Silliness The Case of the Rock and the Red, Decision at Dawn - Page 5

Rock Lobster · 11-04-2010, 04:33 PM

I know when I'm getting the big brush off. Red is about as subtle as a walrus at a society wedding. I figured I'd chase the money down and get back with him with the details. Sort of let him handle the bits with bloodshed. That's why he hires BadGoodDeb. Me, I go for an easier approach. If someone needs to be bloodied i figure that the nature of the universe is that they will eventually get it, just because they need it.

Driving out to Riverside, I had the idea that I might need some persuasion to get the information I needed. I swung by the MobileRead International building and made a quick visit inside. Then I proceeded on my way, secure in the knowledge I would have what I needed when it was needed.

The address Red had given me was a overly done McMansion in the foothills. Complete with a gate and high wall around it. I'm sure that it made Harry the Horse feel secure that it was there and I was glad for him.

I drove around the block and walked through the open and broken gate of his back door neighbor. One good thing about this economy, you can always find a bank repo when you need it. The backyard of the repo butted up directly against Harry the Horse's backyard. And it was about five feet high.

I had done some work for Red in this time a while back and learned a short sharp lesson in electronic surveillance. So this time, I cased the wall and the yard well before jumping over it. Some people just never catch on that the way to get into a secure facility is not to figure out how to get past the secure parts, but how to find the unsecure parts.

Fortunately, the sprinkler system had not fired up by the time I got to the back of the garage. I hate it when that happens. Pulling out my lock picks, I got into the garage in five seconds. I had to stop to wipe some left over blood off the hook first, or I would have been in faster. I like the locks in Red's time. Made of cheap metal and stamped out parts.

I moved quietly through the garage and got to the house's back door. Which was obviously unlocked. Why lock the door, when the garage opener seals the world out? I swung the door in silently and padded into the mud room. I could hear muffled voices on the other side of the inner door.

Putting my ear up to the frame, I listened. The voices were hard to make out, but they were talking about a big take and how they were going to make out like bandits. The words "sure bet" were tossed around a lot. The voices faded, like they were leaving the room. Opening the door with a whisper of sound, I slid into a kitchen that was bigger than my office. Harry the Horse really knew how to live, let me tell you.

I was tempted to make myself a sandwich and a glass of milk, sort of make myself at home, but decided not to take the risk. Even though I was hungry at the time. Slipping quietly to the other side of the room, I could hear about three guys talking in what was probably a great room.

"Are you sure we can trust this guy, Boss?"

"What's not to trust? He isn't that bright and we can't go wrong. The dogs have always come through for me. Besides, if he double crosses us, all we got to do is whack him."

"Okay, but I have a bad feeling about this whole caper. Messing with this guy's friends in the past has always made trouble for us. I don't want that broad with the guns and the attitude anywheres near me ever again!"

"I got it covered. Besides, we're not gambling with our own money, it's gonna be Red's or that dame he's so cozy with all the time."

I was pretty sure by then that I was in the right neighborhood. I was easing slowly and all quiet like around the corner to take a peek at the men in the room when the compact that Red had given me started clucking like a chicken.

dsvick · 11-04-2010, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Lobster

I was easing slowly and all quiet like around the corner to take a peek at the men in the room when the compact that Red had given me started clucking like a chicken.

More! More!!

ShortNCuddlyAm · 11-04-2010, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Lobster

I was pretty sure by then that I was in the right neighborhood. I was easing slowly and all quiet like around the corner to take a peek at the men in the room when the compact that Red had given me started clucking like a chicken.

:teameetskeyboardfortheeleventythtime:

poohbear_nc · 11-04-2010, 07:44 PM

It wasn't me! I wasn't there! Was I?

Greg Anos · 11-04-2010, 08:17 PM

Should I have set it to vibrate?

poohbear_nc · 11-04-2010, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Should I have set it to vibrate?

chicken porn??

pshrynk · 11-05-2010, 06:15 AM

Maybe a little more explanation to a guy from 1936...

GeoffC · 11-05-2010, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

It wasn't me! I wasn't there! Was I?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Should I have set it to vibrate?

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

chicken porn??

That'll rattle the bones ....

SneakySnake · 11-05-2010, 09:34 PM

Spoiler:

poohbear_nc · 11-06-2010, 11:00 AM

He said vibrate! NOT masticate! NOT THE SAME!

badgoodDeb · 11-07-2010, 12:41 PM

Whistling, I sharpened my chakram (round sharp throwy thing) and my numerous knives. I'd left a message for KindleKitten to meet me by the Dali statue in Chi-town, if she was interested in joining the caper. She does guns; I do sharps. We've always worked well together!

Greg Anos · 11-08-2010, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Whistling, I sharpened my chakram (round sharp throwy thing) and my numerous knives. I'd left a message for KindleKitten to meet me by the Dali statue in Chi-town, if she was interested in joining the caper. She does guns; I do sharps. We've always worked well together!

