2020-02-03 - So About Killing this Guy...

(TXT to Joey) Graham : hey so I might need a favor. [link to the Gazette article about the Foster trial where the defense rests - https://gray-harbor.com/forum/5/877]

(TXT to Graham) Joey : That was your girl's parents iirc.

(TXT to Joey) Graham : yeah and I been watching this dude for a minute. He aint a good driver

(TXT to Graham) Joey : Let's not talk favors on the phone. I'm gonna grab some ribs if you want to come on by. We can talk about road safety.

(TXT to Joey) Graham : ok, i got 183 minutes before El gets off work and I gotta do a thing in New London but I could eat some ribs. Where you at?

West side. I had a job I had to do this morning and pick something up. There's Ronnie's Rib Shack. Outskirts of town Just down from the waffle house. Had to visit him this morning. You want free ribs now is the time.

(TXT to Joey) Graham : all right. I'll be there in like 15 thx man

True to his word, Graham is here in 'like' fifteen minutes. It's probably for the best that he wasn't chasing any soon-to-be-convicted murderers off the road today, 'cause he's in his car - not one of Felix's rotating supply of throwaways. His car is a big ol' loud 72 Chevy Malibu that he loves almost as much as he loves Elise. Like, if Elise and the car were both drowning, he'd obviously go save Elise first, but he'd have some serious Sophie's Choice angst afterward. Anyway, he parks this big car that he loves and, bouncing keys on his palm and starts roaming around, on the hunt for Joey Kelly and some ribs.

Joeyis stuffed into a booth along the wall where he can watch the outside of the building, who is coming in, and who is changing rooms. Also, like the TV is in view with the latest news from the hockey game and he's a bit partial. There's a plate sitting across from him, a large pile of ribs in the middle and a bowl serving as a boneyard that's started to collect, much like the man eating at the table giving Graham an upnod, and a gesture of dig in.

he takes a swing on his beer with knuckles that don't look like they are sporting any fresh bruises. His face still has a few stitches and abrasions on it that are healing up. Life is nasty business. "Busy day, G." Not his as much as the shit Graham's got to worry about. "Grab a drink. Talk to me about this favor." It's an invite, not a demand from the gravel toned boxer.

Before he sits, Graham does a little surveying here. He bends at the waist, peers at Joey's face, squinting hard at the stitches and what-not. "You get any prettier, Joey Kelly, and I'mma have to think about making some serious life changes. What's up." Normally, there'd be a fist-bump or a handshake or something on offer, but not while there are ribs being eaten, and who needs that mess, yanno? So he just drags off all his outside kit and stuffs it into the booth before he wanders off long enough to get himself something to wash down all them ribs.

Back in a minute, he dumps himself into the seat across from Joey and starts piling up napkins. Since nobody in here is likely to be paying these two any more attention than they deserve, he gets right to, "I might need your boy with the magic box to do me a favor. This Foster thing is - " He selects a rib. " - fucked."

Joey arches both of his eyebrows in agreement. "de la Vega and I got in a fight-" He stops and backs that up with a roll of one finger indicating additionally, "With some people. It was good. Won. Sit." He's not one for words and has all of the TLC of 40 grit sandpaper, but he gives what he's got. Ribs and an ear.

When the mention of Itzhak's 'magic box' comes up? Joey...eats his ribs and considers all of the messy implications of this. "I know there's that whole no evidence means no crime E Plurubus Unum shit, but there's some things to think about if you are gonna do this." he points, "Eat."

Oh how to phrase? Bluntly, "You're a driver. You ever do something like this before, because there's a lot of shit movies just don't like to cover. Because I like you? I want to make sure you're informed making this plan of yours."

Man, it is a good thing Joey qualified that statement, because the amount of red that Graham saw in the beat between the opener and the finger-roll clarification was a lot, and he was already onto, "First off, fuck that fucking cop, I will - " He clips it, though, before he launches into his whole thing about cops (and that cop in particular). There's a lingering squint of the dubious variety while he chews on some of that rib, like he's still got some questions, but he manages to keep his mouth shut. (No small feat.)

