The Arrangement

by M. Ravenel

  “Listen,” Roy said. “You always feel like you gotta prove yourself to everyone who tries to put you down. I can dig it. I’ve felt like that for most of my life. It’s why I put all my blood, sweat, and tears into that night club and sit on top as the big boss.”

  “Is it also why you walk around with all those sexy bombshells on your arm?” I said flatly.

  He frowned. “They’re just eye candy for the crowd. They don’t mean a thing to me.”

  “Right.” I took a noisy slurp of my milkshake.

  “It’s true. I may not be Superman or even Dick Tracy, but you know what? I’m still somebody, and can’t nobody look down their nose at me. Or you, either, Tootsie.”

  I fiddled with the straw. “What are you trying to say?”

  “What I’m trying to say is that you made your mark. People around here respect you. So, for crying out loud, would it kill you to put down the damned gun and act like a lady more often?”

  I gave a light shrug. I’d spent most of my life defying society’s rules of ‘being a lady.’ I didn’t do it because I had something to prove. I did it because life was so much more fun being the person I wanted to be. Today, I felt like being a lady—my own way. “What you see is what you get, Roy. Take it or leave it,” I said.

  He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I figured you’d say something like that. Well, I still think you’re beautiful either way, so I sure as hell ain’t gonna complain.”

  I smirked and stole a french fry from his fish-and-chips plate. Thankfully, Roy wasn’t wearing one of his gaudy pimp suits like he normally did when he was working. A yellow, abstract-printed button-down shirt and dark-brown slacks was as conservative as he got, and that was a-okay with me. I dared say he actually looked handsome for a change, not dressing to impress his next curvy admirer.

  Roy had risked his neck for me during this case. Being a lady for him for a change was the least I could do. Besides, I finally had an excuse to try out this new shade of designer nail polish I’d bought from Bloomingdale’s. “This has got to be the most we’ve seen each other during a single week in a long time,” I said.

  “Tell me about it,” Roy said.

  “You mean you’re not worried about chaos happening at Kronos?”

  “Nope. I’ve got a capable crew to handle things. It’s one of the perks of being your own boss, y’know. You can take off whenever you want.” Roy took a bite of his fried cod.

  “Oh yeah? So does that mean you’re gonna start hanging out with me on all my cases?”

  He wrinkled his nose. “I love being around you, Tootsie, but to be perfectly honest, I can’t stand your cases. From sitting in a car doing nothing for hours to nearly getting shot at multiple times… that’s not for me.”

  “I could’ve told you that.”

  “I wish you’d finally take a break for a change. You’re your own boss.”

  “Ha! Not everyone has the same luxuries as you, Roy.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? You know damned well you can do the same thing as me. You just have to learn how to say no.”

  “Can’t say no when I have bills to pay.”

  “That’s why you need a husband,” Roy countered.

  I snorted. “That’s exactly why I don’t need a husband. A husband means another person, which means another mouth to feed, which means more electricity being used, which means a bigger place to live… more bills.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud. Fine. No husband, then. Still doesn’t mean you can’t say no to some of your clients and take a vacation for yourself sometime.”

  “Can’t say no to a frantic mother whose child has run away or a distressed husband whose wife has gone missing…”

  “That’s what the police are for.”

  “The police have bigger fish to fry around this city.”

  Before Roy could say any more, Luanda approached our table, her contagious bright smile lighting up the diner. “Another milkshake, Detective Carter?” she asked.

  I beamed back. “Oh, I think one will do for now. And please, call me Tootsie.”

  “You sure you don’t want another? It’s on the house. Nat said so.”

  I blinked. “W-Well, if you insist…” I slurped down the rest of my current shake in record time, bracing for another brain freeze.

  Roy groaned. “Shouldn’t have said that, Lu. She’s gonna put you guys out of business.”

  Lu chuckled. “Hey, Nat said Tootsie can have as many as she wants for saving my life. Oh, and your meal is on the house, too, Roy.”

  His expression brightened at that. “Oh? Heh. Thanks.”

  “Everything okay with you, by the way?” I asked her.

  Her smile faltered a little as she regarded me again. “Yeah, this is the best thing I can do right now to cope with everything that happened. I swear, if I ever have to stay another night in that awful, flea-ridden motel…”

  As it turned out, while I was off on my wild-goose chase, Curt’s goons had held Lu hostage at some seedy motel in Brooklyn. She’d been trapped with no way to escape, as men were posted at all the exits, including the fire escape, and she even had a “personal bodyguard” who followed her around like a shadow. Not to mention, they’d tormented her with unwanted sexual advances and threatened her life. How miserable it must’ve been for her. Part of me regretted that I wasn’t able to find her sooner. Maybe I could’ve spared her some of that suffering.

