10 Ollie #2
Ollie looks around at any stores that might have cameras facing the alleyway.
It’s mostly the backs of buildings on this side, and he doesn’t see any doors or cameras.
But across the street, facing the alley, is that weed shop he keeps meaning to drop by: Paradise Planet.
It’s got a big neon sign with a green palm tree against a red circle on one side and a pink flying saucer beaming up a marijuana leaf and a cow on the other.
The building itself is painted bright teal, the windows yellow.
It’s gaudy and weird and has two cameras over the door.
Ollie grins and walks over. His little bin of edibles is getting low anyway, and here they won’t be laced with anything.
Plus clues, maybe.
Inside, it has that heavy musk of dried pot mixed with the candy smells of the edibles. No one else is in here aside from the girl behind the counter, who glances up at him and then grins at Pete.
“Cute dog,” she says.
“Thanks,” Ollie says, walking over and trying not to stare at various boxes and bags of weed and weed-laced things, all set up on the pastel counters. “His name is Pete.”
“Awww, hi, Pete,” she says, coming out from behind the counter and kneeling down to pet him. Pete flops onto his back to give her better access, and she laughs, scratching him. “I’m Safiya.”
She glances up at Ollie and smiles. She’s pretty.
Black wavy hair up in two topknots at the front and pouring down her shoulders.
Olive-toned skin, heavy kohl, a black-and-white flannel over a crop top, a lot of earrings, a nose ring, and a thick lace choker over her Adam’s apple.
She’s staring at him a little while, too, and Ollie realizes they’ve probably clocked each other. And that she’s waiting for his name.
“Ollie,” he says.
Safiya stands, nearly a foot taller than him in her platform shoes.
“Nice to meet you, Ollie.” She leans a little closer.
She smells really good, like the shop. “We just got in these amazing gummies I’ve been trying to hold back for folks like me.
Body high that triggers the best kind of euphoria. And they’re pineapple.”
“That would be cool…” he says.
She walks back behind the counter and takes out a large, square yellow gummy dusted with crystallized sugar. Fancy. Artisanal. And big enough that it’s going to be several bites. He stares at it for a moment before looking away, back up at her. She’s staring at him. Her eyes are golden.
“I will for sure take one,” he says, taking out his wallet. “And maybe, if you can, some information?”
She tilts her head. “Like my number?”
Ollie feels heat rise in his face like a firework display going off all at once. “Oh, I mean…”
She laughs, but it’s a little resigned. “Relax. It’s okay. I’m not usually that forward, but you have a cute dog.”
“Oh, well, it’s not that I would say no,” Ollie says quickly. “I just didn’t think—”
“You were going to ask something else.”
“Yeah.” He feels sad saying it, but he’s not sure why.
He’s usually not this bad at flirting, but he’s never had to ask someone for their store’s security videos before, so he might be bad at that.
“I was going to ask if those cameras out front work and if I could look at the tape of earlier today if they do.”
Her eyebrows rise, and she crosses her arms. “Oh. Huh.” She bites the corner of her lower lip, staring at him, evaluating. It’s very hot. “What for?”
“Oh.” Ollie nods; he should have been prepared for that response. “Well…I’m a detective.” No, a bad lie. It comes out sounding like a question. “No, not really. I’m a dog walker. I’m trying to be a detective though.”
She keeps staring at him, chewing her lip, gold eyes unblinking. “How many dogs?”
“What?”
“How many dogs do you walk?”
“Uh, seven,” he says, not sure what kind of test this is.
“All at the same time?” She narrows her eyes.
“Yes? I mean, um, yes.”
Her expression cracks into a faint smile. “That’s probably pretty cute.”
Ollie grins, more ready for the flirting this time. “It is. They fan out in front of me and pull me like a kite.”
She laughs, the lip chewing sadly done. “Okay, so what do you want to see the tapes for, Detective Dog Walker?”
“I think something happened this afternoon that they might have recorded.”
She smirks. “Yeah, I kind of figured. What happened?”
Ollie frowns. “Something bad.”
“Bad?” She narrows her eyes. “You want me to help you out based on that?”
“For Pete?” Ollie asks, nervous now. She’s getting defensive. “He has this thing he does when he runs where his butt kind of wiggles.” Her expression relaxes. “Oh, and if you wake him up, he makes the cutest confused little ‘rooo?’ noise.”
She grins at that, eyes going over to Pete. “He’s trying to win me over with you. You think I should help him out?” Pete sploots on the floor. “Yeah, I think he’s pretty suspicious.”
“I’m not,” Ollie promises.
Safiya looks up at him. She looks a little nervous now. “You’re just trying to get some information?”
He nods. “To help my friend.”
She sighs and glances at the door behind her, then leans over the counter a little, voice lower. “I didn’t see anything but…someone else already came in, took the tapes.”
Ollie feels his body sway with shock for a moment, and Pete leaps up, knocking his head into Ollie’s shin. The world seems to steady. He kneels down to pet Pete, who immediately flops back, belly up. “Who took them?” Ollie asks, his voice weak.
Safiya comes back around the counter and sits on the floor next to him, petting Pete’s tummy. “I had a dog, but she died a few months ago.”
“Oh,” Ollie says, trying to follow but still feeling the electric aftershock of knowing the tapes were taken. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll tell you all about who took them, and throw in that gummy, too, if you take me out to walk dogs with you one day this week.”
“Really?” Ollie asks, surprised.
“And buy me a coffee,” she says, flashing him a smile.
“Deal,” Ollie says.
She gives Pete’s belly one more rub and stands up, going behind the counter and wrapping the gummy as she speaks.
“Big guy, all muscle. He bribed my manager for the tapes, had lots of cash. I got really bad vibes off him.” She puts the gummy in a small paper bag, then takes out her phone and slides them both across the counter. “Funny tattoo though.”
“Tattoo?” Ollie asks. That sounds clue-like. Clue-ish?
“It was of the heart-eyes emoji, on the side of his neck. Didn’t match his whole thing at all.”
“Huh,” Ollie says, not at all sure what that means. He takes her phone and quickly enters his name and number.
“Just don’t get killed before you take me dog walking,” she says.
“I’m trying not to get killed at all. And let’s do a weekday—I have more dogs then.”
“Sweet talker.” She takes the phone back and types something. Ollie feels his own phone ping and takes it out.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
He laughs, saving the number as Safiya . “I’ll text you the best times and where to meet. We can go to a dog park and play with them.”
“Save that for the second date,” she says, waving him off like she’s scandalized. “I’m kidding,” she says, straight-faced after a moment. “That would be amazing; don’t save it for anything.”
“I won’t,” he says, taking the gummy. “We’ll do it Monday if you want.”
“Yes please,” she says. “Thank you.”
“I’ll text you where to meet,” Ollie says, backing out but still smiling.
It’s that awkward walk-away moment, and he’s never super sure how to handle it, so he focuses on Pete instead and says, “C’mon, Pete, we’ll see her in a few days.
” Pete follows him to the door, and Ollie looks back up once.
“We’re both looking forward to it,” he says, then leaves. That was pretty smooth, he thinks.
Around the corner, he excitedly takes out his phone.
OLLIE
I have a date!
He grins and puts it back in his pocket before remembering everything else. He might have a date, but someone else has the tapes. Which probably have him and Brandon on them.