Second Chance Addison

"What did you find out?" Charlie asked Murphy before he had even set foot through the doorway.

"Not so fast there, lil' missy. We talked about this before." He turned around and left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Charlie smirked and couldn't decide whether to roll her eyes or laugh. They had indeed talked about this before.

When it came to gathering information, Murphy was the best. When it came to divulging that information, Murphy was very particular about the order of things.

No greeting, no intel. The small talk made him feel a little more appreciated and was entirely nonnegotiable.

Charlie, as impetuous as she could be, was normally very agreeable to Murphy's rule. But, on occasion, she would get a little too enthusiastic and forget.

An impossibly long minute passed before Murphy reopened the door.

"Hey, Murphy. How's it going?" She brightly greeted the scruffy older man as he trudged back into the break room.

"Going as good as it can be I suppose. How about yourself, Miss Charlie?" He grinned and then took a seat across from his boss.

"Eh, can't complain too much. Just trying to grow my patience a bit." She showed a wry smile and asked, "So what have you got for me?"

"It's nothing much to be concerned with. Least, not unless you want to be." He shrugged and waited for her to ask more about it.

"Meaning?"

"Just your typical, run of the mill, money laundering scheme. The house is in on it too. Someone puts together a copy of an expensive car using cheap materials. Then they auction it off as the real thing to a buyer that is just as fake as the car."

"So where does the money come from?"

"All over, really. Stella's has a variety of clients, some more sinister than others. Each with their own illegally obtained income."

"Examples?" Charlie tapped he foot impatiently as Murphy dug around in his pockets.

He made a show of checking every pocket on his person before he finally pulled out a thumb drive.

"Eddy says it's all on this thing. I had him check it for me." He explained as he handed over the drive.

"How'd you end up with a thumb drive?"

"Is that what it's called? The other guy called it a memory stick and Eddy called it a jump drive." He looked perplexedly at the little piece of plastic.

"There are all sorts of nicknames for them, Murph." Charlie briefly studied the little thumb drive before she tucked it into her shirt pocket. "Anything else? Other news?"

"I heard some new rumors floatin' round here." Murphy gave her the information she wanted, now he would to collect some for himself.

He liked to keep tabs on everything and everyone in the garage. Partly for Charlie, to keep her informed and safe, and partly for his own entertainment.

"Oh?"

"First, your mama told me that Jack came by with his Bentley all shot up."

"That one's true."

"Can't believe it! I ain't seen him since he totalled the last car."

"Yeah, I wish you'd been around to see him. I'll try to give you a heads up when he comes by again."

Lola would have to come by sooner or later. Either to pick up the Bentley or to drop off Nevada. Charlie did not want to pass up an opportunity to see Lola and Murphy interact. She always found the two amusing.

"Second thing is that you gave him the shiny new Trackhawk."

"Also true, mostly. Since the Benny needs work and they needed something in the meantime, it seemed like a good fit. And I didn't just give it to them for free you know."

"Also heard you met the new boss." Murphy leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. He was the most curious about this new guy.

"Chance? He seems nice, a little green though. I don't think he even knows that he is the boss. At least he's got Fait and Jack to keep in line. He does have a good eye for cars though. And before you ask, it's his personal car locked up in the quarantine bay."

Murphy nodded at each of her responses and then paused for a moment. He thought about how to bring up his last rumor. It was one he had just coaxed out of Eddy.

Sometimes he really worried about that kid. If you applied just enough pressure, he'd sing like a canary. Eddy was a fantastic mechanic but he was too soft and too quick to chat.

Murphy quickly decided the blunt was best so he simply said, "Last is that you got a new lover."

"I got a what now?"

"So, I take it that's a no."

"Murphy... Are you drinking again? Did you medications change? Have you lost your damn mind!?" Charlie was already trying to figure out which of her mechanics could possibly be dumb enough to come up with such an idea and be brave enough to voice it to Murphy.

"No ma'am. I hear things and then I report 'em back to you."

"And who, pray tell, did you hear this from."

"As this one is solely speculation, and most likely a misunderstanding, I can't say. I can however correct it for you. Depending, if course, on your explanation." Murphy quickly set up some protection for Eddy. Just because be the kid was a bit dense, he didn't need to face the wrath of Miss Charlie.

He also had a hunch that it wasn't entirely Eddy's fault. The kid was soft and dense but he wasn't stupid.

"My explanation?"

"Miss Charlie, did you happen to take a fresh interest in someone new?"