Mic the Dic

After dropping off the limo at Chuck's place, I finally made it home around 3:30. Remember, that's am. It brought back memories of being back on the job as a cop. My body remembered what it was like too, being too wound up to be tired.

I pulled into my driveway with every expectation of seeing a red Corvette sitting there. Luckily, I was wrong. I just had a feeling Holly was going to be there. Not being totally convinced she wasn't, I turned off my lights and sat for a minute watching the street. "Nope. No sign of her." Maybe I was getting a little paranoid in my old age.

I went inside, took off my suit, slipped into a pair of sweats, and a nice, big bourbon on the rocks. "Ahhh!" Gulp! There were no messages on my answering machine. "Good!" I turned on the TV to see if anything good was on. I went through about 99 of the 100 or so channels. Even the adult channels sucked, no pun intended. Finally, I found an old detective movie I have seen around a thousand times. It's a good one, and one is never too experienced to learn from a master. Even though I knew who the murderer was, and it wasn't the butler, I still enjoyed watching it. I find it amazing that the talent of Hollywood is so poor these days. Back in the 30's, 40's, and 50's there was so much talent. Directors could direct, producers could produce, and actors and actresses (which don't even exist any more, they are all actors now) could act. Today, it seems like the only ones that know what they're doing are the special effects and computer graphics weenies.

I guess police work has gotten that way too. I'm glad I experienced it when I did, but today they leave it up to computers to tell them what to do. There are so few true investigators these days. So few take the time to develop the so called "sixth sense".

Maybe mine was a little rusty, but my sixth sense was definitely working. Just like when I was a cop, I would be working a case, I'd get home, have a drink, relax a little, and all of the answers would pop into my head. Just like figuring out that Benjamin Armacost and Stacy Schmidt were fucking around. I knew that's what was going on, but I didn't know why. I still did't.

The one theory was that Teresa wasn't giving him something he wanted. Either Stacy was, or he just didn't want to have sex with someone that didn't want to give it to him the way he wanted. Bondage? Maybe! A little domination? That may be a little more like it. Men in high positions seem to sway in that direction.

Gee! All of the sudden I was feeling pretty good. I may have found the answer, or at least part of it.

I finished watching the movie. It was almost 6 o'clock in the morning and I was still wide awake. I was wondering how Armacost was enjoying being treated like one of his clients. I called up to the police station where he was taken, hoping someone I knew would answer. Luckily, it was one of the guys I helped train.

"Mick Pheury, the private dick?"

"Yes sir, that's me."

"It's Phil Johnson."

"Did you say Sergeant Johnson??? Wait a minute, when did you go to the county?"

"About 8 years ago. I got tired of the bullshit in the city. Besides, the county pays better."

"That's for sure."

"Mick, you old son of a gun. How the fuck are you? Where the fuck have you been? Chrisake, I haven't seen you in years, I thought you died."

"I did. I just haven't laid down yet." Another one that has to remind me I'm old.

"So, what has you calling this time of the night, or morning?"

"An "older" buddy of mine, ha ha, got himself locked up last night, and I was just trying to find out how he's making out."

"Not Benny?"

"Yeah! How 'bout that."

"Is this official or personal?"

"Personal, really. His wife is a client, and I was there last night when he got locked up."

"Was he really nude?"

"Yes he was, completely."

"Fucking David Schmidt's wife?"

"That's what I heard."

"Damn! That must have been good."

"Her or the incident?"

"Both, for that matter."

"So, Sarge, what can you tell me?"

"Completely off the record, he went for his bail hearing at around 2 and he was denied bail."

"DENIED BAIL??? You're kidding me?"

"Nope! The court officer was not impressed with someone of his position in the community assaulting a police officer."

"No shit! That's cool."

"Yeah, Mick, we all thought so. I think it was also to give his wife a chance to take care of a few things before he gets a bail review on Monday morning."

"Yeah, you're probably right there. They probably realized it would end up in a domestic mess."

