Meet At Joe's

16 You Can't Always Get What You Want Part 2 You Just Might Find

POV: Roger (POV didn't change. This is just a reminder, dude.)

It was just about sundown when I got the call that one of them was leaving. I had moved my car to just opposite the turnoff from 50 to their road and was prepared to go whichever way they turned. He turned left and headed toward town. I followed him to a strip mall with a Safeway grocery and a small Cantina that I would later learn was Joe's Bar and Grill. He parked in front of the grocery store and then went into the bar. I figured he had been sent for supplies and figured he'd grab a beer before he did his shopping.

This was definitely my lucky day. Who should I see go in the bar just ahead of my target? It was our old friend Agent Lee. Just the person I needed to validate my bona fides as an outlaw. I called his cell phone and explained my plan to him.

I entered the bar and spotted my target sitting at the bar and Agent Lee at a table not far away. I nodded to Lee and grabbed the stool next to my target.

"This seat taken?" I asked.

"Knock yourself out," he mumbled.

The bar tender came over and we both ordered beers. When the beers arrived, I turned to my target and said, "Are you a regular here?"

Without even looking at me, he just said, "Nope." Chatting with this guy might prove to be more difficult than I had hoped. Then I noticed he cringed as a double play was made on the game on the TV.

"Can you believe that?" I feigned interest in the game. That loosened him up a bit and we talked sports for a while. I bought him a beer for being an Oakland A's fan. Then said, "I'm new in town. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get hooked up with some more lively less legal forms of entertainment?"

"Not really man," he said and sipped on his beer.

"I get it, bro. One of those straight and narrow guys?"

"Not really man," he chuckled at an inside joke. "I just don't really know this part of town."

"Neither do I." I looked around and then leaned into him conspiratorially and whispered, "Actually, I'm from the bay area. I deal in rather hard to procure items of questionable legality. I'm hoping to open a branch office up here."

"What kind of items?" he asked.

"All kinds. Is there anything particular you're interested in?" I gave a signal to Lee it was time for him to interrupt us.

Before my new friend could answer, Lee came between us and said, "Roger the Dodger, what are you doing in these parts?"

"Why Agent Lee, I could ask you the same thing."

"Fortunately for you I have bigger fish to fry than your sorry ass. I just thought I'd say hi and remind you to stay out of trouble." He then turned to my friend saying, "You should know this guy has known connections to the Alexanderoff Ukrainian mob. I suggest you steer clear of him." He quickly flashed his FBI credentials. And there were my bona fides verified by an FBI agent. Lee and I had discussed this earlier and came to the conclusion that these kidnappers had very little connection to the Alexaderoffs or they would realize who they had captured and would have already turned her over to them. So, they were unlikely to question my connection to them.

"I appreciate your concern, Agent Lee." We both snorted at each other and Lee turned and left.

"Friend of yours?" my new drinking buddy asked.

"More like an acquaintance," I explained. "He's an FBI agent I have had run ins with, in the past. Hey Bro, I want to thank you for not saying anything to him about what we were talking about. I owe you." The groundwork was laid for the next part of my plan. He finished his beer and went to do his shopping.