 
The Blue Note

by

Marvin K. Perkins

A Smashwords edition

Published by Smashwords

Copyright 2012 by Marvin K. Perkins

Chapter One

The night fell, darkness covered the city in inky blackness. A slinky red ribbon of light slithered through the peep hole of my favorite night spot, "The Blue Note." The cool sounds of Jazz permeated the atmosphere with delightful melodic tones, laughter and the sound of clinking glasses joined in to complete the ensemble. It was a sweltering August night, sweat soaked through my cotton dress shirt, meeting the river that poured from my tortured face. That was the first time I saw her, but it wouldn't be the last.

I was in Memphis, Tennessee hiding out from the mob. A particularly scary individual named Vinnie "the pick" Demucci from Los Angeles had some unfinished business with me and I had no plans on letting him finish, if you know what I mean.

Oh by the way, my name is Dirk Bogart, former private eye from the "city of angels" currently working as a bouncer at an after hours joint on Main Street near Beale. In the winter of 1952, I had witnessed a murder by the same aforementioned Vinnie "the pick" and was the star witness at his murder trial where he got life without parole. Needless to say he was a little pissed and vowed, "You're a dead man, Bogart." I believed him for some reason which explains why I was hiding in Memphis working at this dive joint.

I've seen a lot of dames coming and going but this one caught my eye. She was a real looker, but as good as she looked, you could tell she spelled trouble with a capital "T." But I'm a sucker for a pretty face, voluptuous full breasts, and beautiful gams, and believe me she had the full package. I'm a man, right, so what can I tell you.

Inside the club the joint was jumping with the sound of the one and only Sam "T-bone" Phillips and his quartet. Sam was the piano player at the club, and I'm proud to say a personal friend of mine. He was a huge Negro with a thick beard that made him look like a big grizzly bear stuffed into a suit, straining its threads almost to the breaking point if he took too deep a breath. He had the stub of a cigar hanging from his lips that he chewed to the rhythm of the bumping music. But man could he tickle those eighty eights.

I had taken a much needed break from my post at the door to dig the cool sounds for a few minutes and suck down a bottle of brew. The club was massive and luxurious with tables, private booths, secret meeting rooms, a fully stocked bar with padded stools, and the stage where the band played seven nights a week. The smoke was so thick you could cut it with a knife, the air was stale with the smell of beer and body odor, mingled with the sweet stench of perfume applied a little too heavily. The crowd was mostly the elite of Memphis, politicians, police officials, and even the mayor himself was known to frequent the club, cruising the tables for loose women. He was married but unhappily, and it sure as hell didn't stop him from trying to make it with every sweet young thing in the place.

Sam and the band was hot as the weather that August night and I stood there enjoying my beer and checking out the crowd. The band finished a rousing number, followed by wild applause, and I was just about to return to my post outside, when Sam got on the microphone and said the Blue Note had a brand new attraction, a blues singer all the way from New Orleans.

And then there she was, the girl I had seen at the door earlier. I was mesmerized once again by her beauty, my eyes were glued to the stage as T-Bone introduced Michele Dubois, all the way from New Orleans. The crowd burst into riotous applause as she took the microphone, gently caressing it, making love to it, as the band started playing. Then it was time for her to sing, filling the club with a voice so pure and sweet, I'm sure the angels were jealous. "Them that's got shall give, them that's not shall lose, so the Bible said, but it still is news." She sang an old Billie Holiday classic, that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, every nerve in my body erect and pulsating to the beat of the music, desire filled my very being as I listened. My eyes were transfixed on the stage as if I were in a trance or was in the midst of an out of body experience enveloped in the sweet sound of her voice and the enchanting allure of her very presence. That moment seemed like it lasted an eternity, a moment I wished would never end as I was transcended into another dimension, time and place.

So intent was I on the beauty on the stage, I didn't notice, at first, the arrival of the mayor, Richard Dennison and his henchmen, including Pauli Salvatore. They had taken a secluded booth over in the corner, ordered a couple of drinks and were checking out the entertainment with great interest. I thought I smelled something rotten and just happened to notice them out of the corner of my eye with great displeasure I must admit.

The mayor was a tall slender man, with salt and pepper hair, an imposing presence and that look of success. He was a somewhat unscrupulous character, with an eye for the ladies and known to be in bed with the mob, if you know what I mean. He was reported to be in the pocket of every crooked racketeer in town, along with union bosses or anyone else he thought he could make a profit from.

Pauli Salvatore was a straight up gangster, heavy set but not fat, with piercing blue beady eyes and a head that seemed too small for his body. He was president of the local teamsters union, who were involved in every crooked deal that went on in the transportation and shipping business. High jacking, payoffs, extortion, and even murder were a part of his repertoire. Dennison was in on all his crooked dealings, but of course none of them could be linked back to the mayor's office, go figure.

A hand reached up and tapped me on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality, a place I really wasn't interested in returning to quite yet. "Get your sorry ass back to work Bogart. I don't pay you to sip suds and watch the band." It was the voice of my grumpy boss and manager of the Blue Note, Ralph Smithson. He walked away muttering obscenities under his breath, entering his office and slamming the door with a bang.

I reluctantly headed back out to my post on the door just as Michele Dubois was finishing up her number to the riotous applause of the overflow crowd. I happened to glance back at the mayor's table just in time to catch him giving the lovely singer a standing ovation. I was insanely jealous for some reason at that very moment. What the hell? How could I be jealous of a man who showed interest in a woman, I didn't even know, nor have ever met in life? But I was, it perplexed me and gave me food for thought as I made my way back outside the club.

A fight had broken out in front of the club and a fist to my face greeted me as I stepped through the door knocking me on my rear. Two mugs were throwing punches right outside the door about some skirt, isn't it always. It always comes down to some dame, nine out of ten times. When will men ever learn? I got up as quick as I could shaking my head to clear the cobwebs and proceeded to separate the two idiots involved in the pugilistic activity. "Get the hell out of here, We don't allow no fighting at the Blue Note. You guys come back when you sober up," I said motioning them to move along.

The club closed around four o'clock in the morning. The end of another long evening on the job, but this night would be the beginning of something, a situation that would develop first as a dream but would soon turn into a nightmare.

Chapter Two

I dragged my tired butt into my little shabby one room flat, sat down on my one and only comfortable chair, and poured myself three fingers of cheap bourbon. As bone tired as I was, I still needed to wind down a little before heading off to dreamland in my solitary little bed. I smiled to myself, thinking about a certain beautiful lady, Michele Dubois. Her voice played in my head like she was singing to me right there in my room, haunting the wee hours of the morning, drawing me strangely into her secret world. Sweat poured from my face, I let it roll seemingly enjoying its wetness as it streamed down my face onto my already soaked cotton shirt. What a magnetic hold she had on me, drawing me to her, I was consumed by her beauty, helpless not to succumb to her charms.

Finishing my drink I decided a shower was in order. I stripped off my soggy clothes and threw them in a corner that was already piled with several days of similarly dirty clothes. The water in the shower started off hot but soon turned to cold, feeling like tiny ice cubes pelting my tired body, but I seemed oblivious to the onslaught. Still in a trance, deep in thought, I continued my shower until my skin wrinkled up like a prune and turned a similar color. I grabbed my cleanest dirty towel, wrapped it around my waist, not bothering to dry off, and walked to my makeshift bar and poured myself another three fingers.

The bourbon was going down smooth, and I was just starting to relax, when suddenly there was a terrible ruckus at my door. I finally figured out someone was knocking, although I had not a clue who would be disturbing me at this ungodly hour. Not wanting to get up from the comfort of my chair and my glass of bourbon I yelled, "Who the hell is that? It better be important."

A deep bass voice grumbled from the other side of my battered door, "It's T-Bone man, open up Bogart." He followed his request with some more loud knocks that seemed were going to go on forever.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," I said finally realizing he wasn't going to go away, ever. I got up reluctantly, dragged myself to the door, still dripping , still dressed only in a bath towel and opened the door slightly and peered out. Sure enough it was T-Bone. "Come on in," I said, but not really meaning it. He stood in the door blocking any light that might have desired to enter my joint and turned sideways in order to gain access.

"What's shaking Bogart?" He said with his signature cigar butt dangling from his lips, dropping a few ashes on my floor as he spoke.

"What's shaking? I should be asking you, since you're the one beating on my door at five in the morning," I said taking a sip out of my glass of bourbon. "What the hell is so important, T-Bone? I mean c'mon, can't a guy get some rest?"

"Have a seat Bogart, you're gonna want to hear this, trust me brother." T-Bone said as he waved his big ham-hock of a hand in my direction. I took a seat in my comfortable chair and he pulled up a chair and sat across from me staring at me like I was the one that had the revelation instead of him.

"Well, c'mon spill it, T-Bone," I said impatiently, downing the remainder of my drink. "Wait a minute let me get myself another three fingers, you want a drink?" He did so I poured myself and him one, handed it to him and sat back down hoping to hear the big news at last.

He took a big gulp of his drink, almost killing the whole glass, slammed it down on the end table and wiped his mouth. "You're not going to believe it, man," dropping more ashes on my floor.

"Damn it T-Bone, if you don't get on with you story, I swear," I yelled, getting visibly pissed by this point.

"Okay, okay man, calm down, I'm gonna tell you. You ain't gonna believe it." He said one more time.

"You said that already."

"Okay. You know that fine new singer that started tonight, Michele Dubois?" He asked as if I wouldn't have noticed her or knew who she was, he just didn't know. "You'll never believe who she left the club with tonight?"

I stared vacantly, trying to make him believe I was unconcerned but inside I was frantic, not wanting to know the answer. "Michele Dubois?" I said like I could care less.

"You'll never guess. Go on guess," He said almost playfully.

"God damn it, T-Bone, spit it out. I don't have time for this crap." I said really pissed now.

"The mayor, Dennison. She left with Richard Dennison, can you believe that? I warned her about him, but she did it anyway." T-Bone looked at me like it was my time to speak but I didn't know what to say.

"So?" I said still trying to act unconcerned. "Why do you think I would care?"

"Man I saw you looking at that girl all the way from the stage, man. You were digging her cool, don't say you weren't. You were hoping to leave with her yourself, Bogart, I know you man." He said and I couldn't deny it wasn't true but didn't know it had been so obvious. "I'm worried about her Dirk, that mayor and his boys are bad news."

I was worried about her too, but I was more worried that I had lost my one and only chance at a once and a lifetime thing, with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I finished my drink and asked T-Bone if he wanted another but he said he had to go home and get some rest before rehearsal at four. He shook my hand and patted me on my back, hoping to make me feel better, but I didn't. And then he was gone leaving me alone with my thoughts and a half a bottle of bourbon.

I needed to get some rest as well but I needed another drink even worst, so I poured myself a full glass this time, sat back in my easy chair and let it do its magic. I needed something to dull the pain, a pain I couldn't explain but very real nonetheless. "She left with the mayor," I said out loud and took a large gulp of bourbon almost killing the entire contents of the glass. "The mayor of all people, damn."

I fell asleep sitting right there in that comfortable chair, a glass of cheap bourbon in my hand, it spilled on my floor as I slipped off into never never land, waking two hours later with a start. Hoping T-Bone's visit was some kind of sick perverted dream, I got up and drug myself to bed. I dreamed of Michele Dubois and me making love in a cloud, drifting through time and space, I was in Heaven. But be careful what you wish for and dream of, it just might come true.

Chapter Three

Eight o'clock in the evening and I was back at the door of the Blue Note, making sure the mugs didn't tear up the joint one more time. I had an uneasy feeling, but I couldn't figure out why, something was wrong but for the life of me I didn't know what. Call it a premonition, or intuition or any number of things, but whatever it was it had me standing uneasy at my post that night. That broad Michele had something to so with it, of that I was certain, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I was pondering about these things when the source of my thoughts showed up and to my chagrin with none other than Mayor Dennison himself.

My jaw dropped to the steaming hot pavement as I saw them approaching the club, arm and arm like a couple of for real love birds. Made me sick to my stomach, a beautiful dame like her with a chump like that, but powerful, rich men always get their choice of dames, while stiffs like me get the left overs. I tipped my hat, nodded, and said, "Evening, Mayor, ma'am." I smiled at her, and kind of glared at the Mayor, hoping he wouldn't notice the obvious disdain and contempt I had for him.

T-Bone and the band were playing hot as usual, the melodic sounds of their jazz covered me as the door opened letting in the happy couple. I was jealous as hell, but had no right to be, after all who was I, just some washed up private dick from La La land, working as a bouncer at some after hours night spot. I was just the hired help, a nobody, a nobody that didn't stand a chance with a dish like Michele Dubois, so I might as well stop thinking and dreaming about her.

But I'm not the type of individual who is easily dissuaded from trying to obtain something I want, so quite naturally I didn't put her out of my mind. I was determined to at least get one date with the beautiful lady, that was my goal, not asking too much I didn't think. I'd dated beautiful women before, well a couple at any rate, but this Michele Dubois, she was something different. Besides her beauty she had an enchanting quality I couldn't quite put my finger on, nevertheless I was quite smitten with her to put it mildly. Oh hell I might as well say it, I was in love with her. Head over heels, down deep and dirty, full blown in love with that woman. But I was afraid I was like a dog who chased cars, if they ever caught one, they wouldn't know what to do with it. What would the likes of me do with a stunningly gorgeous woman like her? I would only make a fool of myself. Well her fool I'd be if only she would let me.