"That too. Supposedly, Mrs. Armacost's lawyer made a call to someone who made a call."

"I love it when the system works. Speaking of domestics, how did Mrs. Schmidt make out?

"Oh, she's still in jail too. Because off all of this emphasis on domestic violence, they put enough bail on her to keep her here until Monday. Her husband didn't bail her out, so..."

"That's good. Speaking of systems, when did you make Sergeant?"

"About 5 years ago."

"Wow, that long, huh? I guess I have been away for a while. How come you didn't make Lieutenant yet?"

"And become an asshole? I still remember what my old training officer told me about anybody higher than a Sergeant..."

I couldn't help but laugh. I guess I trained him well.

"You were right Mick. They're all assholes above Sergeant. Even here."

We talked for a few more minutes and then he had to do some work before getting off. I'm glad to know some people never forget you.

So, Armacost is sitting in a real jail cell. Hopefully that will give Teresa enough time to decide on what to do. I'll bet Holly is really livid now. I just wish she'd understand that her father caused this, and he did it to her as much as anybody.

I finally started to feel a little tired. The adrenaline was wearing off. I slipped out of my sweats and crawled into my bed and stretched out. It wasn't long before I fell off to sleep.

I was awakened by the phone ringing. I rolled over and looked at my clock. It was noon. The caller ID showed it was Holly, so I answered it. I wanted to emphasize the fact that she woke me up so I did it with a tired voice. "Hel-low!"

"Wake up sleepyhead. I'm on my way over to fix you breakfast."

"Huh! I'm sleeping."

"No your not. You're awake. I'm talking to you."

"No you're not, this is my answering machine. "At the tone, leave a message. Beep!""

"Wake up Pheury. I'm almost there."

"Holly. I didn't get to bed until almost 7."

"What were you doing up all night? Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Call me back in around 4 hours." Oh, shit! I almost forgot. Carla! "No! Holly! Don't call me back. I'm awake."

"I know you're awake. I'll be there in about 10 minutes. Do you have eggs?"

"I always have eggs."

"And bacon or sausage?"

"I have bacon and sausage."

"Okay. See you in a couple of minutes." She hung-up.

Damn it! I have to call Carla and let her know we're still on for tonight.

Quickly, I called her number. There wasn't an answer, so I tried her cell phone. She answered. "Hi Schweetheart."

"Sweetheart? Who is this?"

"Okay, play games."

"Oh, Mick. How are you?"

"Tired."

"I figured as much. Sounds like you had a busy night."

"How'd you hear about it?"

"Hear about it? It's all over the news. Top story."

"What??? Really???"

"Oh yeah! One of the most powerful attorneys in the state is sitting behind bars this morning, thanks to Private Detective, Mick Pheury."

"They're not really saying that, are they?"

"Everything except the part about Mick Pheury."

"Phew!!! You worried me there. Look! We're still on for tonight, right?"

"Of course. That is unless I'm not good enough for you, now that you're a celebrity.", she laughed.

"Don't even joke about that Carla. It was an ugly scene."

"Yeah, sure. What are we doing?"

Oh, shit! She had me there. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise. So in other words, you don't know yet."

Damn, this girl is good. She knows me better than I know myself. "Of course I know."

"Well, what should I wear?"

"Dress up. I mean, not real fancy, but dress nice."

"Okay. A dress or skirt?"

"Yes!"

"No! That was a choice. Should I wear a dress or a skirt?"

"Oh! Either will be fine. Like I said, comfortable, but nice."

"Okay."

"I'll pick you up at 6:30. Okay?"

"I'll be waiting at 6:30."

"I'll see you then." We hung up. Wow! Now to figure out what we were going to do. I knew Carla liked steak, and so do I, so that narrowed down the type of restaurant. "Japanese? Ah sooo!" I grabbed the phone book, dialed a Japanese steak house I've gone to a few times, and made a reservation for two at 7:15. "Domo arigato!"

