The whistle had worked. Both of the supposed adults had stopped arguing and stood looking at her.
"Do you two mind telling me exactly what it is that you are arguing about?" Mary watched Ralph’s face take on a slight blush. It always did that when he was embarrassed. Harry just stood a little taller with his hands balled into fists. He did have an angry streak that Mary wasn’t too happy to see.
Ralph broke the silence first. "I was here to wish you a happy birthday Mary. I was hoping you would like to go out to dinner with me tonight. I know you must have had a hard day and I wanted it to end special for you."
Harry’s head spun towards Ralph and he ground his teeth together before responding. "Seems we both wanted the same thing. I was thinking a ride on my bike first then see about some food."
Mary looked back and forth between the two men. "Well I don’t really see a problem here then." Mary watched as both men’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She could tell by the shock in their faces that they hadn’t seen that response coming. They must have thought she would pick one right here and now and she wasn’t ready for that. She was beginning to have doubts she wanted to be with either of them. "You both can take me to dinner tonight!"
Ralph’s eyes sank at the suggestion of going out to dinner with Harry, while Harry’s chest puffed out. He glanced over at Ralph and sneered at him when he saw his competition’s reaction. Mary didn’t much care who took her out to dinner. Her stomach was starting to grumble and she needed to get some food in her soon no matter who bought it. "So, if that is agreeable to the both of you maybe you two would like to move your bikes out of the way and then you can follow me to Spago’s, and we can start the fight over who gets to pay. Since it looks like you boys feel the need to fight over something."
Harry’s mouth turned up in a grin as he pulled the bandana back over his face while Ralph just dipped his head in agreement and pushed his bike back out of the way. Mary pulled the keys out of her purse and turned them in her car door lock, the familiar pop sounding as the doors came open.
"Now both of you behave until we get there …in fact I think it would be best if you both followed me. That way you won’t get any ideas about street racing or showing off." Nod’s and muffled agreement came from the helmets as both men had already gotten on their bikes and were waiting.
Mary climbed into her car and fumbled the keys into the ignition. She knew these two were going to be a problem for her, and she would have to pick one or the other soon. Perhaps she wouldn’t pick either of them, but it wasn’t going to be tonight. Tonight she was just going to try to have some fun. Mary turned the key to start the car but nothing happened...She tried it again only to hear that same click. Her car was dead. Before she even had a chance to open her door, the two men had pulled off their helmets and were talking about her car.
"It sounds like the starter is shot." Harry said as he reached inside her car to pop the hood.
"You could be right, but there is a chance it is the battery or a faulty ignition part. The failures were pretty common on these older Fords if you remember." Ralph responded while lifting the hood and locking it into place.
Mary sat back as the two men started poking around under the hood of her car, checking one thing after another, all differences between the two promptly forgotten in the fact there was something they both liked to do. With a sigh Mary dug around in her purse, maybe she had an old granola bar or something she could snack on while she waited for the two to bond.
Sam's Damned
By, Jamie Heppner
A curl of smoke drifted up and around my head as I slowly exhaled from my cigar. This was my last Cuban, a gift from my last paying client. If I didn't get another client soon I was going to have to go back to smoking the cheap cigars the corner shop liked to stock. They burned and made smoke but they weren't a Cuban. Unfortunately, with no clients I had nothing to do but smoke cigars in my office. That created a large side effect of dust, as was evident all over.
"Perhaps if I cleaned up a bit I would attract another client or two."
My office, if you could even call it that, consisted of a worn out desk with one leg shorter than the rest and a couple miss-matched chairs. I used an old a phone book under the short leg to keep it from tipping. The pure oak chair was particularly hard on the backside. Perhaps that was a reason clients rarely stayed long. It could also be reason I had found it outside someone's house next to the trash. The second chair wasn't any better with a flower pattern faded from time. The desk was something that had come with the office. I assumed it remained here due to the fact it was excessively heavy. I had tried to move it and almost put my back out. It took a few friends to help lift it high enough to get the phone book underneath. The prior owner of the desk had carved some initials into the top grain. The letters J and H twisted together with skill in carving I didn't posses. The rest of the room was empty of decorations save a full-length mirror on my closet door, a simple silver lamp and a few framed commendations from my days in the force hung on the wall. The lamp had been a parting gift from my Captain. He even had it engraved with my name. When I reached over and hit the button for the intercom I almost knocked the lamp over, it was a good thing it was so heavy.
