The Hard Bounce - [24]

Dog said nobody in Vice knew Snake’s real name since he was careful not to show his face in any of the videos. Only the faces of the girls.

It now looked like Cassandra was in real danger. And we’d responded to the newfound urgency by incapacitating ourselves for a day and a half. Some rescuers we were turning out to be.

Four days since I’d first met Kelly and Barnes. And there I was.

Without a goddamn thing.

Around midnight my phone rang. I was going to let the machine get it. Then I remembered that my machine was strewn all over the kitchen in pieces.

I snatched up the receiver, angry at having my sulking interrupted. “What?” I barked.

“Uh, Boo?”

“What do you want, G.G.?”

“I think you oughta come in.” G.G. was swinging the bouncer shifts for Junior and me while we played private eye. He was a solid guy who could handle himself and the bar. A good part of the reason I gave him the shifts was because he didn’t call me when he was working.

“G.G., I’m really in no mood for the bar tonight. Can’t you take care of whatever it is?” My brain hurt, particularly behind my eyes. Had it been six hours since I took my last Advils?

“There’s a girl here. She’s a mess, man. I mean this chick is lit up like Times Square.”

“Kick her out, then. What’s the problem?” Hell with it. I took two more tablets. Never heard of anybody ODing on Advil.

He paused. “She says she’s waiting for you.”

“What? Me?”

“Says her name’s Kelly.”

That got my attention.

“She a friend of yours?”

“She’s drunk?”

“Smashed. What do you want me to do here?”

“Just keep her corralled. I’ll be right there.”

This I simply had to see.

G.G. was the biggest guy on my payroll. Six-foot-eight and three hundred pounds, he played right tackle for the New Orleans Saints for a season before he got his knee pretzled. He also had the misfortune of being a genuinely nice guy who worked at The Cellar. The man played pro ball against guys who were the size of city busses and hit just as hard. But sixty-five inches and a hundred pounds plus change of Kelly Reese had him in a tizzy. He was sweating like a moose in a sauna.

“Man, thank God you’re here. That is one messed up little white girl.” He pulled a bandanna from his pocket and wiped his forehead.

“Where is she?” I asked, trying to look around his massive frame toward the bar.

“She’s at the bar by the waitress station, sitting with Audrey.”

“With Audrey?” That couldn’t be good.

“Yeah. Fast friends. They were yakking it up when I got here. Audrey’s been keeping her under wraps.” G.G.’s eyes darted back in the direction of the bar. Kelly really had his panties in a bunch.

“How long has she been here?”

“She was here before me.”

“And she’s been drinking with Audrey the whole time?” G.G.’s shift started at eight. That would be at least four hours that Kelly had been at the bar. That amount of time drinking with my girl Audrey would have been a good stretch for hardcore boozers, much less Polly Pureheart.

They sat together in the corner of the bar. In their own way, they could be mistaken for mother and daughter out for a drink.

Or twenty.

Audrey clutched her ever-present Jack and water. Kelly was laughing, a pink martini on the bar in front of her. She was still in her business attire, but she’d lost the jacket amid the rounds. Her white blouse was open a few more buttons than what I believed to be her custom.

Suddenly I understood G.G.’s sweating. What the hell was wrong with the air conditioner? I wondered why no one else was sweating.

Audrey saw me first. She beamed and waved at me to come over. Kelly saw her waving and looked, lifting her chin and giving me a half smile.

Goddamn.

The bartender put a Beam and beer in front of me without asking. Audrey held up her drink. “Willie’s here!” As always, Audrey’s genuine happiness at seeing me made me blush. But still, her calling me Willie in front of Kelly made me wince.

“About time, Willie.” Kelly held up her martini, joining Audrey in the toast. I caught a flash of light pink bra when she lifted her arm. “You taking the night off?”

G.G. wasn’t exaggerating. The girl was plastered. Her eyes looked like a street map of St. Louis. “Boo will do just fine, Ms. Reese.”

“You don’t like it when I call you Willie?” Audrey said in a hurt tone, putting her drink back on the bar.

Dammit, I knew that was going to happen. Everybody’s so goddamn sensitive. “I only like it when you do it, sweetness,” I said, pinching her chubby cheek.

She grinned again and picked her drink back up, motioning for me to do the same. “Don’t be so touchy, ya big Mary.”

“Who? Me? Wait… Mary? What?” My lame attempts to play it off were backfiring. I could feel my ears burning at Audrey’s teasing. Kelly was making another area heat up. Between the two of them, I was getting my ass whipped. Not fun.

“Drink!” Audrey commanded. “You know? I just remembered why I drink.”

I took my cue. “Why’s that?”

Kelly answered in unison with Audrey, both hollering, “Because I fucking like it!”

Audrey squealed with delight as they clinked their glasses and drank. I froze in astonishment. I guess Audrey had been tutoring Kelly. I downed my shot and chased it with my beer. The hair of the dog made me feel a bit better. Kelly was staring at me when I put my glass down.