To: 
From: "Jay  P Hailey" 
Reply-To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com


Title:Water Dictatorship
Author: Jay P. Hailey (JayPHailey{at}tic1.net) Series: Vista City
Part: 06/11
Rating [PG]

"Shane what have you been telling the man about our business?" 
Marlowe took a seat at their table.

"He's after some deep background for an article he's writing.  Wired
or something."  Chee said.

"Is that what you told him, Detective?"  Marlowe asked.

"Detective?"  Chee said confused.

"No, Sir.  I never said any such thing."  Angelo said.

"What do you mean Detective?"  Chee squeaked.

"Show him your ID."  Marlowe said.

Angelo shrugged.  He could refuse but it wouldn't gain him anything.  He
fished out his papers and showed them to Chee.

"You're not a reporter at all, you bastard!"  Chee snarled.

"I think lunch time is over for you, Shane."  Marlowe said.

"Yeah,"  Chee pushed his chair back.  He snickered at Angelo 
"Bad move, Pig.  Kiss your pension good-bye."  He walked away
chuckling.

Angelo looked at Marlowe.  "Kiss my pension good-bye?"

Marlowe shook his head.  "Shane's young.  He likes to throw his weight
around.  I'll tell you what, Detective.  Just to show that there's nothing
being hidden I'll answer your questions, right now."

"Thank you Mr. Marlowe."  Angelo said.

"There's a condition, of course."  Marlowe added.

"What's that?"

"You answer one of my questions for every one of yours I answer."

"Sounds fair."  Angelo admitted.

"Fine.  You first."  Marlowe gestured Angelo ahead.

"When did you meet Randi?"

"Two years ago at an industry meeting.  The Consumer Electronics Show
in Las Vegas.  When did you meet her?"

"1983, at UCLA.  She helped me set up experiments using the computers.
 We both got credit."  Angelo admitted.  "How did you two get
together?"

"When I met her, she was approaching burnout.  We became close.  I
offered her a way out of the high pressure executive track.  She took me up
on it. What happened with your relationship with Randi?"

"She dumped me.  Claimed my prospects weren't bright enough for
her." Angelo admitted.  "How long had she been taking
pills?"

"How odd.  You didn't tell her who your parents are?"  Marlowe asked.

"No.  I try to get by on my own."  Angelo said.  "What about
the pills?"

Marlowe sighed.  "Yes, well, you know that Wild Bill Dornan runs a
real sweatshop up there in Seattle.  He put such high expectations on his
people that there was no way for a human being to maintain production
except with drugs.  That's was part of how Randi coped with the
demands."

"But you took her away from all that."  Angelo prompted.

"Well, yes and no."  Marlowe said.  "She was free of Wild
Bill's slave driver tactics,  but our attempts to treat her addiction to
the pills were not successful."

"I'm sorry."  Angelo said.

"Have you been carrying a torch around for Randi all this time?" 
Marlowe asked.

Angelo shrugged.  "I can't answer that with a yes or a no."

"Well, I'm afraid that you'll have to seek closure on this in your own
way. Do you have any evidence that there was foul play involved in Randi's
death?"  Marlowe asked.

"Nothing concrete."  Angelo admitted.

"That's because there is nothing concrete there, Detective.  Poor
Randi just drove herself off a cliff.   I have a hell of a time wrapping my
brain
around it, myself, but there it is."  Marlowe said.

"I am a great fan of the truth.  Given half a chance, the facts of
this will point out the truth."  Angelo said.

"You really value your work don't you?"  Marlowe asked.

"Yes, Sir."  Angelo said honestly.

"Well, Detective, if I were to sue you for unethical conduct in this
matter, what do you think the reaction of your bosses would be?" 
Marlowe said.

"Hmm.  That's hard to speculate about."  Angelo said.

"Your status as a Detective is in jeopardy, Angelo.  My lawyer is
chomping at the bit to get his hooks into you.  This latest incident can
only incite him further.  Even with the best lawyers that your father can
buy for you, I don't expect that your career would survive two
firings."  Marlowe stated. "I'm speaking as a friend of your
family now.  Don't throw away something you treasure on nothing.  It's not
worth it."

