The Noir Evil

by Richard Paul Caird

  Ness then replied whilst smiling and thinking of the dishevelled drunk man’s face whom just confusingly waved back at him by the booking desk below “In a way, I suppose I do Cowles. He may have threatened me and my wife but it didn’t work and now look at him! He’s rotting away in Alcatraz and look at me, the new Cleveland safety director! Love him or hate him, he represents a pivotal part in our great countries history and I’m simply glad that I was there to be part of it!” The satisfied Cowles smiled before he then turned and continued to lead Ness upstairs and away from the masses of people whom the struggling police where now trying to determinedly remove from the overly congested reception area. Ness was rather reluctant to follow Cowles away from all the attention that he was getting and he could not resist stopping and waving with his hat in appreciation to all whom had gathered to watch his ascend of the mighty staircase.

  As Ness moved up the remaining stairs he could feel the air temperature change as they moved from away the warm, fresh, coffee laden and well-ventilated lower area into the cold, less well-ventilated upper area, which was heavily saturated in a thick layer of cigarette smoke. At the top of the stairs he saw yet more art deco wooden wall panelling, fans reluctantly circulating this smoggy air and numerous murky glass screen doors hiding there shadowy occupants. Two people awaited for him at the top of the stairs with the newly arrived Cowles, whom where all now actively monitored Ness’s progression with immense interest. Ness frowned with distaste as he was greeted by two well-dressed older men, one of which looked distinctly like politician whereas the other was obviously the chief of police judging from his finely fitted police uniform that sparkled with multitude of medals.

  Each of the men were about to introduce themselves when a magnificently tall and golden haired woman walked behind them and off into the nearby crowd of on looking officers. Ness immediately noticed that the mystery woman left a lingering and beautiful sweet smelling perfume in her wake which caught him completely off guard, so much so that he became instantly mesmerised by her fleeting appearance whilst her alluring fragrance remained long after she had gone. Ness hesitantly looked for her distinctively golden blonde hair through the nearby crowd but could not see the elusive creature. This briefest of glimpses however did resonate within his memory as he recalled the fleeting imagery of her beautifully crafted, floral and crocheted conservative red dress that extenuated her long blonde hair’s natural colour. This red dress in turn vibrantly complimented her soft golden hair which was now irritatingly absent from his wanting vision. She had walked on by with the elegance and sophistication of a high society type but he had disappointingly never caught the sight of her face because of her abrupt departure from his vision.

  The two curiously on looking men then decided to introduce themselves whilst shaking the preoccupied Ness’s hand “Hello Mr Ness, I am the Chief of Police George Matowitz and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. We’ve all heard so much about you and your famous prohibition exploits in Chicago, especially from your friend the mayor. Talking of which, mayor Burton unfortunately can’t be here today because he’s feeling rather ill and so he wanted me to express his profound apologise and stated that he looks forward to showing you the police automobiles and horse patrols units tomorrow morning before the press conference starts” Ness warmly smiled as he shook his hand and silently analysed his grandiose appearance which was startling to any onlooker whom dared to come to close to such a large man.

  Matowitz was unbecomingly large and heavy set man whom had apparently long since forgotten the benefits of a well-planned diet. His immaculate dark blue police uniform expressed his unspoken desire to impress all whom set eyes upon him, silently insinuating his own greatness within the presence of other mere mortals. His highly decorative medals lined his chest with in an almost arrogant manner and gave the impression that he was a man whom had seen many battles when Ness already knew that he was simply another glorified paper pusher. His hair and finely crafted moustache had long since stubbornly retained its dark colour, leaving a drab grey to heavily accumulate underneath its thick exterior.

  He then turned to face the second member of the welcoming committee whom he instantly recognised upon closer inspection, as being Congressmen Martin Sweeney. The intimidatingly large Sweeney was dressed in expensive designer, black pinstriped three piece suit and wore equally expensive black shoes which gleamed like lighthouse beckons within the warm hallway lights. He had distinctive grey hair that was parted on the right hand side and his ears where bigger than one would expect. His eyes expressed a chillingly cold conviction that oozed contempt for whomever he looked at and his worn face wore a permanent scowl expression that gave him a distinctive appearance of a man not to be trifled with. His voice was exceedingly deep as he finally spoke, further emphasising the obscene size of the man “Hello Mr Ness, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person and not just on the telephone. I’ve followed your work with great interested over the last few years, especially with the Capone case, and it’s a true pleasure for me to formally greet you here as the new Cleveland Safety Director! Congratulations!”

