Hunting Down Work (Open to All)

[naomi]

Miles strode into the L.A. Police Department overconfidently. He needed to do something, he'd had dealings with the police before and was hoping to rustle something up. At worst, he could perhaps find some scumbag who wanted dirt on the Oceanic crew who was willing to give him some cold, hard cash for his efforts.

He leant against the desk at the front and stared down who was in front of him. When neither of them spoke first, he took a card out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.

The card read:
Miles Straume.
Spiritualist. Informant. Associate.

His eyes crinkled but he didn't smile. "I've done police-work before. Not my preferred choice. But just putting out there that my services are available if needed. And I have ways of getting my own background checks, for a price."

He didn't mention the 815 survivors yet. He didn't want to be candid about how he knew the information he did and usually the last person people would trust in law enforcement was those that believed they could talk with the dead. But desperate times called for desperate measures... and Miles was a desperate man.

The person in front of his grabbed the card. Miles kept talking. "Look man, I've got contacts in Inglewood, Newport, Santa Monica. Probably know a few cops in this station too. Just call them up about me."

The front desk assistant looked hesitant and then began making a phone call, Miles drummed his hands on the front desk before going outside the department and looking around for any suspicious behavior.

[Kevin Callis]

"So, yeah, I just want to make sure you understand--"

"Detective Callis?"

"Just--wait, just hold on." Kevin cupped his hand over the phone, frowning as he looked at Brenda. Brenda was a sweet girl, too young for him, but sweet and not that bad looking on the eyes, however, right now, she was annoying. "Yeah, Brenda, kinda on the phone, but what's up?"

"There's a gentleman downstairs, saying that he's offering services."

"...and? He wants to wash my car or something?"

"No, sir. Those--" Brenda paused, looking to either side of her. "--special services. The paranormal kind."

"Well, that's a relief. I thought I was going to have to chase those car washers from the building again. One shitty job and I ain't goin' back for anything in the world." Kevin told her, and removed his hand from the reciever. "Hey, yeah. Look, can I call you back in an hour? Yeah, thanks. You too." Kevin hung up the phone and looked at Brenda. "And you came to me...why?"

"Well, I thought--with everything that's happening with the Austen and Ford cases--"

Kevin felt himself sigh. Bless her; Brenda was just trying to help. And he wasn't having THAT shitty of a day yet that he'd snap at her. "Alright. Alright, call downstairs and tell him I'm coming down. I've dealt with people that say they can see all sorts of things; Time me to see how fast I can make him go away."

Kevin moved to the elevator, riding it silently down to the main level. An Asian man was standing by the desk, and Kevin took a breath in and told himself to be cival. For now.

"Hi, I'm Detective Callis, can I help you?"

[naomi]

Miles had gone back inside, waiting impatiently and kept rapping his fingers on the desk to the annoyance of the person sitting behind it.

"Detective Callis." Miles repeated a blinked a couple of times, taking in the man. Clean-cut, seemed serious enough. Miles hadn't heard of him, that was something that registered quickly. "You transferred?" He asked him suddenly. He wasn't in the LAPD last he'd heard. He didn't remember anyone called Callis and Miles' buisness concerned remembering people.

Miles handed over his card that was still sitting on the front desk. "Thinking you might need me. I come fully referred." He gave his trademark smirk and raised his eyebrows at the guy.

[Kevin Callis]

Kevin arched an eyebrow as Miles asked if he transfered. What the hell was it any of this kid's business if he had transfered or not? "Miami." he said as he said as he took the card, peering at it. He felt a small smirk come across his face, and then grow wider. "Look, uh, no offense, but I don't think we'll be needing your help." When Miles said he came refferred, he nodded. "Look, I'm sure you do, but we don't have any open cases right now that need...this sorta attention."

Liar, Kevin thought silently, but the last thing Kevin needed was a Ghostbuster on a case. He had enough headaches already with the witnesses. "But you know, I'll keep you in mind if we ever need anything."

