Jem…Chapter 55

Chapter 55

I get dressed and let Mike in with the computer and his recordings of stuff. It’s mostly audio except for the stuff in public areas and there’s some scenes where we catch Justin and Lucas bullying some of the kids that would kind of fit into the less than up to their social standards.

They’re not hitting but both of them are big guys and hooked up with Adam…well not just hooked up. Justin’s Adams closest “Friend” and Lucas is almost as sycophantic.

“That’s Justin and the other one’s Lucas, or as I used to call them Adams right and left testicles.”

Mike does a spit take of his coffee. I grin and shake my head.

The bullying is pretty much them using their physical size to intimidate without touching. And there’s several times. They use. “Look what happened to Jason.”

Justin’s actually smarter than Luke and he actually has a notebook that he’ll scribble into like he’s keeping score. Him writing makes these kids really nervous especially when he’ll ask them about their families, like where they work. It’s like that kind of scared and paranoid you get when the cops are writing stuff. He’s asking it kind of like he already knows so…

“That’s classic intimidation stuff right?”

“Borderline extortion.”

“The C.P. can use this?”

“No, not really but at the same time it provides context that there’s something going on.”

“Like establishing a pattern of behavior.”

“Actually yeah, right now this stuff’s all circumstantial stuff. We’d need a lot more for it to be anything.”

“But it’s a start.”

“Yeah I guess but this is all Tweedle dee and Tweedle dumb.”

“Yeah but Mike…this is a start, no one gets a start on the Marshals.”

“Honestly Angel that’s still got me on edge.”

“Yeah tonight…you think that was Adam?”

“It wouldn’t be the first guy with cash to hire thugs.”

I smile and knock on the wall. “Goons…hired Goons.”

Mike steeples his fingers and does this Adam imitation. “I prefer the personal touch you only get with hired goons.”

I snerk.

You know that’s one of those things about Mike. You get hot guy, but how often do you get Hot, Caring, Smart and Brave and a Sense of Humor.

I’d be lying if I wasn’t attracted or rather see that Mike’s that kind of guy and part of me likes being here with him on this boy girl level. But also there’s me actually having a male friend which still means something to me despite being Trans. I’ve never really had guy friends as Jason of not since I was a little kid and there’s that same feeling there of being with a male friend.

Maybe we don’t throw stuff like that away. I’m not, I don’t feel becoming the real me should really be a rejection of who I was.

And there’s that Mike’s really the closest thing I really have ever had to a brother. And the fact I don’t really have to hide from him is really good too, I can be me around him and that helps me inside. I really don’t get all of the why, but it does.

I don’t edit the stuff but instead I write down a report kind of thing with the times on the disc and then for each time I write down what each kid’s parents do or might do and what some of the kids do. One’s on the school paper, another two are in the office. Another’s dad runs a pizza place.

Adam’s got a goal here a stake in things somehow.

We watch and we listen to stuff and there’s a long of just day to day stuff and general bullshit and who’s dating who and who’s wearing what and all this back stabbery going on. I’ve actually lost track of the number of times I’ve heard one girl call another girl something nasty.

God why the hell do they act like that?

Some are pissed about him fucking Summer.

Others are pissed he’s seeing her, that she’s older.

The way that some of them talk about Adam like he’s Prince fucking Charming makes me just pissed. They are just so blind really. But I figure he’s got seven or eight girls on the go, he’s buying them from what I’m hearing…some gossiping about getting their Adam cards…oh of course he gives them credit cards.

It’s actually making me feel kind of bitchy because they’re selling themselves to him. It’s the other card girls that are the most pissed off about Scummer. They’re not happy about getting take down a peg.

Then I heard one of them say to her friends. “I guess, I’m going out with Jerry Munroe tonight.”

“Jerry? Why he’s like a total asshole.”

“It’s a favor to Adam.”

“He’d make you go out with Jerry?”

“He’s not making me…” She doesn’t sound convincing… “It’s a favor…”

I sit back and hold my coffee. Mike’s frowning. “That didn’t sound good.”

“No, she wasn’t happy about doing Adam a favor.”

“And this Jerry?”

“Teenaged Rush Limbaugh, he thinks all women are bitches and whores and he’s pretty free with that opinion…the thing is usually the girls won’t touch him.”

“And yet she’s going out with him.”

“Maybe he’s gonna take her card away if she doesn’t.”

“She’s that greedy?”

“Most of the card girls are and mean too, I mean some were okay but it’s like the longer they’re with Adam the worse they get as human beings. Getting chosen as a card girl makes you part of his social elite club.”

“Or guys like Jerry are paying for it.”

“Oh shit, you think he’s pimping them out?”

“Could be we should look at these girls more.”

I’m staring into my coffee and frowning. It’s a start but why do I have this feeling that this has gotten bigger than me.

*** Jeremy Powers……

I hang up and rub my face and my eyes. I was on the phone all night. These guys from the stuff I heard from Harry Stevens are down here on Mike.

Both of these guys got word of Mike from some guy here in town about him being here. They’ve got family in jail over the school thing with the drug gang. The little bastard reached out with his cash to look into Mike.

I know it’s that Marshal kid.

Little sociopath.

I head to the kitchen and get some coffee and go outside and sit and think. I’m not really able to get involved. I know too many guys that’d be pissed. Mike’s family though, Mitch and I went through stuff as teenagers and he’s like my brother. Happens when you best friend takes a knife in the guts for you.

But Mike’s a cop, well a cops kid but he’s gotten involved in cop business. That’s the thing some would be okay with Mike being left alone, others not. Most would see this as a personal score between Mike and these guys.

But they involved my kids. Brook nearly got ran over by these guys. I need to do something and I take out my phone.

It takes awhile for it to get picked up. “Hello?”

A woman’s voice? “Uhm sorry, is Johnny there?”

“Uhm…yah…sorry…” She sounds like I woke her up. I hear her wake him up. And the phone change hands. “Yeah this is John.”

“Johnny, it’s Remy.”

“Hey, sup how’s things.”

“Still weird, leveling out but weird.”

“You sound really awake Remy what’s up?”

“You still know those bikers?”

“Yeah my daughter’s friends, well family but yeah.”

“I need them to get the real story of why I’ve got two members of Spokes bike club down here. They’re out for payback about their family over the school bust Mitch’s boy was involved in. Mike’s made an enemy of the local Ewing bastard and if he’s paid them off that changes things from being just payback.”

“Yeah…if there’s money involved it’s not about family payback. I’ll ask I think one of them’s from Ontario.”

“Thank’s Johnny I just got to check y’know.”

“Yeah get it cleared with the club before you get into a war.”

“Yeah I’ve got enough going on with this little bastard and Angel.”

“I’ll do what I can, tell her I said hi.”

“I will you do the same for Jenna.”

I hang up and exhale, hopefully Johnny can find some stuff out. Even if I’m asking the bikers I know it’s still me asking and if Johnny’s daughter’s friends can ask that’s different it’ll be asking from the inside.