Felony Jones

Vacancies

     It had been about six hours since Felony got home from her lunch with David when the phone rang. Toshiro had picked up the extension before her, confusing her at first, which wasn't difficult considering the day she had and the shape she was in.

"I've got it Toshiro, thank you." She heard him hang up. "Hello? Yes, this is her...who?...William Rhodes? I don't know any—wait, William Rhodes?...is he about six foot, a hundred and eighty pounds, black hair—has a small tattoo on the back of his left hand?...Goddamn it...yeah, I know who he is. Where is he?...Aw, fuck! Okay, I'll be there in a little while, thanks."

Felony sat up in bed, disoriented. She stared at her watch for a few seconds then looked at her window blinds, trying to figure out if it was day or night, before throwing the covers off her. William Rhodes was Billy Street, and he was in the city morgue laying on a slab, and the only thing in his wallet, other than a library card and seventeen dollars, was Felony's business card. He had been found strangled to death in a West Hollywood motel.

About an hour later Felony was looking through a large window, staring at Billy laying on a table with a white sheet covering him up to his neck. She heard a door open behind her and turned to see David walking toward her. "My office paged me and told me you wanted me to meet you down here. What's going on?"

"Well, I found Billy Street—a little too late unfortunately. He had my business card on him—they didn't know who else to call...his real name is William Rhodes."

"What happened to him?" David asked.

"Strangled..." Felony thought for a moment then asked, "Tell me something, did you talk to anybody about Billy? Tell anybody I had been looking for him?"

David looked at her curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just strange, I tell you about Billy, and now he's in the morgue. Someone seems to not like the people I'm talking to, or what I'm asking them. I'd just like to know who's in the loop because it's becoming a serious problem for my witnesses if you haven't noticed. I need to know who to put on my list of suspects..."

"Felony...what are you saying? You can't think I had something to do with this."

"Of course not—I'm not saying that. I just want to know who you told? Who knew I was talking to Nicholas and Billy?"

"Well, a few people. They had to know who—"

"Did you tell Perdue?"

David hesitated. "Yeah, he was one of them. He happened to call me just after I talked to you, he had a few questions. I told him what you were up to. You aren't seriously thinking he had something to do with this, are you?" Felony didn't answer immediately. She turned back to the window and looked at Billy, then after a long pause she said, "I'm not putting anything past anyone at this point. I don't know who he's told, and who they've told, and so on. Listen, for now, will you keep the information just between us? Someone, or some people around you aren't playing by the rules, that's all I'm saying."

"What am I supposed to tell Perdue?"

"Just bullshit him..."

"That's not me, you know that."

Felony flashed him an oversize smile. "I know, but do me this favor, okay? Oh, also, can you have the business card checked for fingerprints?"

"I'll see what I can do." As David stared through the window at Billy, Felony turned around and leaned on the window.

"Listen, about today—I just want to say I'm really happy for you. Honestly."

"Thank you. It was a weird day all around, so—"