| DAY 3 |
| Jeff was just finishing up his daily morning shower. It was a little after noon and Harry peeked his head into the bathroom. �Jeff!� he shouted over the noise of running water, �Telephone!� Jeff couldn�t quite comprehend the words being spoken bu realized there was a voice trying to get his attention. �Huh!?� he shouted back. �Telephone, Jeff!� Harry exclaimed louder. Jeff still couldn�t hear so he slid the door of the bathtub open and stuck his head out, �What is it, Dad?� �Telephone, Jeff,� he repeated back to his son. Another look of puzzlement fell across his face but before he could think too long on it, his father spoke again. �It�s him....� Harry said, hinting that it was the person Jeff was hoping it might be. Jeff nearly jumped out of his skin... and the tub for that matter. �Oh! I�ll be right out. Don�t let him hang up!� Harry paused a moment, smiling to himself in regards to how joyed his son was. And then he realized he�d better get his head out of the bathroom because Jeff was bound to jump out any second. He rinsed his body real quickly and reached his arm out and grabbed his towel. He stepped out of the tub as he wrapped the towel loosely around himself. He was in such a rush that he didn�t even bother tying the towel around his waist, but simply held the towel closed, clenched in his fist. He made his way out to the living room where Harry was waiting next to the sofa with phone in hand up in the air. Jeff rushed over and took the phone from his dad. Harry took a couple steps back and turned around to watch his son. Jeff waved his hand at his father, signaling him to leave the room to give him some privacy. Harry chuckled to himself at Jeff�s boyish crush attitude and left the room. Jeff, his heart beating fast, put the phone to his ear. �G�day,� he said. �Hi, Mr. Mitchell?� the voice on the other end said to him. �Yea, but call me Jeff.� �Okay, Jeff,� the voice said then paused for a brief moment, �This is officer Bud White from the LAPD. I need your help.� Jeff was startled by his first words. They weren�t quite what he was expecting, �What can I help you with, mate?� �The other day, at the LA airport, did you see anything our of the ordinary,� Bud asked. �Are you referring to the guy you busted by the metal detector?� Jeff asked back. �Yeah, I am. Anyway, I noticed you there and then again in front of your hotel. And I was wondering if you�d come down to the office here to make a statement.� Bud�s tone of voice was serious, very professional. �A statement?� Jeff asked. �I really don�t know much about what was going on. I just saw you two struggling.� �Well, the defendant is claiming he wasn�t even at the airport at all that day. I know it sounds strange, but we had no real evidence to keep him, so we had to let him go. And the court needs other eye witnesses to testify to the fact that he was indeed at the airport. I�d like you to come down and pick the guy out of a line-up and make a statement.� �Hmmm..... okay I guess. What time do you want me to come down?� Jeff asked. �2 o� clock. Y�know where our office is?� �No, I�m visiting L.A. from Australia. Only been here a couple days.� �Oh, Australia. That�s quite the trip. You here for any reason?� commented Bud, with a brighter tone of voice, yet still over-all more serious. �Nope. Just a vacation.� �Sounds like fun. Anyway, I�ll have a couple of my guys come over to pick you up around 1:15. Okay?� �Sure. Sound fine.� �All right. Cya then, Jeff. And thanks.� �Yeah, cya later, mate.� And then the phone went to silence. Jeff remained standing there until it hung itself up and went to dial-tone. Harry walked back into the room at that moment. He saw Jeff there holding the phone in front of his body with an empty stare on his face. �Well... you got a date then?� Harry requested with a jolly mood. Jeff hung the phone up and looked back at his father, �Yea.... with the LAPD,� he responded with dismal agitation. �What�s that?� �That struggle at the airport; he wants me to come down and pick the guy out of line-up and make a statement.� �That�s it? Nothing else?� Harry asked, concerned that Jeff might get really down. He knew how important this was to him. Jeff sighed and looked down at the ground. �Oh, Jeff. Don�t let it get to you. It�s not like you even know the guy. He could be happily married for all you know.