Free Six Crime Stories by Robert T. Jeschonek Page A

among her enemies if the criminal world believed she was a man.
    With a suitcase in each hand , Kay led Carver out of the dance hall to the parking lot. Two pink buses sat end to end at the far side of the lot , one for the band members and one for their instruments and equipment.
    " You ' ll ride with the band , " said Kay , reverting to her normal voice but keeping it low. " No segregation on the bus. Might be the Dreamboats ' only redeeming quality. "
    Like Kay , Carver spoke softly. " Have you heard anything about Lee? Do you have any leads? "
    " Maybe tomorrow , " said Kay. " We ' ll be in St. Louis. "
    Carver felt a surge of grief and anger. St. Louis was where Lee had been murdered--beaten and strangled to death in a seedy tenement room.
    " We ' ll check out the crime scene , " said Carver. " The police might have missed something. "
    " You ' ll take the night off from the Dreamboats. Tell Sheila you ' re sick , " said Kay. " Trudy will stay with the band , with Jack and Lillian as backup. "
    " Okay. " Carver nodded and stared into space.
    Kay ' s icy gaze flashed upon him. " Are you sure you want to see the crime scene? I can take Jack instead. "
    Carver looked him in the eye with a steady certainty that he didn ' t feel under the surface. " I ' ll be fine. "
    Â 
    *****
    The next night , in St. Louis , the Dreamboats got a warm reception. The band drew a large crowd to the downtown dance hall , and the show was a huge hit.
    Though Trudy knew that the band was crooked , she couldn ' t help getting caught up in the excitement. The Dreamboats were master showmen and cast a spell on the audience from the first note they played to the last.
    Couples hurtled across the dance floor , spinning and whooping for every fast number...slow dancing lovingly for every ballad. The applause was thunderous for every song. Whenever the musicians took a break , the crowd chanted and clapped and stomped its feet until they finally started playing again.
    Sheila Venus was at the center of it all , showing off her knockout body and natural gift for bandleading. Her pink chiffon dress and white gloves suggested dainty femininity , but her fierce , precise gestures to the band revealed the absolute command of a general at war.
    The Dreamboats ' performance was something to behold...and yet , it was only a warmup for the show that came after.
    When the band had finished its third encore , and the crowd had filtered through the front doors into the night , the lights dimmed...and a new audience filtered in through the back door.
    This bunch was different than the fun-loving young people had been--for the most part older and seedier. There were hawk-nosed gangsters in dark suits , side by side with tattered , rough-and-tumble hoods , shifty-eyed addicts , rumpled salesmen...and rich-looking kick-seekers in tuxedos and furs.
    There were also two familiar faces , which Trudy made it a point not to look at too long for fear of giving them away. In among the lowlifes and high rollers , her backup agents mingled--Jack and Lillian , dressed in streetlife rags , huddled off to one side.
    The new crowd strolled and shuffled and slithered into the dance hall , taking care to avoid each other ' s gazes in the dim light. They gathered on the floor , mumbling and snickering and scuffing their feet.
    Meanwhile , the Dreamboats left the stage and set up tables around the hall. They dragged musical instrument cases from backstage and arranged them on the tables , flicking open the latches but leaving the lids closed.
    As Trudy watched , wondering what would happen next , Sheila drifted over and whispered in her ear. " Watch and learn , Tanya , " she said. " Welcome to the late show. "
    " Late show? " said Trudy.
    " Late as in after the first show , " said Sheila. " And late as in you ' ll be the late Tanya Hamilton if you ever rat to the cops about it. "
    Before Trudy could say another word , Sheila was gone , vanished into the crowd.
    As Trudy turned in a