Free Shamus In The Green Room by Susan Kandel Page B

arrow shot through it.
    I hoped it was a good omen.
    The Spot smelled the way certain bars do, a stomach-
    churning goulash of stale beer, sweat, and cheese. There was a
    basketball game playing on a big screen behind the pool table,
    but all eyes were instantly on me. Good thing there were only
    four of them. One pair belonged to the bartender, the other to
    a sixtyish woman channeling Dynasty-era Joan Collins in a
    spangly royal-blue turban and matching pants suit. She was
    seated at the far end of the bar, under the Corona banner, eat-
    ing peanuts while doing a crossword puzzle.
    “What can I do you for?” asked the bartender.
    “I’ll have a club soda.”
    “You got it.”
    “With lime,” I added, going for broke.
    He squirted the club soda into a dirty glass, stuck a slice of
    lime on the rim, and slid it toward me, along with a bowl of
    pretzels. Guess you had to be a regular to get the nuts.
    “Thanks,” I said.
    He watched me not drink.
    “Something else you need?”
    “Actually, I’m looking for the Mayor.”
    Silence.
    “Frank sent me.” I sounded like a bad movie.
    “ ‘Path of virtuous conduct, to some,’ ” the woman said
    out loud.
    “Kosher!” shouted the bartender.
    “Three letters. What about humble, also three letters?”
    “Shy?” he offered.
    “Pie,” I said. And I should know.
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    “Ooh, yes,” she said, erasing something furiously. When
    she was done, she smiled at me. “Hear you’re looking for the
    Mayor.” She wiped the lipstick from the corners of her mouth
    and came over. “That would be me. Duly elected, sworn in,
    and officiating twenty-four/seven. Always available for my con-
    stituents. Will you vouch for me, Andy?”
    “You have to ask, Mayor?”
    The Mayor looked like she might have been pretty once,
    movie-star pretty. Those women go one of two ways. Either
    they live in denial, with overreaching hairdos and makeup, or
    they give up the ghost. The Mayor was in denial. “How’s
    Frank these days?” she asked me.
    I squirmed a little. “About the same.”
    “I worry about that boy. He’s too giving, I keep telling him.
    You gotta keep some things for yourself. So. What are you in
    the market for?”
    “Information,” I said quickly.
    “Don’t worry, honey. We only sell drugs to folks we know.
    Laugh, Andy!” she commanded. “Tell this lady I’m joking!”
    “You’re a real joker, Mayor.”
    “What kind of information are we talking about?” she
    asked, serious now.
    I explained the situation to the Mayor, going into as much
    detail as I could. I’d only seen Lisa’s tattoo for a split second.
    The hourglass was tipped on its side and swathed in something
    satiny. The glass was what had struck me as so amazing. It was
    translucent, yet seemed to distort the skin underneath, like sea
    glass does.
    The Mayor rubbed her chin, her nose, her forehead. She
    shook her head and massaged her neck. Finally, she said she
    had a couple of ideas. Could she look into them and call me?
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    I handed her a card and told her how much I’d appreciate it.
    Then she led me off to the ladies’ bathroom. I told her I didn’t
    need to use the facilities, but she said she had something to
    show me. We crammed into the small space, then she shut the
    door and peeled off her jacket.
    Turned out she wanted to show off her own tattoos.
    Over her right breast was a sexy devil pinup, with yellow
    flames licking at a pair of trim ankles. On her left arm there
    was a Celtic cross stretching from shoulder to elbow. It shim-
    mered, like a stained-glass window.
    “The first Mayor did them,” she said proudly. “My late
    husband.”
    “Beautiful,” I murmured.
    She wanted more.
    “He must’ve loved you a lot,” I said.
    “Thanks, sweetie.” She put her jacket back on and hugged
    me good-bye. Her face felt cool and papery.
    I tried not to think on the ride home, just to focus on the
    road.
    CHAPTER
    TEN
    Detective Smarinsky wasn’t available the first time I