Three Lovers on the Grift - 29

"As you said," Vaughn pointed out, "we strike hard and fast and then vanish. We're not into the big con, the wire game, or the Tip; they take too many people and last too long."

Lyman nodded. "The same reason we keep our little side business to just the two of us."

"So I get that the word is now out about us to all police departments, nationally." Vaughn looked at Lyman for confirmation.

"Yes," Lyman replied. "And with pictures of Page, the ones she gave that mark."

"Damn it!" Vaughn glanced at his lovers. "We blew it on that. Although you were a blonde in them, Page."

"The cops aren't stupid, Vaughn, they've come up with composites with her in varying hair colors and lengths."

"Which means the department here has them too, I suspect. Hell."

Lyman nodded.

Page looked miserably at the others. "And here we thought we finally could settle down and have real lives like everyone else."

"With our help, maybe you still can," Silas responded. "Not to put too fine a point on it, how are you doing financially at the moment?"

"We're not hurting." Vaughn smiled tightly.

"So despite what we overheard, you don't have to run another con anytime soon."

"No. It's more a matter of keeping our hand in."

"Have the three of you ever considered going legit?" Silas asked.

Nigel snorted. "Doing what? The grift is all we know."

Lyman tapped his fingers together as he studied the trio. "Remember when you asked the first time we met if I ever went undercover to get a story?"

"Yeah, and?"

Lyman glanced at Silas, getting a small nod from him, and then said, "Obviously I have friends in the police department. I just might be able to act as a middleman and get them to cut you a deal."

That piqued Vaughn's interest. "What sort of deal?"

"The three of you are experts at going undercover if you think about it. Plus you have no connection whatsoever with law enforcement." Lyman chuckled, "Quite the opposite, actually. I happen to know from talking to a couple of detectives on the force that they could make use of someone with your skills. In point of fact, most police departments could when it comes down to it."

"That's hardly going to help us pay the bills, even on the off chance they'd go for it."

"Discretionary funds," Lyman told him, "plus whatever you can pick up while on the job. You're grifters; just use your skills on the people you're gathering information about."

Vaughn nodded slowly, looking at Page and Nigel, and then said, "Give us a few to talk this over?"

"Of course. We'll wait downstairs, if that's all right." Lyman and Silas stood when Vaughn gave them a sharp nod, leaving the office.