The Devil's Right Hand - J. D. Rhoades [2]
Keller stepped out into the humid night and lit a cigarette. A summer thunderstorm had recently blown through, leaving the parking lot scattered with puddles of oily water that reflected back the red and blue neon lights of the club. The sudden cooling brought by the storm had caused the waterlogged air to turn to light fog. Keller blew out a long stream of smoke and watched the Friday night traffic sigh past on Bragg Boulevard. A Ford minivan pulled up and a group of young men in sport shirts and khakis piled out. Keller noticed that one of them appeared much drunker than the others, who gathered around him to prop him up. They were whooping and laughing. Bachelor party, Keller thought. There was an edge to their laughter, almosthysteria. “We’re having fun,” the laughter said. “Really. We promise.”
There was the sound of footsteps behind Keller. He turned and saw Bowtie advancing on him. He squared off to face the big man.Bowtie stopped, his red face within a few inches of Keller’s. The bouncer squinted, trying to make his small eyes look hard. Keller looked back without expression. Finally, Bowtie spoke.
“You been asking a lot of questions about one of the ladies,” he said.
“Yeah,” Keller said. Bowtie began to look uncertain. He was obviously used to being placated at this stage of the game. He looked Keller up and down, obviously measuring his broad six feet against Keller’s lankier six-two. His jaw worked for a minute, then he said, “You a cop?”
Keller shook his head. “Bail Enforcement.”
The term obviously threw Bowtie, and the uncertainty was making him angry. His face got even redder and his neck and
shoulders seemed to inflate slightly.He was building up his rage for the next stage of the game.Keller interrupted the process.“I’m going to reach into my pocket and get my business card,” he said. He did so without waiting for permission. He handed the card to Bowtie, who squinted at it.
“H & H Bail Bonds,” he said finally. “What, Crystal in some kind of trouble?”
Keller shook his head. “Her cousin,” he said. “Name of DeWayne. They grew up together. He didn’t show on a B & E down in Brunswick County. I figured his family might know where he is.”
Bowtie stepped back a few inches and deflated his neck and shoulders. “She don’t work here no more.”
“So I hear. She quit?”
“Naw. I fired her ass. She was, ah, doing private shows after hours. Know what I mean?”
Keller tossed his cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with his boot. “She was hooking.”
Bowtie nodded. “I don’t need that kind of shit.”
Meaning, Keller thought, that she wasn’t cutting you in on the profits. Or letting you sample the merchandise.
“ Plus,” Bowtie went on, “She was wasted half the time.” He tapped the side of his nose and tried to look knowing. It didn’t work. “Know what I mean?” he said again.
“Yeah. Any idea where she went?”
Bowtie shrugged. “Escort service’d be my guess.”
Keller sighed. There were at least fifty of those in the Yellow Pages alone. “Don’t guess her cousin ever came around.”Bowtie shook his head. “No,” he said, “she never said nothin’ about having a family.”
“Okay,” Keller said. “Thanks.”
“Hey, don’t mention it,” Bowtie said. “And, ah, sorry about gettin’ in your face like that. I gotta look out for the ladies.”
“Yeah,” Keller said. “You’re a real knight in shining armor.”
“What?” Bowtie said, but Keller was already walking away.
He walked over to his car and opened the door. The car was a former police cruiser, a late-model Crown Victoria. He had had it repainted to remove the police markings, but it still had a rack in the front seat in which a 12-gauge shotgun rested upright. A cell phone nestled in a hands-free system rose from the floor next to the rack. Keller leaned over and hit the speed dial.
“H & H Bail Bonds,” a female voice said after a few rings.It filled the car, directed through the stereo speakers by the handsfree system.
“What are you wearing?” Keller said.
She chuckled softly. “Keller,” she said.
As always, her voice saying his name caused a tightening in his throat. “Any luck?” she