Spilling Guts

Part 35 - Ka-Bang

Teegan kept an eye on Rover with her finger on the stun trigger. Megan had tried to cover the fact that she was limping. Teegan knew better, and would talk with her about it later. Megan called Detective Lee to meet them around back. He arrived five minutes later with two colleagues, an ice pack to his head, and a wet face and shirt. He looked like a hornet sprayed by a squirt gun.

Actually he looks a bit like Louis, thought Teegan.

According to Lee, Cam and the lone customer dragged him to a leaky eyewash station to rinse the energy drink from his eyes. Apparently a disclaimer on the can, contact with eyes could cause a myriad of symptoms from irritation and burning, to temporary blindness.

And people willingly drank the stuff.

"Destruction of private property," rasped Rover as he was hauled to his feet by the two officers. "Assault. I'm the victim here. I was trying to find a job. I'll have your badge numbers."

Lee glanced down at Jared Rover's ankle, and then knelt to lift the pant leg around a meaty calf. Three haphazard adhesive bandages stuck to the punctures of a dog bite. "I wonder where you got that. Last night? At Charlotte Lenore's?"

"You don't have warrant to search me!" Rover kicked out his leg and missed. His voice pitched higher, not caring what came out of his mouth. "I'll sue. That dog could have rabies... I can have it put down."

"Like you put down Miss Lenore?" hissed Lee as he got up. His colleagues lifted Rover up fully onto his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back. "Jared Rover, you are charged with burglary, fraud, and murder of Parker Lenore. And that's just for starters."

Lee's colleagues, rattling off the Miranda Rights, packed Jared Rover into the back of a car while Megan and Teegan bagged the broken laptop.

"We'll need what's on that" said Lee, brushing at the water and soda lingering on his leather jacket. The soda in particular did not want to bead off like the water did. "Chain of evidence."

"As long as our people can get a look at it too," said Teegan. It would probably lead to another dead end, another spiral that she and Megan could not follow due to other priorities, but follow it they would until tomorrow.

"If they can fish out secrets from that the same way they found those files you sent me, gladly." Lee gestured to the Oldsmobile. "And I'll get a tow truck for this."

The car, on a closer look, appeared to have been lived in. Fast food wrappers lay in compact balls in the front foot well, and a blanket lay crumpled in the back seat. Teegan wished they could open the car and fish out whatever Rover had taken from Parker's deposit box. But they still had a day. She could be patient.

Once Lee was gone, she and Megan stepped back inside Net-Inn to see Cam putting the fallen table aright with the help of the one paying customer. Seeing Megan and Teegan, Cam thanked the customer, who went back to her online game, and then he fetched a sponge mop from a back closet.

"The guy gone?" asked Cam as he sprayed the area of the floor sticky with soda.

"Yeah," said Teegan. "You've probably lost a regular customer."

"He wasn't that regular. And I'm glad he's gone." Cam's mop smacked the floor with a wet squish. "Guy flips a table, he ain't stable."

"What was he talking about when we showed up?" asked Megan. Her right hand wandered to the roach still attached to the underside of the front counter and plucked it off.

"A business opportunity or some shit," said Cam. "Something about contacting a former roommate's employer and doing a better job."

"Did he say which roommate?" asked Teegan as she fingered through her wallet. If he meant Parker, that would be another point on their case.

"No, he didn't say." Cam turned the mop over to a dry side to suck up the dirty water.

Teegan held out her hand, two twenty dollar bills and a ten between her pointer and middle finger. Cam froze.

"Really, he didn't say who. I'm not lying." Cam leaned on the mop handle, as if it was the only thing keeping him upright.

"No, I said if you stalled him you'd get fifty dollars," said Teegan. "I keep my word."

Cam sucked in a breath, glanced around, and then took the folded bills with two fingers.

"How bad was he?" he asked. "Like, what did he do?"

"Allegedly, he's accused of burglary, theft, and maybe murder," said Megan. "You did good. Thank you." She waved and hobbled towards the door.

Teegan followed after her, making a note that she would probably be driving while Megan's foot was hurt, and that their next stop had to include a bag of ice. Then, to the police station to catch up with Lee.

The door chimed. "Wait!"

Cam jogged after them a four pack of Ka-Bang in one hand and a small bag of ice in the other. "Here, to make us even. The table is freakin' heavy."

Teegan wanted to protest that "being even" was different from doing one's duty to society, but Megan took the four-pack of energy drinks and ice pack with a nod and thanks.

The same stuff had nearly scorched Detective Lee's eyes. And now they had five cans of it.

I'm sure Beni and Reese will be very happy. Or we could submit it to chemical testing and see if Ka-Bang breaks any FDA regulations.

Teegan grabbed the keys from Megan as they approached the car. A meter-minder was four cars down, taking tallies on cars past their time. And their car was definitely past the time.

Megan untied her shoe and slipped the swelling foot out before sliding on the seatbelt. Ice pack in place, she leaned back.

"What's next?"

"Police station?" Teegan asked, adjusting the seat.

"Police station," said Megan.