“Do you know her?” Chelsee was still watching me watch the singer.
“No. But I think she’s tied up in the case I’m working on.”
“Really.”
“Seriously. I can’t give you all the details, but I’m looking for a guy. I think this dame used to see him. I’ve got to talk to her and find out what she knows.”
Chelsee picked up her purse and stood up. “Well, I’ll leave you to your investigative work. Thanks for the drink.”
She turned and headed for the exit. I jumped up and almost body slammed the waitress who was arriving with our drinks. I quickly pulled out my wallet and threw a fifty on the table. “Leave the drinks. I’ll probably be back in a minute.”
I caught up to Chelsee just outside the front door. “Where you goin’?”
“Home. I’m tired.”
“Look, Chelsee. Don’t get me wrong… I care about you — a lot. I just get a little uncomfortable whenever I hear the ‘M’ word.”
“Tex, you don’t need to humour me. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
She crossed her arms and looked intently at the sidewalk. “I’ve had an offer to sell the newsstand. I think I’m gonna take it. Like I told you the other night, I think I’ll try Phoenix on for size.”
For some reason, I felt a twinge of panic. “Are you sure about all this? I mean, moving is kind of a big thing. Nothing you want to rush into.”
She looked up. “I’ve been thinking about it for months. I guess I haven’t done anything because I want to see if we could give it a try. But I don’t think it’s going to happen. You’re probably right — I’m just getting panicked because I’m thirty and there’s no one in my life. I like you a lot… I should probably leave it at that.”
She turned away and spoke over her shoulder. “I’ll walk home. I could use the exercise.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I felt like I should say something. “Chelsee…?”
She stopped and turned. “Yeah?”
I wanted to, but I didn’t. “Come see me before you go anywhere.”
She nodded. I watched her until she was gone. What a schmuck.
Back inside the Flamingo, I drained both glasses. The beautiful woman was getting friendly with the piano and singing a smoking version of “Love for Sale.” the thrill had left with Chelsee. I packed another cigarette and called for a double Scotch. Scratch that. Make it bourbon.
The singer’s act went on for forty-five minutes. She was too good to be playing this section of town. I wondered what her story was, how she’d ended up in a dead-end lounge like this one. The last note of “Misty” faded into sparse, though enthusiastic, applause. With a graceful curtsy that completely contradicted the slinky gymnastics she displayed earlier, the young woman made her exit. Draining my bourbon, I casually made my way across the room. To the left of the stage, a doorway led to the restaurant and an ascending stairway. As I stepped through the doorway, a flash of red caught my eye from the top the stairs. I darted after the girl.
Reaching the top, I turned to my right and saw the singer standing at a door, searching through a full key chain. I approached slowly, to avoid startling her.
“Excuse me. Can I talk to you for a second?”
The girl jumped. She turned to face me and retreated several steps. She was clearly frightened. “One step closer and I’ll scream! I mean it!”
I stayed put. My hands were extended with palms out — the universal sign for “nothin’ up my sleeve.” “Whoa… no need for that. Okay? Just hear me out. I promise… I’m not a pervert. Well, hardly ever. And only with women I know really well.”
The girl seemed less scared but didn’t relax her defensive stance. “What do you want?”
The sound of heavy footsteps came from the stairs behind me. I talked fast. “I’m a friend of Thomas Malloy’s — I need to find him.”
“What the hell are you doing up here?!” Leach pushed past me and stood between me and the girl. I didn’t answer; it was up to Emily — I figured the odds were split. I could get her to talk or I could be beaten to a pulp by the big mutant. Leach took a step toward me, fists clenched.
Emily scrutinised me, obviously trying to determine if I was on the up and up. She turned out to be an excellent judge of character. “It’s OK, Gus. He just wants an autographed picture. I’ll come down in a minute.”
Leach looked back at the girl, then at me, clearly irritated. Reluctantly, he moved toward the stairs, his eyes burning a hole in me. As he walked by, he dipped his shoulder slightly, knocking me off balance. I resisted my instincts and kept quiet until Leach was out of earshot.
“That was exciting.”
Emily found the correct key and inserted it into the door lock. “We’ll have to hurry. Gus doesn’t like me talking to guys.”
I followed her into her apartment. A quick look around gave the impression of being in a wild teenage girl’s room. The smell of cheap perfume mingled with stale tobacco smoke. An open bottle of tequila, half full, sat on the table of a brightly-lit vanity. One shelf was lined with stuffed animals.
Emily sat on the edge of her bed and clumsily lit a long, thin cigarette. She was younger than I thought she’d be. Under all the make-up, she was probably twenty-two, no older than twenty-four. A hard twenty-four.
“You’re Tex Murphy, aren’t you?”
I was caught off guard. It never occurred to me that she’d know who I was. “Yeah. Have we met?”
She shook her head. “No. I just heard about you… that you’re a PI, that you can help people.”
I knew I had a reputation. I’d always thought it was less than flattering. It made me wonder who she been talking to. “People usually hire me to do their dirty work. Most of my clients seem satisfied with my work.”
“I need you to help me.” Emily looked me straight in the eyes. She sounded desperate.
“What kind of help are you looking for?”
“I think someone is going to murder me.”
I could see she was trying hard to stay under control. I found my pack of smokes and drew one out. “Why?”
Emily stood up and began to pace. “It started right after Thomas left. About a week ago… he just disappeared — without a word. A couple nights later… I found a note in my room. After I read it, I was so scared… I told Gus, and he said not to worry about it… then I got another note… I want to call the cops, but Gus won’t let me… he keeps saying its nothing, just some freak who gets off on scaring woman.”
She dropped back onto the bed and took a long, shuddering breath. I didn’t like the idea of someone murdering her. “This is really the sort of thing the police should know about.”
She took a jittery drag of a cigarette. “Gus says he will make sure no one hurts me. He doesn’t want anyone else taking care of me. I know he means well, but sometimes I just want to… but he’s always been so good to me… I don’t know what to do.”
I’ve never really believed in coincidence. The timing of Thomas Malloy’s disappearance and the arrival of the notes seemed too close to be unrelated. Emily was a strong kid, but she was almost hysterical with fear. I probably would have helped her anyway. It was an added bonus that her problems might give me a lead to Malloy.
I went over to Emily’s bed and sat down next to her. My voice was as gentle as brushed cotton. “I’ll do what I can to help… Gus doesn’t need to know.”
She turned toward me, look for an hesitant at the same time. “I don’t have a lot of money… but I be so grateful.” her hand brushed my thigh, almost accidental. I stood up and moved away.