Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 27

CHAPTER ELEVEN
3RD FRIDAY

Mike gets up at four and Nina wakes so he's pleasantly delayed getting away to pick up Trudy until five. It's twenty after six when he pulls up to her door. She comes bouncing out and says, "You want my help you've got to give up these morning pieces of tail with your wife."

She laughs and he says, "It wasn't my wife, it was my neighbor's wife."

At that they both laugh. Mike guns the engine and they head for POCO. Trudy studies him before she says, "I'm thinking of moving to Chilliwack. A friend of mine called and she has a really nice place on Clark Drive but her girl friend got married and moved out. She wants me to share the house with her. Can we stop by there on the way?"

"Will she be up yet?"

"She said she would."

"You told her I'd bring you over this morning?"

"I figured I could talk you into it. We'll only live thirty minutes apart instead of an hour and a half."

"It'll be a long drive to work."

"Not if I'm working for you."

"Honey, I don't have enough work to hire you full time."

"If I'm going to be your mistress, you better be ready to pay my rent, you cad."

"Don't you think this mistress thing has gone far enough?"

"You don't want me. You just want to screw me and leave me. You’re a brute. I don't know why you turn me on so much." She slides across the seat and slips her hand along the inside of his thigh.

Mike grins and says, "We'll see. How much is your share of the expenses?"

"Three hundred a month and two hundred for me. For services rendered." she adds.

"You can't live on that?"

"Can't I. Well, you can give me more if you want to."

"Trudy! Your impossible."

"Don't you think I'm worth it?"

"No comment."

They swing off the freeway into Chilliwack at the airport then drive to the far side of town and Clarke Drive on the river. Rolling lawns and rhododendrons mark the spacious lots and comfortable homes along the Drive. Mike parks in front of number 14.

"I'm never going to be able to come down into this area with the truck." Mike says as he opens her door and they walk up the stones that provide a path to the door.

Trudy rings the bell and a jolly heavyset woman of about thirty opens the door and folds her arms around her. "Trudy, come in. I was afraid you might not make it or you might have changed your mind."

Trudy takes Mike's hand and says, "Cookie, I want you to meet the man in my life. Mike, this is Carol, but just call her Cookie."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Cookie."

"Me too. You told me he was handsome. Wow! You weren't kidding and so mannerly." The two women chatter together as they enter the house. It devolves that they worked together at Laidlaw and Cookie has a job lined up for her in Sardis if she'll move down with her. They'll split expenses fifty/fifty and her share won't work out to anywhere near five hundred a month. Cookie has inherited the house from her grandmother and is just looking for company. She loves Crystal so thinks they would make excellent roommates.

"Just think, Trudy, you would have a built in baby sitter whenever you wanted. Wouldn't your young man like that?"

Mike grins and says, "No need trying to convince me, I'm sold. It's up to the lady."

Trudy says, "I'll call you tonight, but I think you've found a new star boarder. I'll have to see about Crystal's school and all, but I think we will come."

"Good. Let me show you around." It turns out Cookie has her bedroom on the second floor and a second bedroom right next to her "For Crystal", she says. On the main floor is the master bedroom so Trudy would have the main floor to entertain her boyfriend in privacy, if she so wishes. Mike likes it better and better.

They have to get going so Trudy promises to call this evening and they leave. She chatters on and on about the place until they get to POCO around eight thirty. Mike calls Georgette and explains his role in the investigation. She says to come right over.

They drive to an apartment block and go up to 808. A cheeky strawberry blonde with red cheeks of about twenty-five answers the bell. "Do come in. I'm so upset over Flo and want to help in any way I can."

"Thank you for seeing us so early in the morning. This is my associate, Trudy Garneau. We will try not to take too much of your time. Were you going out?"

"No. I'm an early riser except when I'm working late." She smiles at Trudy as if to a kindred spirit. Mike takes a note pad from his pocket and a pen. He asks, "You were a friend of Flo's?"

"Yes. As well as working together, we met for coffee and such outside work hours. It was such a shock to me when I heard what happened. I couldn't attend the funeral. I've been a nervous wreck ever since."

"You were both working at The Gardens the night she was attacked?"

"Yes. We chatted all evening and planned to get together the next day for coffee."

"Did you have any idea she was planning to go out after work that night?"

Georgette looks thoughtful for a moment and Trudy pipes up. "She told you she was meeting a trick, didn't she? Did you have a trick that night?"

Mike turns to Trudy to say something but thinks better of it. Georgette looks shocked then breaks down and cries.

"She didn't tell me who she was meeting. I took my John to the park nearby. He just wanted a blowjob. How'd you know?"

"We have to know these things in order to find out the truth. You didn't tell the cops she was meeting a John, did you?" Trudy's on a roll now and Mike let's her take over.

"No. I didn't want them to find out about me. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it again. That guy's out there waiting for me next. I know she was going out with a customer that was in the pub that evening. There were so many in during the evening. I've been with quite a few of them. I'm so scared."

"Any of the other girls turning tricks at the pub?"

"I think one other girl is. I'm not sure. She only started a month ago. She may just be boy crazy."

"What's her name?"

"Caramel something. I don't know if that's her real name or not. Everyone just calls her Caramel."

"You got a pimp?"

"Jay. He drives cab. He has some other girls. I think Flo worked for him, too.

"That's Jay Scanlon. Does he ever stay here?"

"He does sometimes. He's not here now. I don't know where he's staying now. I'm scared he will come up and demand I go back to work on the streets."

"Mike, give her one of our cards. If he comes back and hassles you, give us a call. Did you have anything else you wanted to ask her, Mike?"

"Yeah, I... uh, did Flo keep a black book of customers, do you know?"

"We never keep a record of customers only. It’s a tip off to the police if they catch us. We keep an address book and use code to mark which ones are customers."

"Do you know what code Flo used in hers?"

"She once told me to mark them with a prefix. If it says Mr. he's a John. Otherwise it’s plain John Doe. I think that was the code she used."

"I can't think of anything else. Use that number if you think of anything you might remember that might be useful or if you get hassled by Scanlon. I guess we'll be on our way. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us and for being so candid."

They leave and when they get to the car Mike says, "How'd you figure her for a pro so fast?"

"It was in her eyes. She's running scared of meeting the same fate as Flo and they were friends outside of work, meaning they had common interests outside work. You’re a man so you wouldn't pick up the vibes. Don't sweat it, most men don't."

Mike starts the car shaking his head, "I don't understand what you mean." Trudy just laughs.