Flapper Dick Ch. 15

Wake snuggled in to Fred and Brianna is upstairs being upset. Realize the alarm for Audrey has gone off, why Brianna is so upset. That and she is hungry so crawl out of bed and grab the robe, slip it on but don't tie it since I need to feed my little girl. Find Audrey standing at the bottom of the steps with Brianna so I am handed her with a yawn from Audrey.

Follow Audrey into the kitchen with Brianna feeding. Audrey is making oatmeal today and that sounds good. Luckily oatmeal takes a little while to cook up and be edible so we can make other things. I want hash browns so mention those and Audrey looks up but does get to work on skinning potatoes.

She is grating the potatoes when Brianna has finished feeding so set her on the table. Then I am pulling out bacon to get that cooking. Course the stove is a little bit full so I am pondering it, then chop up the bacon and drop in the hash brown pan.

"Why is there a pan on the stove?" Audrey snorts and shakes her head.

"I figured on hamburgers tonight so need to have a pan for fries." I am nodding since that makes sense.

"Sounds good. Honest the doctors told me she will sleep longer sometime this month or next." Audrey snorts and shakes her head.

"Simon took longer last night so I got to sleep late and then she didn't help but not really her fault."

"Almost want to suggest we move the crib to our room." Audrey snorts then looks up for a moment and shakes her head.

"Simon sleeps through her being upset before you get upstairs and feed her. No idea how he does that but I don't really wake that much either."

"Not your baby." Audrey is giggling pretty good now, then Simon is coming in and sitting at the table.

Ponder it a little then fill the last burner with another pan to make sunny side up eggs. Make two for Audrey who turns red but doesn't disagree. Little later we have gotten breakfast to the table and sat. Mostly watching Simon wave his hand over Brianna, she is trying to grab his finger. She manages some which is rather precious.

"If you want to buy her a present for Christmas I would think a stuffed animal. She won't have much use for it at first but walking in spring or so." Simon snorts then looks over at me.

"What are you and Fred getting her?"

"No idea, I am sure a doll, or two. I almost want to get her a construction set, but then no idea if she would be interested in that." Audrey snorts.

"Most likely she will be like you, as in into the mysteries." Sigh because on one hand that is good, on the other I never know if I can make it home above ground.

"I don't know if I want that for her, I never know if this gang house will be my last." Simon snorts and puts the newspaper in front of me.

Groan because front page is an article on the doodle crew, they didn't get caught and someone talked about them. Up to six capers from them now and the newspapers are taking an interest in it. Not good and I may get asked to help look for them tonight. Course I half think they will not do anything for a while to let folk calm down about them.

Also unsure on if that would happen or not. Seems like the more attention paid to something the more it is done. Sometimes it cuts off until it is forgotten about to. Just no telling which of those will happen.

"Simon do you think I will get asked to help look for them?" Simon sighs and shrugs.

"No idea, us colored aren't talked to about this. The crew isn't hitting places in the colored section either. I am sure that detectives and raid crew are being asked to go looking for them at night."

"At the moment I am wishing I was only watching over the colored section too. Following a crew into a store isn't safe." Simon snorts and Audrey looks up.

"So long as you are careful, I don't want to be mom to your bundle of joy."

Sigh and shake my head, luckily no more talking that is a depressing comment. Also quite true, I mess up and Audrey is being mom to my little girl. Don't want that to happen, mostly because I want to be her mom. Granted plenty of the not wanting that is I would be offed, definitely not something I want to happen.

Pretty sure Fred doesn't want that to happen either. Toss up on he doesn't want to lose his nookie, or that he does care about me in his own way. Get Brianna into the sitting room then I am going to take a shower. Shower finished and checked all of me for shaved good I am going into our bedroom to get dressed, missing showers with Fred.

Debate it some and finally decide on the purple suit. Also add in a scarf, Kelly had designed a few to make and gave them to me. The one I grab is pink and does flair so it is tied up and then expands. Needs a different knot, instead of the shoe knot it is almost a tie knot. Scarf flairs out and covers my body a short distance, really sticks out in a suit and is good without jacket.

