Prometheus: From Good, to Bad, to Silly in 124 Minutes

"I love Charlize Theron. From 'Monster' to 'Arrested Development' she's the best.
 She can't save this one though." 

Fong @ The Movies
By: Robert Fong

        Let's get something straight right off the bat. I fucking love Alien. For me, before Star Trek, before Blade Runner, before even Star Wars, comes Alien. Every moment of that film is genius: from the slow tracking shots of the ship, to the blue collar mentality of the crew, to the horribly disturbing art design of H.R. Geiger; everything in the 1979 classic clicks right into place. Now, in 2012 Ridley Scott decides that he should take a break from historical dramas with Russell Crowe and make an Alien prequel? We'll take it. In fact we'll mark the days off the fucking calendar until it comes out and then we'll go see it in 3D, slightly aroused.
       Then we'll watch it. The first hour we'll enjoy. We'll watch some weird shit with a giant albino committing suicide with some black goo, we'll watch a couple of hipster scientists find some cave paintings, we''ll watch an android shoot hoops while waiting to reach his destination, and we'll happily watch some folks wake up from hyper sleep. All good. We won't even let some annoying Limey with a Mohawk bother us because we know this is the maker of Alien, a certifiable genius.
       We'll enjoy ourselves as the space expedition, which includes the hipster scientists, finds some sort of temple on an alien planet where it's believed our "creators" (aka, the albino from the beginning) dwell. Things get creepy as the crew explores the temple where holograms run around acting funny and the Limey continues to annoy us (why is he here? Oh, he's a geologist. Then why the fuck does he act like a creepy soccer hooligan for the first 45 mins? Why would you hire this dick when you're looking to discover the origin of human life?)
       At one point the carcass of one of the creators is discovered and we become very aroused when we realize that the helmet this creature wears matches that of the "navigator" from the original Alien. Holy shit.
      Then we all become very bored as nothing really happens. We spend a half hour watching one of the hipster scientists get drunk. We suppose it's because he's disappointed by the expedition because they haven't found any clear answers but we don't know for sure because this part is played by Logan Marshall-Green who is a shitty fucking actor and needs to quit. He is so bad that it reflects onto Ridley Scott. Mr Scott, why did you have this actor giggle after every line he read? Not only did he come off like a fucking idiot it made me start to wish that he was killed ASAP (which luckily he does, spoiler alert). After drinking a bottle of vodka to the head Marshall-Green sleeps with the other scientist, also his lover, played by Noomi Rapace, who I'm sorry to say, pretty much sucks too.
        After getting dosed with the same black goo that killed the giant albino at the beginning, the drunk dumb shit scientist knocks up the other scientist played by Rapace and within just a few hours a nasty little sea slug of a creature is growing inside her body. She realizes this right away. The android David (played by Michael Fassbender, who does not suck, but who's character makes no sense) seems to want this alien baby to be born. Rapace's character on the other hand does not wish to spawn so she uses a futuristic surgery machine to perform her own cesarean on herself (by far the most hardcore, and in other words best scene of the movie). After that the movie really goes off the tracks and becomes fucking ridiculous.
       Character die, come back to life, act out, all for no apparent reason. A twist pops up that is supposed to blow your mind but doesn't really, because it's just sort of stupid. Then the ultimate sin is committed. In a movie that is all pulse pounding mystery and unanswered questions we do not get these questions answered by being shown (this is a movie, the story is supposed to be shown to us right?), instead we get a character walking into a room and explaining everything that is happening. Are you fucking kidding me? Why? Who the fuck? They guy just comes in the room and breaks the whole fucking thing down, no explanation to how he figured it out or anything. It's truly unforgivable. The fact that this character is played by Idris Elba (acclaimed actor from The Wire and Luther) just adds insult to injury. Fuck you Ridley.
       Some other stuff happens (including an amazing space ship crash on the surface of the planet, but I can't recommend this movie just based on that) but by the end I am no longer aroused, I am flacid and uninspired. The big thing is the characters. In Alien we had working class miners, pulled down to a planet and put in contact with a ruthless predator that they desperately try to deal with. In Aliens we had some tough as nails space marines that were all guts and glory until the aliens turned them into mince meat (I love Bill Paxton in that movie. The ultimate douche cry baby). Alien 3 had weirdo jail bird religious fanatics, it was like Alien set in medevil times (I like that movie despite other's reservations. I'm not going to bring up Alien Resurrection because I just don't have the time, plus it's just a tag on). In this movie we have,,,,,,what? An android and a bunch of fucking idiots pretty much?
These people act in strange ways, they say things they shouldn't really know, they make no sense, it's fucking sloppy. I guess a lot of them are just there to die, like the red shirts in Star Trek. But this isn't a 1968 episode of Star Trek, this is a f__king Alien prequel.
No one can hear you sigh sadly in space.