[naomi]

"Wait" Miles said, twitching a little, he wasn't going to be left useless again. Widmore didn't need him and he needed Ben to get him out of this dump and back to where he was supposed to be. Miles grabbed the police officer by the arm. "I'm not here to be used as a Spiritualist." He took a deep breath and continued, "I was on the freighter that brought back the Oceanic 815-ers."

He looked him down. "Had some trouble with some of them recently, right?" He challenged him. He was needed. He knew how to get to the survivors and even more importantly, he knew what they did to get on that island. Lowlifes, all of them. Miles was thinking this completely from experience. But he had information... and he had a price... whatever dirt he could find on Ben Linus.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Frustration wore heavily on her, almost to the point where Ana-Lucia Cortez was tempted to pull fist fulls of hair out. Of course she wouldn't, she knew she wouldn't, but the fact was she just... she didn't know how she felt exactly, but a million things were floating through her head at the same time. Surprisingly it wasn't just concerning Danny, most of it was of course centered him, but it was only a handful of pieces of the overall picture. Everything just.... Murphy's Law just seemed to be in full effect.

As she stepped out of her cab, she moved up the steps to probably the place that still seemed to be her second home, and probably where she spent more hours sleeping then in her own bed. Even if she didn't work there any longer, it wasn't changing the fact that she came there at least a few times a week, sometimes much more then that. Especially considering most of her friends were on the force.

Coming inside, Ana came straight in not bothering to excuse herself as she saw Kevin speaking to someone. "Have you seen my mother, Kev?" she interrupted rudely, though she didn't apologize for it. She was much too much in a foul mood for it, though she was trying to get it under control, to seem somewhat approachable.

[Kevin Callis]

Kevin tilted his head slightly as Miles mentioned the Oceanic survivors. He narrowed his eyes slightly before he moved, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared the man down. Was he speaking of James Ford? Kevin wasn't sure. "Keep talkin'and I'll see if it's worth listenin' to."

However, a voice interuppted Miles from speaking further, and he looked over as Ana did what she usually did; interjected herself into any place when she wanted information. "Her office last time I spoke to her, but she said she was going out to take care of some things, try her office." Kevin said almost all in one sentence, until he looked at Miles once again. "You were saying, Mr--" Kevin looked at the card and then back to Miles. "Mr. Straume."

[naomi]

Miles opened his mouth, about to start talking when he was interrupted by a young hispanic woman... and one that he recognized.

Heck, half the people on the Inglewood force talked about the chick who was rumoured to get revenge her own way on the guy that shot her, at the disappointment of her "Captain" mother and wound up in airport security. Well, honestly they wouldn't have been talking about her if she wasn't hot. And she was. He'd seen her picture on some of the guys desks down at Inglewood. Most of them were complete perverts when it came to women on the force. In short, they were his type of people.

Miles blocked out Detective Callis and focused on the woman in front of them, she gave him the chills and he was sure it was more than just the icy stare she was giving them. "Wow" Miles faked enthusaism. "It's the trigger happy, ex-cop from the P.D." He grinned an antagonizing grin at the woman. "You're legendary. A poster girl for all the kids out there who want to get back at their mothers for not approving their boyfriends." He stuck out his hand with a smirk, "good job."

There was no thinly veiled sarcasm. Miles was amusing himself at her expense. Probably not the best thing to do since he was supposed to be impressing the cop in front of him, but since when did Miles give a damn about impressing anyone?

Miles withdrew his hand, he didn't want her to shake it anyway (And why was that chick so cold?), and snapped back to Detective Callis.

"So Callis, I hear Redneck 'Ford' is causing you some hassle. Got in a bar fight with him not so long back." OK, so it wasn't technically a fight. Miles thought, I got smashed in the face... but who cared about details? "and you wouldn't even believe me if I told you why." Miles finished mysteriously. This guy had better take the bait. He wasn't sure what he could offer him up on the 815-ers yet, but Miles had time to figure that out. There was always a way to play things to his advantage, and Miles always found it.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Nodding thankfully at Kevin's admittance, Ana almost strode past both men on her way towards her mother. If she was still around that was. However, she didn't make it very far before she turned to look towards who ever it was that was running their mouth at her. If Ana could kill the man by simply looking at him, with the smoldering gaze she sure that could probably put him six feet under. "Excuse me?" she snapped some in the direction of the guy. So much for trying to get level-headed, she thought.

