Phone call between Bones and Roach, sometime late in the evening, September 18th '16.
Sitting in the stationary Pontiac she hit dial and waited. Pulled off the side of a street in the back of West End, she watches a pack of Mako run by, making a fuss.
The phone ran for just a little too long. Just when she thought he might not answer, the ringing stopped and a voice croaked out. "Hey, birdie. What's up?"
"Yo. I'm back from the Crez. Wanted to lets you know. Also.. uh... some guy is looking for you. Approached me at the Dragon. Name's Inaiah?" The phone to her cheek, she frowned and flicked her studded tongue against a tooth. "I said I'd bring him to you. Seems legit but... I dunno."
"Inaiah, huh?" he paused, thinking. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. "He say what he want?"
"Cagey fecker. But he knew my real name, Bones." She paused. Sighed. "He knew yours too."
"How the feck'd he know that?"
"Don't know, man. I don't. He was real shifty about it all. Not, that he looked shifty, he dressed well, spoke well.. but he knew a little too's much to be just a man come claiming on something. Thought he was one of them bail bonds guy, from back in your day? Then he mentioned the fecking tree."
Bones was silent for a long time, then. He didn't say anything, just sat there listening to her breath while his mind raced. Then, finally. "I need to meet him. Bring him to the Boneyard. And birdie? This doesn't mean you're off the hook for that shiz that happened the other night."
She smirked then her face went cool again. "I knows. I intend, fully like, like, to explain it all. But wait... uh.. old man? Guy said something. he said.. don't goes near the tree. He made a point of it, likes a riddle. But uh.. as for everything else. I'll bring a six pack around or a bottle of bourbon, we talk."
"I'll ask him about it. When you bring him. He'll explain, I'm sure."
"Just in case.... " she held her breath. "Can you do what you got to do... you know... the old shiz. Make the place a zone? Or in the least, be packing. In case he's a .. a danger. I'll escort him, come packing too. But please. This worries me."
"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll take precautions. I don't let boogey men come steppin' into my territory lightly."
"I love ya, Bones. I worry about you like you worries about me."
A pause.
She shifted uncomfortably in the seat. "You really don't remember this fella?"
"I know you do, birdie," he said, smiling. "I don't. Sounds familiar, but I can't place the name. Maybe from before Katrina, I dunno. But I don't know how he could know about the tree."
"We'll see I guess. I gave him my number. He rings, it cool if I bring him over whenever?"
"Yeah, just warn me beforehand. So I can prep."
"Course yo." She smiled. "I'm real glad... you're back in my life. I missed you, a lot. I .. I probably don't be saying that enough, what you mean to me, so's, I'm saying it now. If anything ever happened..." She goes silent.
"Nothin's happening to me, Roach. Don't worry about a thing. I'll always be here."
"You better. I'm the fecking queen of the underworld." Some melodrama in her tone, to lighten the conversation some. "I'll do anything for you. Anything." There was some humour to her tone, over all, but she knew, he knew, beneath it, she meant it. "I'd move the world for you, Bones."
"I'd do the same for you, kid. You know that."
She makes a sound in her throat, and nods. Then speaks,"I know. Looks, I.. gotta go. Speak soon. Maybe you should sprinkle some of those feathers around town. Otherwise I'm going to go pluck a fecking hen."
He laughed. "You can't hear them, anyways," he said. "Maybe I'll toss some in the wind for you, just in case you learn how to hear. Take care, birdie."
She laughs hard. "Yeahs, you too, old man
Click.
....Click.
After sitting there for a while, she texted Grey and drove on over to the safe house.
