Part 3 (2/2)
”What? Wait a second.” Jack walked over to tower over both of them. ”You never told me-”
Marisa held up a hand as she looked at Replacement. ”I did go to the police, but it's obvious there's little they can do.”
Jack open and closed his mouth a few times before he stormed into the kitchen.
”You want me to find them?” Replacement pointed at herself.
Marisa leaned forward and tapped the flyer. ”That's what the ad says. The police said it was some local teenager, and they would have to catch him in the act.”
”Who did?” Jack snapped.
”His name was Officer Murphy.”
”Murphy? He's a moron, that's why he said that. Moron cops say stuff like that, and Murphy's a moron. Why the h.e.l.l would you go-”
”Jack, please.” Replacement sat up straighter. ”I'm sorry about the interruption.” She shot a quick glare at Jack. ”And the vandalism. My rate is...” Replacement frantically flipped through pages of her notebook. ”I charge...”
”The first time I had to have the paint removed, it cost me two hundred bucks. Now, they're saying it will be five hundred because there's much more. I'll pay you five hundred to find the person responsible.”
”Done.” Replacement smiled. As she began to scribble quick notes, the smile faded. ”You said you hired someone to remove it. Have they?”
Marisa shook her head. ”Not yet. They're coming tomorrow.”
”Good. I need to get pictures. I can go right back over with you.”
Marisa's lips pursed and she clicked her tongue. ”Actually, I did need to talk with Jack and-”
”You can talk with him on the way. He has to go downtown for work, anyway.” Replacement got up and hurried into her bedroom.
Jack stood at the sink and smirked. Marisa sauntered over.
”I don't know what you had planned,” Jack whispered, ”but this is about as safe as a cruise s.h.i.+p speeding past icebergs on its maiden voyage.”
”Shut up, Jack.” She wrinkled her nose. ”I do want to catch the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d who keeps putting that garbage on the outside of my shop.”
”Is it worth half a grand?” Jack walked to get his jacket.
”I wanted to talk to you.”
”Now, that's worth a grand.” He winked and she pushed him.
”Ready.” Replacement hopped out of her bedroom with her jacket on, all ready to go.
Replacement rattled off questions as they made the fifteen-minute walk downtown. Jack strolled behind the two women and shook his head. Marisa was tall and s.e.xy; she strutted down the sidewalk as if it were a catwalk. Next to her, Replacement looked like a perky teenager as her ponytail bobbed around and her hands gestured in every direction.
I love being around both of them.
They burst out laughing and turned back to look at him. Jack nodded, and they laughed even harder.
So they can make me a bit crazy, too.
They stopped in front of the store where Jack could see someone had spray-painted a four-foot section of the brick. Replacement snapped pictures.
Jack tilted his head. ”I can't read it. You said it was horrible. What's it say?”
Marisa looked at him in disbelief. ”Look at it.” She thrust her hands forward. ”You can't read it because of the overspray, and they used flat pastel orange and s.h.i.+ny florescent green. It's hideous work.” She shuddered.
Jack coughed and looked down.
She's an artist.
”I'm going to let you ladies work on this while I work on not catching the bad guys to give Replacement here more customers.”
”That would be great,” Replacement called over her shoulder as she snapped another shot.
He shook his head.
Marisa leaned close to Jack to whisper, ”Can you stop by later? I really need to see you.”
The intensity in her voice bothered him.
”Are you okay?” he asked.
Marisa frowned as she looked down. When she looked up, Jack's whole body tensed. Even though the corner of her mouth curled up, he could see fear in her eyes.
”I keep having this bad feeling,” her shoulders hunched, ”like somebody's watching me.”
Jack stepped forward. ”Have you noticed anything? Seen anything?”
She shook her head. ”Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Who'd be watching me?” She put her hand on his shoulder, and a forced smile twitched across her lips.
Replacement walked back to them with a serious expression on her face. ”Okay, we need to talk. Do you have an office?”
”I'm fine, Jack.” Marisa leaned in to hug him and whispered in his ear, ”It's probably just me missing you.”
”I'll stop by and check in on you later,” Jack rea.s.sured her.
”Bye.” Replacement waved as she grabbed Marisa by the elbow.
Jack watched as Replacement dragged her into the store.
With her past, it's not being paranoid; it's staying alive...
As Jack's s.h.i.+ft dragged on, his thoughts went back to Replacement. The monotony of walking around downtown resulted in him constantly falling back into a debate with himself.
Replacement wants to stop, and now I can't stop thinking about her? Seriously? She was the one who dug me, not the other way around. Now I start thinking maybe... Why is that? Forbidden fruit is the sweetest? You want what you can't have? d.a.m.n.
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