G.o.d, all sorts of s.h.i.t, how could I resist?

You know what I mean.

I think so. What time?

You name it, Ill pick up dinner and if you want Ill pick you up, too.

Ill drive myself, Dev, that way I can ditch you when I get fed up.

What do feel like eating?

Chinese and pick up Dim Sum, too.

You got it. I gave her the address, then I gave her very specific directions. Heidis really smart, but she was hiding behind the door when they were pa.s.sing out a sense of direction. Shes lived in St. Paul all her life and she can still get lost going to a friends house. However, she does make up for it in other ways.

Chapter Sixteen.

Heidi arrived in style, Heidi style, forty-five minutes late. Not that it mattered, I planned on giving her a short tour of the house, wed wolf down the takeout dinner, then get down to the real business, my immediate needs.

Oh my G.o.d, this place is so cool, she said when I opened the door. Then she brushed past me and wandered into the front parlor. Oh I love it, and the wood work, the turned spindles. Did you notice the design pattern on the cedar shakes outside on the second floor?

What?

That figures, she said and just shook her head.

I poured her a gla.s.s of wine in the paneled dining room with the sliding doors and built-in breakfront and we proceeded with our tour. From the dining room we went back into the front parlor with the fireplace and the stained-gla.s.s windows. We checked out the den where Id been sleeping on the couch next to the three boxes of glazed fireplace tiles.

I think its so cool theyre going to reinstall these tiles, theyre gorgeous. Dont you think?

Yeah sure, whatever.

G.o.d, you are so completely hopeless. All your laundry piled up on that chair and scattered around the floor adds a nice, homey touch. Here, get me another gla.s.s of wine and lets check out the second floor.

She spent ten minutes getting up close and personal with the staircase, Get out of the way, Dev, here hold my wine gla.s.s I want to take some more pictures, she said handing me the gla.s.s and then shooing me out of the way.

It dawned on me that Id only been upstairs a couple of times and that was just to carry clothes out to Caseys car. I think there are four bedrooms up here, I said leading the way. Heidi wandered into the master bedroom, took about a dozen more pictures of that fireplace, then more pictures of the small dressing room next to that.

Look at this, Dev, you can still see where there was some sort of stove in here for heat thats what that round plate is up on the wall. The chimneys behind that and the stove pipe used to connect right up there.

I nodded, sipped some more beer and said, Amazing.

Heidi just shook her head like she couldnt believe it. We walked down the hallway, to a back bedroom. Two steps led down into the room.

This would have been the servants room, thats probably why the steps are here, she said. The room was smaller, less grand than the other three bedrooms, the ceiling maybe a foot lower. Yeah, this closet area was probably a staircase down into the kitchen originally. The help could go down there early in the morning, get things going for the family.

Gee, just like today, I said.

It was a different time, Dev. If you lived in the area when this was built and didnt have live-in help, you would have been viewed as socially irresponsible, for starters. Oh wow, look at this, the cabinet, kind of a funny place for a built-in. I wonder why they went to the trouble to put that in here.

Hey, what about some dinner, are you hungry? Looks like you could use some more wine, too.

Just wait a minute. Look at this cabinet, Dev, it cant be original to the house, it probably was built in the twenties or thirties. Its so cute, she said backing up and taking more pictures with her phone.

Okay.

Not okay, its beautiful, but its really strange that its here, in the back of a large closet. Im sure they pulled out the back staircase. Whats below this? she asked and knocked on the wall around the cabinet, it sounded hollow.

Below this closet? Its the bathroom off the kitchen, just a sink and toilet, no shower or tub.

She nodded. Has this always been single family? she asked then knocked on the wall again.

No, when Casey and Dermot bought it, the place had been converted to apartments, I dont know how many, I think someone mentioned maybe five or six units. I talked to the woman across the street and she referred to it as the worst house on the block once that happened. Id say probably not the best clientele living here.

Well, theyve done a wonderful job. There must be a s.p.a.ce back there behind this cabinet, certainly not big enough to be a room, its strange.

Hey, Im going to get your dinner going in the microwave, you want to join me or would you rather stay up here in the closet and knock on all the walls.

Im coming, oh this has been so cool. Thanks, Dev, you know every once in a while you do something nice.

Thanks.

You can be sweet, she said and gave me a peck on the cheek. You can also get me another wine.

Chapter Seventeen.

It was just before seven the following morning when Heidi left. Ive got a conference call at nine and an eleven oclock meeting, she said then kissed me and let herself out. Wed gone to sleep in front of the flat screen in the den. After sleeping on the thick Oriental rug and using the couch cushions as pillows my body felt like a bent piece of plumbing. I was in my boxers cleaning up the little white takeout food containers and putting the wine bottles in recycling when the workmen showed up.

