It was late and I was sitting in my office above a busy street in a city that never sleeps. The traffic was as quite as child with three sets of lungs that was denied his usual icecream after sitting quietly while his mother was getting her hair done at the salon. It can be lonely in a city as big as this where a guy can be in the middle of a sea of people being tossed about in this thing we call a life, and still feel like the only one there. My only ally I keep near my heart.... in a holster that is. His name is beretta. My best friend is the bottle next to me, His name is dr pepper. My name is Guy Einsam, I’m a Private Eye.
I was closing up my last case when she came in. From the silloute on my smoked glass door I knew it was a dame. I knew that she had a mission and I knew that things weren't gonna be the same for a very long time. With knock she made her presence known.
“Doors closed but you can change that if you’d like”
“They said you could help.” The hollow planks of her high heels echoed on the hard wood floor and her perfume filled my office with I scent that it hadn't known In a long time.
“They say a lot of things, Doll, but doncha know? Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.” I wasn’t in the mood to take up another case. The last one went south from the get go, and I made a promise that I would too after it was done and the smoke cleared. I was thinking Belize. But vacations are not me and problems have a way of findin ya no matter were you go.
“I have got cash, and price isn’t an issue.”
Belieze can wait.“So what’s a girl like you doin in a place like this?” I had always wanted to use that line, now it seemed more of the story of my life. Her manners and her headcovering told me she wasn’t from around here.
“I’m here on behalf of a friend” she looked at her feet and I looked at her like I actually believed her. She was a terrible lier and the headcovering told me that it wasn’t a usual practice.
“So this friend of your’s needs answers, problem with those is they usually lead to more questions. Vicious cycle: this thing we call life.” I reached for the bottle and she sat down.
“You know that stuff will kill you. It just dehydrates your body and you should drink water.”
I was starting to not like this broad, she sounded like some other dames that I knew once upon a time. “my problems are mine sister, I don't hire you to fix mine, you hire me to fix yours.”
She gave me the kind a look that would melt a chunk of ice off the polar ice caps. That would lead to no good and neither would this look.
“I.... I mean my friend...she’s in love Guy.....”
I leaned back in my chair and looked at the ceiling fan as it spun slowly, mocking me as if to say “alls i gots to do is spin and what do you hafta do?”. I was wishen I was somewhere else, but she did have cash and she gave me company, I was low on both.
“Now that’s your friends fault” I smirked. Love, what the heck was that anyway?
“And now it’s your problem,” she retorted. She had spark. I liked that. She had a head covering. I liked that too. She had cash, and I was beginning to understand this love. “My friend is a jump now ask later sort. She follows her heart where it would lead. To you know what I’m talking about guy?”
“I would if I had a heart, kid.” My bottle was runnin dry and this conversation was gettin there too. I figured a trip to the dinner down the street would help both. “Wadda say we get some grub, kid.”
“Does this mean you will take the case Mr. Einsam?” Her eyes seemed to speak louder then her voice.
“It means that I need some food.”
TO BE CONTINUED.....
when I don't have as many job tickets on my desk......
ACT 1 SCENE 2 THE DINER
I hadn't been eatin real good as of late and I wasn't about to start now. "Coffee and a danish".
"Nothin for me thanks"
The waitress raised an eyebrow and went to retrieve the danish after she poured coffee. She was probably wondering what kinda nut jobs were doin up this late. Funny, I was wondering the same thing. I don't even like coffee. I stared at her and she stared at me. It started raining outside. I glanced out the window and saw my reflection and something else outside. Neither of them sat well in my gut.
I turned back those great big eyes across the table. "So you gonna talk or what?" Questions started goin through my head, who was this dame? What was she really after? What does any of it have to do with me? The most pressing one was how long it takes a waitress to get a danish.
"Guy?"
"what...."she didn’t exactly have my total attention cause I was sharin it with the fellas across the street standing by a black sedan. They noticed my glance. Bad deal. A gut twinge I used to feel while I was on “the force” came back. I hated that feeling. Something was very wrong and I wasn't talkin about the sorry excuse of a coffee that was in front of me. It was gonna be one of those nights.
"You out past curfew or wh..... ” I nodded at the car and the brusiers in the rain
“Guy, please......” the tone of voice told me that I had just got dumped into something that if I had a choice, I would take no part in. If I had a choice. With the brusiers walking into the diner, it looked like those were now luxury that I didn’t have.
“There youze are.”
Through the years of not caring, lookin out for number one, after....
after that day...
my instincts took over, Italian Male, 6’6”, ballpark 250 pounds, probably could handel himself in a fight. Looking a little bulky under his left arm. So he’s right handed and he’s packin.
“Yea, weez been lookin all over for yaz.”
Italian male 5’8” kinda skinny, same accent same facial structure. Probably brothers. Bulk under each arm. Crap.
“Me and the lady were just havin a talk.” I felt a huge hand on my shoulder. My mind was going a million miles an hour. My beretta was close. Guito here was closer. The dame was in the cross fire of the wiry guy. This wasn’t lookin good.
“Was I talkin to you?” I felt a shove back into my seat. In one smooth motion I knocked his right hand away with my left got back up and my gun was to his forehead.
“Bein’ a hero is over rated pal” I heard coming from behind the massive hulk of a guy I had my gun pressed against.
Skinny had the Girl and had his own best friend against her temple.
“You don’t want nonna this.” He wasn’t shakin, he wasn’t sweatin, and I was in deep.
“You love your brother?” I tried to put on a smile like I was crazy. I was starting to believe myself.
“Howd youze kn....”skinny started
“Shaddap Vinny!!”