I had no sooner hung up when the door bell rang. "Damn!" I went to the door and did something I never do, open it without looking out the peephole first. Luckily, it was only Holly. "Only Holly?!?"

"Come on in."

"That's very becoming, Mick.", Holly said regarding my black gym shorts that I usually wear around the house when I'm not expecting someone.

"You think so, do you?"

"After the way I treated you last night, I'm surprised you would even let me in."

"Like you said, I'm a nice guy. I know you were upset."

"I should have listened to you from the start. When my father lied to me the other day, you told me it was the first time I caught him. You were probably right. I feel terrible that I doubted my mother."

"Welcome to being a big girl, Holly. As adults, we make that mistake all the time. It goes with responsibility. Once we have to start making our own decisions, we start making our own mistakes.

"Well, speaking of mistakes, how about letting me fix you breakfast?"

"I'm not sure if I like the way you put that."

"Honestly, I watched my mother fix breakfast this morning. I think I might have it down."

"Okay. I have a reputation for trying anything once. Everything you need is in the fridge. I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Okay. You'll have your breakfast waiting for you when you get out. I hope."

I had to do something I don't usually do, take some clothes into the bathroom with me. Living alone, I usually have the freedom to run around the house naked if I want. Yeah, I know, Holly's already seen me in the raw, what's the big deal? There isn't one, it's just principle.

I finished showering and shaving and put on some clothes. Sure enough, when I went back into the kitchen, I had a place set on the counter. Two eggs, over easy, unbroken, bacon, crisp, 2 slices of wheat toast with butter, and a little bowl of grits. My coffee had just a little too much creamer, but I wasn't going to complain about that.

"Where'd a good Yankee girl like you learn to fix grits?"

"I are a college girl," she said with sarcasm, "I can read. The instructions are on the box."

"Okay, I asked for that. So where'd you learn how to cook eggs, on the box?"

"Ha ha, Pheury. You better try them first. You never know what I did to them."

"Aren't you eating anything?"

"The way I cook???"

I was starting to worry.

"I told you my mother fixed us breakfast this morning. That's how I learned to fix yours. Eat!"

Holly poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat down next to me at the counter. She stared at me waiting for a comment about the food. "It's good."

"Just good?"

"No, it's excellent. Done the way I like it." I leaned over and kissed her. "Thanks, but you really didn't have to come over here just to do this."

"Yes I did. After the way I acted last night, my conscience was bothering me."

"I told you not to worry about it."

"I know, but I did. I was going to call you after you left, but knowing Freddie and his mistress..."

"Mistress??? I thought it was his niece."

"Sure Mick. Now who's naïve?"

"Yeah! They wanted a nightcap, so I took them by Murphy's Pub. Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." I stood up and went over to my suitcoat to see how much of a tip Freddie had given me. "Holy shit!" I've had some decent tips for driving somebody before, but...

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Freddie handed me a tip last night and I forgot to see how much he gave me."

"How much?"

"A thousand?"

"What???"

"Yeah! He gave me a thousand dollar tip!"

"How could he give you a thousand dollars and you not know it?"

"He handed me a wad of bills, I thought it would be like ten 10's. A hundred bucks isn't too uncommon."

"That's Freddie. He throws money around like that. Last summer, I was getting out of our pool at a party my parents had and he stuck a one hundred dollar bill in my bikini bottom when I walked past him. He said that was for one of the better shows he'd had in a while. When I tried to give it back to him, my father told me not to even try."

With Holly's ass, if I had that kind of money, I'd probably do that too.

"Speaking of money," Holly said, "I think this should cover everything." She slid a folded check over to my plate.

"What's that?", I said without picking it up.

"Your fee."

"But I haven't given you the bill yet."

"I know, but I figured what it should be according to our arrangement and then what I think you deserve."

I opened up the check. It was made out for $2,000. I slid it back over in front of her. "What? Do you think I can be bought?"

"Isn't that enough?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Holly, not that I'm not worth it, but..."

