Matt Clay shook his head, disgusted as the Evergreen Park Police drone descended from the roof of Sam’s Club. Embarrassment meant little to nothing to some people. The lady that cut him off from pulling into the handicapped space did not care what people thought standing around watching, laughing and trying to figure out, what were those fools doing? The space was closed on one side by rows of shopping carts, the other was covered by the diagonal stripes for vehicles with lift gates for wheel chairs. It was past 8:00 am, not many customers on a Tuesday, perfect for Matt. His new Bentley, at times, attracted unwanted attention. His first thought, do not take it out this morning. He did not listen. Now this foolishness. He threw his hands up in disgust. He got out to identify himself to the police drone. His back ached, what he would not do for another Tylenol. “Just a minute, I need my cane.” Matt said, leaning against the door.”
“Okay people move along,” it said to the crowd. “Look I had this first.” She said, staring at him with hatred in her eyes. Her vehicle needed washing and a paint job. She had to be at least sixty, her gray hair needed combing and her clothes were too big. She wore glasses and he noticed a holster under her sweat shirt. “That’s not true, lady and you know it.” Matt imagined for a second. Prominent attorney gunned down in parking lot over parking space by irate senior citizen. “Okay officer, we’ll work this out. Okay lady?”
She smiled, “Fine with me.”
The drone spun around, elevated and went elsewhere behind the store. Was this lady crazy or did she feel she was right? What was her angle, a staged fender-bender? Of course, she would have a neck or back injury and, as farfetched as it seemed, she was hitting on him. She stood her ground. “You can have the space, lady, I’ll find another.” He tossed his cane in the front and got back in, his knee popped and he grimaced in pain.
“It’s my space, hurry and move.”
“Shut up! Wait! Can’t you see I’m moving as fast as I can?” No sooner had he started the car a cop pulled up behind them. Now what? This was all he needed.
The female officer stepped out of her cruiser with her ticket book in hand. She was young, slim with a flawless complexion that could easily hide ten years of her age. But she had that cop expression when dealing with the public. “What do you two call yourselves doing?” Neither of them spoke. “I won’t ask again.”
“Officer, this guy tried to pull in the space ahead of me.”
“Looks like he was first to me.” She walked around the vehicles, inspecting them and, of course, looking for handicapped plates or placards.
“I saw it first before he did, it’s mine,” she said, smiling.
The cop shook her head. “Really lady…you see it and it’s yours. I don’t have time for senior citizen foolishness, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going in the next aisle, when I come back if you’re still standing here, you get a ticket, what you think?”
Matt looked at the lady. She started to get back in her car. “Okay officer, got it.”
“And by the way, the fine went up from three fifty to four fifty. They haven’t posted the new sign yet.” She got in her car and left.
Whoever that woman was she went and found another space. Matt could not shake the feeling he had seen her before. He snatched a cart and went in the store.
* * *
An older female employee who always greeted Matt with a smile and something humorous to say told him, “That lady is going to punch you out.” She gestured a punch to the eye, chuckled, and continued stocking shelves.
“It’s too early in the morning for drama.”
“Bet she likes you or your car.”
“You probably right…wish she was younger,” he laughed and continued down the aisle. That statement made sense, but female logic was never his strong point. He did need to get out more. Since Carmen passed those first few months were hell. The family thought he would have a breakdown. “Seek professional help if you don’t want to talk to us,” they said. Sons and grandkids, God bless them, they worried too much. He had a hard time convincing them he would be okay, but he could not blame them. He did drink too much…why start that at seventy? But for those few weeks after her passing it helped. She wouldn’t want to see him like that. He put the cork in the bottle; stopped feeling sorry for himself and got back to work with Carmen by his side, spiritually. And for the past several months he enjoyed the fruit of his labor. Winning a major injury case.
He was rich…very rich, but not a fool.
Keep a low profile, except he got the car of his dreams, a Bentley Continental. He did not drive it often, especially in the city, his 2002 Camry, that was in mint condition, did most of the work.
At the end of the aisle with cases of bottled water, he saw that crazy lady. He turned down another aisle. Hopefully she did not see him. Her cart looked full, maybe she was headed for the check-out lane. He stopped at the book section; he had not read a good mystery or political thriller in a while. He considered a couple when a cart hit him in the heel. “What the ---” he spun around.
“Oh, I am so sorry, MC.” The lady he thought he avoided said, smiling.
