Time and Chance (30 page)

“What?”

“Peggy quit
Snakebite.”

“I heard it from
Angelo, you know Angelo….”

“I goddamn know
Angelo.”

“I'm surprised you didn't
hear, Angelo said she quit couple days ago, oh that's right you been in New
York. How was New York?”

Joe crossed his leg
and I heard him whisper, “Jesus Christ.”

Berry slammed his desk
with both hands. “What is goddamn going on around here?”

I asked Joe, “Any idea
what's going on around here, second banana?”

Joe shot both his
middle fingers at me. “Bite me, Carr.”

“Can it!” Berry looked
at that spot, he liked to bead, between my eyes and said, “When Peggy gets in,
you find out what happened and I want a report immediately if not sooner. Got
it.”

I said, “What if she
doesn't show up?”

He kicked his desk.
“She goddamn has to show up!”

While I was thinking
how uncomfortable it must be for Berry, he looked at Joe and said, “That's all,
Joe.” He beaded me, “You, stick around for a minute.”

Joe said, “I'd like to
hear this.”

“Go sell something,”
said Berry, “and close the door on your way out.”

Joe stood, bit a piece
of fingernail, spit it on the carpet, and left.

Berry walked to me.

I rested back in the
sofa softness and looked up into his face.

Gazing down his nose
like he had just tasted something nasty, rancid, and stale, he said, “What's
this about Peggy quitting Snakebite?”

“All I know is what
Angelo told me.”

He squeezed out a
painful, “Wheeen?”

“I guess day after the
premiere, Tuesday. You knew Peggy was Snakebite's lady friend, didn't you?”

He looked at me
sideways like you do when you wonder how much the other person knows. “Where'd
you hear that?”

I fudged a little.
“Heard it from Angelo, bartender at Felix The Cat, you know Angelo….”

He kicked his coffee
table. “Goddamn it, you know I fucking know Angelo!”

“Also, ah … Friday
night I ran into Snakebite. He told me to tell you something about the bank
closing, you'd know what he meant. We had a little disagreement.”

That look again. “Say
again.”

“Snakebite said to
tell you the bank was closing, you would know what he meant. I don't know, call
him.”

“Don't worry, I will.
What disagreement you have with him?”

“I accidentally
stepped on his cowboy hat.”

“You WHAT?”

“I accidentally
stepped on Snakebite's cowboy hat.”

“How the….” Berry
wiped his chin like a dentist had just been in his mouth and the Novocain still
numbed his cheek. “Are you serious?”

“I think.”

“You think. Jesus
Christ. Let's call Snakebite, I'll find out what's going on.”

Berry went to his
desk, turned on his speaker phone, and touched a set of numbers.

After two rings
Snakebite's voice: “Walker.”

That paused me, the
scumbag was in town, Gillian's gig tonight.

Berry said,
“Snakebite, Berry, how ya doing?” Hearing nothing, he said, “Snakebite, you
there?”

“Yeah, whaddaya want
prick?”

“You don't sound so
good.”

“Yeah, you're not
gonna sound so good if I don't get some cash, bank is closed, prick.”

“What's that supposed
to mean?”

“Did ya get the message,
I gave to that prick news guy of yours?”

I smiled at the
thought of being so well known.

“You mean, Jack Carr,
yes, he said something … but … what's going on?”

“Ask prick.”

“He's here.”

“Yeah, give him a
message, prick is parts.”

I shouted from across
the room, “Hi there Snakebite, how's the hat?”

A loud click.

Berry gushed, “What
the fuck is going on?”

“You tell me, bank
closing, Snakebite needs cash….”

He kicked his desk.
“You … I'll … you're….” I think he stopped short of firing me. I figured he
maybe didn't want another problem just now. He looked at me for a good ten
seconds, then said, “Get the fuck out of here.”

CHAPTER 28

Real Time

9:26:05 A.M. CDT

Sago Yu called police
headquarters and talked to his detective friend, Jerry Little. “Hey Jer, need a
favor.”

“What's that?”

“Need you to see if
you got anything on a Gillian Phoenix?”

Pause, “What's up?”

“Somebody was asking
about her, personal.”

“I'll check, let you
know.”

CHAPTER 29

Jack’s Time

In my office, thinking
Gillian simply has to split that Cat gig
, I thought,
call Gillian
.
Then I realized, where? I had no phone number. Dumb. The only number I had was
Felix The Cat. I pressed the number.

“Cat.” The voice sounded
female and young.

I said, “Hi, this is
Uncle Ted from Spring City … Gillian Phoenix's Aunt Ida passed away and I wondered
if you had a number for her….”

“Nope and no, we ain't
allowed to give out Kitten numbers.” She hung up.

My private line rang.
Berry. He invited me to an early lunch. It was more than an invite, kind of a
recommendation. I speculated this might be my last day at TV12, but what can
you do. Time and chance, a fork is a fork, and I had Gillian. I called Sago,
lunch was out, had he found anything on Gillian? He told me his contact was
going to check on it, let him know.

“Let me know.”

* * *

Berry drove and,
seated in the Rebel Lounge, ordered a double Manhattan South; I had iced tea
(believe it) and Stella Pastorini—long sleeve yellow blouse, ankle length green
dress, three inch green spike heels, blonde wig—came over from her duties at
the Knife & Fork and said hello to Berry. She ignored me and I noted that
she looked like she had been through a rough weekend—puffy eyes looked like
putty, blonde wig askew or something, awful lips like they had been gnawed on
by a Rottweiler. I wondered what awful things might be going on in her mind.