"Hey Marg, remind me to look for some new furniture, and maybe clean this place up a bit. The dust in here is getting a little thick!"
I heard a muffled reply from behind the door. It sounded like a snide comment and it was probably best I didn't hear it clearly.
"Maybe if her last paycheck didn't bounce she would be a little happier."
My eyes settled on the backside of the only door into my office. How many times had I stared at the mirror image of my name on that yellowed glass? From the other side it read, Sam Diamond. On the slowest days, I would open the bottom drawer of my desk, take the bottle I had hidden there, and drink until the words on my door twisted around. They always twisted until they said, Sam's Damned. Perhaps I was.
I didn't remember leaving the bottle on my desk. Nor did I remember my secretary leave for the night. I realized she must have when I saw the lights out front were off, and the bottle left on my desk. Empty again. The pounding in my head tied in with the distant sirens was doing little to help my mood. Another day with no clients meant another day with no pay. Things hadn't been this bad since they kicked me off the force. As the sirens faded, I heard whispering on the other side of the door. Reaching under my desk I carefully unclipped my .38 from the holster I had secured there and lay it down in my lap. I didn't know who was outside my door but if they decided to break in they were going to be in for a surprise. The muffled voices came closer and I could start to hear what they were saying. It seemed like a man and woman were having some kind of hushed argument in my office waiting area.
"… told you there was no way this gumshoe was going to be here this late."
"How should I know? I overheard that nice lady at the restaurant saying he would be working late!"
"You stupid woman! You didn't think the laughing she did after she said it would mean something?"
They were getting louder and the man didn't sound like he was getting any happier. I had an idea who that nice woman in the restaurant would be. Marg, she was making jokes about me passing out at work again eh. Well I would have to see about that in the morning.
"You can come in folks. Step lightly though I don't put up with any guff."
The voices cut out instantly. I did hear a small squeal from the woman. She was probably the kind of person that scared easy. I kept my hand on the trigger of my .38 as my door squeaked open and a short, husky fellow pushed a dame into the room first. He did his best to stay behind her while pushing her farther inside. I knew the way I had my office set up they wouldn't be able to make out my face with the lights of the warehouse behind me. With that in mind I kept my lamp off.
"Come on in, and keep your hands where I can see them. At least until we have been properly introduced."
The heavier man cuffed the woman across her
arm while she stood there looking like she wanted to sink into the floorboards. Lucky for her it was almost possible in this office. Press down hard enough and you might end up in the Chinese laundry downstairs.
"Well don't just stand there looking stupid, introduce us!"
A second squeak broke free as she tried to look through the darkness to see my face. If I didn't know any better, I would think this dame was part mouse, what with all the squeaking.
"Ah. Hello." A nervous giggle tripped out her throat. There wasn't a lot of light coming in from the window behind me but it did illuminate some features of the two, although fine details were eluding me. I decided to continue leaving my lamp off until I was ready. Best to keep things in my favor for now at least until I can discern what it is these two want from me. My eyes shifted between the two and the fellow just rolled his eyes, the whites visible with the faint light. A second giggle broke free before the dame continued.
"Yeah, well my name is Dinah, Dinah Ambrose, and this is my husband Elrod. Pleased to meet you Mr.…"
"Just call me Sam for now. I haven't been a Mr. for some time."
"Ok. Mr. Sam. Well, we just wanted…"
Elrod pushed her aside and reached for my desk. My hand was still on the .38 on my lap and the click it made as I cocked it was a distinctive sound in the limited space of my office. Elrod's hand froze as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. The streetlights outside reflected in the perspiration forming across his face.
"This is my office Mr. Ambrose. I would appreciate it if you remembered that before you touched anything."
