by the city cops last night. Think you could come down and vouch for me?”
“Don’t tell me, you finally got arrested for putting on boring classes.”
I rubbed my left shoulder, still sore from the beating I’d gotten when they manhandled me at Sam’s. “Yeah, I was arrested all right. But not for that. They think I held up a mini-mart. Didn’t get a chance to say anything before they tossed me in jail.”
“Hah! Wish I’d been there. Could’ve got some nice pictures for your album.”
I rolled my eyes and glanced at Sergeant Grunnion, glad he couldn’t hear both sides of the conversation. “Thanks for the sympathy. They haven’t gotten a statement from the clerk yet. He fainted and hit his head.”
“You might want to make sure they got a copy of what happened from the security camera. Most all those stores have one.”
I shook my head in disgust. “You’re right. Should’ve thought of that. When you going to be down?”
“Give me an hour.” The phone went dead.
I handed the phone back to Grunnion. “Thanks, Sergeant. Hey, you got anything to drink? I’m dry as a bone.”
He tossed me a bottle of water. “Here y’go. Hurry up, so you can shower. Y’can eat later.”
I downed half the bottle, and stood. “Right. By the way, did anyone look at the mini-mart’s security tape? That will show I was just a bystander, not the crook.”
Grunnion shrugged. “I’ll pass on your question. Might of decided to wait until this morning to look at it. In the meantime, get a move on. The Lieutenant wants to make sure you’re all prettified before you appear in court.”
In the middle of my shower, Grunnion stuck his head around the corner. “Hey, Baker-Holy shit! What happened to you?”
I gingerly touched my left shoulder and hip. “A couple of your cohorts got carried away last night.”
He shook his head, a frown building. “What’d you do, put up a fight or something?”
“Nope. The robbers’ gun was still on the floor next to me. Lucky they didn’t shoot me.” I touched my shoulder and winced. “But it was a tad much when I was kicked around after they put cuffs on me.”
Grunnion’s lips thinned. Stay right there. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Before I could wash the soap off, he reappeared with his cell phone. “Turn your back to me, would you?”
I complied, hearing a couple of quiet clicks over the rush of water from the showerhead. “Something wrong, Sergeant?”
He lowered his phone, a bland expression on his face. “Let’s just say I don’t like folks being bullied by those who’re supposed to protect ‘em. Even the shitbags who end up here.” He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder. “There’s a visitor wants to see you soon as you’re outta the shower.”
* * *
I relaxed in the booth, taking one more swallow of coffee. Bacon, eggs and sausage smells wafted faintly around the dining room. Even though just a fast food joint, McDonald’s definitely had a pleasing aroma in the morning. Good coffee, too. “Thanks for stopping here. I was famished. Didn’t get a chance to eat before they released me.” The crumbs of two McMuffins littered the tray in front of me.
Mike swallowed the last bite of breakfast burrito. “No problem, Francis.”
I leaned forward on my elbows, coffee cup in hand. “And thanks for loaning me this sweater. If I was taller, it’d even fit.” He was six feet tall, making him five inches taller than me. Same dark brown hair, an inch shorter than mine.
He gestured at me. “Had to get something to cover that outfit. Is that really what you wear when you burglarize a place?”
“Sometimes.” I patted my chest. “Not only hard to see me at night, but makes for an easier job of fitting through tight spots.”
“You wear it for every job?”
I shook my head. “Depends on the job.”
He smiled. “I’ve heard it’s a hit in the security classes you’ve been putting on. Not only do you break into their bank before the class, but you leave calling cards to show you were there.”
A herd of kids came through the entrance, their chattering and shrieks drowning out the ever-present buzz of conversation.
He took a swallow of coffee. “Sure raises the hackles of law enforcement types when they see you in that outfit, though. Case in point is the reaction you got from the city police.”
“Yeah, that plus having the pistol close by me when they barged in.”
Mike shook his head, a grin forming. “The really stupid thing was when you pissed off Lieutenant Reilly. I don’t think you’re one of his favorite people right now.”
I glanced away for a moment. “He got my dander up when they hadn’t even watched the video from the store yet. That and the fact he wasn’t a bit sorry two of his men beat me up. Even after he saw the recording, all he could say was ‘How unfortunate.’ Didn’t set well with me.”
Two girls no more than six years old rushed loudly by, intent on their footrace to the bathroom. Mike
