Chapter 13 Crow #3
But Birdie slips on sunglasses, and we head out to the car. “First time I’ve driven since this all started,” she says, climbing behind the wheel.
I reach across from the passenger side and hold her hand. “Too soon? How are you feeling?”
“I’m great,” she says confidently. “I really am. I’m going to be okay.”
We drive in silence for two miles to the car rental place, lacing and unlacing our fingers.
It’s a peaceful silence, like we’re both still stuck in the erotic haze of her bedroom and not being forced out into the real world.
I’m okay making that feeling last as long as possible.
When we pull in, I turn to face her. “Be safe today. Take it easy. If you need anything at all, you need me to pick up Mia, anything, you call. Got it?”
She leans over, and we kiss, a long, sweet taste of tongues, the faint flavor of coffee on our mingled breath.
“Have a good day at work, sweetie,” she teases. “I’ll be fine. But I’ll keep in touch.”
I finish the coffee and leave the travel mug with her. Then I get out of the car and close the door. Before she pulls away, we spend a solid thirty seconds staring at each other through the closed window.
“Much as I love young love—” a voice comes from behind me just as I feel a hand clap on to my shoulder “—work’s a-awaiting.”
Birdie waves at Arrow and blows me a kiss goodbye. Then she pulls away.
“That seemed cozy,” Arrow says.
I don’t know the guy well, and while Leo vouched for him, I still don’t know Leo that well yet. I just grunt and get down to business. “So, what’s the job?”
Arrow points at Birdie. “Hey, man, I didn’t mean to pry. I’m happy for you. After all you’ve been through, if you’re picking up the pieces in your private life, that’s cool. I meant no disrespect.”
I roll my shoulders and nod. “Thanks, man. All good. What’s the gig here?”
As much as I’m sure Arrow’s trying to be cool with me, we’re not friends.
Might never be. If I work for him, I need to maintain that distance and detachment.
I’m still not all that excited about following cheaters or scammers, so dragging me out of bed with the promise of work is all that I am up for right now.
Braiding hair with my new best friend Arrow isn’t in the playbook.
“Yeah, all right. Let’s head in.”
We go inside the rental office where Arrow has set me up as an authorized renter on his corporate account.
“Obviously, this isn’t for personal use if you’re not on a job,” he tells me. “But if you’re working a case, I want you in a rental.”
“Got it.” I hand over my license and insurance info to the guy behind the desk, a squeaky-clean-looking college kid in a golf shirt embroidered with the logo of the rental place.
“Good morning, Mr. Taylor.” The kid looks at my license and says my name, all professional and serious.
His close-cut blond hair and deep tan remind me a little too much of the kids I intervened on behalf of that night so long ago, and a shiver runs up my spine.
Is this a subtle sign that I shouldn’t be here?
Shouldn’t be doing this? Or am I looking for signs because I’d rather be eating Birdie for breakfast than chasing cheaters on a Sunday morning?
I look away from the kid with his innocent eyes and peach-fuzz face and get down to the job. Arrow’s got a slim folder in his hands. While the kid runs my identification through the system, Arrow explains.
“We go at this old-school,” he says. “I’d prefer you not have any client images or data on your personal devices.
” He hands me a cell phone—it’s a nice one.
Newer than the one I have. “Use this for all client work. Even for mapping or Googling and other basic functions. That way, if the phone is ever confiscated or recovered, it’ll be traceable to me, the licensed agent. ”
“Wait…there’s a license involved?” This is news to me.
“Yeah,” Arrow explains. “If you want to testify at trials or work with insurance companies and lawyers, you’ve got to be legit.
There’s a background check, education, and private investigator licensing requirements.
But I’m only going to send you on what I call the civilian cases.
You can follow cheating spouses and basic crap that won’t ever make it to court. ”
I’m sure Arrow thinks what he’s saying is going to bring me some comfort, but it does the opposite.
If there’s a background check involved and state licensing requirements, I’m damn sure I won’t pass.
Felony convictions don’t bar me from every type of job, but I’m going to guess if PIs are regulated by the state of Florida, they won’t be too keen on me spying on private citizens with my background.
“You know I have a record, man.” I don’t want to press the issue because I’m damn sure there’s no way Arrow doesn’t know. But I want to make sure.
He nods. “That’s why I want you on board. You can talk the talk with people I never could. Consider this a paid internship. I’m trying you out, and you’re trying this out. If you like it and do a good job, I’ll cover the costs of getting you legal with the state to be licensed.”
That all sounds well and good in theory, but what’s he going to do if I get pulled over in a rented car with a phone that doesn’t belong to me because I’m tailing somebody who notices me? Calls the cops because a strange man is following him or her?
I scrub my face with my hand, not sure this is where I want to be or what I want to be doing at all.
“Here.” Arrow hands me the folder. “I’ll pay you in cash for today just in case this doesn’t work out. Inside is five hundred. Use the money to fill the tank on the rental before you return it. That’s all yours, minus the gas.”
I take the manila folder and open it. Inside is a printout with some factual information about the guy I’ll be tailing.
His picture, a picture of his car with the license plate up close.
Arrow points to a small map. “That’s his home address.
His wife texted this morning that he said he was going to play golf at the Falcon Ridge Country Club.
10:20 a.m. tee time.” He checks his watch.
“You’ve got over an hour. I’d head to the house and watch him leave.
Follow him to the club and confirm that’s where he goes. ”
I have a million questions spinning through my head.
It’s one day of work. If it goes well, I’ll hold Arrow to his promise to get me set up and legit with the state as a PI. And if it doesn’t, I made a bit of cash and can put the whole experience behind me.
Arrow’s giving me a list of instructions, explaining what documents I’ll need, what photos I’ll need to take, and how to do it subtly and without calling too much attention to myself.
It feels like a lot of trickery and deception and dishonesty.
But this is a legit profession. Arrow is licensed, and if he’s willing to vouch for me and back all this shit up…
It’s an honest day’s work, even if it doesn’t feel so honest.
I grab the keys to the rental car and memorize the code to the phone Arrow gave me. As I walk out into the lot to grab my totally nondescript rental sedan, I look back into the rental office. And I just hope that the preppy behind the counter isn’t some kind of sign.
A warning.