Stalemate
Who: Janey and Dodge
Where: St. Peter's Cathedral
When: Midmorning--immediately following Mass
It was the third Sunday of the month, which meant the ladies' group provided coffee after mass. For once, then, she wasn't the one working the event. She'd never joined the ladies' group. They all seemed to be a bunch of rich, haughty women who donated hundreds of dollars to the church and the orphanage but hadn't said a heartfelt prayer in their lives. Nevertheless, she was here. She never passed up a chance to mingle among her fellow churchgoers, hoping to see a familiar face. She was standing off to the side, an untouched cup of coffee cooling in her hand. She didn't even like coffee, but she'd taken it anyways. She would've liked to stay and reflect a bit on the sermon, after mass, but she'd been swept out by the crowd and didn't really have the energy to fight it today. She plopped three sugar cubes in her coffee cup and began to stir it vigorously.
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They didn't like him here.
Well that wasn't right. It was the nuns that didn't like him here. They certainly didn't mind him, those older ladies whose husbands ignore them. They always enjoyed his attention, the charming young man in the fedora and well worn suit. They loved him. And he loved the little bits he grabbed out of their purses while they snuck him sweets. It was probably wrong, lifting from people in a church, but what could he say? They were here to do their penance and he was happy to oblige. He was after all, feeding the hungry.
He and the boys had been able to pull apart the bed frame in rapid time, leaving Maddy with just her mattress. For good measure Dodge left the duck on her pillow. So she'd know he wasn't kidding. The boys had carted the thing off towards his room, under strict orders to just store it. She'd come around, she'd realize her mistake and then he'd give it back. Hell, he'd even put it up when she wasn't there, surprise her with a treat. For now though, he hoped it made her cry. Made her realize that she was making the wrong decision.
Having pawned a pastry, a cup of coffee, three wallets, some jewelry, and a few other odds and ends off plenty of church goers, Dodge was on his way out when he spotted the pretty redhead in the corner. That made him change his direction he found himself headed towards her. He needed a distraction from the aching feeling fighting with Maddy had left, and she looked like she needed someone to talk to. Perching himself lightly on a nearby table, ignoring the dirty looks he was getting for sitting on it, he fixed his eyes on her. "Well, hi."
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The teenage boy seemed to come out of nowhere when he appeared at her elbow. "Hi," she said cautiously, shifting to face him. He didn't look familiar. Not that Janey knew everyone at church, but she could at least recognize most faces, if they were regulars. He had a dark mass of hair hanging in his face. He was fairly well-dressed, though the clothes themselves looked rather shabby, and she wondered if he was a street kid--though "kid" maybe wasn't quite the right word. "Have we met before?" she asked. Maybe they had--why else would he have approached her?
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sorry
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"Not yet we don't," he told her, shifting the fedora back so his face showed properly. "I'm Dodge, and besides absolutely lovely, you are?" Alright, maybe he was laying it on a little thick, but she was pretty enough and he really, really needed a good distraction from Maddy and her ridiculous ideas. Or that pained look on her face when he left.
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At this response, Janey was surprised to feel her cheeks turning the color of her hair. Nevermind that he was young enough to be--well, maybe not her son, but probably her younger brother. And while she knew she'd always looked young, the past few years had aged her face, at least. He was clearly just a charmer, but that put her on her guard--because it was something she was unaccustomed to. Even with men her own age. She was used to being, for the most part, invisible.
"Janey," she said, smiling politely. "And...er, thank you."
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"Janey? That's beautiful. Very fitting." Dodge grinned, that slightly mischievous grin that fit his features so perfectly. "So, Janey, what's got you standing over here all by your lonesome and not standing over there with all them." Dodge hoped she blushed again, it was cute. Plus it made him feel a little better about himself. It was certainly better than making someone cry, even if she deserved it.
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"Oh, I'm just not...social like they are," Janey said, trying to be nice. "And what about you, Dodge? I don't think I've seen you around the church often," she said, trying to keep her tone of voice light and curious, because she genuinely was, not trying to make him uncomfortable.
