Elgin

  Chapter 16

  In which our hero meets a ‘pretty lady’ and saves a heroine

  It was mid afternoon when a still aching Elgin reached his original hotel, got a new room key and the message that Petters, Petters, Faulken and Christchurch, like most companies in downtown New York had closed for the day after the Chinatown Fire Pit Disaster as it was now being called.

  Mid evening he found himself staring blearily at his third beer, the alcohol had dulled the aches, in both body and conscience, though he knew that he’d pay for it later one way or another. The extremely svelte blonde girl in a ‘little red thing,’ who slid onto the stool next to him gave him a coolly friendly smile and ordered a martini, when the barman delivered it Elgin raised his finger, “put that on my tab Peter.” The graying drink slinger smiled and nodded.

  The girl looked at Elgin, the smile a lot warmer now, “Why thank you sir.”

  Elgin winced, “Do I really look like a ‘sir’ to you, ma’am?”

  She gave him a lingering looking over, “You look like a gentleman and you certainly aren’t a local, so yes, at least until we’re introduced, sir.” The smile was coquettish now, “And I’m Loretta, not ma’am, that’s what I call my mother when she’s telling me that I need to go to church.”

  “Nice to meet you Loretta, my name’s Elgin. Call me El if you want.”

  Her nose crinkled prettily revealing the sprinkle of freckles under the makeup, “Elgin, that’s unusual.”

  “Yeah, named after a town my father visited once, he thought it a hoot.”

  “You didn’t change it?”

  Elgin blinked at her, then grinned, “To be honest I never thought about changing it, and I guess you’re the first person to suggest it. But I’ve grown to like it.”

  Loretta smiled, “Cool,” she sipped her martini, her eyes, a pretty dark brown, swept the room before settling back on him with a gratifying focus. A lot of indicators that he once would have missed told him that a lot of thinking was going on behind the pretty façade, and the smile was mostly artificial, however warm it appeared.

  She had decided he was probably the best available target for her wiles. Peter the bar man had probably told someone there was a lonely out of towner at the bar. Elgin contemplated his options rather coldly and sadly.

  In the back of his head, *You really want to know kid?* Cutter was picking up the vernacular very well.

  Elgin subvocalized, *Hit me.*