His hand slowly retracted as another squeak came from beside the wall where he had left his wife standing. I pulled my .38 out of hiding and placed it onto my desktop at the same time as I flicked on my desk lamp. Elrod stepped back another pace as the light showed the man he was talking too. By the look on his face, it was obvious I wasn't the kind of man he was expecting. I knew the man in the mirror, the man they now stared at, I saw him every morning, evening and night. I had trapped myself in a world of my own decisions, there was nothing left but to keep looking in the mirror of my own life. Some of those decisions had been for the best while others, others I could have thought harder before making. They had all created the face this couple now stared at.
In the end, I decided they were looking at my scar, their eyes locked on it. I had gotten a wound from my days on the force. A young cutpurse had been on the rise in Portage Park. When I had tracked him down to his hideout up near Long Lake, I cornered him while trying to bring him in. He pulled a blade on me and during my attempt to arrest him he rewarded my efforts with a long cut off my forehead, over my left eye and down my cheek. He was a lucky kid and got away, while I paid with half my sight. I often thought that my scar was one of the reasons I didn't get that many customers, the chairs the other half.
Yet another squeak let loose from the dame. If she kept doing that, I was going to have to stuff a sock in her mouth. This Elrod was rather unimpressive. He looked in his late fifties and was slightly overweight. Sandy brown hair matched his plain brown eyes. The sweat on his forehead didn't do much for his appearance but that was mostly my fault since I still had my finger on the trigger. I did not intend to move it yet either. His wife, now here was a fox and it had somehow found its way into my office.
Standing taller than her husband Dinah was completely his opposite. Where he was thick, she was thin. His haircut was close to his head, hers fell long and draped over her shoulders. The flapper she wore had been cut very low and it showed signs of some personal modifications to make it that way. I didn't mind in the least. Elrod's legs were short while Dinah's went all the way up, all the way up to those deep blue eyes. I could see the line of her calves below the hem. I had to shake my head to make sure my eyes weren't stuck.
With regret, I moved to address the much less impressive Elrod. His eyes were no longer on the scar across my face and had moved to the empty bottle I left on my desk.
"You get that bottle from the Green Door?" Elrod pointed to my empty.
I reached for the bottle and unceremoniously dumped it back into my desk drawer.
"What bottle?"
Elrod stood a little taller as a grin crept across his face. His wife had stepped closer to his side. Her posture seemed awkward as she moved to her husband and hesitated before putting her arm around his shoulder. Elrod stared at her until she pulled her arm back down.
"The empty bottle you just dumped into your desk. Perhaps I know a way to fill it again. I think we might be able to help one another Mr. Diamond."
I had to wait a moment to take stock of what was actually happening. Here these two had been sneaking around outside my office and even though they were technically intruders, this Mr. Ambrose was now trying to hint at some kind of arrangement. Hooch was very hard to come by thanks to prohibition. Perhaps it would pay to listen to him. I did have a question or two.
"Ok you have my attention Mr. Ambrose, but you have to answer a question for me first."
"I am at your service Mr. Diamond."
"Are you the fuzz come to bust me for a bottle of whiskey?"
Elrod stared laughing as soon as the words were out of my mouth. He laughed so hard he broke into a coughing fit. Dinah started to hit him across the back and took her eyes off my scar for the very first time. Elrod did his best to compose himself while swatting away the hands of his wife. Eventually he straightened and managed to form speech again.
"It's ironic that's your first question, it would've been the same one I'd ask you. I can assure you I'm not working for the police."
I wasn't sure but I thought I heard him mumble "quite the opposite" under his breath.
"Although since you did ask me, perhaps I should ask you as well." Elrod's eyes wandered my sparse desk to land on a photo from my time in the force. It was a simple shot of me standing next to the mayor. I had been standing next to him at a ball and Marg had managed to snap a shot of us. When she handed it over to me some time later, she told me it was perhaps the best chance of me getting to see him outside of the jailhouse. She didn't know he was actually a long time friend of mine. Sitting on the desk, next to the photo was my old badge placed inside a simple glass box.