“Look, lady, stay away from me.” Matt moved his cart forward to the other side of the aisle letting another person pass. MC? Nobody called him that. That was a nickname from decades ago when he was in his late teens. Several of those years he did not want to remember. She still had that grin on her face.
“Don’t remember me do you, MC…you long head idiot?”
“What!? Don’t call me that. Who the hell are you?” Focus, Matt, it couldn’t be who he thought, only one person called him that. It couldn’t be. “Pearlie Douglas?” She laughed and he felt like a fool for a second.
“It’s me all grown up.”
“Grown up…you old like me. And, I’m not a long head idiot.” They both laughed. He remembered it was a term of endearment, but he still did not like it. She was five years younger than Matt and her brothers; they all but ignored her. She called everybody names. She was a smart mouth little girl they did not pay attention to. “Did you recognize me outside or what?”
“No, not at first. You thought I was messing with you because of that car. I wasn’t, that was my space. I saw it first.”
Matt put up his hands. “Okay, whatever.” He should say a quick good-bye and move on, but curiosity got the better of him. “How’s the old crew, Jimbo and Arthur?”
Her expression went blank, then sad, then came what was probably a half-truth. “They’re gone now and both of them did serious time for grand theft auto.”
“How many counts…never mind?” That question got one of those none of your business expressions. Do not extend the conversation, Matt.
“Tell you what, MC, I got more stuff to get right quick. Let’s continue this up front after we check out, okay?”
“Fine with me.” What had he gotten into? The Douglas’s were people he did not want to re-acquaint himself with after all this time.
Matt Clay was a foolish teen. Only the Lord kept him from jail and an early grave. And the really crazy thing about it; he did not have to act that way. Both his parents worked, his father worked two jobs and his mom worked. They were in the working middle class category. He and his brother attended Catholic School. Later in life that proved to be to their advantage. But the streets had a demonic attraction. If you knew the tough guys nobody bothered you. During that time the “Nam” was booming. If you got in the right kind of trouble they gave you a choice; go to the army or go to jail. Now, he was thinking too much. Best thing to do keep going and do not reminisce with Pearlie.
He didn’t see her at the check-out lane. Good. She kept going or she was still shopping. Hurry and check-out, the line was short. He hoped his card worked without a problem. It didn’t. When he got it to work and finished, there she was sitting at the food court munching on a hot dog. She waved him over. Ignore her, but why be rude? Why not be? All they would do is get in each other’s business. You get married, have kids? What do you do for a living. The usual stuff.
She wiped her mouth. “Can I treat you to a hot dog or a slice of pizza?”
“No, thanks, I had an early breakfast, still full.” He rubbed his gut. “Don’t want to hurt myself.”
“MC, you doing well for yourself…Matt Clay, Esq. That’s good…who would have thought.” She dipped a fry in ketchup and stirred it. “Goes to show you, you never know.”
How did she know that? He practiced law for decades, not criminal that she mostly would associate with, but corporate. He kept a low profile, at first, due to the trouble he got in decades ago with the organized gang types. “How you know about that, Pearlie?”
“I know what you thinking, MC, that was forever ago and I seen your name in the paper and your face on the news years ago.” She balled up her garbage. “Don’t you want to know about people from the past, good or bad. I know your curious? I would be and so would everybody else.”
Matt shrugged. “You’re right, you go first.”
Her cell rang with a familiar tone, “Poppa was a rollin’ stone.” She swiped it off. “Well, Jimbo and Arthur are deceased---”
“Sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, but it was expected to eventually happen. They tell people about smoking and drinking, but who listens? They passed away in a nursing home over there on Kedzie Ave.”
“I assume they went straight to get old?”
She shook her head. “Sorta…but I got a niece and nephew who are on the straight and narrow. Thank God for that. I got married and he had a couple of kids who helped in my tow truck and repo business. How about you?”
“Repo!?”
“Repo,” Pearlie said, with a surprised expression. “Girls can do repo.”
“Sorry, you right.” Theft ran in her family’s DNA. He was an ex-car thief right along with them so he could not judge. She learned from the best. She was always hanging around the guys, but nobody paid little Pearlie any attention. “Before I forget, what happened to Ramon and Julia?”
The disdain on her face made him wished he hadn’t asked. “Julia…Julia the snake was there one day and gone the next, never to be seen again. Then we got busted…sorta.”
