I'm in Miami for 3 days for a business trip and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled to be here.
First of all, it's 80 degrees. Second, my room on the 22nd floor overlooks Biscayne Bay.
I'll post photos for you tomorrow... today I'm going to tell you a story...
Tuesday night at Logan Airport I sat down in a corner of the terminal near the only available outlet. While I settled in, I noticed a large hispanic family sitting beside me and, across from them, a guy with his baseball cap pulled low and his coat collar pulled up high. The coat was not pulled up high enough, however, to hide the tattoo on his neck - an obviously amateur work of art that was indecipherable from 10 feet away.
He wore jeans that were a bit too long but were prevented from reaching the ground by workboots left untied.
I didn't pay him much attention until I noticed the Trooper. In Massachusetts, the State Police are not called 'officers,' they are called Troopers. The EASIEST way to assure yourself of a ticket on a State Highway is to say, "I'm sorry officer." Your best hope at escaping a ticket? "I'm sorry Trooper."
The Troopers are FAMOUS at Logan Airport for their pverenthusiastic enforcement of the 'no standing' policy at curbside drop off and pickup. You pretty much have to jump into and/or out of a moving vehicle to make your flight and avoid a lecture from the Trooper on duty.
But they rarely enter the terminal.
And so it was strange to see one walking through the terminal I was sitting in, nonchalantly looking everywhere except at "neck tattoo guy."
While I was puzzling at the Trooper's presence, a third man sat down beside tattoo-guy and said, "hey."
Tattoo-guy didn't even look at him and barely responded.
The newcomer wore an old Northface fleece, worn jeans and shoes that looked fancy but weren't. He carried a vinal portfolio and opened it as if to show Tattoo guy some paperwork but Tattoo guy didn't even turn his head.
The cop (that's what I decided he was) started talking. He spoke for a good 2-3 minutes waving the portfolio around. Tattoo guy never moved, never turned his head but occassionally I could see him answer, "Yeah."
The whole time the Trooper stood by a stanchion and never moved and never appeared to look at them.
Finally, the cop and Tattoo guy got up and walked over to another gate that was empty. The cop pulled out some papers, tattoo guy signed them and then the cop and the trooper nonchalantly walked away and tattoo guy went to get a burger from McDonald's. He came back ten minutes later and boarded my flight to Miami with me.
So the question is this: Who was Tattoo guy, what did he have to sign and what's he doing in Miami?
Leave your guess in the comments... The more detailed the better. Entertain us!
I am guessing an undercover? Or maybe an informant? Or maybe he is on parole and needed permission to leave the state? very strange.
Posted by: Tawny | November 17, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Witness protection plan.
Posted by: Elizabeth | November 17, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Meh. . . it's not entertaining, but maybe a flight marshall? Although I think those law enforce-y types consider tattoos taboo.
I know the flight marshalls are supposed to be anonymous. . . could be anyone on the plane, and all the planes are supposed to have them. . .
So yes, flight marshall. Or Jerry Sandusky.
Posted by: Jim W. | November 17, 2011 at 10:51 AM
I'm going with flight marshall also. The tattoo could have been drawn on.
Posted by: carol anne | November 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM
The neck tattoo was part of the man's initiation into his gang. Recently he was the only member caught by police on a break in. He was leaving the city to enter the witness protection plan for ratting out other gang members.
Posted by: Holly | November 17, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Definitely witness protection program. The guy that sat down beside tattoo guy was his lawyer, not a cop. The Trooper was there just to keep an eye (albeit covertly) on what was going on, make sure no one had followed the lawyer into the terminal in order to take out tattoo guy, i.e. "the witness". As for the papers, they could've been anything. Maybe he was getting permission to fly to Miami to visit with someone. Maybe he'd flown to MA just to sign something for the case, who knows. Did lawyer guy hand him a check after he signed said papers?
You're like me, though. I love to watch people and try and figure out their stories!
Posted by: Jeannie | November 17, 2011 at 01:46 PM
Witness protection. For sure.
Posted by: Jillian | November 17, 2011 at 04:10 PM
Wow, more fodder for the story!!
Posted by: Ken | November 17, 2011 at 06:03 PM
I've got to say either witness protection (hence the cop's presence) or you just witnessed someone get served . . . but, considering that the dude left state, with the cop's knowledge, I'm guessing witness protection relocation.
Posted by: John | November 18, 2011 at 02:49 PM
OH MY FUCKING GOD I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!! Now that's all I'm going to think about. What the HELL was that about? Damn you and damn me and my OCD.
Posted by: Kim Pugliano | November 18, 2011 at 05:05 PM
He's a sad guy. He was signing divorce papers. In Miami he is escaping his dramatic life. He's gonna live alone.
Posted by: Lucinda | November 18, 2011 at 07:23 PM
No. I am mad. You really don't know. You didn't ask. Was he greeted by anyone in Miami. SDJFKSDJFLJSD:FLJDFJS How can you leave this unsolved.
Posted by: Alena | November 18, 2011 at 10:51 PM
He was the Troopers secret lover and they were signing a lease on an apt. The Trooper used his badge to get past Security and the tattoo guy was going out of town on a business trip and they needed to get it all signed before he left. See whole different spin,...
Posted by: Wicked | November 19, 2011 at 11:47 PM