I parked on the street in front of the Sorbonne. We ran through the rain to the front door, shaking the drops off of our coats like a couple of dogs as we stepped into the… not light, that’s for sure: dim? Yeah, and frickin’ noisy: the jukebox was blasting out some weird, modern country music song—and I use the words lightly—by some faux cowboy I’d never heard of.
Geez, I thought, as I looked around, no matter how many times I step into this… snake pit, I never get used to it; the smell of stale beer and even staler—is that a real word?—cigarettes hitting my nostrils like a punch in the nose.
Ronnie was seated at a round table in a darkened corner—yeah, it was even darker—at the far end of the long barroom, along with a couple of wannabe poker sharks that I figured had probably learned their craft watching the World Series of Poker on TV. Both of them were young, both wore glasses. There was an empty chair waiting for me.
Gambling is illegal in Tennessee, but that didn’t stop the regulars. Nor did it bother Benny Hinkle… Well, not much. He kept his joint quiet and we cops gave him a little space, easement, if you will. I’d learned more about Chattanooga’s seedy side in that bar… And Benny, though not an official CI—confidential informant—was never averse to a little quid pro quo. He was one of my go-tos when I needed “the word on the street.”
I slapped the kid on the shoulder, told her goodbye and to be careful, and I left her to make her call and headed over to the table, wrenching my wet jacket from my shoulders and shaking it to get rid of the excess water as I went. The pool cues were all being used so I hung it on the empty rack in the hope that it might dry out a little: it was right under a vent that was piping lukewarm air down from the ceiling, too cool for it to be any good when it snowed but good enough maybe to dry out my coat.
“It’s about time,” Ronnie said, impatiently, as I untucked my shirt and pulled the hem over the M&P9 on my hip.
“I got a little sidetracked.”
The words had barely left my mouth when the kid appeared at the table. Seeing her in the light really showed the wear and tear from the storm. She must have been out there for an hour or more. Her face was pale, and she looked about ready to collapse. Ronnie checked her out.
“This is what sidetracked you?” he asked. “You better sit down, kid, before you fall down. You… want to play?”
Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me, Ronnie, I thought, shaking my head in amazement. Have you no shame?
She nodded, grabbed a chair, and squeezed herself into the small space between me and the scrawny kid on my right. The wad of cash she pulled from her pocket was wet, but she flattened it out, a stack of twenties a half-inch thick, and placed it on the table in front of her.
Laura, Benny’s “partner” and barkeep appeared at my side and set down a shot of whiskey and a beer on the table in front of me. I stared at it, picked it up, and sniffed it. It was scotch, not the watered-down crap Benny usually served—Laura knew better than that—but it sure as hell wasn’t the Laphroaig I was used to either. I smiled up at her and handed over a damp five-dollar bill.
She winked at me and said, “I see you have a little friend with you, Harry. What would you like, sweetie?”
“Coffee, please.”
Laura let out a hearty laugh. “Oh really? You think this is Starbucks? If you want booze, we got booze. That’s it.”
The kid chewed on her lip and then said confidently, “A shot of tequila… Gold.”
“That’s more like it. Anybody else?”
“You know what I want.” Ronnie, married though he was, was a harmless flirt, and she knew it.
“Yeah, tell it to someone who wants it too.”
Laura sauntered off with the usual swing of her hips and Ronnie shook his head, wistfully.
Everyone thought Laura had something going on with her boss, Benny. Not true. It was all an act. She was happily married with two kids and a loving husband. The act was for tips, and to keep the clientele coming in which, in turn, made Benny a very happy man. It was a match made in… Oh yeah, but it was still fun to watch her wiggle as she walked through the crowd.
“So,” Ronnie said, shuffling the cards. “Ante up. Five-dollar buy-in. Texas Hold ’Em.”
We all tossed our cash into the center of the table as Ronnie flicked cards around to us.
“How old are you, kid, really?” I asked. “And what’s your name?”
One, I was worried she might not be old enough to drink and two, I figured if she was going to lose her money to us, the least we could do was call her by her name.
“Phoebe. Phoebe Marsh, and I’m twenty-one.”
Ronnie stopped in mid-deal at the mention of her name and stared at her with his mouth open. It wasn’t a good look for a guy who prided himself on his intelligence.
The kid shifted uncomfortably in her chair and lifted the corner of her cards to give them a peek. Her eyes stayed down, and she shifted again.