Being honest, after he listens, "I never planned a full-on hit, no, but I've done my piece a few times. And," he's got the sense to talk a little quieter, huddling over the food, "you remember that dude Lukas Collins?" His player is too lazy to go double-check, but has an inkling that Joey wound up killing that dude at Felix's instruction. "I'm the one that put him in the hospital last summer." Before he winds up sounding too collected about all this, he tacks, "I just can't fucking stand this. If that mother-fucker walks, man - " There are no words, just a frustrated grunt and a reflexive liberating of a cigarette from the pack in his pocket.

Joey eats his ribs and really lets the guy go off on a tear with a grunt of agreement, then commiseration, and a nod or three. "Yeah, fuck them." He pauses and adds, "Cept when they ain't the ones tryin to blow us up. Turns out everyone's sometimes useful." still, fuck them. Seeing the question he sums up with a wave of his hand, "Some other folks was bein dumb to the wrong people at the wrong time."

When Graham brings up Lukas Collins his head dips and he eats his rib. "I am familiar with the name." And that's how he's leaving that. He looks up from teh rib though, the calm not breaking but the reality snapping to present with the words he clips Graham's emotion off with "-You'll be the number two person they look at right behind going through all of Elise's business. I mean I hope you got your alibi out there cause given guys like us and your association with the most affected person? They're going to take a good look at you. Two assholes and a dog are one thing. Lukas Collins? No one gives a shit about. You're going to tag someone in the paper you're going to need a plan and more than a box."

Taking a deep breath he keeps the tone quiet and he's neither dissuading nor encouraging Graham's inclination. Instead?? Well there's some concern and a checklist. "Look,, I'm a tell you this cause I like you. Putting a guy in a hospital and putting a guy in a box are two totally fucking different things. " Taking a deep breath he considers a number of things, green eyes squinting he might say but assures, "You break their legs? You walk away from that shit. you put a guy in a box though and that ain't something that you can heal or you can take back. People deal with it in different ways, but the truth is you will never put that shit down and it will change you. days that don't make sense to you you'll find yourself going , 'did I take care of everything or will someone come back at me through someone I fucking care about?' All these assholes think they are tough guys but then you got fist night in prison and you'll hear fuckers Andre sized crying like a baby realizing they fucked up and have no place to go and don't get to sleep with both eyes shut now."

He points the rib to Graham thoughtfully before dropping it into the bowl, "Go into this thing with both eyes open and know what you're getting into. hate to see you get scrubbed on something cause you got an angry boner for justice. Also? Boss needs you available. Might want to check in with management to see if that's going to interfere with shit. You do not want to be the guy to fuck up his shit and get him investigated."

For a minute, while Joey's talking, Graham sits with his brows knitted together, listening. It takes through most of what Joey is saying before Graham (despite all that Perception+Alertness) realizes the fundamental underpinnings of the comments: "You think I never killed anybody before." There's a long ohhhh from Graham after that, and he shakes his head, tapping the filter of the unlit cigarette on the table a couple of times while he dismisses the notion. "I mean, it's not my favorite thing, but I don't - " Have a conscience. " - let it keep me up nights. And I sure as shit wouldn't cry a river over the asshole that killed my future baby's gramma and granpa, yanno?"

Which isn't to say there wasn't some food for thought in there, which is why he needs to pretend to smoke even if he can't actually because rabble rabble hippies. He goes through the motions without lighting the thing, a true addict. "You think they'd look at Elly first? I figured - " He gestures to himself over here. Sadly, "I really do, though." Have an angry boner for justice, he means. "It's making me fucking nuts."

Joey tilts his head and sits silent watching him, "Nor should you. Let the guy rot in a fucking hole alive for all I care, man. " One shoulder rises forward in a shrug accepting the first go-around to have been long past. He eats his ribs. There is no sign of him trying, or having interest in reforming, in the slightest.

A sun-blinding squint (sans sun), to Graham who is backlit enough by the light in the window his head dips in a nod. "Your nose is so pressed to the glass on this one that you need to remember to look right and left. What we want can hurt the people we're trying to protect. NOW..."

There's a now!

