The Kindness of Strangers

by CSM-108

The memory of a chance encounter from years ago is revived and a lifeline is found. Now Rocky, Freckle, and Viktor travel to collect the promised goods and gamble it all on a outcome of a big automobile race. What did a vagabond jazz band find in rural Northern Indiana that led to this connection? Everyone at one point relies on The Kindness of Strangers.

1. Chapter 1

The Kindness of Strangers: a Story Set in the Lackadaisy Universe

Note: This events take place prior to the Lackadaisy animated pilot.

Prologue

Mitzi May thanked the person on the other end of the line and hung up the telephone's receiver, crossing out the last name in a well-worn ledger. She shifted her petite frame in the the large, leather-covered swivel chair and leaned back, the tip of her tail twitched more frequently as her frustration grew.

Prohibition had opened many an opportunity for the favorably inclined and business savvy to make a good living in the illicit sale of intoxicating beverages. And, for some, a great deal of money. But before beer, wine, and liquor could be sold, it had to be procured and that had been quite the issue in the short term. Mitzi had struggled to maintain alcohol suppliers for her speakeasy after the murder of her husband, Atlas. Her establishment, the Lackadaisy, served illicit alcohol, among its other activities.

The criminal underground was intrinsically unreliable with regard to alcohol supplies; the person you had contact with was "taken for a ride" and the new boss demands more money for a lower quality product. When that is finally agreed to, still the delivery may not arrive. It may have been intercepted by another opportunistic rival or law enforcement. And if it does arrive, the bottle count could be surprisingly different than the verbal agreement. You are left in a "take it or leave it" situation that, more often than not, means taking it. Poor quality liquor made for poor sales and poor sales meant fewer customers.

Mitzi sat up and pulled the lamp closer to the desk's edge and dug into its large drawers, searching for anything resembling a supplier or a list of suppliers. Maybe some of them didn't get transcribed into the ledger. She did find some old lists but these old suppliers were either out of business or were already in the ledger. Going through those papers did revive a dim and distant memory. She leaned back again as the memory became more distinct. Mitzi got up and left the office, heading upstairs to her apartment. Mitzi went to a second bedroom that was filled with the items and keepsakes that her and Atlas had bought together.

She made her way to the back, to a used chest of drawers. Mitzi pulled open the bottom drawer and removed an old shoebox. Inside it was a collection of odds and ends from the days of traveling in Dorian "Zib" Zibowski's jazz band: matchbooks, personalized beverage napkins, state road maps, and an assortment of roadside souvenirs. She went through them, letting the memories these artifacts revived well up inside her. They were good, so very good. Mitzi came back to the present and continued with her search through the road maps. When Indiana's map came up in the stack, she opened it and inside was a crumpled and faded carbon copy slip. Once found, it gave her a small smile. When the long distance call was placed and the telephone number was still good, Mitzi May's smile got bigger.