After pleasantries
with Berry, Stella left and Berry ask me flat out what I knew about Snakebite
and him. I told him I knew nothing. He didn't believe me. Then he told me, soon
as I had left his office, he had called Snakebite again and asked him what was
going on. Snakebite asked him again if he got the 'bank closed' message from
me. Berry told him he had but wondered why, what had happened. Snakebite told
him he should talk to the 'Irish Prick', and hung up. Irish being wrong, but me
nevertheless, Berry said he called Snakebite back. Snakebite confirmed what I
had told Berry earlier. Peggy quit Snakebite, her Felix The Cat gig, she had
fallen in love.

Berry folded his arms
and said, “Snakebite said it's you she's in love with.”

I took a page from
First Angelo, I di'nt know nothin', that it was me was a surprise to me.
Shocked even, I couldn't believe that.

Berry said that's what
he thought. He said he told Snakebite it had to be a mistake, he would talk to
me, see what was going on, they could work it out. He was sure it was just a
misunderstanding. The way Berry explained it, I assumed he got an extension on
the bank closing.

Then, in baroque
tones, Berry told me if I even thought of touching Peggy, I was canned. Seemed
a little late but I didn't think it made any sense to get into all the boring
details now.

As we got ready to
leave, he told me, quote, “Get it fixed, Carr, whatever the misunderstanding
is, whatever it takes, you get it fixed, pronto, or else.”

On the way out Berry
had to see Bernard about something. As I waited for Berry in the lobby, Stella
slipped me a The Berry Inn stationery envelope—canary yellow. Holding the
envelope to my ear, I listened for a ticking.

* * *

Back at TV12, a little
after lunch time, no message from Gillian, I sat at my desk and opened the
envelope Stella had given me. The note, written in black ink on The Berry Inn
yellow stationary, rambled. Scanning it quickly to see if there were any death
threats, it seemed Stella had been with Peggy over the weekend. It had been a
horrible experience. I read it more closely:

Jackson, Congratulations on
ruining Peggy's premiere party. I spend all day Saturday with Peggy and all
Sunday to. It was a horrible thing what you did to her. I got up after midnight
and she was almost drowned her head in the toilet. I had to clean up for her.
she dint know where she was. The wee hours of Monday A.M. were fucked, she got
her gun out. Finally passed out, when she woke up, thens when she pushed me out
a bed. She would kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but I'm doing it
for her own good.

To put it plain, Peggy is pissed
with what you did to her Friday night, standing her up like that. For that
matter, so am I. I think it was something some male dog like you wood do. we
talked long and hard and Peggy does not want to see you agin cepting on a
professional level.

So don't go calling her or
talking to her at any time. Professional that she is, she probably be in to
work today, but I'd warn you to stay clear of her.

(OVER)

P.S.

 
Just so you know, I seen you and Gillian
riding that motorcycle on Sunday. Just so you know to, when I went into work
Saturday night Angelo told me about you fighting with Snakebite. Snakebite said
he is going to cook you for what you done to Peggy and him. He also tole me
about the call from Gillian Saturday afternoon her not coming into work. When I
seen you and Gillian, Sunday, on her bike, I knew what is going on.

 
Congratulations, Jackson. Lucky for you,
Snakebite doesn't know about you and Jillsie YET! I just want you to know, I
DO!

PS #2: If you know what's good
for you, don't ever go near Felix The CAT again. Snakebite is going to cook
your liver and eat it.

PS. number 3 Word to the wise, I
didn't tell Peggy everything for your own health.

PS number 4, LET Peggy alone!

STELLA P.

I looked around. I was
standing up. Terrified for Gillian, zipping past Joy's desk, I told her I had
to run out for an hour.

Winston remembered the
way to Gillian's house. Maybe she would still be there.

CHAPTER 30

Real Time

1:25:03 P.M. CDT

Peggy—hair sprayed
stiff, cherry lipstick, pink eye shadow, white long sleeve shirt, pearly
buttons, black leather vest, black leather mini shirt, black boots, slim black
leather gloves, large red leather purse—arrived The Berry Inn and went
immediately to the Knife & Fork. She had become well known there and basked
in the added service. She said “hi” as she passed Stella and seated herself in
her favorite table by a window overlooking the pool. As she peeled off her
gloves, she glanced at the luncheon special printed on a white flier stuck in a
silver paper clip:
Corned Beef & Hash with EGG—$8.95
.

Stella—blonde wig,
yellow satin blouse, ankle length green dress, green heels—lunch business
winding down, walked to Peggy's booth and sat. “How ya feeling?”

“Fucking wonderful.”

“Sorry about the
weekend.”

“Fuck you.”

 
Stella pushed off her shoes and wiggled her
toes. “Berry and Jack were in earlier, for lunch, over the Rebel Lounge.”

A cold stare from
Peggy.

“Left half hour ago.”

The cold stare
continued, Stella lit a Pall Mall, dragged, exhaled, said, “Glad Frazer didn't
come in here, help gets goosey, start droppin’ dishes, cups, everything … but,
what the hell, he owns the joint, what's left of it, rumors around here checks
are bouncing like hail on my trailer's roof. Hah. No wonder Frazer had three
Manhattan Souths, and get this, Jackson had iced tea.”

Peggy closed her eyes
slowly.

A young male server
came to the table with a coffee pot in hand and spoke to Peggy. “Hello, Ms.
Moore. Cool weather show.”

“Thanks.” Peggy forced
a smile.

“Can I get you
something?” The server said.

“Hash ain't bad.”
Stella said.

“Nothing. Just some
coffee.” Peggy said.