AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, I was sitting outside the site today…”
That brought Wes back to the conversation.
“Jo, wait what?”
“It was fine Wes. I disguised myself and sat outside the site today. I was listening to the workers talk, that’s all.”
“Honey what were you disguised as?” Wes voice was weary but he was fully alert now.
“I, uh, dressed homeless and hung out in the…”
“Oh no you didn’t!” Wes voice boomed causing Jo to jump.
Jo clamped her mouth shut.
“Jo did you hang out in the Cardboard Corner?” He was livid.
“Wes calm down. They’re just people who are down on their luck.”
“Some, yes, but others are unstable. Jesus what ever possessed you?”
“Now listen here Wes Tobin. I’m getting good information from there.”
“You are out of your ever lovin' mind Jo. That’s it! No more.”
“Wes you’re starting to piss me off.” Jo said tensely.
“Well that’s good because I’m beyond pissed off! I can’t deal with this Jo.”
“What?” Jo was hurt that he was reacting so vehemently and she was livid that he thought he could tell her what to do.
“I can’t do my job and worry about what you’re doing.” He spat out tersely. Wes was pacing. His back was to Jo.
“That isn’t going to be a problem anymore.” She replied quietly.
Wes turned around towards Jo. He was thinking she was agreeing with him, but that was not what was happening. Jo was already out the door, shutting it behind her. By the time Wes reached his door, Jo had made it to the elevator.
“Come back here Jo!” He was yelling now. “We have to talk about this!”
The elevator doors closed leaving Wes in the hallway yelling at Jo to ‘get back here.’ Jo was angry and disappointed as she rode down to the lobby.
Her phone rang and she knew it was Wes. She turned it off, got in her car and headed home.
Jo had been visiting Cardboard Corner for the last four days now. She had begun her surveillance by running past the site as if she were simply working out, even though it wasn't the best area to run in. Jo saw that many of the big card board boxes that served as make shift shelters for the homeless, were bolstered by the construction sites chain link fence, and that’s when she knew she had to figure out a way to hide out there so she could stake out the site.
A trailer that belonged to the construction company also abutted the fence and the large table where the supervisor stationed himself was located close by also. The table sat under a portable pop up tent that provided shelter from the sun during the day.
Jo took mental notes of the persons she saw in the small homeless area and came up with the idea of disguising herself as one of them in order to get close to the site and not arouse suspicion. The first day Jo entered the camp she carried a large dirty bag with her that contained a few items like a blanket, and a large tarp. She kept her phone hidden and assumed the role of a down on her luck woman.
She didn’t stay too long that first day. One of the men approached her and Jo told him she was looking for a new place to live. An elderly woman approached her and Jo alluded to her that she’d been assaulted at the last place she had camped and needed a new base. The woman showed no emotion, but acknowledged that she understood before walking away.
On the third day that Jo visited the camp a young girl with a small baby invited her to sit with her. Jo discovered the girl had run off with her boyfriend after she found out she was pregnant. Her parents were going to send her away, so the two young lovers had run off and had been living at Cardboard Corner for the
last nine months.
Jo always left the camp so she could get home and scrubbed clean before Wes arrived. She was pleased with the headway she was making with her new friends and had begun to overhear snippets of information from the construction site that could help her with her investigation. Just that day she heard the supervisor telling the foreman that a shipment was due in Sunday night.
When Jo heard this she asked the young girl, whose name was Annie, if she could stay with her Sunday night. Jo explained that the man that was giving her trouble was due back in her camp and she was afraid to stay there.