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"Guess that just means I have you all to myself," Dodge told her with a small smile. "And no," he continued, hopping up from the table lightly enough, moving to block her from the rest of the room. "I'm not here much. Rarely even, but every so often I come by, make some friends, warm up a little." Fill my pockets, he thought, smiling again.
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Janey was generally pretty good at making small talk, despite her shyness. But she couldn't really figure out what type of person Dodge was, let alone what she could engage him in conversation about. "Make some friends? Do you know a lot of the regular churchgoers, then?" she asked.
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"Of course," Dodge told her, moving around her side to point out a few of the women he'd been talking to earlier. They waved enthusiastically and of course he responded with a nod of his hat. "See?" he asked, turning back to Janey.
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"I see," Janey said with a chuckle. He seemed a little young to be pimping himself out to the rich church women--or maybe he just liked to flirt with older women. "So you've been in EC for a while I take it?"
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"My whole life," he answered like that was a lot longer than seventeen years. "Grew up right on these very streets." Which was actually literally quite true, even if his "Dodge" persona came later. "And you? Native?"
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Right on these very streets? Immediately, Janey wondered if maybe he knew who DG was. After all, a street kid in the church...couldn't there be some connection? Though it was clear his reasons for being at the church were quite different than the girl's had been. She hadn't heard from Sister Marguerite about any leads on the girl's real identity.
"I grew up here as well," Janey said. "Not quite on the streets though. Did you, really?" she asked, a hint of compassion and curiosity in her tone.
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"I own these streets," he told her, voice slightly hushed as if it was a secret, but still with that air of confidence that he meant it, and believed it. There was no pull for pity in his eyes, no shame. Dodge was as proud as they come of his background, proud of who he was, there was little he wanted in life, and whatever he did? He just took.
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"Do you now," Janey replied, slightly amused but also intrigued. "Do you know a lot of the going-ons of the streets, then? And a lot of the people?" Janey lowered her voice as well, though she wasn't sure why--just following his cues.
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"Of course," he told her, sounding just a tiny bit offended that she would even consider that the situation might be otherwise. "Little happens on my streets without my knowledge." Of course that led his thoughts to Maddy going missing here in this vary church without his knowledge, and he was forced to bit back the scowl so it didn't show. Still, he knew about Evie and how she'd come looking for him, which helped to even out his mood.
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Janey couldn't believe her luck. She wasn't sure how to broach the topic, but she knew she had to. "So if I were--looking," she began uncertainly, "for someone on the street, you might be able to help out?" She held her breath in anticipation of his answer, gripping her coffee cup tighter.
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"Of course I can," Dodge told her, standing up to his full height, look of supreme confidence on his face. It never occured to him that she might be looking for someone who he might not want found. Hell, he was too concerned with proving himself.
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He seemed to puff up with confidence, which made Janey both eager and nervous. "Well, okay. There's a girl. l don't known her real name, but she goes by DG," she began, and went on to explain, briefly, the story of how she and the girl had met, and of the brief stay she'd had at their house.
"I just want to know she's okay...I mean, I want to help her, but I don't know if she'd let me. And I went to the orphanage to see if they knew anything about her, but they couldn't help much. Maybe you can?"
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Dodge's eyes narrowed just a smidge. Normally he wouldn't react much, especially when an adult went asking about someone that belonged to him. But Maddy had already set him in a mood and hearing this woman mention her was hard to not show some reaction. Stupid girl, Dodge thought as Janey explained who she was.
"She's good," he finally told her, obviously not amused that Janey had even asked. "And don't go asking around at the orphanage about her. She's not going back there, and if you let them know she's still around and not dead in a ditch somewhere they'll go looking for her." Dodge frowned thinking of the orphanage and thinking of Maddy. Stupid Maddy. If this lady was still looking for her, that meant he couldn't completely cut ties with her like he wanted to. It meant she'd still need his protection in some ways. Already he was making a plan to keep tabs on her, he wouldn't let her know and the boys wouldn't be allowed to help out, but if she got tugged off in backs of cabs headed for orphanages or crazy lady's houses they would at least know. Then maybe Maddy's precious Roy could bust her out. Dodge's frowned deepened as he thought through everything.