By Robert Fong, 06-07-12. Edited by Margo Wicklow.

8: Crime SuspenStory

OUR STORY SO FAR: An example needed to be made of rats that steal from Leo McCarthy, so now the Croat sleeps under the Bay. Meanwhile, Detective Dela Cruz and her partner Dan Schmidt are trying to build a case against McCarthy with two snitches; the stripper Judy July and Marvin Rollins, the manager of Catnip Club. What no one knows is that Judy is pregnant with Leo McCarthy's baby.

 Based on true events.
Pat took the turns of the narrow road blindly, unconcerned. He had the window rolled down, the wind grabbing a hold of the smoke from his cigarette and blowing it around the car. He punched the accelerator when he got to the stretch of road that was clear of trees, the sky opening up to the right of him, the town of San Rafael exposed. He forced the Buick around another ninety degree turn, up the steepest section of road that led to the entrance of Leo’s house.

  There was a taxi parked in front of the garage and White Charlie was unloading the luggage out of the trunk. Pat parked next to the cab.
        “How you doing Charlie?”
        “Your uncle’s waiting inside,” the old man muttered.
        Charlie moved slowly, stubbornly, taking the suitcases from the cabbie and placing them on the cement. He still had the dry pale face of a man on his deathbed, no health added to his pallor. Supposedly he was dying. It was common knowledge that White Charlie had a cancer of some kind circulating through his body but that had been announced nearly ten years ago and Pat was becoming skeptical that his Uncle’s right hand man was ever going to croak.

        Pat went into the house and through the main living room. He walked by the grand piano and the circular staircase, spotting his uncle through the back window, posted alongside the pool with a phone up to his ear. He stood solidly in his suit with his tie off and hanging from the back of one of the deck chairs, his shock of white thinning hair catching the sun. 

The house was large and Leo’s suit was expensive but he did not look like a powerful man, he looked like a working man, medium build with large solid hands, one holding the cell phone up to his head. There were things about his uncle that Pat didn’t like, hated in fact, but as he went through the sliding glass door and approached him he realized how much having him back in town put Pat at ease.

“Oh darl’n I know it, I know it now. That’ll happen soon. There’s no reason you can’t tell the man your going to have a little vacation. You’ve never even been here darl’n. You’ve got to come see it for yourself.”

        Leo winked at his nephew, continuing to coo into the phone, raising his hand to his mouth to show he wanted a drink. Pat went back into the house and to the bar where he poured two whiskies. He went through the kitchen and dropped some ice into the glasses from the refrigerator before stepping back through the door.
        “How are you Patty?” Leo asked cheerfully, slipping the phone into the inside pocket of his sports jacket.  Pat handed his uncle his drink and they both sat down in the canvas chairs surrounding the glass table that stood next to the pool.
        “Good. Not bad.”
        “And the boys? Everyone well?”
        “Everyone seems alright, doing good. You look good.”
        “Thank you lad. We had a nice relaxing time.”
        “You see Mary when you were out there?” Pat asked.
        Leo sipped from his glass and eased back into the chair. He looked out passed Pat into the valley and the hills beyond.

“I saw her for a moment. She’s old as dirt you know. Still sharp but my God she’s old. It took us forty five minutes to get into some diner near where she lives. I tried to take her to a nice spot in one of the casinos but she refused of course. Stuck in her ways. I tried to tell her I would have a car pick her up, take her to the strip, have someone escort her inside and get her seated-. She can’t stand to have me spend money. still sees me as the broke son’a bitch that stayed with her and the family after my first bid,” Leo chuckled. “Sweet old bird. I tried to tell her I was doing alright but she wasn’t having it.”

By his disposition it seemed to Pat that Leo was satisfied with how things had turned out in his absence. Pat himself hadn’t fully grasped what it was or what it meant. He had wanted to discuss it with Oscar but his friend hadn’t returned any of his calls in the last few days. The Croat was gone for good, of that he was sure.