Y'all have to share the rate, I'm not springing for extras...

badgoodDeb · 11-08-2010, 06:06 PM

Ahhh -- that's fine. We both like to keep our skills honed. (well, me more than she. She keeps her gunpowder dry; I keep my sharps honed)

Greg Anos · 11-11-2010, 09:09 PM

The phone rang and rang and then rolled to voicemail. Either he didn't know how to answer the phone, or else he was too occupied at the moment to to talk to me. Or something more nefarious...So I left a safe message on his voicemail, just in case.

"This is the Zippy collection agency. We need you to cough up the dough you owe for the cell phone you are using. If you don't pay up, we will send a collection agent to take it from you. For futher instruction, call Bart Black at the following number." And I left my pay as you go cellphone number I had somebody else buy a few years ago, just for emergencies like this.

I'd like to think he was too dumb to use a cell phone, but in that case, he'd probably be caught and tied up by Harry at his lair. I refuse to let my goats be eated by the tiger during the course of a bait-and-bag. What to do?

In the old days, a gumshoe would go out and immeditately try to track down the miising person like a bloodhound. Nowadays, you can stack the deck a little better and take a load off your feet, if you're willin' to take a load off your wallet. I am, because it saves wear and tear on various bodies, including my own.

So I called a different number to the cellphone I gave Rock. This one goes to a different Sim in the phone, which doesn't ring at all. It just sends back the most recent GPS fix from the little GPS tracker hidden in the phone, along with the time stamp of when the fix was taken.

I looked at the fix. Riverside, at first glance. I stuck it in my computer map and checked the fix and the time. It was current, in a house in the mansion zone of Riverside. Hmmm... I punched the "who owns" button on the screen. Nobody I'd heard of. Probably a rental, which made sense for a snatch job. Harry liked comfort. I guess he'd spent too many years in dinky Brooklyn apartments. Time to load up.

I went to the big safe and got the combo IR/night vision goggles, loaded on a couple of toad-stickers, and a portable, signal-boosted, big ear. A smoke grenade and a teargas grenade finished to loot. If I couldn't do it with this pack, I couldn't do it at all. Oh, yeah, add some rope. Rope always comes in handy, and a grappling hook.

I dumped the plunder into the SUV and put on the magnetic ACME Pollution Services sign on the car door. and headed out into the night.

badgoodDeb · 11-12-2010, 02:57 PM

KK? Wakey, wakey! I've signed you up for a gig, with me. If you aren't at the meeting place soon (okay, maybe it's a Chagall structure rather than a Dali?) we'll have to rendezvous at check point #2. Here's hoping you remember where that is, cuz I'm not sure I do!

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Ended Sony PRS-600 (Red) + case	birdbrainbb	Flea Market	1	09-13-2010 12:36 AM
Paranormal Romance from Kindle: Cry Sanctuary: Book 1 of Red Rock Pass series	Susan Crealock	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	0	06-15-2010 09:25 AM

11-04-2010, 04:33 PM	#61
Rock Lobster PI for hire. Posts: 94 Karma: 511896 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: I keep a notebook handy, just in case.	I know when I'm getting the big brush off. Red is about as subtle as a walrus at a society wedding. I figured I'd chase the money down and get back with him with the details. Sort of let him handle the bits with bloodshed. That's why he hires BadGoodDeb. Me, I go for an easier approach. If someone needs to be bloodied i figure that the nature of the universe is that they will eventually get it, just because they need it. Driving out to Riverside, I had the idea that I might need some persuasion to get the information I needed. I swung by the MobileRead International building and made a quick visit inside. Then I proceeded on my way, secure in the knowledge I would have what I needed when it was needed. The address Red had given me was a overly done McMansion in the foothills. Complete with a gate and high wall around it. I'm sure that it made Harry the Horse feel secure that it was there and I was glad for him. I drove around the block and walked through the open and broken gate of his back door neighbor. One good thing about this economy, you can always find a bank repo when you need it. The backyard of the repo butted up directly against Harry the Horse's backyard. And it was about five feet high. I had done some work for Red in this time a while back and learned a short sharp lesson in electronic surveillance. So this time, I cased the wall and the yard well before jumping over it. Some people just never catch on that the way to get into a secure facility is not to figure out how to get past the secure parts, but how to find the unsecure parts. Fortunately, the sprinkler system had not fired up by the time I got to the back of the garage. I hate it when that happens. Pulling out my lock picks, I got into the garage in five seconds. I had to stop to wipe some left over blood off the hook first, or I would have been in faster. I like the locks in Red's time. Made of cheap metal and stamped out parts. I moved quietly through the garage and got to the house's back door. Which was obviously unlocked. Why lock the door, when the garage opener seals the world out? I swung the door in silently and padded into the mud room. I could hear muffled voices on the other side of the inner door. Putting my ear up to the frame, I listened. The voices were hard to make out, but they were talking about a big take and how they were going to make out like bandits. The words "sure bet" were tossed around a lot. The voices faded, like they were leaving the room. Opening the door with a whisper of sound, I slid into a kitchen that was bigger than my office. Harry the Horse really knew how to live, let me tell you. I was tempted to make myself a sandwich and a glass of milk, sort of make myself at home, but decided not to take the risk. Even though I was hungry at the time. Slipping quietly to the other side of the room, I could hear about three guys talking in what was probably a great room. "Are you sure we can trust this guy, Boss?" "What's not to trust? He isn't that bright and we can't go wrong. The dogs have always come through for me. Besides, if he double crosses us, all we got to do is whack him." "Okay, but I have a bad feeling about this whole caper. Messing with this guy's friends in the past has always made trouble for us. I don't want that broad with the guns and the attitude anywheres near me ever again!" "I got it covered. Besides, we're not gambling with our own money, it's gonna be Red's or that dame he's so cozy with all the time." I was pretty sure by then that I was in the right neighborhood. I was easing slowly and all quiet like around the corner to take a peek at the men in the room when the compact that Red had given me started clucking like a chicken.