Vinny? Vinny Dellamorte? This has got to be the worst day......
Dames. Never nothin but trouble...
“Here’s how it plays boys.” This wasn’t the first time in a tight spot but the feelings never change. I was as scared as cow standin in front of a meat packin plant. ”I kill you, vinny kills the dame, I kill vinny. I walk away. I doubt this sounds good for anybody. Let her go, and everybodys happy.”
A hammer being cocked back isn’t a plesant sound, specially if it’s one behind my head.
“I gots another solution to your problem....”
Instincts: Older Male Italian accent, Probably heavy bui....
The thud of butt of his gun announced that I had just been cracked my head and about to be introduced to the floor as rushed up to meet me.
as noises and lights faded away I remember thinkin “this is why I don’t get mixed up with dames.........”
chapter three: ouch
Belieze
I need help guy
I mean my friend
coffee and a danish
that stuff will kill you
what is love anyway
there youse are...guy
guy
guy
“Guy?”
“hey Guy?”
“do you think his dead?”
“Naw he’s still breathing. See his chest?”
“Let’s get him up”
The smell of the deep fryer in the back told me that I was in a diner. Next question where the heck was the diner? After that one gets answered I’ll see if someone got the license off the mac truck that drove over my head.
“Man Guy, I thought you bought it. Two against one aint never good odds.”
Frank? It’s Frank...“Hey Frank, you servin breakfast yet?”
“Man they got him good....”
“GUY WAKE UP!”
“what.. what? I’m here, what?” fuzziness beginning to clear up....
“Guy....they, they took her Guy.”
Reality hit with painful clarity. Including one very nasty gash in the back of my head. “I owe someone big for that one.” Emma brought an ice pack.”I thought I ordered a danish.”
“Yer welcome guy.” came a dry reply. She poor the coffee and they both just stared.
“What?”
“You come in here with one looker of a dame, two brusiers come in, ya almost have a fire fight, ya get get bonked, and you ask ME what?” The tone of voice told me that Frank wasn’t being funny. Good thing cause I didn’t feel like laughin.
“Those weren't brusiers Frank. They were Dellamorte family.” I could tell by the silence that Frank knew what I was talking about. I could tell by how much blood left his face that he knew that the grim reaper nephews were just in his diner.
“W...why are you alive guy?” His voice sounded like how I felt a few hours before. “To come all the way from the east district... and not off someone”
“Cause I wasn’t worth the bullet, or they didn’t want a mess. Either way...”
“Either way we need to get you outta here Guy. They’ll be coming back,you know this.”
I could see emma gettin that look in her eye. “Look I ain’t dead. Let’s just go over the facts.” Emma and Frank leaned closer. They loved this stuff, I liked it too. Ya learn to like something when it’s the only thing you can do. “This dame walks in says she’s in love.” I sat one that one for a bit. My head was splitting. It hadn’t stopped raining and the sound of the rind drops hittin the window turned into what might as well been cymbals an inch from my head.
“I got some aspirin guy. I don’t have many left, but I get you a couple. I don’t let go of them very easy ya know.” Emma was a tease. She was as tough as nails, as life in the big city can do that to a girl just trying to make her way. But she would be sweet.”Here ya go, guy.”
“Don’t let go of them easy......” The bash to the back of my head was wearing off and I was starting to see the pieces come together.
“you say something guy?” Frank had never took his eyes off me.
“She said she was in love....... the head of the Dellamorte family is where?”
I saw the look on Frank's face like he was on the edge of a thought. ”The east district right? The family operations are based in Bluffville.”
“You guys ever hear bout that rumor that they only import?” I was on the edge of a thought myself and this whole thing was beginning to make sense.
“Waddaya mean?” emma, bless her heart...
I sat back and switched hands on the ice pack on my head “I mean that people go in and they don’t come out and next time you see them they are beside some Bluffville mafia at some fancy banquet. She wanted out. She wanted out of Bluffville. That’s it. She wanted out. She didn’t want me to find out about anybody, she wanted me to find a way out.And somehow they found out about it, tracked her down, and got her back.”
It stopped raining and the sky was starting to change from it’s coal blackness to a shade of dark blue. Silence.
I could see by the look in emma's eyes that I wasn’t done. “So what you gonna do guy?”
You gotta be kidding me.... “I’m gonna go pack up my stuff. They don’t know how much I know but they probably expect the worse, and now I got my own life to think about.”
“You can’t just leave!”
“What Am I gonna do Emma Jean??? They own the whole town let alone half of the east district, and that Family has got connections everywhere!! Ya hear stuff in my line of work emma.”
“She could die Guy!!” The tears were coming. I hated those tears. I seen them once before. They stung then and they stung now.
“She shoulda thought of that before trying to go up against the Dellamortes. I look out for me, that’s all. I won’t be responsible for anyone else anymore, not after....” I saw emma stop cold. I glanced at Frank and he was lookin into his coffee.
“Guy is wasn’t your fault....”
don’t tell me that
“.... you couldn’a done nuthing”
“shaddap emma.....” I felt her hand on my shoulder....
“You can’t keep blaming yourself for the past.....” Frank stopped looking for whatever it was he was looking for in his coffee.
“I won’t do it again.... I wont be the hero anymore to anyone, you hear me?”
“She made her own choice Guy” emma looked into my eyes. “if you could turn back the clock and gave her a choice, she do it again.”
“The bullet was ment for me.....”
“and she took it cause she loved you Guy....”emma started to cry.
“It time you take the life she saved and use it to save another...save another, for her Guy” Franks arm was out stretched. A peice of paper was in his hand.
Slowly I took it.
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