Tongue running along lower lip he scans for those nearby and settlesback on Graham, but he's eyeing the plate of ribs because this morning (if one checks his trunk, and that's a great way to wind up in it,) seems to have been very busy. "I ain't saying don't. Fucker wronged you, your family, and is general is a fucknozzle. But I guarantee you with how much media coverage is on this asshole? Yeah it's gonna look suspiscious as fuck because of convenience. They're going to look at Elise they're gonna look at Monaghan. So,"

There's a so in all of Joey's passive hands-off street wisdom.

Licking the sauce off his fingers his head tilts slightly as if to say Gimme a minute, not wasting sauce, bro. "I'm not saying you're an idiot or I wouldn't call you for shit. What I'm saying is the situation's hot. Check in. If you're gonna? be aware of who life is gonna get complicated for. Plan it out. Maybe it's six months when he thinks the situation's cooled off. S'what I'd do. Whatever you do? Don't forgive the fucker. Sides, bigger fish might eat em. Never know."

Wow, Joey Kelly. Way to be a guy that's all reasonable and rain on Graham's whole I RLY WANT 2 SHOOT SOME1 parade. Throwing in Elise and Felix is just... the kind of thing that makes Graham squirm, makes him pretend to smoke his cigarette with rib-greasy fingers and a troubled frown behind the filter. Eventually, after a couple of false starts where he seems to have gotten some kind of traction on the situation in his mind, it's just, "God dammit."

Hold on, he just needs a moment to pout that he's not going to just be able to fly off, half-cocked, and shoot somebody in the face. A glower chases its way around the room, like maybe he can shoot one of these people in the face, scratch the itch...

"A'ight. No. You're right. I mean, I'm completely prepared to do time on this one." (lol he so is not) "But I don't think think Elly's the kinda person that would cope well with getting arrested." Notably, he's not even gonna touch how Felix would cope with having this spotlight aimed his way. "Six months is a long fucking time, though. You sure I can't just drive him off the road and call it a night?" He drums up one hopeful smile to aim at Joey, pretty plz???

Graham is contemplating the unfun repercussions of a high profile hit hastily planned and Joey? He contemplates a second beer. He's not got anyone stuffed in his trunk right now. He's got time.

When his pal here has his moment he gives him his privacy in an act that can only be described as total casual indifference. He focuses on his food and lets the man mull his shit over in peace like the fun-killer he is. "I dunno what Ronnie did to this sauce for these things but it's fucking amazing. So glad I didn't have to break his fingers." Life's real losses there.

When Graham says he's ready to do time for this crime Joey doesn't shiv a hole through the transparency of that statement. He bites into another rib enjoying that glaze on it reminiscent of baked beans in the best way. On the time he nods, in agreement. "Yeah I mean it'd be a total pisser for Ellie to have to sleep all those nights alone and deal with the trial, and the loss of her family, and adjust to you not being there. But you do you man. I mean I completely get it." The deadpan for days doesn't let up. See? This is commiseration!

He stops chewing and just those green eyes look up to Graham's hopeful look. Staring. He goes back to eating.

"I'm not your mom, Gee. I'm just a guy that doesn't want to see you lose your way to winning. Wait for it to blow over." He takes another bite and casual as he's pointed everything else out adds, "Then we'll bury him alive in a god damn box if Boss don't need em." See? Optimism.

After a dry laugh, there's a genuine, "Thanks, man. I don't wanna say I'm losing my way here, but - " Graham puts the cigarette behind his ear. Firmly. Like he's making himself quit fucking with it and eat some goddamn ribs here. "I really thought the boss is the one that called it in on her parents. And that was just easier to swallow." He gnaws on some food and tries not to worry about why it's okay for his boss to kill his ostensible in-laws, but not some rich stranger.

"You want me to drive the asshole cop off the road instead? Car's right out front." He offers this with a new version of the previous smile, the hopeful one. It's super-pretty, how can Joey resist?! "You know that asshole showed up at my house with, like, nine hundred cops to arrest me, right? The least I can do for him is fuck with his insurance premiums."

Joey eyes Graham over the ribs and he doesn't answer, and he doesn't want to grin but there it is. "S'why I like you Graham. You're a man of the fucking people." he throws the rib into the pile wiping his fingers getting up. "Hang tight for now. We got something for you coming up soon." His hand gives Graham one solid slap on the shoulder. "For now take care of Elise and keep your phone on like you been."