|
A tall glass on the bar
Sam sat there on a stool at the bar. The bar had low lighting, with brass
fixtures mounted on the wall. The bar was a deep chestnut with brass
accents. His eye wandered around the bar as he thought quietly. He
leaned forward and attracted the bartender's attention so as to make his
order.
"Gord could you mix me up a whiskey on the rocks?"
"Sure Sam, I'll have it right up."
Sam smiled as the bartender Gord slapped together the drink in short
order. Sam put his money out on the bar top and left a generous tip.
What a night.
Suddenly the door flew open, and she breezed in. She was a tall
woman with a generous figure and a grand sense of style.
Sam watched her with appreciation and a sense of dread. His
suspicions were confirmed when her darting eyes lit upon him, and her
worried face broke into one of relief. Oh-oh.
"Sam, my name is Roxanne, ," she said when she reached his side, "and I need your services."
"What exactly may I do for you madame?"
"My diamond necklace is missing, and I need you to find it."
"Find a necklace? That's not my forte. How valueable is the necklace?"
"It's not the necklace so much, althought it is hugely valueable, but the main problem is that my husband and ..."
Sam stopped her in mid-sentence. "I think maybe we ought to go somewhere a little more private to talk about this."
He asks the bartender with his usually glance. Gord gives him the nod.
"Okay then" she says. "In that case follow me," Sam says as he rises off his stool. He leads her into the back room he occassionally used as his office. Least ways
when he was in this bar - which was plenty! Sam closes the door behind them.
" Now about your husband and this necklace thing.."
" Well you see, my husband and the maid both disappeared last night, along with my necklace. I think he ran off with her, and he took the necklace to finance his little daliance!"
"Can you give me any clues about where he might of gone? Anything?"
" Well, I found a stub for an airline headed to St. Kitt's in the Carribean. It was dated for early today. It was sitting on the kitchen table, along with a bunch of other odd's and ends of his."
"Sound good," says Sam, "but just a question of the fee."
"How's this: I cover your expenses, and pay you $40,000 if you find him and my necklace. Plus I give you 25% of it up front to get you started. Plus a bonus if you do things right."
With this Sam knew he was getting into some serious stuff, but the money was in his eyes, and he knew he'd be a fool to reject.
He shook Roxanne's hand and said, "Done and done! Just give me a contact number, your name, and I'm off to St. Kitt's."
"1-(444)555-7777, and my name is Roxanne Tritt."
-----end of this chapter-----
Written and © by Chris, 1999
|
