Part 14 (1/2)
”My name's Jack Fleming.”
”So how do you know me?”
”I'm a.s.sociated with this club.”
Her chin went up. ”You gonna throw me out?”
”I hope not. All right if I sit with you?”
She thought it over, giving me a hard up and down, then nodded. ”What do you mean by 'a.s.sociated'?”
I took my hat off, put it to one side, and slipped in opposite. ”I know the owner. I'm helping manage the place for the time being.”
She made no reply but stubbed the old cigarette and went on to the next, her fingertips yellow from chainsmoking.
There were matches on the table. I had one lighted by the time she needed it. She leaned forward and puffed her smoke to life. ”So you manage the place. What do you want from me?”
”Nothing. I just noticed last evening you seemed to have a stack of grievances against your ex-husband-”
”More of a mountain. He owes me a lot of alimony, that's the main one. It's pulling teeth with tweezers to get him to cough up anything, but I really need it, the landlord's leaning on me, and I owe for groceries. It's not like I'm wasting anything...” She shut herself down, mouth twisted with disgust. ”Christ, but don't I sound pathetic.”
”If he's holding out, you've a right to be upset. What about getting him into court?”
”That costs money. I can't feed myself, much less some lawyer.” She sucked in a draft from her cigarette and politely vented it to one side. ”Look, kid, maybe you want to help, but I've been over all the angles, and unless Alan pays up, I'm on the street in the morning. But then he'd enjoy that, the son of a b.i.t.c.h.”
I raised a hand and a waitress came over. They knew about my temporary rise in rank. Fast service for the boss was part of the job. ”What will you have, Mrs. Caine?”
Surprisingly, she wanted only water and a twist of lemon. From her behavior last night I took her to be a hard drinker.
The waitress came back quick with a gla.s.s and a bowl of peanuts. Jewel attacked them, but one at a time, yellow fingers delicate. I wondered if she'd eaten lately. She didn't look starved, but you didn't have to look it to be hungry. I was acquainted with that a little too well.
”Thanks, kid,” she said, lifting her gla.s.s.
”Just call me Jack.”
”Yeah. I've seen you around. Heard you run that red club with the funny name.”
”Lady Crymsyn.”
”Any jobs open? Or has Alan gotten to you, too?”
”What do you mean?”
”He's a big draw. Bigger than me, now. He won't sing at any club that's given me work. They always go with the money, and I get bupkis. He sees to it.”
”What can you do?”
”Just about anything. I can sing, but I'll wait tables, clean the d.a.m.n toilets if I have to.”
”How good a singer are you?”
”I do all right with wistful throaty stuff, nothing fast.” She tapped ash off. ”These things spoiled my voice, put a limit on my range, but I can't seem to kick 'em. I've got plenty of songs I can get away with that aren't a strain on the cords, and I'm good with mood pieces. I can make a rock cry.”
That told me she knew her stuff. ”I'm booked for acts this week, but maybe can give you a short set to do.”
Jewel stared, hovering between disbelief and hope. ”You sure? For real?”
”That jacka.s.s is never gonna sing at my place. It's only a short set. It won't pay much.”
”Kid, I'm making nothing now, I'll take it.”
”Can you start tomorrow?”
”Yeah, but-”
”I'll notify my booking manager.” I got my wallet and gave her a business card for the club. ”Go over tomorrow around three with your music and work things out. You'll talk to Bobbi Smythe. You know her?”
”Yeah, but-”
”Your landlord? A loan, then.” I had forty bucks and gave it to her. ”Interest-free. You need more?”
”Christ, kid, that's two month's rent!”
”It's okay, I'll take it out of Caine's salary. He must owe you more than that, though.”
”A few thousand.”
”I'll set something up at this end. So long as he sings here, you'll get your alimony. It won't be permanent, all he has to do is leave for someplace else, but maybe you'll have enough to get on your feet?”
”h.e.l.l, yes.” She seemed very taken aback. ”Why you doin' this?”
I shrugged. ”It gets my mind off my own troubles.”
”Must be some troubles.”
I didn't want to talk about what churned my guts. ”How'd you two get together?”
She snorted. ”Ten years back I was the big star and he was... well, you've seen him. He's a knockout. He still is.”
”Not to me.”
”Men.” Jewel puffed, wearing her cig down half an inch in one draw. ”He got to me with that big smile and those gorgeous eyes and sweet talk like it was going out of style. I went nuts over him. It's the only reason I can think of, that I was out of my mind. We got married, and it was good, and I got him singing lessons, then jobs. I wanted us to work up a duet routine, but he said he got more work as a single act. Eventually I figured out it meant he got more women that way. He was vile about it. Shoved it in my face like it was my fault.”
I listened and nodded as she touched on the low points. She had a long list of bitter grievances, the usual for when life and love goes bad for a couple. Caine had gone out of his way to be a jerk, though. Jewel struck me as being able to give as good as she got, but he'd worn her down, then moved on. She wore a kind of choker necklace made of blue beads, and when she held still the beads moved in time to her pulsing veins. I took a breath and caught the scent of blood under her sallow skin.
Not good. I shouldn't be noticing those kinds of things. I'd fed myself sick at the Stockyards, wasn't remotely hungry tonight, and human blood was off my menu, anyway. Didn't matter. I was wanting it the way I used to want a drink back when I lived in New York. Except for weekend binges when I could afford it, I had that under control. I did it then, I could do it now. Really.
”If you got any brains, you'll never have Alan perform at your place,” Jewel concluded. She'd apparently forgotten what I'd said before. This sounded like something she repeated often to many people.
”I'll hire a special bouncer just to keep him out.”