  Ness smiled as both Sweeney and Matowitz clapped along with the majority of the viewing audience that had silently congregated around them. Ness then eagerly shook Sweeney’s massive hand whilst the clapping continued, only to soon be replaced with silence as the small crowd reluctantly left to continue on with their mundane office work and daily tasks. After a moment or two of this awkward silence Matowitz then spoke again, wishing to dispel any feelings of anxiety that Ness may currently be experiencing “Mayor Burton asked us to express our warmest welcome to you and we all wish you the very best within your position here within Cleveland! This welcoming gift is from the mayor, the congressman and myself to you”

  Matowitz smiled as he gave Ness a basket of gift’s that consisted of a three bottles of his favourite scotch and a small box of chocolates to which he smiled and carefully handed it to the attentive Cowles. Congressman Sweeney’s dead eyes opened wider as Ness then spoke again to him “Thank you and it’s so very nice to finally meet you too Congressman because the mayor has told me a lot of good things about, specifically with regard to both of your fights against corruption within the department and organised crime. I had hoped that we’d all be here together today, you say that he’s ill?” Sweeney replied with the sleek and honed expression of concern that he had developed skilfully over the years he had spent in politics “Yes, terrible thing but it’s just the flu with all this unusually cold and wet weather around. I’m sure that he’ll be up and about by the end of the day. He wouldn’t miss tomorrow’s press conference with you for his electorate, believe me! Hehe!”

  Ness smiled and felt more relaxed as he thought about not being thrown to the lions by himself tomorrow and then saw the familiar face of the mayor hanging upon the wall behind the Congressman. His well-tanned face, silver white short hair and warm smile where a comfortingly familiar sight that he had grown accustomed to whilst being questioned about his willingness to take this prestigious new position. The position had been created just for him because of Burton’s new determination to root out rampant corruption within the department, cleverly knowing that this would potentially be a vote winner for his upcoming re-election. He had met Burton and his trusted colleague, country prosecutor Frank Cullitan, a few months after Burton had received an anonymous letter naming and implicating many officers whom were involved within illicit activities and organised crime within the department. There were no identifying marks upon the mysterious letter, no fingerprints either and because it was written on a typewriter no judgements could be made about the handwriting. Whomever wrote it must have had vast knowledge of the inner workings of the department as well as organised crime and so Burton had informed Cullitan to offer Ness this newly created position specifically, partly also because the anonymous letter had speculated that bringing in an outsider like Ness, could help clean up the department.

  After a mome
nt of dizziness and being unable to focus upon the mayor’s painting that hung upon the wall ahead of him, Ness finally spoke again after reacquiring his chaotic thought processes that where being dictated to him by opium “I, erm? I look forward to… to helping work with you all to help clean up this department and eliminate the surge of corruption that had obviously infested it!” Sweeney and Matowitz looked in astonishing bewilderment at each other whilst awkwardly smiling, as if Ness’s statement was alarmingly a little too uncomfortably undiplomatic for their own liking. After an awkward moments silence, Sweeney then spoke whilst smiling warmly at Ness “Where are all hoping that you can help this department modernise and escape the blight of corruption in preparation for both the upcoming and important Republican National Convention and the Great Lakes Exposition. Organized crime is a problematic issue in Cleveland, specifically the Italian Mayfield Road Mob, and so we all hope you can do to them what you did to Capone back in Chicago!”

  Sweeney once again smiled warmly as he looked at Matowitz whom hastily nodded in agreement but Ness recognised that Sweeney was the ever astute politician whom had long ago perfected his different chameleon type looks for various expressions of human behaviour. The synapses within Ness maybe open due to the opium that coursed through his blood, making him experience joy through his every physical movement, but he still felt ill as he looked at this experienced politician and tried not to show this contempt within his own face. He feared that this cunningly shrewd ‘man of the people’ would easily see through his untrained guise, unsure of his own limited ability at misdirection. The equally cunning Ness however then attempted his own foray into the professional public world of deception and simply replied optimistically whilst smiling “Which is why I’m here Congressman! I’m a ‘doer’, not just a ‘talker’ and I aim to get things done! I appreciate all your well placed confidence in me and I will endeavour not to disappoint you and destroy the criminality within this department, just as I endeavoured to destroy Capone in Chicago!”

  Sweeney smiled a beaming smile of falseness at Ness’s carefully selected choice words because he felt like the famed Untouchable was being slightly condescending towards him but smiled nonetheless. There was a stillness and silence within the air as the two opposing men faced one other, an uncomfortably tangible stillness that even the on looking Cowles and Matowitz noticed. The two then felt the air around both men grow frosty and uncomfortable as they both appeared to be waiting for the others next calculated move whilst smiling at each other in a gross display of almost comical clarity. Ness had secretly missed this buzz, this feeling of exhilaration and conflict to which he used to thrive on and it’s what made him feel alive and was somewhat pleasantly reminiscent of the drama that took place back in Chicago. There was no fear within him as he stood there in front of the imposingly giant congressman as the opium had well and truly now saturated his every pore and alleviated any anxiety or self-restraint that he otherwise may have had.

  As they all silently smiled at each other it was soon quickly becoming an uncomfortable situation until Ness then overheard Matowitz whispering to Cowles to hurriedly collect his new secretary to take him to his new office. Ness was now relieved to know that he would soon be leaving them and theorized how they would both now deliberate and discuss their first impressions of him. He congratulatory smiled to himself because this is what he intended to do, immediately stamp his authority and impose his will whilst ruffling a few feathers, without restraint or regard for the niceties of political correctness. He was here to shake some trees and relished this new opportunity to create a new legacy which was not under the shadow of the taxman or clouded by regret.

