Posted: 08 July 2011 at 2:50pm | IP Logged

After a quick word with the receptionist I ran a little errand and returned to the agent’s office. I gave her my best charm smile again and asked if I could have a minute with Harvey. She could see that I was going to be persistent and probably interrupt her nail painting session, so I got through to the inner sanctum.

              He had two phones on the go, along with slapping his bald pate in frustration at whoever was on the other end. With one huge sigh he slammed both phones down. Swinging his legs up on his desk a big smile returned to his bearded face.

              ‘Yeah another twenty percent sold; whaddya want? If you want a book an artiste you can stay. If you got me a backing band for some girl singers I’m interested. Anything else, scram!’

             ‘Ripey gave me your name; he was one of the Candymen’

              ‘Ripey who? Hey are you deaf as well as dumb? I ain’t time to shoot the breeze, time and tide buddy. I don’t make my twenty percent with cosy chitchat.’

              I passed over the brown bag. Harvey peered in and wolf-whistled.

              ‘Your receptionist said you were partial to a Cuban cigar.’

              ‘Sure am and the only thing sweeter is the thigh these beauties were rolled on. So you got my attention. Ripey, course I remember that four string fiend. How is he?’

                ‘Burning the work candle at both ends, taking any hours he can get down the docks.’

                ‘From what I’ve heard it’s turned nasty down there, few regulars got busted up and some others just vanished. He better look after himself. I remember those Candymen used to really swing. So Sam how can I help?’

               ‘I’m a private investigator and I’m trying to track down some musicians, they go by the name After the Fire, two main men, maybe something like Peter and John, with three new sidemen. Maybe a European angle.’

                 Harvey was chopping off the end of one of his new cigars and then looked up.

                ‘After the Fire? No can’t say I do but these musicians they change their names faster than clothes come off at the Burlesque. No can’t help you, but here’s a couple of tickets for the Starflight club the least I can do for the Cubans.’

                 ‘Is that off Egner Drive?

                 ‘Yeah number 64 I think, anyway I’ve got my three nightingales back in town. I’m just struggling to get a back up band for them for this weekend. The club’s new owners are paying top dollar, everything that's a female act seems to be disappearing off the radar. Their normal backing bozos are stuck in Paris.’

                 ‘Sounds glamorous.’

                  ‘That’s Paris, Texas, but for my needs it might as well been in snail-eating land.’

                 I took the complimentary and put them in my breast pocket.

                 ‘Worth catching?’

                 ‘Sure if I can get some sound behind them with the right tone.’

                 ‘Musician yourself?’

                 ‘No but I generally end up lowering the tone. What they called?’

                  ‘The Three De…..’

                  ‘Three Degrees?’

                  ‘Naw, Decrees! They give me the orders! Tough talking gals with hearts of gold and tonsils to match. Maggie, Wendy and Jenny, and how sweet they even rhyme. Anyway I’ve got to audition a band today, remember what I was saying about musician name changes well look at these I’m chasing up, crazee or what. Here look at this one, Unanimity.’

                    ‘Supposed we’re all agreed on that one.’

                     ‘Press Any Key.’

                     ‘Pretty random,’ I replied.

                      ‘Regeneration.’

                      ‘Sounds like something City Hall are trying do in the Tenderloin,’ I offered.

                      ‘You know what,’ said Harvey, ‘The next thing will be some bright sparks calling themselves the Zipcodes.’

                         ‘You’re kidding.’

                         ‘Last but not least and the ones I’m just going to audition in the basement over the road, M.I.M.E.’

                         ‘Sound a bit quiet.’

                          Harvey blew a blast of noxious cigar smoke upwards. ‘Says here that it stands for the Mersea Island Marauders Extraordinaire.’

                        ‘Mercy Island? With my record it’s a place I could do with visiting.’

                        ‘No you saphead Mersea Island it’s down off swampy Louisiana.’

                        ‘Got any names of the band?’

                         ‘Yes and no, right set of wiseacres. Just states that M.I.M.E rock and roll more wickedly than a RussIan BankRob(b)Er. Some play on their names, which no doubt they thought was kinda funny after too much moonshine.’

                         ‘One’s called Er?’

                         ‘Yeah the Er well he’s probably the sticks man. Hey Sam what do you call some one who hangs around with musicians?’

                         ‘Go on tell me.’

                          ‘A drummer,’ said Harvey slamming his palm on the desktop.

                            ‘Harvey I’ve got to run but if you hear anything about After the Fire give me a call on this number,’ I slipped him my card.

                          ‘Sure and you checkout the Three Decrees and if you don’t like the noise, get a drink and check out their tail feathers. Don’t tell them I said that about the tail feathers, there’s only so much grief my ears can take when those girls give me a hard time.’

                          On my way out I flicked some of Harvey’s cigar ash off my powder blue jacket and thought about the emptiness of my forthcoming report for Joanne Eden.        

Posted: 09 July 2011 at 9:01am | IP Logged

This is excellent Rod. Thanks.

The Three Decrees will go far I think!     

I will watch out for RussIan BankRob(b)Ers !

Posted: 09 July 2011 at 9:07pm | IP Logged

Nightingals?!    

Hehe, excellent, Rod, love it!  Lots of clues for the next exciting installment...

Posted: 10 July 2011 at 2:25pm | IP Logged

Pardonnez moi. I thought even my maths was safe counting up to 5, sorry. It's a bit like the story everything is getting more confusing.Thanks for comments it spurs me on downhill at a faster pace.