A Song In The Dark Read Free

with skirmishes. I could count myself lucky.
    Alan Caine, grinning wide, called after her: “Why don’t you get a job?”
    She heard. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch! I’ll cut your throat if you don’t pay what you owe me!” The rest was incoherent and, from the tone, likely obscene. Closing doors spared us from more opinions and threats.
    One of the chorus dancers trotted up. “Alan, that was awful. Are you okay?”
    â€œYeah-yeah, Evie.” He waved her off. “Back on your mark, let’s get this over with.”
    She seemed disappointed he wasn’t making more of a fuss over the disruption and visibly swallowed back the load of comfort and sympathy she must have had ready to pour out. Evie was just about the cutest little doll I’d seen in many a week and affected a tiny Betty Boop voice. I thought she could do much better than Caine. “Well . . . if you’re sure  . . .”
    â€œI’m sure. C’mon, bub.” He turned her around and gave her a light swat on her nicely rounded rump. This cheered her up, and she went trotting back to her envious and/or amused sisters. They formed their line again. Caine called acue to the band, and they began in midstanza, this time making it to the end. He cut an exaggerated bow to them. “Finally!”
    â€œAbout damn time,” muttered Strome. He wasn’t one for offering much in the way of comments. His beer, which he’d drained off, must have loosened him up.
    â€œHow’s that?” I asked.
    â€œHe’s been at it all day. If he was a dame, he’d be one of those primer dons. He better pray he don’t ever lose his voice. That’s all that’s keeping him alive. Derner’s been busy just holding off people from busting him one.”
    â€œYet he packs the club?”
    â€œHe keeps that mean side away from the audience. With his looks they think he’s an angel. People in the business know he’s a jerk-off but they put up with it. He’s got enough push from bringing in cash to get them fired.”
    â€œOr tossed out.”
    Strome spared me a look. He must have thought I was referring to myself, not Caine’s ex-wife. “Derner woulda talked him out of it. Caine don’t know who’s who in this town yet.”
    â€œIn my case it doesn’t matter.”
    His stony face had almost become animated, but shut down at the reminder of why we were here. “It’s just the business,” Strome said. This was the closest he would ever get to making an apology to me for whatever was to come.
    â€œYeah.”
    A business where a guy like Strome could come up to me, his former temporary boss, and tender an invitation to take a ride that I had to accept. He’d been so sure of the end result that he’d left the motor running in the car when he walked into Lady Crymsyn to deliver the summons. We eyed each other in the yet-to-open lobby, as though either ofus had options. He had to bring me in, and the gun he carried under his arm was the last word on the subject. I glanced around at my people, who were getting things ready for the evening, oblivious of any threat. Strome shook his head, letting me know they weren’t on his list.
    He wouldn’t use them against me. I liked that.
    I got my hat and coat and went along, turning the opening of Crymsyn over to one of the bartenders. There was no point putting things off. This way I had some control over the situation. If the bad guys insisted on killing me for killing Hog Bristow, it would be at a safe distance from friends who could get in the cross fire.
    The men who took away the acrimonious Jewel Caine returned, two of them resuming their posts, the third pausing to glare at the empty dance floor. Caine and the chorus line were backstage, getting ready for the night’s performance. The third guy shifted his glare toward me, but whatever bothered him was