"Yes, I think that would be a fair question on your part. Given what you can see here of course." I picked up the box holding my badge and tossed it to him.
He caught it easily with one hand and rubbed his thumb over the glass wiping the dust from it.
"I did work with the force but that was years ago. You could say they asked me to quit, and they wouldn't accept no as an answer. So now I work here in this illustrious business." I swept the room with my hand. Elrod took a good look at the badge before placing it back on my desk.
"If you will excuse us a minute, my wife and I need to have a talk before we continue."
I just nodded my head to them and the couple stepped back into my waiting area. They didn't close the door completely behind them so I could still make out a few words of the conversation they were having.
"…you sure… this guy?"
"Please! We… choice… my father!"
"On your head… wrong… warning you"
Elrod strode back into my office not waiting for his wife to follow.
"Ok here's the situation as I see it. We need you. Well, my wife needs you. It seems she has lost her father and she thinks you're the one to find him. I know what I saw on your desk earlier and it turns out that I might be able to help you find more of what you are looking for. Of course, I can pay as well." Elrod ran his hand over his close-cropped hair before taking a hankie and dabbing his forehead with it. Whatever was going on was making him sweat and that made me interested in hearing more. Not to mention he already hinted to me that he had connections to get more whisky.
It was my turn to ask the questions again.
"What do you mean she …lost, her father?"
Elrod started to answer but Dinah cut him off.
"My dad, Harvey Baldwin, he was… "She turned to look at Elrod and after a dark stare and a subtle nod from him she continued.
"He was at a speakeasy down town. It was foolish of him to be there knowing that Al would be…"
Elrod slapped her across the arm cutting her off.
"He wasn't the smartest of men and sometimes he dealt with some people you are better off staying away from, and it would seem all his brains were passed on to his daughter."
Dinah took a step back and squeaked again when her husband gave her a glare. She raised her hand and covered her mouth with it looking like she was afraid to talk, her eyes shifting between Elrod and me.
"He went missing after the speakeasy shut down for the night. The patrons saw him leave but he never made it back to his house. My wife needs your help in finding where he went."
A muffled "please" leaked out from behind Dinah's hand.
"Let me see if I can get this straight. Your father liked the hooch. He spent too much time in the speakeasy and someone in there didn't care for him. Am I safe in assuming the "Al" you mentioned might be the one and only Mr. Capone?"
Another squeak.
"I will take that as a yes. Therefore, your father might have had some very influential friends. The same kind of friend you really don't want to cross unless you want to get fitted in a pair of cement shoes?"
Elrod reached up to adjust his tie while his eyes flitted between the photo and me.
"You could say that, of course I wouldn't say it. There are certain names you don't want to say out loud."
"I think I am getting the picture now. You also mentioned you might have certain connections?" I pulled open the drawer of my desk and the very empty bottle inside rolled around making a dull thud before I closed it again.
"Yes, I might be able to help you in that area. So you will take the case for her then?"
"I am going to need some time to think about this one and I think better when I have something to drink."
"Of course, may I use your phone a minute?"
Elrod didn't wait for my answer and called a number, hiding what he dialed. He had a quick conversation in a hushed voice and promptly hung up the phone.
"You will have a visitor in twenty minutes. My wife and I will see you again in the morning. Say nine?"
"I think better in the afternoon too."
"Ok two it is then."
Without a goodbye, Elrod pushed his wife out the door not bothering to close it behind him. As they walked away, his mouse of a wife with those long legs started pestering him.
"Well he… You can make… has too!" With the sound of a slap, I figured he must have struck her shoulder again. At least I hoped it was her shoulder, and then they were gone.
His word was good. In almost exactly twenty minutes, a short man with very few teeth was grinning at my office door. He didn't speak but just came inside and left a bottle of whisky before leaving the way he had come. The lingering odor of sweat and the bottle the only signs he had been there. I stood up from behind my desk and relaxed my finger from the trigger of my .38. I was no fool to trust just anyone but this Elrod had been good to his word. Asking nothing in return yet, he had already made good by me. I put the bottle into my desk drawer and started pacing the office going over the few details I had learned.