Audrey grins when I come into the sitting room wearing the suit and scarf. Also points outside so look and groan, it is raining pretty good. Means I will need my trench coat. Toss my hands though I don't have to leave now anyway.

"Shoofly?" Audrey snorts and nods.

"Yeah, Simon commented on how we have tried to turn him white long enough." I am giggling, after the blackberry rhubarb pie I made apple caramel.

Audrey grabs up Brianna in her basket and follows me into the kitchen so we get to work on making up this shoofly pie. Luckily it's pretty darn easy, mostly just molasses and water to the thing. Does call for a crumb covering instead of a top crust so that is nice. Also see why this is rather popular with the colored, very inexpensive pie.

Smells good too, the molasses makes for a wonderful smell. I am drooling practically while we are sitting in the kitchen waiting on the pie to cook. Brianna is a little unsure on the smell, it is new after all but after a few words to her and touching she goes back to sleep. Takes a while but we get the pie out and that is cooked good, so check outside and it is still raining.

Coming up on eight also so I sort of need to get a move on. Trench coat goes on with the hat cover, though today I have a regular skirt hat with blue silk flowers. Cover at least fits this one to, when I cover up my silk hat with it hangs down and covers my hair too. Nice, but also not long enough to do that fully anymore.

My hair is getting toward long and I don't look like a flapper anymore. Audrey has the bob look, she had long hair when we met her but Simon wanted her hair short. Entirely possible Audrey wanted it short and told Simon it will be. Whichever the reason he had taken her to a barber and got her short hair.

Then I am out in the rain and dealing with it coming down in spades. Along with getting the tarp off enough to yank up the cover. So the tarp is sort of shoved into the backseat, more on top of it than anything else, then the cover is getting fastened. Feel at my jacket under my trench to find I am more or less perfectly dry so that is rather handy.

Get my breezer started then think to check on having a book. Which I do, it was stuck in the trench coat, inside pockets galore. Two of those are rather large, for maps and such. At least what they were designed to hold way back when they were handed to soldiers. Having everything I need I get moving to the office.

Not to mention praying rather fervently, it is raining cats and dogs and there are bunches of jalopies driving with me. Even encounter accidents, a whole three today so that isn't good. Not that any of them block up the road and don't move after. Mostly the two jalopies encountered each other and some denting, which is not precisely good for the jalopies.

Reaching the office and not getting the really good spot, I go on inside wishing I had left sooner. There was a jalopy parked in front of the door. Into our office to find Keira is here, so that is why I didn't get to park in front of the door. She looks over at me and waves from the map. So head over to the map and look it over, she has the capers plotted.

"I'm trying to figure out where they will go next." Snort and study the map, the capers happen all over Chicago, though there are crossing lines now.

"Good question, though suppose the crossing lines point to something." Keira snorts and looks at the map with me for a moment.

"Apartment building right in there, had to pick up a witness from there. It was apartment building, chemist, and grocery."

"Expensive apartments." Keira snorts and shrugs.

"I never asked, though I would expect them to be higher price." Has me nodding, also suggests perhaps one or more living there.

"Entirely possible one of them lives there. If not more than one. Lose your job with that great apartment, you would work on getting a new job or pull capers just to keep it." Keira is nodding.

"My witness had seen the crime happening away from home. Apartments are two bedroom, perhaps three. I didn't ask on that, just most are rather large. Four floors and no elevator." I snort since elevators are for hotels and businesses.

"You only see elevators in hotels and other businesses like Penney and the office buildings."

"True, though likely some of those big houses have elevators." Has us both snorting then there is knocking on the door so we are looking, two fellas standing there.

"I got a witness I need picked up." One says with the other nodding so we head for them.

"Share your addresses or hand over the folder." I say getting Keira to nod and the fellas are chuckling, also handing over folders.

"Go on to court we will get these." Keira says so the guys are leaving, and now we get to discuss this.

"So we get these then over to north side station to collect some bulls?" Keira snorts and looks up then shakes her head.

"You go on over to the station and do a raid, if you don't get anything I will go out tonight with the bulls. I don't have a baby after all."