Nine o'clock rolled around, I was taking a short break from my duties on the door, when it was time for Michele to take the stage for her first number of the evening. All eyes were on her as she glided onto the stage like a dream come true. T-Bone and the band started a sultry cool number, she again, like the night before caressed the microphone. God I wished I was that microphone. Her sweet voice filled the club, I found that I couldn't take my eyes off of her and the strange thing was she seemed to be looking at me, our eyes locked in some kind of strange game, feeding off of each other's passion. She sang her song only to me, I was the only one in the room, that spun around and around making me dizzy and intoxicated all in the same instant.

I decided right then and there that I had to have her, nothing was going to stop me, not even the mayor and his goons. I would die in my quest to conquer her land of love if that's what it took to win her. The song finally ended and I snapped back to reality. About that time once again a big hand grabbed me on the shoulder, my boss, Ralph Smithson, telling me to get my butt back on the door, I reluctantly complied.

I was still shaky on my legs from the trance I had been in, almost falling over a few tables on the way back out to my post, once again outside of the Blue Note. The night was hot and the sweat ran down my face, I wiped it with a handkerchief I kept in my back pocket. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, my breathing was heavy, I felt like I might pass out anytime, hitting the hot pavement below my wobbly legs, that felt like two sticks of wood.

The music stopped inside, I could hear it as well as feel the absence of the music, leaving the club with a sort of empty sound, filled only with the sound of voices and the clinking of glasses. It was break time for the band, which means it was midnight, the witching hour as it's sometimes called. I lit up a Camel and took a long drag blowing the smoke out forcefully like I was angry at it for some reason.

"Got another one?" A deep voice belonging to T-Bone inquired. I pulled one out and lit it for him, he took a big drag. "Thanks, Dirk, you the man. I been wanting one of these for the past two hours."

The two of us just stood there enjoying our cigarettes for while in silence but we knew there was something that needed to be said, that was going to be said.

"So you ask her out yet?" T-Bone said, dropping his cigarette butt on the pavement and stamping it out

"Just like that, huh?" I said not believing the question he had just asked me. "Are you kidding?"

"I'm not kidding. Did you ask her out? I know you want to," T-Bone said, looking me dead in my eyes.

"I don't stand a chance with a dame like that, T-Bone, I told you that already," I said pleading my case, hoping he would leave me the hell alone about the whole matter.

"She wants you to ask her out. She told me she wanted you to," he said, but not too convincingly.

"Oh, She did?"

"Yeah she did."

I was starting to get mad as hell when T-Bone grabbed me and said he wasn't kidding, she actually wanted to go out with me. I asked him why he didn't say so, he said he'd been trying to do just that.

"She said she was going to ditch the mayor later on and she wants to go home with you." That's what T-Bone said and he swore it was the truth.

He went on back in the club to begin a new set leaving me outside in a state of shock and disbelief. Nah, no way, this wasn't happening, couldn't be true, I was totally lost and confused as I stood like a statue at my post in front of the club, not really seeing the customers coming and going. "She wants to go home with me," I said out loud not caring who heard me or whether or not they thought I was a nut case standing outside a night club talking to myself.

Inside the club I could hear the music playing and knew soon she would be onstage again, my angel, voice straight from heaven, Michele Dubois, oh my God. I could just see her on that stage, beautiful face, voluptuous body, caressing the microphone, making love to it. She began to sing and I was in heaven once again, nothing in the world mattered but the sound of her voice. There was nothing in the world but her, as she continued to sing drawing me further and further into her world.

Then a strange, bizarre, but welcome sight appeared coming through the door of the Blue Note, the mayor, Dennison, came storming out cursing to himself, got into a limo that was waiting in front, that quickly drove away like a get away car. I was stunned, confused, and motionless for a minute but soon came to my senses and realized what had just happened. He was gone, just as T-Bone had said, opening the door for me to make the next move.

My mouth suddenly became very dry and my head began to spin as the shock of the moment hit me, it was now the moment of truth that I had dreamed about and hoped for. What was I going to say? Fear gripped me and I began to tremble, feeling like a school boy who was about to ask a girl to go out on a first date. "Come on Bogart," I said quietly to myself. "You can do this." I wasn't so sure that I could at that moment, I was so enamored with the lady, there seemed no right words to say that wouldn't sound utterly ridiculous coming from the likes of me. She didn't even know my name or anything about me, I was nothing, a nobody, a has been that never was, but it was showtime, time for me to perform now.

I left the relative safety of my duties and found myself in the club standing just inside the door, paralyzed, frozen unable to go any further as the angelic voice of the singer filled the club and my heart to the point of bursting. I stood in a cold sweat, I could feel eyes on me, weird eyes that seemed to search every inch of my body, drawing me in but not allowing me to move, all in the same instant. I felt I would scream, but couldn't move or utter a sound, so I just stood like an immobile mute, thinking any instant I might pass out cold on the dance floor. But I was suddenly being pulled to the stage like a magnet pulling metal and soon found myself right in front of the stage gazing at the beauty that encompassed it and me and I knew in an instant what I must say.

Looking into her deep blue eyes, all that needed to be said was said, and when the song was over I found myself as if waking from a dream at a secluded table with the one and only Michelle Dubois from New Orleans. She knew my name and everything about me. I knew nothing of her, but wanted with all my heart and being to know everything there was to know about the lovely lady that occupied the chair at the table next to me. "I'm Michele, Michele Dubois. You have been watching me, yes? You like the way I sing, Mr. Bogart?" She reached out and took my hand as she spoke, the electricity surged through me like a jolt of lightning. "I have been watching you too. You are very handsome. I can tell you are a good man. I know things Mr. Bogart, things about people. I don't know why."

I could hardly breathe, or utter a sound, all I could do was stare into those eyes as she spoke, not caring if the world came to end and if it did I would die a happy man. I wanted to tell her she was the most beautiful enchanting creature I'd ever seen but for the life of me I couldn't, I could do nothing but stare into those pale blue pools that seemed to open up a world somewhere way beyond the Blue Note, way beyond the world somewhere in another time and space. Finally able to speak, I uttered just above a whisper, "Call me Dirk."

"Pardon, monsieur?"

I said again, this time a little louder, "Call me Dirk, my name is Dirk."

"Okay, Dirk, you find me attractive, yes?"

"Oh, yes, very attractive, yes,yes," I heard myself stammering, but was powerless to stop my idiotic utterance.

"Perhaps we could have a drink, maybe over at your place when I get off. What do you think, Dirk, could we?" She said, and I heard her, but I still couldn't believe my ears.

"Oh, yes, yes, we could have a drink. At my place, yes,yes," I continued to stammer but by this point I didn't give a damn..

"Meet me out front of the club at three, don't be late, Dirk," She said and got up from the table and was gone, leaving me sitting alone with my mouth open, not knowing or believing what the hell had just happened.

Chapter Four

It was the longest three hours of my life waiting for three o'clock to come. I paced and smoked and paced some more but the time seemed like it had stopped, the excitement increased with each passing minute, causing to me to perspire more than usual as my heart raced to keep up. I kept going over and over our conversation in my mind, wanting to believe that it had happened but somehow fearing it had all been some kind of sick dream

And there she was in all her radiant beauty, like a flash of brilliant light, she burst through the door, hair flowing, bright blue eyes glowing. Again I was at a loss, but managed to take her hand, we walked down the street, my feet barely touching the ground in my joy. We walked for a minute enjoying the early morning in silence. It had cooled off a little, but I was on fire from her touch, burning way down in my soul with desire, not all sexual but an inexplicable wanting to know her entire being .

"I am so happy you decided to meet me, Dirk. Are you happy as well, yes?" She said in a voice flowing like honey, a sweetness that left me weak and powerless.

"Oh yes, I am very happy, Michele. Is it all right if I call you Michele?" I asked, a question that sounded stupid even as I said it.

"Don't be silly, of course you can call me Michele. Silly boy."

I really felt stupid then, but tried not too let it show. I just held her hand tighter and looked into her eyes where I seemed to be lost in a strange land, an enchanted wonderland, where I wanted at that moment to live forever. Time stood still, the world spun round and round like it was revolving around me, like a bizarre carnival ride. I thought I would be ill as my world spun, but just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and I was standing looking into her eyes. She smiled and kissed me softly on my cheek. We stood in the deserted street, souls as one, we were all alone in the great big world or so it seemed.

Taking her hand and starting to head for my shabby little apartment she recommended that we go to her place instead which was just swell with me. My dump wasn't exactly the Ritz and it had been the maid's day off, if you know what I mean. Yeah, her place would be just fine, my life was certainly taking a turn for the better. "Heaven, I'm in Heaven," the old song kept playing in my head as we walked, and finally ended up way down a back alley. Trash spilled out of overflowing trash cans, a rat as big as a small dog sat next to one of the cans gnawing on something, looking like he might gnaw on us if given half a chance. A stray cat jumped out from behind a doorway sounding a loud meow, scaring the hell out of me and sending a chill straight down my spine. Michele just laughed like I was a fool for being so afraid of such trivial little things such as giant rats and screeching cats.

Her place was an old abandoned warehouse that had been converted into an apartment, it was cold and damp and scary looking as we entered her front door with a creak. The decor was late model mismatched junk, reminiscent of my own shabby place, but it had a certain kind of allure and charm. It was large but consisted of only three or four rooms, one of which was a bedroom, one had an old refrigerator and a hot plate, I assumed was the kitchen. "Have a seat, Dirk. Would you like a drink?" She inquired already knowing the answer.

Being in heaven is a good place for a stiff like me to be and I was definitely there and the lady was my angel that night. Could it get any better than this? I truly didn't think so as I sat there on her old couch sipping a high ball with the most beautiful dame in the world. We talked but for the life of me I don't remember what the hell about. I was in love there was no doubt, hook line and sinker, nothing else in the world mattered.

Michele said she was lonely, I said I can't imagine how a woman as beautiful as her could ever be lonely. She said her beauty was a curse, an accident of birth she never asked for or wanted. I took her hand to comfort her as big crocodile tears flowed from her blue eyes. "Baby, don't cry, what's wrong?" I said not understanding why she was crying.

"You just don't understand Dirk," she said wiping the waterworks from face.

I looked into her eyes and was drawn into a soul that was black as night, like falling into a deep abyss, I spun uncontrollably. A dark figure in a bright feathered shroud danced rhythmically, a snake coiled around his neck. It's head raised up revealing fangs, hissing loudly as it slittered around his partner's neck in a ritual dance. A naked black woman tied to a concrete pillar, struggled against her restraints, her mouth covered, her eyes wild with fear.

"You okay Dirk?" She said breaking the spell and bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all right sweetheart," I stammered, my voice trembling. As strange as that seemed, a feeling of unexplained dread came over me, but it soon passed.

"What did you mean, I don't understand. What have you got yourself involved in? We warned you about that damn Mayor Dennison. What did he do to you? Tell me Michele," I asked firmly but tenderly.

"Nothing, he didn't do nothing. I don't want to talk about it," she answered and I knew she meant it. "I think you better go, Dirk. I need to be alone. I will see you tomorrow."

I didn't want to but I learned a long time ago if a dame says she doesn't want to talk about something you best let it go. I gave her a kiss on her cheek and left with my tail tucked between my legs, like a wounded puppy dog.

Chapter Five

While I was playing footsy with Michele, Pauli Salvatore and his buddies were up to no good. Like I said the mayor and this lug was into to all types of criminal enterprises, one of their favorite was high jacking trucks from the airport. They knew all the schedules and all the drivers so it was easy as taking candy from a baby. This particular night a truckload of Lucky Strikes was their target.

The truck was stopped at a red light just south of the airport when a group of men in white coveralls pulled up next to it, the driver brandishing a thirty eight revolver. "Pull it over!" He yelled at the driver of the truck, who seeing the pistol knew exactly what was going on.

Pauli jumped out of the front passenger side of the car and jumped into the passenger side of the truck. "Hey Rudy," he said smiling like the driver was an old buddy of his, in fact he was.

Rudy smiled back, shaking Pauli's hand. "Pauli, what the hell you mugs doing? You scared the hell out of me pointing that pistol at me like that."

"Pretenses, Rudy. We got to at least make it look like we was robbing you. In case somebody was watching, you know. You know where the warehouse is. Let's go."

"Yeah, I know the joint. How's the wife and kids, Pauli?" Rudy said like they were out at the bar or something.

"Good, good, thanks for asking. Now drive, we ain't got all night," Pauli said, taking a drag off a newly lit square.

The warehouse was downtown, down a deserted street with no lights. Being late the streets were empty as they pulled into the warehouse lot. Rudy backed the truck into the loading dock and him and Pauli got out. Inside the warehouse was a whole lot of activity, men chopping up stolen cars, moving boxes around and unloading trucks filled with all types of goods.

Rudy followed Pauli into a junky office where two other men were in a heated argument. "What the hell is the problem, Mikey?" Pauli asked like he was the head man in charge, which in fact he was.