The sky began to lighten as I stared at myself in the mirror. How had I come to this place? I was a good cop, one of the best. Sure, I didn't always do things by the rules but I got results. Now I was contemplating getting involved with a case that potentially involved Al Capone. I really was a fool. I needed more information and there was only one way to get that. The Mayor should be in his office, he always did like to get an early start on things. It was time to call in another favor.
I sat back behind my desk and turned the phone towards me. Calling the number I had long since memorized, I waited while a clerk I didn't recognize went to get the Mayor. It didn't take long for me to tell him what I wanted and he agreed, although reluctantly, to help me out one more time. His exact words were, "You are burning up your favors."
I had nothing to do but wait for my phone to ring. It didn't take too long.
"Sam?"
"Yeah, what you got for me John."
"You were right. There is a case open on Harvey Baldwin. It's being put in the ignore file though. Seems he has some deep connections with the Capone gang and no one here sees the point in digging around too much. It doesn't have any leads and we don't have the work force to follow ghosts. If something lands in our lap, we will look at it. Other than that, the chief has no one on it."
"Thanks John, I will let you know if I find anything on this guy."
"Are you going to get involved in this one? Could be dangerous you know."
"Yeah, I know. I am not sure yet but if you see me swimming with the fishes you know why."
I placed the phone back on the cradle and rubbed my forehead. The lump from my scar smooth under my fingers. Did I really want to get involved in this? Looking for a lost person after a night in the hooch was one thing but putting myself up against Al Capone was just stupid.
I must have fallen asleep again since the buzzer from the intercom startled me awake.
"Miss Ambrose to see you"
I fumbled for the button to respond but the door was already opening. Dinah hardly stepped into the office and closed the door behind her with a light click. She was in the same evening dress as last night. Her hair was a mess and her right eye looked like it was forming a good bruise.
"I guess that wasn't her arm he hit that time."
"Come in Dinah, sit down, are you ok?"
Her eyes flicked back and forth between the picture on my desk and me. She made no move towards my less then comfortable chairs.
"My husband doesn't know I am here. He would be furious if he found out."
"It looks like was already furious with you."
Her face blushed red as she looked down to the ground, her hair falling forward to cover most of her bruising.
"This is nothing, really, I am fine, and I need to know if you are going to help me or not."
"I really haven't decided yet. This could be dangerous to everyone involved. Al Capone doesn't like people snooping around his business, especially a retired cop."
"Is there something I could do to help you make up your mind?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she moved from the door. Her hand reached up and pulled the dress off her shoulder letting it hang down on one side. I felt my heart speed up as the smooth surface of her skin teased me.
"Your husband won't like you coming here will he?"
"There is little my husband likes about me. He keeps me around because I am pretty, and I am good at … some things."
Dinah walked around behind me and laid her hands on my neck, gently rubbing the tension from my shoulders. I didn't even know I was that tense until she worked some of it away. My mind started to wander as her hands slid down onto my chest, her fingers running over me. Suddenly I realized this was not a good idea and I grabbed her wrists restraining her.
"I don't think you really want to do this."
I stood up and turned around to find tears were in her eyes.
"I don't know what else to do. Elrod doesn't even care. He is too busy with his businesses. He told me he had a big shipment coming in last night and something happened to it. He also said if you don't agree to help me this is the last time I am allowed to say anything about it."
Dinah placed her hands on my shoulders and stepped closer. I could smell the scent of lavender in her hair. It took all my restraint to push her back gently.
"You need to get cleaned up and get back to your husband before he notices you are missing. It won't do either of us any good for you to be found here, like this, with me."
The life seemed to drop out of her as she took a step back. Her shoulders slumped and her hands hung at her sides.
"Yes, of course. He will be looking for me. I should go."
> Without another word, she opened the door and walked out. Marg stuck her head in a moment to look me over.
"You ok boss?"
"Yeah, just been a long night. By the way, thanks for telling the whole restaurant that I would be working late last night."