        “You win some money?” Pat asked, downing his drink.
        “We hung around with Arthur. You remember Arthur?” Pat shook his head. “Me and your Dad ran around with him before he had set up his thing out there. He introduced us to a couple of college girls. Had class. My God, you should see this girl that hung around Patty. Smart, beautiful, real peach. That was her on the phone.”
        “They were in college?” Pat asked.
        “No, they’re just college girls. You know what I mean.”
        The glass door opened and Pat’s aunt Carolyn made her way out to them. She had a large Nordstrom’s bag in each of her hands and she lay them down on the ground when Leo got up from his seat and embraced her. He kissed her lightly on the lips and held her in his arms for a moment.
        “How are you my darling?” he asked her.
        “You sticking around this time?” she asked and gave him a tight smile.
        “For the time being my love.”
        Pat got up and gave Carolyn a kiss on the cheek. He hadn’t seen his aunt in-, he couldn’t remember really. Leo never brought her out anymore. She used to come out to the company dinners and things like that but had stopped years ago. She was a dreary woman, a drinker who stayed medicated throughout the day and shopped her regrets away as her face continued to fall and sag. She smiled at Pat through half closed eyes, then headed towards the house with her bags to get her own drink.

“Is the guy from out of town still here?” Leo asked after the glass doors slid shut.

        “Yeah, he’s been waiting around for the last few days so he can see you,” Pat replied.
        “Good. Pick him up and bring him to the job-site trailer by the water tonight and we’ll talk then. Tell Oscar to come down too.”
        Pat cleared his throat and said: “I think Oscar might be under the weather.”
        “Under the weather?” Leo squinted his eyes, looking over at his nephew. “What do you mean? Sick?”
        “I’m not sure.”
        “Where is he?”
        Leo’s voice had lowered.
        “I mean I just haven’t seen him. He hasn’t been around for the last few days.”
        A crow called out as it flew over them. Leo sucked his teeth and then turned his head back towards the view.
        “Well, the boy's been working hard. He deserves a rest,” he sniffed hard at the air. “Get a hold of him Patty. You let him know he needs to be down at the trailer about midnight so we can have a talk.”

Pat nodded and they both sat there in the backyard, watching the crow make its way along the hillside and down to the valley below, searching for prey.

••••

Claudia looked up at the clock for the fourth time. He was over ten minutes late again and if it had been for a good reason she wouldn’t have minded but she knew from experience that there was nothing the lieutenant had going on where he needed to keep his vice squad waiting every time they had a briefing. She had seen him, it was just small talk, Schonberg having a word with this sergeant briefly, talking to a secretary about the Giants or the weather or some other bullshit that had nothing to do with police work. Meanwhile they sat there in his junkyard of an office waiting around for the future of their case.
        Dan sat next to her and she could feel the tension burning off him. Netting Rollins had brought Dan’s heart back into the game. She needed a partner that was dedicated to seeing things through like she was and when he had started to drag his feet after Schonberg brought up the raids her resentment had increased two folds. Now that he was invested again her irritation had evaporated back down to normal levels.
        Schonberg came through the door, his mouth around an apple fritter as the crumbs dribbled down below it on to his tie and knit sweater.
        “You’re here,” he said with his mouth full. He sat down behind the desk and placed the apple fritter to the side.

“I’ve presented the new Intel to Ferris and they are going to push the raids back,” he said and smiled, his cheeks tightening up into two cherry red balls.

        “How far?” Claudia demanded.
        “Two weeks.”
        “Two weeks?!”

Dan and Claudia had spoken at the same time and he looked back at them, one hand slowly making its way back towards the fritter. He waited for them to say something, to bring the meeting to a close, but they both stayed silent and he was forced to continue.

