Chapter One - the Case of The Eternal Virgin.

Pete meets his next client after a long hiatus following the death of Cynthia and his slow, slow recovery inside and out...

I walked into Luigi's speakeasy, nodding to Harry The Keeper  behind his desk.  He didn’t sit no more  in his high chair with his twelve gauge - now he had a desk, and carried an automatic under his left armpit and a .38 in his belt.  He still kept the twelve gauge propped in the corner of the desk for emergencies, and I  gave him the friendly high finger wave as I walked past,  looking for Armand - the new owner and now the loud partner to my silent role after the Cyrus Longbottom case.

 

Armand - who now owned the joint outright courtesy of ol' Pete himself here - hadn't changed the name of the joint, just cleaned up the clientele a little, and brought it a little upmarket, so I knew I was looking for a dame with class.

 

Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell ya - I'm Pete Grappler, Private Eye, and the dame I was looking for was a new client, not some floozie pickup flapper girl.

 

Not many there that seemed to fit the bill, just a heap of Chicago's mid-upper crust, so I was about ready to walk out or hit the bar when I saw her.

 

Oh, yeah, that had to be her, all right!  Not many Japanese/Hawaiian chicks around in Chicago, and not ones that were wearing a short, short skirt and knee high boots to keep out the chill, though I wonder if they kept the chill outta the rest of those long legs and what they supported up there.  Yeah - THAT was the stuff that dreams are made of .. not that other crap that was starting to flood into New York and places...

 

It sure warmed me up down there, and I figured maybe I was finally starting to get over Cynthia a little... but that's another story.... I'll leave that 'til later...

 

This little gal had said she's stand out from the crowd, and this one sure did.  I was grabbed right there, and I could see this might be the start of a beautiful client/customer relationship....

 

I didn’t rush in, just took a little time to check out how she handled herself, while Armand, at my elbow as always, had a bourbon all ready for me - on the house now, since I was the silent partner here.  Yeah - Armand never did forget anything - and that Gypsy Honour thing was starting to seep into my bones a little.

 

Which kinda reminded me of Big Augie and his foot soldiers - all dead and buried now and a tribute to Chicago just by being that way.. I hear people are putting flowers on their graves to thank ‘em for checking out so suddenly - but still …. there were a couple of bones that still ached when it was cold…. and a cold spot that ached even more down where nobody gets a look inside ol’ Pete here. 

 

Yeah, Cynthia.. you’re still with me , babe… nothing takes that away.

 

I grabbed a fast bite of good bourbon to keep the ghosts down a little - straight with a sliver of ice courtesy of Armand - and figured it was high time I made the acquaintance of my new client.

 

Yeah - she was a doll, all right!  I don’t know what they put in that Japanese Hawaiian mix, but it sure played out well on the great stage of life!  Guess I was starting to wake up from dying inside over Cynthia a little. 

 

Way back a thousand years ago in Belleau Wood, the only way to stay alive was to just go and do.  Don’t spend your time looking down at your buddy’s guts on the ground while that Kraut lines up on you next… just go… and kill the b*****d who did it.  Bite down on yer teeth, Grappler.. and get over there!

 

I made my way cool as a cucumber across that room, leaving my hat and coat on the bar for Armand’s boys to keep for me.  I’d pick ‘em up later.  Just go, Grappler, and meet your new client and forget the rest……

 

As I got closer I could see that the small skirt and the long boots didn’t really hide that much - this was some babe all the way from her feet to her head - and a hell of a lot in between!

 

Not for the first time I wondered why the hell anyone like that could want to talk to me.  I had a few lazy bars of gold stashed away in the safe behind Armand’s office door and another pile of cash stashed in Botheby's Bank - and nobody was gonna get to those, either - and I had that penthouse and that fine car I’d bought from ol’ Cyrus Longbottom’s estate and his family with Cyrus’ evil-gotten gains - but I wasn’t no picture card and not really that great at much of anything.  More of a hollow shell since … since Cynthia.  Yeah - I had the office and the secretary now, but all I was doing was small stuff just to turn over the till a little and make it look like I was still alive - never even went near the divorce garbage now - not after Cynthia.

