concessions and got a large coffee.
“Who do you like in the first, Belane?” the waitress asked.
“Can’t tell you or you’ll beat the odds down to nothing.”
“Thanks, jerk,” she said.
I slid her tip back across the counter and put it back in my pocket.
I found a seat near the screen and sat down and opened the Form .
Then I heard a voice behind me.
“That two bucks ain’t gettin’ you off, Belane. You’re finished.”
It was the mailman. I stood up and turned around.
“Give me the two fucking bucks back then!”
“No way, man!”
“I’ll bust your damned sack!” I told him.
He smiled and moved toward me. I felt the edge of the blade pressed against my gut. It was just the tip, he had the rest covered with his fingers.
“I got 6 inches here and I’d just love to sink it into your stupid, fat gut!”
“How come you’re not working today? Who the hell’s delivering the mail?”
“Shut up! I’m trying to decide whether to kill you or not.”
“Buddy, I got 10 bucks here for you to bet on Dog Ears .”
“How much?”
“$20.”
“How much?”
I felt the tip of the knife prick my skin.
“$50.”
“All right, reach into your wallet, slip out a $50 and stick it in my front shirt pocket.”
I felt the sweat rolling down behind my ears. I worked the wallet out of my left front pocket, slipped out a $50 and slipped it into his front pocket. I felt the tip of the knife withdraw.
“Now, sit down there and open up your Form and begin reading it.”
I did that. Then I felt the tip of the knife against the back of my neck.
“Feel lucky,” he said.
Then he walked off.
I sat there and finished my coffee. Then I got up and walked out. I took the escalator down, got to parking, got into my car and drove out of there. Some days just weren’t your days. I drove all the way to Hollywood, parked it somewhere and walked into a movie. I got some popcorn and a soft drink and sat down. The movie was on but I didn’t watch it. I just chewed at the popcorn and sucked at the drink. And wondered if Dog Ears had taken the first.
21
I couldn’t sleep that night. I drank beer, I drank wine, I drank vodka, all to no avail.
I hadn’t solved anything. All my cases were dormant. My father had told me that I would be a failure. He was a failure also. Bad seed.
I flipped on the tv. I had one in the bedroom. A young woman came on and told me that she would talk to me, make me feel good.
All I needed was a credit card. I decided against it. Then the woman’s face vanished from the screen and it was Jeannie Nitro’s face.
“Belane,” she said, “I don’t want you messing in my affairs.”
“What?” I said.
She repeated the sentence and I switched the tv off. I poured another vodka, straight. I switched out the lights and sat in bed in the dark. I took a hit of the vodka.
Then there was a large buzzing sound like a cloud of bees circling a disturbed hive. Then there was a flash of purple light and Jeannie Nitro stood there. It scared the hell out of me.
“Scare you, Belane?” she asked.
“Hell no,” I answered, “don’t you have any manners? Don’t you knock before you enter?”
Jeannie Nitro looked about the room.
“You need a maid,” she told me, “this place is filthy.”
I drained my vodka, tossed the glass to one side.
“Never mind that, I’m going to nail your ass.”
“As a detective, you lack three things.”
“Like?”
“Drive, direction and detection.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m on to your game, baby.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re sucking up to Grovers because he’s a mortician and because you want to use his dead bodies to house your alien friends in.”
She sat down in a chair, found one of my cigarettes, lit it and laughed.
“Do I look like I’m in a dead body?”
“Not exactly.”
“We can create our own bodies. Watch!”
Again there was the buzzing sound, a flash of purple light and over in the corner of the room appeared another
“Who do you like in the first, Belane?” the waitress asked.
“Can’t tell you or you’ll beat the odds down to nothing.”
“Thanks, jerk,” she said.
I slid her tip back across the counter and put it back in my pocket.
I found a seat near the screen and sat down and opened the Form .
Then I heard a voice behind me.
“That two bucks ain’t gettin’ you off, Belane. You’re finished.”
It was the mailman. I stood up and turned around.
“Give me the two fucking bucks back then!”
“No way, man!”
“I’ll bust your damned sack!” I told him.
He smiled and moved toward me. I felt the edge of the blade pressed against my gut. It was just the tip, he had the rest covered with his fingers.
“I got 6 inches here and I’d just love to sink it into your stupid, fat gut!”
“How come you’re not working today? Who the hell’s delivering the mail?”
“Shut up! I’m trying to decide whether to kill you or not.”
“Buddy, I got 10 bucks here for you to bet on Dog Ears .”
“How much?”
“$20.”
“How much?”
I felt the tip of the knife prick my skin.
“$50.”
“All right, reach into your wallet, slip out a $50 and stick it in my front shirt pocket.”
I felt the sweat rolling down behind my ears. I worked the wallet out of my left front pocket, slipped out a $50 and slipped it into his front pocket. I felt the tip of the knife withdraw.
“Now, sit down there and open up your Form and begin reading it.”
I did that. Then I felt the tip of the knife against the back of my neck.
“Feel lucky,” he said.
Then he walked off.
I sat there and finished my coffee. Then I got up and walked out. I took the escalator down, got to parking, got into my car and drove out of there. Some days just weren’t your days. I drove all the way to Hollywood, parked it somewhere and walked into a movie. I got some popcorn and a soft drink and sat down. The movie was on but I didn’t watch it. I just chewed at the popcorn and sucked at the drink. And wondered if Dog Ears had taken the first.
21
I couldn’t sleep that night. I drank beer, I drank wine, I drank vodka, all to no avail.
I hadn’t solved anything. All my cases were dormant. My father had told me that I would be a failure. He was a failure also. Bad seed.
I flipped on the tv. I had one in the bedroom. A young woman came on and told me that she would talk to me, make me feel good.
All I needed was a credit card. I decided against it. Then the woman’s face vanished from the screen and it was Jeannie Nitro’s face.
“Belane,” she said, “I don’t want you messing in my affairs.”
“What?” I said.
She repeated the sentence and I switched the tv off. I poured another vodka, straight. I switched out the lights and sat in bed in the dark. I took a hit of the vodka.
Then there was a large buzzing sound like a cloud of bees circling a disturbed hive. Then there was a flash of purple light and Jeannie Nitro stood there. It scared the hell out of me.
“Scare you, Belane?” she asked.
“Hell no,” I answered, “don’t you have any manners? Don’t you knock before you enter?”
Jeannie Nitro looked about the room.
“You need a maid,” she told me, “this place is filthy.”
I drained my vodka, tossed the glass to one side.
“Never mind that, I’m going to nail your ass.”
“As a detective, you lack three things.”
“Like?”
“Drive, direction and detection.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m on to your game, baby.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re sucking up to Grovers because he’s a mortician and because you want to use his dead bodies to house your alien friends in.”
She sat down in a chair, found one of my cigarettes, lit it and laughed.
“Do I look like I’m in a dead body?”
“Not exactly.”
“We can create our own bodies. Watch!”
Again there was the buzzing sound, a flash of purple light and over in the corner of the room appeared another
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