        “Look, you two have been working this paint store thing for six months now. This office has been going with every request you have asked for, including the locking down of this department even with narcotics knocking at my door and homicide kicking around a few cases that are linked to this crew.  And what have you got? A dead beat hooker and a club manager that peddles kiddy porn? What is that?”
        Claudia felt her cheeks burn. Schonberg had no backbone. She doubted he had even asked for more time. Dan leaned forward in his chair and spoke.
        “Marvin Rollins is high ranking Ben.”
        “High ranking?” Schonberg’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “The man is a bum.”
        “He’s worked in the crew for fifteen years.”
        “Let’s say around the crew. Wouldn’t that be more accurate? I don’t even see anything of warrant in your report. He hasn’t even given you anything.”
        The man’s tone was grinding into Claudia’s nerves.
        “He will,” she said across the desk. “He’s worked for McCarthy long enough to get deeper inside and go where we tell him.”
        “He’s a whore Shepard,” Schonberg replied, not acknowledging what she had said. “He’s a day to day manager. He’s customer service for God’s sake. You think he actually has anything on McCarthy? You think they let him hang around and sit in on meetings about drugs and humans trafficking that McCarthy is present at as well? What about when they talk about murder? C’mon.”
        “He runs a house of prostitution Ben,” Dan said.
        “That’s bad for him.”
        “He takes orders.”
        “Sure, from some other deadbeat who gives him an order that he got from some other deadbeat. Somewhere up that line of dead beats you might, and mind you I say might, find Leo McCarthy.”
        “We know McCarthy takes part in the day to day operations Lieutenant. Our witness has confirmed it,” Claudia said through gritted teeth.
        “Who? Not Rollins so you must mean the girl and you know I’ve been on the fence about her since day one.”
        “She has confirmed reports that they recently brought in out of town muscle,” Claudia continued. “We know it must have something to do with a robbery and with McCarthy out of town it has to be conspiracy.”
        “Conspiracy?” Schonberg echoed skeptically.
        “Conspiracy to commit murder.”
        “Murder who?”
        “We don’t know,” Dan confessed.
        Schonberg leaned back in his chair, the fritter momentarily forgotten. He squinted passed the two detectives into the wall behind them.
        “You both know I have been paying attention to the work you’ve put into this thing. I’ve been supportive this whole time. You brought me the new informant and I went to bat for you and you gained two weeks. That’s all I could get. I would recommend that you take this time and work the leads you can and get prepared for the raids. That’s all.”
        Claudia and Dan left the office and made their way back to their desks.
        “You know as soon as those raids are announced in the department this case goes back to day one,” Claudia said coldly.
        “They may come across something,” Dan replied.
        “They won’t. As soon as an operation with any balls gets started McCarthy gets word and everything goes into lock down. That’s how all four of the previous case files end Dan. A raid is organized, other divisions are brought in, and next thing you know it’s over. A couple girls might go to jail, maybe some low level shit bag. But neither McCarthy nor any of his top men see the inside of a courtroom.”
        She sat down at her desk and looked wearily at the files strewn about in front of her.
        “Two weeks is some time,” Dan said. “We can pump Rollins for everything we can get. And we can send the girl into that Christmas party wired up with a camera or something. Maybe get the picks we talked about a while ago. Known felons commiserating or whatever.”
        Claudia looked up at him, forcing back a sigh. “That’s true. We still have the Christmas party,” she said and opened up the case file on top. 

••••

        Judy put her back against the pole and looked out at the floor as she ground against the cold metal.She wasn’t physically tired, it was a mental thing. Or maybe mental wasn’t the way to put it. She just wanted the dance to end, she was sick of it, sick of it all. The lights and men and the smell and even the cash; it left her numb.
        The room was maybe a fourth full which was good for a weekday afternoon. There was a wrinkled old man with a ponytail by himself on the left, watching, showing the tip of his tongue like a hungry lizard. There was the group of businessmen sitting together on the right, drinking, their ties loose around their necks as they put off going home to their wives and girlfriends.

They all looked up at her with the same look men like that always had; confidence and knowing, knowing they could have her if they really wanted. All they had to do was hold up cash and show the watches on their wrists and it was a done deal. She was theirs. That’s what angered her most, that’s what she was most sick of, that look. That assumption. The assumption that she was up for grabs.

She wanted to tell them the truth, she wanted to scream it at them. They didn’t know her. They didn’t know what she has been through or what she was capable of. No one really knew her.

She forced the anger down as she pushed off the pole and got down on her knees in front of the business men. One of the shorter ones who was prematurely balding dug into his pocket while his companions slapped him on the back. There he went, reaching forward with his wad of cash, Judy maneuvering her ass towards him so he could reach the string around her waist and slip his money in.

They thought they were in control. She was in control. She always remembered that but it had become harder as her thoughts were more and more directed towards what was growing inside her. She could feel it. In a few months she would step up on that stage with her belly lapping over the panties and then what? What would these men with their ties and their watches think then? What would their faces look like?

She caught herself giggling at the thought and the men in front, thinking she was enjoying herself as much as they were, chuckled back at her. She grimaced and rolled over across the stage so she was back by the pole. She got up on her knees with her ass out, letting them get a good look as she moved it back and forth.