"What are you trying to say, exactly?"  Angelo asked.  He had the
uncomfortable feeling that he already knew.

"In plain language, Detective, I'm telling you to drop this matter and
return to Vista City.  There's nothing for you here.  If you stay and keep
poking your nose into my business, then I'll let my lawyer sue you.
Afterwards, you won't even be able to get hired as a dog catcher.  Is that
clear enough?"  Marlowe's eyes were cold.  This was business now.

"I'll take it under advisement."  Angelo said quietly.  He'd been
threatened before, but never by such means.  Threats of violence could be
out thought or out shot.  How could you defeat a superior legal team? 
Angelo paid the tab and left.

"Don't forget, Detective.  Out of my business and out of Los Angeles,
or I won't be responsible for the consequences."  Marlowe said as he
left.

-*-

Angelo returned to the Century Hilton.  As he walked into his room he met
two men there.  They were big in the "ex-college-jock" way.  One
had blond hair that was receding rapidly.  The other one was hispanic with
a large handle-bar mustache and mean eyes.

"Hello."  Angelo said.  His gun appeared in his hand.  He was too
used to finding strangers in his place to trust them.  He recognized Mangar
and Souza, two of Brown's favorite homicide detectives.

Both Souza and Mangar pulled their guns, too.  Angelo could have shot them
in the mean time, but he couldn't bring himself to.  If they meant to hurt
him, they wouldn't have been standing in the room like a couple of target
dummies, they would have been hiding in ambush.

"Put that goddamn thing down, Mancuso."  Souza, the blond
snarled.  "You know us."

"That's why I drew it."  Angelo drawled.

"You're threatening LAPD officers with a gun.  It would be a good
shoot." Mangar, the hispanic man said.

Angelo waved his gun absently more towards Mangar.  "For Souza, maybe."

The big blond man put his gun away.  "You pissed Captain Brown off but
good, Mancuso."

Mangar and Angelo stood facing each other.  Angelo didn't feel safe around
Mangar.  Mangar's eyes burned with resentment.

"Yeah,"  Angelo commented to Souza.  "He and I have a
special relationship."

"He's been on the phone all morning to your office in Vista City,
trying to raise hell for you back there."  Souza said.

Mangar looked at Souza, and then back at Angelo.  He said  "Put the
gun down, or I'll kill you."

Angelo tightened his grip on the gun and brought into a direct aim at
Mangar.  Mangar started and realized that he was staring down the barrel of
Angelo's Glock.  Death was just a squeeze away now.  Mangar began to sweat
and go gray.  He raised his gun to point at Angelo's head.  "I said
put the fucking gun down!"

Angelo was really worried.  Mangar might pull the trigger at any second. 
He didn't mean to push the bully into a corner like that.  Now, If Angelo
did put the gun down, Mangar might try to beat him.  That would prove to
Mangar that he was still tougher than anyone.  If Angelo kept the gun aimed
at Mangar, Mangar would eventually be forced to shoot to prove that Angelo
couldn't push him.  "What's this guy doing with a badge?"  Part
of Angelo's brain yelled.

Souza reached out and gently pushed Mangar's arm to the side.  "That's
enough."

Angelo quickly brought his gun down by his side.

"God damn it, whose side are you on?"  Mangar snarled to Souza.

"There'll be another time."  Souza said.

Mangar turned away with his face burning red.  He holstered his weapon.

Angelo put his gun away.  "What can I help you with, today, gentlemen?"

"We're your escort Angelo."  Souza said.

"Escort?"

"You're getting the fuck out of Dodge on the noon stage."  Mangar said.

Angelo looked at Souza.

"That's correct.  Brown told us to escort down to the airport and onto
a plane back north."

"Really?  Can he do that?"  Angelo asked.  He knew very well that
it was a violation of his civil rights.

"I can."  Mangar snarled.

"Don't make any more trouble for yourself than you have to."  Souza warned.

Angelo sighed and counted his options.  "All right.  Let me pack."



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