Chapter 34:// Hanging in

 

The park’s wifi has there for the taking, but parrotd demanded all outside connections be shut down. The user was sitting on a park bench. He was wearing a baseball cap and had a big black abstract shape at the side of his face. With clothes too big and a weary demeanour, plus a limp hand, nobody would recognise him or consider him nothing more than a street bum.

Amazing.jimmy@poseidonsealines.com walked close, holding the leash on the dog. He unhinged the leash and let the mutt roam around, to find the perfect place to take a shit on.

They sat on opposite ends, like strangers would, and stared forward. He shot a glance at the user and then resumed looking at the dog. They both pulled up their phones and put them to their ears, pretending to call someone instead of talking to each other.

“What happened to your face man?”

“Katerina made it. Makeup or something. To fool face recognition software. Nevermind that, how are you doing?” the user asked.

“Cops came by, asked a ton of questions. Told them ya didn’t do it, told them I’ve no idea where you are. Which was true. Hey, did you hook up?”

“No! Yes. Eventually. I just called her up for help. I came by your house and saw cops across the street.”

“Smart move bro. Look, I think I’m followed again. This taking the dog out will fool them for a bit but not forever, so I’ll make it quick.”

“I’m listening. I’m out of options anyway.”

“No, you do have options. Listen. Bibi can get you this big-ass lawyer right? Corporate level stuff, he can make you look like a saint. Which you are, we both know that, but he can make the jury people believe that too. Anyway, I asked her, he looked into it, says you have a chance if you find out a piece of evidence that exhonors you.”

“Exonerates. Jimmy, I can’t afford that!”

“That’s on me. I told her, babe, you want me to come with ya to Nice? Then be a doll and help my buddy out, and I’ll be all yours.”

“You are going to move to France to get me out of jail?”

“Why not?”

“But you like it here! You love your job, you certainly like the ladies and you plan to uproot your life for me? I can’t ask you to do that for me man.”

“You don’t need to.”

Leo risked a glance at his best friend’s face. He was calm, certain.

“Do you like Bibi as much as she likes you? I mean, you do understand that she will demand exclusivity, don’t you? She’s an ageing, successful career woman, who will flaunt you around as a trophy husband.”

“There are worse fates than that.”

They remained silent for a while.

“Jimmy, I don’t know what to do man.”

“Find what the lawyer needs to free you and then turn yourself in.”

Leo sighed. “But how? I don’t have a plan, I’m not sure where to find the evidence-”

Jimmy the Amazing cut him off, saying firmly, “You don’t always need a plan bro. Sometimes you just need balls.”

Then he stood up and whistled to Aibo.