2019-09-21 - Back Room Conversations

Joey heads in and says only, "Stairs." To the 5 step drop into what is absolutely so not up to code and clearly grandfathered in. Likely not the first time he's seen the space though the twin in the corner looks like it's been used recently, and likely for one of Joey's mid-day naps. "So," He turns to Ruiz and says with no little irritation, "What's up? I swear to Christ if Alexander has put you up to harassing me about this guy I'm switching em off to decaf and not telling em."

Ruiz is armed, of course. Wouldn't dream of leaving home without his trusty sig sauer P220. It's holstered in his rig, tucked in close to his ribs, within easy reach. "He's gone missing. Seems to have turned up in a dumpster. Well, some of him, anyway. Would you happen to know anything about that? Anyone who might have wanted him gone?" No comment on Alexander, though it's not at all hard to believe that this case might have landed in his lap legitimately.

It's not hard to imagine how irritatingly rattled his cage got with Alexander clinging on his face like a cat demanding food and/or answers. He doesn't have a cat for this very reason! Rubbing his face he pauses with an eyebrow arched. Most of him... shit "That sucks." Very sympathetic. "I told Alexander, so you might as well know, the last time I did any work for Collins was like a fuckin while ago. Had one of those gatherings you like to impress people with, paid ladies serving drinks as shit. I was there on door and valet. I got paid and that's the last time we did business. I'll be honest I have no fuckin idea how he, or most of em, wound up in some dumpster.. I'm a boxer, I ain't a raccoon."

That might be new information, or it might not. Joey knows the cop knows Clayton, so it's not unlikely in the least that Ruiz has already been apprised of the facts already. "Wasn't asking you when last you saw him. I just want to know if you know anything about what happened." And his spidey sense is telling him the guy knows something, or he wouldn't have had the reaction he did when it was brought up. "Was he in business with Monaghan? Or fucking him around, maybe?"

And it always comes back to Joey give up Felix. But Ruiz already knows Joey's not going to roll over on him even if he was involved and standing over the dumpster chainsaw in hand, which means this is, in the end a formality. Joey has to wonder if Ruiz even wants the truth or what he would even try to do with it if he had it. By Joey Reasoning knowing what he does know about the Cap... he's doing him a favor by giving him plausible deniability.

And that's what being a concerned citizen is all about, Charlie Brown.

Very seriously he confides, "I don't think Felix swings both ways, for one. Mr. Monaghan is a man of the people. Why'd he need to put them in dumpsters? He'll just buy their property and turn it into a rented parking lot." He considers and gives Ruiz something to chew on. "I know he had some business in Seattle. I know from that there were some people none to happy with em but I don't fuckin get into his shit. I was just paid to stand on door. We weren't friends. We weren't anythin."

If Joey has any sense at all for glimmer being worked on him, well, alarm bells would be going off right about now. He's got to be well aware by this point that the captain is far from mundane, even if he tries to keep his abilities tightly under wraps. Once the whatever the fuck that was passes, the cop nods slightly. It's a non-answer that says plenty, and he's clearly not about to get into it with the guy here and now. Or possibly at all. Time will tell on that one. His tonguetip's pressed to the underside of his lower lip, where it meets his beard, then withdrawn again. "Si. You think of anything else. You let me know." He takes a step backward, then waits for Joey to lead the way back up the stairs.

You'd think! And yet Joey seems somehow willfully ambivalent to the entire concept of glimmer. "Tell Alexander to stop climbing my tree every time someone takes a shit sideways and I will keep you in mind." He could not be more aggravated about the private dick's shakedown which likely was as graceful as Alexander is not.

Since this is clearly over for now his demeanor shifts curious, "They get that Mikey kid back to his family a'ight?" The one Joe did bypass have the city to contact the Cap about.

"What Clayton does is none of my business. He's not one of mine." He isn't, of course. Ruiz smiles thinly, and waits still for Joey to lead the way out. The humour dissipates a little, though, when the kid is mentioned. "I'm not sure. I'll get an update on the case for you, though." Over? For now. De la Vega's like a bulldog. Doesn't give up on things easy. So who knows, they might be back here having another little chat real soon.

Joey has to ask, "Is he aware of this?" Still the answer about that kid and that is what gets the other winning reaction out of him. He never did say what the situation was surrounding that. Reliably for the guy only the end result really matters. That kid mattered a lot. Good luck getting him to elaborate on that one either. He murmurs with a nod, "I appreciate it." He wanders over and grabs a Mc Donalds cup, gives it a shake. Just ice. he drops it in the trash and points as if to agree, round 1.5 complete. "Thanks for the dance. Let's go make sure the Gym's still there."

Ruiz dimples a brief grin. "I think you'd have to ask him." See? He can be perfectly evasive, too. Small talk mode engaged as he waits to trail Joey up the stairs. "Looks like business is good with you, lately. Swear I'm seeing a new membership every time I walk in here."

"Yeah. Maybe it'll help people chill the fuck out. Ran into a couple of the gals from the other night though. Seems they got a bit out of that so I think we're a step i the right direction. They asked for another so... Maybe fewer Mikeys and fewer dumpster stories." They can only hope. He will not, however, bring that shit onto the floor in front of the kid and seems to turn that off right there.