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"She's good?" Janey repeated skeptically. "She can't be good if she's still fending for herself on the streets. No matter how many years she's been living that way," Janey added, before Dodge could protest. He was the type of guy who would, she could tell, defend the girl's "right" to live on the streets if she liked. But that was no sort of life for anyone. Living off of scraps of food, making your money off of pick-pocketing, or worse. The girl was just about the right age where places like the Kitten Club--or places like Babylon, since Janey knew from Danny that there were plenty of other brothels in the city that were still "underground"--would be ready to snatch her up as one of their new "girls". Janey had tried not to think about that, but it had been the back of her mind since DG had disappeared. Now, being talked to by this boy like she was an idiot, she could feel a strange sense of protectiveness for the girl, as well as anger at anyone who'd try to hurt her, bubbling up inside of her.
"And as far as the orphanage goes," she continued, "where else was I supposed to go when she just disappeared, and me not even knowing if she was healthy yet? My husband's a cop, and she's lucky we didn't set out a warrant for her arrest because of the money she stole. We wouldn't--I don't want to harm her, I want to help her. But don't tell me what to do and what not to do, because things could be a lot worse for her than someone like me looking for her."
Dodge was far from amused. The frown shifted to a scowl as now he was both upset with Janey and Maddy. Reaching up to tug his fedora a little lower, covering more of his face. That stupid little girl let herself get picked up by a cop's wife. Then stole from them? Dodge was all about stealing from those who have enough to spare, but usually he was far from obvious about it. It made him wonder about the money she'd shown him, if that's where she'd gotten it from. Silently he wondered if he should have held off on his accusations. Still, the boy had seen what he'd seen. And it's not like Maddy had denied anything. Actually she'd thrown it in his face.
"She does well enough," Dodge finally said through gritted teeth. "Better than most." And Maddy had the audacity to pop him over the head with the newspaper. He should have done the same thing to her. He definitely wanted to start shaking sense in to her. Stupid fucking girl. "Plus there are worse places to end up, the orphanage being one of those for a girl like her. Maybe your cop husband should check those out first." Okay that was probably rude, but he was definitely losing his cool. "Look she knows where to find you, if she needs you she'll be back."
Janey could tell she'd pissed the kid off. He didn't seem angry at her though, so much as just angry at the situation. At least she hoped that was the case. She suddenly regretted her decision to ask him about the girl--nothing he'd said had given her any comfort, and worse yet, what if she'd gotten DG in trouble? And what on earth did he mean that the orphanage was one of the worst places she could end up?
Since she'd spoken to Sister Marguerite about the girl, Janey had remembered more about her--and about how she really had been their "poster child". The sweet, quiet girl they'd dragged around everywhere trying to stir up some sympathy that would get people to, at best, adopt a child, or at least reach for their pocketbooks. I know that the sisters' tactics of keeping the orphanage open and funded weren't the best, Janey thought, but at least being there has to be safer and healthier for them than living in the streets, right? Dodge had her questioning that belief. What did he know about the orphanage that she didn't? She was almost afraid to ask.
At this point, Janey wasn't sure what was driving her to care so much. There were so many kids on the street in the city, why was she so committed to this one girl? From their very first encounter, DG had touched something in Janey. Through her artwork, yes, but also through what a complex attitude she seemed to have. She acted like she was out to get the world, or at least, Janey had realized, she wanted people to think that. Yet Janey could also see through that, and had seen through it, to how vulnerable the girl really was. She was completely alone in the world. No wonder she tried to be so thick-skinned. She probably had to, in order to survive. And Janey's heart ached for her.
