Chapter One - The start of something big...
Claudia enters the scene...
Manhattan 1945
I smoked my second to last Lucky, watching the smoke spiraling up, glowing a mournful purple in the sporadic neon from the avenue below, before pouring myself a large Remy Martin and resting my feet on the desk. It looked like being a long evening.
The Black & Wentz Detective Agency sign had lost its shine. Once a handsome, glimmering piece of brass, offering hope and enthusiasm to the many clients who knocked reluctantly on the heavy, wooden door, it was now nothing more than a dull old sign, nailed to a dirty, creaking door that led into a small, cluttered office. Over the years there were fewer and fewer people that would see it.
Inside, the dullness evaporated as soon as the blinds were lifted. The view from my window was fantastic, you could see right over Midtown Manhattan. We were on the 31st floor facing the Empire State Building, a shining beacon of American Architecture, with a great view over the city; the sleaze and the millions of nameless people battling to win the perpetual rat race. I shared this office with my partner Hermeez Wentz and our trusty secretary Ava Jameson, who were both out, probably at home with their feet up and the zzzs rapidly approaching.
I drained the Remy, lit my last Lucky and got ready to hit the paperwork. My first day back from a long vacation had been uneventful, and the pile of bills, which had been growing over the last few weeks, was still goading me from the desk in the corner.
Then suddenly She entered the scene. I should have felt it immediately. She had trouble written all over her beautiful face. Sure she caught me at a bad time, I was tired, bored and my resolve was weakening. I was always a sucker for a good mystery and a good looker. She didn't disappoint on either score.
She had long, dark brown hair, straight down to her shoulders with curls at the end. She was wearing a classy, black evening gown that revealed just enough to accentuate her curvy figure without cheapening the effect, with a tiny, red cardigan, buttoned only at the neck. A delicate gold watch and a sparkling diamond ring were the only jewelry on show. The ring was on the wrong finger, unless you were her fiancé, and was very tasteful; a single diamond mounted on a simple gold band. Her face was dominated by her dark, piercing eyes that at first appeared to be too large, but when they looked at you could only be described as beautiful. She had a small, pixie nose and full lips, painted red that seemed to move in slow motion as she spoke.
She cast a stunningly beautiful silhouette on the frosted glass door and then came in and intrigued me. Sitting with her long, tanned legs crossed and a cigarette glowing from between her lips, this is what she told me...
"I'm so pleased that you are here, Mr. Black,” she said in a timid, girlish voice with a slight trace of an accent. I couldn't quite place it but it was European, possibly Italian.
“You’re lucky that I am. I’ve been away a while.”
"I don't feel very lucky right now,” she said. "In fact, Mr. Black, I am in a terrible muddle, I really am."
She looked at me all the time she was talking, blushing slightly as I held her gaze.
"I’m sorry, Miss....”
"Claudia, my name is Claudia."
"Claudia. Why don't you take a drink and we'll see if I can help you."
I took out another glass and poured her a healthy shot of cognac, watching her curiously as she tentatively took hold of the tumbler and gulped the drink, before coughing embarrassedly. I chuckled and re-filled my own.
"Here, take this." I handed her my handkerchief and she held it to her mouth before smiling. The smile could have come right from the gods.
"I am sorry Mr. Black, what must you think of me? I really am in the most terrible mess. I'm absolutely at the end of my tether."
"Take your time sweetheart, there's no rush. When you're ready why don't you tell me all about it?"
"You’re very kind." She jabbed out a hand and rested it on my own. It was warm and felt soft, like a velvet glove on a block of firewood. She removed the hand and started fiddling in her dinky, black shoulder bag. She pulled out a small block of lipstick and a pair of black, lacy panties and handed them over to me.
"I've sensed that something is not right for quite a while now. I'm not some silly, paranoid little girl you understand, but when I found these it was just too much."
I smiled at Claudia and looked right into her big, puppy eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly dabbed away with my handkerchief.
"I take it that these are not yours," I said businesslike.
