Throwaway People

Stalkers

Lake Worth, Lost Tea Shop: 10:15 AM

Key watched an old man who was walking past the cafe. He stopped and stared at Key for a while, then walked on. The old man hadn't recognized Key, but she remembered him as a bad date. One she couldn't always avoid. Terri had pointed him out from the beginning as a bad date. Not so bad that they would avoid him, but not one they particularly liked.

The kids called him Grandpa. Not out of affection, but simply because he was so old. The old man would talk dirty, insult his dates, and pay extra to spank them. That was one reason that the kids would date him as a client. He did pay them and tipped as well. As long as they put up with the abuse.

Key wondered if he was the 'old bastard' that Patty was talking about. Key didn't know why he would be interested in Patty, Grandpa preferred young girls. Patty was twenty years too old for him. She made a mental note to ask Patty what the 'old bastard' looked like.

Lake Worth Corridor: 11:30 AM

Jim had worked his way from the Tri-Lakes Plaza up to the corner of LakeWorth and Jog. He had crossed the street to the plaza on the corner where Jim was doing a brisk business selling his bottled water. Before Jim drew too much attention he decided to cross Lake Worth Road again and head back down to Military.

There was an old Steak and Shake on Lake Worth Road that had closed down over fifteen years ago. The shell of that building still remained intact. It was here that Jim saw that blue sedan pull up. Two men got out of the sedan and headed Jim's direction. Jim looked and saw a clear path across the street. Jim ran out to the medium as the men approached. He had to stand there for a while, as the traffic on the other side began to clear. As Jim waited for the cars to pass by so he could cross, Jim saw the men debating what to do.

Jim could tell that they wanted to run across, but they couldn't do anything in such a public area as a highway medium. These were not gang punks. There were professional thugs that were well aware of what would happen if they attacked James in public. Both men went back to the sedan as Jim crossed the street. Jim went on down Lake Worth Road towards Military.

Jim didn't take a step off of Lake Worth Road until he reached the Lake Wood Plaza across from a Target. Jim decided that it was time to deal with the blue sedan that was still following him down Lake Worth Road. He walked across the parking lot into the plaza. Jim sold his water at the plaza while keeping an eye out for the blue sedan. It parked in the parking lot. In a space off to the side under the trees so that they could watch him.

Jim continued to keep his eye on the sedan when he noticed that it had only one occupant. The driver. That meant that the other man who was Hispanic was wandering the crowds. Jim continued down the plaza until he came to the far end. There he turned the corner off to the side of a restaurant. Jim knew that the pizzeria was frequented by the sheriff deputies.

Jim sat back and waited. Jorge was thrilled as he came around the corner to confront Jim. Until he looked in a side window and saw a sheriff deputy sitting at a table. The deputy looked distracted by his phone, but Jorge knew from experience that these deputies survived by being aware of their surroundings.

"Hey, Gringo. Lets go down the street a little." Jorge smiled at Jim. As though that would put Jim off his guard.

"I'm staying right here." Jim said. "I don't know you, but I understand the man behind the wheel is Perro Loco. My girlfriend said you tried to get her to go into your car."

"You better not let Senor Lobo hear you call him that." Jorge was uncomfortable. The man in front of him wasn't afraid. He wasn't used to that. "We heard you got Gatita Sexa hidden in your camp. That you are banging her there on a regular basis. She is our Gatita, you don't get to fuck her for free. You owe us."

"Haven't laid a finger on your Gatita." Jim said. "I don't even know her. Patty said a girl named Kitty, if that is who you are talking about, went off to Tampa. If that is the girl you want, try looking in Tampa. As for owing you. You can go screw yourself."

"Gringo, if it wasn't for that cop at the table in there I'd cut you." Jorge didn't like being told off by a bum like Jim.

Jim looked into the hard eyes of the professional thug. "I don't want trouble, but I can give you problems if you harass me. I told you, this Gatita or Kitty, she's in Tampa. So, stop bothering us."

Jim took his cart and walked around Jorge. As he did so, Andy pulled up with the blue sedan. He gave Jim a hard look. Jim made eye contact. Jorge was a tough thug, but Andy's eyes revealed more than hard, cold thug. There was crazy in those eyes. No wonder these people called Andy Perro Loco behind his back.

As the sedan picked up Jorge Jim decided it was time to do something about them. He memorized the license plate. It was personalized. 'El Lobo'. It seemed out of place on the light blue sedan that was an S.E., but otherwise nothing special.

Jim walked down the street. He kept looking for a phone that hadn't been vandalized. There were plenty of pay phones on the streets. Few of them were in working condition. Jim finally found one at a gas station on the corner of 10th and Military.

Jim dialed 911.

"Nine One One dispatcher. Please state your emergency." Came the voice over the phone.

"I just saw two men in a pale blue sedan in the parking lot of Silver Oaks plaza try to pick up a little girl. I think I scared them off. The little girl ran away when I showed up. The license plate was specialty plate 'El Lobo'."

Jim hung up and went to the nearby empty parking lot. He crossed over to a empty building. Slipped into the Silver Oaks Plaza and then into the Green Acres Mobile Park. He kept a low presence until he reached Fresco. There he waited for the girls to show up. This included Bobbi.

Jim wished that he could see those two when a Sheriff Deputy pulled them over. They were too professional to threaten a law enforcement officer. They might run. Dumping any guns, drugs, as they drove off. Jim doubted they would do that. It would be easier to just be arrested then get bailed out.

Jim didn't take into account that this was a professional thug. As the officer lit Andy up it took a simple phone call to Jose. Andy pulled over in the Silver Oaks Plaza. As the officer checked his ID Andy waited for the other car to show up. It didn't take long.

The two officers consulted. Andy got his fake ID back and was done. He took off while the two officers continued to talk. One was an honest deputy, the other was a distraction, who told the deputy that the 911 call had been a fake. Made by a pay phone next door.

Andy had seen Water Jim go into the Green Acres Mobile Home Park. He drove through it finding nothing. He pulled back onto the Trail to arrive at Fresco. He did a slow pass into the parking lot. He found Water Jim talking to one of the other bums. Andy watched the two of them talk. He parked where he thought Water Jim could see him.