“Sorta?”
“Like you don’t remember---”
“I remember that shit, how could I forget. You probably thought I ratted on y’all.” Why did he sit and talk to her? He knew this would come up.
“For what it’s worth, I had a young girl crush on you. I loved that curly jet-black hair. I thought you were so cute.’
“Your brothers would’ve loved that.”
She laughed. “I know, right?”
Where did that come from, was she hitting on him? “What else did Julia do?” Her cell rang again; she frowned and swiped it off.
“God, why didn’t I turn that thing off? I’m sorry, where were we?”
“Young girl crush, but anyway I got a family, all on their own. Unfortunately, my wife of almost fifty years passed a little over a year ago.”
Pearlie touched his hand, “I’m sorry for your loss. That’s a tough one.”
“Thanks, but it’s not as bad anymore. She was my rock and kept me out of the dumb stuff.” He hoped that did not hurt her feelings since her brothers stayed with GTA. “For what it’s worth, I’m not a rat.”
“We figured that out later,” she said. “Everybody suspected every one and the cops tried that mind game shit.” Her cell chirped. “Shit!” Whatever that text said she didn’t like it. “I gotta go…what’s your number, we can talk later, okay?”
“Fine, hope everything is okay.” They exchanged numbers and she left in a hurry.
* * *
So far, what a morning. Not in his wildest dreams did he think he would see Pearlie Douglas. His Bentley got all kinds of attention, from frowns, stares and winks, but never a confrontation over a parking space and it needed to be detailed. The line at Brother’s Detailing should be short, but it was not.
His mind drifted back to the changes a salesperson put him through when he stepped into Intercontinental Luxury Imports. That idiot tried to make him feel like he did not belong. Why? That was stupid. He would get at least a five-figure commission. What kind of salesperson tells a potential customer what they can afford? “I want another sales person,” Matt said and continued walking around the showroom floor. Then he saw it; he had to have it. He did not see any other sales people and the manager’s office was dark. Come back later, maybe this idiot will be on lunch or gone for the day, but so might the car of his dreams. Against his better judgment he stayed and closed the deal. There was another way to deal with knucklehead later. A bad review on YELP would do the trick. At the end of that day, he drove away with the most beautiful blue Bentley Continental they had.
The attendant opened his door and Matt snapped his walker open and headed for the cashier’s office. He chose the standard package with the senior’s discount. No wax required, that finish was sealed from everything. He requested the senior citizen discount. The young lady swiped his card and he heard a familiar voice in the back. It couldn’t be. It got closer. A Latino guy about a couple of inches shorter than him with a full head of gray hair, close cut full beard came out the office, glanced at him and went to the register. He looked again. “Matt…Matt Clay?”
“Ramon?” He couldn’t believe it.
“It’s me.” He came behind the counter. They shook and hugged. “You look great.” “You too.” Ramon looked out at the line. “That’s your Bentley?” Matt nodded.
“When they finish knock on the office door we’ll talk.”
“Cool.” He went to tip the worker and parked on the side of the business. He walked in the small office with the one-way glass and video that covered the entire operation. “I been coming here for years and never saw you, you security or what?” he asked and sat in an old folding chair.
“No, part owner, but my cousin’s under the weather so here I am.”
“It’s been decades, where do we start?”
Ramon covered his head with his arms and they laughed. “We can start with that beating those detectives put on us.”
“My ribs are still hurting,” Matt lied and the laughter continued. “How long did that beating last, it seemed forever? I remember them saying, don’t steal cars young motherfuckers… got it?”
“How long did you stay in the hospital?” Ramon asked, while he watched the monitors.
“A week and after I got out, I stayed in the house for three months until my family moved to Evergreen Park. That was decades ago.”
“Longer than that, Matt. You were lucky. I laid low for a while, but as soon as I stuck my head out, I got snatched, again and again. Somebody got seriously pissed off about their car got stole. I think it was a cop commander.”
“Damn.”
“That’s what I said. We missed you…the best wire man around, was there anything you couldn’t hot wire?”
“No.” They laughed. “I heard you were still at it, true or false?”
“False, they said those mob boys were watching us, for recruitment. I got smart overnight. Since I couldn’t outsmart the cops, I joined them.”
“I thought I heard that years ago, but I didn’t pay it any attention. No, not Ramon, the best getaway driver around.”
“Sure did, been retired for fifteen years and got in this business.”
