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The next morning I was back in my office. The Hospital wanted to keep me for observation. They changed their minds after I hotboxed my room a few times. After my third lecture on hospital rules. I sneaked out because I was sick of them blowing my high.
I had a stash of pain pills in a baggie on my desk. I get slugged a lot in my line of work. I put them away and rolled a blunt instead. The CBD in the Indica would help relieve my pain.
Penny lay asleep on the couch. She'd stayed up with me most of the night. She felt responsible for me getting waylaid. Sweet kid. It's no one's fault. It's part of the job.
Penny just missed my assailant. She called the ambulance and rode with me to the hospital. Some tall ginger beat cop showed up and asked who clocked me.
I told him I didn't know shit. Not exactly the truth. Because I have a rule. I ask the cops the questions, not the other way around. He took the hint to kick rocks. He did.
It was about 10:30 am. I felt the plum-sized bruise on the back of my head. I patted it through the gauze repeatedly. Mostly just to wince at the pain. Pain is the pleasure of living.
You’re gonna pay for this Bugs. I said to no one in particular. First I’m gonna find out how you figure into this mess. Then I’m gonna fuck you up. In that order.
Bugs was as good as twice my size. I can defend myself. But that guy's an animal. I've seen him fight four men and not spill his drink. He was like Suge Knight. But a meaner version that dresses like Steve Harvey.
A knock on my Office door took me from my inner monologue. I took a small pistol from my desk drawer and placed it on my lap.
It’s open I called out. Come on in. I was half expecting Bugs. But what I got was blue jeans and a brown blazer. Gill Fowler’s red hair looked extra annoying to me this morning. I gotta big personal problem with gingers.
We walked in. He looked at Penny snoring on the couch and assumed whatever he wanted. He stood in front of my desk and handed me a thick blue folder that had the Clamp Academy logo on it.
What’s this I said? Clarity he replied. I think it would behoove you to know who you are working for. And without another word he turned and left.
The folder had the name Katherine Masonelli on the tab. That’s funny I wondered what kind of work Kitty did at the school to warrant such a big file. Masonelli. Her maiden name.
The file said she was head of the Applied Arts department. A fancy name for a made up vanity position. Nepotism rears it’s ugly head again.
I skimmed thru the documents. Pretty mundane stuff. Her claim to fame was an Alumni fashion show fundraiser she’d throw every year.
Hmm, Chairwoman of fundraising. Made me curious to know who really paid me. Could the money have come from the school? The family money was supposed to be frozen. Archer Hood made a decent living but not enough to afford Kitty's lifestyle.
I read on. seven years ago she taught a class. American Fashion 101. She had no staff save for a teaching assistant. A teaching assistant named Gill Fowler.
Her and Fowler had a history apparently. This brought a new dimension to the game. They could be partners or playing off each other. Anything was possible with these people.
The file was interesting but I didn’t find a smoking gun or anything unusual yet. Nepotism is as common as athletes foot. What did Fowler mean when he said “Clarity”?
I took a pull from my blunt. It was pretty much a roach now. It was starting to burn my fingers. I stubbed it out in my ashtray still holding my smoke.
I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled. I felt the weed wrap me in warmth and familiarity. And just like always I get high and I get brilliant.
My eyes snapped open and I reached for the file. I skimmed through till I found was I was looking for. I found it toward the front. It was her personal data sheet.
It listed her immediate family members. Father, Mother, and Brother. And there it was plain as day in New Times Roman. I felt like an idiot.
Her brothers' name was James Buford Masonelli. Most commonly known in the streets as Bugs Mason.
How did Fowler know about my run-in with Bugs? Why had I not put that together? Bugs was the black half-brother of Kitty. From her fathers' side. Hence the last name.
He apparently dropped the Italian part of his name and just went with Mason. He must have been disowned by the family. Funny thing for a family of crooks I thought.
Fowler brought me this file because he wants to tell me something. He thinks I’ll discover the right question by perusing his little present. His bringing it to me told me way more than the file did.
It was time that I got to the heart of this. I needed to talk to the person closest to the victim. I needed to talk to Patrick Valentine.