Case of the Wandering Star - chapter 1

Pete starts a new case, and Armand starts a new speakeasy. their cash grows and grows.... and so does Kincaid's hostility to Pete... and the gorgeous broads Pete meets, though Cynthia is still there,

I was dozing in my office when the phone rang.  I waited for Flora, my secretary to pick it up, but then I realised it was dark outside, and she’d gone home, leaving me to snooze gently away in my office chair…

 

Damn, hadn’t slept like such a baby since ….. yeah.. since then…..

 

I grabbed it and mumbled, pouring a small bourbon with my left hand to kick start me for the night,

 

“Hello…. Pete Grappler at your service.”

 

The line was mighty quiet for a while, but I could hear someone moving about, so I hung on….then a voice came on the line..

 

“Mr Grappler. I need your help.  I’m so glad you’re in right now.  My name is Alexia  Ringwald, and I’m from Georgia.  I can’t talk long.  I’m being held by this man I met”…

 

I figured for a moment this was some kid prank call - why not call the cops…. yeah - ol’ Captain Jimmy Kincaid would be happy ta get another medal saving some broad, so I hadda ask,

 

“Why not call the cops?”

 

“Mr Grappler - he knows the cops, some of them high up, and they… they protect him!”

 

Yeah, well.. that was pretty common knowledge about some of our boys in blue, though I figured that despite his obvious shortcomings, Jimmy Kincaid wasn’t bent like a lot were.  I reached for his number and read it out to her.

 

“There, doll!  Ring that guy - he’s a police Captain in the 12^th Precinct just down the road.  He’ll help ya out. Jimmy don’t do wrong with the broads, you understand, though he can be rough with the guys an’ he kinda hates my guts, and it’s kinda personal.  So don’t mention my name, willya?  He’ll getcha outta there!”

 

She hesitated a long, long time, before she said she’d try it, and hung up.

 

Well, that was one for the books.  Ya get the funniest things in the private dick business… and I poured myself another bourbon before I decided to go home then hit Luigi’s to shoot the breeze with Armand a little and maybe enjoy the music…

 

*      *     *

 

Luigi’s was still the same despite that Ness guy running around and grandstanding breaking into barrels and stuff, and most likely grabbing a pitcher or two to take home himself, and you could still get quality booze in the right places.  Nobody really cared except a bunch of shriveled old suffragettes with an axe to grind.  I kinda hoped that sorta stuff wouldn’t go on forever, but you never knew with some broads - once they get the bit between the teeth, they just keep pulling at it like some old horse in harness…. nothing else to do.  Then they always seemed to find some new campaign to wage, and it always seemed to be against whatever a man liked in life, good booze, good broads, and good company to play cards with or watch a game.  Maybe they’d hate tobacco next, not that I smoked that stuff, or anything else for that matter, but who was I to refuse my fellow man his little comforts?

 

I was enjoying that booze, and I knew that Jimmy Kincaid and his blue boys wouldn’t be pushing Mr Ness our way, not while the fix was in, so I was mighty surprised to see Jimmy himself strutting through the front door.  Yeah - this hadda be trouble, so I downed my bourbon fast and kept an eye on him as he didn’t even pause, but made a direct line for yours truly.  I decided to take the bullshit by the horns,

 

“Jimmy boy!  Come in for a quiet drink, then?  How’s it going?  Long time no see!”

 

Yeah - lay it on, Grappler, and let everybody see what a jerk he is and make sure they knew he was there, just in case he pulled any fast moves on me.

 

Jimmy knocked me over… not literally that is, but he sure did, when he said,

 

“Yeah, Grappler - I’ll take a drink, on you!  I got something to say to ya, and I need a drink just to talk with your kinda people!”

 

Same old Jimmy, but hey, who was I to refuse an old pal or refuse a compliment!  Armand was there with my favourite bottle, poured Jimmy a big one, and then stood back and waited, giving us a little room.

 

Jimmy took no time at all, and I could see he was mighty pissed for some reason, so I kinda gave myself a little room too in case he came up swinging, and let him do it his way.

 

He threw down his drink like a priest on Sunday night, then threw down his line,

 

“Grappler - you a*****e!  You got me in deep s**t with my superiors!  Again!!”

 

“Yeah, Jimmy - and how would I go about doing that?  Your superiors always had a******s for brains - look at the promotion list!  Don’t need no help pushing out s**t!”

 

“Always with the smart mouth!  I got my promotion the hard way!”

 

“Yeah - I remember - you wrestled an empty gun out of a sick man’s hand, and made it look good!”

 

That sick man had been Armand’s brother, but Jimmy boy didn’t need to know that, but I caught a glimpse of a hard look in Armand’s eyes and I didn’t want that kind of trouble, besides, Kincaid was about to bust a boiler, so I toned it down a little,

 

“OK, Jimmy - whatcha want this time?  Cut to the chase!  I got business!”

 

Kincaid drew a breath, yeah - I had him this time, he was close to blowing a head of steam here,

 

“You dirty rat!  You told a woman to call me and get help putting away a very, very close friend of Mayor Feely, and one of my superiors just happened to pick up the phone. Now I’m looking at a midnight shift in Winter.  So don’t do me any more favours, Grappler! I like my sleep in a warm bed at night - not like your kind!”

