“Only it hasn’t worked out that way,” I finished for him.
“Tell me about it,” Max growled. “The guy’s gettin’ outta control. He can win all the time at your club and he wants even more. He’s like a dope fiend, Manny. The more he gets…” he shrugged.
“It just feeds his habit.” I said.
“Yeah. Dammit. I wish I’d thought of that first.” He shook his head. “I hear some of the things the complainers are saying about your joint. You’re a straight shooter, Manny,” another finger jab, “and I’ve been letting people know that, but…” he shrugged again. He poured himself a glass of straight rye but just swirled it around his glass, staring at the light glinting in the amber liquid.
“Well, I appreciate that, Max. Truth be told, all my regulars know I run honest tables—mostly—but I think Bogen’s making it hard for me to get some new customers.”
“Yeah,” Max growled, low and dangerous, “and that son of a bitch is queering my rackets a little, too.”
“I hadn’t heard that,” I said in surprise. Max—the big boy, the high roller—had the town in his vest pocket, I always thought. What he was saying was news.
“Well, it’s true. Maybe I’m not hurt as much as you are, but I don’t like the setup any better. Now, you’ve always been on the level with me, Manny, so I’m gonna be on the level with you: I’m seriously thinking about whacking the bum.”
“What about ‘no rough stuff’?” I asked.
“I meant it. I learned my lessons, I’ll tell ya that twice. I’m just thinkin’ out loud, that’s all. Something’s gotta be done. I’m just not sure what, yet.”
“Well,” I said, “I guess I feel a little better. Misery loves company.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Max downed his drink in one swallow. “When I make up my mind, I’ll give you a piece of the action, OK?”
When I got back to the club that night I went up to my office to go over the accounts and see how much damage Bogen was really doing. I was a little surprised to find Glottis there.
“Takin’ a break, carnal?” I asked.
“No,” he answered. “Lookin’ for some sheet music. I know I left it up here somewhere.”
“You should have sent Lupe to look. It’s a tight squeeze for you up here.” I tried to edge past him to get to my desk. “It’s a tight squeeze for me, too, right now.”
“Sorry, Manny,” Glottis said, trying to suck in his gut, “but I kinda think you wouldn’t have much of an office left after she got done looking.”
“You might have something there,” I said, finally getting around him. Lupe had all the enthusiasm of a tornado and half the finesse. “Is this new or old music you’re looking for?”
“New.”
“Well, there’s a little package for you over there.” I pointed over to the small, mostly decorative writing desk that sat in a corner of the office. “Is that what you’re after?”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” Glottis tore open the paper and took out his music. He thumbed through it and then looked over at me getting down to the books. “So how much damage is the police chief doing this month?” Sometimes the demon was a mind reader.
“Could be worse.”
“Yeah, but every time he’s in here, it costs the LSA another round of sproutella, huh?”
I gave him a sour look. “C’mon, buddy. The way you talk sometimes, you’d think the LSA were the bad guys.”
He just shrugged. “It’s my nature, Manny. I don’t like the idea of people getting hurt.”
“Yeah, but just remember that we’re trying to stop people from being hurt—and if Hector’s gang wants to get tough about it, that’s their problem. Just remember what this is all about, OK?”
“Yeah, sure, Manny. OK.”
I looked over the numbers for a while and said, “Well, this doesn’t look too bad so far. You know, when we leave I’m actually gonna miss this place.”
“Aw, Manny, why can’t we just stay here?” Glottis said, sounding a little petulant. “We got our fancy club, we got three squares a day, plus we look good in these clothes.” He hooked his thumbs on his lapels and puffed himself up like a rooster.
“Glottis, I can’t stay in this world forever! It’s not where I belong. I’ve got to find Meche and help her, because if I’d been more on the ball she’d’ve been on that train a year ago.”
“OK, Manny,” Glottis sighed.
“Well, you’d better get back to your keys before we have a riot.”
“Yeah, they might have to call out the National Guard. Heh.”
She Sailed Away
The next night I went up to the club a little after it opened. “Evening, Lupe,” I said as I came in.
“Hi, Manny!” she exclaimed, jumping up from whatever she was doing behind the counter. “I have to tell you about my new organizational system for the coats!”
I winced inside. She had a new system every other night, it seemed, each more bizarre and pointlessly complicated than the last, when anything along the lines of ‘old man with glasses’ had always seemed good enough to me. I changed the subject. “Think she’ll come in tonight?”
“Manny,” Lupe said earnestly, “you ask me that every night. What am I supposed to say?” she pleaded.
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Yes, I think tonight’s the night.’”
“Yes,” she said firmly, “I think tonight’s the night…” she paused to take a deep breath and finished with, “that you finally go nuts from waiting for the grand entrance of Ms. Mercedes Colomar!!”
“I’m not giving up on her,” I insisted, mainly for my benefit.
“Hey,” Lupe exclaimed, “I don’t want you to give up on Mercedes! Just have more realistic expectations, that’s all. I hate seeing you get your hopes up like this night after night.” Lupe may have been loopy, but she had a soft heart.
Still, I was her employer, so I kept things… not exactly hard. “Well, you could be a little more encouraging. Let’s try it again, shall we? Think she’ll come in tonight?”
“Could be, Manny,” she answered gamely, “just… hang in there.”
“Thanks.” The kid was a trooper. “It’s my fault she’s out in the woods alone, you know.”
“If you say so, Manny,” she said with a sigh.
I shrugged out of my coat and passed it and my hat over to Lupe. “So how’s the flow tonight?”
“We’re dead tonight, Manny,” she answered without a trace of irony. “Everybody’s back home for the Day of the Dead, I guess. Except for the casino. The casino’s hopping. Why is it that the people who don’t go home are the same people who just love to gamble?”