“Congrats.” Matt said, got up and looked out the one-way glass at the workers scurrying around. “This is nice.”
“Thanks, but look at you. Mister successful attorney. You killing ’em.”
“Thanks, I’ve been lucky.”
“Lucky…you make your own luck.” Ramon said.
“Yeah, well, my other half had a lot to do with it. I lost her over a year ago,” Matt sighed. “But I’m recovering well and seeing some of the old crowd has been pretty good, or at least, better than expected.”
“Well, that’s good. I lost my old lady, but that was several years ago. Unfortunately, that is a thing we have in common, like a lot of other experiences, if I recall correctly.”
“Take a wild guess who I bumped into, almost literally, at Sam’s Club? You ain’t going to believe it.”
“Um, I give, who?”
“Pearlie…Little Pearlie.
“You lying!”
“Sure did. She old like us now.” They laughed. “Man, she almost punched me out over a handicapped space. I couldn’t believe it.”
“Really?”
Matt nodded. “Sure did…she said Jimbo and Arthur are deceased.”
“Too bad. She still calling people out their name? She used to call me, ‘chili pepper.’ I hated that.”
“Yeah, she called me long head idiot.” They laughed. “She also said Julia disappeared just before the big fed bust on all the spots. Another reason I didn’t leave the house. I figured if the Feds didn’t get me, the Douglass’s or whoever would blame somebody for being a rat.”
Ramon shook his head. “You know they kept on stealing after everything cooled down. They passed it down to their offspring and then they got a tow truck business, worked for the city too and repo.”
“That’s what she was telling me. I didn’t really pay any attention, but it’s true.”
“Yes, it is. Pearlie would repo anything, cars, trucks and boats. No planes, but I wouldn’t put it past them if one day that would happen.” He went to the window and shouted something in Spanish. “I got to get back out there, but now her crew is rumored to do the elite high-end stuff for special clients. But that was years ago, no telling what they’re up to nowadays.”
Matt’s stomach sank. What if she was stalking his Bentley? Why would he think that, that was ridiculous. You getting paranoid…don’t. “You don’t think she might be checking me out, do you? And at the dealer where I got the car, the salesman was a real asshole. I closed the deal, but I made a helluva complaint. What if she works with dealers---”
“Whoa, whoa…Matt, Matt, there you go again. Like in the old days, you thinking too much. I ain’t going to ruin your day. But you remember how good we were. No matter what they did we always got our mark. You know what to do whether she watching you or not. Keep your insurance current and leave nothing valuable in the car. Simple. Here’s a card, call me so we can hook-up, get drunk and reminisce. But I got to get back out there.”
“Cool, I’ll be in touch.”
* * *
A well detailed vehicle made Matt feel especially good on a sunny day, but after Ramon’s revelation he was void of that feeling.
Questions, questions.
Think positive. The encounter with Pearlie was merely a coincidence. It had to be…stealing cars at her age? No way, but stranger things have happened.
Damn speculation!
Call and ask her, that’ll freak her out.
She didn’t answer, but a few minutes later his cell rang. “Hello.”
“Hey there, long head,” Pearlie laughed, he did not.
“Hello, Pearlie---"
“You don’t sound well; I was messin’ with you. I won’t use your nickname anymore. We too old for that.”
“Okay.” Matt replied with a sigh of relief, nicknames were for kids. Now be bold and ask her, what can she say, yes or no? He was good at detecting lies in a person’s voice, after all he was an attorney. Do not mention you talked to Ramon or say you heard. Then ask for sex, it had been a while. And, after a good roll in the hay, tell her not to mess with his Bentley. Be careful…don’t down stroke yourself into a coronary. “Let’s have dinner and comeback to my place and have sex.” He got silence. He blew it. Oh, well.
“To the point, I like that. Okay with me.” She sounded excited. “But first I have some business to tend to at the Pentecostal Church of God on 63rd, can you pick me up from there? You know where it is?”
“Yes, I do.” The last time he was there, Carmen was alive, what a coincidence, again.
When he pulled up to the banquet hall, Pearlie was chatting with one of the ministers. She gave him a quick hug good-bye and hurried to the car. She looked great in her casual dress pants outfit that was a striking blue similar to the color of his Bentley. She had more curves than he thought. Her silver-gray hair style said sophistication and pride. She hopped in and planted a kiss on his cheek. Her fragrance aroused him.
