“You know about that?”
Victor gave Jack a look. “I know everything that goes on in my side of town.” He lit the smoke. “I believe you. Put your shirt back on. So, what’s this favor?”
Jack pulled his shirt back over his head. “I’m looking for Two Point. Have you seen him?”
“No, but that squid better not be around here. I kicked him to the curb for the stuff he was pulling. Him boosting got me dragged into the pigpen.”
“He was mugging people?”
Victor scoffed. “Two Point’s spineless. He’s no dog—he’s a weasel. He doesn’t have the nuts to jack a nun. I caught him boosting from cars in the parking lot, so I bounced his sorry ass.” Victor looked back up the hill. “Stealing’s bad for business. It brings the cops down on the area. I don’t want the heat around. So nobody steals.”
“If you see him, will you let me know?”
Victor smoothed out his stubble. “I will. But then we’re even.”
“Even? For what?”
“It’s a small world, Boy Scout. That lady who got robbed outside Ma Barker’s? She’s my abuela.”
“Abuela?” Jack racked his brain trying to remember his Spanish classes.
“If I hear something, I’ll reach out.” Victor tapped his chest with two fingers. Then he headed back up the hill.
Jack waved Chandler over and started walking away. Chandler jogged up beside him. When they were out of the park and out of Victor’s sight, Chandler punched Jack’s arm.
“Damn!” Jack grimaced.
“I told you those guys were bad news,” Chandler growled in a low whisper.
Jack rubbed his arm. “That hurt like hell.”
“Sorry. It was a little harder than I intended.”
“A little? It’s like you hit me with a telephone pole.”
“Yeah, well, the small guy with the big skull tattoo was packing.”
“So was Victor.”
“I hate being around guns. Who knows when someone’s gonna start shooting? What did Victor say?”
“He kicked Tommy out of his crew for breaking into cars in the parking lot. He hasn’t seen him.”
“And you believe him?”
“Victor’s telling us straight. He doesn’t know anything.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You know the old lady with the handbag?” Jack grinned. “She’s Victor’s abuela.”
“His grandmother? No way.”
Oh yeah, grandmother. I knew it was something like that. “Way.”
“Then we’re back to square one.”
“No, we’re not. I’ve got a plan to flush Two Point out.”
11
You’re Not My Date
Jack held open the door to Tullie’s Café, but Chandler didn’t go in.
“What, you want a coffee now?” Chandler asked.
“No. Nina will be here soon.”
Chandler stepped aside so a woman could exit. “How do you know that?”
“Makayla said that Nina posts every detail of her life on Facebook. So I checked her page. She ‘liked’ Tullie’s milkshake special and commented that she’s getting one after work today.”
“So she might be here. You could have told me that earlier,” Chandler muttered as he walked in.
Inside the café, a few regulars sipped coffee, read, or chatted away. A long counter and stools ran the length of the front window, and six round tables the size of extra-large pizzas dotted the middle of the room. In the back was a counter where three teenagers waited for a customer to interrupt them from whatever they were doing on their phones.
They headed to the back counter. One of the three teenagers glanced up from her texting.
Jack turned to Chandler. “Get what you want. It’s on me.”
“No.”
“I’m dragging you all over the place. The least I can do is get you a coffee.”
Chandler peered into the glass counter and waved his hand. “No. The least you could do is get me an extra-large vanilla milkshake, a chocolate fudge bar…” He straightened up and added with a boyish grin, “And a strawberry-frosted sprinkle donut.”
Jack held up a hand to the teenager. “Don’t get him that.” To Chandler he said, “Why don’t you get a coffee and a breakfast sandwich so you get some protein at least?”
“Because it doesn’t taste as good.”
“You’re not getting all that junk.”
“You’re not my date. I can order for myself.”
Jack leaned back. “Fine. Blow your weigh-in. I’ll send you a postcard from Germany.”
Chandler scowled.