Boulevard (21 page)

The passenger door opened. Jimmy turned his head to the side. Slipping in the car, was Dragon.

“You the guy with the lost dog?”

“You got him?”

“I wish. He's cute. Is he yours?”

“My next door neighbor's. Good to see you, Robin.”

“That's Dragon, now.” She had the street kid look down. Jimmy would defy anyone to make her as a cop.

“Must be doing something right to get a street name like that. You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Basically.”

“You're looking kinda thin. You eating enough?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah?”

He passed her a bag from Fatburger holding two cheeseburgers, two bags of fries, and a huge shake. “This is for you.”

“Thanks.” She tore right in.

“When I was doing this, it was with wise guys in Brooklyn. They may have been murdering scum, but you never went hungry.”

“I wish.”

He looked at her. She was too thin. Dirty. Tired.

“Now, how you really doing?” he said.

“Good.”

“Hey, just you and me here,” Jimmy said.

“Sometimes it's hard to keep up the act.”

“Sure. It's a rough goddamn assignment. You gotta give a performance worth an Oscar and I send you out there with what?—an hour's advance warning?

“But I wanted it. I still want it.”

“You all the way in?”

“Definitely.”

“Good girl.”

“But one thing's bad—they know there's an undercover on the street.”

“You're kidding. How?”

“A kid overheard something—Dog-Face.”

Fuck!
Jimmy thought. The asshole on the floor.

“We gotta take you out.”

“I can't. Not yet.”

“It's too risky not to.”

“Jimmy, please. I can't.”

“You're on the force what, three months?

“Four.”

“Okay, four. Listen to me, you'll get other whacks at this stuff—.”

“But not like this.”

“Robin, sweetie, hear me out. When you were still playing with Barbie, I was doing the same thing you're doing. And one thing I learned from my boss, and hopefully you'll learn from me, is there comes a time when
every
deep-cover
has
to come out.”

“The kids know there's a cop. Sure. But they don't know it's me. This isn't the subtle crowd. If they had made me, I'd know by now.”

“And when they do know it's you, you know what's going to happen, right? You'll be lucky to get outta there alive.”

“But they haven't made me. And they're not going to.”

“No guarantees on that.”

“I got too much going to quit now.”

Their eyes met. If something happened to her, Jimmy would never forgive himself. On the other hand, she was good, she was crucial to the investigation, and she was also right—if they had made her, she would've known it in two seconds.

“Okay,” Jimmy said. “But, the
barest, tiniest
hint of them making you—someone even looks at you the wrong way—and you gotta get outta there as fast as your legs will go. Deal?”

“Deal. Thanks.”

“What do you got?” he said.

“I got a kid who's been telling me about someone on the Boulevard who I'm pretty sure is Lodge.”

“That's good.”

“With chicken meat.”

“Boys or girls?”

“Boys.”

“Naturally. What else?”

“Not much. But kids are starting to open up. I got that kid, Dog-Face bragging about a murder.”

“No shit. Who'd he kill?”

“A bouncer at the X Club, who was also dealing.”

“Nice. I remember that one, we had nothing. Good work. We break this case, we'll move onto that.”

“Look, I know things are coming way too slowly. But they really are coming.”

Jimmy knew it was true. But he also knew, unless he got somewhere soon, they would pull him off. This was a career-making case—you don't get too many of them—and if he was replaced, it would be a huge blow to any chances he had for moving up.

“It's okay,” he said. “We got a waiter at the Chateau who has a girl in the room with Lodge, the night he got whacked. She was wearing two earrings in each ear. Long brown hair, cute.”

Robin smiled.

“I know it's not exactly look for the six-foot-five Samoan with Bugs Bunny tattooed above his wrist. And one other thing, our stud coroner's got the perp as a southpaw.”

“That's something,” she said.

“Who gave you Lodge with chicken meat?”

“A girl named Casey. I was with her the night you popped the teacher.”