She shook her head and said, "If only they were Mr. Black then I wouldn't be here now. No, I am afraid I don't wear this brand of lip stick and the...they are certainly not mine." She took a deep breath, "I found them in the trouser pocket of my dearest George. When I was doing the laundry of course, I wouldn't otherwise go through his things, although...” Her sentence petered out and she looked blankly out of the window with a confused look on her face.
"They could of course be a gift. Maybe you have a birthday or a special date in the not too distant future?"
Claudia shivered and shook her head. She picked up the lipstick and screwed off the top, the colour stick was worn nearly all the way down. She took the panties in her hand and made a fist. "They could not be for me, Mr. Black. They smell of...a woman."
"Your dearest George, is that your boyfriend, Claudia?"
She turned to me and smiled. "Not my boyfriend, Mr. Black, my fiancé. We are soon to be married and we will have the most wonderful ceremony with a huge reception and a marquee with bouquet after bouquet of sweet smelling flowers. So far he has been unable to afford a wedding ring. George does not yet earn very much money, but soon we will live in a big house and I will have a large, golden ring."
I nodded and waited for her to continue. She sat there for a good three minutes almost enjoying the silence, as I was enjoying watching her in it. All of a sudden she flushed again and apologized before continuing the story.
"I don't really believe it is true, but she's been pestering me for weeks now and when I found these things I..." she paused, "well, I guess I just want to know really. George is very secretive. He never tells me things unless he thinks that it is necessary that I need to know. Now I think I really do need to know."
"Okay Miss..."
"Claudia."
"Claudia, I think I'm getting the picture. You want me to put a tail on George for a while, make sure he's behaving himself?"
She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her bag, before looking up eyes ablaze and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Black, I do. I will pay you handsomely for the task. This may not seem like a big deal to you but to me...you see George is my life. I cannot bear to think of him...well you do know what I mean, you are a man of the world. Just do whatever it is that you have to do, and then my mind will be at ease." She pulled a purse out of her bag and leafed out a one hundred dollar bill. I didn't even blink as she handed it over but the alarm bells were going off in my head. They were put to bed by a return of that seemingly innocent, angelic smile and a flutter of her long lashes.
"We reside together in a small house in the East Village."
She gave me the address and directions to get there. "Tomorrow evening George is out on a business meeting. Maybe that would be a good time to start the..."
"Yes, it probably would," I interrupted to save her the pain. "What I need is a good description and a few details, it won't take a minute." I opened the drawer and pulled out a fresh pad of paper and a pencil.
"George works very hard,” she said slowly, avoiding my gaze. "He has a good job down in Battery Park...taking people over on the ferry."
"The Staten Island Ferry?"
"No, to see the statue. He's hoping to get lessons to captain the vessel, that's what his business meeting is all about. He would make a great captain."
"I'm sure he would. And a description."
"Yes, of course. He's thirty-eight years old, a little over six feet tall with short, blond hair. His eyes are blue and he has lovely thick eyebrows, a shade darker than his hair colour. He is very softly spoken and very gentle, a true gentleman which I am sure you are aware, Mr. Black, makes him very attractive to the ladies."
I smiled and gently shook my head.
"Tomorrow, he will be wearing his best navy blue suit with a red handkerchief in his breast pocket. He will be meeting the shipping committee for a meal at a creperie in Chelsea and then going on for a drink at the Dragon Bar in Chinatown. I overheard him arrange it on the telephone. I do not know when to expect him home. He has told me not to wait up."
I took it all down and put the pad away. "That should be all I need Claudia. The job shouldn't be too difficult, but if you think of anything else that may help. It's probably better for you if I don't call you so why don't you call back here in a couple of days and I'll give you a progress report."
"You are very kind, you really are,” She looked a little sad but her voice held firm. "Please Mr. Black, this means a lot to me. Please take the job personally and take it seriously. To me this really is a big deal."
Those were the last words she said with her slow motion mouth before she leaned over the desk, kissed me softly on the cheek and left the office. All of a sudden the sign looked shiny again.