 

Well, well, so Miz Alexia had let on that I gave out Jimmy’s number.  I could feel a party coming on over his strife - I was bleeding so much I’d just have to drink a bottle to settle down my upset feelings for him - but hey - that was a serious breach of confidence for her to mention my name.

 

Better make it two bottles!

 

I signaled to Armand,

 

“Jimmy - let me buy you another drink to make up.  Honest, I told that dumb broad not to mention any names.”

 

Not quite the truth - I only said not to mention MY name, but hey - always happy to lie to a liar if it helped out.

 

“No thanks, Grappler.  I’ll take my own at home.  But from now on keep your nose outta my precinct!  Get someone else to do your dirty work for ya!”

 

“Sure, Jimmy - always rely on the force, ya know!”

 

I raised a glass to Jimmy’s back as he walked out in a fury.  This little problem definitely had its bright side!

 

Armand leaned over and reminded me of that little problem. 

 

“This Miz Alexia you mention, Mr Pete, she is in some trouble?”

 

“Sure sounded like it, Armand, and I put her onto Jimmy boy’s line so he could do his job.  Looks like it didn’t work out too good!”

 

Armand polished a glass, taking his time and giving it to me, and I guess he knew me pretty well by now. Yeah - Gypsies sure got a lot o’ smarts, and Armand was some kinda King o’ the Gypsies around here…I looked him in the eye as he polished another glass…

 

“Ok, OK, Armand!  Guess I’d better head back to my office to see if Miz Alexia rings again.  You mind if I take that bottle with me?  Looks like a long night ahead!”

 

“Surely, Mr Pete.  If I may join you later, after I close… for company only, of course.”

 

“Sure, Armand - I remember how you Gypsies don’t like to get involved in stuff.”

 

Sure they didn’t, as about half of Chicago’s underworld and lowlife found out when they tried to stake a loser named Cyrus Longbottom for Governor and kinda trod on a few Gypsy and Grappler toes doin’ it. Be one hell of a party down in Hell for those boys, courtesy of the Gypsy Fraternity.  I still took time out on Sunday to religiously piss on ol’ Cyrus’ grave…..after I’d finished my pilgrim’s visit to…..yeah, guess that still hurt too much….

 

I waved to Armand, took the bottle and a coupla glasses, and headed out the door, eyes blurring over and somehow I musta got a little dust in ‘em…. I’d haveta talk to Armand about polishing glasses near me like that…. sure I would……some day…

 

*     *     *

 

Yeah, it was getting to be a long night, and I figured I might head off home soon, After Armand put in an appearance.  I reckoned Miz Alexia had either gone off to sleep or just plain given up, and I was just getting rust on my suit of armour sitting there waiting just in case she called again…

 

Armand came in a little early, musta been a slow night, so I poured him a glass and we sat like old buddies and just drank for a minute or two..

 

“You know, Mr Pete, I left Petro in charge of Luigi’s - the time is near when he must learn to accept more responsibility and become a man.  The experience will do him good.  I came early because I thought perhaps this Miz Alexia had rung, and perhaps you would require some assistance.

“Nah - not a peep outta her.  Guess I’ll call it a night in another half hour or so…another drink?”

 

Armand held out his glass, and I poured him a long one….. Armand didn’t drink much, but he could sure hold it when he did…… and built myself another…might as well enjoy the quiet and a chance to chat with my business partner, right there…

 

“Ah - chances are she’s just another hysterical broad, you know.  Sometimes they get crazy ideas about stuff.  Got any plans for business?”

 

“Yes, Mr Pete, I also wanted to speak with you about an idea I have.  We have much money coming in to Luigi’s every night, and I was considering putting Petro in charge and opening another place, more ‘upmarket’ as you say.”

 

I was interested.  Luigi’s pulled an obscene amount of cash every night, and I was watching my bank account and my reserve of gold bars out back there building up…maybe I could send Kimiko a little extra in Hawaii, coupla gold bars.  Might look into that in the morning… she was a good kid and that brain-damaged brother was sure a lot of work for a girl, and hell, I didn’t need it all….

 

“Yeah, sounds good, Armand.  Tell me more!”

 

“We have a very good supply of Canadian whiskey organized, I will not explain to you the details”.

 

He paused for a sip,

 

“Sure, Armand, I don’t know nothin’ and I don’t wanta know!  How much Jimmy and the boys gettin’?  Coupla cases and a few greenbacks?  No - on second thought - don’t tell me!”

 

“Surely it is a good deal, Mr Pete, and we have friends now in the law who keep .. others in government…. busy looking at the Italians. They have no time for us, which suits our business.  I have an establishment for consideration, a basement restaurant which is not doing very well, and the owner is old.  I will make him a fair price for his retirement, and perhaps a small bonus, if that is acceptable to you?”

 

“Sure, Armand.  You’re the business head.  You take good are of that old man, and see him into a good retirement.  We’ll make it up soon in business, if I know you! You just go ahead and fill me in later.  I think I’m going to turn in.  Looks like Miz Alexia ain’t interested no more.  Flora can handle the calls until I get in tomorrow.”

 

“Certainly, Mr Pete.  I will return now to Luigi’s and see how Petro is handling the trade.  We will see you again tomorrow night.”

 

“Sure will, Armand”,

 

I shook Armand by the hand.   He was a polite man and always acted like a classy guy so I always offered him that respect.  He’d earned it so far, and we were looking good for the future….thanks to his business sense…

 

My bed was calling, so I turned out the lights and bid him good night.

 

*     *     *