Chapter 13
"Well, that was a complete waste of time. I can't believe I even came down here to listen to some quack talk about premonitions and a load of other nonsense."
"I didn't think she was that bad."
"No, I'm sure you didn't, Mr. Hill. But apparently when it comes to women, you have more than a few blind spots."
I was smart enough not to say anything right away. Before she completely blew her top, I took her arm gently, and nodded toward a private booth. "Come on Doctor; let's have a seat for a minute and talk." Surprisingly, she went along with it, and followed me, taking a seat across from me.
I flagged down a waiter and ordered us two drinks. While we were waiting, she said, "You love to talk, don't you? Is it your life's goal to get the upper hand over everyone you speak to? The way you spoke to that poor young man earlier..."
"Cousin Georgy? Oh, Georgy is family, he'll understand." I shrugged easily. "Look, Doctor, I know how to talk to people and push their buttons. It's part of what makes me such a good private detective."
"A detective who hasn't yet solved the mystery of what is happening in this city," she observed dryly.
She was right. I hadn't scratched the surface of this mess we were in. The truth was that I kept getting distracted by loose ends, and beautiful women. But still, it wasn't beyond me, that it was full of life inside this club, bustling with music and people of all types and outside, the streets were nearly desolate. Maybe it meant something… maybe it didn't. I took a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the table and popped a few in my mouth. "I'm working on it," I said.
"I see," she said.
"I don't suppose you'd like to help me out by answering a few questions," I ventured. I had to be careful. I was playing a game with her, but she was playing one with me as well. And so far, she was winning, because she'd basically told me nothing of value since I'd met her. And I thought maybe Lady D had struck a nerve with her back there.
"Oh, I don't know if I can trust you, Mr. Hill," she said slowly.
She looked up as the waiter came back and handed us our drinks. Ms. Howard took a small sip of her drink, then she traced her finger on the side of the glass and looked down at the table. As she did that her face took on a curious expression. A shadow of fear passed over her features, before she quickly returned to a more even expression.
It wasn't hard to tell what was on her mind. "Redblock gave you a scare today, didn't he?"
She nodded and bit her lower lip. "I suppose you could say you told me so," she allowed.
"But I won't," I smiled at her. "Don't worry, anyone who's tangled with Redblock has had the fear put into them eventually."
"Even you?"
I laughed. "Especially me," I replied, pointing at my bruised face.
She looked like she was examining my healing progress from across the table. "The pain medications I gave you should be wearing off by now."
I looked down at the table. "I've had worse," I replied and then downed my drink quickly, before changing the subject. "Now what were you so focused on asking me back there that you had to drag me away from my family reunion? You, know before we saw Lady D..."
She looked directly at me.
"Oh, you mean when you tried to kiss me?"
"Wait a minute...I didn't try anything," I clarified.
"It doesn't matter...I wouldn't have let you, you know."
She liked to have the last word.
She leaned back in the booth. "Why do you want to meet with Señor Datos?"
Finally, the question.
"The Kid? Anyone that makes Cyrus Redblock that nervous seems worth talking to," I told her.
"Is he? I mean, is Redblock really nervous?"
"I'd say yes. For years, he's been on top. Now the Kid's moving in on his business ventures."
"Is that what you think Mr. Datos is doing?"
"You tell me. Why are you working with the Kid?" I asked.
"Haven't I told you?"
I shook my head. "Not really..."
"You won't try to interrupt my work?" She asked suspiciously and the way she held her jaw, I could tell she was ready to fight again.
"Now how would I do that? I don't even know what you're doing for work..." It was true. I nodded toward her black bag. "Is that all that's left of it?" I asked.
"What?" She asked defensively.
"Your work." I could tell that I hit home with that one. "Don't worry doctor, your secrets are safe with me. Actually, come to think of it, I don't know any of your secrets..." I thought of what Lady D had said.
She sighed and looked down at her hands, clasped on the table. Finally, she looked up. "You were in the War?"
