"Vincent...please don't make me do this. I thought you were clean now."

"What makes you think I'm not clean?" Vincent asked Wanda who was dressed in a long skirt, a white tank top, and jean jacket.

"If you're clean, why are you asking me to pick up your stash?"

"Lots of reasons. I guess the main reason is that I can." Vincent smiled as he looked over at Wanda. He had parked in front of a Motel 6. "I'll wait for you here sister." He handed Wanda an envelope full of cash. She took it and stuffed it in her bra.

"Fine. I'll be right back."

Wanda walked over to the assigned room number. The door opened to reveal a handsome man with dirty blonde hair. "Wanda?"

Wanda nodded, "That's me honey."

He smiled and opened the door so she could enter. "Well look who we have here!" A woman Wanda knew as Cindy stood up from the bed and crossed the room to her, "It's been a long time Wanda. I didn't think you still bought."

"I don't."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"A favor. You got my stuff?"'

Cindy giggled, "What's the rush Wanda? Don't you want to try it out?"

"No. I just want to hurry and get this over with."

"You hear that Ben? She doesn't want to play." Cindy looked at the handsome man that had opened the door. He didn't seem to be amused with Cindy. He looked bored and annoyed. "You're no fun," she said to both Cindy and Ben. "Let me go get it. It's in the bathroom. I'll be right back."

When Cindy left Wanda and Ben together, she studied him. "You're married."

"Yeah."

"Do you love your wife?"

"I wouldn't have married her otherwise."

Wanda laughed, "Does she know you're doing this?"

His silence was answer enough. Wanda cleared her throat, "It's hard to recover once you've gotten involved with someone like Cindy. You got kids?"

Ben nodded, "One. A son."

"Me too. He's grown now but he doesn't see me. I made too many mistakes." Ben looked at her and smiled, "All of our choices have consequences. Have you ever tried reaching out to him?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you can." Ben looked up and sighed. "I wish I had never gotten involved in all this. It's too late now though."

"No...it's never too late. Get out soon. When you start to spend time with evil people, it rubs off on you. I'm saying this from experience." Before Ben could respond, Cindy came back into the room, "Sorry I had to tinkle."

The transaction was completed and Wanda left behind Cindy and Ben. Poor Ben. He looked so sad after she left him behind in the hotel room with Cindy.

"You got it?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, I have it." Wanda tossed him the bag and he stuck it inside his coat pocket. "So sister...the day is young, where would you like to go next?"

Wanda stared out the window and thought for a moment before answering, "I want to see my son."

"Aahh my nephew. What's his name again?"

Wanda's eyes narrowed at Vincent. "Artie. His name is Artie."

Meanwhile

"You're being released from the hospital now?" Officer Dempsey looked at the handcuffed bald man with a barcode symbol tattooed on his forehead. "Give me an hour and I'll come get you, okay?"

"Let me go you pig! Somebody better make some eggs 'cause I smell bacon!" the bald man was shouting at the top of his lungs. Tom rolled his eyes, "Make that an hour and a half. Yeah Joelynn...I'll see you later."

"Hey Dempsey."

Officer Dempsey looked up to see Detective James Smith standing next to him. "Can I help you?"

Detective Smith shrugged his shoulders, "I just wanted to pass a report to you. Were you talking to Joelynn Lewis just now?"

"And if I was?"

"Is she in the hospital?"

Officer Dempsey didn't know if he should answer. "What difference does it make to you?"

"She's my friend. I've known her longer than you. What's with the third degree?"

"I don't know Smith...you have a bad reputation when it comes to your friends. Wasn't the Demon King your buddy at one point?"

"You knew the Demon King? That's so cool bro...I'm one of his disciples. I'm a huge fan. What was he like?" the bald man with the barcode tattoo asked Detective Smith.

"What's with the tattoo on your forehead?"

The bald man smiled, "It represents American greed and the fact that we can all be bought and sold."

James Smith grimaced, "Idiot. I wouldn't even buy you if they sold you at the Dollar store." He turned back to Officer Dempsey, "You can be an ass all you want but Joelynn is still my friend and you can go to Hell with your cheap shots about me being friends with a serial killer"

Detective Smith walked away but he was upset. He was sick and tired of getting strange looks from his fellow officers. He hadn't known that his friend David was the Demon King. He was just as surprised as everyone else. He wished they wouldn't keep holding it against him.