“Oh yeah. Nice acting. Very convincing.”

“What happened to the perp?”

“Out the next morning. Scum's probably back teaching. This girl, she have a street name?”

“No. Just Casey.”

“What's the deal with her?” Jimmy said.

“She's okay. Sweet.”

“They all are. Till they stick a knife in your heart.”

“I guess. She was tight with a kid named Saint Paul. Know him?”

“Don't think so.”

“He doesn't seem to be around anymore. I'm sitting on her. She's opening up.”

“Better get me something soon. The mayor's crawling all over his pal. The pal is crawling all over the chief. The chief's is crawling all over the captain, who's crawling all over guess who?”

“And you're crawling all over me.”

“Of course. Gotta get me something, sweetie.”

“I will. Soon. I promise. Can you give me a couple of bucks?”

“I like the way you say that. You're good.”

“I'm supposed to be hitting up the tourists. Can't go back to the squat with nothing.”

Jimmy took out all the coins he had, then opened his wallet and gave her a twenty and a small wad of singles. She passed back the twenty.

“It's too much.”

“Take it. Tell them it's from some French tourist who didn't know any better.”

“Thanks.”

“Be careful, huh … Really careful.”

She nodded and swung the car door open.

“Wait,” Jimmy said. “I got something else … you ever met up with a kid named Rancher?”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes lowered. She knew, Jimmy thought. It was the worst kept secret in Hollywood.

“I'm sorry,” Robin said. “It must be hard.”

“It ain't easy. Next time you see him, let me know right away. Okay?”

43

W
hen Jimmy came home his bathroom looked like the health club steam room. Dani was in the bath and running a natural sponge hard over her body.

“Scrub my back, baby?”

He took the sponge and ran it across her skin. The soap foamed up in small bubbles, leaving a milky film.

“Little harder.”

He went back across. He knew what was going on. She was purging the creeps from the club: their grubby hands, the money they rammed into her G-string, the awful things they said to her. No matter how late it was, and how tired she was, every night when she came home Dani scrubbed and scrubbed, till the coating of dirt flowed down the drain.

“I called Santa Monica College for you,” Jimmy said, gliding the sponge in an arc across her back.

“You did?”

“They got a teacher education program that starts next week. You missed the regular registration, but I spoke to the assistant director of the thing, and she said they still got a couple of places open. If you go down and speak to her, she'll probably let you in.”

“That's so sweet of you.”

She turned around, and he ran the sponge over her stomach, her breasts.

Jimmy looked at her, and in the quiet of his mind, took a picture. What they had was good in its own way, but it wasn't the real deal—for either of them. And he always wanted to have this snapshot of Dani—so beautiful—in his head.

Jimmy stood at the kitchen table making tea. Dani came in wearing blue checkered pajama bottoms and a long Angels t-shirt, and from behind, kissed him on the cheek.

“Jimmy, sweetie, I've been thinking …”

It's coming, Jimmy thought, it's coming.

“That program sounds great. And I really want to do it. But next week I got these two auditions.”

“I didn't know.”

“Yeah. One's for a horror film. I would play a sorority girl. It's probably terrible, but some of those films are really cool. The other's an open call for this Fox pilot where the star's girlfriend from sixth grade comes to LA to visit him after all this time apart. And she's from North Carolina—pretty near. So that's good for me, right? …”

Right, Jimmy thought. In the horror flick she'd be topless in the locker room, hot tub, bedroom, sauna, someplace—and then get killed by thirty knives flying at her, or from a bucket of acid, a machete. And the chances of Dani getting the part? Slim to nil. The sitcom was an open call. A thousand girls would be going for it. Lots with real experience. All stunners. Dani's chances: less than nil.

“What do you think I should do?” she said.

“It's tough. But if you're gonna get out, this is opportunity knocking.”

“I want to. You know that. But … I dunno, maybe I could do it next semester. Give myself another couple of months to try and make it. I figure for the sitcom they're looking for someone to play like they're from North Carolina, but I practically am. I think I've got a real shot at this one.”

