The heat in the air hung like a dead man swinging as Titus sat around the street corner. The Ninth District wasn't spared the heat of Louisiana summer as he sat in an abused rocking chair. His only relief right now was the chilled Orange Nehi in a bottle and the occasional cool breeze coming in from the gulf. There was a storm coming in soon.
“You on the job right now hot legs?” The question came from the open door of the store front as a mild-mannered Columbian stepped to Titus's left.
“Screw off Morales.” Titus was in fact on the job, as if the biege three-pieced suit wasn't a give away. The only people out in this heat in a three-piece were people on the job or crazed Evangelists. Amazingly, that wasn't the only similarities with the Marshal's at times.
“Any movement from our bird?” Titus shook his head as Morales asked the second question, taking a seat next to him. Morales was also decked out in his best navy suit, hanging on him like Titus's. Morales must have been baking like a potato in that suit but he didn't tip. Either his heat threshold was through the roof or Titus would have to ask him later the deodorant he used.
The bird in question, was a man known as Michael Jefferson Lilliard or L'il Lil on the street. Right now , Titus and Morales picked the short straw and were the bird dog to the little sting operation they were attempting. Lil was on the other side of the street in a three story store front quietly watching Titus and Morales from his perch on the second story. They could get him easily enough right now, but the higher ups with the silver stars and not the tin badges wanted to find the drugs, so they made this little plan to flush him out and get him to go to ground, and hopefully lead them to the drugs. As mentioned Titus and Morales were the decoys, Rocky and his wife Lark, also Marshal's, were currently in an old and used Firebird, waiting to tail Lil to the goods.
So right now Titus and Morales had to sit with a six pack of Nehi between them in a bucket of ice like a couple of good decoys. Kids would occasionally run by but for the most part, the heat on this Saturday was almost too much to bear, save for the working class.
“You hear about that mess in the Parrish up North?” Morales spoke making idle chatter. Though his shaded eyes still watched the place across the way like hawks. Titus gave a simple nod. He shifted in his seat, letting the Para-Ordnance slide a little to his side and provide him some relief. Over 200 dead was interesting news even to them. “You going to go up there and ask some questions?” Morales emphasized the last with fingered parenthesis meaning if Titus was going to go up there and raise a few for questioning.
“If they ask me sure.”
“You aren't going to volunteer to raise them?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Simple,” Titus replied as he drained the last of his first bottle of Nehi, “to go up there and raise a body I have to wait three days for the soul to leave. Which is simple enough. That'll put doing it at the very least on Monday with the way red tape goes. After that, I'll have to go up there at night. My kind of hocus pocus doesn't work unless the sun is set. They won't let me shirk my court duties next week so I'll pull double duty. Volunteering would mean I wouldn't get paid. So if they ask, I'll happily charge them for the time and services of any going animator in town. I might even give them a discount.” Titus gave a sly smirk.
“How much is that anyway?”
“Oh about three hundred or so depending on the body. Since they are newly dead it won't take much, in fact I might even be able to do it without any materials...but I don't think I could do but the one.” Morales gave a low whistle at the price. Three hundred an hour was good money. It's why Titus could afford the good toys.
The window shifted one last time and then Titus saw Lil sneak down the fire escape away from them. Morales missed it, but Titus was accustomed to using reflections as a way to look at the far wall of a building, and Lil picked a hideout that was next to a brand new glass office building. Ninth Ward was slowly building herself back up which is what Titus quietly loved about this city.
“Birds flying the coop. You two lovebirds stop making with the fucky fucky and get ready.” Titus spoke to the air but was really talking into the dog collar he was wearing under the tie.
“Fuck off Tight Ass” Lark came through the earpiece like she were standing next to him. She was a good woman, but much like Alex, she sounded a bit too much like Baby Firefly in certain situations. The two were reclined in the Firebird so Lil wouldn't see them. Titus would give them the go ahead when Lil was off and away in his Escalade. (which by the way stuck out worse than Titus and Morales on this street) Sure enough, on cue Lil ran around the side of the building with a quarter of a million in platinum hanging around his neck, got in his Escalade and with a roar of a V8 engine, sped past Titus and Morales shooting them the finger as he went by.
“Show him your O face Morales. Coming your way kids.” Titus and Morales both stood staring and making a surprised O face and began to move to the unmarked Charger that screamed cop car on this street. However, the firebird pulled out in front of the Escalade on their mark, Lil roared passed them but otherwise gave them no mind that they were tailing him. He was too focused on the Charger that was late out of the cage.
“Give him a block, watch where he goes and then wait where he stops. If he has the drugs we'll bag him there.” Titus once more said to no one, there was no response, but he was speaking facetiously anyway. Rocky and Lark were the best tag team in the office. They did their job and did it well.
Titus slid into the driver seat as Morales stepped in on the passenger side and pulled out his Mateba and checked the rounds, all still there. Titus looked at Morales and smiled. “You make me so happy with that thing.”
“Shut up, man,” Morales responded as Titus sped off like a hawk after the Escalade.
“Well make sure you have a few spare speed loaders, we're about to do a little duck hunting.”
