A Mighty Fortress by S.D. Thames Page A

was just him and this Angie?”
    I shook my head. “There were two others there. Another woman, a blonde, and some buff, nerdy-looking guy with a ponytail.”
    He was still taking notes. “The blonde, can you describe her a little more?”
    “I didn’t get a good look at her, but to use your term, she did look a little like a porn star, too. A lot like Angie, but she was probably ten years older, a little rounder. Maybe some plastic surgery around the edges.”
    “So this Angie, then, what was she, about twenty?”
    “I doubt a day older than twenty.”
    “And the blonde?”
    “Like I said, maybe thirty going on forty.”
    “So, like the MILF type?”
    “I guess you could say that.”
    Just then, C-Rod returned with two cups of coffee. I didn’t have to worry about him poisoning me, because one cup was for him and the other for his partner. After Shields thanked him, C-Rod looked to me. “You didn’t want one, did you, Porter?”
    Shields answered for me. “We were just talking about a MILF, C-Rod. Sorry you missed it.”
    C-Rod’s eyes were burning hotter than the coffee he was holding.
    Shields got us back on track. “So when you were at Armani’s, you didn’t see any other goons with Scalzo? Say, like a three-hundred pound Italian?”
    I knew he was talking about Kiki, but I hadn’t seen him at Armani’s, so I shook my head.
    “Is that a no?” C-Rod asked.
    “That’s a no,” I said. “I didn’t see him at Armani’s.”
    “You see him anywhere else?” C-Rod asked with a dead glare.
    I answered his question but looked to Shields. “He stopped by the condo when I was leaving in the morning. I think he was taking Angie somewhere.”
    “Where?” C-Rod asked.
    “I think on a date,” I told Shields, who was still taking notes.
    He set his pen down again. “Anything else you think we should know?”
    “Like I said, I didn’t know this Scalzo guy. I just served him.”
    “Just doing your job, right?” Shields asked like a good cop.
    “That’s right.” I checked the time again. I was starting to feel claustrophobic, and maybe a bit anxious. I slid my card across the table. “Feel free to call me if you have any other questions, lieutenants. But if you don’t mind, I got a lot of work to do today.”
    Shields picked up my card and read it carefully, as though searching for some hidden clue. “P-I-P. Porter Investigations and Process. That has a nice ring to it.” He dropped the card in his shirt pocket. “He must be a good investigator, eh, Chris?”
    C-Rod grumbled something while his eyes tried to drill a hole in me. “Actually, I have another question,” he said abruptly. “Who the hell did that to your face?”
    “Yeah, you missed that part, too,” Shields said.
    “So enlighten me,” C-Rod said.
    “Like I told your partner, a couple of goons tagged me last night.”
    “You don’t say. You press charges?”
    I shook my head. “Didn’t see the point.”
    He was studying me hard now, and I knew the money shot was coming. “You said you didn’t go back to Scalzo’s place after Armani’s. Did you see him anywhere else?” C-Rod had a way of getting under your skin. Good bad cop.
    I reminded myself of the penalty for obstructing justice, and nodded. “He had his goons pick me up last night. We met him at a garage off Gandy.”
    “Hillsborough or St. Pete side?” C-Rod asked.
    “Pinellas, I think.” I checked Shields, but he sat stone-faced.
    “And these are the same goons that did this to your face?” Shields asked.
    “That’s right. One of them fit the bill for the three-hundred pound beast you described. I think his name was Kiki.”
    “Kiki?” Shields looked to his partner with amusement. “What kind of name is that?”
    I shrugged.
    “You like having your face danced on like that?” C-Rod asked.
    I shook my head.
    C-Rod to Shields: “I wouldn’t either. In fact, someone did that to me, I’d want revenge.”
    Shields nodded back; good point. What a duo