“Sure—you never know.”

“Thanks, baby.”

Jimmy passed Dani her tea. He was beat. He thought about adding brandy into his. It was something he enjoyed. But after seeing Mary on the Boulevard, he didn't feel much like enjoying himself right now.

“How was your night?” Jimmy said.

“Like always. Except Sean was even more on a jerk than usual.”

“Now that's hard.”

“He's was saying when the gambling comes in, he's really gonna be kicking ass.”

“He's probably right about that.”

“He's gonna put in a special club room,” Dani said.

“What's that?”

“It's like a private club within the club.”

“Private? What do you have to do to get into this exclusive club—pay an extra fifty at the door?”

“Basically.”

“And what do you get there?” Jimmy said.

“He's calling it lap dance plus.”

“Plus what?”

“Hand jobs, blow jobs. Probably more. But I'll be long gone before it happens.”

“We'll keep an eye on the asshole. Sounds like he's about to go way over the line.”

“He's already is, with all the underagers. He just hired two more.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure. That's what guys want. Nineteen, twenty—that's too old, now. They want fifteen, sixteen. It's sick.”

“How many girls like that does he have?”

“Five, maybe. You met one of them before—Tara. Remember her?”

“Sorta.”

“She's a cutie. But she's doing so many dates she's ready to quit dancing.”

“How old's she?”

“Sixteen. But looks younger. She's really in demand.”

“You know who she's dating?”

“Guys with serious money.”

“You think she'd talk to me?” Jimmy said.

“You're a cop. She has to.”

“No. Really talk.”

“About the dead fellah?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought about that already. I asked her if she knew him.”

“You did?” Jimmy was surprised and touched. “Really?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, baby—you've been hanging around me too long.” Jimmy said.

“Way too long,” she said with a smile.

“What did she say?” Jimmy said.

“That she didn't know him.”

“Think she was lying?”

“I couldn't really tell.”

44
Casey

E
veryone was back on the wall except Tulip, who had a date. Casey knew she
had
to get out. Otherwise she'd look back and think she was the idiot that stayed around when any sane person would've bolted. She thought about Montana. She'd work at a preschool in some pretty, little town. She'd take long walks with the kids and bring them through a beautiful field to a small stream at the edge of the woods. In the stream there'd be little frogs. She'd crouch down and put her hands into the water and catch a frog, then hold it in her cupped hands for the children to see. They would surround her, a little scared, but also curious. An adventurous little girl with light-blonde hair in a long braid would bravely reach over and gently stroke the frog. She'd giggle, loving it. A couple of boys would follow her lead, and then the whole group would take turns. The kids would feel brave and be happy and when she'd release the frog back into the water, her kids would call out “Bye frog,” “Bye-bye froggie.” The frog would disappear up the stream, and Casey and her kids would head back across the field, stopping to pick the prettiest purple wildflowers—

“Yo! Where'd you go?” It was Dog-Face, breaking the spell, as he yelled across the street to Dragon as she crossed from the other side of the Boulevard.

As Dragon weaved through cars stuck in traffic, she was bouncing a tennis ball.

“To the Bev' Center,” she said. She fired the ball at Dog-Face. “Catch.”

Dog-Face's right arm shot up to grab it and he threw it right back.

“I never heard of anyone going down that far,” Dog-Face said.

“You never heard of lots of things.”

“That's a hike,” June Bug said. “What's down there?”

“Dunno. I figured it was someplace no one else would be …” She tossed the ball to June Bug who caught it and lobbed it to Dream. “So, like, why not?”

Casey thought the Bev' Center sounded like a pretty good idea. At least it wasn't the same stupid wall. Coming right at her was the tennis ball. She reached up with her left hand and tossed it back. Dragon had a funny look on her face … but sure she would, having to deal with idiots like Dog-Face, who thought walking a couple of miles to the Bev' Center was like going to Japan.