Intimate Relations, Rebecca Forster [best ereader for manga .txt] 📗

piled up some boxes to give herself a step up, and that's what the girl was standing on.

"I'm sorry I tossed my crap on you. I couldn't see you in here."

"No problem," Cori said. "I'm almost done."

"What are you looking for?" The girl shifted her weight, seemingly happy to hang there all day.

"There was a problem in that building last night, the big unit," Cori said.

"That doesn't surprise me," she said.

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"I'm pretty sure Enver and Emi keep sex slaves. I've seen a woman up there." The girl pointed to the third floor. "She doesn't ever sleep. She's always moving around like she's trying to find a way out. Once she walked right up to  the window. I thought she was going to punch it out and jump. I made a sign and held it up. I shined a flashlight on it. It said DO YOU NEED HELP? She stood at that window still as could be, but I guess she didn't see my sign. Then a guy came and took her away. You know, it could be she didn't speak English.  Do you think she couldn't read the sign?  Emi and Enver are foreign. They could be sex traffickers."

"I don't think so on the sex trafficking thing." Cori flipped her shoulder bag behind her again and leaned against the side of the container. She couldn't get any dirtier if she tried so she might as well be comfortable. "How did the man take her away? Did he drag her away? Did he hit her so she fell away?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. It looked like he touched her on the shoulder, and she turned and went with him. I guess she didn't need help." The girl seemed disappointed.

"Was it just one girl or were there others?"

"I think only one."

"What did she look like?" Cori asked.

"It was always kind of dark. I didn't see her super well.  Well, not dark, but there are a lot of shadows, and it's high up. She looked small. Not like a little girl, just small."

"What did this man look like?" Cori asked.

"I don't know. I mean, it was a while back. It couldn't have been Enver. He's tall. The girl was alone a lot," she said.

"And you don't know anything about the other person?" Cori asked.

She shook her head.

"No. I'd say he was a customer. They go in and out making sure everything is just perfect because Enver's companions cost so much. I've run into some of them. They are weirder than weird." She made a face and Cori wondered if she had taken a good look around The Brewery. Weird was in the eye of the beholder.

"So you know Enver and Emi pretty well?"

"I used to," she said.  "Enver gave me a super good hint about technique on skin tone because I'm a painter. Once Emi made me some meat pies that were awesome, but I can't remember what she called them. Then they got busy, and I didn't see them anymore. I was kind of hoping they might take me on. You know, I could paint the dolls with Enver. I don't think he ever gave it a thought." She became wistful, only to perk up a second later. "So what are you really doing?"

"I'm looking for clues. Something might have been thrown out in the trash after that party last night. Something that would help me find out who killed that girl," Cori said

"Some chick got offed at a party? Was it a sex party? See, I was right, wasn't I? She was a slave."

"I don't know," Cori said. "Cross my heart, I'd tell you if I knew."

"Did you find anything worth keeping in there?" She lifted herself up and took another look.

"Nope. "

Cori went to the side of the dumpster and waved the girl away. As soon as she was off the boxes Cori hoisted herself up, swung her legs over, and climbed down. She swiped her hands together again. Cleaning them was hopeless until she found some soap and water or a blow torch.

"Did you look at Enver's dumpster?" the girl said.

"He has his own dumpster?" Cori said.

"Yeah. I mean, look at where he and Emi live. Perks come with that place." She pointed to the one Cori had been rutting around in. "This one is for my block." She pointed behind her to the low rent district, and then waved her hand the other way. "Enver's is over there."

"Show me," Cori said.

 The girl bounded away, disappearing around the corner of the building. Cori picked up her jacket, slung it over her shoulder, and followed. A minute later, Cori stood beside the girl checking out the Cucas’ private trash bin.

"How come it's so small?" Cori asked.

"Because it's only for this unit. Sometimes when the other one is full I'll dump here, but mostly we respect each other's spaces," she said.

"Good neighbor policy, huh." Cori found a couple of slats of wood, piled them in a basket pattern, tested the platform, stepped up, and climbed in.

"I love your accent. Where are you from?" the girl said.

"Texas. Long time ago," Cori said.

"I guess it hangs on, huh?"

"You should hear my partner. We're a regular United Nations," Cori said.

That was it for their kafe klatch. Cori was now truly in hog heaven. Enver and Emi had found time to clean up after all that happened. The remnants of that fateful evening were all there.  Bottles, fancy plastic plates, discarded food, napkins, and a few of the condoms Cori had seen in the bowl. Thankfully, they were still in the wrappers. She sidestepped those just in case. She moved the top refuse aside before dividing the interior into quadrants.

In the first quadrant she latched onto a hank of hair. Fearing it was another body, she pulled on it carefully only to find it was one of Enver's discarded dolls, torso and head only. Enver had been right to toss it. The eyes had molded so that one was higher than the other. The full lips