  “Anyway, I don’t mind working,” Lu continued. “Besides, I’m helping Greg build up our vacation fund again.”

  I cringed then rubbed the back of my head. “Uh, yeah… about that…”

  “Hey, that vacation isn’t going anywhere. Tapping into our funds to hire you was necessary and money well spent. I will always be grateful for you and your friends risking your lives for me.”

  “We’re just glad you’re safe.” Roy nodded.

  “Thank you.” Lu’s smile returned. “I’ll go get you that milkshake, Tootsie.” She spun and went behind the front counter.

  I propped my elbow on the table and rested my cheek in my palm as I watched her whip up another milkshake in a fresh glass. “She sure is nice.”

  “Yeah,” Roy said absently. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t get into any more trouble next time.”

  “Hopefully, there won’t be a next time.”

  The entrance door swung open, and Cheryl walked in, dressed in dark-denim bell-bottom jeans and a cute, multi-colored striped sweater. She wore a wide grin as she strode up to the front counter. She looked like a completely different woman now—excited and carefree—compared to the worried, defensive mess I’d first met. Cheryl chatted with Lu. Moments later, Lu set down a can of whipped cream and looked at her friend, wide-eyed. Her smile grew.

  Cheryl said something else and held out her hand, nodding. Then Lu squealed. Finally, the both of them went into a squealing fest, like two excited high school girls. I bolted upright in my seat.

  The buzz of the diner lowered as patrons turned to stare.

  Lu and Cheryl looked around, then Lu beamed and waved her arms. “My friend just got engaged!” she announced.

  Roy and I exchanged raised eyebrows. Talk about a happy ending, I thought.

  Light claps, whistles, and cheers came from the patrons, then they returned to their meals and conversations.

  Theresa disappeared through the double doors to the kitchen with her tray of dirty dishes, then she reappeared seconds later with an empty tray. She rushed to Lu and Cheryl and joined in the celebration.

  Nat finished ringing up a customer. “Hey, hey, hey! After work, ladies!” She pointed at Lu and Theresa. “Table Five needs more napkins. Get to it! And, Cheryl, don’t go starting trouble around here just ’cause you’re off today.” Nat cracked a smile.

  Cheryl laughed. “You know I wouldn’t do that.” After saying goodbye to Lu and Theresa, Cheryl approached our table. “Mind if I join you guys?”

  “Be our guest.” I scooted over.
“Love the sweater, by the way.”

  “Isn’t it cute? I got it on sale at Macy’s.”

  Lu returned to our table with a brand-new milkshake for me, topped with whipped cream and a bright-red cherry. “Here you go!”

  Grinning, I greedily pulled the tall glass closer. “Swell. Thanks.”

  Lu nodded, cast another excited smile at Cheryl, then zipped to another table.

  “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way,” Roy said while I shamelessly sucked down half my milkshake through a straw.

  Cheryl sighed dreamily and splayed her left hand on the table, revealing a gold ring with the biggest, shiniest diamond I’d ever seen. “Can you believe it? Darin spent pretty much all his winnings from that last fight on this ring. It was such a surprise. I was definitely not expecting him to propose this morning.”

  “He sure doesn’t mess around, huh?” I laughed.

  “You can say that again. Right after I said yes, he went off to the gym. But he told me to meet him here around eight o’clock tonight.”

  “Sounds like a date to me.”

  Cheryl shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, this is where we first met. Maybe he wants to make it a little extra special. For a fighter, he’s quite the romantic.”

  The entrance door opened again, and two men walked in. “Well, speak of the devil…” I nodded toward Darin, who was with a dark-haired, middle-aged man in a suit.

  Roy looked over his shoulder. “Huh. Who’s that fancy-looking cat with him?”

  Cheryl popped up from her seat. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” She hurried over to Darin and threw herself into his arms, kissing him deeply. While the two of them chatted, the suited man looked around, a hint of anxiousness in his blue eyes.

  What’s his bag? I narrowed my gaze, trying to remember where I’d seen him before. I almost never forgot a face. I couldn’t pinpoint his, however. I assessed the rest of his dark-grey suit and the complementing red tie.

  Red tie. Wait a minute…

  My body tensed. I slowly balled my hands into fists.

  “What’s wrong, Tootsie?” Roy asked.

  I tightened my jaw. “That man. I’ve seen him before. At Sunnyside Garden Arena. I think he might be another one of Curt’s guys.”

  Roy blinked. “What!”

  Cheryl tugged Darin toward our table, and Mr. Red Tie followed. She clapped her hands together. “Guys! Guess what? Darin has an agent! A real, honest-to-goodness legit agent!”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Another one? Already?”