  Ness then alarming felt his heart begin to pound under his shirt and he began to sweat as he felt the eyes of the group analysing his slight mannerisms in intricate detail. He instinctively knew he was starting to have another panic attack that he would usually only get when he was off the opium and in socially anxiety provoking situations, but this situation was so alarmingly unique that only now its true clarity was becoming known. The vision of the intimidating congressman then appeared to spin as only the background painting of his friend, the mayor remained within its focused centre. He knew he needed some more opium and soon in order to combat the forthcoming panic attack and debated to either take it in the nearby toilet or within his new office.

  After a moment’s hesitation he decided upon the office option because he speculated that he may not be able to make it to the toilet alone. His hand then started to shake as he still eagerly waited for the elusive secretary to finally make her appearance known so that she may recuse him from his current predicament. He suddenly felt increasingly alone standing there amongst this strange group of people that watched his every move as he nervously looked down at his spectator shoes and pretended to be preoccupied with their stylistic design. His increasingly frantic mind then began to drift onto sad thoughts about his failing marriage to Edna and how they had slowly drifted apart over the years. Opium had helped him forget these hurtful emotions of regret that had long since ceased to torment him but now they were being cruelly resurrected and clouding his already impaired judgement. He recalled distant and sad memories of them dancing together at a party but then realised that the only intimate relationship he now desired was with his mistress of opium, which always blissfully kept such negative emotions at bay. He then felt dizzy as he recognised the characteristic symptoms of the familiar panic attack that had so blighted his previous life, noticing the Congressman’s realisation of his condition due to his raised eyebrow and curious looking gaze.

  The sweating Ness tried to re-focus on how to obtain an immediate opium fix as he had now given-up on the elusive secretary making an appearance anytime soon. His irrational and chaotic chain of thought was suddenly interrupted by something wonderful and totally unexpected, a magical event that instantly made all his rational cognition return in an instant of pure crystal clear clarity. The mysteriously elusive attractive blonde whom he had got a tantalizing glimpse before now returned and was slowly walking directly towards him.

  His swirling vision attempted to refocus on her as she towered over the surrounding officers with her unnatural height and elegantly strode through them with an effortless grace. She exhibited an aura of sophistication and refined class that could only have been learnt through skilled tutoring because of the fine etiquette that she effortlessly produced. The transfixed Ness looked at her as she effortlessly glided through the mass of officers and towards himself as time itself appeared to stand still before her in acknowledgement of her beauty. The impressively attractive blonde walked ever closer to him as he could now see the details of her beautifully elegant, crocheted flowed red dress that was unashamedly filled by her fantastically full figure. Her voluptuous lips where saturated in the same striking red as her dress and where only matched by the deep blues of her eyes that the awkwardly uncomfortable Ness could feel himself drowning within well before she had even reached him. Her beautifully clear skin was like porcelain and perfectly radiated the correct amount of light which her golden flowing hair then incorporated within itself to give her the appearance of a Hollywood star that had been mistakenly dropped within Cleveland.

  Her stylised hair reminded him distinctly of an up and coming young beautiful actress whom he had met back in Chicago at a party which was held within a penthouse apartment. The young alluring blonde actresses name was Lauren Becall and he had suspected that she had been a cleverly laid honey trap for him and sent by the devious Capone. The mobster however had not accounted for his love for Edna at the time and even years after he discovered that she was not working for Capone, she still alluring sat within his subconscious mind and continually beckoning him to return to her. Her charismatic golden hair reminded him of Becall’s because it had a life of its own, independent of its equally gorgeous owner. It was stylishly crafted with care into a curly parting that went down the right side and waved down below her smooth shoulders, only f
inishing halfway down her back. Ness was mesmerised by this alluring and sensual being whom appeared to be an alien within this foreign environment and speculated that she was probably brought up in Europe and spoke a multitude of languages, judging from the way she effortlessly carried herself towards him. She exhibited an unnatural aura of confidence that effortlessly pulsated from her and beckoned all whom viewed her to kneel before her grandeur and grace.

  An awkward looking Ness stood there whilst nervously fiddling with his trusty hat as he tried not to look at her but could not help it because she already fascinated him. He stood there for what felt like a lifetime as he tried to gather his chaotic thoughts before she arrived but they constantly fleeted in and out of reality, causing him to become confused. She finally stopped in front of him and he instantly felt a new clarity of mind whilst he felt himself literally being pulled towards her as her fantastically sweet smelling perfume immersed him within its unbreakable embrace. Ness’s mind was now vacant of anything except the fascinated woman whom now stood before him as her beauty demanded his complete attention. He awkwardly mustered up all his remaining strength to warmly smile at the alluring stranger before he involuntarily gulped as she finally spoke in her surprisingly sweet southern accent, instantly destroying his theory about European decent “Hello Mr Ness my name is Poppy Rose Valentine and I’m your new personal secretary, would you please kindly follow me to your new office. Shall I take this?”