"You are trying though." Keira turns red and switches folders with me so I am checking this one to find it is north side address.

"I'd rather go to west side, besides you are doing that raid in north side so why not give you the faster drive." Snort and shake my head.

"You just want to see west side. The houses are odd over there."

Keira snorts and ushers me on to get to my breezer. Suppose good I hadn't bothered to take my hat off yet. Better part the hat cover is still on because it is still raining. Get in my breezer and I am giggling as I get over to the driver side. Keira bought a trench coat and had been wearing it for her dash to her jalopy.

Let her take off first then I am getting on the road and heading for my witness. This one is over in the same cheap houses as the three letter man. Get the feeling this house isn't as cheap though, there is a grocery next street over. No chemist though so the house wouldn't be that expensive. I think why we have so many bulls living on our street.

Grocery and chemist some five miles away lowers the price of the place. The odd part is simply being near to the colored housing areas does the same thing. They have grocery and chemist fairly close in there but still cheap houses. Suppose because colored live next street over, wrong but then again for those who don't make much it is a good thing.

Sigh and get out of my breezer, after looking to make sure no jalopy coming. Dash for the stairs and up to knock and then groan. I forgot to yank my license so I am doing that as the door opens, skirt standing there giggles as I get it out and open.

"Hi, court appointed here to pick up a witness for a trial starting today. Fool lawyer didn't bother to let the accused see you I assume so his lawyer is making a motion to present you in court." She tosses her hands.

"I had been told that the timing of jury selection meant that I wouldn't have to go in until tomorrow."

"He stopped at my office to say he needed you so something changed. If not you can help me poke away at him." She is giggling and nods, then looks behind me and frowns.

"No umbrella?" Shake my head.

"I bought this trench coat because no windows so rain comes in while driving. I had assumed I would either stay in my breezer or run for the door and umbrella isn't needed. I will buy an umbrella later."

"Winter coat will do alright for the running I guess." I am nodding since I have used my winter coat for the same thing.

"They work alright for that, so long as you do run. I haven't really tried with the good winter coat I have now. Back at the end of March I first started going to the County Attorney offices so used my coat in the morning then went and bought a trench coat."

"What about in your breezer?" Snort and shake my head.

"Most of the water comes in at me, because of the jalopies driving the other way. Just sit close to me and you should be fine. I'd say back seat except I cover my breezer in a tarp so the back seat is covered in a wet tarp."

She is giggling and goes to get dressed for court. I don't blame her on that, she had answered the door wearing an apron and a dress under that isn't flattering. This skirt doesn't work, she has a husband and apparently working on having kids. She comes back in a rather wonderful dress with coat she is pulling on.

Once she is dressed we are exiting and she makes sure she has the keys. Door locked behind us we run for my breezer and pile in. Get us moving and get complained to since there is a puddle in the street. Passing jalopy splashed us with the puddle so I got rather covered in water and she got some too.

Luckily we are both giggling about that, it's not warm water but not precisely cold either. On my side most of it ended up on my trench coat. Her winter coat got most of it I think so besides us both needing to use the washing machine we are fine. Reaching the courthouse I groan and park us in the parking lot, the side street is full of jalopies and the lot is half empty.

Groan again, then we are both running to get to inside the courthouse. Fairly sure the taxi drivers are grinning watching us run. I am rather jealous of them at the moment, they are inside their taxi. Finally we are inside of the courthouse and move off to the side of the doors so we can drip there along with get ourselves in order, as in winter coat off.

Move over to the guard there and yank my license out getting him to chuckle. Then I am pulling the folder out and look at that quick to ask where the room is.

"Up the stairs and turn right, I think five doors. I can hold on to your trench coat if you want, judges dislike dripping folk in their courtroom." Snort and I am taking my trench coat off, also put the hat cover in a pocket and hand it over.

"I have a book in there, it had better still be here when I get back. I will make sure she has dough for a taxi." Guard is chuckling and sends me off so I take her for the stairs.

Up the stairs and turn right to find it is six doors so I better mention that to him. Doors are shut so I am frowning but open them anyway. Inside they are indeed picking jurors so wave to the bailiff and over he comes. Also grinning, this is one of the fellas I have talked to before.