"Yep...France." I twirled my glass around on the table.
She took a deep breath in. "I was there..."
I stopped twirling. "What? France?"
"I was a nurse serving in an army hospital. I lied about my age." She finished the drink and wiped her mouth. "I was sixteen. I was only overseas about one year, but I saw enough."
"For a lifetime," I said. I breathed in quickly. "We both saw too much. Maybe that's why we have so much in common." I wiggled my eyebrows.
"I'm trying to tell you something serious, Mr. Hill..."
I nodded apologetically. "Your parents must have been scared senseless."
"My parents died when I was very young. I was raised by a wealthy aunt in New York. She was glad to see me go, and not happy when I returned." She raised her chin defiantly. She was a loner, just like me. "What I saw over there, Mr. Hill... what you experienced...I wanted to do something to prevent it from happening again."
My mouth went dry. "Beverly, this top secret work you're doing. What is it?"
She had opened her mouth to reply when a man with slicked back hair and a tuxedo approached our table. He had a name tag that simply read "Chen".
I tapped my empty glass. "What can we do for you, Mr. Chen?"
"I was told to inform you that your dinner is on the way," he said quietly.
"We didn't order any dinner," said Beverly.
"I was told to say it is on the house", said Chen.
I tried to look around the room to see any possible suspects, but it was so smoky in there, and I was so hungry that I gave up. "Okay...sounds nice. Thanks, Mr. Chen." I indiscreetly handed him a bill, just so Ms. Howard wouldn't think I was a complete waste of space.
"Look, Mr. Hill, I'm not interested in eating dinner with you."
"You really don't pull any punches with a guy do you?"
"Why should I? Anyway, I've been wasting precious time and need to get back to my work."
"Oh at the base? According to the cops, you're officially on the run...so why don't you just level with me, okay, honey?"
Her face turned so red that I instantly knew I had stepped in it. But her secrecy was starting to really irritate me.
"I thought I told you not to talk to me that way?"
"What way? This is how I talk."
She raised her index finger. "Alright...how about you just not talk to me at all?" She started to get up from the table when a familiar face came racing toward us.
Madeline leaned over me slightly out of breath. "Oh my goodness, Dix I've been looking all over for ya!" She gasped and touched my battered cheek with her gloved hand. "Oh poor Dix, what happened?"
"Thanks, Maddy, I'm alright," I said, kissing her hand. "Uh, Madeline, meet Doctor Howard," I said with a small smile, hoping that my secretary would be on her best behavior. "Doctor, Maddy is my secretary..."
"Crime-solving partner," Maddy corrected me. She smiled down at Ms. Howard who had her most polite expression fixed upon her face, for someone who looked like she was expecting the worst. "New client?" Madeline asked brightly.
"No," I said quickly.
Madeline's eyes grew wide. "Ohhh..." She cupped her hand over her mouth as though that would keep Ms. Howard from hearing and said, "Nice going, Dix she's gorgeous!"
I shut my eyes and shook my head. "Maddy, it's not like that...Doctor Howard and me are just friends."
"Actually," said Ms. Howard tightly, "We're not friends either. Now, I really must be going."
"Oh," said Madeline looking disappointed. She smiled again at Beverly, who smiled back patiently. "In that case, watch out, 'cause Polly's around," she warned me.
"What?" I asked in a low voice. "In here? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I muttered.
Doctor Howard tilted her head up at Madeline. "Who's Polly?" She asked sweetly.
"No one," I said, eyeing Madeline with an unspoken plea. Maddy went wide-eyed again and clearly got my drift; problem was, Polly had already spotted us.
"Well if it isn't that low down skunk, Dixon Hill," she said loudly, walking over drink in hand. She had that raven colored hair I'd always loved, and a nice pair of..."Well, Dix, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?" She demanded, clearly not on her first drink of the evening.
Beverly Howard glanced up at Polly. "Who said I was new?" She looked Polly up and down with a slight expression of disapproval.
