gotten so frustrated keeping up with their rotating knocking codes that I'd gotten Jae, the owner, to give me a knock of my own.
I turned right, then right again, and stepped into a dark alley with a low-hanging roof that made it feel like a cave. I could hear the rustle of fleeing lizards in the weeds. My feet crunched on broken glass. Opium smoke tickled my nostrils. I kept walking with confident strides-no telling how many O heads and glue huffers were camped in this alley, and until my eyes adjusted, I didn't want any of them jumping me. I could see a light up ahead, and I made for it, my eyes starting to make out shapes along the walls that looked like caved-in boxes and piles of rags that could be people. I made it to the light and rapped on the back door, using my old code. Nothing. I rapped again, this time louder, and the door swung open.
“Idris?” I said.
“Juno? Is that you?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, let me look at you, boy.”
I stood there, letting him once-over me.
“Fuckin' A!” said the old man with a broad grin. He slid a cinder block over to prop the door and laid a hug on me. “Juno Mozambe. Where you been, motherfucker?”
“I lost my shield.”
“Yeah, I heard about that, but that don't mean you got to stop comin' by, do it?”
I shrugged.
“Shit, Juno, you done made my day, you hear me? I wish things could go back to the way they was. Things just ain't the same anymore. You was a righteous collections man, Juno. You was always fair, everybody said so. And Idris don't ever forget the fact that you took care of him. Shit, you always was willin' to throw a little cash Idris's way.”
“Glad to do it. You tell Jae that I said you need a raise. Had he paid you properly, I wouldn't have needed to look out for you.”
“You wanna come in? You can tell that pimp off your own self.”
“No thanks. How's things?”
“They ain't the same, I'll tell you that. Now them cops got this new guy, some fuckin' street cop with his blue uniform comin' by and collectin' now. The guy's a real A-hole, too. He always be demandin' a BJ from one of the girls when he come a collectin'. That shit ain't right, Juno. It ain't professional. He's supposed to pay for that shit.”
“What does Jae say about it?”
“Shit, that pimp don't do nothin'. Jae gone soft, man. That cop boy start sayin' he goin' to raise rates if he don't get his BJ, and Jae just give in. That cop don't even have to ask no more. Jae give him his payoff, and he just goes and grabs one of the girls. The girls ain't happy about it. They come a-complainin' to me, but what can I do? I'm just the houseboy.”
“I wish there was something I could do, but I don't have any standing down at KOP anymore.”
“Shit, man, I know. I wasn't askin' you to do nothin'. See, I was just shootin' the shit, that's all.”
I snagged a wad from my pocket and put it in Idris's palm.
“That's what I'm talkin' about,” he said grinning broadly. “Since you been gone, Juno, KOP's gone to shit, you know what I'm sayin'? These A-holes don't know what they's doin'. They don't understand the business. They just want they's scratch and they's snatch, and they want it now. Shit.”
“If you ask me, Idris, you should be running this shithole.”
The guy lit up. “You ain't serious.”
“I am serious.” And I was. “You know the business as well as anybody. The girls respect you. You should get a mutiny going and toss Jae out on his ass. You and the girls could turn this place around.”
“Shit! Ha! I missed you, Juno. I really did. Ha! Can you imagine me runnin' this place? Shit, Juno, that ain't me. I can't pull that shit off.”
“I don't see why not.”
“Ha! You always was the man, Juno. I wish you was still runnin' collections. I really do.”
“Listen, Idris, I can use a little info.”
“Whatever you want, Juno, but you got to promise you won't be no stranger, you hear me? You got to come by more often.”
“I will.”
“Now what you need?”
“Did you see the three offworlders come in a few minutes ago?”
“You mean those fuckers that's dressed up like parrots? Yeah, I saw them.”
“They been here before?”
“No, they's first-timers.”
“What about their guide?”
“Gomez? Shit, he be here a couple times a week. He work for this offworld company on the Square.”
“Jungle Expeditions.”
“Yeah, that's it.”
“What kind of shit are his clients into?”
“The one's he bring here is mostly just lookin' for straight pussy. Sometimes he bring one along who want a little kink, but you know we ain't one of them specialty houses.”
“Do you have an exclusive arrangement with him?”
“No. He always shoppin' around on price and shit. We get most of his straight pussy business though.”
“Where else does he go?”
“Listen, if you lookin' for some weird shit, you should check out Kaiser. He another one of them guides that work with Gomez, but he the one that take the special orders.”
“What kind of special orders?”
“Shit, man, them Jungle Expeditions folk cater to the dowackados. They get some regular customers, too, like them parrot motherfuckers in there, but they's main business is in kink. They's customers is regulars at the Red Room and the Cellar Dweller. From what I hear, they does some big kiddie biz. They's also into rape sims and all that bondage shit. I heard they even done some necro.”
“Necro?”
“Ha! I told you they was some dowackados, didn't I? Didn't I?”
“Thanks, Idris.”
“Anytime, Juno. You needs anything else?”
“I'll let you know.”
I walked out the way I came in. Nobody bothered me, not after they'd seen me chatting with Idris. It was courtesy of Idris that they got to stay in this alley. Piss him off and they could find themselves evicted from the alley, and this alley was primo, being covered and all.
FIFTEEN
I reached the fifth floor and Maggie was already there, waiting at the end of the hall. We walked toward each other, meeting in the middle.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here.”
“No problem,” Maggie said as she led me down the hall.
“How was work?”
“The same. How was your afternoon?” Maggie knocked on door number 511.
“I got some dirt on Jungle Expeditions. That jungle adventure crap is just a cover. They do sex tours.”
Maggie nodded, not surprised at all. The door swung open, revealing a slightly heavy woman wearing a frumpy number. Maggie held up her badge. “Are you Inez Shenko?”
“Yes,” she said as she fiddled with her dated hair.