James looked at his watch. As he walked back to his desk, he saw Ellis eating a pretzel. "Hey Ellis."

"What's up?" Ellis had half the pretzel in his mouth.

"I need to take some personal time. I'll be back in two to three hours."

"Ok. I'll cover for you."

"Stop eating Ellis. You'll get fat!"

Ellis laughed and told him to go to hell but it came out garbled because he was still eating.

Detective Smith drove to the only large hospital in town. Once he arrived, he checked to find out what floor Joelynn was in. He found her waiting in her hospital room.

"Joelynn? What the hell happened to you?"

She looked up, "James? What are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?"

"Truthfully...I overheard Dempsey talking on the phone to you. It sounded like you needed a ride."

"I'll wait for him."

"C'mon Joelynn...how long are you going to stay mad at me? I'm sorry. I'm really sorry! For whatever I did to piss you off...I am truly sorry."

Joelynn giggled because Detective Smith was practically hopping from one foot to another as he apologized.

"You're really sorry James?"

"I'm really sorry Joelynn. I don't want to lose you as a friend."

Friend

It didn't matter anymore to Joelynn. She always liked James and if he only saw her as a friend, that was fine by her now. "Okay...I forgive you. But you have to buy me breakfast."

James smiled, "That's a deal."

After Joelynn had texted Dempsey that she no longer needed a ride, James and Joelynn drove to the nearest Ihop. "Are you sure you can eat your pancakes with a broken arm"?"

Joelynn gave him a sideways glance, "Are you embarrassed to be seen with a battered woman? What? Are you afraid people will think you beat me?"

Detective Smith laughed, "Hardly. If people knew you, they'd know you're probably stronger than me."

Joelynn laughed.

After they were seated in their booth, James asked her what he had been itching to ask since he first laid eyes on her at the hospital, "So what happened? Are you going to tell me the whole story or what?"
Joelynn took a deep breath and exhaled. She needed to tell someone and she trusted Detective James Smith. She began telling him everything that had happened. She didn't leave out a detail...not even Jacob's strange behavior at the hospital. After she was done, James sat quietly in the booth.

"James? Hello James? Earth to James..." She snapped her fingers in front of his face and he seemed to finally be listening to her.

"I'm sorry Joelynn. What did you say?"

"I asked what you were thinking about."

"I was just trying to work it all out in my head. You said Jacob was abducted but then released. He didn't want to talk about it and looked strange...almost guilty. You say you felt someone push you and then Officer Dempsey was there but he didn't see anyone else leaving and no one else was in the house."

"That's right."

"Suspicious..."

"What is?"

"Everything."

"Well that doesn't help me in the slightest." Joelynn ate the final bite of her waffle and sighed, "Waffles make everything better. I'm broken and bruised but waffles are the band aid for my spirit."

James reached out and held Joelynn's hand, "I'm sorry Joelynn. I know this must have been tough for you but if you need anything...just let me know."

Joelynn put her hand over James' and slowly removed his hand. "Thank you James but I'll be okay. Us Lewis folk are stronger than you think."

James Smith thought of Eva Lewis and agreed.

"You know what's really weird though?" Joelynn asked, spearing a piece of his blueberry pancake.

"What?"

"After I fell down the stairs...before everything went dark...I could've sworn I heard someone taking a picture. It sounded like the flash from a phone. I'm not sure how that's possible if no one else was there except Officer Dempsey and he didn't see anyone."

"That is weird Joelynn. Very weird. How well do you know him?"

"Not very well. Why?"

"Nevermind, let's go. You should probably get home and rest." James paid for breakfast and drove Joelynn home. She noticed that he was silent on the way back to her apartment. "Let me check it out first. I think we should be on the safe side, don't you?"

Joelynn nodded and followed James inside her apartment. She stayed in her kitchen while he went inside her bedroom. Joelynn was startled when she heard him shout, "Oh shit! Joelynn don't come in here!"

That immediately made her want to not listen and go into her bedroom. Joelynn ran to her bedroom to see James on the phone with the police. The smell was what she recognized first. It smelled like the hospital...like dried blood. She hated that smell. She followed his gaze's direction. In the middle of her bed was a bloody handkerchief. Joelynn peered into the semi-open handerkchief and immediately jumped back in fear. Carefully wrapped inside the crimson stained cloth was part of a human toe.