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My fist connected with the jaw of Artie Ming. The gun dropped from his hand. I kicked it across the floor a few feet. I dove for it. Artie recovered and delivered a hard knee to my gut. I grunted and fell to the ground.
Artie picked up the revolver and pointed it at me. Stay where you are or die he said. He backed away out of the office keeping the gun trained on me.
The cleaning lady took tail. Panicked and clutching her rosary. Artie let her go. He stopped in the doorway. “We will settle this”, he started to stay. Then stopped short.
The gun was still pointed at me but his eyes glared past me. You! Spat Selina’s voice from behind me. How could you betray Lisa like this she said. You’ve never loved anything but The Dragon, you coward.
Artie was never one to mince words. He pointed the pistol at Selina. And let two silenced shots escape his heater. Twip, Twip. I turned and saw Selina clutch her arm and slump to the floor.
When I faced the door again Artie was gone. The building alarm went off in a shrill rise and fall. The cleaning lady must have hit the panic button somewhere.
Selina was passed out from shock I’m guessing. I knew I only had a minute or two. The armed Capitol security guards would be here soon. Quickly followed by the cops.
The mayor's body was dead on the floor in front of his beautiful desk. Two twin bullet holes centered neatly in each of his pectorals. Blood made a crimson abstract art piece out of his white blazer.
P.I. procedure dictates that I give him the old pocket check. I found his wallet. It had a few crisp hundreds in it. I put the money in my pocket. He won’t need it I thought. I could hear the sirens of the SFPD wailing down the hilly streets toward the Capitol.
I reached into his inner right jacket pocket. I was trying to avoid all the blood. I grabbed a pen from the desk. And used it as I was taught back in the academy.
I stuck the pen in the pocket and fished around. The solid gold Mont Blanc pen clinked against something metallic. I angled the pen and scooped out a set of keys.
My heart stopped. My lungs went flat. My mind was blown. From the instant overload of emotion, I felt. As I sat there on the floor and held Lisa's car keys.