� But then Harry stopped his speech. He knew that laying the facts out wouldn�t help Jeff feel any better. He�s heard it a dozen times. His son is certainly a special case; he was very much the romantic and his emotions were much more highly sensitized than most. When he was happy, he was ecstatic; obsessing over whatever it was that got him in that mood. And if he ever gets hurt by that which he does dwell on, then it completely sends him into a depression-like state. So Harry knew he better watch what he said at this moment. He wanted to keep his son�s spirits up. �Or maybe there is something there, Jeff. But perhaps business comes first. Maybe you should go down and do what you gotta do and then go from there, mate,� Harry continued, trying to keep the playing field even, so as not to tip Jeff to either side of the balance. �Well they�re sending someone to pick me up at 1:15. I was gonna go just to go.� �Good. But no matter what happens; remember - you�re a good guy, Jeff. Anyone would be lucky to have you.� Jeff scoffed smirkingly and then walked past his father towards the bedroom. Harry turned around quickly and shouted out, �You gonna wear tight pants?� Jeff chuckled to himself and shut the door behind him. ~~~~~ And indeed he did dress �his way� for the occasion; tight blue jeans and his favorite green button-up shirt, which he would tuck in and leave the top three buttons undone, to show off his neck and chest; and a little cologne for the attraction. Jeff strutted out of the bedroom, hands on his belt and posed like a model, �How do I look?� Harry glanced up from his book that he was reading on the sofa, �Go and get �im, Tiger!� Harry smiled. Jeff always dressed the same way whenever he had an important �date.� It gave him a sense of self-confidence. Jeff walked over to a mirror that was hanging on the wall to �fix� his hair. �You gonna eat anything before you go?� �Maybe a little bit,� Jeff responded, running his fingers through his hair, trying to get it to lay just right. �Well, there�s some pancakes on the counter over there.� Jeff grabbed a quick bite and then went to brush his teeth. He fumbled about with his shirt and hair some more. And then when it turned 1 o� clock, he went to Harry for some good luck. �Well, son. Knock �im dead.� Harry smiled and then gave his son a hug and pat on the back.� �Cya, Dad.� ~~~~~ Jeff paced back and forth in the lobby, in front of the entrance doors. He kept glancing out to see if anyone was coming. It was 1:17 and not a sign of anyone yet. And then he saw a figure coming towards the door. It was a young lady. That�s all he could tell until the door opened and she walked through. It was the young secretary that works the front desk. She smiled when she saw Jeff. �Hiya, Jeff,� she said with an extremely pleasant voice. She had her jacket off and was holding it in front of herself. Her arms tightened around it when she started talking to Jeff, almost as if she was getting nervous. �G�day, Hazel,� Jeff replied back to her. He flashed a little smile, just to be nice. �You always work so much? You did the late shift last night.� �Oh, I�m not working today. I just came here to see Lindsay. We were gonna go out and do something. She gets off soon,� Hazel looked down at her feet and started sliding her foot back and forth; an obvious sign of attraction Jeff thought. �Would you like to come with us, Jeff? I�d love your company.� And there it was. Jeff knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. It was just his luck; Jeff was quite used to pretty ladies asking him out, but of course he didn�t day ladies. It was practically a kick in his shin every time. He wish he got this kind of attention from guys. Of course it was highly flattering; made Jeff feel good about himself; but made him wonder why guys never seemed to talk to him. But then Jeff knew the answer to that. A man just can�t be that open about his sexuality if he�s gay; and never have the guts to start talking to someone they like. �It�s so hard to find a guy� Jeff would always think to himself. Jeff put one arm behind his head and ran his fingers through the back of his hair, scratching his head, � Well... actually I can�t. I�m waiting for someone to pick me up.� �Oh......� said Hazel, sounding disappointed. �You remember that gentleman who was looking for me?� �Yea.� �Well, he�s a cop. And the other day I saw something at the airport when I came in, and he wants me to come down to the station to answer some questions and stuff,� Jeff responded, wanting to give her an honest reason why he couldn�t go with her; trying to let her down easily. �Oh... that sounds pretty serious.