“I’m not ignoring anything. Young people don’t respect money. As long as I’m in charge of your trust, I’m not going to let you piss it away.”
“Dammit, Myles,” Stump said, smacking the steering wheel. “I don’t want to piss it away. I just want enough to buy one stupid car.” He pulled up to a stop sign, turned right and swung into the second lane.
Myles smirked. “No way. You may have aced the online driving exam, but you’re still not responsible enough. You forgot to signal and you can’t even hit the correct lane when you turn a corner.”
“For crying out loud, Dude. Nobody’s around.”
“Don’t care. You don’t get to change the laws when they’re inconvenient.”
“Alright, alright. I get it, but I bet there are lots of people who—”
“You might as well get used to it. You’re not going to use your trust money for a car, and based on what I’m seeing today, it could be a long time before you get a license. Now, circle around and do it correctly this time.”
Stump squeezed the steering wheel as hard as he could. The only way to get Myles to take his request seriously was to complete the two-mile loop around the mall precisely the way Myles wanted it. Below 10 MPH. Proper signals. Correct lanes. Watch the mirrors. No friggin’ radio.
Several minutes of silence accompanied them around the parking lot, perfectly this time, then back to the starting point. Stump pulled into a parking spot on the outskirts of the lot and turned off the engine. “Now can we talk about that car?”
Myles tilted his head. “Do it again, going the other direction.”
Stump sighed. No use fighting it. Myles had all the power. Foot on brake. Check mirrors. Put in gear. Look over shoulder. Roll eyes.
They were on the fifth perfect trip in a row when Stump detected motion in his left side mirror. A Palmdale squad car was racing across the lot in his direction. He frowned and swerved slightly.
“What the hell are you doing?” Myles asked.
Stump checked again, just as the red lights flashed in his mirror. “Oh, shit.” At least Myles was indifferent to Stump’s sometimes-colorful language.
Myles spun around, then back. “Interesting. What are you going to do now?”
“I dunno,” Stump said, pressing the brake pedal so hard that the truck stopped more abruptly than he intended. He wide-eyed the mirror again just as the cop car pulled to his bumper. There were two officers inside. “What now?”
Myles shrugged. “You got yourself into this mess.”
In the left mirror, a tall middle-aged lady cop approached. Stump didn’t usually fear cops, but he hated being on the defensive. He rolled down his window.
“Hands on the wheel, where I can see them, please,” the officer said from over Stump’s shoulder.
Stump turned his head toward Myles for some guidance.
Myles pointed his chin in the officer’s direction. “Better do as she says.”
The blue-shirted cop reached the window, bent slightly and glanced across at Myles, then back to Stump. “What’s going on here?”
“My dad’s teaching me to drive.”
“Oh, I see. Do you have a permit?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He reached in his back pocket, produced a crumpled paper and handed it to the officer. It was the first time he realized Myles was correct about that other matter. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t have a wallet.”
She shook her head, looked at Myles again and moved toward the fender where she laid out the wrinkled wad and tried to hand-iron some of the creases away. She finally studied the paper and returned to the window. “Neal Joseph Randolph?“
“Yes, ma’am. But they call me Stump.”
She nodded. “An alias, huh? How’d you get that name?”
“My Aunt Gerry said it when I was learning to walk.”
“I see.” She looked back at his permit. “You don’t look sixteen.”
Stump swallowed. “I just had my birthday. Honest. I’m just a little short. Just ask my dad, he’s a detective.”
The officer bent over, looked at Myles once more. “That correct?”
Myles reached in his pocket, flashed his badge. “Myles Cooper. Sergeant. L.A.”
She nodded, smiled slightly and turned back to Stump. “I watched you go around the lot a few times. Most people don’t do that unless they’re staking the place out.”
“My dad said this was the safest place to practice.”
“Do you have your registration and proof of insurance?”