"This asshole's trying to stiff me Pauli. We agreed on five thousand and he only wants to give me three five, what gives Pauli?" A rather large man with a blond crew cut inquired.

"Is that true Mikey?"

"Yeah, yeah but."

"Yeah, but. Give the man his money Mikey. I don't do business like that," Pauli said looking at Mikey like he wanted to break his neck.

"Okay, Pauli, sorry, no problem," Mikey consented, of course what choice did he have, the boss had spoken.

The man with the crew cut left, so did Mikey.

"Have a seat, Rudy. I'll get your money," Pauli said bending over to turn the tumblers on the dial of the safe in the corner of the office."Five grand, right?"

"Sounds fair to me Pauli," Rudy said with a big smile on his kisser.

"How long we known each other Rudy?" Pauli asked already knowing the answer.

Rudy scratched his chin not knowing where Pauli was going with the conversation. "Oh, around twenty years, best I remember, why?"

"Got a job for you. I wouldn't trust just anybody to do it, you understand. This is coming straight from the top, the big man himself," Pauli said handing Rudy his cash and looking him straight in his eyes.

"Sure, sure, Pauli, anything, you know that," Rudy said really curious what the hell he was talking about then.

"Let's go and get a drink and I'll tell you all about it."

Chapter Six

Again I was awoken by a loud banging at my door. "It better not be that damn T-Bone again. I'll kill him!" I said dragging my tired ass out of bed, heading for the door. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Don't knock it down."

I eased the door open to take a peek when it was suddenly and forcefully kicked open. They pushed me to the floor, I lie there looking up at two suits standing over me brandishing fire arms. "What the hell?" The two suits grabbed me up and tossed me across the room like a rag doll, knocking over my makeshift bar and favorite chair in the process.

"You, Bogart?" A big fellow with a fresh crew cut and a pencil thin mustache asked like he owned the joint.

"Who wants to know?" I asked provoking the other fellow, a short stocky man with a wrinkled seersucker suit to smack me in the mouth.

" We're asking the questions. I said are you Bogart? It's a simple question and you better not give us any more crap if you know what's good for you," crew cut said and I knew he meant it.

I answered straight that time, dragging myself up from the floor, not wanting short and stocky to whack me in the kisser again. "I'm Bogart."

They flashed detective shields, I'd seen enough of those in my day to know they were for real. "We need you to come downtown with us, Mr. Bogart," short and stocky said in a squeaky voice that portrayed his stature. "We have a few questions we'd like to ask you. Get dressed. Make it quick."

"What's this all about?" I asked, looking for another punch to the mug but fortunately not getting one.

"Downtown, Bogart, downtown."

They tossed me roughly into the back of an unmarked unit and headed downtown. "What the hell was going on?" The cops in the front seat weren't saying. I racked my fuzzy brain on the drive to the downtown station but I still didn't have a clue. These guys seemed really pissed about something. Maybe they got called away from their coffee and donuts to pick me up. That had a tendency to upset coppers sometimes, but these two, I didn't know.

The sun was just peeking through the early morning clouds as we pulled up in front of the cop shop. Memphis' finest hauled me out of the drab gray sorry excuse for a police vehicle and drug me inside the station surprisingly hectic for the early morning hour. Crew cut and short and stocky led me through the station that resembled a maze to a desk way back in the corner, throwing me callously into a waiting wooden chair.

"Park your kister right there Bogart," short and stocky said while crew cut nodded in agreement. "We have a couple of questions that need answering. If you give us the right answers, this shouldn't take long, but if not you may be in for long and possible painful day. If you get my drift."

I started to get up but short and stocky knocked me back down with a back hand to the chops. "What's this all about? I want my phone call."

"Shut the hell up," short and stocky said threatening to hit me again.

"Have a date last night, Mr. Bogart?" Crew cut finally said breaking his silence.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a simple question. The man asked you did you have a date last night."

"That's none of your business."

"We're making it out business, now answer the question Bogart." This time short and stocky did smack me so hard he almost knocked me out of my chair.

To avoid further pain I decided to give up the tough guy act. "Yes, I had a date, last night."

"And who was your date, Mr. Bogart ?" Crew cut said.

" Call me Dirk. I feel like we are old friends here." I said being a smart ass.

"God dammit Bogart." Crew cut yelled, his face turning crimson red.

"Okay, okay. Calm down boys. Don't blow a gasket. I was with Michele Dubois, the singer with the band down at the Blue Note club where I currently work as doorman and if need be bouncer, for your information."

"Well it seems this dame has gone missing and foul play is suspected. You didn't have anything to do with that, did you Dirk?" Short and stocky spit in my face as he spoke, and I could smell the garlic on his breath as he asked the question.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The lady is missing, there's blood all over the place at her joint and you, by your own admission was with her last night. What don't you understand Bogart?"

"Dirk, call me Dirk."

"God damn it Bogart, answer the question or I swear

"Okay, okay. I don't know. That's the God's honest truth. She was fine when I left her place around 5 o'clock. I swear. I wouldn't hurt her. I kinda like her, if you know what I mean?"

"What time did you and this Michele, leave the club last night?"

"Three, I met her outside the club at three o'clock. She said don't be late Dirk, you will be on time, yes. She talks like that. She has this sexy French thing going on. She has these beautiful blue eyes

"Here's what we think happened," short and stocky professed his theory. "You met this Michele dame outside the club at three. You ended up over at her joint and things got a little heated up. But she wasn't up for what you had in mind."

"Bull shit!" I never laid a hand on that girl. She was fine when I left her. I think I want my phone call now," I said screaming loud enough for the whole place to hear.

"Then you forced yourself on her, you low life little prick. You panicked, knowing she would rat you out to the cops, so you killed her. Where's the body, Bogart? We know you did it."

"God you guys need to be in Hollywood. Boy, what a story. You stiffs got dick or you wouldn't be leaning on me so hard. So charge me or let me go.

Crew cut cleared his throat, suddenly a little lost for words. "Well I guess you can go. But don't go too far. We got our eyes on you."

I got up from the chair, pushed by crew cut and short and stocky and made my way through the maze, out the front door into the fresh morning air. "Assholes," I said to myself lighting up a square and taking a deep draw. "How could they think I had anything to do with hurting Michele? I love her for God's sake. I bet you a dime to a donut that damn Mayor Dennison had something to do with this. I smell a rat, a big one."

Chapter Seven

Eight o'clock and I was back at my post at the Blue Note. I was worried sick about Michele, but I didn't have a single clue as to what had happened to her. I had a sinking feeling something bad had happened to her but at the same time knew somehow she was all right.

T-Bone and the boys were playing hot as usual but they were missing one very important thing, Michele Dubois, all the way from New Orleans. I had left the door and was sitting drinking a cup of Joe when the band finished up a sultry number and Bone came over to join me looking like a mile of bad road. "I guess you heard what happened," he said, his voice hollow and sad.

"Yeah, I did. Memphis finest paid me a visit early this morning, hauled me down to the station and proceeded to give me the third degree. They think I had something to do with it. What the hell is going on T-Bone?"

"All's I know is the girl is missing. The cops came here asking questions too. That's how I found out. Blood was all over her place they said. God. I'm worried Dirk. Who would want to hurt Michele?" T-Bone whispered almost in tears.

"Think about it Bone. That Mayor Dennison, kinda got the hots for her and she's stepping out with me. He had something to do with this, I'm certain, him and that Pauli."

"I don't know Dirk, I'm just a piano player, but if that's what happened, the girl's in trouble for real. You got a cigarette. Damn, I'm scared Dirk.

I pulled a fresh pack out of my pocket, opened it and gave T-Bone one and took one myself hoping it would calm us both down. "Me too, Bone, me too."

We sat there smoking for a while, both of us in deep thought and sharing the same burden of worry about the whereabouts of Michele. Finally T-Bone said, "I've got to get back to work." He left leaving me alone with my coffee and cigarettes and a growing fear that something terrible had happened to the love of my life.

I wasn't too sure the police would find her, especially if the mayor was the perpertrator of this heinous crime. I felt guilty that her involvement with me somehow was the reason she had become the victim of foul play. Dennison wanted her to himself and would stop at nothing to have her of that I was certain.

I had to do something, but what? I didn't have any friends on the Memphis PD and had long since hung up my P.I. shoes. But maybe it was time to take 'em down, dust them off and do a little poking around. Very quietly of course, because if the mayor and Paulie found out I was snooping around, no telling what hole I might wake up in.

I had to start from the last place I saw her. I was sure there were clues a grade A gum shoe like myself could find that Memphis finest had missed. I was back in the game again, Dirk Bogart Private Investigations, at your service.

Chapter Eight

All the time the police had been harassing me, they could have been looking for Michele. Unless they already knew where she was and decided to just pretend they were looking for her. Little did they know I was on the case now. Maybe I was a little rusty, but I still could teach these local yokel cops a few things about private investigating.

The sun was just peeping through the morning clouds as I made my way down the alley to Michele's place. The rats and stray cats were thankfully asleep as I tipped down the back way and eased open her door half expecting to be greeted by Memphis finest, but luckily the place was quiet, and empty, but scary as hell.

Furniture was strewn all over the place like a giant hand had taken her living room ensemble and tossed it around haphazardly. Dishes were broken all over the kitchen floor, glasses were smashed against the wall leaving tiny shards everywhere, a circle was drawn in the middle of her living room floor in a brown substance that that could have been blood. If that wasn't bizarre enough there were feathers scattered all over the whole joint like someone had been slaughtering chickens. What the hell?

I suddenly felt like someone was watching me. You know that feeling when you don't see anyone but you feel someone. I jerked my head around hoping to see who it was watching me but, not really wanting to see them.

"What the hell have you gotten yourself involved in Michele?" I said out loud, after all I was alone, but I still had that feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing at attention as I continued on with my quest. I screamed out loud as the door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang, then there was silence. I started to run like a scared little school girl but managed to calm myself. "Its just the wind, Dirk. No one is here, stop being such a little bitch for God's sake."

Then I saw it over in a corner behind the door leading to her bedroom, a big pool of what looked like blood. There were drops of blood on the floor that lead to the front door of her place. There were two sets of footprints in the blood and I followed the trail out of the door to the street where they stopped.

There had been foul play here, there was no doubt, but what the hell kind of bizarre stuff went on I was at a loss to say. I needed to do some more poking around. What I had found at Michelle's was very strange but what did it mean? First I had to get some sleep, the sandman was calling and I had to heed his call. Later, I would continue my quest, later.

Chapter Nine

I tore myself reluctantly out of my bed at noon, grabbed a quick shower and headed out the door. I didn't really know where I was going, but wherever it was, I hoped I could find some answers. My stomach growled and rumbled, so I decided to stop by this little eat 'em up joint down the street for a quick burger and a cup of Joe. On the way I bought a newspaper from the corner stand and headed down to the greasy spoon, not even bothering to open it.

Taking a booth back in the corner, I motioned for the waitress to come on over. She was a cute little dish with mousy brown hair and baby blues, but I was in no mood for conversation that particular morning. I ordered a burger with cheese and lots of onions and a cup of coffee, black.

Waiting for my food, I opened my paper to take a look at the morning headlines. Much to my surprise greeting me on the front page was a large picture of Michele and an accompanying story about her disappearance. "The police have no leads presently," the story went on to say. "Bull crap! They know something!" I said to myself in anger as my burger and coffee showed up right on cue.

Munching on my burger I continued to read. Funny there was no mention of the blood, the circle in the middle of the floor, or the feathers. That's curious, I thought. "Why would they leave such important details out of their story? Maybe the coppers conveniently forgot to tell the good people of the press the whole truth." That rat was stinking again.

I finished up my heart burn waiting to happen burger and coffee, paid the bill, and decided to go wake up T-Bone. Maybe he might have some ideas, 'cause I didn't have a one. Besides, he had a car and I needed some wheels. It was old but it ran. A P.I. needs some wheels. Can't work a case without some wheels.

T-Bone lived in an old room he rented from the club owner. It was in the back of the night club facing an alley and connected to the kitchen. It wasn't much but it was cheap and convenient.

Pounding on the door loud enough to wake the dead I finally managed to rouse Bone from a deep slumber. He opened he door a crack and peeped out. "Who dat this early, beating on my door?"

"It's me. Open the door, I need to talk to you?"

"Bogart, what the hell? Do you know what time it is?"

"Let me in Bone. We need to talk."

He eased the door open the rest of way and finally invited me in. His place wasn't much, just a bed, two chairs , a hot plate, and an old basin to wash his face in.

"What the hell you want, Dirk? It best be important."

"It's about Michele," I said hoping to calm him down.

"Why didn't you say so. Pull up a chair. Want something to drink?"

"I thought you'd never ask," I said with a smile. "Got a smoke?"

"Okay, spill it Bogart. What's this all about?" Bone asked while pouring me a drink and lighting up a smoke and handing it to me.

I took a drink of whiskey, a drag from the square, and started my story. "I just came from Michele's place and you wouldn't believe what I found."

"Try me. I could believe a lot of things. Get on with your cockamamie story, Dirk." Bone took a drink from his glass and lit up a smoke and took a big drag.