� �Well.... I�m not really involved in anything. Just gotta pick the guy out of line-up is all.� �Okay, well maybe I�ll see ya later then, Jeff,� she responded, with a little more perkiness, now that she thought he wasn�t purposely trying to ditch out. �Yeah, maybe.� And just at that moment, the hotel doors opened. It was Exley, the gentleman Jeff saw Bud with yesterday. �Bye, Jeff.� �G�bye, mate.� And Hazel continued on her way, and Jeff turned to face the man who had just arrived. �Mr. Mitchell?� the gentleman asked. �Yeah. G�day,� Jeff replied back, extending his hand. The gentleman reached his hand out too, meeting Jeff and giving a handshake, �Hi, I�m Detective Edmund Exley. I�m here on behalf of Officer Bud White to pick you up and take you to the LAPD office.� �Okay,� Jeff said back, kind of nervous, due the amount of seriousness emanating from the young detective. �Well, shall we?� Exley said, motioning with his arm towards the door. �Follow me.� Exley led Jeff outside the hotel and down the sidewalk a few feet. There was a small, blue Pontiac parallel parked along the side of the street in front of the building. It had a single red siren light mounted on top of it, in typical detective style. The car was running, Jeff noticed, and a man behind the wheel. Exley led him over to the passenger side and opened the back door for him. Jeff climbed in and gazed in the front at the driver. He could only see the back of his head and a slight bit of his profile. He was rather young, probably in his early twenties; short black hair, rather good looking too. Exley got in the front passenger seat and shut the door. He turned his head over his shoulder and looked back at Jeff. �This is Officer Kevin Marsh. Kevin, this is Jeff Mitchell. He was at the airport that day and saw the incident. And Bud wanted him to come down to make a statement.� The young officer looked back at Jeff, �Hello.� �G�day, Kevin,� Jeff replied back to the handsome officer. And then Kevin put the car into gear and started to drive off towards the station. ~~~~~ The car came to a stop in front of a brick building in the middle of another busy street. Exley opened his door and put one leg out and then turned his head over his shoulder again. �Here we are,� he said to Jeff then turned his head to look at Kevin, �I�ll catch you later, Kevin.� �Cya, Detective.� Jeff climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him, as did Detective Exley. Kevin put the car back into gear and drove off. Exley jerked his head towards the building, signaling Jeff to follow him inside. The two entered the old brick LAPD office. Straight through the door was a hallway that stretched a few feet. Bulletin boards hung on either side, cluttered with articles and papers. A murmur of noise could be heard from the other end of the hall. As Jeff got to the end of the hall, he instantly looked left, towards the source of the murmur. There was a main desk there, with an officer standing behind it. He was arguing with a small crowd of people with notepads and cameras. �Get out! You are disrupting our work! We�re trying to protect the people here, so if you don�t mind!� shouted the officer behind the desk. �Oh come on! The people have the right to know what�s going on. And I know something�s going down here today. Come on, give us an inch,� replied one of the woman in the small mob. Jeff assumed the crowd to be a group of reporters. Just then a couple officers came out of a door. The man behind the desk motioned his hands, telling the officers to get this crazy bunch of people out of the office building. The two men herded the group of shouting reporters outside. They lurched past Exley and Jeff and yelled questions all the way out the door. Exley turned towards Jeff, �Those damn reporters caught wind of the little scene going down here today involving that incident at the airport, and they�ve been busting our chops ever since.� He paused a moment, then walked over to the officer behind the desk and had a few words with him, then turned back to Jeff. �This way, Jeff.