However, there was a strange moment of recollection of the man before her. "Straume," she muttered out, none to pleased to see the man before, even less were the comments aimed towards her. A muscle in her cheek twitched and then tightened as she rolled her jaw seeing his hand out-stretch towards, the comments were of course rather untrue, and weren't nearly at all close to target. But that didn't mean that they didn't piss her off all the same. She had little patience for weasels. Neither of the Ghostbusting variety either. She didn't believe so much in that crap, but some people seemed to.

Clicking her tongue, she looked towards Kevin. "Believe half the shit you hear from him, and even then be skeptical," she warned Kevin, knowingly, as if the fact he he got his own facts twisted wasn't enough to prove her point. Of course, she knew also from experience, there was some truth to some of his words, but he liked to twist him with his forked tongue. She wouldn't trust him as far enough that she could throw him, or knock him out for that matter.

[Kevin Callis]

Kevin watched the scene unfold, arms crossed across his chest, until he pointed a finger slightly between the two. "Y'all know each other, then?" he asked, almost bored. Miles spoke of Ford, and he didn't let any surprise cross his face. "Yeah, I'm sure the papers have spun a story longer than my grandpa's beard, what's that got to do with you an' me?" he asked, and then arched an eyebrow as Miles said he wouldn't believe what he told him. "Oh yeah? Try me."

Ana spoke about not trusting Miles, and he found himself scoffing slightly. "Yeah, y'don't need to tell me that, darlin'. I had a ghostbuster back in Florida, annoying little shit." he turned to Miles once again, arms still crossed. "So go on. Tell me somethin' I wont believe."

[naomi]

Miles smirked at Ana-Lucia's way of addressing him to Callis. He was used to that kind of reaction, and it didn't sway him, it just made him eager for more confrontation. "Owch. Truth hurts, huh Cortez?" Miles delivered back to her. She was just trying to hurt his reputation because hers was already shattered. But then again, he was a virtual police snitch... so it's not like he had much of a reputation to be had in the first place. All informants were usually of the shady kind and Miles was no exception.

Miles turned back to Callis. "Just thinking that it would be a hell of a lot easier if you could just lock Ford up already and throw away the key before he causes any more damage. And by the way he threw a punch at my nose the other night then I'm pretty confident that the man did more than just get kicked out of the land of 'Down Under'..." Miles suggested with a cocky smirk. He was more than pretty confident. He was one hundred percent sure. "There's an American corpse with a bullet hole in it just waiting for the asshole who did it to be charged. The asshole that left Australia before he could get charged..."

Miles kept grinning like an idiot. He couldn't wait to take that Hillbilly down a notch and maybe then he'll work on the mysterious woman in front of him, that felt very much to him like she was already dead.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

"Truth can't hurt unless it's actually true, and trust me, you're far from target," Ana told him brushing off his comments. However, it put her at slight ease that Kevin wasn't seemingly giving in to th guy's words. Not that Kevin wasn't smart, she knew damn well he was a good cop, but with people trying to weasel in information that might not be reliable well, that was the tricky part. Any cop could get twisted information and make the wrong moves.

Of course, Ana didn't know exactly who he was referring to, though it sounded vaguely like the James Ford that was one of the survivors of the crash, but she couldn't have been sure, she didn't really pay attention to the newcasts or the papers, she actually wanted to avoid any business having to do with the flight. Put it behind her and want not, it was bad enough she had some nut at the airport earlier... a Mister Eko who had come to seek her. The whole business sent chills up her spine. "And who told you this? You little friend Casper?" she replied skepitically towards in the information. It smelled funny. "Sounds more like you're trying to get back at him, even though you probably deserved it."