"Talk about foul play. Foul play I guess. I don't know what the hell went on there. I really don't. Blood everywhere, a circle on the floor in the middle of the room and feathers, feathers everywhere, for God's sake. What the hell, Bone?"

T-Bone downed the remainder of the whiskey in his glass with one swallow and poured himself another, a full one this time. "A circle in the middle of the floor? Feathers? Oh, my Lord. Help her. Oh my God." He started to shake with what seemed like an uncontrollable fear.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

He couldn't say but one word; "Voodoo."

Being from the city of angels, I'd never heard of Voodoo. "What are you talking about Bone?"

"Black Magic, witchcraft, evil spirits, the devil all rolled up into one, that's what I'm talking about. The slaves brought it over from Africa to New Orleans. They still practice it down there, and right here in Memphis too."

"Sounds like superstitious nonsense. You don't really believe in this Voodoo do you Bone?"

"Oh, it's for real all right. They cast spells on people and make them do all sorts of things. Even commit murder."

"Murder?"

"If them Voodoo people got Michele, she's in real danger Dirk. We've got to find her."

"I agree, but where do we start looking for her? Where do these Voodoo people hang out?" I finished my drink and poured myself another.

"I have friends down in Voodoo village. Way down south of Memphis. They might know something, If'n they not too scared to tell. These people mighty scary of what a well placed curse can do. "

"Let's go. We're burning daylight."

"You right about that, 'cause we sure as hell don't want be down there after the sun goes down."

We headed on down to Voodoo Village, way down south of town, way down where white people, and me being of that persuasion, that meant me, didn't normally go. As T-Bone drove, he told me tales about the rituals they performed and the spells that these Voodoo people cast. I'll have to admit it scared the hell out of me. But I was determined to find out what had happened to Michele, no matter how big the yellow streak running down my back was getting, the more stories Bone told.

The paved road ran out and gave way to a dirt road, that from its looks was not heavily traveled. There was not another car anywhere in sight as we made our way down that deserted pathway for around fifteen minutes before coming to an old shack that sat alone and ominous. "This is it," T-Bone said, pointing at the old dilapidated structure.

"This is what?" I said to Bone, looking at him like he had lost his mind, or thought I lost mine.

"This is the place fool, where a Voodoo high priestess practices her evil ways. She a scary old witch, but she's harmless."

"I don't know about this."

"Don't be such a chicken. You say you want to find Michele. Now, come on."

We got out of Bone's old Chevy, the wind was blowing, dust was so thick I could hardly breathe. My legs shook as we made the short trip from the car to the shack. T-Bone banged on the door which made a hollow, eerie sound. There was no answer.

"Come on Bone, let's go. There's nobody here."

"She's here alright. She don't never leave this place." He banged on the door, louder this time.

The door creaked open about an inch.

"Open the door, Hattie Mae. It's me, T-Bone. Open up now. I needs to talk to you."

Hattie Mae opened the door, and oh my God, that was one ugly woman. She had skin that was black as coal, hair as white as snow, and one rotten tooth in an otherwise empty mouth. A huge mole protruded from her pointed chin, from which a hair an inch long grew. She was dressed in what appeared to be an old potato sack. Her body was bent with age and her back was humped like the "Hunchback of Notre Dame." Legs looking like gnarled pieces of black wood protruded out from her garment connected to hideous feet with long curled toe nails caked with dirt.

The smell was overwhelming, the air was so pungent and thick I damn near tossed that burger I had eaten earlier. Sweat poured down my face as I just stood there wondering what the hell was going to happen next, hoping I wouldn't pass out right on the spot.

"Who's this white man you done brung into my house. Must be a white devil. Is you the devil, Mr. White man?" Hattie Mae asked, looking at Bone first, then at me.

"Hattie Mae, this is Dirk. He's a friend of mine."

"Is you the devil, Mr. Dirk?"

"No, ma'am, not far as I know."

She just laughed and slapped me on the back. "Any friend of T-Bone's is a friend of mine."

I was relieved, 'cause I thought any minute she was going to throw me in that large black kettle she had heating on a huge rack in the fireplace. "I'm happy to meet you," I said, but all I really wanted to do was get the hell out of there. But if she had news about Michele , then I wanted to hear it.

"You boys look hot and tired. How about a drink? I make up right here. They tell me its kicks like a mule. I never tried it, but that's what they tell me."

"No ma'am," Bone said.

"No ma'am," I said.

"Well, if'n you boys don't want nothing to drink, what the hell you come all the way down here for? Not that I ain't glad for the company. I don't get many visitors these days." She drug two old dusty chairs from a dark corner of the room and motioned for us to have a seat. "You boys have a seat and tell Hattie Mae what she can do for you."

Bone leaned over and spoke in a hushed, nervous tone. "Voodoo. Voodoo business Hattie Mae. A friend of ours has disappeared and it looks as if she has been involved in a spell or curse of some kind. Have you heard anything about a woman being kidnapped for a human sacrifice, Hattie Mae?"

Hattie Mae roared with laughter, and slapped herself on the knee. "A human sacrifice? They don't do that stuff anymore T-Bone. They might kill a few chickens or what not, but they too scared of the law to be killing folks these days. Your friend probably done run off with some man, that's all."

"You should have seen her joint, Hattie Mae. There was a circle in the middle of the floor in what looked like blood. Feathers all over the place and a trail of blood that led all the way out to the street."

"Silly boys, that's not how Voodoo Priests and Priestess operate. They wouldn't have did the ceremony at her place. They would have taken her to a sacred place to do the sacrifice. I'm not saying they took her. In fact it sounds like someone staged all that Voodoo stuff to throw the coppers off the trail. Surprised they ain't been out here alookin' for her."

"Damn," Bone said.

"Damn, is right," I said as well. "I knew I smelled a rat.

"You right, Dirk, smells pretty bad and all the way to the mayor's office."

"Thanks Hattie Mae," I said tossing her a five spot, that she quickly stuffed down in her potato sack outfit.

"You sure you boys don't want a drink?"

"No!" We both said as we headed out the door to Bones old Chevy. We could hear her laughing hysterically all the way out to the car.

We piled in the car and headed down that long dusty road back to civilization, not knowing whether we knew any more than we did, but we had some hunches to think about. I was just about to nod off to lullaby land when T-bone suddenly nudged me. "Dirk, Dirk, look at dat up ahead."

"What, what?" I said trying to clear Mr. Sandman out of my eyes. There was a car coming down the old road toward us. An old gray Ford, like one of those G-men cars. The fact that there was another car on this deserted stretch of dirt was odd enough, but all of sudden the passengers opened up the back door and kicked what looked like a body out on the ground adjacent to the road into some high weeds. "Holy crap! Did you see that Bone?" I said as I watched the car turn around and head back in the other direction stirring up dirt so thick we couldn't see the car any longer.

"The hell was that?"

"I don't know but it looked like those gentleman tossed a body out of their car."

We pulled to the spot where the body was tossed, jumped out and ran over to investigate. Sure enough it was a body. A older Black man with a white beard and hair, bleeding from his mouth, his face looked like he had gone through a meat grinder.

"Oh God, It's Hezekiah Jones."

The man was alive but just barely. "We've better take him with us to town, Bone. He needs a doctor."

"No, no doctors. We best take him to Hattie Mae's. These people don't cotton to big city doctors too much round here. Help me get him in the car."

After getting him securely in the back seat we headed to Hattie Mae's. It was against my better judgment, but I had to go with what T-Bone thought we should do, after all these were his people. We pulled up in front of her place, I started getting Hezekiah out of the car as Bone was knocking on Hattie's door. Luckily he was able to walk with my assistance and I managed to get him to the door just as she was opening up with a strange look on her face.

Decided, ya'll wanted that drink after all?" She started to laugh when she noticed Hezekiah. "Ole my God! Get him in here, quick. Ole my Lord. What done happened to this old man?"

"We don't know ma'am. A car load of men just dumped him on the side of the road." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Help me get him in the bed over there. You boys go on and get the hell out of here. There' s liable to be folks 'alookin' for ya'll. Besides it's gonna be dark pretty soon. Go on and git. Don't fret, I'll take care of this old man."

She didn't have to tell us twice. We headed out to Bone's old Chevy in a run. We road in silence for a little while but there was a question that had to be asked. "Who was that old man?"

Bone sat silent for a few moments and finally said, "He's a friend of Hattie's. She's been knowing him for forty years or more. He works as a gardener for the mayor up there at his big ole mansion in Chickasaw Gardens. But why in the world would they beat that poor old man up and dump him in the road like a bag of garbage, I don't know Dirk, I really don't know."

"Well, I got a stinking suspicion the old man saw something up there at the mansion he wasn't supposed to see and they decided to put the fear of God in him to make sure he wasn't going to tell. That's what I think.

"You think he saw Michele up there Dirk?"

"I don't know but I sure want to find out."

T-Bone dropped me off at my place so I could get some rest before my shift at the Blue Note. I had a bad feeling that whole Voodoo thing was a smoke screen and now I knew for sure. Tomorrow I would put a tail on our good friend Mayor Dennison.

Chapter Ten

I opened the door to my place and went and lie down on my bed without even bothering to take my clothes or even my shoes off. I was dead tired way down to the bone but for some reason I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I kept seeing that old man's face beat to a bloody pulp. I didn't even want to imagine what they were doing to poor Michele.

Finally drifting off to sleep I had a terrible nightmare as a result of bad hamburgers and scary stories courtesy of T-Bone. I found myself in the middle of a Voodoo ritual, a human scarifice. There was chanting and drum beating and a Priestess in a colorful outfit was casting a spell. The chanting and the drumbeat grew louder and louder. The room began to spin round and round. The noise was deafening. The Priestess raised her huge knife to strike the killing blow. I suddenly realized it was Hattie Mae and the human sacrifice was me. I screamed.

I woke up in a pool of sweat shaking. "What the hell? Damn T-Bone and his Voodoo stories."

Feeling like ten miles of bad road and looking almost as bad I decided a shower was in order. I stripped of my clothes and threw them in the pile in the corner that was getting pretty big by this point.

A shower was just what the doctor ordered. I let the water run till it turned from hot to cold, hoping the water would rinse away the eerie feeling that had come over me ever since I found out about Michele. I was in love with the girl, there was no doubt, and it scared the hell out of me that something bad might have happened to her. "I've got to find her," I all but yelled. "Where the hell is she?" I didn't know but I wasn't going to rest until I found out.

I took a look at my cheap Timex laying on the dresser and realized it was almost time for my shift at the Blue Note. I started to call in sick but thought better of it. As crappy as I felt I knew I would feel even crappier laying around my joint alone all night worrying. Besides somebody at the club might have heard something. I dug around through my dresser drawer and found one old clean shirt and found a pair of pants and a jacket in the closet. Note to myself: "Do your laundry." Yeah, but not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

Arriving at my post around eight I was relieved to see there was no fisticuffs or any other mischief going on, of course it was still early. A small group of Memphis elite had started to trickle in, dressed to kill, noses in the air, looking at me like I was the hired help, which I guess I was. I could hear T-Bone and the boys playing every time the door opened but their melodic sounds only succeeded in depressing me more. I kept hoping Michele would suddenly appear like nothing had happened and take the microphone and sing like only she could, but she didn't.

The whole day kept running through my mind like a motion picture. There was something I was missing but for the life of me I didn't know what. Someone had planted the phony Voodoo evidence at Michele's, but who and why? The old man we had found in the road and taken to Hattie Mae's, did he see something he shouldn't at the Mayor's house? Maybe we should go back there and interview him and see if he did in indeed see something. But maybe the whole thing was just a smoke screen. "Hell if I know. I need a drink."

All was quiet at the door so I ventured inside to grab a quick brew. I hoped my asshole boss didn't see me, 'cause I really wasn't in the mood that night. I went to the bar and ordered a cold one and took a seat in a stool next to a sexy blond that was sitting all alone in a tight, low-cut evening gown, swirling down a martini. She looked like she had drank more than one and was in a pissed off mood for some reason. "Men, you're all alike. You only think of yourselves. What kind kind of man keeps a lady waiting for over an hour.

"I'm sure I wouldn't know ma'am," I said hoping she would shut the hell up.

"You wouldn't keep me waiting would you?"

"No ma'am."

"Do you think I'm pretty?" She slurred, almost falling off her barstool.

I decided I had heard enough of her story and made a quick exit over to a table in the corner, just as Bone and the band was finishing up their set. I motioned for him to come over. He sat down, pouring sweat, wiping his mug with a dirty handkerchief he had pulled out of his back pocket. "What's the haps Bogart?"

"Nothing much Bone. Just sitting here hoping I can find some answers in the bottom of this glass of beer?"

"See any yet?"

"No," I said laughing, but it was a sad laugh. "What we going to do, T-Bone?"

"Why the hell you asking me? You Mr. Big Time Detective from Los Angeles.

"Shut up. That doesn't help."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Well I was thinking we should back to Hattie Mae's place and see if we could talk to that old man. See if he really did see anything up at Dennison's place."

"I don't know, Dirk. If'n he did see anything, he's not going to tell us. He too scared. Yeah, they done scared that old man plenty. He ain't gonna talk." Bone said, pulling a square out of his pocket and lighting it. "Smoke?"

