Chapter 2

The client wasted no time. As soon as Duo was out the door she waltzed into my office without even a moments thought. Not that I minded. She was, for lack of a better word, a man's wet dream. She wasn't extremely tall, but she had long, sexy legs that showed out of the split in her blue dress. He ass was nice, her tits were better and I watched as they bounced while she shook the excess water from her umbrella. She ran a brown, slender hand through her luxurious chocolate hair and finally removed the tortoise shell sunglasses to the top of her head so that I could see the hazel eyes that were shaded underneath. She was trouble, I could smell it radiating off of her like her Chanel perfume.

"Do you have a light?" her first words to me as she held out her cigarette. I was so lost in the silky, lusty sound of her honeyed voice that I couldn't concentrate on what she was asking.

"Do. You. Have a light?" she asked again. I stammered and frantically searched for my lucky Zippo. Finally I found it and she leaned over the desk so that I could light her cigarette and get a good look at her cleavage.

"How can I help you?" I asked, thanking the Lord that my voice didn't crack. She puffed on her cigarette and let a sheen of smoke out of her mouth before answering.

"I need a private dick." How could she say those words without laughing? This broad was serious and I decided to play it her way.

"I like a woman that knows what she wants." I say, a cocky smile falling on my face.

"I hear you're the best," she said scanning the room, "you can't tell by your surroundings."

"Don't judge a book by its cover." I say, lighting up a cigarette myself.

"I never judge books by their covers, only by the substance of the words." Another puff of smoke left her perfectly colored lips and then she licked her tongue across her teeth. This single act sent a flash of pressure to my groin.

"What do you need me to investigate?" I ask.

"Something very, very, private." She said the last word in a whisper and leaned in closely. So this broad is a bit overdramatic.

"How much you willing to pay?" I ask.

"Anything you want is yours, just name it." You naked right now on my desk would have been my response if I wanted to get slapped in the face.

"Anything? I think you're bluffing." I say, upping the ante a bit. She's not amused. A puff of smoke leaves her mouth as she slams her purse on the desk. She reaches into the sizable handbag and pulls out a stack of one hundred dollar bills. She throws the wad of cash at me and blows another puff of smoke.

"Does this look like bluffing to you?" she says with the toughest voice I've ever heard a broad talk in.

"Definitely not bluffing," I say and sit back down at my desk, "so what is this about?" she calms down, sits down at her chair and puffs away at her second cigarette.

"My husband is missing. I want you to find him." She says.

"What's your husband's name?" I say pulling out a pad and a pen to get down specifics.

"Chang Wufei, you may have heard of him." I stop in my tracks and look up at her. I finally get a chance to get a good look at her, she's the famous mob bosses wife, Roddy Chang.

"Isn't this more of a matter for the police?" I ask, more than apprehensive about taking this case now.

"I can understand your hesitation on taking this case, but you must grasp the reason as to why I've come to you. Seeing as the nature of my husband's occupation is not exactly lawful and he might have disappeared because of unlawful dealings, it would be foolish of me to report his missing to the authorities. I heard from many sources that you're the best that there is and since I'm paying you more than a missing persons case should cost and half up front at that, I was expecting less trepidation." She said, not breaking a sweat. This broad was definitely trouble.

"You expect me to risk my life for a measly ten large?" I asked a bit ticked at her assumption, "I'm not your whore. You can take your money and your trouble to someone else." I obviously pissed her off, because she got up quickly, grabbed the money from my desk and walked out. I sat at my desk thinking about the amount of money that I'd just let walk out of the door. I hit the palm of my hand against my forehead, jumped from my desk, grabbed my trench and went running after her. I flew down the stairs; I could still smell her perfume in the air. I ran out the door and saw her walking down the sidewalk to a waiting car.

"Hey! Wait!" I screamed and she turned, cigarette in hand.

"I hope you're not asking me to reconsider taking you as my Investigator." She said as a man opened a door for her.

"I've re-evaluated your offer. I want forty large and half now."

"I'll give you twenty and only when you find something." She said, negotiating the terms with me.

"Thirty five and half now."

"Twenty five when you find a clue, I'm not paying you to sit on your ass."

"Thirty large, fifteen up front, that's only policy."

"Thirty large, seventy-five hundred up front and not anything else until you find something. If you find nothing, you only get the seventy-five hundred." She puffed again. Maybe it was the smoke in my eyes, or the way her calves looked in those heels, but I took the deal.

"It's a deal, you sure do drive a hard bargain." I say, shaking her hand.

"Good, now let's take a drive." She pushes me into the black Rolls Royce and tells the driver to go as soon as we're securely in the car.

"What's this all about?" I ask.

"I'm being followed, cops and mobsters alike, this is so that no-one hears our conversation. Like I said before, my husband wasn't exactly a law-abiding citizen. If the cops find out that my husband is gone, they'll try a bust. The mobsters are following me just to follow."

"Great," I say with little enthusiasm. I turn around and look out of the back window and see two cars following us. She was right we are being followed. What have I gotten myself into? I decide to play it cool.

"Give me a description of your husband." I say, breaking out a pad and pen.

"He's Chinese. His height is around 5'8; he has shoulder length black hair that he usually wears in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Eyes so dark brown that they appear black; extremely handsome but a little boisterous." I couldn't have asked for a better description of every Asian person that lived in the area.

"Does he have any known enemies?"

"He's a mob boss, what do you think?" she asked.

"Point taken. Where and when was the last time you saw him?" I asked.

"He was getting ready for work exactly a week ago."

"So he's been missing for a week."

"That's what I said." I ignored the attitude this time and kept with the questioning.

