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“I can imagine,” smirked Nine. “Shame about the cameras but maybe you should have someone come out and check on that later.”
“And you are?” asked another officer, staring at him.
“As I said, an old friend.”
“No offense, mister, but you’re twice his age. Easy. You’re not old friends.” Nine took two steps toward the man, and he actually took a step back, the heel of his hand resting on the butt of his weapon. Nine only smiled.
“I know for a fact it’s not a crime to speak to someone. So, if you’ve got a problem with us being here, I’d suggest you take it up with your superiors. Or better yet. Bring them in here so we can speak to them. Now!” growled Nine.
The three men stared at one another, then back at Billy. He was enjoying this little display of power and just stared at the men.
“All I asked for was a name, mister.”
“Okay. I’ll give you a name. My name is Joe ‘Nine’ Dougall, and this is Gaspar Robicheaux. Look it up.” One of the men gripped his friend’s sleeve and pulled them back out of the room. He whispered to them, then stared back at Billy.
“Sorry, sir, we didn’t know. See ya later, Billy.” When they disappeared, Billy looked at the men, raising their brows.
“Who were the two older men? They were the ones that recognized our names.”
“Gunter Rheinhan and the other is Carey Evers. They’ve been in the department more than thirty years now. The younger guy was Grant Rheinhan, Gunter’s son.”
“How sweet. Nepotism,” frowned Gaspar. “Did we create any issues for you, Billy?”
“No, sir. They’ll ask me a few questions, but it will be okay. My uncle is in the D.A.’s office and hates these guys. They know it, too.”
“Okay. If anything starts to get too difficult, call us, and we’ll get you out of here.”
“I’m alright, sir,” said Billy, smiling at them. “Are you planning to have lunch around here? There are some great restaurants.”
“We were thinking of having lunch at The Shield,” smirked Nine. Billy laughed, shaking his head.
“Yep. You’re connected to the triplets. You guys are just itching to kick up dust and bullshit.”
“Can you tell us about it?” asked Gaspar.
“Just a simple pub with pub food. Burgers, wings, that sort of thing. Simple, except that ninety-nine percent of the crowd are cops or friends of cops. And I use that term loosely. They’ll know that you don’t belong. You might have scared away those three, but these guys are active and retired both. They like to keep their secrets.
“A few years ago, the whole place was investigated because it was accused of refusing service to a bunch of people. Some college kids, a few teachers, a group of nurses who were just trying to do their damn jobs, that kind of thing. Of course, a member of The Shield handled the investigation.”
“A member? Is it a club?”
“Unofficially. Like I said, secrets kept.”
“Is that so,” smiled Nine. “Well, let’s go meet these secret keepers.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Maison Soleil was a beautiful property with small pods of condos situated in the shape of octagons. Each building had eight residences with one to two bedrooms, two bathrooms, luxury kitchens, and all the amenities. Residents could choose to buy their condo or lease it with all the bells and whistles on a month-to-month basis. This was highly recommended for those who might not need long-term accommodations or might not make it long-term.
After all, you never know when your number was up.
Residents could make use of the fully equipped property gym, swimming pool, lap pool, pickleball court, tennis court, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and much more. There were classes for knitting, cooking, yoga, meditation, financial management, and anything else someone would want.
The only requirement was that you had to be at least sixty years old and, of course, be able to afford the outrageous amount of money charged for the privilege of living there.
“The unit we just toured is currently available,” smiled the woman, “but you’ll need to move fast. There’s a list of people wanting to move into our facility. We tend to have a long wait-list, and then you’ll have to be fully vetted for financial approval.”
“Is that so,” smiled Kari. She looked at Grace and Faith and smiled. “Well, my sisters and I are definitely hoping to find a place for our father. He’s getting on in years, and we just can’t handle him any longer.”