"Thanks, I thought you'd never ask."

"We got to do something."

I glanced at my watch and saw it was almost eleven. "Got to get back on the door. Guess tomorrow we'll take a little drive up to Chickasaw Gardens and see what our good friend the mayor is up to. Pick me up at ten at my place."

"Will do Dirk. I got to get back to work myself. Later."

Chapter Eleven

Bone picked me up at around ten and we hotfooted it over to the ritzy-titzy, swank part of town where the big time mayor of the fine city of Memphis, Tennessee lived. My head was fuzzy and cluttered with cobwebs, but luckily Bone had a thermos of black coffee that was almost thick enough to eat with a fork, but I gladly accepted a cup and took a sip. "That's good. Good coffee."

"You really like my coffee, Dirk?" Bone said sporting a big smile, showing his pearly whites.

"No. But it'll sure as hell wake me up. That's for sure." I said wincing, taking another sip.

"So what's the plan, my man?"

"It's elementary, my dear Mr.Phillips. We are going to go on what is called in private eye jargon, a stake out."

"What does that mean Dirk?"

"We're going to sit outside the mug's dump all day and see if we see any strange going ons. Namely, Michele, being held against her will."

"That's the big plan, huh?" Bone asked looking at me funny out of the corner of his eye as he drove.

"That's the plan. You just worry about getting us there."

The sign said "Chickasaw Gardens," Bone hung a right, we went down the street a couple of blocks and there it was, the mayor's big mansion on the hill. It was the biggest house on the whole block with a fine manicured lawn and a huge gate that blocked the entrance to the driveway that winded up to his huge estate. It looked like one of those big white columned plantation houses I had seen pictures of back in slavery times. I had no doubt slavery was still practiced around these parts and at this particular residence.

"Wow!" Bone said, marveling at the magnificent spectacle in front of us. "Would you look at this place?"

"This mayor is one fat cat, that's for sure."

"More like a fat rat, if you ask me."

"Yeah, and I hope we catch this rat eating the cheese today."

"Do you really think she's in there, Dirk?" Bone asked

"We shall see, my man. We shall see."

We both sat there drinking coffee and looking at the house for what seemed like an hour in relative silence. In truth it was only ten minutes and as of yet we hadn't seen a thing.

"Damn this is boring Dirk?"

"That's a stake out for you. Hours of boredom, followed by hours more. And maybe, just maybe you might actually see something."

"Did I ever tell you the story about how I ended up in Memphis?" I said hoping to break the monotony.

"No. You said you'd tell me some day, but you never did." Bone said cracking a smile.

"Well my friend, this is your lucky day."

"Oh, Lord."

"You know they call Los Angeles the city of angels, Bone. I always thought that was a load of crap until she walked into my office one day. What a dish, I can tell you. Angela Divine was her name, a walking apparition from heaven, reincarnated in human form. Long blond hair, deep blue eyes, a figure to die for with legs that seemed like they went on forever."

"I was sitting behind my desk smoking a cig, blowing smoke rings in the air and poking my finger through them. I had spent the last two hours tossing rumpled up paper at trash can, and doodling aimlessly on an appointment calendar, that occupied the top of my otherwise empty desk. I don't want to say business was slow, but slow would be an improvement over nonexistent, which was the real state of my affairs."

"I heard a knock at my door." I said, "come on in the door's open."

"And there she was, standing in my office. I thought I dreaming at first."

"Hello, my name is Angela Divine." And let me tell you, her voice was the sweetest sound I ever heard. She said, "I'm in trouble and need the help of a good private eye, but I'm afraid I don't have much money."

I stood up, being a gentleman and offered her a seat. "Please, sit down Miss Divine or is it Mrs."

"She sat down and sweetly said, Oh, it's Mrs".

" So I says, if you're in trouble, why not go to the cops, instead of a private dick?"

"I'm mixed up in an affair, I really don't want the police involved in, she said. And if my husband finds out I'm a dead woman."

"Oh, I don't know, sounds like something I shouldn't get mixed up in or I might end up dead," I told her.

"But then she started with the water works, you know how that is T-Bone. Please Mr. Bogart, you got to help me. She said, tears streaming from her beautiful blue eyes. I didn't stand a chance."

"Okay, tell me your story. I'm not promising anything mind you, I said."

"She goes on to tell me about this mug named Lance O'Brien that she had met at a night club. She threw down a few drinks with this Lance and before she knows it, she's over at his house doing the horizontal mambo, if you get my drift. Did I tell you she was married?"

Bone, nodding about half asleep mumbles, "Yeah, yeah, you said she had a husband. The one that would kill her, I believe you said"

"Right."

"Anyway, so she ends up spending the night with this lug. Can you believe it? And without a care in the world or so her story went, the next day they decided to go on a picnic in Echo Park. That's a park in L.A. by the way. So they're drinking wine and eating sandwiches when this Lance character decides he's got to go and take a whiz. While he's answering his call of nature somebody snatched him and she never seen or heard from him again. She's frantic, saying she's got to find him, cause she's in love with him, can't live without, I've got to help her."

"So what you think, would you have taken the case?" I asked Bone. "Bone?"

"I don't know. Probably so. I've been known to do some crazy things for a pretty lady myself.

"Yeah well, I of course did take the case. She was pretty, like you say. But also she had an envelope full of cash, and I like I said, I really needed the work. So I took the job."

"She gave me an address where this Lance O'Brien was supposed to live. The address she gave me turned out to be a vacant lot for Christ's sake. I went to his job where she said he worked as an accountant. They said they never heard of the bum. I was starting to smell a rat, a two legged one, like this dame wasn't exactly on the up and up."

"How come you didn't just give up the case Dirk?" Bone asked, so I had to clue him in.

"She had already paid me in advance. Besides I wanted to find out why this dame was giving me the run around. Also, did I mention she was quite beautiful?"

"Oh, all right, gotcha Dirk."

"Anyway, so I gave a friend of mine who was a member of the L.A. cop shop a jingle. He owed me a favorite from back in the days. Just so happen I had a glass in my possession with a perfect set of her finger prints. I forgot to mention, I gave her a glass of water, that's how I got her prints, you see. Hopefully she was on file and I could find out who she was. As luck would have it, she was. You won't believe who she turned out to be. Go on and guess Bone."

"I don't know, Dirk. You telling the story.

"Her real name was Maria Demucci, an ex-stripper and wife to a notorious mob hit man by the name of Vinnie "the pick" Demucci. He got his nick name from his choice of murder weapon. He liked to get up close and personal with his victims. I knew I had a bad feeling about this broad. But was I scared? I'll have to admit I was, but for some reason I still wanted to find out why she was giving me the run around.

"So I got her address from my buddy and decided to stake her house out. Sooner or later she was going have to come out, so I figured when she did I'd follow her. Great plan. I thought so at the time, but later on not so much. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Look, look," Bone said, pointing at the front door of the mayor's mansion.

None other than the mayor himself came out of the front door with his partner in crime, Pauli Salvatore, and I mean they were thick as thieves, engaged in a heavy conversation on their way out to the the driveway where a black Lincoln Town sat. They stopped for a minute, finished their conversation, Pauli got in the back seat and the black car took off down the driveway heading our way. "Duck, Bone." I quickly said as the car pulled out on the street and peeled off without even noticing us or at least I hope they didn't.

"Maybe we should follow them," Bone said.

"No, we better keeps eyes on the house. Besides they would notice the tail in this neighborhood. Your car doesn't exactly fit in, sorry."

"Well, it was good enough to get us here."

We watched as the mayor went back to the house and shut the front door. We were back to nothing happening again. "So as I was saying. Where was I?"

"You were on a stakeout at the girl's house. I hope it wasn't as boring as this one."

"Oh yeah. So I was sitting outside this dame's pad, drinking coffee and eating donuts. You know typical stakeout stuff. Hell I hadn't been sitting there more than a few mintes when the door opens and out comes the one and only Vinnie "the pick." I recognized him from some old mug shots. Just the sight of him sent chills down my spine. He jumped in a cherry red coupe and screeched out of his driveway and headed down the street like he was shot out of cannon. I remembered thinking, "I wonder who he's going to kill tonight?"

"And just like on cue, thirty minutes later, the guest of honor, Maria Demucci, a.k.a. Angela Divine, came out and got in a canary yellow Coupe Deville. She roared out of the driveway and took off like she was shot of a cannon herself. I spilled coffee all over myself trying to get my old Chevy in gear so I could follow her. It took me a couple of blocks, but I finally caught up to her."

"I followed her."

"Dirk, Dirk," Bone said with a tone of considerable urgency. "I got to pee, man."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding. I gots to go, fo' sho'.

I pointed at some bushes a few feet away from where we were parked. "Go behind them bushes over there, Bone. Make sure nobody sees you and be quick about it. I know you can't wait to hear the rest of the story."

"Oh, God. I'll be back."

I sat there watching the house while Bone took care of his business. A minute or so later he was back in the car with a look of relief on his face.

"Now where was I?"

"You were tailing the girl in the yellow Caddy."

"Right, right. So I followed this dame for what seemed like almost an hour. I kept wondering, where the hell is this broad going? Finally she pulls up in the parking lot of this super swanky, expensive, and I had no doubt, exclusive night spot. She gets out of her car and disappeared inside. I could see her through the front window as she was led through the restaurant to a table where an attractive young gentleman in a tuxs was waiting. It wasn't Vinnie, needless to say."

"Oh, hell," Bone said just then starting to get interested in my little tale.

"Oh hell was right. But surely this guy wasn't the Lance character she had me looking for. I pondered on that thought for a while. I watched the two lovebirds sitting at their table, holding hands and smooching it up. I had a bad feeling this whole thing was going to end up badly. But I had no idea how badly."

Just then a station wagon pulled into the driveway of the mansion. The car pulled up to the house and an attractive middle aged woman and two little blond girls piled out of the car and went in the front door. Must be his wife and kids, I thought. I wonder if she knows and her the kids know how big a rat the man they live with is?

We watched for a while longer, but they never came back out. Back to boredom and my story again.

"So I was watching these two thinking, this ain't good, this is not good."

"They stayed in this joint 'til way after two in the morning dancing and carrying-on. I was almost about to doze off to sleep, I'll have to admit, when finally they decided it was time for them to go. They got in Maria's yellow Caddy and zoomed out of the parking lot with me in my old Chevy close behind.

"I tailed them to a super rich neighborhood in Beverly Hills of all places. In case you don't know that's where a lot of the big Hollywood stars live. They pulled in the driveway of this huge mansion, got out and arm and arms strolled up to the front door and went inside.

"Pulling across the street so I could see the house I set up shop again. The curtains were open and I could see the whole show and what a show it was. They started going at each other like a couple of hungry lions, clothes flying everywhere, when out of nowhere a red coupe, I recognized as Vinnie's car came flying by and pulled into the driveway and stopped with a screech."

"Four men, one of them of course Vinnie, came shooting out of the coupe like they were on fire. They kicked the door down and interrupted the happy couple just when it was getting interesting. "This is not good, not good." I said to myself again as I watched Vinnie grab the man and throw him across the room like a rag doll. Maria tried to slap her husband, but he punched her in the face knocking her out cold on the floor.

"Vinnie snatched the gentleman off the floor who was by this time scared out of his mind and begging for his life. Then I saw for real why they called him "the pick." He pulled a huge ice pick out of his coat pocket and plunged it deep in the man's chest, like it was nothing. Blood squirted out of the gaping wound and the man fell to the floor like a stone.

"They rolled the poor fellow up in a carpet and headed for the car. Vinnie snatched Maria, who was still out cold off the floor by her hair and proceeded to drag her to the car and tossed her in the back seat. What happened next you ain't gonna believe. I was so engrossed in the action, I forgot to duck. Can you believe it? Right on cue the whole bunch of them suddenly looked across the street and saw me. I was busted. It was time for me to get the hell out of there and I mean quick.

"I cranked up the old Chevy, threw her in gear and peeled out of there. Well I took off as fast as my old Chevy would go at any rate. They took off after me as I took a hard right then a hard left and headed down a straightaway with a car load of hoods in hot pursuit. Bullets flew by, some hitting my old car, a couple hit the back window and glass flew everywhere. They was gaining on me so I made a hard right hoping to lose them. The street I turned down was a dead end, so I had to throw it in reverse and make a quick u-turn. Just as I did the hoods were coming down the street, I flew by them. They turned and began their pursuit again.

Back on the straightaway they were gaining on me again. I made hard left but I couldn't make the turn, rolling my Chevy and ending up in a mass of smoking metal in the middle of the street. I tried to crawl out but my door was stuck. I reached for the other door, it was stuck as well. I knew they would be coming for me and I was stuck like a rat. It was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. I looked to my left, I could see Vinnie and his boys getting out of their car and were heading my way. I'll have to admit, even though I've never been a religious man, I said a little prayer that night.

"Just at that very moment I heard it Bone. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard or so it seemed at the time. It was a police siren. The LAPD had showed up like a miracle, an answer to my prayer to save yours truly. They arrested Vinnie and his mugs. I ended up testifying against Vinnie, he got life in prison and I got put in witness protection. So that's how I ended up in Memphis and sitting here in the car talking to you and staking out the mayor's house."