Stump hadn’t thought about those things. Fortunately, Myles had already mined the glove compartment. Stump’s fingers shook as he took the papers from Myles and passed them on.
“You wait here.” The officer said before returning to her squad car. She slid in and closed the door. The officer sitting in the rider’s seat was talking into a corded cop microphone. “What are they doing?” Stump whispered to Myles.
Myles shrugged. “Probably checking to see if you have any outstanding violations.”
“Are you going to take away my permit?”
Myles tilted his head. “You did make that lame lane-change. Remember?”
“This sucks,” Stump said just as a new set of cop lights flashed in the other mirror. His eyes widened, “Oh no. There’s another one.”
Myles looked over his shoulder but said nothing.
As the second squad car parked behind the first, a third one, from the front this time, blasted around one of the buildings, it too with flashing red.
Within mere seconds the third car pulled right to Myles’s front bumper, making it impossible to get away. Doors swung open. More blue-shirted uniforms jumped out. Scary officers glared at Stump before walking past him and joining their peers in a cop-cluster behind Myles’s truck. Stump’s armpits oozed sweat into his clean T-shirt.
The lady cop’s arms flailed, as she explained Stump’s orbits around the mall. Then the cop who came in the second car said something back to her and just like a football team breaking a huddle, the whole group of officers came to the front of Myles’s truck, with the woman now holding a clipboard.
She bent again. “Okay, Mr. Randolph. We talked it over. I’m afraid we’re going to have to give you an SDC.”
Stump couldn’t see the paper, but the oldest officer looked pissed off. “A ticket?”
She waited a few seconds, then, “We don’t usually see dads and their sons working together like this, but we like it.” She handed Stump the paper. “We’re giving you a Safe Driving Certificate. Congratulations.”
Stump’s eyes widened. He looked at the certificate and back at the officer. “Really?”
“Sure thing. I watched closely and you were doing everything just the way you’re supposed to. Good job.”
“Wow. Thanks.” Stump quickly scanned the now grinning faces of the officers then handed his award to Myles.
The lady cop tapped the bottom of Stump’s window frame. “You keep driving safely, Neal.” She nodded respectfully at Myles and turned away. Within moments the cops were back in their vehicles, and had turned off their lights and driven away.
Apparently stunned, Myles scanned the certificate and shook his head. “I don’t know what to say, but I think that’s enough for today. Let’s trade seats, and I’ll take you to breakfast.”
If Stump’s grin were any bigger, it might have broken his face.
Chapter Three
How could coffee smell so good and taste so gross? After taking their initial order, the waitress, who was about Myles’s age, with lots of jewelry, brought their drinks. “Juice for you,” she said to Stump, “and coffee for you,” she said to Myles as she slid his cup before him.
Stump paused a long moment, then stared right at Myles.
“What’s up?” Myles asked.
“Her rings.”
“The waitress? What about them?”
“They were all scratched up.” Stump pointed out the window. “Just like that lady cop who
gave me that award. They’ve both been married a long time.”
“So?” Myles lifted his cup to his lips.
“That officer kept smiling at you. She was way too friendly for a married person.” Stump leaned to the side to see around Myles’s cup. “And you’ve got a big ol’ grin on your face. Admit it, Dude. You put them all up to it.”
Myles set his cup down, beamed. “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you? Alright. You caught me. I wanted to teach you a lesson about taking driving seriously. As far as I could tell, you seemed to get the point.”
Stump shook his head. “I can’t believe you.”
“Speaking of not being stupid,” Myles said. “Your mid-term grades came in the mail.”
Stump felt like a balloon that had just lost its air. “Probably not straight A’s, huh?”
“Hardly.” Myles unfolded the paper, slid it across the table. “An A in math, but everything else is a disaster.”
“I don’t like school this year. It’s a waste of time. I don’t need to know most of that shit.”
“Can’t help that, but I do know one thing. If you don’t get your act together, you might have to repeat the tenth grade.”