I arrived in the office and was seated at my desk by nine, unsuccessfully scanning the building across the street with my binoculars. Louie made it in a little after ten.

Any coffee left? he asked as he came in the door.

Fresh pot on, I made plenty for you.

You sound like youre in a pretty good mood, anything happening over there?

I put the binoculars down and spun round in my chair to face him. He was wearing his wrinkled gray suit today, as opposed to his wrinkled navy blue, gray herringbone, darker gray, brown or wrinkled black suit.

I got a text message from Casey this morning, shes going to give me that property abstract tonight so you could go over it tomorrow if youve got time.

Great, Ill make time Id like to look at it. I dont have a lot shaking in the morning, at least as it stands now. He had just poured himself a mug of coffee and was walking back to his picnic table desk carrying the mug. As he sat down in his chair, coffee sloshed out of the mug and in one fell swoop got his lapel, his white shirt and his tie. G.o.d, can you believe this c.r.a.p?

Maybe you should have set the mug down first.

Thanks for that thought.

Say, I went for a little ride with your friend, Fat Freddy, yesterday.

My friend, Louie said then licked the back of his tie and attempted to dab the coffee off his shirt. It looked as if he only succeeded in making the stain a little larger. d.a.m.n it.

Maybe you should just leave well enough alone, I suggested.

Fat Freddy, you were saying.

Yeah, we drove around over on the East Side and he showed me a bunch of places Bulldog is providing protection for.

You two are pals, now?

In a way, I sort of feel for the guy. Hes just an idiot.

Well, say no more, theres the common bond.

Anyway, its a protection racket, Bulldog and most likely Tubby got going. Theyre s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g these small business guys. Looked like a lot of immigrant-type places. Im sure its folks unfortunately afraid to go to the cops and rightfully afraid of Bulldog.

What a jerk.

You think? Near as I can figure out, from just the places Fat Freddy showed me, theyre getting close to three grand a week. And like I said, thats just the ones I saw.

Three grand a week. What is that a couple hundred bucks from each of those places?

Yeah.

Every week? G.o.d, thats probably their entire profit margin.

Certainly could be. Freddy alluded to Bulldog skimming some off the top. Man, Id like to nail that creep.

Stay away, Dev. Nothing good can come from you getting involved.

Im not going to get involved, Id just like to nail him is all.

Louie just shook his head, took a sip of his coffee and opened a file. I put the binoculars back up and returned to my unsuccessful scanning of the building across the street.

A text came through from Casey around noon. Getting abstract from safety deposit box.

I sent a text back, Great, keep me posted.

I got another text at 12:20, At the bank.

I didnt reply.

Another text came thru at 12:25, Got abstract.

I foolishly replied, Meet for dinner?

She text me back at 12:27, Sure where?

I text back, Shamrocks 6:00.

12:31 Casey text back, Lol. No! Where else.

I called her.

Hi, Dev.

Let me just state for the record that Im a guy so I absolutely hate text messages. You pick the place.

You hate texting because youre like all guys and you find it impossible to do two things at once.

Im looking out the window and talking to you on the phone, thats two things, I said.

Im not sure I could last an entire dinner with you if you think thats doing two things. How about La Grolla instead of Shamrocks.

Works for me, is six okay?

Its perfect, see you then, she said.

Chapter Eighteen.

La Grolla is a trendy Italian restaurant with nice wine, Italian beers and great food. Its also one of the in places to be, so I called and made a reservation. I was seated near the window sipping my second beer when I checked my watch. Casey was only twenty-five minutes late. She must have learned her arrival time skills from Heidi.

I watched as she pulled up ten minutes later and attempted to parallel park. There was a good s.p.a.ce and a half on the street. She backed in three separate times and hit the curb. I guess that was bound to happen each and every time if you dont readjust your wheels. After the third time she drove off down the street. The car that was waiting behind her pulled ahead and backed into the same spot. Then the guy got out and opened the door for a woman, probably his wife.

I took a couple sips from my beer, thought about ordering another, but decided to wait until Casey came in. The couple that had parked their car a moment ago was shown to a table across the room by the hostess. A moment later, a waiter was there with a basket of bread and menus, he appeared to take their drink order. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine, opened it with a flourish and poured a little into the womans gla.s.s. She tasted the wine, smiled, nodded, the waiter filled their gla.s.ses then left. They toasted one another and started talking.

Casey showed up a few minutes after that. G.o.d, the parking is horrendous down here.

Were there any spots out front?

She shook her head. My car wouldnt fit.

I decided to let it go and attend to the more pleasant aspects of the evening.