She turned her head towards them to see if they had money in their hands and she saw him, walking quickly along the bar. She blinked, trying to get a good look in the dim room and yes, it was Leo, followed by Charlie and Pat. They all made their way passed the bar and into the office. She had to fight the urge to run off the stage and go to him.

The song finally ended and she quickly picked up the remaining bills that were on the stage, making her way down to the floor. Her eyes were on the door: she wanted to knock, she wanted to go in and see him, see the real him, not the monster that Claudia was trying to force onto her.

She had put off telling him since the day she took the test and found out. At first she was worried that he would get angry and banish her or worse yet, force her to get rid of it. Strangely, as she had strung along the police for the last few months and had heard more and more about their theories on Leo and his businesses, she had felt herself grow closer to him. Her fear about telling him had shrunk significantly and she had become sick of waiting for the right time.

She walked towards the door but was interrupted by the balding businessman asking for a lap dance. She blew him off with a shake of the head and his face sagged as she brushed by. She stopped at the end of the bar and watched the door. Was this the right time? She needed to talk to him alone but he had Pat and that wrinkled old White Charlie with him. She would just say hi to him, get a grin from him, and maybe make a time to meet later.

“There’s a call for you!” Shari yelled at her from the bar.

Judy walked over and Shari put the cordless bar phone down in front of her.

“Hello?”

“Why haven’t you returned my calls?” Claudia said from the other end.

“You can’t call me here.”

“You haven’t returned my calls!”

“I’ve been working,” Judy sputtered out dumbly.

“All day? I called you three times this morning.”

“I must have missed them.”

“We’re meeting tonight. You understand? After your shift. At the donut shop on Van Ness.”

“I don’t want to meet there.”

“Tough, that’s where we’re meeting.”

        The door opened to the office and Judy looked over as Leo made his way out with Pat and Charlie still trailing him.
        “I got’ a go,” Judy said, hanging up.
        Leo was going right by her. It was maybe too dim and he didn’t see her, she wasn’t sure. She had to leap forward to to reach out and tap him on the sleeve of his camel hair jacket.
        “Hi Leo,” she sang out.

It felt strange, like they had never spoken before. He seemed to almost continue on his way but looked back and hesitated. He looked at her and his face brightened like it always did, but it seemed to her that it didn’t happen as quickly or as spontaneously as it had in the past. It almost seemed forced, she couldn’t be sure,

        “Hi there pretty lady,” he said and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He took a step backward but she held his arm lightly.
        “Can we talk for a minute you think?” she asked.
        Leo’s face tightened as he peeked at his watch.
        “Right now probably ain’t gonna work darl’n. We got a few things to a attend to so-“
        He gave her another quick peck on the cheek and continued towards the door. Pat followed behind him and Charlie brought up the rear, looking back at her, grimacing. Judy felt her stomach fall towards the floor and she pushed herself onto a bar stool.
        “You need a drink honey?” Shari asked.
        Judy looked back at her and shook her head. If Leo was having second thoughts about what they had together she had to talk to him right away. She had to let him know. Once he knew about the baby he would come back, he would see that it was meant to be.

••••

        Vaughn stood outside the office, waiting with his arms crossed. The nerve of these Frisco guys, having him sit around in his hotel for three days before finally contacting him and to now have him waiting outside the door and making him wait some more. The fucking nerve.
        He sighed and was instantly calm, back in control. No matter how long you’ve been around or what you’re reputation is there’s still the waiting. You’re still the hired help. And that was fine as long as you were paid accordingly and given the respect that the years had earned you.

He looked out the window of the trailer at the lights that flashed and winked along the port and into the hills of the East Bay. The nephew had picked him up from the hotel and as they got off the streets and drove through dirt and gravel onto the job site along the wharf Vaughn had found his senses sharpening up, coming alive. It was the kind of location that someone found their end. It was the kind of place he would have picked himself.  But these guys wouldn’t dare, they were just there to talk, to debrief, whatever.

Pat had brought him into a job trailer and then disappeared behind a door into the inner office. Vaughn had waited there, fuming and then calming down. He thought of the McCarthy Paint Store where he and Oscar had cleaned up. He had been impressed. Counting up the clubs and the other businesses it seemed McCarthy was doing well for himself on the legitimate side. He should be careful though, thought Vaughn, too much legitimacy can make a man soft.