11-04-2010, 07:44 PM	#64
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,739 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	It wasn't me! I wasn't there! Was I?

11-04-2010, 08:17 PM	#65
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,532 Karma: 37057604 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	Should I have set it to vibrate?

11-05-2010, 06:15 AM	#67
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Maybe a little more explanation to a guy from 1936...

11-05-2010, 09:34 PM	#69
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	Spoiler:

11-06-2010, 11:00 AM	#70
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,739 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	He said vibrate! NOT masticate! NOT THE SAME!

11-07-2010, 12:41 PM	#71
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,555 Karma: 64462893 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Whistling, I sharpened my chakram (round sharp throwy thing) and my numerous knives. I'd left a message for KindleKitten to meet me by the Dali statue in Chi-town, if she was interested in joining the caper. She does guns; I do sharps. We've always worked well together!

11-08-2010, 06:06 PM	#73
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,555 Karma: 64462893 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Ahhh -- that's fine. We both like to keep our skills honed. (well, me more than she. She keeps her gunpowder dry; I keep my sharps honed)

11-11-2010, 09:09 PM	#74
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,532 Karma: 37057604 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	The phone rang and rang and then rolled to voicemail. Either he didn't know how to answer the phone, or else he was too occupied at the moment to to talk to me. Or something more nefarious...So I left a safe message on his voicemail, just in case. "This is the Zippy collection agency. We need you to cough up the dough you owe for the cell phone you are using. If you don't pay up, we will send a collection agent to take it from you. For futher instruction, call Bart Black at the following number." And I left my pay as you go cellphone number I had somebody else buy a few years ago, just for emergencies like this. I'd like to think he was too dumb to use a cell phone, but in that case, he'd probably be caught and tied up by Harry at his lair. I refuse to let my goats be eated by the tiger during the course of a bait-and-bag. What to do? In the old days, a gumshoe would go out and immeditately try to track down the miising person like a bloodhound. Nowadays, you can stack the deck a little better and take a load off your feet, if you're willin' to take a load off your wallet. I am, because it saves wear and tear on various bodies, including my own. So I called a different number to the cellphone I gave Rock. This one goes to a different Sim in the phone, which doesn't ring at all. It just sends back the most recent GPS fix from the little GPS tracker hidden in the phone, along with the time stamp of when the fix was taken. I looked at the fix. Riverside, at first glance. I stuck it in my computer map and checked the fix and the time. It was current, in a house in the mansion zone of Riverside. Hmmm... I punched the "who owns" button on the screen. Nobody I'd heard of. Probably a rental, which made sense for a snatch job. Harry liked comfort. I guess he'd spent too many years in dinky Brooklyn apartments. Time to load up. I went to the big safe and got the combo IR/night vision goggles, loaded on a couple of toad-stickers, and a portable, signal-boosted, big ear. A smoke grenade and a teargas grenade finished to loot. If I couldn't do it with this pack, I couldn't do it at all. Oh, yeah, add some rope. Rope always comes in handy, and a grappling hook. I dumped the plunder into the SUV and put on the magnetic ACME Pollution Services sign on the car door. and headed out into the night.

11-12-2010, 02:57 PM	#75
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,555 Karma: 64462893 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	KK? Wakey, wakey! I've signed you up for a gig, with me. If you aren't at the meeting place soon (okay, maybe it's a Chagall structure rather than a Dali?) we'll have to rendezvous at check point #2. Here's hoping you remember where that is, cuz I'm not sure I do!