"I want to say this again--I'm not trying to land her back in the orphanage. I just want to help her live a better life than what she had there--and what she has now. I'm sure she didn't enjoy her time at the orphanage--who would? Especially the way they used her as their little mascot," Janey admitted. "But--what do you know that I don't? Because I can't possibly see how being there could be one of the worst places for her."
Now Dodge wanted to blame himself for being stupid. Just moments ago he'd been enjoying himself, cashing in for the weekend on what he could lift off rich ladies, and he'd gone and gotten distracted by yet another pretty face. As a result, he was stuck in this conversation. "It's almost as bad. At least it was for her, but she wasn't the only one. I'm not telling you more, you get someone else to look into it, or ask some other kid." Dodge had stood up against a pedophile before, he wasn't really ready to jump into that again. Especially when it didn't involve protecting those who were his. "Look Janey, I'll make you a deal. You stop looking for her and if I see her, I'll tell her you want to help her out." The "if I see her" loophole got him out of trouble in case the stupid girl didn't listen and went on with Little Angels.
Janey wasn't going to stop looking, not as long as it was in her power. Granted, she wasn't sure what else she could do to look for the girl right now, but she wasn't going to just give up. But if she told him she would, that would make him happy. And he could pass along the message to her--if he even intended to. Something about the way he said it made Janey suspect he had something personal invested in the situation. Even more reason for her not to stop looking. What if, after all, Dodge himself was a threat to the girl? She couldn't trust him.
"Okay," she said, knowing even as she spoke that she was lying. The poor kid had underestimated her. She may have been quiet, but when her heart was invested in something, there was no stopping her. "I'll stop. I won't talk to the orphanage about her, and I'll stop looking." It didn't even feel wrong to lie about this. Janey glanced around as she spoke--the parishoners had begun drifting out, slowly. She'd almost forgotten where she was. How'd I get involved with this conversation at church, for Christ's sake? she thought, murmuring a quick apology under her breath at her misuse of the Lord's name (even if it was just in her head). I definitely need to pray on this before I go home.
Dodge didn't do anything right away but watch Janey. He wanted to trust her, but he still had issues with adults. Hell she was married to a damn cop, and it's not like those fuckers could be trusted, even if they had helped him out once in the past. Granted after they'd helped him by putting Patrick where Dodge needed him to get killed, they certainly didn't leave him alone for a while. Hell, even now they watch him almost too closely. "Fine, it's a deal."
Janey wasn't sure how deals like this were supposed to go. What did they do in the streets? Should she offer to shake on it, or did they have to make some sort of "blood oath"? She found her mind racing in ridiculous directions. What are the spiritual consequences for breaking a blood oath? I wonder if that's a bigger sin than just breaking a verbal promise...
Nerves. It was the nerves. Even though she'd put up a good fight for the things she believed in and the people she cared about, she still got nervous when she did so. She couldn't let him see though. Dodge seemed like the type who'd take advantage of that. Was it really just ten minutes ago he'd seemed to be sweet, a perfect gentleman? She glanced into her coffee cup--the contents of which had cooled and become a sludge of half-dissolved sugar cubes. Then she looked back up, meeting his eyes, as if daring him to offer her another challenge. "I should go," she said. "My husband will be waiting on me for lunch soon." It was a lie, but a necessary one. She needed to remind him who her husband was--and needed an excuse to leave. She wasn't actually sure whether she'd even tell Danny about the encounter--he'd likely just be annoyed that she was still looking for DG. And besides, this was a topic that ranked fairly low on her current list of things she needed to discuss with her husband.
Dodge's eyes narrowed again at mention of the cop husband. He knew what she was doing there, reminding him of who she was. "You do what you gotta do beautiful," he told her, still using the pet name, but lacking the extra emphasis behind it. "I've got a city to run anyway," Dodge said as he pushed off the table he was leaning on and strode past her, waving and smiling once again at the ladies he'd robbed clean and then disappearing out the doors of the church.
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it posted twice sorry!