The three men looked through the glass into the interrogation room at Jared Weiss as the detective from the three-five gave them a run down on his status. The drive took nearly two hours and with each mile the temperature went up proportionately until they parked and entered the refrigerated building that housed the three-five police division.

"Lives alone. No relatives. Works at a club in your downtown—"

"Bootheel." Bettmeir nodded.

"Right. His story is that he was going to the men's room in the mall cafeteria when he was jumped by a couple of women, dragged into the ladies' room and assaulted."

"Was it a robbery?"

"Nope."

"So why then?"

"He says they were probably hitting randomly on men for some bitchy feminist reason... his words."

"What's your take?"

"We found dirty shoe prints on the rim of the bowl and there was a splattering of liquid soap on the back wall and on him. He's bruised on the hand and back as well as his privates... the paramedic said it was not a pretty sight. He can't stand very long and walking is pretty much a no-no."

"Any idea what he was doing way down here?"

"Nope. Day off maybe?"

"I strongly doubt that. So you think he was in there, peeping?" They watched Jared writhing on the hard chair.

"The signs indicate that possibility. We just can't nail it down. The guys lifted a bunch of prints but shit, it's a public washroom. We did get something off the sanitary pad shoved in his mouth."

"What! Ughhh. Jesus, I hope I don't meet the broads in a dark alley that did that." Jerry pulled a face.

"Doesn't look like they need dark alleys. You wanna question him?"

"Yeah, we have to. Jerry's ass is on the line."

"Screw you, Bettmeir."

Jared watched the two detectives take chairs opposite him and he pinched his mouth at their presence.

"Well, well, Mister Weiss. Nice to know you have a last name. We hear you've been a naughty boy."

"Have you spoken to your lawyer friend yet?" Jerry asked. "We hear he's a bit naughty himself. A member of your club isn't he?"

Bettmeir flipped open his notebook. "Mister Weiss doesn't seem too communicable, Jer."

"Yeah, guess the little old lady kicked his stones right up into his throat."

Jared leaned forward glaring. "It wasn't some little old lady, it was two women about my age or younger."

"Aahh, he does speak. Good. We took a warrant to the club and met your Mister Greenbaum. Nice chap. He pulled a gun on us and fled." Bettmeir skipped over being locked in and needing rescue.

Jared Gaped at him. "He what?"

"You heard me. Now why would he do something like that, Mister Weiss? What does Mister Greenbaum have to hide that might warrant pulling a weapon on a police officer?"

"Before you start wasting our time, pal, we know about the drugs." Jerry gave him his Sean Connery stare.

Jared closed his eyes and winced as a screw thread of pain twisted through his groin. He felt trapped and with good reason. The very reason for eliminating the women was to bury the drug issue, now with Greenbaum running and obviously not likely to be seen again, he was hung out to dry. The pain pulsed again and he let out a small moan.

"Was that a confession, Mister Weiss? Are you admitting to dispensing drugs at your place of work?"

"It wasn't me, it was Greenbaum."

"Of course it was. You kept saying stop and he just wouldn't." Bettmeir scribbled in his book.

"Ask Cresta, she was there when he did some deals. She was also the one that distributed them to the members."

Jerry raised his eyebrows. "Cresta?"

Jared groaned again and rocked forward on the chair. "I need to lie down."

"When you're finished lyin' to us." Jerry said.

"I'm not. Cresta Ettinger is the Cropmaster. She supervised the drug use by the members during their sessions."

"These drugs were provided by Greenbaum?"

"Of course. He was the main dealer; the stuff used in the club was gratis to the members. They were paying enough to cover any losses."

"And you know this because you were in on the deal with Greenbaum."

Jared hesitated a beat too long and Jerry slapped the table with a paddle hand. "Gotcha, Jared. Better think about callin' that lawyer friend. I'll bet he'll love bein' dragged into this."

Bettmeir scribble some more and looked up. "Where do we find this Cresta Ettinger?"

Jared swallowed hard and shook his head. He wasn't about to have them making statements against him as well. "I don't know. Outside the club everybody is anonymous. Even the telephones are linked to the club."

"What about Hatti Ambrose or Rita Cornell?"

He stared for a moment, suspecting a trap. "They're the same person."

Bettmeir wrote again. "Where does she live?"

"I just told you—"

"Do you know an Elora Gates?"

Jared paled and his eyes darted about the table. What did they know? "I uh- I think she's a friend of Chester Hargrave."

"Where were you this afternoon before you came all this way to peek at old ladies?" Jerry took over.

"At- at work..." He thought hard, trying to remember when he'd spoken to the detectives last. The pain was scrambling his mind.

Jerry made a buzzer sound. "Wrong. You now have two choices. The truth or a long night sitting on that chair."

"I- I was just taking some personal time. I haven't been feeling well lately."

"Worse now I bet." Jerry chuckled.

"So you came all this way to the Skyway Mall to prowl lady's rooms."

"No! I told you what happened."

Bettmeir closed his notebook. "Okay, Mister Weiss. We'll see that you get photographed and printed and you can be on your way to a cot and a nice rest."

"Printed? Why? I'm not charged with anything."

"I beg your pardon but we have you down as a suspect in drug trafficking."

"I told you, that was Greenbaum!" The shout made him clamp his eyes shut as another high voltage pain coursed through his groin.

"Well we hate be ungrateful, Mister Weiss, but until we can find Mister Greenbaum, your word is all we have and frankly I wouldn't give a good pair of balls in exchange." Jerry grinned and slapped the table again causing Jared to flinch and cry out once more.

"Why were you at the mall, Jared?"

"I told you, it was just some private time."

"You also said you hadn't been feeling well, so why go all this way to a mall?"

Jared hunched forward and stared at the two detectives, his face the picture of a trapped animal.

"I need a doctor."

"I'll get right on it." Jerry soothed as both detectives stood and left the room.

"Quite an act you guys have." The three-five detective laughed as they came back to the observation room. "This is the first we've heard about any drugs, want to fill me in?"

Bettmeir laid out the entire string of events including their theory on the murder of Elora Gates and when he'd finished he had an interesting thought.

"We have a few more people to see but when you get a ID on any of those prints you mentioned I'd appreciate a call."

"Sure. Two way street, eh?"

"You got it."