Free The Drazen World: The California Limited (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Catherine C. Heywood Page A

innocuous, that it could be a life-giving glass of water.  But it wasn’t.  Not even close.  In fact, if he consumed enough of it, it could kill him.  And that is the rub , he thought, as he chuckled sadly.  He’d never felt so deceived and unmoored.  So impotent and utterly lost.  Perhaps he was losing his mind.
    He didn’t know who the girl on the train was, but there had been a girl.  The Lucky Lounge was in Milwaukee, not Racine but there was a Lucky Lounge.  Yet who was she?  Where was she?  She hadn’t told him nearly enough.  And what she had seemed to be little more than half-truths.  Why hadn’t he asked more questions?  Fuck!   It would be so easy to fall into anger and not climb out for a week.  A month. 
    Had he been taken by a con artist?  Everyone seemed to think so but him.  He could not imagine that he might have been so naïve.  So trusting as to be swindled by a beautiful girl with gorgeous tits.  And maybe he was more the fool.  But here was the real truth:  she hadn’t taken anything from him.  Not really.  Some drinks.  A few meals.  That was nothing.  Change in the bottom of his pocket.  If she was a hustler, she was third-flight at best.
    And there was no feigning that voice.  It was singular.  She was more than a raw talent, had training and a presence that made him all but certain she was a singer, a professional.  Then it suddenly occurred to him, perhaps she had used a different name, even there.  So fixated on having one vital piece of information, it hadn’t occurred to him that it might be wrong.  He glanced at his watch.  2.30am, which meant it was 4.30am in Milwaukee.  At 6am he called the Lucky Lounge and no one answered.  Every hour on the hour he called until the phone was finally answered at 9am.
    “This is your lucky day.  Artie speaking.”
    “Artie.  We spoke yesterday.”
    Artie sighed.  “I told ya, pal.  No Minnie.”
    It sounded like he was hanging up.  “Wait.  Wait.  The girl I’m looking for was tall, dark brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and curves.  Incredible curves.  She had a set of pipes that was second to none.”
    “You’re looking for Mae.”
    “Mae?”
    “Mae Wilson.  Beautiful young thing.  A world of talent.  You’re right.”
    “Mae Wilson,” Jack said as if testing the name to see if it fit.  “I need to know where she is, Artie.  Where is she?”
    “Where is she?  Well that seems to be the question of the day.  She took off a couple weeks ago like she had a demon on her back.  Haven’t seen nor heard from her since.  A shame, really.  She was the biggest draw we ever had.”
    “I’ll just bet she was,” said Jack.  “Can you give me her phone number or address?”
    “She on the lamb from ya?”
    “You could say that.”
    “Good luck to ya, then.  ‘Cause we’ve got nothing on her.”
    “What do you mean, you’ve got nothing on her?”
    “She left.  No notice.  No explanation.  Left her last round of pay, even.  A pretty dime piece, too.  The other girls wanted to split it and t’ hell with her.  They didn’t care for her all that much.”
    “Why not?”
    “The usual, I suspect.  Petty jealousy.  All the men with deep pockets wanted her to sit with ‘em.  You got deep pockets?”
    “I might.”
    “See?  All the really fine ones loved her.”
    “She have a boyfriend?  Fiancé?”
    “Not that I knew.  But it’s not like we were friends or anything.”
    “Those petty girls.  Would they know?”
    “Maybe.  Maybe not.  Like as not they’d hear another fine gentleman was looking for Mae and lead you straight in the opposite direction.  Petty, ya see.”
    “I see.”
    “Anyhow, I wanted to send her pay, but when I pulled her file it was blank.  Her name at the top, then nothing.”
    “Nothing,” repeated Jack.
    “That’s what I said,” Artie replied.  Jack paused to contemplate.  “Listen,” Artie continued, “you find her, you be good to