The Cabbie and the Cop – 41

Simeon had a plan. The problem was it involved Vergil and he wasn't sure he'd go along with it.

All right, not a problem really. Or so he hoped as he sat outside of Vergil's house. Just an exercise in convincing him it's to both our advantages if he agrees. But don't say `advantage', it makes it sound like a business deal. You'd think I'd know how to do this right after all these years.

He sighed, deciding to just play it by ear, and got out of the car.

A knock on the door got no response. Neither did ringing the bell once he found it. He tried both again. Still nothing so he made his way to the back of the house. If he remembered rightly Vergil's bedroom windows were the two on the far end. Bending, Simeon picked up a handful of gravel from the side of the path, tossing it against one of the windows. Then he waited.

It took two minutes until he saw a shadow on the windowpane and the window open. Vergil looked out sleepily.

"Why are you throwing stones?"

"Because you didn't hear me ring or knock?"

"Okay that makes sense I guess. Give me a minute and I'll be down to let you in."

Simeon figured he'd have more than a minute to kill so he went to the area Vergil had made into a small but very varied vegetable garden. Across the path from it wild flowers grew in profusion. He bent to sniff one that looked like a daisy and frowned. "Chocolate?"

"It's a Chocolate Daisy, or a Green Eye."

Spinning around, Simeon grumbled, "How did you manage to sneak up on me?" Then he realized Vergil was only wearing jeans. "You're going to catch a chill."

Vergil rolled his eyes. "If I can sleep next to you and not, trust me I won't out here."

"Good point I suppose," Simeon muttered. "Still…"

"You didn't come over to stand in my backyard discussing the temperature." Vergil laughed, sliding his arm around Simeon's waist. "So come on inside and tell me why you are here."

"It couldn't just be because I wanted to see you?"

"Of course, but…" Vergil cocked an eyebrow quizzically as he opened the back door.

"But… Yes. Well, so I do have an ulterior motive." Simeon followed him into the living room, wishing as he did that Vergil had a sofa there. But he didn't, so he took one of the chairs by the fireplace, waiting until Vergil sat as well. "Alright, I have a proposition of sorts for you." Well two but one at a time.

"Which is?" Vergil responded with a slight frown.

"Nothing illegal, I'll say that from the start. At least I don't think it is. You understand what I do and why. It occurred to me you're in a position to know if strange things happen. Things beyond the normal crimes so to speak."

Vergil tilted his head in agreement. "I am. Not that I've ever heard of anything which might match what you're implying." He smiled slightly. "Or if I did, I didn't think of it as being more than just someone going off the deep end, so to speak."

"That's exactly the sort of thing we're interested in. I'm sure ninety percent of the time it's just that. It's the other ten percent which might indicate someone non-human was involved."

"And you'd like to know about it. Sure, I don't see why I couldn't clue you in on the sly."

"Thank you." Simeon drummed his fingers on his knees. "Of course it would be easier to do so if… well… we didn't have to set up a meeting, either here or at a coffee shop or a park or what have you."