dead. Jett’s loyalty to Monika saved our lives.
Monika handed me some papers from the safe to go through while she examined the rest of the contents. She opened a box that had a large envelope in it. It contained pictures and three videotapes. "Hey, Nick."
"Yeah."
"Who’s that in the picture?" she asked, pointing at the picture next to the bed.
"I guess that’s his girlfriend, Lisa Ellison."
"Then who is this?"
Monika handed me the pictures. "Damn. When Mrs. Childers said he was anal, I didn’t think this is what she was talkin’ about."
Monika laughed. "Looks pretty anal to me."
All of the pictures were of Jake having sex with the mystery woman. In an interesting variety of positions. "I’m willin’ to bet these tapes are more of the same."
"Got it!" Jett yelled.
I took one of the less intense pictures of Jake and the woman, and joined Jett at the computer. "What’s in those files, Jett?"
"You did say this guy was a chemist. Formulas, looks like. And each doc. file has a corresponding spreadsheet. I’ll make a copy and show it to a chemist Monika knows."
"You done, Monika?"
"Just about. I need to take pictures of some of these papers. They look like formulas too. If we can find out what he was working on, maybe we can find out what happened to him."
"Very good. Nancy fuckin’ Drew here."
"Fuck you, Jett."
"Two things prevent that," Jett said, as we left the apartment and headed for the car. "Good taste, being one of them."
"What’s the other, Jett?" I asked, expecting another snappy come back.
"It would be too much like fuckin’ my sister."
It was eleven thirty when we arrived at the Childers residence. We were late, but so were they. We parked the car down the street to the sound of Chilly yelling. "I ain’t gonna call you no more, Gee! Get your ass down here right now so we can go!"
"Go without me, then!" Mrs. Childers screamed back.
"You just get your ass down here, right now."
"You set this up, Nick?" Jett asked.
I nodded, trying to hear the argument.
"Not bad work. A little staticy, but not bad. You set up cameras too?"
"No, but I got pictures of each room."
"We need to go over those pictures. It will make it easier to complete the set up."
"No time now. I gotta follow them. Find out what was so important that she had to go with him."
"Get your head out her ass, Nick," Monika said. "You go with Jett. I’ll follow the happy couple."
I started to insist that I had to go, but she was right. The sooner we could go over the pictures, the sooner we’d have the place covered.
When Mrs. Childers came to open the gate, we got out, and Monika took off behind the Childers. Me and Jett went back to the office to develop the film. "How’d you get in, Nick?"
"Simple alarm and cheese ball locks."
For the next hour I went over the set up of the house with Jett. Once he was satisfied with my review of the set up of the house, he prepared to implement his plan to maximize coverage. "Where are you going?" Jett asked.
"To see Lisa Ellison. Then I thought I’d talk to the sister."
"Not without me, you’re not."
"Jett, you heard what Monika said, and she was right. I know these people, some of them I probably know personally. They will kill us for involving ourselves in their business."
"Come on, Nick. We can handle them."
"I know you’re a tough guy and all, Jett. But we are out-numbered and out-gunned." The way I left Black. "We need to be a step ahead of them all the way," I said, as I armed myself. I did know these people, and when the guns started coming out, I wasn’t about to be the last one to pull his. "We need to stay on task. So, I’ll go talk to the sister. And you get your head out that woman’s ass and set up the surveillance."
----
Chapter Four
"So you and your partner are strung out on these women," Wanda said.
"I wasn’t strung out on her, Wanda. I thought she was a very attractive woman, but I think strung out is a little strong." Maybe it was, maybe it