ChapterThirteen
When Dad walksinto the apartment, he makes breakfast for us then has a shower andgets dressed. As he’s putting on his shoes, I can’t help but noticehow slowly he’s moving, although he still looks a lot better thanhe did in the hospital. I think having a new friend is good forhim—less time spent alone to think about his illness.
“Are you goingto stay in today, Jules?” says Dad, walking into the livingroom.
“I don’t knowyet. I have some things I need to take care of here and then ifthere’s time, I may stop by my work and talk to Ed.”
Dad grabs hiswallet and keys off the counter and then winks and smiles at mebefore leaving. I walk over to the window and stare out. I wish somuch that I wasn’t going to meet Slinky tonight. No matter how Ilook at it, it’s a dangerous venture. Even if we are successful atgetting the book from Fournier’s safe, that doesn’t immediately getSlinky or me out of danger. I’m sure it will still take time forthe cops to come up with their own plan of what to do with theinformation in the book before they can bust Fournier. A lot couldgo wrong during that time. As much as I want to have a relaxing dayat home, I know that my mind won’t let me relax. I decide to bundleup and take the passenger ferry to Granville Island then walk up tothe office. Hearing about what cases Ed’s had lately will help totake my mind off going to meet Slinky tonight.
* * *
The wind iscool and unforgiving when I step from the ferry wharf and walk upGranville Street. There are few people walking around the usuallybusy area because of the cold. When I finally reach the office, apretty young red-headed woman about thirty with huge breasts isjust leaving. She’s wearing tight blue jeans and a short pinkpuffer jacket with matching pink boots. She nods and smiles as wepass each other. As soon as I walk in the office, I see Ed behindhis desk, fiddling with papers.
“Ed, how areyou?”
He looks up andsmiles, “Hi, Jules. Come in, sit down.”
“I just wantedto come by to touch base and make sure you haven’t given my jobaway,” I say, half joking.
“Naw. After howwell you did on your first assignment, I wouldn’t dream of lettingyou go.”
Relieved tohear it, I ask him about how business is? When he starts to gothrough a short list of new cases, I see a dark pink smear on hischeek. I wait until he’s done speaking and say, “Ed, I’m not sureif you’re aware of it but you have lipstick or something on yourface.”
He instantlyturns red which makes me question if I should have said anything.He reaches into his drawer and pulls out some tissue then wipes athis cheek.
“I wasn’ttrying to embarrass you. I just didn’t want you walking around likethat.”
He chuckles andtells me that he hired a new secretary and lately she’s become veryfriendly.
I smile, “Doyou mean the hot chick I just passed in the hallway a few minutesago?”
“That would beher.”
“Wow. I don’tknow how you get any work done at all with that kind ofdistraction.”
“Well, to behonest, I don’t. Thankfully, it’s a slow time for business rightnow.”
Over the nexthalf hour, we talk about Jason and his upcoming wedding in Englandbefore I tell him that I need to get going. He asks me when I’ll beable to come back to work and I tell him I should only need acouple more days to make sure my dad will be ok on his own. We saygoodbye and I head out.
As I walktoward Granville Island, I chuckle to myself. Men can be so easy toread. By the color Ed’s face turned when I mentioned the lipstickon his cheek, it’s so obvious that he has a crush on his hot newsecretary, and I can bet that her looks have almost everything todo with her getting hired. No wonder he doesn’t mind me not beingat work.
* * *
Once I’m atGranville Island Market, I think about catching the passenger ferryto Yale town and going home, but then I remember that Dad is outwith Charlie and probably won’t be back for quite some time. Asmuch as talking to Ed was a good distraction, being alone right nowwith just my thoughts might bring back my anxiety about meetingSlinky. Instead, I opt for grabbing a tea in the market and take aseat at the large windows overlooking the harbor.
As I sip mydrink and watch the gulls scavenge for bits of food, I think aboutSlinky. How horrible his life must be living in a shit hole arealike Blood Alley. I’ve never asked him about where he grew up, ifhe ever had a wife or how he ended up where he is now. If Slinkyand I do get out of this plan alive, I’ll have to start spendingmore time being a friend to him. So far, he’s proven to be a friendto me. I just can’t let Dad know. He’d freak out if he knew abouteverything that has been happening. Not to mention, he told me tostay away from Fournier. If I told him about my interactions withSlinky, he might guess that I had dealings with Fournier too. Thelast thing I want to do is disappoint him, especially because he’sterminally ill. It all seems so unfair: Dad’s condition. It’s sohard to believe that he suffers with addiction for so many years,loses his wife and child, then is falsely imprisoned for almost adecade and a half. And finally, when gets clean and sober he’sdiagnosed with an incurable tumor. How is that right? Especiallywhen horrible people like Fournier and Tank are out there, healthyand making money off the weak. It just doesn’t make sense. But Iguess it’s like my grandma used to say, “If you’re waiting for lifeto be fair,