 

Well this broad was a hellova lot different from the rest - she actually smiled when I walked up to her, as she stood up to greet me.   I didn’t have to take off my hat, but I smiled back and held out my hand…

 

“I’m Peter Grappler, the private detective you rang.  My secretary took your message.”

 

“Hello, Mr Grappler”  - Jeez, she said that so respectfully that I nearly fell over…

 

“Let us sit!”

 

She composed herself on that chair like a dream, and I had to shake myself to keep a firm grip here…

 

“I’m Kimiko Halamoni  - Kimiko is Japanese, from my mother, Halamoni means Harmony in English! Kimiko means upright or righteous.  Kimiko Harmony to most”. 

 

She said that last shyly.  Righteous Harmony…. a fine name for such a gorgeous girl.  Yeah, those Japanese and Hawaiians sure knew how to pick a name to go with that body.

 

“Lovely name - should I call you Miss Harmony or Miss Halamoni?”

 

“Either will do, Mr Grappler.  It makes no difference.  My name is not all Hawaiian - my grandfather was Rev Silas Harmony - he… married a Hawaiian woman whose son was my father.”

 

“Well, if I may say, Miss Harmony, it was a very good match.”

 

“Perhaps, Mr Grappler”, Miss Harmony said shyly, “but I don’t see myself as anything exceptional.  My mother taught me that a Japanese woman is quiet and reserved and does not make ‘waves’ I think you say it?”

 

“Allow me to disagree, Miss Harmony. Your mother must have been a very beautiful woman, too, and very lovely to know.  But we must move to business!”

 

“Yes, Mr Grappler - let us do that.”

 

She paused and took a sip of her ChateauBriand - there was a girl with class and Armand knew it.  He’d have supplied that right away without a second thought, out of his upmarket stock reserved for the best. It was on my bill anyway for a client.

 

“My grandfather left a will.  He passed everything to his children, and through them to his grandchildren.   He… had a family in Chicago already, and even though he named my father in his will, we are finding it hard to do anything about it.”

 

So it was all about money just like all the rest… I was starting to get a little cold on the case already, but then she looked up at me.

 

“Mr Grappler”,

 

She said that in a voice that would make The Devil himself give up on taking her soul,

 

“I also have a brother, and he is… well he was a clam diver, and…. had a terrible experience.  He.. was caught under water on an old wreck, and when they got him up, he was alive.  But he was… just not the same!”

 

“It’s all right Miss Harmony - I know what you mean.  I had some good friends… in the past.. who were injured that way.  They were soldiers”…

 

“I’m not sure if you understand completely, Mr Grappler.  His brain was very short of air for a long time, and… he is not the same and never will be.  I need money to care for him. I cannot do it on my own.. without money.  I can never marry now, and my parents and ancestors will be very disappointed.  No grandchildren.”

 

“I see your problem, Miss Harmony.  But what can I do about it?”

 

“ I need your help to persuade the lawyers who are dealing with the will to do what is right.  They will not do that.  My father made no claim, he was not interested in money even though his father was well-off,  but it is still there. He made sure that he kept contact with the lawyers so that they would .. could not forget!  For his children.”

 

“Miss Harmony - why doesn’t your father just do this himself now - now that your family needs this money?”

 

“My father died suddenly last year….he died soon .. soon after my mother passed away. I think his heart was broken. They were very close!  I think my brother's problem had a lot  to do with it, too.  So much pain”

 

She looked up at me again..

 

“Mr Grappler, I have no-one!  I am only a woman and I must care for my brother.  I cannot persuade the lawyers on my own - they will not listen and tell me to go away. They say that my grandfather’s family already has control of his willed money, and they say that my father has no rights now……..I have papers”…

 

She reached into her bag, and took out two single sheets that she smoothed out carefully on the table and handed to me.

 

I took my time reading them, not just to absorb everything there, but also to settle myself down a bit.  Her perfume was causing havoc with my nostrils here, and I needed something to distract me.