        The door to the office opened and White Charlie beckoned him to enter. Pat sat on the couch against the wall and Vaughn made his way passed him and over to the desk where Leo stood, reaching out and taking his hand. He hadn’t seen Leo in probably, it was hard to say, nine years maybe? He had changed considerably. McCarthy was fatter now, letting himself go a bit. His hair was all white but he still had that twinkle in his eye that Vaughn remembered from Chicago. ‘Never trust that twinkle’ he remembered Ray Garza saying. ‘McCarthy will put the knife in you with a fucking grin on his face the whole time.’
        “How are you Jimmy?” Leo asked, the grin beamed out into the room. “Have a seat.”
        Vaughn sat down in one of the leather chairs that sat side by side in front of the desk.
        “Drink?”
        Leo didn’t wait for an answer, he just nodded and the nephew got up and pulled one of the bottles from the bar that sat next to the couch.
        “So I hope the boys didn’t give you too much trouble Jimmy. I’m sure you’ve gotten used to a little cold shoulder with these things right? You into a new group of guys, nobody knows you­-. Regardless I hope they performed to your standards. Hope you weren’t too hard on them.”
        Leo chuckled, Pat handed Vaughn his glass. Vaughn held it stiffly and then eased it against the armrest of the chair.
        “Some of them got potential,” he said.
        “What’d you think of the kid driving you around?” Leo asked and took his drink from Pat.
        Vaughn sat in the chair, considering the question. He hadn’t really thought about Oscar that much, the kid had just been there. That’s really all you could ask for, somebody to be there when they’re supposed to. The kid hadn’t given him any lip, no attitude. All these other jack off’s had and Vaughn took a glance at Pat who was pouring himself another drink already.
        “That’s a good kid. You should hold on to that one,” Vaughn said.
        “I know it. Damn good kid. Hard worker, at least he has been in the past. He came through for you in this case?”
        Leo still had the grin but the slightly bugged out green eyes were up and probing from the desk. Vaughn thought back to the woods three nights before. He thought of the cat in the trees. He hadn’t felt that way since he was young and he had drowned Ricky Regatta in the puddle behind the church. His first time, frozen, but just for a second, looking down at Ricky’s hair spread out in the dirty water. The cat had caused the same thing, a paralysis that had lasted just long enough for the Croat to make a run for it.

The kid had reacted, he had gone and chased the Croat down. Someone else may have lost the fuck in the woods and they would have been there all night, with the cat out there somewhere, but Oscar had chased the Croat off the cliff. Now, shooting the Croat, that was a rookie mistake. They could have just walked away but that bullet added on two more hours of work at least. Vaughn had been severely annoyed, it still burned him a bit.

“He still has some things he could work out but overall he’s a sharp kid, a solid guy to have around,” Vaughn said.

Charlie came in and raised his eyebrows towards Leo who nodded back at him. Charlie went outside, there were some muffled words, and then Oscar made his way inside. He shook hands with Leo who came around the desk and gave him a hug before sitting him down in the chair next to Vaughn. Vaughn lit a cigarette and looked over at the kid. Oscar looked tired, hung over maybe, with long drooping bags under both of his eyes. Maybe he had been off celebrating a job well done. Maybe he had a girl that was driving him crazy. Women were just a distraction and a pain Vaughn thought.

“I’ve been hearing good things kid. Our friend from out of town says you did some solid work back here. I’m real glad to hear it,” Leo said.

“Thanks,” the kid said and nodded wearily over at Vaughn in acknowledgment.

“I’m not sure if you were aware of this Jimmy but our boy here is an orphan. He’s got no family except us here. I’ve been looking out for you since you were a kid huh?” he nodded at Oscar then looked back at Vaughn. “Patty and him used to come into the store with their little leather jackets trying to be a couple of hard boys. Had to shoo ‘em out you know. They would be in the bars causing trouble and I’d have to send guys down to get them out of a pinch or whatever. But this one,” Leo nodded again towards Oscar. “He’s always been a smart one. Clever you know. Knows when to talk and when to not to. Always been solid.”

Fucking Irish, thought Vaughn, always so God damned sentimental, especially with a drink in their hand. He glanced over at Oscar who was expressionless, listening respectfully. Leo sat back and gazed at the kid proudly before raising his glass and pouring the rest of it down his throat. He motioned towards his nephew.

“Patty, give us a moment would you?” he said.

The nephew sat up on the couch but didn’t move.

“Just got outside for a minute. I’ll call you in,” Leo said, more sternly this time.

