His potent body odor wafted in the air. "Alright, man. What do you want to know?" He cozied up to me, ready to spill everything.

I spoke loud enough for him to hear as several diesel trucks zoomed by on the bridge overhead. "What did you see?"

"I saw enough." He nodded with confidence. "Police came snooping around here, asking the same questions. I told them everything I know."

"You got a description?"

He eyed me as if gauging my seriousness. "I might have something for you."

"If I snap a picture? Would that be enough?"

He nodded, showcasing his rotted teeth. "Enough for the right amount." He lifted an eyebrow and a hint of a smile twitched his lips.

I pulled a few tens from my wallet. "Point me in the right direction, and this change you see, I have plenty for the right information. Man, woman or child? Let's start there."

"Ah." He bobbed his head and licked his lips at his recollection. "This woman was all the business, man. Black skirt that went down to her knees. Blazer all tailored to her sick body. Oowee! This lady was dressed to kill."

"A woman, huh?" I scratched my chin. "There's speculation that Jimmy was another victim of the asshole who picked off a few homeless men in a nearby county a couple years ago. Some pricks dubbed him The Garbage Man. They say he might make a resurgence."

"Oh, no." He waved a dismissive hand. "This was a beauty in stilettos. That's for sure. I saw it with my own two eyes, and I couldn't miss some fine details like those legs. Trust me."

"Where did she come from?"

"She came from one of those offices in that building over there." He pointed to the high rises that housed the offices of several pompous business folk. I imagined them in their penthouse suites, looking down on the rest of the world. However, how could I fault them for rightfully earning their place among the stars? "Oh, this specimen of a creature would walk right along this path to get to the buildings over there." He pointed in their direction. "And every time, old Jimmy-Boy would have to get a good sniff of her hair and that flowery perfume before she disappeared."

"Did you see her that night?"

"Uh, yessir." He talked with his hands, wailing them around to emphasize his words in the most animated and entertaining way. "She pulled up in a black Mercedes all sexy like right before she did the most unsexy thing I saw a lady do."

I tilted my head to make sure my ear captured it all. "And what was that?"

He put his hand out, waiting for more green.

Without hesitancy, I dropped a couple more bills into his palm. "Continue."

"She revved the engine, daring us to move. But like a game of chicken, Jimmy stood his ground. Even as the car barreled straight for us. I guess he really thought she'd chicken out, but no sir."

I narrowed my eyes, curling my fingers into fists at my side. "And you did nothing?" I glared, calculating the short distance between us in my head. Ready to pounce.

"I ran just like Jimmy should have." He threw his hands up in irritation. "But," he pointed to his temple as if to showcase his brilliance, "I ran to get help."

I shook my head. "You're telling me you just let her stuff him into her car?"

"Maybe she was gonna take him to a hospital, man. I don't know."

"She hit him with her car and crushed his sternum—"

"What did you do, hmm?" He stood his ground, mimicking my sneer. "All those years watching us from the shadows like some vigilante crusader. I couldn't stop her or that car no better than you could, buddy. So, don't put this on me."

I sneered at his jab. "Did you see her get out of the car?"

"Yup." He nodded assuredly. "It was Little Miss Pretty alright. The headlights might as well have been her stage lights."

I fought to contain composure and not allow him to get under my skin. "What does she look like?"

"Beautiful." He continued after getting a glimpse of my no-nonsense glare, "I told you, I can point her out when I see her. I have a photogenic memory. Give me a photo and I'll remember everything."

I shook my head just as another roaring truck drove by above us. "I'm pretty sure that's not the definition of photogenic memory, but I can take a hint."

"What you gonna do if you find her, hmm?" He shot me a curious stare, but I couldn't help detecting an all-knowing twinkle in his eye. "You gonna impart some knowledge on her and teach her the twelve lessons of Karma? That worked so well for Jimmy-boy, didn't it?" His sarcasm was obvious. "You know, he didn't deserve any of what he got. He never harmed a person in his life. Not even a gnat. Now how do you or Karma explain that, hmm? Karma's system is flawed, I'll tell you. Just like yours and every other system put in place. Flawed."

I ignored his rant and tipped my hat as a farewell. 

~~~

One more chapter until the TWIST ending. Thanks for reading, voting and commenting before moving on to the final chapter!