"Does he have any other… um… how do I put this… ladies?" I hate asking this question. She winced and took a long drag from her cigarette.

"Yeah. A black-haired, blue-eyed lounge singer at the Savoy, they call her Persephone. She's the main attraction every weekend at midnight. Are we quite finished with twenty questions?"

"I just want you to get your money's worth." I'm such a smartass, "yes, we're finished.

"Good." She stopped the car and let me out on the curb with a screech. After ten minutes of watching the car drive away in a puff of smoke, it dawned on me; this broad left me on the side of the road. She left me on the side of the road, in the middle of the seedy part of town, about five miles away from my office. And even now, I don't think I can wipe this stupid grin off my face; I think I'm in love. I stood there for a moment taking in the scenery of the old Industrial District, the grin still plastered on my face. I look at my watch and it reads a quarter to one and I realize that I'm hungry. Surveying the surroundings again, I realize that a bar is open and I walk the five yards towards the door. I can't see the sign because the fog has settled low today, and I'm sure that it will be raining when I come out.

I step into the swanky joint, the moist gray of the outside being swallowed by the darkness of the bar. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust, and I take off my hat and trench coat and hang them on the hook next to the door. I walk towards the illuminated bar and lay eyes on the second most beautiful lady I've seen today. She was wearing tight black pants an equally tight white shirt and the customary bartender apron. Her hair was long and thick, I could tell, even though she had it in a tight, brown bun at the nape of her neck.

"What'll it be?" she asked. Her brown eyes seemed to shine under the track lighting as she asked me.

"Whiskey straight." I say with a smile.

"Early drinker?" she says looking at the clock and pouring me the drink.

"Alcoholic." I say downing half of the whiskey in my first sip.

"That's even better. You're new here. What's a handsome, green-eyed devil like you doing here at 1:00 in the afternoon?"

"Are you flirting with me?"

"I flirt with all of my customers, it gets them to buy more booze." I smile at her and can't resist.

"Hit me again Damn you're good." She makes me another drink and I finish that one quickly.

"So, what are you doing here, stranger?"

"The name's Barton and let's just say I got dropped here."

"Are you in trouble with someone down here, Mr. Barton?"

"No, not trouble. So, what's your name gorgeous?"

"My friends call me Jin, but you can call me later." She smiles again.

"I suppose you want me to buy another drink?"

"What do you think?" she says licking her tongue across her teeth seductively.

"I think I'm weak." I say and she pours me another drink.

"If you're not in trouble, then you must be looking for trouble. By your washed out blue suit I can tell you're a P.I." she says picking up a white towel and drying off the wet glasses.

"Yep, you have a good eye." I say finishing my third drink in eight minutes.

"Who are you looking for?" she asks.

"I don't know if you can help me or not. Well, maybe you can. Do you know where the Savoy is?" I ask feeling a bit tipsy from those three drinks. She begins to giggle and slams down a large glass on the bar.

"You're joking right? This is the Savoy. Has one of the girls gotten into trouble again?" she asks genuinely concerned.

"No, I just need to question a singer. Persephone, I believe that's what her name is." Her eyes widened and she smiled.

"Well, you've come to the right place, but I'm afraid that she's skipped town last week. Trust me, you're not the only one looking for her."

"Well, can I speak with the owner?" I ask.

"He's back east until tonight. Tell you what, come back later tonight, catch a show and I'll make sure I'll hook you up with some time. I'm sure he'll be willing to help as much as we want to find Persephone; she's cost us all a lot of money running off like that." I stand from the bar stool and wobble a bit.

"I'm sure she has. Thanks for the cooperation." I say and wobble towards the front of the door.

"Hey, what's your name again?" she screams from behind the bar. I turn to face her and smile.

"Trowa Barton." I close the door behind me and look up the large sign that hangs just over the large entrance. It reads: "SAVOY." I should have known that Chang broad didn't bring me out here for nothing. I walk to the nearest open street and hail myself a cab back to the office. I need to get a suit from Duo for this meeting with the bar owner.

****

When I get back to the office, Duo is sitting outside of his bar smoking one of the largest cigars I've ever seen. I can tell he's been cleaning up a bit because there is broom and dustpan leaning up against the front door of the CLOVER.  I can also tell because he has his modest sleeves rolled up past his forearm and he's wearing his pageboy cap. When he sees me he smiles the same genuine smile that he always does.

"What are you doing riding back in a cab? I thought I saw you leaving in a Rolls almost two hours ago?" he says releasing a large puff smoke.

"That dame is nothing but trouble."

"You didn't ruin it did you?" he asks puffing on the cigar once again.

"No, I didn't ruin it. I took the case; I have seventy-five hundred to start. It's just that she's that mobster Chang's wife. He's been missing for a week." He doesn't look surprised at all he just puffs away on that damn cigar like a chimney.

"Jesus Trowa," he says patting me on the back, "looks like you got your work cut out for you. The mob is pretty thorough; they usually don't leave any stone unturned. Are you drunk?"

"No. Which brings me to another thing, will you accompany me to the Savoy tonight?" I ask and he looks at me with large, violet eyes.

"The Savoy? You mean that swanky night club in the Industrial District?"

"Yes, that same Savoy." I answer.

"Of course I will. I'll just get Ted to take over for tonight at the Clover. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Don't forget I'm on a case, this is for the job."

"Then I'll be on my best behavior." He says and puffs his last on the cigar before putting it out next to his foot and sweeping it into the gutter.

"I guess I'll see you tonight. Oh yeah, and wear that pinstripe suit that Cathy always thought you looked good in. We have to look the part of big gangsters if we're going to play with the big boys." I say over my shoulder as I walk up the stairs towards my office.