CHAPTER VI: PAY DIRT, SORTA

James Roswell Lassiter was his name. Jimmy or Lassie for short. 64 years old (I was right) and retired. He mentioned that he had been an engineer and had worked with the city for a long time until he had enough time in to retire and did so about two years ago.

He was definitely spunky and Joey and I looked at each other while Jimmy went to the kitchen to get our coffee and we sat and smiled that smile you get when you know you are about to hit the mother lode of all muthah lodes and we damn near started to giggle.

It wasn't but a few minutes before Jimmy brought our coffee and even the chocolate caramel flavored creamer we love so much. Addicts we are, actually. We each took ours off the silver tray he had set down on the coffee table in front of us and took a sip. Very good.

Without trying to be obvious about it I looked around. It was a nice house, older but good sized and I decided that either Jimmy had a housekeeper or a wife somewhere or he was a neat freak. LOL. Neat as a pin the house was or at least what I could see of it. (We discovered the answer to that but more later on that one).

"So, how can I be of help to you young boys ( I loved him already LOL). Terrible shame about Lucille. Dreadful." and he actually shuddered a bit.
"Only two doors down too, my GOD. It could have been me. Don't you think?"

We both nodded without saying anything. Jimmy was on a roll and we didn't want to stifle him. Haha.
"Would you like a danish or something? I have plenty."
"Oh, no thank you. The coffee is fine, delicious too," I told him and we both nodded again.

Jimmy smiled and after taking a sip of his coffee, just sorta began talking and after a bit it was almost as if he was on auto-pilot and sorta oblivious to our presence. Worked for me, I'll tell yah...and here is what he told us.

"I've lived in this house like forever. It was my parents house before me and I was raised here so a long time." He paused, for emphasis I suppose, and then continued.

"Lucille and her husband moved into their house down the block maybe 30 years ago or so, maybe a bit more and he was here of course until he died. As I am sure you know, Frank WIlliams owned Williams Pharmacy downtown for many years. He was friendly as I recall...I suppose he figured that would help business, but nobody around here is particularly neighborly. Don't know why that is just is, and Lucille certainly wasn't...but I would see her in the  yard or at the supermarket and we would chat briefly. She was a teacher you know."

Joey and I nodded that we did and he went on.
"English if memory serves me, middle school as they call it these days...and she retired about 8 years ago now.

I always found her to be a nice person, kinda quiet and always seemed to keep to herself a lot. I don't think she had many friends or at least I never saw many coming and going."

"Did she have kids, Jimmy?" I asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Two. Girl and boy, and the girl was older. She was killed in a car accident out west somewhere about 5 years ago. She was a commercial photographer and very successful as I gathered. As I recall she never married and never had any children.

The boy,,,that is a very different story." Again, he paused I suppose to let that sink in a bit.

"He was a handful as I recall, always in and out of trouble...nothing too serious I don't think but just mischief. He has kinda drifted from what I know ever since high school and he must be in his 30's by now I would think."

He stopped, took a sip of coffee and looked at me for a minute.
"I hope I am not talking too much."
"No, absolutely not. We need to know everything we can so we can help our friend Ryan."

"Nice boy. I see him a lot where he works and he is always smiling and seems like just such a very nice person."
"He is that."
"Yeh, well I can understand you wanting to help him. He is lucky to have you two."

I blushed.
"Thanks."
"Sure.
"Anyway, the boy...and his name is Douglas, or Doug I am sure...last I knew he lives somewhere out west. California I think but I don't know where.

Anyway, he hasn't been back here in a long time and I have kinda decided that he and Lucille were on the outs. She may have just gotten tired of bailing him out of trouble."

I decided that that was worth looking into and then suddenly realized that the Detective would be looking for him as well since he would be in all likelihood the next of kin.

Jimmy was being most helpful and really seemed to want to be. I noted that we might just use him as a resource in the future. But for now I felt we had mined enough for one day and after thanking him we made our adieus and left. I had a fleeting thought that maybe we could keep trying other neighbors but decided against it.

"What you think, Dylan?" Joey asked me.
"Not sure. Not sure what any of it means or if it means anything at all. Nice guy though."
"Yeh. I thought so too and he really seems to want to help."
"Noticed that."

We got home about dinnertime, and it was a quiet one as we chewed on the information we had gleaned from Jimmy this afternoon.


                               CONTINUE TO CHAPTER VII