  Darin smiled slightly. “Hey, I learned my lesson.” He gestured to Mr. Red Tie. “This is Nicholas Jacobsen of Jacobsen and Associates Sports Agency. One of the top sports agencies on the East Coast. Can you believe I ran into this guy at Primo’s this morning? He said he was looking for me. Looking for me! Can you believe it? A lot of famous pro athletes have been represented by Nick’s agency.” He gestured to me. “Nick, this is Detective Tootsie Carter.”

  Nick did a double take, then his dark eyebrows shot up. “You again. So you’re the woman he’s been going on about. Detective, huh?”

  I frowned and held my head high. “That’s right.”

  Darin looked curiously between the two of us and wrinkled his brow. “Wait, you two already met?”

  “You could say that,” I said, not taking my eyes off Nick. “What were you doing that night at the arena?”

  Nick shrugged. “Scouting, what else? After Darin walked out with that massive win, I called one of my associates to have them dig up some more info about him.”

  The telephone. So that’s who he was talking to.

  “Darin’s a man of value and potential,” Nick continued. “He’s looking for a comeback, and I plan to give it to him.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Sounds like something Curt would say.”

  “Hey, Nick’s the real deal,” Darin assured. “Alex and I were up in his Midtown Manhattan office on the thirty-second floor all day today, talking about my future. Even Alex could vouch for him. And he never vouches for anyone.”

  “Well, Curt managed to weasel his way around without Alex knowing,” I said.

  “Yeah, well, Alex ain’t letting that happen again. You can bet on it.”

  “Hmm…” I still wasn’t thoroughly convinced.

  Nick gave me a reassuring smile. “I know about Zanetti and the crooked racket he was caught up in, Detective. He ruined a lot of good athletes’ careers with his scams he had going. You did us all a favor by getting him and his friends off the street.”

  My gaze swiveled back and forth between Nick and Darin, and I scowled. “All right, Mr. Jacobsen. I’ll take your word for it that you’re straight. But if I hear anything about Darin being in trouble again, you and I are gonna have a little chat. Can you dig it?”

  Nick chuckled, putting his hands up in surrender. “Hey, hey. I promise you, I run a legit business. Ask any professional athlete or sports organization. Nice meeting you, Ms. Carter.” He cleared his throat and looked to Darin. “I need to go. Call me when you guys get back to Philadelphia.”

  “Will do.” Darin nodded.

  After Nick left, Cheryl wrapped her arm around Darin’s waist. “So, baby, are we gonna make the most of this night, or what?”

  “Of course.” Darin kissed her.

  I smiled at them. “I’m happy for you two. Live life to the fullest.”

  Darin winked. “We will. Thanks, both of you. And tell Mitts thanks, also, when you see him. My life’s been turned upside down in just a few days.”

  “It’s been interesting, to say the least,” I said.

  We said our goodbyes to Darin and Cheryl, and they sat together in a tiny booth at the back of the diner. Luanda took the opportunity to zoom over their way, while Theresa was idly wiping down a nearby table but standing by to eavesdrop on more gossip.

  Roy propped his elbow on the table, leaning his cheek against his fist. He sighed. “Will that ever be us, Tootsie?”

  I stirred my milkshake with the straw. “Maybe one day, when there’s no more crime in this city.”

  His eyes dulled. “In other words, never.”

  “Hey, Dick Tracy worked all his life.”

  “Oh yeah? Well in case you forgot, your beloved Dick Tracy was also married, and sometimes he did take breaks.”

  “Yeah, and poor Tess got kidnapped more times than you could count. And even she knew that being married to someone like Dick Tracy wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”

  “That’s fiction. This is reality. Things will be different between you and me. I won’t get kidnapped, and I damn sure won’t have second thoughts about marrying you.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not in the cards right now, Roy. We lead two completely different lives. If you really care about me, then you’ll respect my choice. This city is my home, and it needs someone like me to help clean it up.”

  He looked at me deeply for several moments, frowning. “It’s our home.” His lips tugged upward to a small smile. “I admire you, Tootsie. You have a big heart. This city does need someone like you. But whenever you’re finally ready to take that break, I’ll be there for you.”

  Grinning, I held up my milkshake. “I’ll drink to that.”

  About the Author

  M. RAVENEL is the author of the Plainclothes Tootsie mystery series featuring a tough, snarky private eye from 1970s New York City.

  When not writing, reading, or working out, Ravenel enjoys watching Golden Age hard-boiled and noir detective films.

  Ravenel may sometimes be spotted wearing a signature trench coat and fedora while penning the next Plainclothes Tootsie story on a typewriter-inspired keyboard.

 

 

 
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