Stump looked out the window. “That’d suck.”
“Glad you see it that way ’cause I expect you to fix this on your own.” He picked up a napkin. “Or I’m going to have to take your license away before you even get it.”
“Okay. Okay. You’ve made your point. Now can we talk about my car?”
“That depends. You got anything new to say?”
“Just that it would be a lot easier on both of us. You won’t have to take me to so many places.”
“That’s not new and you know the answer. Not unless you’ve got your own money and can pay for insurance and gas.”
“But I do have my own money. Three million dollars. Remember?”
“You know what I mean. Your trust money doesn’t count. You’ve got to get a job and earn the money you need. All I’m willing to do right now is loan you the money to buy new tires for Ol’ Ug’.”
Stump snorted. “That piece of crap bicycle in the storage room? You’ve got to be kidding me. The last time that clunker saw any action was before cavemen tamed fire.”
“It was good enough for my paper route and it still has lots of miles left in it.”
“Dude. There’s a reason you gave it that stupid name.”
“Maybe so, but it’s cheap and reliable.”
“The handlebars look like goal posts.”
“And with a little practice you’ll be able to ride your girlfriends around on them like I used to do.”
Stump rolled his eyes. “Great, if I happen to see a grandma waddling along the side of the road, I can offer her a ride down memory lane. It’s dorky, Dude. If you want me to use a bike we should get a cool racing bike like Lance Armstrong.”
“If you want a cool bike, get a job and save your money.”
Stump paused. Then, “Knowing you, you’ll make me install seatbelts.”
“Don’t tempt me, but I’d like you to wear a helmet. I’ll loan you the money for that too.”
Stump banged his elbows on the table, dropping his shaking head in his hands. “Why not get me George Washington’s leather football helmet?”
Myles grinned. “If we’re done arguing, I got a call from that commercial real estate broker I spoke with last week. He found a building we should drive by when we’re done here.”
Stump pursed his lips. “An investment for my trust? Those buildings are in the millions.”
“Seven million. If we put two million down, we can get a loan for the rest and the rents will pay for it.”
“I can’t believe this crap.” Stump took a swig of his O.J., then plopped his glass on the table. “I’m the only person I know who is both filthy rich and dirt poor at the same time.”
“I’m not saying we should buy it, but the right investment might provide some income.”
“Income? Who cares about income if Daddy won’t let me spend any of it?”
Myles let out a deep breath and sat back. His eyes were vacant. It meant he was thinking something over. Looks went back and forth. Finally, Myles shifted. “I’ve got a compromise for you. You get a job and save as much as you can. Then, when you have enough money for a decent car, I’ll match however much you save, and just to give you an extra incentive, I’ll authorize the trust to match it too. That way for every dollar you save, you’ll have three dollars to spend on that car. How’s that sound?”
“Not bad. But there ain’t no jobs. The economy. Remember?”
“I didn’t say it would be easy, but a smart fellow, who can triple his money, would probably try a lot harder than somebody else. And I can guarantee you there’s an employer out there somewhere who will appreciate that type of enthusiasm. You just have to find him.”
Stump shrugged. “Okay, I gotta admit that’s a pretty good deal, but I’m telling ya, there’s no decent jobs around.”
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I won’t be able to go to that City Council meeting with you Tuesday evening. I’ve got an obligation at work, so it’s okay if you want to wait until next month when I can go along.”
Stump bit his lip. He didn’t like the idea of facing the whole gang of authority figures by himself.
Chapter Four
The early morning aroma of chorizo made Dixon’s mouth water. The fifth of the month was the last day the tenants could pay their rent without a late fee—and at least half of them waited as long as possible. The avalanche of activity that was to follow would be a royal pain in the ass, but afterwards, the only tenants left to deal with were the late-payers, and they were the ones who were most willing to play “Let’s Make a Deal.”