� And Exley walked to the door the previous 2 officers had come out of. Jeff headed across the room and followed Exley through. Jeff was now in a small room that had a few desks lined up down two rows. Each desk had a computer monitor and keyboard on it, and many had stacks of papers sitting off to the side. There were a couple more officers near the wall staring into a glass window. And next to the window was a door. Exley told Jeff to stay where he was standing, that he and Bud will be right there. Exley walked across the room and stood next to the other 2 men who were still staring intently through the window. Jeff couldn�t quite see what was going on behind the glass. But he noticed a man walk by the window quickly. After the man walked by, the doorknob on the door next to the window turned and then opened. Jeff�s eyes perked up when he saw Bud step out and close the door behind him. Bud was wearing dark slacks again. His button-up shirt and suit jacket were replaced with a simple white tank top. Also he had a gun holster strapped around his body with a hand gun secured away under his right arm. His entire body was soaked with sweat; making his big biceps glisten. Where the tank top revealed his chest, you could see some matted down hairs. Jeff could barely contain himself at the breath-taking sight. He felt his member engorge and press against his tight jeans. He tugged at his pants, repositioning himself, trying to give himself some room to breath. Then Bud turned towards Jeff just while he was finishing up on himself. Jeff stopped abruptly and crossed his arms in front of his chest, kind of embarrassed, hoping Bud didn�t see him do that. Bud smiled slightly at him and then wiped his brow that was dripping with sweat with the back of his hand. Jeff couldn�t help but to stare at his under arm as he raised it up. His heart began to beat rapidly. And then Bud started walking his direction. As Bud approached, Jeff extended his hand out for a shake. Bud stopped a couple steps in before him and put his hands on his hips. �I�d shake, but my hands are pretty sweaty,� Bud said to Jeff. �Oh I don�t mind,� Jeff replied. He truly didn�t; turned him on a great deal actually. So Bud reached out and returned the handshake. �Hi. I�m Officer Bud White. Nice to meet you,� he said. �G�day. I�m Jeff Mitchell.� Jeff bit his lip and tried hard not to eye him up and down. He really wanted to; to check out his nice body wearing that tank top. But he didn�t want to startle him, in case, well....if he wasn�t.... �Well, why don�t we begin. Follow me.� And Bud started walking towards one of the desks that was in the room. He pulled out the chair and motioned for Jeff to have a seat. So Jeff did so. Then Bud opened a manila envelope and took out a piece of paper and laid it on the table in front of Jeff, and he also reached for a pen and put it on top of the piece of paper. �Well here�s a form I�d like you to fill out. Pretty much here at the top,� and he pointed, �is a request for some basic info...your name and etc... And then below,� he pointed again, �just fill out approximate time and the date of the incident at the airport and such. And finally here,� he pointed further down the paper, �in this big blank area, just write down all the details you remember from the event.� Jeff took the pen in his hand and looked over the paper and then up at Bud, �Okay. No problem.� �When you�re done, come and get me. I�ll be right out in the main lobby,� and he pointed to the door they entered this room in. �Thanks.� And then Bud walked over to Exley and started talking. Jeff looked over at Bud, now having a chance to properly check him out. He felt himself getting aroused again through his blue jeans. He reached under the table and wrapped his hand around his erection and tugged a couple times, trying to get it some free space to grow. And then Bud and Exley walked out of the room. Once he vanished from sight, Jeff got to work on filling out the form. ~~~~~ He made his way across the room and through the door. Bud and Exley were standing by the main desk talking to the officer seated there. Bud had a towel in his hand was wiping underneath his arms; getting all the sweat off him. Jeff paused a moment, allowing himself the quick perv. But then Bud turned his head and spotted Jeff standing at the doorway. Jeff could almost feel himself blush; �Gosh, I let him catch me perving twice now� he thought to himself. �Oh, you�re done. Great, Jeff,� and he walked over to Jeff. Jeff handed the paper over to him and Bud took it and rolled it up and kept it in his hand. �Okay, now for the line-up, Jeff. Follow me once again.