Wiseman just gave an easy smile. I knew right then that they were sweet on each other, despite him being old enough to be her father. I was almost jealous.
“It’d be my pleasure, darling. The usual?”
“As always.”
He motioned to the barkeep before introducing us. “Elvira, this is Mick Trubble. Mick, you’re in the presence of Elvira Stole. Sweetest dame in New Haven, and the best handler a Troubleshooter can ask for.”
The barkeep set a Cuba Libre up for Elvira and another Rusty Nail for Wiseman. I tapped the counter.
“Gimme a Bulleit Neat.”
Then I turned and tipped my Bogart to the lady. “It’s a pleasure, Ms. Stole.”
She waggled her fingers. “Just call me Elvira, sugar. Ms. Stole makes me sound sophisticated. Theo’s told me about you. You two partnering up now?”
I shook my head. “I’m more like a stray mutt he took in.”
Wiseman chuckled. “You’ll have to excuse Mick’s rather morose view of himself. I need the backup, and he has that handy look about himself. I’m pretty sure he’ll take to troubleshooting like a fish to water.”
I winced as flashbacks of the river flickered through my mind. “Don’t mention water.”
Elvira smiled. “Well, I’m glad that Theo has someone watching out for him. He needs it. Still thinks he’s young and full of grits.”
Wiseman gave her a wry look. “Elvira here has contacts with a lotta high hats around town. They give her the wire on situations that require a less… judicious touch.”
Elvira nodded. “Like the transport problem that one of my clients has right now. Seems that their goods have been nabbed on the regular, and the thieves have proved pretty elusive. Making fools out of the rent-a-cops.”
The barkeep set a loaded glass in front of me with a nod. I tipped back the bourbon. “Why’s that?”
“Because the theft takes place in midair. The transport is a zeppelin.”
Wiseman lit a smoke. “What’s being transported?”
“Sensitive goods.”
“How sensitive?”
She sipped her drink. “No human trafficking or narcotics. Nothing that you’ll lose sleep over, Theo.”
I tapped the counter and nodded at the barkeep for another reload. “Airbus robbery. Takes a mean set of stones to pull something like that off.”
Wiseman shrugged. “Nothing we can’t handle. You give me the time and place of the next shipment, Elvira. We’ll be on board and see if we can’t sort this little theft situation out.”
Zeppelins claimed the highest airlanes in the city, so the view was pretty spectacular. Air traffic whipped by beneath us as the floaters whizzed to their destinations, and beneath that was the city itself: towering monoliths so massive that the entire upper section of the city hung in the air, interconnected islands of commerce that grew like barnacles from their colossal host buildings. It was night, and the city lights winked and glittered from Downtown to Bayside, counterfeit stars that pumped adrenaline into a city that never relaxed, much less slept.
“Nice view.” I leaned against the outside railing, puffing smoke into the breeze. The airship was a ghost that floated along its computer-navigated course by way of its massive helium cells. Passengers relaxed inside the cabin at the cocktail lounge or in their suites, but only a few braved the thin air and cold drizzle outside. I pulled my collar tighter and ignored the light rain.
Wiseman nodded as he gazed over the railing. “Nice to take it in from a bird’s eye view. Makes you remember this city can be a thing of beauty.”
I flicked my gasper butt into the open air. “You gonna tell me what the plan is, or kill me with the suspense?”
He grinned. “Maybe I’m testing out your investigative skills.”
“I thought you said your occupation was shooting trouble. So far there really hasn’t been any.”
“Don’t take everything I say so literally. And as for shooting…” he pulled his flogger back so that I could clap eyes on the heat he packed in a holster under his arm. “Let’s just say that I’m always prepared.”
“Well that makes one of us.”
“Yeah, that reminds me.” Wiseman reached into his flogger pocket and pulled out a mean snub-nosed revolver. It was an older model, but looked well cared for. Mech enhanced only to preserve the shot quality and ammo load.
He handed it to me. “That’s a mean ol’ broad, but she’ll do the trick. I’ve carried her for as long as I’ve been troubleshooting. So do me a favor and don’t lose her, pipe that?”
I hefted the heater and smiled. The weight was balanced, and the grip was sure. She felt as though she’d been modeled for my hand.
“A Mean Ol’ Broad, is she? I’ll do my best, Wiseman.” I slipped her in my flogger pocket and nodded to the lounge inside. “Now from what I can tell, this isn’t a freight airship. It’s a luxury cruiser. The folks inside are high pillow types in glad rags, overpaying for romantic views of the city and the chance to soar above it all. So the robbery can’t be for anything large. I figure someone on board has to be transporting something extra valuable, something restricted that our thieves are trying to get their mitts on.”
Wiseman gave me an appraising look. “Not bad. Now, what could the payload possibly be?”
I frowned in thought. “Dibs are out — holoband hacks are too easy to trace. Energy cells are too common. Wouldn’t need to move ‘em like this when there’s hardheads on the streets that do it every day on the cheap.”
I shrugged. “Maybe my mind isn’t that inventive, Wiseman. Robbery of moveable goods isn’t exactly a common crime in New Haven. Too easy to get nabbed by the button boys to bother with it.”
“For moveable goods, you got a point. Most robbery done nowadays is by folks sitting in their boxers eating yesterday’s pizza while nabbing identities and personal info. But there’s something that you might not be taking into consideration,” Wiseman said.
“What’s that?”
“Access.”
I frowned. “Access? To what?”
Wiseman scanned the sky. “There’s so much more that a mug can access when he has the funds to make things happen. A lotta high hats on this cruiser have just those types of funds. They can open doors that normal mugs like us can’t even get a peek at. Doors that lead to places.”
I shook my head. “Why don’t you try to be more vague, Wiseman? I almost understand what you’re gabbing about.”
He nodded upward. “We’ve got company.”
The shadow fell over us as he spoke. It was a manta, gliding just above the airship. The thin craft was aerodynamically designed to evade radar detection and could carry two or three passengers. A pair of masked mugs rappelled down zip lines at that moment, aimed right for the deck of the gondola. I did the obvious and went for my heater, but Wiseman placed a hand on my arm.
“Not just yet.”
I stared at him. “Are you gonzo? What do you wanna do, wait until they got the drop on us?”
“Just relax and let me handle this.”
The goons made it to the deck and detached the lines from their heavy flight suits. Both of them were heeled with odd-looking guns. The gas masks that covered their entire faces made them look downright sinister as they stared at us.
Wiseman waved them over. “Looks like you boys are here to lift something.”
They looked at Wiseman, then at me. “You didn’t say nothing about anyone else,” one of the goons said.
I stared at Wiseman. “Wait… what the hell is going on, Wiseman? You working with these mugs?”
Wiseman had accepted a mask from the goon and slipped it over his head. “Well, you can’t say that working with me isn’t full of surprises.”