The stream flowed from one end of the wood to the other, rushing over rocks, slowing down in a few areas where it widened to allow a little black fish to swim around. They floated in one place and then darted back and forth. Some crayfish hid under the rocks. The cops had wading boots on and smoked cigarettes which they tossed directly into the stream when the butts became too short to smoke any more. The cops were looking for something in the stream-bed, poking around in the water with long sticks with hooks on the end. After several hours of not finding anything except a brassiere and a condom, both unrelated to the case, they stood and sat on the bank, smoking, and Martin passed a flask of whiskey around. “What day you say the wedding was?” Martin asked Pike. “September 30th,” Pike answered.
“September 29th then we’ll have a party. We’ll hire some sluts.” George and Billy laughed. Billy took a long swig of whiskey. “I don’t need no sluts, Martin. What are you talking about? Let’s just play poker.” Pike said.
“Oh, we’ll play poker,” George said and winked at Martin. Martin grinned back. “You should see these girls. They got amazing personalities,” Martin said.
“Yeah the personality’s what counts,” George said. They all laughed. Except Pike, who took a drag on his cigarette. “Don’t bring no girls.” He turned and walked down the stream with his hook-stick and went back to poking for evidence. The others shared a glance. Then Martin got back in the water and followed Pike. The others followed suit.
About an hour later Martin was searching around in the water near Pike. He flipped some rocks with his hook, watching crayfish scuttle away. “Don’t worry man,” he said. “We won’t bring any girls. You don’t want sluts, we don’t buy sluts. Hell, it’ll save us a bunch of money.” Pike eyed him. “I’m serious,” Martin said.
“All right,” Pike said. “Thanks.”
Martin fell back with the rest of the group and they all smoked together, watching Pike go further and further upstream. They stared after him but didn’t say another word about it.
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