It was the start of something big...
I smoked my second to last Lucky, watching the smoke spiraling up, glowing a mournful purple in the sporadic neon from the avenue below, before pouring myself a large Remy Martin and resting my feet on the desk. It looked like being a long evening.
The Black & Wentz Detective Agency sign had lost its shine. Once a handsome, glimmering piece of brass, offering hope and enthusiasm to the many clients who knocked reluctantly on the heavy, wooden door, it was now nothing more than a dull old sign, nailed to a dirty, creaking door that led into a small, cluttered office. Over the years there were fewer and fewer people that would see it.
Inside, the dullness evaporated as soon as the blinds were lifted. The view from my window was fantastic, you could see right over Midtown Manhattan. We were on the 31st floor facing the Empire State Building, a shining beacon of American Architecture, with a great view over the city; the sleaze and the millions of nameless people battling to win the perpetual rat race. I shared this office with my partner Hermeez Wentz and our trusty secretary Ava Jameson, who were both out, probably at home with their feet up and the zzzs rapidly approaching.
I drained the Remy, lit my last Lucky and got ready to hit the paperwork. My first day back from a long vacation had been uneventful, and the pile of bills, which had been growing over the last few weeks, was still goading me from the desk in the corner.
Then suddenly She entered the scene. I should have felt it immediately. She had trouble written all over her beautiful face. Sure she caught me at a bad time, I was tired, bored and my resolve was weakening. I was always a sucker for a good mystery and a good looker. She didn't disappoint on either score.
She had long, dark brown hair, straight down to her shoulders with curls at the end. She was wearing a classy, black evening gown that revealed just enough to accentuate her curvy figure without cheapening the effect, with a tiny, red cardigan, buttoned only at the neck. A delicate gold watch and a sparkling diamond ring were the only jewelry on show. The ring was on the wrong finger, unless you were her fiancé, and was very tasteful; a single diamond mounted on a simple gold band. Her face was dominated by her dark, piercing eyes that at first appeared to be too large, but when they looked at you could only be described as beautiful. She had a small, pixie nose and full lips, painted red that seemed to move in slow motion as she spoke.
She cast a stunningly beautiful silhouette on the frosted glass door and then came in and intrigued me. Sitting with her long, tanned legs crossed and a cigarette glowing from between her lips, this is what she told me...
"I'm so pleased that you are here, Mr. Black,” she said in a timid, girlish voice with a slight trace of an accent. I couldn't quite place it but it was European, possibly Italian.
“You’re lucky that I am. I’ve been away a while.”
"I don't feel very lucky right now,” she said. "In fact, Mr. Black, I am in a terrible muddle, I really am."
She looked at me all the time she was talking, blushing slightly as I held her gaze.
"I’m sorry, Miss....”
"Claudia, my name is Claudia."
"Claudia. Why don't you take a drink and we'll see if I can help you."
I took out another glass and poured her a healthy shot of cognac, watching her curiously as she tentatively took hold of the tumbler and gulped the drink, before coughing embarrassedly. I chuckled and re-filled my own.
"Here, take this." I handed her my handkerchief and she held it to her mouth before smiling. The smile could have come right from the gods.
"I am sorry Mr. Black, what must you think of me? I really am in the most terrible mess. I'm absolutely at the end of my tether."
"Take your time sweetheart, there's no rush. When you're ready why don't you tell me all about it?"
"You’re very kind." She jabbed out a hand and rested it on my own. It was warm and felt soft, like a velvet glove on a block of firewood. She removed the hand and started fiddling in her dinky, black shoulder bag. She pulled out a small block of lipstick and a pair of black, lacy panties and handed them over to me.
"I've sensed that something is not right for quite a while now. I'm not some silly, paranoid little girl you understand, but when I found these it was just too much."
I smiled at Claudia and looked right into her big, puppy eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly dabbed away with my handkerchief.
"I take it that these are not yours," I said businesslike.