There was something that the two of them knew that no one else at the table did, but I was sure Ronnie would tell me when he could. I scooped up my two cards and shielding them with a hand, fanned them out; I had a two of diamonds and a nine of spades, crap.
“Fold,” I said and flung the cards face down on top of the money pile.
Ronnie smirked as he lifted them and straightened the bunch into a new pile next to the deck. Everyone else stayed in and Ronnie dealt the flop cards: nine of hearts… queen of clubs… nine of diamonds. Crap!
First hand and I’d tossed three of a kind, and right then I knew I was in for a rough evening.
Laura brought a second shot of tequila and set it down in front of Phoebe on a little white paper napkin. What the… I didn’t even know this joint had napkins.
“What’s up with the fancy service?” I asked.
“It’s from the guy over there.” Laura nodded her head in the direction of a shady looking guy sitting at the far end of the bar. His back was towards the front door so all I could see was his profile. Big nose, broken at least once, stubbly chin and a pronounced forehead. The tiny slit where his mouth should be was barely visible. He looked like he was in pretty good physical shape, but the face was that of a thug.
The girl looked down at the napkin and shuddered. That same look she’d had in the back seat of my car had returned, and it was clear that this character had something to do with it. She raised her cards and upped the bid made by the scrawny kid to my right. If she had a good hand, you could only tell by the money she wagered. The kid had a terrific poker face.
I’m not sure why, but something inside of me clicked. This kid needs a friend.
“Hey Laura, can you bring a damp bar towel so Phoebe can clean up her face?” I smiled at the girl, trying to reassure her that somebody had her back.
“Sure. Just give me a minute.”
Phoebe smiled. It seemed like she wasn’t used to people being kind to her.
“I got nothing,” the scrawny kid next to me said as he threw down his cards. He took out a small notebook and wrote something.
“You wouldn’t be counting cards, would you?” Ronnie asked.
“No,” scrawny said. “I’m calculating odds.”
“A man after my own heart,” Ronnie said. “What’s your name?”
The scrawny kid put a finger to his glasses and shoved them back up the bridge of his nose. “Tim Clarke.”
There was no way that scrawny kid was old enough to be in this joint, I’d bet my badge on it, if I still had one. But like I said before, all it takes is a little green in the right pocket to overlook little misdeeds like serving underaged kids. And this one… well, if he was even seventeen years old, my uncle was the proverbial monkey.
Ronnie laid down the turn card—ace of hearts—and upped the bet. Phoebe and the other kid matched. He turned up the river card—ace of clubs. The kid folded. It was now just Phoebe and Ronnie. The two of them were a good match, him with his indomitable attitude and her with her casual demeanor.
Laura came back, setting the towel on the table next to Phoebe’s cards and placed a small green glittery bag on top of it.
“I’m sure you’ll find something in there that will make those gorgeous eyes pop,” she said, gifting her with a smile and a gentle pat on the back. Then she was away, cursing and swearing at two guys who’d put their beer glasses on the pool table.
Laura had a big heart and had made sure the water on the towel was warm. You could see the steam rising from it and how happy it made Phoebe to touch it to her face.
Damn! I thought. Whoever’s been messing with this kid has really done her psyche some damage.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the man at the bar had disappeared. His glass was empty and the coat that had been hanging over the back of his chair was gone.
“Call,” Phoebe said.
Ronnie smiled as he laid down a pair of kings. “Two pair, kings and aces. Your turn.” He raised his eyebrows.
“Three of a kind,” she said, turning over a pair of queens.
The smirk on her face was priceless as she raked in the money and began to straighten out the bills. But that wasn’t the only priceless face at the table. Ronnie was in shock. He hadn’t lost a hand that big for a long time and losing—especially to a… little girl—well, it hurt.
“Excuse me for a minute,” she said in a small voice as she stood up, grabbing the green case and walking around the table towards the back of the bar.
“You are coming back, right?” Ronnie said, standing up politely, his tall, slender frame towering over her as she walked by. “I’d like a chance to win back my money.”
“I’m just going to pee. You’ll get your chance.” A crooked smile parted her pale lips and there was a spring in her step that hadn’t been there earlier. Ain’t it amazing what one little win in life can do for a person’s confidence? She looked back over her shoulder as she headed down the hall to the bathroom and smiled.
“You want to play one without her?” I asked.
I was ready to leave. The three of a kind—my three of a kind—was indeed a warning. If I’d kept it, I would have lost my ass to Phoebe. And then, considering the sickening weather outside and the crappy drinks inside, I had an irresistible yearning for the warmth and comfort of my condo and a little twelve-year-old scotch.