Marg's eyes went wide and she carefully closed the door behind her. She went back to her desk without a peep.
"Just what the hell am I getting myself into? There is no way I should take this case and yet for some reason I can't stop thinking about it. I know it's neither the money nor the whiskey connection. I need to know what is happening with this case, this puzzle. I am missing something."
I sat with my elbows on my desk, head in my hands, for some time just rolling over the few facts I had gleaned. Dinah really wanted to find her father. Elrod didn't seem to care either way. He had his own connections with hooch and perhaps other things. I didn't need to know what else. Her father had gone missing in a speakeasy that Al Capone liked to frequent. Everything added up to one conclusion. I had to stay the hell away from this case.
Marg pushed the door open and snuck a plate with a burger and chips on it.
"Sorry boss. I was just joking around in the restaurant last night, didn't think it would get you in hot water."
"It's okay Marg. I will get through it, thanks for the grub."
With a smile, she moved back to her office leaving the plate behind. I tore into the food. I had no idea how hungry I was, my mind still trying to wrap around everything that was happening. I lost track of the time and Marg buzzed me again.
"The Ambrose's to see you."
"Two o-clock already, I hadn't even come to a conclusion yet."
"Send them in."
Elrod pushed his way through in a rush, a look of impatience written all over his face.
"I don't have much time. Something happened with one of my… shipments last night and I need to get back to work right away. I assume you got what you needed from my man?"
I opened my desk drawer and lifted the fresh, and still full, bottle out for a moment before putting it back to safety.
"Yes, and how was your night Dinah?"
Miss Ambrose had barely stepped into my office. She was wearing a much less revealing dress but those legs that had tempted me last night were still fully visible. Elrod gave me an odd look as a single eyebrow raised.
"It was fine thank you." Dinah responded very quietly. She had combed her hair forward over her bruised eye and wore a cloche pulled forward. Between that and some hastily applied makeup, it did a lot to hide the obvious. From what I could still see of her eyes, she had spent the rest of the day crying. Now I was standing in front of her again and I knew the only choice I really had left to me was going to make her cry all over again.
"So what is your decision Mr. Diamond, are you going to help my wife or not?"
I opened my mouth to speak, to break the news to this poor young woman when it hit me.
"You said you had a problem last night, with your shipment?"
"Yeah, someone knew in advance where the boat was coming in from Canada and took over half of what I had coming in. They somehow managed to convince the ship to dock at a different spot. So, by the time we had found where it moved to, half my run was long gone."
Things were starting to click but I needed a few more answers.
"Dinah" I made her jump, poor girl was on the edge. "Your father was he in hock for anything?"
"I don't know, I don't think so. He borrowed money from Elrod a couple times. You just loaned him some a week ago didn't you Hun?"
"That drunk? Yeah I loaned him some money a while back but he never paid it back. Last time he asked I told him to get lost. I have to support you but I didn't make any agreements to support him.
That was what was missing. Suddenly everything came together and I knew I had an answer to this case. I stepped around to the front of my desk and leaned back against it.
"To be honest I wasn't going to take this case."
A muffled squeak mixed with a sob came from Dinah. Elrod just grabbed his wife by the elbow and pulled her back towards the door.
"Let's get out of here. I told you this was a waste of my time."
"I wasn't finished."
Dinah stopped moving while Elrod turned to face me again.
"Hurry up then. I am a busy man."
"I said I wasn't going to, until just now this whole case looked like a simple hit and a body dump. That is, until your shipment went missing last night. Then it all came together for me. I have changed my mind."
Dinah moved toward to me, it looked like she was going to give me a hug or something. Elrod stepped forward as well, but his intent was obvious when his hand reached back and he moved to hit Dinah in the side of the head.
I was faster.
I caught his wrist in my hand and squeezed it hard.
"I will work for her, you will pay the bill, and you will never lay a finger on her again or you will hear from me. Got it?"
Elrod's eyes burned with hatred but he nodded in assent.
"What the hell did I just get myself into?"
Blast from the Past
By Jamie Heppner
A collection of Short Stories Page 3