A significant percentage of the renters were still getting accustomed to America. Some had not yet landed steady jobs, nor established relationships with banks, nor learned how to deal with regular rent payments. A few others simply couldn’t resist the liquor-store-on-every-corner temptation.
Whatever their reasons, Dixon had developed several furtive techniques to fatten his checkbooks at their expense. To keep track of it all, he kept coded records in a green spiral notebook in his desk.
The bulk of this secret activity began when Rodger Kraft, the building’s owner, was diagnosed with cancer. Prior to that, Rodger had kept track of the day-to-day operations, but his disease led to fatigue and sloppiness. Bottom line was, Rodger wasn’t going to live a lot longer and he already had all the money he’d ever need.
There was no reason for Dixon to ignore the window of opportunity that would surely close after Rodger was out of the picture. Besides, Dixon deserved a little extra juice. He was the one who had to be there around the clock, while Rodger Kraft just dropped by for a few hours each day. Dixon had to deal with the squabbles among tenants, and evicting drunks, and making sure the apartments got painted. For that alone he and Maria deserved a bigger slice of the pie, and today the Last Minute Gang would fill his plate. He barely got his teeth tucked into his jaw before Francisca knocked on the bathroom door. “Somebody to see you,” she said. “They’re looking for an apartment.”
Dixon sucked at his teeth. It happened every month at this time. Struggling renters from other buildings had fallen behind on their rent the previous month and now that a new month had arrived, they didn’t have enough money to both catch up on the old debt and pay for the new month. Instead, they’d look for someplace else to start all over. Fortunately for Dixon, struggling renters were walking bags of cash.
After a little friendly negotiating, they would be allowed to move into one of the vacant apartments at a big discount for the first month, but they had to pay in cash and they had to take the apartment “as is” even though it had not yet been cleaned or painted. Later, Rodger Kraft would be told that Dixon had to give them some free rent as an incentive to move in. “Tell them I’ll be r
ight there.”
Dixon considered the exercise to be a win/win for everybody: The tenants beat their former landlord out of the previous month’s rent and paid only half-price for their first month at Cal-Vista; as for Rodger, if the new tenants lasted for a few additional months, he’d pocket some cash he wouldn’t have otherwise gotten; and best of all, the Dixon-Maria matching checkbooks would be enlarged by several hundred bucks.
As the day unfolded, Dixon collected most of the outstanding rents and made several special arrangements with people who were naïve enough to think their financial problems were temporary. “Just pay half of the rent in cash,” he said. “If you can’t get the rest, I’ll let you stay until the end of the month for free.” Of course Dixon pocketed the bulk of the cash and told Rodger Kraft they were going to get caught up on payday.
That night, Dixon slipped into his office to count his rewards. Like bananas, they came in bunches. A half-dozen mini-scams netted him and Maria nearly two grand to split. What father wouldn’t do the same thing?
After he updated his notebook there remained a handful of people who still hadn’t checked in, including young Lorraine Martinez, whom he hoped to make into his Monday Girl. She and some others would be more desperate the next day when late fees would be added to their debt.
Just then, one of Francisca’s gentle knocks interrupted Dixon’s thoughts. “The lady from building five is here to see you,” she said.
Monday Girl! “Tell her to wait.” Dixon hurried across the hall to the bathroom and sucked in some mouthwash and swished it around before he inserted his teeth. Then a comb found his hair and he dabbed his face with Old Spice. Lastly, he popped into the bedroom and threw on some clean clothes.
A minute later Francisca escorted Lorraine into the office and Dixon closed the door. Lorraine’s slender body was hidden behind a faded tan blouse that was loose for her frame and hid breasts that were undoubtedly too young to have been affected by gravity. Her thick hair and golden skin were alluring enough, but whenever she spoke, perfect white teeth peeked from behind full innocent lips that were just begging to be kissed. He swallowed the excess saliva that had already accumulated behind his teeth. “Did you bring your rent?”