Bone just looked at me for a minute and finally said, "Damn, that's quite a story.

We both laughed.

Chapter Twelve

Looking at my old trusty Timex, I decided we'd had enough for one day. T-Bone and I both needed to get some rest before our shift at the Blue Note. He dropped me off at my dump with an empty feeling. We still had nothing. Something had to give, but what? I knew that the mayor was mixed up in the whole affair but I couldn't just knock on his door and ask him, "where's the girl, mayor?"

Opening my door and entering my dump, I remembered the note I had made to myself earlier, " Do your laundry." I groaned as I looked at the big pile of dirty clothes in the corner. "I picked a hell of a day to give the maid the day off." I laughed to myself while hanging up the clothes I had on in anticipation of wearing them again that evening. "Tomorrow, tomorrow," I said as I climbed in my bed for a much needed date with the sandman. I was soon fast asleep.

I never have been one to believe in superstitious nonsense but what happened that afternoon convinced me otherwise. Some people believe that dreams have meaning, I've never been one of those people. I had the craziest dream, in fact one that scared the hell out of me. Dreams to me are just a continuation of what you were doing or thinking when you were awake. I had been thinking about Michele, so it was natural for me to dream about her. But what I dreamed wasn't natural at all.

Michele appeared to me like an apparition, as real as if she was sitting on the bed next to me. She spoke softly but clearly, and her words cut through me like a knife. "I've been taken prisoner, you must come and save me Dirk. The mayor is a bad man, just as you said. I'm afraid they are going to kill me, you must come quick. Only you can save me Dirk. I am in a warehouse. I do not know where, but you must find it."

"Michele," I said, waking up with a start hoping to see her sitting on the bed next to me. But she was not there, but her words stayed with me. "I knew it!" I said loudly. "I knew the mayor had something to do with it." I rolled over to go back to sleep, but I couldn't, I kept hearing Michele's plea for me to help her.

I finally got up to take a shower, by then it was almost time to go to work.

Back at my post at the Blue Note by eight once again, I couldn't stop thinking about the dream. As I said I never believed in dreams before but this one was so real, it just had to mean something. Michele had been taken prisoner, that's what she said. The mayor had her locked up in some warehouse. Could be, but what warehouse? There were hundreds of warehouses in the city. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

T-Bone and his band were on stage knocking the crowd dead as usual. It was just another night at the Blue Note, but it was empty with Michele gone. The band had hired another female singer, but it wasn't the same. A few minutes later I could hear the applause and the music stopped. Shortly Bone pushed through the front door with a terrible frown on his face and a saddness in his eyes. "Got a smoke," he inquired trying to force a smile.

I pulled a pack out of my pocket, shook out a square and handed it to him. "Light?"

"Thanks, Dirk." He took a long pull and blew out the smoke. "Damn I needed that. You know it just ain't the same around here with Michele gone, you know what I mean Dirk?"

"Yeah, I do."

"We got to find her," he said, finishing up his cigarette and dropping the butt on the pavement.

I told him about my dream. I figured if anybody could make sense of it it was Bone. "She said she'd been kidnapped? Lord, I'm really worried now. How we gonna find her, some warehouse."

"That's all she said Bone, a warehouse."

Then the strangest thing happened. You know how it is said, "talk abut the devil and he'll shown up?" Out of nowhere the mayor and of all people, Pauli, came strolling up to the door. Bone and I didn't know what to say, we just stood there with our mouths wide open.

"Good evening," the mayor said and strolled on in like he owned the joint. Pauli just walked on by without saying a word, but looking at Bone and I strangely.

"Well I'll be damn," I said.

"You right about that Dirk."

"Speak of the devil and he'll show up every time. Least we can keep an eye on them while they're here."

"I got to get ready for my next set. I'll holler at you later Dirk."

I started thinking after T-Bone left. Maybe we're following the wrong guy. Maybe Pauli and his goons got Michele stashed someplace. It could be. But that guy scared me. He reminded me too much of the individuals in L.A. that I was hiding out from. The kind of individuals who when you get in their business, you get dead. It didn't figure that an upstanding family man like the mayor would have a kidnapped girl tied up at is mansion, right there in front of his wife and little ones. But Pauli on the other hand... I bet he has some warehouses too.

Another thing that puzzled me was why did he kidnap Michele in the frst place? Just to keep her away from yours truly, I don't know. The more I thought about that, the more that story didn't hold water. I had some detective work to do. Maybe there was something in Michele's past that was behind this whole thing. Maybe she wasn't being held prisoner. After all, I had only a dream as proof that she had been taken against her will. Maybe she staged the whole Voodoo thing at her place so she could disappear. Damn, I needed a drink.

As I entered the club the first thing I saw was the mayor and Pauli huddled up in a corner table, drinking a highball, and having a private conversation. I sure wished I could hear what they were saying. I should have just went up to them and demanded they turn over the girl. Then after they had stopped laughing, Pauli would probably have gotten up and punched my lights out.

Bone was just finishing up his set so I motioned for him to join me at the bar. "Drink?" I said, pulling a five spot out of my pocket.

"Sure, if you're buying."

"Beer okay?"

"What ever you're having."

We took our drinks over to a table at the back of the place, so we could talk and also keep an eye on Pauli and the mayor. "You know Bone, I've been thinking."

"Shouldn't be doing something you ain't used to," Bone said laughing, taking a sip of cold beer.

"Very funny, as I was saying. I was thinking, The mayor wouldn't have Michele over at his house, not around his wife and kids."

"I sure wished you'd did this thinking a little earlier before we sat outside the mayor's house for half a day."

"Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Sorry, Dirk, go ahead."

"I think we're barking up the wrong tree."

"And what tree is that?"

"I think Pauli and his goons have Michele. She said she was in a warehouse. I bet Pauli has some warehouses. That's if she's been kidnapped at all. I was thinking about that too," I said stopping to take a large gulp of my brew.

"Hold on! Hold on! Now You think that maybe she's hasn't been kidnapped?"

"Yeah. After all the only proof we have that she was kidnapped is a dream. And the only reason we have is to keep her away from me, so the mayor could have her all to himself. Now that doesn't seem like much of a reason to me anymore, I don't know."

"What about all the blood at her apartment, Dirk? What about that?" Bone was starting to get upset.

"She could have staged the whole Voodoo thing, just to disappear."

"Why would she do that?"

"Maybe there's something in her past. Something she's running way from."

"I need another beer," Bone said.

"Maybe more than one."

Chapter Thirteen

Michele strained against her restraints. The room she was locked in was empty except for an old

bed with a metal frame she was tied to and an old broken chair sitting in the corner. On the wall was a picture of a Civil War general hanging crooked and dusty from years of neglect. The floor was knotted wood covered with muddy footprints and blood.

Outside Rudy Marconi and another one of Pauli's goons, Pete, "the snake" Rubio stood guard.

"So what are we supposed to do with this dame?" Pete asked.

"The boss said keep her on ice for a while and then whack her."

"Whack her?"

"Yeah. And he said make sure they never find the body."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah.

"I don't know Rudy, I ain't really into whacking ladies. Can we at least have a little fun with her first?"

"The boss said she is not to be touched like that. If he finds out we did, then it's curtains for us, if you know what I mean?"

"Well it was just a thought. Seems like a waste, that's all."

"Yeah, a waste. She is quite a looker."

Michele lay on the dirty bed, a strange calm came over her beautiful face, like she knew that no one could kill her. She was magic and her powers would defeat the evil that was out to end her young life, of this she was certain. Her restraints had somehow began to loosen and she slipped out of the ropes that had bound her. She smiled an evil but beautiful smile as she sat on the bed and slipped into a deep trance.

She began to tremble and moan and suddenly letting out a blood curdling cry, followed by ritualistic chanting.

"What the hell was that Rudy?"

"It must be that dame. Damn she gives me the creeps."

"Let's just whack her. That'll shut her up."

The phone rang suddenly, scaring the hell out of them.

Chapter Fourteen

My night's work done I hot footed it back to my place with one thing in mind, try and get some sleep. I was so tired, my whole body ached, even my hair hurt. I still needed to do laundry, but that would have to wait. Maybe I would just buy a new outfit, what the heck, but first I needed sleep.

As soon as my head hit the pillow I was in the land of the sandman. I was in dreamland as well and a bizarre one began to play in my head like a horror movie shortly thereafter. I was walking down a long dark corridor, there was a thin beam of light streaming out of the cracks of a door to my right as I made my way down. I tried the doorknob but the door was locked .

I proceeded down the passageway when to my left was another door glowing red like it was on fire, but when I touched it, it was cold as ice. I tried the knob and the door opened with a strange creaking sound.

My heart was pounding as I pushed the door all the way open and entered the room which was glowing with a blue hue and in the room was a bed with a big iron head board. At first the room was empty except for the bed. I turned to leave but stopped when I heard the voice of an angel; a voice I knew all so well.

On the bed was Michele, a white light encompassing her, hair gold and flowing, blue eyes glowing. She spoke simply. "Dirk, you must come and save me."

I tried to touch her but she was a spirit and my hand went right through her and then she was gone.

Waking up in a pool of sweat, I looked around my dump hoping to see Michelle, but she was not there as she had not been before. That same dream again. It had to mean something, but I still didn't know where to find her or if indeed she was still alive.

I wanted to go right then and try and find her, but what could I do, I didn't know where she was and even doubted her being missing at all. After all, I had no proof. But I had a gut feeling, and through the years when I was a cop and a P.I. I trusted my gut. It had served me well.

But first I had to get some sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

"Did you take care of our problem?" Mayor Dennison asked from the confines of a phone booth along the side of the road on Highway 51.

"Well, not yet. You said keep her on ice for a while. We was just doing like you said boss."

"Just remember what I said. Make sure the cops never find her body."

"You got it boss. We were just about to take care of your problem."

Rudy put the receiver down and pulled his .38 out of the shoulder holster underneath his jacket."The boss said we should go ahead and take care of this broad right now."

"I still say it's a waste. But orders is orders. He's the boss." Pete said, shaking his head.

Rudy turned the door knob slowly and eased the door open expecting to see Michele still lying in the bed tied to the head board.

"Holy crap!" Rudy exclaimed, not believing eyes.

"Who the hell untied you?" Pete said, not knowing what to think.

Michele was sitting on the bed, free of her restraints, still in a trance but with her eyes wide open, staring at the two hoods as they came through the door. Rudy raised his pistol, but suddenly and inexplicably his hand began to shake. He fired but missed Michele, the bullet whistling by her head, but she did not move or show any emotion.

Pete pulled his pistol out and started to fire. Once, twice, three times, but the rounds missed their mark and hit the wall behind Michele like she wasn't even there.

"What the hell is going on?" Rudy yelled, as he fired until his gun was empty of bullets.

Michele began to tremble, her blue eyes glowed, and suddenly she let out a scream, slowly raising her hand, pointing the index finger of her right hand at Rudy and Pete. "I put a spell on you. Before this day is over you will both die. Die!!!" Her eyes rolled up in her head as she continued to point at her would-be murderers.

Pete and Rudy had seen enough, they both dropped their guns and ran from the room screaming like they were on fire.

Michele just smiled and lay back down on the bed.

Chapter Sixteen

I was starting to doubt myself, of all things. For the first time since I started this case, I didn't know what to do. My head was spinning as I stood outside of the Blue Note. I felt low enough to crawl underneath the door of the club, I mean I was down that night. "So where to now, Bogart? Mr. big shot private eye." I said out loud.

Luckily Bone came out of the door before I went totally nuts. "Got a smoke, Dirk.?"

I pulled a Lucky out of my pocket and gave it to him, lighting it without even asking. "What the hell are we going to do Bone?"

"I don't know Dirk. I think we should trust in your dream. She's in a warehouse, somewhere. But where?"

"Pauli, he's got warehouses. Got to be Pauli."

"Well all right. Tomorrow we'll follow him. And we'll keep on following him until we find Michele."

I agreed with Bone, at least that's what I told him, but I still wanted to know more about Michelle. The big question I needed an answer to was why did she disappear. Sure we could follow Paulie and check out his warehouses, but the why behind this whole affair was what troubled me. If she was dead, why did someone want her dead? If she planned the whole thing just to disappear, why would she want to do that?

The truth was I didn't know anything about the lady I had fallen so head over heels in love with. Sure, she was beautiful and sang like an angel, and that was usually enough in itself for someone as shallow as me, but still I wanted to know more. All I knew was she came from New Orleans. Not much to go on, but it was start.

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning came way too fast, I rubbed my tired eyes that seemed to be stuck closed with glue. I tried to get out of bed, my mind was willing but my wobbly legs just wouldn't cooperate. I fell to the floor and lying on my back looking at the ceiling I accessed the futility of my situation. I wasn't any closer to finding Michele than I was when I first started. "Some private eye I am." I struggled to get up from the floor and after three tries I finally succeeded. I pulled myself back on my bed and lie there for a while before trying again.

