Jasper lay in bed tossing and turning. Outside a storm was raging. It caused the prison lights to flicker intermittently. The storm was the least of his problems. At least here he was safely out of it. His sleep, however, for the most part, was not safe from stormy thoughts. It had been interrupted by the memory of Lucas Jackson, and the night he was murdered. In his scattered dreams, Jasper’s consciousness searched for some sort of clue to get him out of what could be his final home, this cell.
*
The door to the tattoo shop opened and Jasper looked up. He’d been working on a sketch for a client when Lucas Jackson walked in. Jasper narrowed his dark brows as he eyed Lucas. Lucas was taking his time looking around at the art. He said nothing for a good five minutes, neither did Jasper.
Lucas Jackson was a clean-cut, college boy. He’d done well with real estate and was well-known for his role in the development of the Triumph Towers which was “what this city needed” according to the local councilmen and other two-bit politicians. He was a little older than Jasper, but when they were younger, they bumped into each other from time to time. Each man was well-enough aware of the other’s existence.
Finally, Lucas pointed at a particular tattoo drawing hanging up on the wall.
“This one? You draw this one yourself, Jasper?”
He kept his finger pointed, but turned his smiling face toward Jasper, his eyes glinting behind glasses that were intended to make him look esteemed. Jasper was not impressed.
“Yep. Done them all. Interested in getting it tatted just above the crack of your ass?” Jasper smiled broadly as he waited for Lucas to answer.
Lucas laughed. How could he not? The tattoo was that of a grinning skull and skeleton hands holding a ribbon that read, “Highway to Hell.” Very witty of Jasper. Lucas turned to face him and waved his hand lightly.
“No, no. I’m afraid I’m more of a ‘Stairway to Heaven’ just under-the -navel kind of guy.”
Jasper nodded as if to imply ‘touché’, but continued sketching until Lucas got around to revealing what the hell he was doing in the tattoo shop.
Some heavy metal played softly in the background. The lead singer was shouting, but the volume was on 4. His aggression lost some of its power at such a low volume. Lucas hummed along, he knew the song. Another five minutes passed as he perused the shop.
“Ok Lucas … what do you need?” Jasper finally asked.
There was no way Lucas Jackson was there for a tattoo, so that meant he wanted something else. The deal for the Triumph Tower Three was just signed. Lucas Jackson had the world and the city by the proverbial balls, so what could he want with Jasper?
Lucas moved to the counter where Jasper was sketching and glanced down at the drawing. It was of a dragon holding a quill.
“Nice … very medieval.”
Jasper dropped the pen and flipped the sketch over.
“Lucas, I know you don’t want a tattoo, so what do you want? I’m busy. I have shit to do.” He clasped his hands together and leaned on the counter, waiting for Lucas to come clean, already.
“I need a meeting with Whitey. I haven’t been able to catch him, and I know you’re not just the house tattoo artist, Jasper. I know you can convince him to meet with me.” Lucas smiled wide, as if he figured out some top secret mystery, which was hardly the case.
Jasper looked at Lucas, long and hard.
“Look at you, all smug, like you know some big secret.” Jasper laughed. “What makes you think I would help you get a meeting with Whitey? I don’t care about whatever you got going on with him, and I’m not sure why you think Whitey would care what I have to say about it at all. See yourself out, Lucas. I have a client coming in.”
Lucas grabbed Jasper’s wrist causing Jasper to look down at it, then directly into Lucas’ face. No one put a hand on Jasper. No one that has a dick at least. Lucas’ smug look turned desperate.
“Jasper, I need that land and it’s Whitey’s. I know what he uses it for, but I need it for Triumph. It’s part of the deal, and if I don’t get this one loose end locked up, I’m going to lose the whole thing. There are some very important investors involved in this project, and I need it locked up. Whitey’s been blowing me off for a month!”
“Lucas, I highly suggest you remove your hand from my body now, before you lose it. You want to get in touch with Whitey? Jasper growled, go find him at the bar like anyone else in this neighborhood. You know where it is. You know how to get to it. You don’t need me involved in your bullshit game. I will tell you now, Whitey will not give one shit about what YOU need. Don’t know why you’d make some deal that relied upon him anyway.” Jasper jerked his hand away from Lucas.
Lucas was sweating now and talking fast.
“Because he’s in on it, Jasper. He’s part of the deal. He gets a huge cut for giving me that land. That was the deal, and now he’s playing games with me. I already gave him his cut, and now he’s not giving me the land. I went by the bar and four of your guys nearly tore me to pieces!” Lucas slammed his hand on the counter.
Jasper looked confused. He got his head around what Lucas was telling him.
“Wait, you’re telling me that Whitey sold you the land that the bar sits on? The one with the back road that goes right through the Triumph Tower Three construction site?”
Jasper knew Whitey could never, and would never, sell that land. First, there were too many bodies buried there. Secondly, that road was important to Whitey’s drug and gun business, and thirdly it had been in his family for generations. The land was too valuable. People had been trying to get that land from Whitey’s family for decades.
“Yes." Lucas nodded. "The plan was to get Triumph Three up and then Four, Five and Six were going on the land with the bar. We’re talking a lot of money here, Jasper. I need that land signed over. I can’t call the cops. I can’t call the lawyers. I just need him to sign it over. He got the money, what else could he want?”
“The questions is not what else he could want. The question is what does he got … on you?” Jasper looked at Lucas. “What did you do that he knows about? Whitey essentially stole your money. That’s what you’re telling me, and you can’t call someone else, besides me, to get the land? C’mon Lucas. This is bullshit. What did you do to help Whitey cut off all your corners?”
Lucas hung his head in shame.
“Get me the meeting, Jasper. While I can’t bring the cops to Whitey, I can bring them in here, and I’ll make your life a living hell. Oh, and Misty says hello.” With that Lucas turned and left the building.