� And Bud started walking and opened another door in the lobby. Jeff followed. There was another small corridor with a few doors on either side. They passed by the first row of doors and Bud opened the second door on the left. He held it open for Jeff and Jeff walked into the room. It was a simple room; a small desk off to the side next to a couple filing cabinets. And on one wall was another see- through window looking into a grey room with numbers written on the wall in bold, black paint. Bud walked over to the desk and pressed a little red button that was on a black console attached to the end of the desk. A short moment passed; Jeff was gazing through the glass window; and then the door in the other room opened and group of five men got herded in followed by Detective Exley. Jeff saw Exley�s lips moving but couldn�t hear a thing, and he pointed alongside the wall. The 5 men lined up in a neat order along the wall and faced directly forward, staring blankly, straight at Jeff. Jeff felt a little uneasy standing there. He knew it was a one-way mirror, and the five men wouldn�t be able to see his face, but it still left him with a chill surging through his body. �All right, Jeff. All you gotta do is study these 5 guys closely, and if you see the gentleman you saw me struggling with at the airport, just point him out with the numbers above their heads.� Jeff studied the line of men attentively. When he got over to #4, his eyes instantly refocused. It was him. He was wearing much different clothing, but Jeff could tell. And then he looked at the last man, just for the sake of being fair of judgement. Jeff turned towards Bud who was staring through the window himself with hands on his obliques still holding on to the paper Jeff had filled out. He had the towel wrapped around his neck for quick use, since it was so hot in the office building. �So? What do you think?� Bud asked, eager for his answer hoping he�d know so they could wrap this case up. �Number 4,� Jeff replied, and looked back at the window towards the guy. �You absolutely positive?� Bud asked, doing his job. The witness had to be 100% sure. �Yes.� �Okay,� and then Bud walked back over to the desk. He put his hand to that black console and flipped a switch next to the red button. He put his mouth down to the console and spoke, �Number 4, Exley.� And Bud flipped the switch back. Jeff looked back into the window and saw that an officer had entered and was escorting the other men out and Exley walked #4 out himself. �Will you come over here for a second?� Bud asked. Jeff walked over to the desk. Bud put that paper on the desk and flipped it over. He handed Jeff a pen, �If you would, circle the number of the man you picked and sign your name here.� Jeff did so and put the pen down. Bud collected his paper and walked over towards the exit of the room. Then he turned back to face Jeff. �I have a couple things to take care of. Could you wait on in the lobby? There�s something I have to talk to you about.� �Sure, I guess, mate,� Jeff responded back to the officer. And then Bud left and disappeared down the hall. Jeff stood a moment taking the entire situation in, and then returned to the lobby. He took a seat on a sofa across from the main desk. The officer there was reading a newspaper. He had looked when Jeff came through the door but then went back to his reading. Jeff remained on the sofa for about 15 minutes; his eyes dancing around the room, looking at all the news articles and plaques. Finally the man at the desk looked up from his paper once again and saw Jeff still sitting there. �Is there anything I can assist you with, sir?� �Nah. I was just waitin� for Officer White.� �You got business with him?� the man asked. �Well I was here to pick someone out of a line-up...� �Oh, you�re the guy that Bud�s been talking about.� �Yeah. And he asked me to stay. Said he had something he had to talk to me about. But he has a couple things to take care of first.� �Well, okay,� he said and then went back to reading his paper. Another 10 minutes passed by and Jeff began to wonder if he had forgotten about him. He was just standing up to go ask the officer if he could go get Officer White, when the door opened and Bud stepped through. He was dressed back in his short-sleeved dress shirt and tie. He had his suit jacket off and thrown around his arm. He walked over to Jeff. �Sorry it took so long,� Bud said apologetically; the first time Jeff could feel some honest sympathy and niceness to his voice. �No worries, mate.........so... what did you want to talk about?� Jeff asked, curious as to what it was. He had told him nothing else he had to do over the phone. Bud took a few steps, brushing past Jeff, towards the exit of the building, then he turned to face his profile at Jeff and then motioned with his head towards hall, �Come, let�s walk.