| Posted: 16 May 2011 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
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The Big Sleep (until the next autumn tour)
I needed to have a word or two with Glen…….
Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Glen Spey. Just now any Glen would do.
I pulled open my desk drawer there were two fingers of scotch and half a bottle of some cheap throat lacerating corner store bourbon. Way business is going that’ll be the last taste of the imported ambrosia my throat will be sampling for a while.
There was a rap on the outer office door, closing the drawer with my foot I got up to investigate.
Through the glass door pane I could see a figure of woman. Her figure reminded me of those parabola shapes when I was magnificently failing geometry and everything else back in High School. Joy. I opened the door
‘Can I help?’
She was a brunette, with dark brown intriguing eyes, full lips and wearing a lush mink stole over a well cut jacket. Not the usual high class of broad that darkened my stairwell or rarely if ever seen promenading in this neck of the woods. More’s the pity.
‘Solutions Incorporated?’
Her voice sounded like it had been fermented in honey for the last twenty years, I was keen to have my ears soothed some more.
‘Correct, and I’m open for business. So do come in.’
I gestured for her to take a seat, I could see she by the way she looked the place up and down that she wasn’t exactly enamoured with what passed for my head and only office. She sat down after brushing the seat with her glove.
The firewater therapy would have to wait, because just maybe this was some much needed manna from heaven.
‘My name’s Sam Douglas and this is the whole world of Solutions Inc, so how can a private detective help you?’
I thought odds on cheating spouse, next bet family member off the rails, or business bad debts, outside chance somebody siphoning off her cash one way or another. In my book it always come down to green. Either the green-eyed god of jealousy or the green folding stuff.
‘I’m Joanne Eden.’
Eden? Well life in the city here in San Francisco feels many a country mile downhill from the Garden of Eden.
‘I’m looking for some men. But if you wouldn’t mind could you just provide some credentials to assure me that you’ll be able to find these people.’
She fixed me with quite a beady eye that told me there was plenty of steel residing behind the very attractive view she was giving out.
‘No problem there, I’ve been a private detective around the bright lights of the Bay for the past four years, quite a few satisfied customers although I don’t go much in the way of written references. Due to the nature of the work my clients like to keep well below the parapet. And me, I’m a paragon of discretion. Before that, LAPD homicide detective for eight years but then I’d decided to move north. And weather wise it’s okay, a little sun, a little rain.’
‘Why did you leave?’
‘Over a book.’
‘Oh a literary effort about the Los Angeles police?’
‘No because I didn’t exactly do things by the book at the LAPD, so they kinda threw the book at me. One rule and all that.’
‘I see.’
I could see that I had just sown a sack full of doubt seed in her head and then her eyes seemed to alight on my shoulder holster. I needed some time to think, but she didn’t give me the space.
‘Mr Douglas I had better inform you I have a strong personal faith and I do not want to commission you if you sink to gutter violence to get results.’
I opened my jacket, ‘ah the snub nosed 45. Listen to me I can assure you that since I’ve been a private gumshoe I’ve never fired the blessed thing. More of an insurance policy or you could say it’s the piece that passes all understanding. And though my knowledge of the Good Book is pretty scanty I do recall that when Jesus was arrested in the garden, one of his disciples cut off someone’s ear from the arresting party. Point is I suppose was that even the Lord’s men carried weapon insurance against robbers and the like.’
I quite impressed myself with that one and with my lack of scriptural interpretation skills I sensed I needed to get back on the subject before I lost the job.
‘Okay so who are we looking for?’
She paused as if to compose herself.
‘There are five of them.’
I started to make notes, waiting for her to continue.
‘I know they are Europeans’
‘That’s okay could be worse, so can we narrow it down.’
‘English or French, did I mention Mr Douglas they are musicians.’
It just did get worse.
‘There are two who are I think in charge, but they disappeared for 20 years and have now returned with three new fellows in tow.’
I shook my head, ‘oh yeah, twenty years away. Sounds like they were away to college.’
‘Yes you may be right; with their undoubted creativity I’m sure they had a studious side.’
‘I’m not sure what the library is like in the big house these days. Sorry to puncture any goodwill balloon you might be flying for this duo, they were odds on doing a twenty stretch at San Quentin. For the mad, bad and dangerous to know.’
She coloured up. It didn’t do any harm to the look of her cheek bones.
‘No Mr Douglas I am not put off with what you are insinuating. I want you to find them; I need to hear their music again.’
Whatever music these every mothers sons were peddling it must be red hot jump boogie but I knew I had to check the business end of things.
‘Now Mrs Eden’
‘Ms.’
Ouch, should’ve seen that one coming.
‘Ms Eden, I need to tell you that before I start my rates are three hundred and fifty bucks a day.’
‘Yes.’
‘Plus expenses.’
‘If they are reasonable Mr Douglas you have the task.’
She hadn’t even blinked those thick lashes. For a moment I was in haggle-free suspended animation.
‘Okay let’s get moving, names?’
‘As a group, band or collective, or whatever is the term, they are called After the Fire.’
Who?
‘Lady, after the fire there’s usually an investigation sifting through the ashes to bust the insurance fraud.’
‘No 1 Kings 19. The a still small voice passage.’
I didn’t need any reminder that I hadn’t graduated with honours from Sunday school
…………….To be continued....................maybe
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Topic: The Big Sleep (until the next autumn tour
20?! 
Or maybe I'm jumping to conclusions that I shouldn't be.