"Hey, watch it, sister," Polly slurred, stabbing her long fingernail into the air. "You know, I bet you're the reason he hasn't been returning my calls."
"Actually, you're right," said Beverly. "When I'm alone with Dixon, I don't let him answer the phone. It's one of our rules."
"Rules!" Polly practically fell over at that. "This is a man who said he didn't want to be tied down, and now he's playing by the rules?" She glared down at me.
"I'm afraid so," said Beverly. "I guess it just took that special woman to catch him. Just to clarify, I mean me," she added deliberately, in case Polly was too drunk to get it.
Madeline gripped my shoulder tightly, trying to keep a straight face. I just prayed and kept quiet.
"Say it isn't so, Dix. Tell me she hasn't stamped out the fire within you," Polly pleaded dramatically.
I simply stared back at her with the meekest expression possible. Beverly sighed and looked up at Polly. "As you can see he's been completely domesticated."
Polly wobbled a little back and forth as though trying to decide what to do, and then abruptly threw her drink in my face. "Ah!" I sputtered, wiping the stinging liquid out of my eyes.
"Goodbye, forever, Dix. Enjoy your life," Polly declared before walking away.
"Wow," said Madeline, looking down at Beverly Howard. "You're good."
Beverly simply smiled and watched as I wiped the rest of the alcohol off of my face. "You deserved that, you know," she said to me, still with the half smile.
"What?"
"You didn't return her calls."
I looked up at Maddy for help but she just shrugged unsympathetically. "She's right, Dix, you never pick up the phone. Never."
"Madeline, did you just come here to make life even more difficult for me?" Truthfully though I was grateful for her presence.
She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "The police are looking for you...they know Mrs. Feinberg is missing and they said you better turn yourself in before they come out to arrest you. Jack said they suspect foul play."
I looked at her with growing concern, because she still wasn't finished. "Also, Dix, I went by your apartment this afternoon. The place is in shambles..."
My eyes narrowed as I thought this one through. I glanced at Beverly, and she looked totally composed. It gave me a chill, I tell you.
"Dix, I was going to go back to the office and make sure-"
"No!" I took out a piece of paper and scribbled on it, telling her, "Meet me at this address at 6pm. We'll go to my place together. I don't want anyone following us."
She frowned down at the piece of paper, and I could tell she was going to point something out, when I grabbed her hand and gave her a meaningful look.
"Go get us a hotel room, Maddy," I said, handing her a wad of cash.
"Us?"
I tapped my hat on my thigh. "Yeah, it's not safe to go back to your apartment right now. And obviously I ain't got a place to stay."
"What should I tell my roommates?"
"I don't know, tell them you're staying with a man in a hotel..."
"Okay, Dix, but I don't get it..."
"It'll be okay, Madeline. I promise," I said, squeezing her hand.
As Maddy took off through the crowd, we saw a waiter coming with an overloaded tray of food. It smelled so good I thought I might pass out.
"Noodles," I declared. "I could eat noodles every day."
Beverly eyed me, but I could tell she was hungry too. She wasn't shy about eating either, which was something I appreciated in a woman. We ate quickly and in silence. Finally, she laid her chopsticks down and wiped her mouth with her napkin, looking very satisfied. Suddenly her eyes widened. I followed her gaze, and was sure I had a similar shocked expression on my face.
"How was the meal?" The newcomer asked, before slipping into the booth next to me. "I like to know that my money is well spent."
I cleared my throat. "Ms. Vash...this is Doctor-"
"Oh, we've met," Vash assured me with a winning smile. "In fact, Doctor, we used to work together, isn't that right? I guess you could say, I helped her get the substances she needed...and in return, she sold me out to the feds..."
Beverly picked up her chopsticks again, and I wondered if she was going to hurl them across the table at us. "They wanted me to wear a wire, Vash. You were lucky I walked away from our arrangement."
Vash turned to me. "Please tell me, Mr. Hill, that you have not fallen for her stories. Because you can't trust a word that she says..."
Thanks, as always for reading...-PP