“Ronnie,” I said, “I’ll play a couple more hands, and then I’m going to head for home.”
“You just got here, damn it.” Ronnie was already shuffling the deck and dishing out cards.
“You have enough players without me, and I can’t see the little lady stopping any time soon.”
Ronnie won the round, dealt another hand, and by the end of the second hand, the two kids were finished. They’d pretty much been cleaned out of every penny in their pockets along with whatever small amount of ego resided behind those plastic-framed glasses.
Both hands had gone long, and I was becoming worried about our friend in the bathroom. She’d left her money on the table next to her untouched drink and the now cold bar towel. Laura came up with another round of drinks for Ronnie and me.
“Where’s your little friend?” she asked.
“In the bathroom. Would you mind checking on her? She’s been in there for a while.”
“I hope she didn’t run off with my makeup bag. That douchebag at the end of the bar stiffed me already. I’d hate to lose my favorite eye shadow too.” She had started to leave the table when I grabbed her arm.
“Are you talking about that ugly guy with a big nose and no mouth?”
“Yeah. You know him?”
I suddenly had a really bad feeling that something was wrong. I didn’t often have such feelings, but when I did, I always trusted them and I was rarely wrong.
I pushed back my chair and headed to the back of the bar and the ladies’ restroom. I knocked and without waiting, pushed open the door. There were only two stalls, both of them empty.
I heard the rear exit door of the bar clang shut and I spun around, ran to the door, grabbed the quick release bar and pushed. The door stuck.
I held the bar down and hit the door with my shoulder. It swung open and I almost fell out into the street: I was just in time to see a pair of feet being pulled into the side of a black van. The tires squealed, spun, burned rubber, and it slewed out of the parking lot even before the door slammed shut.
No plates, damn it. That figures, I thought as I pulled my M&P9 from its holster and ran out into the rain. But I was too late. All I could do was stand there and watch as the back end of the van lost traction, skidded, its tires squealing as it disappeared around the corner.
Damn! I thought. What the hell was that about? What did the kid do that they’d go to so much trouble to grab her… and where the hell are they taking her?
My shirt and pants were soaked. I shook my head, frustrated, slid the weapon back into its holster, and headed back through the door, past the restrooms, into the main room of the bar. The two scrawny kids were heading out the front door, having left Ronnie pouting at the table.
“What do you expect when you take all their cash so quick?” I said as I dropped into my seat.
“You’re all wet,” he said. “What happened? Where’s Phoebe?”
“Gone.”
“Good, she left my money.” Ronnie reached across the table.
I grabbed his hand. “I’ll hold it for her,” I said.
Ronnie cocked his head and gave me a boyish grin. “She’s coming back then?”
“I doubt it. Someone grabbed her, and I’m betting it was that gnarly dirtbag that was sitting at the end of the bar.”
I scooped up the kid’s money, and as I did, I noticed the napkin under the kid’s shot glass. I moved the glass and picked up the square. There was a symbol drawn on it with an eyeliner pencil along with a phone number.
What the hell is that? I thought. What does it mean?
The kid must have done it when my attention was on the game. I turned it over and read the words scrawled on the other side. They were written with a blue pen. “Time to come home.” The dirtbag at the bar had sent her a message.
So that’s what it’s about, I thought. She’s a runaway.
“Ronnie,” I said. “That funny look on your face when she told us her name… You knew who the kid was. You want to tell me how come?” I asked.
“You don’t know?” he asked, his eyes wide.
I shook my head, waiting for an answer.
“Geez, Harry. Have you been hiding under a rock since you left the force? Phoebe Marsh is Frank Marsh’s daughter.”
And then I got it. “The guy who just went to prison for that Ponzi scheme?”
“The very same.”
Marsh had stolen a boatload of money from an even bigger boatload of people and in so doing had made a boatload of enemies. Some of those enemies traveled in very bad circles, and I had no doubt that most of them wanted revenge.
Geez. The kid’s in big trouble.
I took out my iPhone and dialed the number on the napkin. It rang six times and then went to voicemail.
A frickin’ laundromat? What the hell is that about?
I hung up. Suds and Duds. I knew that place. It wasn’t exactly what you’d think it was.
“I need to go, Ronnie,” I said, getting up from the table.
“Where are you going?”
“To do a little laundry.”