"Maybe I should take a little trip down to New Orleans, see what I can find out." But the problem with that plan was I didn't know a soul on Bourbon Street, the French Quarter or any other parts of that jazzy town. I was a lost little bird who would probably only succeed in getting devoured by a big alley cat down in Orleans. I was just an ex private dick from La La land residing in Memphis, what the hell did I know?

And yet I felt a strange feeling of confidence come over me. It enveloped me like a warm blanket and comforted me like a mother's love. I wanted to dance, to sing, to shout out loud about the new found power that had overcome me. "I can do this," I exclaimed with a great deal of exuberance. "I can do this. New Orleans here I come." I had always wanted to go to the Mardi Gras and Bourbon street and I was going to do it. I needed T-Bone's help, I hoped he could go with me.

Mindlessly I ended up banging on Bone's door, "T-Bone, it's Dirk, open up." I beat again, louder. "Bone!"

Throwing open his door like he wanted to kill someone, his look softened when he saw it was me. "Dirk, what the hell are you doing here? Can't a man get some sleep, for God's sake?"

I entered his joint, like I had many times and was shocked to see a beautiful young, fine and brown lady lying beneath the covers of Bone's bed. "I thought you were trying to get some sleep?"

"Well I was planning on doing some sleeping. Now, what the hell do you want Dirk?"

"We're taking a trip to New Orleans," I said, just barely able to restrain my excitement.

"New Orleans? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Michele is from New Orleans. We're going there and we are not coming back until we get some answers."

About that time, the beautiful young woman decided she had to pee and got up from the bed wrapped only in a thin sheet and glided by me. I could smell her perfume. Damn, it made me think about how long it had been since I had had the pleasure of a woman's touch. But there was no time for those thoughts. I had to convince T-Bone to go to New Orleans with me.

"I don't know, Dirk."

"C'mon Bone, I can't do it without you. You know people in the clubs in New Orleans, right?

"Yeah, I do, but..."

"But, come on buddy old pal."

"Okay, for Michele. I can call the union and get them to send a piano player over to set in for me for a few days I guess.

"All right. I knew I could count on you. I'll leave you alone with your lady friend now."

"Thank you. Now get the hell out of here."

Chapter Eighteen

New Orleans, we were there, Bone and I, after a short flight on a bumpy airplane, and a landing I thought was going to be the death of us for sure. We took a cab to the French Quarter. We found a hotel after walking up and down the street for a while, that according to the sign outside, Bone and I could afford. The hotel was centrally located, one of those old wood frame buildings that looked to be straight out of the old plantation days. Large wooden columns, in great need of painting held up the building, jammed into a large wooden porch, that also needed a coat or two. The steps creaked eerily as we walked up to the front door of the joint and entered.

The smell of stale boos, cigarettes, and body sweat greeted us like a slap in the face as we opened the door. The inside was just as bad, maybe worst than the outside, but it was cheap and centrally located. After all we were there to get some answers, not on holiday.

"This place is a dump, Dirk. Is you sure they allow colored folks in here?"

"Shut up Bone, at least it's cheap. I didn't see any signs, so just act like you belong here, maybe no one will notice. We'll just say you're my assistant if anyone asks."

"Yeah, I'm sure no one will notice a big colored man standing in the lobby with a white man.'

"No coloreds," the old man behind the counter, with bushy eyebrows, and one yellow tooth in the middle of his mouth said, pointing at a sign.

"He's my assistant. He assists me, I need him..."

"No coloreds, damn it. He'll have to sleep with the others back in the bunk house, in the rear."

"It's okay, Dirk. This is the south, you know, New Orleans at that."

"All right I'll get a room, and you settle into the bunk house, what ever the hell that is, and I'll meet you out front in thirty minutes or so. Okay?"

"Okay, Dirk."

"I'm sorry about this Bone."

"Hell, it's not your fault. It's just the way it is in south, always has been and probably always will be."

"Well, I still don't like it."

We met up in front of the old hotel to begin our quest. We knew we were looking for answers but we really didn't even know what the questions were, or who to get the answers to the questions from. We were living a mystery, one that had Bone and I wrapped up in its net of intrigue. The heat was stifling, worst even than Memphis. The sweat poured down my face and mixed with the sweat from my armpits that mingled with the river of perspiration that already soaked the front of my once white starched shirt.

I felt like I was going to melt. "God damn, it's hot, Bone."

"You got that right, Dirk. It's about time for a cold beer, what you think?"

"Is there a place around here, that serves coloreds. I don't want to deal with that bull shit like at the hotel again. It's too damn hot."

"Yeah, I know a place. The owner, is colored, believe it or not. At night they have some of the best jazz in Orleans."

"Well shit, Bone, lead the way."

"The Cool Ray," was the name of the joint. It was just a little hole in the wall, jazz club like a lot of the other places in the neighborhood. The door was painted black and on it was written in large letters, "THE COOLEST PLACE IN TOWN." Under the inscription was hand drawn a pair of sunglasses, and a lit cigarette with smoke coming out of the end.

The door swung open, the place was dark and cool, the sound of jazz could be heard coming from a speaker mounted on the wall. It was small, but not too small, what you would call intimate. A small stage big enough for a trio, set over in the corner. On the other side of the room was the bar with eight stools. There were also six tables, that could accommodate four patrons each.

"Bone? Is that you?" A man so black, he could hardly be seen in the dimly lit bar, yelled.

"Rufus! Well I'll be damn. I didn't know you was at the Cool Ray," Bone yelled back, reaching behind the bar to shake the man's hand.

"Yeah, I bought this place, about a year ago now."

"Sorry, no whites," Rufus said, but it was obvious he was just kidding. He let out a big laugh that filled the room. "Who's this white man, you got with you, Bone. He the law. Ya'll ain't come in here to bust me, did you? I ain't selling no boot leg liquor, or home brew, I swear officer. "

"No, we ain't here to bust you Rufus. We just was looking for a cool place to drink a cold beer and I told him about the place. This here's my friend, Dirk Bogart. He used to be a private dick in Los Angeles, but now he works as a bouncer at the club I work at in Memphis, called the Blue Note."

Rufus flashed a set of pearly whites that lit up the room as he shook my hand. "Well any friend of Bones, is a friend of mine. Two cold beers coming up, on me."

T-Bone and I sat at the bar, finished the beers and ordered a couple of more. Damn, it's nothing like a cold beer on a hot day. As Rufus was bringing our beers he asked a question he had been dying to ask the whole time we'd been sitting there. "So what brings you fellows to Orleans? Got to be some reason, ya'll come all the way down here. Wasn't to sit in my club, as nice as it is, and drink cold beers on a hot Louisiana day."

"Well, it's a long story Rufus," Bone said taking a long drink of his cold beer.

"Time is something, I got plenty of, Bone. "Specially, if say, a pretty lady is involved."

"Well as a matter of fact, a pretty lady is in the story. So this must be your lucky day."

Rufus grabbed him a cold beer, and a seat at the bar and got ready to hear the story.

"A girl by the name of Michele Dubois, was hired to sing with my group at the Blue Note. She said she was from New Orleans, and of course we had no need to doubt her. She has the voice of an angel and the looks to match, let me tell you." Bone took a big pull of his beer.

"She is beautiful, gorgeous, voluptuous, and any other description you would use when speaking of walking apparition of loveliness," I said, maybe heaping it on a little thick.

"As you might guess, my man Dirk, here, is in love with the girl."

"Yep, yep, I can see that. Okay, so the boy's in love," Rufus said, taking another gulp of cold beer. "She left you for another man, right Dirk? She came back to Orleans, now ya'll down here trying to get her back, right?"

"Well she did leave with another man, but not voluntarily. We think she's been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped, oh Lord. Who you think done it? You think she back in Orleans, right?"

"Here's the thing. We don't know for sure if she's been kidnapped, killed, or just plain disappeared for some reason. She may be back down here, but it's doubtful. We came down here hoping to find some answers."

"You say killed?" Ruffus said, eyes wild. "I sure hope that ain't what happened."

"Now Dirk," Bone said. "we don't know what has happened to her. So don't be getting Rufus here, all excited about a girl getting murdered. The truth is we're looking for her people. We're hoping that something in her past will help us find out what's happened to the girl. Word is she was mixed up in Voodoo down here in Orleans and her people probably was in it too."

"Voodoo!" Rufus yelled. "I don't know Bone. If she was mixed up in that shit, ain't no telling what has happened to her."

"Yeah we thought that at first, but we don't think Voodoo had anything to do with it," I said, trying to calm Rufus down a little. "Have you ever heard of a Dubois family, or singer by the name of Michele?"

"Dubois, let me think," Rufus said stroking his chin. "Michele, you say?"

"That's right, Michele Dubois," I said.

"No, I don't think I know her, but I do know an old man that might can help you."

"How so?"I asked, not knowing where Rufus was going with his answer.

"We call him the "historian." He know everything there is to know about every negro that ever lived in this here town. How he remembers all that stuff is a mystery, but he knows everybody and everything 'bout them and their people. He an old man, 'bout blind, used to be a doctor for some fifty years, they say, birthing babies was his specialty. 'Til he went blind, that is. If'n this Michele Dubois and her people ever lived in Orleans, he'd know."

"Where can we find this historian?" I asked Rufus sucking down the last of my brew.

Rufus thought for a moment, scratched his chin and said rather vaguely. "I don't rightly know, 'zactly, but he live in an old shack just north of the Quarter, way up on a hill, you can't miss it. If you do, just ask anybody 'round where you can find the historian. They all know him."

Bone and I headed out the door into the afternoon heat to find this blind man who claimed to know everyone and everything. We just hoped he knew Michele's people and could give us some answers.

Chapter Nineteen

After walking for what seemed like miles and asking every Negro we saw where we could find the mysterious blind man, we finally got a line on where his old shack was located. Sure enough it sat way up on a hill, all by itself like a creepy mansion from an old horror movie. The closer we got, the scarier the old house looked.

"Will you look at that, Dirk. I don't know. That place is really creepy."

"Stop acting like a little girl, Bone. It ain't so bad."

"Ain't so bad, my ass. I don't know, Dirk."

"You said that already. We're going in there and talk to the old blind guy and find out if he knows anything about Michele, so stop complaining."

Bone was just fixing to voice another complaint when suddenly a woman, black as coal, and thin as a rail, came running out of the house screaming. She ran right by Bone and I without even acknowledging our presense and ran on down the hill and disappeared in between two old buildings.

"What the hell? I told you, Dirk. I told you. Creepy."

I have to admit I was a little shaken myself by the sudden appearance of a screaming lady, running from an old scary house we were about to visit, but what the hell? I was still determined to talk to the historian, even if screaming ladies were fleeing his house of horror.

"Come on Bone, let's do this," I said as we reached the porch of the old run down shack.

I knocked loudly. At first there was no answer. I knocked again.

The door suddenly flew open and we were standing face to face with the man himself. The historian. He was old and bent with a wild head of white hair that looked like a giant cotton ball. A beard every bit as white as his hair, protruded from his face like an unkempt porcupine. His eyes were covered by an old pair of wire frame sunglasses that sat crooked on his face. He wore an old pair of khaki trousers held up by suspenders, and an off white shirt that looked like it hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine or an iron in years.

"Who that knocking on my door? Is that you, you old shrew? It better not be you. I told you what I'd do to you, you rotten bitch. If you came 'round here again." His breath eminated from his mouth with every word he spoke, creating a cloud of misty funk in the air, smelling like a cross between sour milk and rotting onions.

"Excuse me sir, could we speak to you for a minute?" I timidly said trying to stay clear of his wrath, as well as his breath.

"Who dat?" He said looking around like he could see and batting his hands at the air from side to side.

"My name is Dirk Bogart and my friend's name is T-Bone. We need your help. We can pay, say twenty dollars."

A big smile came over the historian's face as he beared two rotted yellow teeth and gums as black as he was. "Twenty dollars? Well come right on in, gentlemen."

The interior of his shack didn't disappoint, it was every bit as filthy and disgusting as the outside of his dwelling, as well as his general appearance. In the middle of the room was one old dirty couch covered with a brown sheet that used to white, many years ago perhaps, and an old wooden rocking chair. On the couch were two ratty looking cats that ruffled their fur and growled as we came into the room. "Shoo, cats, filthy varmints." The old man yelled as he batted the air in the felines' general direction. They hurried away into another room, but peeked out around the corner like they were keeping lookout. "Have a seat, gentleman, on this here couch. It's old, but it's a sight better than standing up. Go on, have a seat."

Bone looked at me and I at him, not really wanting to sit down on the dirty old couch, but feeling that it was something we had to do. I sat down first and then Bone joined me reluctantly. The funk engulfed us like an invisible assailant, almost bringing us to tears. We coughed in unison, hoping we weren't going to deposit the cold beers we had drank earlier on the historian's couch, making it smell worst that it already did.

Sitting in the old wooden rocking chair, the old man wanted to get right down to business. "Now you said something 'bout twenty dollars. What can I do for you two gentleman? I don't tell fortunes or predict the future. I don't sell healing salves or medicines. I don't heal folks or deliver children, well not anymore. All I do is tell folks about the past. If'n that's what you're here for, then you've sure as hell came to right place. 'Cause there ain't nuthin' that's gone on in the colored side of Orleans in the last fifty years that I don't know about. I'm the historian. People marvel at the things I know. They're amazed, let me tell you. Sometimes I even amaze myself."

