Slap Comics

Recap- “The Cartoonist and his girl go to Miami and find a dead person in their hotel room. The Identity of the murder victim…His own Sister, who has been going around town looking for him. The Cartoonist gets confirmation from his dad and tracks the orphanage she was in. He finds out that she was a troublemaker. She was Daddy’s Little Girl… though and though” 

                              🎨

So apparently like Father Like Daughter. Wow, it seems like I was the good one. The Director of the Lady of the Holy Orphanage tells me of my sister’s deeds while in their care. A bit of a handful since the day she started to walk which only increased as she got older. She was a loner who from an early age tried to runaway multiple times. In her early teens some vandalism which included fireworks, toilet papering people’s homes and graffitiing the walls (She’s an artist, Family trait). Her later teens involved boys in her room and protection money from fellow orphans. She did Dad proud. The file was pretty thick. It reads like a copy of War and Peace. At first, I find the humor in the fact that she is Gino’s daughter but then I feel sorry for a lonely girl who was abandoned by both of her parents. And all because of a situation that was out of her control. I put down the file and wonder if this whole thing could have been avoided if Gino just took responsibility for his actions. A conversation that I hope not to have with my father. 

I thank Mr. Robinson for his time and the information. He wishes me good luck and some condolences for what it’s worth considering that I never knew who she was. A sister I didn’t know existed. After I leave the orphanage, I pass the connecting church and look up. The church is beautiful. I am not a religious man, but I recognize beauty when I see it. Although I wish I was religious because the idea of a sister that is gone pains me to think about. I call Gino and let him know what happened. As I tell him his daughters misdeeds, I can hear a smile in his response. Is that pride in his voice? I’m sure it is. I ask him if knew anyone in Miami government particularly public records. “Of course, Kid. I just know the right guy” He tells me to call him back in an hour and I realize that it’s quite late. Cidra should be done with the Con for the day. I call her and we decide to order room service at the hotel. Its been a rough day for me and apparently her too. A number of kids pinching her butt. They’re lucky I wasn’t there to give them a swift kick in their butts. 

After a nice evening and a good meal and with beautiful company I realize that I forgot to call Gino back. He answers and seems a little annoyed, but he has a guy that is waiting for me at the Miami Hall of Records tomorrow morning. I thank him and Cidra thanks me with a round in the sack. My God I love this woman. Too bad she can’t spend tomorrow with me as I will be occupied, and she will be too. At the very least we can have a late lunch. Hopefully this whole thing is resolved soon so I can enjoy my remaining vacation with my girlfriend. The next morning, I head to the Hall of Records. A place that looks like it costs a pretty penny. Much like other places in this city, it looks like an art deco fantasy land. Gino’s friend, who will be named nameless to protect the guilty, is waiting for me at the entrance. He is a tall slim man who wears a tight light-colored suit.  He escorts me to a private room with long table with some documents on it. “You have a half hour. Otherwise, I can be in trouble. Tell Gino we’re square” He leaves in a huff. I don’t even want to know. 

The documents that are spread on the table seemed to be very orderly. Starting with a birth certificate which told me the name of the mother, which me cringe a bit, and the name of the father which I am surprised that Gino didn’t pull strings to erase from the records. There is a lot of documentation. Stuff that the Hall of Records doesn’t have access to. Gino really pulls all the stops on this one. He must have pulled a lot of favors to make this happen. I have here a high school transcript and a community college transcript. It’s dated much later than the high school meaning she either went part time, or it took some time to get though her rough patch of adolescence. A copy of a driver’s license with an address. Its right outside Miami. Not too far of a drive. Hopefully the cab fare isn’t too pricey. It’s probably worth it if I can avoid a possible murder change. Also, there’s a school loan that is nearly paid for and a deed for a home. It seems to be the same address that’s on her license. There’s also a couple of background checks on some ex-boyfriends that either makes her a very suspicious girlfriend or dear old dad was keeping tabs. My bets on the latter. 

I finish looking through things that includes some childhood photos which were taken from the orphanage and a few of her what I assume was her party hardy twenties. Nothing recent. I stack all the documents for the clerk and exit. There was nothing really too useful besides an address. Maybe there’s a neighbor or a roommate that can tell me more. Maybe like who her boyfriends were or just maybe some friends or acquaintances. Also how did she make a living to buy that house. I order a cab that will take me to the place. It takes about 40 minutes. Nice neighborhood. It’s the type of place I would like to settle down in. Damn it, listen to me. Me and Cidra have been together for a minute, and I am talking settling down. I can’t help it; I am in love with this girl. The car stops in front of the house. It’s a two-family duplex with a spacious backyard. No white picket fences but it’s still an ideal setup. 

I ring the doorbell and after a few minutes I get a surprise and let’s say it wasn’t the person I thought I would see. 

To be continued…