“Where to, handsome?”
“The newest steakhouse in Hyde Park.” He heard nothing but good things about the place and it had valet parking. Good, parking in that area was a nightmare.
The price of the dinner could drive a person into bankruptcy, but it was worth it. They were stuffed and left with two doggy bags.
Pearlie gave Mauser her food; he showed his gratitude by jumping all over her. They started drinking martinis and watching a movie.
No telling how long the dog had been licking his face before he woke up. His head felt he’d been hit with a hammer. He did not remember coming in here. He assumed they went at it like dogs. That was the plan anyway. He reached over to wake Pearlie; she was gone. He lay there trying to coordinate his moves. God, he was stiff. His cell chirped.
A text message: Enjoyed the evening, got an Uber, Good-bye. Pearlie.
That sounded final. Well, he gave his best shot for a seventy-year-old, he guessed. He didn’t have a coronary; nothing was missing and his car was still in the garage. For the rest of the day, he dealt with a hangover and the fact he blacked out.
* * *
“I’m glad you came by, Ramon. I don’t mean to dump on you my problems, but I had to tell someone. It’s embarrassing. I can’t remember drinking that many martinis. I guess I got full of ribeye steak and it gave me an invincible feeling. I can’t remember a thing after we got in bed. I’m pretty sure we had sex.”
“How do you forget that?”
He shrugged. “Go ahead and laugh. You about to bust.”
Ramon chuckled until tears formed in his eyes. “Look on the bright side. You said the text was positive, so that’s a win. Now you don’t have to be bothered.” He popped a chip in his mouth. “Nothing was missing, right?” Matt nodded. “You good then…in my humble opinion.” Ramon grabbed his heart. “Love, love,” and continued laughing. Matt got up to check the meat on the grill. “This is a nice place you got here, right by the golf course. You play?”
“No, I hate golf. You know somebody stole my Bentley. Whoever did it, followed me all day, probably. I made a million stops, but they got me at the doctor’s office. It was crowded, perfect timing.” He studied his friend’s expression. He seemed surprised.
“Really? Damn. I can see why, that shade of blue is spectacular, to say the least.”
“I loved that car---”
“I know, I know. Did you invite me over to get info or whatever on Pearlie?”
Matt said nothing. “Remember being a detective, a third of the job is intuition, right?” Ramon took a gulp of his beer. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Downstairs and to the right.”
He took out his phone and went inside.
When he returned, he said, “I hear, they hear, there’s an order for high-end vehicles and it’s highly organized. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Douglas’s were involved. But they been gone from here for decades, so I heard. Strange, they do pop up every now and then. You thinking she played you, right?”
Matt shook his head.
“Well maybe…some of the highly organized thieves travel all over, but be glad you weren’t jacked by those young fools out here nowadays. Just keep your insurance current and enjoy life. They’ll get a you another one.”
The back gate opened and two tall females dressed in shorts and loose-fitting blouses came in, “Hello, Matt, it’s us.” Both were well-kept seniors with silver blonde hair, gorgeous legs and large breasts.
“Surprise, Ramon, didn’t expect this, did you?” He nodded with a smile. “Come on in, ladies. Ramon this Joyce and Jenna, best looking twins in Evergreen Park.”
They partied in the yard until after sunset. The night turned out to be what Matt planned. This time there was no blackout. The twins got up the next morning and fixed left-over barbecue for breakfast. When that was finished, they gave Matt and Ramon a dose of morning TLC they would not forget. And they left the same way they came in.
* * *
Matt sipped his extra strong black coffee and thumbed through the morning paper. The world was going to hell in a hand basket. What else was new? Crime stats were down for the politicians. Especially carjacking. So, what. He could not shake the aggravation of his car being stolen. He shook that train of thought and went in the room where he put together a memorial picture wall of his wife, Carmen. He lit a candle on each side of her urn. He adjusted his recliner.
“Well, beautiful, it’s been a few days, but I’ve been moving on like you would want. The vermin stole my Bentley... of course the insurance people offered to replace it. Now I know the feeling when somebody takes your prized possession. I did enough of that when I was a young fool. Payback! I’m undecided whether to accept it or get another status symbol. How about a Ferrari with handicapped plates and my walker in the trunk. That’ll really draw attention. Talk later… love you.
The Piker Press moderates all comments.
Click here for the commenting policy.