the burn don't work and the buzz don't help; (Orca Bay)

Dumb cops be dumb copping, Javi thought to himself, a flicker of relief and satisfaction easing the tension in his stomach somewhat as the guy got out of the car. Not too much – it wouldn’t help to get complacent now. All he had to do now was not do or say anything to make the feds suspicious while he ran the clock down.

Running the clock down was obviously not a shared priority. Officer Shiny Boots was moving as he continued the interrogation, making long strides towards the old pier. Javi had to do a brief jog to catch up before they matched pace. He couldn’t make it seem like he was dawdling (even though that’s exactly what he wanted to do), so he moved with haste while trying to concentrate on the cop’s questions instead of jumping ahead to the next problem. This conversation could very easily turn into a minefield if he wasn’t careful.

“Javi,” he answered, opting for his nickname this time. Javier was audibly Hispanic, but Javi sounded just like Harvey. If he managed a clean getaway later without having to give any more personal details, the cop might get the wrong spelling if he tried to search for him on the system. “What’s your name? And badge number?”

As they approached the sea wall, the sensation of the ocean hit him again. The sea-salt air stung with unprecedented freshness and the rush of the water against the shore ebbed and flowed like stop-start traffic. It would be cool to see all of this in the light of day – although, Javi reflected as he stepped out onto the abandoned pier, some parts probably did better under the veneer of darkness. The old wooden planks were slimy with water and green slippery stuff, forcing them both to slow down, which was fine by Javi. He led the police officer all the way to the end of the pier and stood at the edge with his hands on the railings, peering straight down into the inky water. There was obviously no one there, but Javi did notice that the pier was held up by wooden pillars, and from here – from anywhere on land, really – it was difficult to see what might have drifted underneath.

“Yo, they were right here.” He pointed down over the edge of the pier and proceeded to scan the choppy water in the immediate vicinity. “Man, they did not look like they were gonna swim for the beach.” He lifted his body up against the railings, standing on tiptoe, and leaned as far over the water as he could, trying to see under the pier. Seawater sprayed his face. “Do you think they went under there?”