ANGEL BLUE [1]

LEAD 36: sin city blue

      It’s the majority of the Pingelly’s last day in Manhattan, and seeing that I want to catch up with Banks and her family, Sam thought it would be a ‘fun’ idea (because we all know how his ideas turn out) for his family to take a tour around Banks’ neighbourhood.

      There’s not much to see in the quiet downtown neighbourhood where Banks lives, I mean thanks to my influence on Dad I’ve had him station a number of patrol cars on front strip of Banks’ house―I’m taking Quade’s threats seriously, and thinking on it, I can’t risk their lives for some personal deal.  

      I knew so much police-presence in one household would cause Beth cardiac arrest, so I suggested that we all go to the park. Beth warmed up to the idea, especially since she made sure that Denice, Georgia and Nadine stayed on the porch―not out of rudeness but Beth only trusts a certain few to actually enter her home.

      However, there’s one thing that Banks wants to do as a detour before our park expedition. She wants to see the plaque erected in the courtyard behind Trinity Church (where the good side of the law goes to die), and asked if I could tag along as moral support, I thought it would be a good time to catch up so I’m all for the idea.

     Banks and I stand behind the kitchen counter, cutting up slices of meat and so forth to put on the multi-grain bread. We make two sandwiches each for the demanding customers in front of us. Shoshana narrows her eyes at me as I switch between cutting lettuce with my right hand and spreading the mayonnaise with my left, apparently the concept of being ambidextrous hasn’t sunk in yet.

      “That’s too much mayo,” Shoshana announces.

      “Don’t be picky, little miss,” Banks comments as she spreads peanut butter on Nathalia’s sandwich. “If you are, Top Cop’s gonna get you.”

      “Top Cop put her belt with all her cop stuff on the coffee table,” Shoshana flares her nostrils in challenge. “She won’t get me.”

      I roll my eyes with a soft smile and scrape some of the mayo off the bread and swipe it back into the jar. I then layer the lettuce and ham onto the bread and cut it into triangles with no crust. I slide the sandwich over to Banks and she wraps it in tinfoil.  

      “I’m a Detective, I always have backup,” I say knowingly, Shoshana just gives me a vague look in response.

      On cue, Sam comes into the kitchen and scoops Shoshana off the chair. He wears an exuberant smile on his face as he twirls with Banks’ middle sister. Within the three days of making a deal with Quade, Banks told Shoshana and Nathalia about me and ‘Mr Top Cop’―Sam knew of course, as soon as he walked through the front door after smiling at Beth, both sisters tackled him into the lounge room voicing their threats that if I get hurt, he’ll need to run for the hills (let’s just hope that the rest of the Pingelly’s didn’t hear their words).  

      “Stacks on Mr Top Cop!” Nathalia grins and runs at Sam’s legs.

      It’s such an out of place picture with Sam’s pale skin against Nathalia and Shoshana’s coffee coloured flesh, and with such an easy expression instead of his profession tight-arse façade―he can actually pass off as human. He drops to the floor when the girls tickle his sides, they genuinely love him, and I hate to admit that Sam’s become part of their lives―the male figure which they were denied through Beth and Derek’s insecurities.

       “He’s really changed, hasn’t he?” Banks whispers to me when she’s finished wrapping the lunch. “I mean, I remember when Dad died and Mr Vanilla Latte was so hostile towards everyone―but look at him now, he’s actually comfortable around other people.”