Page 42 of Astrid
“I’m telling you this, because Tom and I came up with a plan. I laid it all out for Morgan, Joyce, and Ava the next day. I’m telling you all this, because our plan will be put into action tomorrow night, and I can’t have you getting jealous for me doing my job, and getting your boxers bunched up and treating me like shit because of said bunch.” She sipped her wine and gave a small smile when John spat out the drink he’d just taken, along with a bark of laugher.
“Boxers in a bunch, I thought it was panties in a twist.”
“Do you wear panties?”
“Well, no,” he said as he grinned. In less than ten seconds he became serious. “Can you tell me what the plan is?”
“Only if you can tell me you’re not going to get jealous.”
“I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that I will conduct myself better than I did earlier this week.”
“I’ll hold you to that, but Griff gave me his number asking if we could hook up for a drink, then he asked if I knew of anyone who could come along for Paul and Harry. Griff knows my name as Jane, that’s what Alan called me that day. I told him I had two friends, named Joy and Eve.”
John nodded. “I understand, and that’s Joyce and Ava, correct?”
“Correct.” Astrid drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Why we’re going to do this plan is because Tom called me earlier to come into the station. He found a fly in the ointment, if you will.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means there might be a problem with Griff, Paul, and Harry.”
“What type of problem?”
“They’re cops.”
“Holy shit! Good or bad? Undercover? On the job? Retired? Gone over to the dark side? What?”
“No clue, that’s a lot of unanswered questions by us, as well as Tom. I’m only telling you this, because as you said to me earlier, I like you, and I don’t want to do anything to mess up this relationship, but when Carl was here and I showed him the footage, he pointed out that those three men I just mentioned had active arrest warrants out.”
“Shit, so you’re going to hook up with them, and Tom’s going to swoop in and arrest them?”
“Exactly. I need you to understand that I’m doing my job when I go out to meet them tomorrow night. After the arrests, Morgan is going to meet us at the police station, and we’ll try to get answers. Hell,” she sighed, and rubbed her forehead. “Maybe they’re working undercover from a different bowl of soup, and don’t know about us.”
They both remained silent for a long time, until John looked at her in concern. “Do you know if the arrests will be made publicly?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you meeting for drinks in a well-known area, and if they’re arrested by Tom, will it be known to any locals, or anyone working for that Mason character, and word would get back to him?”
“I don’t think so,” Astrid admitted. “I’m only saying this, because Tom gave me three suggestions as to where to go. I staked them out, and I picked out a bar called the Turkey Gulch Saloon. It’s way off the beaten path, and Tom said the slowest time for them is Wednesdays.”
“And that’s tomorrow.”
“Correct. But, like the diner was thirty miles away from Mason, Turkey Gulch is an additional twenty miles this way.” She leaned up on her hip, removed her phone, set her glass of wine down, and leaned toward him as she accessed the photos she took of the place.
“Wow, it looks desolate.”
“I know, that’s why I picked it. After meeting Neil Mason and his fiancée Mandi, I’m ninety-five-percent sure that they would never set foot into a place like this. That’s another reason why I chose it.”
“When is this meeting taking place?”
“Tomorrow night at seven. Joyce, Ava, and I will leave here around six, get a table, stake things out, and after we meet up with the guys, Tom will do his thing. I’ve discussed it with Tom, and after the arrest, we’ll have to wait at least an hour after he drives away with them, and go to the police station. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.” She studied him, and watched the emotions cross his face, when she didn’t see what she’d expected to see, she quietly asked, “You okay with this?”
“Yes, one because it’s your job. Two, because I know you’d never do anything with them if you were with me. Granted we’ve known each other less than a week, but I feel you wouldn’t play with the emotions of the guy you were dating. Finally, three, I trust you.”
That last statement made all the air deflate out of Astrid, and she grinned at him. “So, we’re in a relationship then?”
“I’d like us to be. I know I fucked up a few days ago, but if you can forgive me, I’d like to see what we have. I promise if I see you out and about and talking to another man, I won’t get jealous...” He sighed, then tacked on, “...much.” This caused Astrid to laugh.