� And Bud began down the hall. Jeff started at a quick pace, to catch up with him and then walked leisurely behind him. Once they got outside; standing under the direct heat of the sun; Bud turned towards Jeff. �I�m hungry. Let�s say we go grab some grub. My treat.� �Oh, I can pay for myself, mate. But I�m quite famished myself, seems like I haven�t eaten for yonks.� �Nonsense. I wanna buy you lunch,� Bud responded. Jeff could barely contain himself when he heard those words. His heart started beating his fast, and a smile slid over his heart; making him feel ever so light. While Jeff was trying to take his words in, Bud responded back with even more small talk. �So, you�re from Australia, huh?� Bud asked. �Yup,� Jeff replied with a simple one word answer; still too much in shock for any intelligent conversation. �How long are you here for?� Jeff had trouble doing any kind of minor thinking; trying to calculate in his head the number of days he had left before he headed home. He was silent for a moment during the process. �.......About 4 more days. Leaving this Saturday.� �Oh....,� Bud immediately responded; almost even sounding a bit saddened by the news. And then Bud started walking down the sidewalk; Jeff instantly walking beside him. �So, where we going for lunch, mate?� �Oh, it�s a small place just around the corner here. They got nice food at a decent price. Half the LAPD eats there practically.� �Sounds good.� ~~~~~ A shroud of uncomfortable silence fell between the two during the rest of their walk to the restaurant. Jeff certainly didn�t know what to say. He really liked Bud but if he came on too strong and if he wasn�t gay then he�d just offend him. And Jeff didn�t want that. And Bud; who knew what exactly he was thinking. Buying Jeff lunch was a nice gesture, especially for strangers, but then again he could just be a friendly person, and as a cop, wanted to thank him for his time in coming down to the station. So Jeff really didn�t know how to play this situation. So, he decided it best to just ride it out and see where it was taking him. ~~~~~ They stepped through the doors of the small caf�. The lighting in the place wasn�t all that bright, which made for a more laid-back atmosphere. Bud immediately walked towards the back of the restaurant, towards a little cozy seating arrangement in the corner. Jeff scanned the area, noticing there wasn�t anyone else there except for a lady who appeared to work there. She approached them. �Hey, Bud, good to see you, hon,� the lady said extremely jubilantly. She was holding a coffee pot and was wearing an apron. She had a notebook stuffed in a pocket of her apron and a pencil pushed through her hair, which she wore pinned up. �Oh, Shirley! Hello. How you doin�?� �Can�t complain, sugar. And you?� �Never better,� and then Bud kept walking and took a seat in the booth. Jeff took a seat across from him. Shirley came over to their table. �Aren�t ya gonna introduce me to your friend, Bud?� Shirley asked as she was pouring a cup of coffee for the two. �Oh yeah. This is Jeff Mitchell,� he said to the lady and motioning his hand towards Jeff. And then he looked at Jeff, �And, Jeff, this is Shirley Radencic, the best hostess in the West.� �Oh, Bud. You over-exaggerate.� �I do not!� he ejaculated. �Don�t let her fool you, Jeff. She is the best around.� Bud gave a quick wink at Shirley. �Well, nice to meet you, Jeff,� she paused; placed the coffee pot on the table, and took out her notebook and pencil then looked at Bud, �So what�ll be? Usual 1 or 2?� Bud rubbed his chin for a second, �Ummmm..... I think I�ll go with Usual 1 this time.� She turned to Jeff and pulled a menu out of her apron and handed it to him, �Here you go, hon, take a look and gimme a holler when you�re ready.� �Okay, thanks.� Jeff opened the menu and Shirley bustled off to get on Bud�s order. Jeff was eyeing the menu; remarking to himself about the amount of variety available for such a quaint restaurant. And as far as what to order, Jeff was trying to keep in low in price; it may be a free meal, but it�s hard to order a lot with a clear conscience, knowing that someone else is picking up the tab. Once he decided, Jeff called Shirley over. �I�ll take the ham sandwich.� �And what else would you like with that, hon?� Shirley asked as she was writing his order on the notebook. �That�s it.� �Oh, Jeff, get more than that. I said I wanted to buy you lunch, not a quick snack.