I came into the office early. Seeing as I’d spent the night slumped over my desk, rye in one hand, the other closed in the drawer where I kept my Colt, it was only a matter digging a clean shirt out of the file cabinet. Alice, the girl who answered the phone, if it rang, came in at nine, so I had time for another.
The blonde came in off the street. I knew she was trouble, seen her kind getting off the bus at Union Station in the morning, seen the luckier ones catching the red eye back to where ever isn’t here. Home I guess.
What can I do for ya?
Pour me a shot of what you’re drinking.
This ain’t a bar lady.
I ain’t a lady, mister.
I poured her a drink and she told me a story. I poured another for myself before she finished.
Can you help me?
On spec I suppose.
I’m good for it.
I bet you are.
She wanted me to go downtown with her to this joint where she’d been cadging drinks on the edge of Chinatown. All I had to do was stand there, looking like I do, while she asked the boss for wages due.
All I want is what’s coming to me.
That’s all anybody ever says they want.
What do you want?
What’s coming to me, and a little more.
We got a cab downtown. She didn’t seem to be reaching for the fare, so I dug a V out of my pocket and told the hack to keep the change.
This the place?
This is the place.
It was dark inside and took a moment for our eyes to adjust. The chairs were up on the tables. The jukebox was as quiet as corpse on Monday morning. The barman was nowhere to be seen.
That’s strange, she said. Frank should be here watering down the gin or something. She made a beeline for the back, and like a chump I followed her. That must of been when Frank laid the leather sap against my neck. I woke up in the ice box. Ya, it was cold. I was slumped over a case of Ballantine, popped one open, took I sip. I wouldn’t be getting hypothermia any time soon. I tried the door, had to, even though I figured it was locked from the outside. Standing up I felt a bit light, tapped for my gun, my wallet, my keys. I picked my hat off the floor and sat back down with the beer.
It was an eight beer night, judging by the empties on the floor when the delivery man opened the door. When I got back to the office Alice was laying down on job, sprawled on a bed of files tossed out of the cabinet.
I turned her over and saw right away that she was breathing, remembered right away why I hired her.
Alice, wake up. Alice honey, wake up.
Why? You need me to put these files back in order.
It’d be a good way to find out which one ain’t here.
It turned out to be a cold case I’d forgotten, almost. My guess was the Rodriguez brothers. I’d been one step ahead of those pendejos in 48 before the trail went cold, and now they were at least half a step closer to more trouble than I wanted.
Alice.
Ya boss.
Can I buy you a drink?
Sure boss.
Excellent
Another good one