 

One paper was a copy of the will, all signed and notarised, and saying that Alan Harmony - or A’ala Halamoni - was definitely included.  The second was a letter from the lawyers, Kuttit and Runner, of Chicago, and dated just over a year ago, and saying that they acknowledged Mr Harmony’s last letter about the will, and he could be assured that it was still in safe hands, safely invested, and apparently just sitting there waiting for him

 

It seemed pretty clearcut - the girl had to have a claim here - as long as she could prove she was Mr Harmony’s daughter. I had to ask…..

 

“Miss Harmony - can you prove you are who you say you are?  I’m sorry - I didn’t put that well - but he law will require proof that you are indeed the daughter of the Mr Harmony named here in this will.”

 

Miss Harmony hesitated for the first time,

 

“I’m afraid I cannot do that right now, Mr Grappler.  You see, I’m waiting for my luggage to arrive from Hawaii - it’s not much, but I think the shipping line has sent it on to Milwaukee or somewhere east.  I’ve heard they do that often.”

 

I looked at her for a minute, then said,

 

“Look, Miss Harmony - I can see that on the surface here you have something going as a claim - but we really need to have some positive evidence before I can go down there and take this up with those sharks at Kuttit and Runner.  These guys have a reputation for being mighty tough to deal with, and they won’t just let go of all that loot, er, money, without a hellova lot of proof.  When can you expect that luggage?”

 

Suddenly she looked almost in tears,

 

“I really don’t know, Mr Grappler.  I came her hoping for a good outcome and now I find myself caught in what seems like and endless trap of lost or missing things.  I sometimes wish I’d never left Hawaii.”

 

“Ok, Ok”, I said, “just take it easy.  It’s not that bad.  I can make some preliminary enquiries with these hustlers, and we’ll see how much we can get organised as soon as possible, OK?  At least we can let them know you’re still here and wanting this settled!”

 

That didn’t seem to settle her down much - but hey - what was I gonna do?  Go up against those hustlers with no gun in my hand?

 

“All right”, she managed to get out, “we’ll just wait - for as long as it takes.”

 

I studied her for a minute again,

 

“Look, Miss Harmony.  I sorta get the feeling you're not coming clean with me.  I need to know everything if I’m going to take this case.  Otherwise I’m just a bull in a china shop, you understand?”

 

“Yes - I do understand and I must be honest with you.  I… just can’t pay you yet, Mr Grappler.  My money is all tied up - in Milwaukee or somewhere. When I get this settled….”

 

Yeah - I went for it,

 

“That’s OK, doll.. er, Miss Harmony.  I haven’t done any work for you yet - and until we can get the paperwork, I can’t anyway.  We’ll just settle the bill later - if that’s all right with you? "

I looked her over carefully, and on second thought she did look a bit peaked -  maybe the travel had a lot to do with that, and the kid deserved a break after all that.

"Look - would you like to have dinner - on me?  I know the head man here, and his chef is pretty good… they tell me.”

 

She nodded.

 

Hell - it wasn’t as if I needed the cash, and this kid seemed pretty genuine. And she did kinda look in need of a good meal and a break for a change. Guess it can be hard out there in Hawaii with a sick clam diver brother to look after.

 

I signaled Armand who was there in a flash - and asked if we might order some dinner for the two of us - on me, of course!  Armand raised a finger to his son-in-law, Petro, who came over as fast as Ol’ 97 to take our order. 

 

Petro was doing just fine in the house that old Cyrus Longbottom’s dirty money bought for him and his bride, Armand’s daughter, and he felt honoured to owe me a little.  Yeah - Gypsies got that Honour thing right - don’t matter what anyone says about ‘em.

He was almost happy to accept our order and hustled off to the kitchen fast.

 

Fish in Felluci, the chef’s, special sauce for her, all mixed with what he called scampi - though they looked like shrimp to me, all the way from the East Coast of Maine.  I guess that figured for a Hawaiian girl. 

 

I took a steak, medium rare, and all the trimmings. 

 

Nothing fancy for me - just solid all the way.  Yeah, this was the life - a good dinner, some good bourbon, and a beautiful broad sitting across the table.  Even if she was just a kid.  I could still enjoy the company.

 

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