Bone spoke for the first time since we'd been in the old man's shack. "Mr. Historian, like my friend Dirk said they call me T-Bone. I'm a piano player, jazz mostly, and I play at a club in Memphis called the Blue Note. Me and Dirk came down her to Orleans trying to find out about a friend of ours who's disappeared. We're frightfully afraid something bad done happened to her."

"Wait, wait, hold up. Is she from New Orleans?" The old man interrupted to ask. "She born here, right?"

"Yeah, I was getting to that.

I jumped in not having the patience or time for Bone's rambling long winded story."Let's cut to the chase. We're down here trying to get information on a Michele Dubois and her people, all of whom were born right her in New Orleans. Do you know them?"

"Dubois!" The old man screamed unexpectedly and started to shake. "Oh my God, Heaven help you."

"What's wrong? What are you saying?" I yelled, but the historian still continued to shake. His face turned an ashy pale color and his eyes bugged out like they were going to pop on the floor.

"Evil, she's evil that one. You better stay away from her, she's a zombie, I tell you, a zombie that one." The old man fainted dead away and slumped in the old rocking chair, it creaked back and forth. Bone and I just stared in horror and disbelief.

I shook the old man in an attempt to roust him, and finally he came to still shaking. He took a drink from a dirty glass sitting on an old wooden table next to him and tried to steady his nerves.

"I know this Michele Dubois that you speak of. In fact I was the doctor who birthed her some twenty years ago. She is the spawn of Satan, that one. Her mother was an evil but seductive Voodoo Priestess that was pillaged by a white man. He was crazy over her, but she wouldn't have anything to do with him. His name was Dennison. Michele was the evil result of that union."

Bone and I looked at each other in disbelief. All we could think was the beautiful woman that we knew was some kind of monster. No couldn't be, but the historian went on with his story.

"She's the undead. They done brung her back to life after she died. Mysterious thing it was. It was voodoo, I tell you. Some kind of spell, but they brought her back. She can cast a spell on every man who see her so they don't see the evil inside her, only the beauty. I don't rightly know where she is, but if'n she's in Memphis, she's up to no good, that's for sure, " the historian took another drink, trying to steady his nerves. "Ya'll got to go now. If she knew I was telling ya'll all this, I'll be a dead man."

Bone and I headed to the hotel. We had to check out, get to the airport and head back to Memphis on the first flight we could get. I had a bad feeling after what the historian had told us that Michele was in Memphis to do harm to Mayor Dennison. I didn't know how she was planning on killing him, but was convinced that she had come to Memphis to just that.

Chapter Twenty

Back in Memphis, I headed to my dump for a shower and a change of clothes. "Damn it, I still haven't done my laundry." I recalled. Well, at least I could take a shower. After our trip to New Orleans I felt like I needed a shower big time. I wasn't sure if I would ever get clean from what I had just found out. If it was true, I had to save the Mayor. I hated his guts and thought he was a low life, but I couldn't sit back and let Michele kill him. God, to think I loved her.

I headed over to Bone's joint. I was going to need some help stopping her if what the historian said about her was true. I needed a piece, a .38 snub would do. I hoped T-Bone had a connection to where I could get one. I only hoped that a gun would do the trick. If she was undead like the historian said I had my doubts.

"Bone. T-Bone," I yelled as I beat on his door, hoping he didn't have some skirt with him in his joint this time.

He opened the door looking like ten miles of bad road. "Come on in Dirk. I knew you'd be stopping by. What we gonna do, man? We thought we needed to save Michele, turns out we need to save the Mayor."

"Ain't that a bitch?" I said, shaking my head. "I thought I was in love, Bone. In love with a zombie. Holy crap. How could I be so wrong?"

"We gotta stop her, Dirk. As sleazy as that bastard Dennison is, we can't just let her kill him."

"I need a piece man. A .38, a .45, a Tommy gun. A bazooka might be a good idea. I can't believe I'm talking about killing Michele."

"Just so happen I know a guy that can help us."

"Us, huh?"

"Yeah, us. You know you can count me in, Dirk. You need me man."

I thought for second, but I already knew the answer. I knew I needed some help. "So how do we get in touch with this guy you know?"

"Beale Street. The rough part."

Yeah, I sure need your help. Let's go."

Chapter Twenty One

It was around noon when we got to Beale Street. The sidewalks were crammed with pedestrians, the streets bumper to bumper with cars all honking at the same time. Bone and I looked somewhat peculiar, a big colored man and a white man walking down Beale, but we tried to blend in the best we could.

We walked down the street about a block or two and Bone pointed at an alley. We headed down around the back of two old buildings that looked like they might fall down anytime, and Bone said, "I think this is the place."

"This is it?"

Bone knocked loudly and we waited. No answer. He knocked again even louder.

Finally a man with a gruff, pissed off voice hollered from somewhere deep in the back of the joint. "Who the hell is that knocking on my door?"

"It's T-Bone. Henry sent me."

"Henry. Who is Henry?"

Bone just waved at me to be quiet.

Finally a man as big as a house and dark as coal, threw open the door and eyed us suspiciously.

He looked at Bone, but was talking about me. "Who's this white man? You bringing the police around here?'

"No. No! This a friend of mine. Dirk, Dirk Bogart. He ain't the cops"

"Come on in, get off the street before somebody sees you," the big man said, motioning us in.

The place smelled like stale cigarettes, body odor, and machine oil. Dirty clothes and newspapers were piled on a dirty chair which along with an even dirtier couch were the only furniture in the room. The couch looked like it doubled as a bed as well, judging from the dirty pillow and sheet that was stuffed into one corner of it.

"Have a seat," the big man said. You guys want a beer, whiskey?"

We had a seat and said we would pass on the drink.

"So, what you got for us, Blue?" Bone said.

"I got what you need, baby. .45 Army issue and double barrel sawed off. I'll throw in a box of shells for each for free."

"What you want for both of 'em?" Bone said.

"Fifty dollars, and don't try and Jew me down Bone, I know you," Blue said with a look of take it or leave it on his face.

Bone gave me the look, I shook my head.

I tossed Blue a fifty, and stuck the .45 down in my pants. Bone grabbed the sawed-off Blue had put in a box with the shells and we headed out the door.

We had the guns, but we still had one problem. Where was Michele?

Chapter Twenty Two

"Boss, we got a problem with this dame down at the warehouse," Rudy stammered.

"What are you talking about? I thought you offed that broad yesterday. What do you mean a problem?" Dennison said on the other end.

"Me and Pete unloaded two .38 pistols on this bitch and she ain't dead yet. "She put a curse on us, for Christ's sake."

"A curse. Are you kidding me. Don't make me have to come down there or even worst, call Pauli. If I do, it's your ass. Now, take care of that bimbo and now."

"Okay, boss,"Rudy said hanging up the phone and shaking his head at Pete.

"What'd he say Rudy?"

"He said we better go back in there and whack that broad or he was gonna call Pauli and you know what that means."

"Yeah, that would be our ass," Pete said.

They loaded their .38 pistols up again and headed for the door, scared of what they might find. but more afraid of what Pauli would do to them.

Easing the door open they peeked into the room, expecting to see Michele on the bed but the room was empty. "What the hell?" Pete said looking at Rudy in disbelief. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know, but we better find her."

As the two hoods turned to leave the room they came face to face with an unexpected horror. A creature blocked the door. They tried to run but it was too late. Before they could take a step the thing grabbed them, its mouth a large gaping wound, biting Rudy on the neck, blood gushed out, he fell to the floor like a rag doll. Pete managed to break loose and ran like hell.

The creature pursued, but Pete was so scared he ran like a jack rabbit out to his car, jumped in and peeled out.

Michele returned to her prey, feasting on his flesh until she was full. She sat on the floor satisfied. The one she wanted would come and then it would be his turn.

Chapter Twenty Three

"We just lay our cards on the table, Bone," I said, but wasn't sure what the hell we should do.

"And what does that mean?" Bone replied, looking confused.

"We just go over to the mayor's joint, tell him what we found out. Tell him we're there to help."

"Just like that."

Yeah, just like that."

"What if he don't believe us Dirk. It does sound pretty crazy."

"We'll figure that out when we get there, let's go"

We jumped in Bone's ride and headed to Chickasaw Gardens. I still couldn't believe what the historian had said. Michele was a zombie,the undead. She was so beautiful. I was in love, or I thought I was., and now we were on the way to kill her. It was so surreal, it seemed like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

By the time we got to the mayor's place, all hell had broken loose. Pete had just arrived and was beating on the mayor's door and screaming like a school girl. We could hear enough of what he was yelling to know something really bad had happened at the warehouse and Michele was the cause of it.

Bailing out of the car on a run, Bone and I headed for the porch to join Pete, all of us yelling for Mayor Dennison to answer his door.

Finally opening the door the mayor looked pissed,"What the hell are you doing here Pete, I told you to never come to my house. And who are these two guys?"

Pete looked at me and Bone curiously," I don't know boss."

I stepped up to make the introductions. "I'm Dirk Bogart and this is T-Bone. We need to talk to you mayor."

After a little more arm twisting we finally convinced Dennison to let us in. We told him our story and Pete told his story. The mayor was convinced there was a big problem at the warehouse and we were part of the solution.

We all headed to the warehouse, Pete leading the way, not knowing what kind of monster we were going to face. I felt like I had swallowed a basketball. I was shaking so bad I thought I would pass out. I hadn't been that scared since Vinnie the pick and his boys were chasing me in LaLa land. I checked my .45, it was loaded and ready for action. I didn't know how you could kill something that was already dead, but I guess we were going to soon find out.

The warehouse was in downtown Memphis down a dead end street between two condemned buildings. The sun had gone behind some dark clouds which gave the whole scene an eerie feel. We pulled up in front of the joint, not really wanting to get out, but knowing we had to.

We opened the door slowly, the place was dark, quiet and foreboding. Bone was beside me with the sawed-off, Rudy and the mayor both had .38 snub noses. We were armed though maybe not dangerous, to the undead at least. We all hoped Michele had left town, but had a bad feeling she hadn't. The quiet was deafening, the air heavy and putrid like a slaughterhouse. I felt the presence of someone behind me. whirling around, there was nothing.

From out of a dark corner came an inhuman scream, followed by the sudden appearance of a hideous monster, the like of which I'd never seen. Who ever it was or what ever it was, it wasn't Michele. It screamed again, and started toward us. We should have ran, but we didn''t. Instead we opened fire with everything we had. We knocked the monster on his ass, we thought he was dead, until he got up and started after us again. We blasted it again, but he didn't stop, grabbing Rudy by the throat and ripping a big hole, the blood squirted out, he fell on a floor like a sack of potatoes. The monster started after the mayor, Bone and I.

"Shoot him in the head, Bone," I yelled, seeing the body shots were ineffective.

Bone loaded two more shells into the chamber and closed the breach. Firing the first round, he missed the mark, the thing kept coming. He fired again, hitting the mark. its head exploded, brain matter blew out in all directions, his body writhed and fell to the floor twitching, finally going still.

Rudy suddenly rose from the floor reanimated. I yelled, "Look out, that son of a bitch is alive. Shoot him Bone!"

Bone slid in two more shells, took aim and hit the reanimated Rudy in the head, blowing his brains everywhere, he twitched and fell to the floor.

We looked up and Michele had appeared from nowhere. She had her hands on the mayor's throat. She was the sweet, beautiful Michele I knew at the club. She smiled, my heart melted. I was once again under her spell.

"Dirk, you love me, yes? Shoot him! If you love me, shoot him. Then kill T-Bone and we will be together forever."

I was mesmerized, not in my right mind. All I could see was Michele, all I felt was mind numbing, blinding love that was so powerful I was helpless.

"Don't do it, Dirk," Bone yelled. "She's not real. She don't love you, man!"

The mayor was so scared he couldn't speak, he just trembled.

I raised my gun, my hand shook, my finger on the trigger. Something way down inside me, a voice said to me,"Don't do it. Don't do it." Somehow I reached way down and gained some inner strength. I dove at Michele, knocked her on the floor, loosing her grip on the mayor's neck.

She rose again, now the monster she really was, heading again towards the mayor.

"Shoot her Bone, shoot her for God's sake."

I heard the blast from Bone's shotgun. Her head exploded, she screamed a loud inhuman scream, falling on the floor, she twitched a few moments and was dead, really dead this time.

Chapter Twenty Four

Mayor Dennison was so appreciative for us saving his life he said,"What can I do for you guys, just name it."

I didn't know what to say so I just said the first thing that came to mind. I said I wanted to be a private investigator again, with my own office, secretary and of course the most important thing, a license to practice.

T-Bone said he wanted to own a jazz joint, so the mayor bought the Blue Note and made him the new proprietor.

Turns out the mayor was indeed Michele's daddy and she had came to town to shake him down. When he wouldn't play ball, she decided she would kill him. She had staged the whole disappearance and had set me up to kill the mayor and take the fall.

I was back in business again, Dirk Bogart, Private Investigations. But this adventure or misadventure was far from the end of the story.