"Just tell me how much I owe you, I'll write you a new one."

"It's not that. Let's wait to see how much your mother pays me and then we'll discuss your part."

"My part? But I hired you separately. Three hundred dollars per day for 4 days, that's $1,200, plus expenses, plus a little tip."

"Yeah, I know. But for the same case. I can't charge you both."

"Wait a minute! She hired you to find out with whom he was fucking around. All I wanted to know is if he was. You found out, so, here's your fee."

"You also asked me to prove that he wasn't having an affair. I couldn't do that, remember?

"I hired you to find out whether or not he was."

Holly, just wait until I give you my bill, okay?"

She actually looked disappointed that I wasn't taking her money. I should have looked disappointed, giving back 2 grand.

In a change of tone, Holly asked, "Did you see any news yet this morning?"

"No, I haven't."

"My father was like the first or second story."

"That's not too uncommon."

"That's not funny Mick."

"I'm sorry. That wasn't nice."

"I'm not as worried about it embarrassing him anymore as I am pissed off he embarrassed all of us."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure. I was hoping you would."

"If anybody makes a comment to you, just say that you love him, but he's an asshole."

"I can't call my father an asshole."

"Sure you can. Or say he was an asshole for doing it. Call him anything, just don't take up for him."

"He is my father, though."

"That's right. Being your father, he didn't have any concern for you when he decided to fuck around, did he? He wasn't concerned that he'd embarrass you. Remember something, Holly, although he's your father and you love him as I'm sure he loves you, he knew that you were coming into this world, you didn't. He had the say in who was going to be your father, you didn't. Therefore, he has the ultimate responsibility in what happens."

"But, it's still hard."

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to tell you something I shouldn't. Please don't tell your mother I told you. This is one of those client's right to privacy issues you that I talked about." Holly nodded indicating she understood. "This was far from your father's first incident of infidelity."

"You said that before."

"Well your mother confided in me about some of them."

"You mean she knew?"

"Sure she knew, about some of them. And after last night, I found out a lot of people did. He's been making a fool out of your mother for years."

"Yes, and she's really pissed about it. All she talks about is getting even."

"She told me that last year she caught him in an affair and that she gave him an ultimatum. Apparently he screwed up big time."

"Last year? How'd they keep it from me?"

"I think they got real good at keeping it from you and your brother. By the way, did somebody tell him?"

"Mom told him this morning. He didn't seem too surprised. He and dad haven't exactly gotten along. That's one of the reasons he decided on a university out of state."

"I see. Maybe he knew something."

"Come to think of it, maybe he did, even though I think he'd have said something to me about it. He and I are very close."

"Women know women, men know men. Maybe he picked up on something your father did or said."

"Maybe. Hey, ummm, do you have plans for tonight?"

Uh oh! "As a matter of fact I do. Why?"

"Going out with Carla?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that if you weren't doing anything, I was going to see if you wanted to do something."

"Oh, I'm sorry. We've kind of have plans for tonight for a while."

"That's okay. I shouldn't have waited so long to ask."

"It wouldn't have done you any good for tonight. Like I said, we've had this one planned for a while. Actually, it should have been last night, but I changed it because of the party."

"Oh! Maybe next week?"

"Maybe. Let me see what's going on."

"You mean with Carla?"

"No, not necessarily."

"Can I ask a question about you and her? How serious are things with the two of you?"

"Well it all depends on what your definition of serious is. We're very close."

"More than friends?"

"Oh yeah! Way more than friends."

"Tsk tsk tsk! You know bosses shouldn't get involved with their employees. That could be construed to be sexual harassment."

"You know, there is a little word in the definition of sexual harassment, unwelcome."

"Oh, yeah! That's right. Hey! You can't blame me for trying."

"Sure I can. I keep telling you that I'm not the right guy for you. But I'll keep telling you and you'll keep trying, right?

Holly just gave me an evil grim. "Like I said, can't blame me for trying." She gave me a hug and kiss.