� Bud said smiling, amused with Jeff�s polite manners. �Shirley, why don�t you hook him up with the full combo: sandwich, soup, salad, and drink. That sound good, Jeff?� �Yeah, sure.� Jeff replied, delighted that Bud wanted to, but still uneasy that he was taking for free. �What kind of soup; vegetable, chicken, or tomato?� �Vegetable.� �And what do you want to drink with that?� �Pepsi, please.� �Okay, coming right up.� And Shirley left into the back once again. Jeff grabbed some creamer and sugar and used his spoon to stir his coffee. He still didn�t know what to say around Bud. Normally he wouldn�t be so shy, but then again that was with �dates,� and since Bud wasn�t a �date,� then all normalcy went out the window. Bud took a sip of his coffee then sat his cup on the table in front of him, holding it with both of his hands on the sides of the cup. He waited until the next time Jeff looked up and made eye contact. �So, Jeff, the reason I asked you here; what I wanted to talk to you about....� Bud started. Jeff�s ears perked up, hanging on what would be his next few words. But right as Bud started to open his mouth again, the caf� doors jingled as they opened. It was Detective Exley and Officer Marsh. �Hey, Bud!� �Yo, Bud!� Exley and Marsh shouted across the otherwise silent diner, preventing Bud and Jeff�s oncoming conversation. �Hey, guys,� Bud replied in a soft shout-out, not really enthused to see the guys because it pretty much ruined the opportunity for why he had brought Jeff here. They made their way across the diner to the back table, and took a seat; Exley sitting next to Bud and Officer Marsh next to Jeff. Jeff got squished back into the corner next to the window. The 3 started talking about cop stuff, which made Jeff feel completely left out. Shirley brought over Bud�s usual; chicken breast sandwich, side salad, and a large A&W Cream Soda. �There ya go, Bud.� And then she turned her attention to the newcomers. �Edmond! Kevin! How ya doin�?� �Good.� �Great.� �Can I get you two anything?� �Nah, just a visit,� Exley responded. �No, I�m good,� replied Kevin. �All right. Jeff, your meal is almost ready.� �Okay,� Jeff replied. The 3 went back to official cop talk, Jeff on the sidelines; Bud felt bad about it but couldn�t really do anything about it. Shirley brought Jeff�s meal to him. �There ya go, hon.� �Thanks.� And Jeff slowly began to eat his food. Then Bud�s walkie-talkie went off. �Attention all officers. Robbery in progress at the First National Bank. Any available officers please report to the scene. Again, robbery in progress at First National Bank. All available officers please report to the scene.� Exley responded, �Shit! That�s just right around the corner!� And he stood up out of the booth. �Come on, guys, let�s get a move on!� Officer Marsh hopped up immediately, and the two started across the diner towards the exit. But remained sitting for a second. �Come on, Bud! Let�s go!� shouted Exley. Bud looked over at Jeff and flashed an emotion of apology. �I�m sorry, Jeff, I gotta go.� And he grabbed his suit jacket and sprung from his seat. He reached into his wallet and put some money on the table. �I understand,� replied Jeff. As he walked off, Bud added, �I�ll stop by your hotel later today.� �Okay, cya then, mate.� Jeff watched as they left the diner, leaving him sitting all to himself with his free meal. He fixed his eyes on the money on the table and chuckled to himself. �Such the gentleman.� He finished off his meal in silence. Shirley brought over the tab. Jeff checked to see if the money Bud left would cover it; it did, and about 10 left over which Jeff kept there as a tip. As he walked towards the exit, Shirley said goodbye and Jeff returned the gesture. ~~~~~ He walked around the block to pass some time and to clear his head. Of course he was highly disappointed their time got cut off, but at least it wasn�t because Bud wanted to. Plus Bud had told him that he would stop by later in the day. It was just past 4:30 when Jeff waltzed through the door of the hotel room. Harry was on the sofa, still reading. He looked up and saw his son. �Well, mate, what�s the verdict?� Jeff plopped down onto the sofa next to his father and buried the back of his head into the softness of it. He put his hands over his face and sighed into his palms. �Not so good, then?� Harry asked. �Well... not quite bad, not quite the best.� �Oh?� And Jeff went off into explanation of everything that had happened. |