Pat stood up slowly, taking his time as he loafed to the door. There’s one that hadn’t learned his lesson, Vaughn thought. Keeping family around could be a problem, you had to treat them like everybody else. You had to cut the fat no matter if the fat was related to you or not.

        Pat was gone but Leo waited a moment longer, looking at the door. His face had turned blank and cold. The lids over the green eyes had closed a bit as he crossed his arms, looking at the two men in front of him.
        “I don’t want to know details. I just want to know that the problem has been found and eliminated,” he said.
        “It has,” Vaughn said.
        “Good. And nothing is going to come back to haunt us?”
        He looked at Oscar this time and the kid sat up straighter in his chair.
        “We took care of it Leo,” Oscar told him.
        Leo nodded, moving his gaze from one to the other.
        “Now, I’m not going to be stickler on this point but I want to know: you get the right one?” he asked them.
        “It’s a matter of going down the line,” Vaughn said. “I eliminated the possibilities by watching the videos of the place. The rat was the only one that didn’t show up on camera leaving.”
        “You agree?” Leo asked Oscar.
        Vaughn felt his face getting hot. What kind of shit was this? Did the kid agree? Who gives a fuck what the kid thinks? He was the professional for Christ’s sake.

He looked over at the kid and wondered if Oscar would mention the garage camera. It probably wasn’t on his radar. The kid probably wasn’t even aware of it.

        “We got the right one,” Oscar said.
        Leo sighed, looking down at the desk.

“It’s a hell of a thing to have happen now. We get word from one of our guys inside the cop shop that they’re watching the store and then next thing we got one of our boys stealing from us. When it rains it pours and the only thing you can do is make sure you put some discipline down. I can’t have any of our boys thinking that they can get out of line. I can’t have it.”

The shadow shifted from Leo’s face.

“Jimmy, I appreciate you coming all the way out here. I hope you feel that you were well taken care of, that you’ve been comfortable.”

        “It’s fine.”
        “I hope you’ve taken some time to go around the City. Beautiful place, good food. That’s why we live here. The women are beautiful too. Not like LA but still very nice. Although too many of them are wearing those sort of trashy garbage clothes you know what I mean? No class.”
        “I have a flight Thursday night,” Vaughn said.
        “Thursday? Come on now. The company party is Thursday Jim. You got to stick around for that. There’s girls and booze, all on me. It’s a chance for the boys to let loose and get together for once.”
        Still the same Leo, still full of complete shit. What was the point of going on like this and talking about parties and going around the City and- Jesus Christ. Let’s just get on with it already. This was business not an annual fucking get together. Vaughn tried not to grimace.
        “I appreciate the invitation but I have some other matters to deal with,” he said.
        “Sure, of course. Well, you still have a day or so to kick around the city and enjoy yourself. I’ll have one of the boys come by your hotel and drop your package off.”
        “You don’t have it here?”

Vaughn let the pleasantness shrink from his tone.

        Leo looked up, feigning surprise. His eyes narrowed and he leaned over the desk slightly.
        “Listen Jim, again,I appreciate the work you’ve put in here but to be perfectly honest the job is only really half done, wouldn’t you say?”
        So that’s how he was going to play it. Vaughn had the urge to snatch the pencil off the desk and force it through the old man’s jugular. Then he would have to kill the kid which probably wouldn’t be easy judging by his size and the way he carried himself. And there was still the nephew and White Charlie outside and one of them had to be armed so- it wasn’t an option.
        “I would say the larger goal was accomplished which was to find the rat and eliminate him with everyone aware of it. I’ve done that. No one is stepping out of line now.”
        “But where’s the money?” Leo asked, the grin intact. “How is the rat still in town and not have the money?”
        “He did have it. Stashed somewhere. The main thing was to locate the rat. The money came second.”
         Leo nodded, sucking in his chin in thought as Vaughn stubbed out the cigarette in frustration.
        “Well, that being what it is we‘ll need another day to put together your package before you leave.”
        Vaughn sat perfectly still in his chair, trying to stop his eyes from burning into the man behind the desk. He could feel the kid tensing up next to him.
        “Since I have a little over a day left I’ll make an effort to get the money” Vaughn conceded.
        “I’d appreciate that,” Leo said, all twinkle and grin. “You have all our resources at your disposal of course.”
        “Just send the kid. I’m used to him.”
        Vaughn got up to leave and placed his drink on the desk, untouched.

To be continued.