"Witness for prosecution. I'm unsure on needing her today but he did ask me to fetch her." Bailiff snorts then frowns.

"Should need her today, half done I think. Just not sure if she should sit with the prosecutor or out there for right now." I am nodding then shrug.

"Go ask, I need to square her away with taxi dough, he is paying." Bailiff snorts and heads for the judge so I go over to the prosecutor and poke him.

"Ouch, I do need her today." Toss my hands.

"I got her, the thing is I am heading off now so she is in need of taxi dough. Perhaps hand over extra so she can stop and buy a trench coat." He snorts and looks me over then frowns.

"Speaking of trench coat, where is yours?"

"Guard downstairs is holding it for me, I was dripping."

"Sort of jealous, mine is right here." I am grinning since he has his coat sitting on the chair next to him.

Bailiff comes back and she is to sit with the prosecutor so his coat is moved. His coat and hers are taken into the judge's room, he has a coat hanger in there. Little jealous of that but I can leave so out of the courtroom with me. Back downstairs I tease the guard on being too old to remember where a courtroom is.

Get goosed when I turn to go so waggle my finger at him. Back outside I jog back to my breezer, still coming down like cats and dogs. Pondering on if the bulls will drive me around sees me to the north station. Park right in front again, so I better ask about that since it is the only station I have seen where nobody parks in front, then dash inside to find a crowd.

Not pinches being arrested, there is one of those. Along with the pinch there are three others, all of them talking it seems. I would perhaps follow what is going on except all of them are talking in Italian. I know that since I have heard Giovanni yelling at people in Italian, even some of the same words so at least one is swearing.

Also not the only one lost on what to do, the sergeant and patrol look pretty darn lost too. So I whistle, just one toot and nothing changes so I do a nice long whistle. When I taper it off every single one of them is looking at me. The sergeant is grinning, I know him from the last time I came in here.

"Please tell me one of you speaks English. I don't speak Italian and the bulls may not accept Italians so they definitely don't." The pinch is chuckling now.

"We just immigrated from Italy so for the most part they have picked up a word here and there."

"You went to college." I say getting the fella to nod.

"I went to college and learned business. So the grand plan is we move to America and open up an Italian restaurant." Snort since that is rather good.

"Good plan, though most Italians are south side I think. Not to say you shouldn't open it north side, enough of them can tell when it is good food." Sergeant and he are chuckling.

"If your family will stay quiet we can figure out what is going on." Pinch is nodding and then says a few things getting the rest to nod.

"As I was saying, I pinched this one on account of had stopped at a grocery due to a waving clerk. Clerk said that he had noticed a group of Italians and thinks they took apples." Pinch is frowning, along with Sergeant.

"Before anything else, why did you pinch this one?" Patrol sighs and nods at the rest.

"I had spotted this lot walking home with bags from grocery. Italian and definitely shopped at the grocery so most likely the same ones the clerk figured on stole." I am frowning now since that isn't precisely wrong thinking.

"I'd like to fault your thinking but that isn't bad. So I guess now the question is if anyone has anything in their pockets or the bags that wasn't paid for." Pinch sighs and looks up then says something in Italian that gets the rest to be yelling things, mostly at him which is a little odd.

"Apparently we have twenty nine apples because Papa ate one while we were shopping." I am giggling now since I do the same thing with berries.

"I do the same thing with berries. Honestly I think we let them go on home, or give a lift since I don't know where home is from here." Sergeant is nodding and looks at the pinch who sighs.

"We are about two miles from here so a lift would not be unwelcome." Sergeant is nodding though the patrol sighs.

"I'm not sure the clerk will be happy with them buying there." Toss my hands since that is definitely wrong.

"Let me guess, your clerk is one of those fellas that would shoot a colored for going in the store." Patrol frowns then nods and shrugs.

"I half think so, he was not precisely nice in the conversation about them maybe stealing."

"If he thought they stole things I would understand him not being nice in the conversation, but half think this is going farther." Pinch fella is nodding.