She shook her head and said, "If only they were Mr. Black then I wouldn't be here now. No, I am afraid I don't wear this brand of lip stick and the...they are certainly not mine." She took a deep breath, "I found them in the trouser pocket of my dearest George. When I was doing the laundry of course, I wouldn't otherwise go through his things, although...” Her sentence petered out and she looked blankly out of the window with a confused look on her face.
"They could of course be a gift. Maybe you have a birthday or a special date in the not too distant future?"
Claudia shivered and shook her head. She picked up the lipstick and screwed off the top, the colour stick was worn nearly all the way down. She took the panties in her hand and made a fist. "They could not be for me, Mr. Black. They smell of...a woman."
"Your dearest George, is that your boyfriend, Claudia?"
She turned to me and smiled. "Not my boyfriend, Mr. Black, my fiancé. We are soon to be married and we will have the most wonderful ceremony with a huge reception and a marquee with bouquet after bouquet of sweet smelling flowers. So far he has been unable to afford a wedding ring. George does not yet earn very much money, but soon we will live in a big house and I will have a large, golden ring."
I nodded and waited for her to continue. She sat there for a good three minutes almost enjoying the silence, as I was enjoying watching her in it. All of a sudden she flushed again and apologized before continuing the story.
"I don't really believe it is true, but she's been pestering me for weeks now and when I found these things I..." she paused, "well, I guess I just want to know really. George is very secretive. He never tells me things unless he thinks that it is necessary that I need to know. Now I think I really do need to know."
"Okay Miss..."
"Claudia."
"Claudia, I think I'm getting the picture. You want me to put a tail on George for a while, make sure he's behaving himself?"
She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her bag, before looking up eyes ablaze and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Black, I do. I will pay you handsomely for the task. This may not seem like a big deal to you but to me...you see George is my life. I cannot bear to think of him...well you do know what I mean, you are a man of the world. Just do whatever it is that you have to do, and then my mind will be at ease." She pulled a purse out of her bag and leafed out a one hundred dollar bill. I didn't even blink as she handed it over but the alarm bells were going off in my head. They were put to bed by a return of that seemingly innocent, angelic smile and a flutter of her long lashes.
"We reside together in a small house in the East Village."
She gave me the address and directions to get there. "Tomorrow evening George is out on a business meeting. Maybe that would be a good time to start the..."
"Yes, it probably would," I interrupted to save her the pain. "What I need is a good description and a few details, it won't take a minute." I opened the drawer and pulled out a fresh pad of paper and a pencil.
"George works very hard,” she said slowly, avoiding my gaze. "He has a good job down in Battery Park...taking people over on the ferry."
"The Staten Island Ferry?"
"No, to see the statue. He's hoping to get lessons to captain the vessel, that's what his business meeting is all about. He would make a great captain."
"I'm sure he would. And a description."
"Yes, of course. He's thirty-eight years old, a little over six feet tall with short, blond hair. His eyes are blue and he has lovely thick eyebrows, a shade darker than his hair colour. He is very softly spoken and very gentle, a true gentleman which I am sure you are aware, Mr. Black, makes him very attractive to the ladies."
I smiled and gently shook my head.
"Tomorrow, he will be wearing his best navy blue suit with a red handkerchief in his breast pocket. He will be meeting the shipping committee for a meal at a creperie in Chelsea and then going on for a drink at the Dragon Bar in Chinatown. I overheard him arrange it on the telephone. I do not know when to expect him home. He has told me not to wait up."
I took it all down and put the pad away. "That should be all I need Claudia. The job shouldn't be too difficult, but if you think of anything else that may help. It's probably better for you if I don't call you so why don't you call back here in a couple of days and I'll give you a progress report."
"You are very kind, you really are,” She looked a little sad but her voice held firm. "Please Mr. Black, this means a lot to me. Please take the job personally and take it seriously. To me this really is a big deal."
Those were the last words she said with her slow motion mouth before she leaned over the desk, kissed me softly on the cheek and left the office. All of a sudden the sign looked shiny again.
It was the start of something big...