Chapter Twenty-Four
Janet sent her partner a wary glance as they eyed the gray cinder block building that looked like it may have once been a garage before it had been repurposed. The one rather grubby window was lit with neon advertisements for beer brands, and despite the early hour, Ted Nugent’sStrangleholdcould clearly be heard even here on the street.
Situations like this, or rather situations that arose from places like this, made her distinctly uncomfortable, but it had to be done. They’d managed to question everyone in the support group except for this one member who obviously had no intention of returning their calls and they still didn’t have enough concrete evidence to make an arrest. If the killer was stepping up her time frame, it was very likely that she would kill again this Thursday and they didn’t have the manpower available to tail everyone in the group hoping to catch the killer red handed.
But this one… This one Janet had a feeling about. Her belligerence at the meeting, the hostility just beneath the surface. Andromeda Frangos not only fit the profile, but she also tripped all of Janet’s instincts.
“Ready?”
Janet took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. “Ready.”
With a tight nod, Rick pulled the door open and they went inside. As expected, the music was loud, the atmosphere dim, the only well-lit spots were over the pool table near the back where several rough looking men were gathered, as well as over the bar along the left side of the room. On the right, the booming old-time jukebox surrounded by a few booths and tables, threw off rainbow colored lights – the only illumination in that area.
Janet scanned the handful of patrons, the abundance of leather and tattoos on display paired with the number of motorcycles they had spotted in the parking lot, it was pretty easy to determine that this was probably a regular hangout for a club.
“How many do you think are packing?” Rick asked, his eyes moving over the assemblage.
“Best to assume all.” Janet replied, her eyes locking on their target behind the bar and she headed in that direction.
Jet black hair streaked with purple, pale skin, eyes heavily lined with kohl, dressed in black from head to toe. “Andromeda Frangos?”
The woman’s lip curled into a sneer. “No one calls me that,” she snarled, her contemptuous eyes moving from Rick to Janet before they widened with recognition. “Hey, I know you.”
Janet nodded before she presented her badge, “You haven’t returned our calls, Miss Frangos.”
The woman eyed the badges for a moment before she gave a careless shrug. “Been busy.”
“This is important,” Rick grunted, taking a seat while Janet remained standing, not willing to drop her guard the tiniest bit.
Andromeda’s, or rather, Andy’s eyes lit with amusement, “Maybe for you.” She shook her head and let out a little huff of a laugh. “Whatever. You managed to track me down, so what is it you want?”
“Is there someplace quieter we can go to talk?”
Andy shot a sly grin their way and Janet could almost hear what she was thinking: that they were afraid. She’d let the woman think that if it got them what they wanted. A vital part of questioning a witness or a suspect was being able to read facial cues and body language and Janet couldn’t give the woman her full attention if she had to keep one eye on the patrons.
Finally, Andy lifted her shoulder in another shrug before she let out a shrill whistle and yelled, “Hey, Puppy! Watch the bar. I’m taking a smoke break.”
“Puppy?” Rick asked as a young, but extremely tall man in a black Korn t-shirt trotted over to the bar.
Andy ignored the question, glaring up at her replacement and poking him in the chest. “I know exactly how much is in the till – exactly. So no loans. Got it?”
The young man eyed Janet and Rick warily, not even bothering to look at Andy, but nodded, “Got it.”
Following the woman out a back exit, Janet scanned the alley that was littered with papers, cigarette butts, and assorted trash despite the large dumpster that reeked of rotting food. As soon as the door closed behind them, Andy lit a cigarette. “So what’s this all about?”
“We’re hoping you can help us with an investigation.” Rick replied, going for the sweet approach.
Andy took another draw of the cigarette and made a motion with her other hand for him to continue. “You’ve only got until I finish this,” she prompted, exhaling the smoke through her nose. “Any longer and those greedy fucks will have guzzled all the good stuff and my ass’ll be on the line for it.”
“Where were you last Thursday night after the support session?” Janet asked, cutting to the chase.
Andy looked amused. “So am I ‘helping’?” she asked, making little air quotes with her fingers, “Or am I a suspect?”
“That depends on the answer I guess.”
The woman snorted, shook her head, and then took another drag. “Here. I’m always here.”
“Can anyone verify that?”
