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    Beneath The Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files
    Beneath The Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files
    Beneath The Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files
    Ebook565 pages8 hours

    Beneath The Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files

    By Jonathan Maberry

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    Sam Hunter is a PI in the big bad city. When he takes a new case it’s like he’s accepting the client into his ‘pack’. And Sam will do anything to protect the members of his pack. Dogs are like that. So are wolves. And so, too, are werewolves. Like Sam. Sam is a benandanti, an ancient race of werewolves who fight evil. And evil comes in all shapes and sizes; it comes at people from all directions. The cases Sam takes range from saving the world from genetically-engineered super soldiers to saving a young boy from the very real monster in his closet. The Sam Hunter Case Files gather together the weird, strange, funny, heartbreaking and disturbing adventures of a low-rent private investigator taking on very odd jobs. These stories include cameos by fan-favorite characters from Maberry’s bestselling Joe Ledger thrillers and The Pine Deep Trilogy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJournalStone
    Release dateDec 2, 2016
    ISBN9781945373145
    Beneath The Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files
    Author

    Jonathan Maberry

    Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, and writing teacher. He is the creator of V Wars (Netflix) and Rot & Ruin (Alcon Entertainment). His books have been sold to more than two dozen countries. To learn more about Jonathan, visit him online at jonathanmaberry.

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      Book preview

      Beneath The Skin - Jonathan Maberry

      BENEATH THE SKIN

      The Sam Hunter Case Files

      By

      Jonathan Maberry

      JournalStone

      Copyright © 2016 Jonathan Maberry

      Originally published in:

      *** Like Part of the Family (Originally published in NEW BLOOD –Padwolf Publishing, 2010; © 2010 Jonathan Maberry.)

      *** Strip Search (Originally published in LIMBUS, INC, -JournalStone Publishing, 2013; © 2012 by Jonathan Maberry Productions, LLC.)

      *** Toby’s Closet (Originally published in STREETS OF SHADOWS, edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon for Alleration, Inc.; © 2014 by Jonathan Maberry Productions, LLC.)

      *** Three Guys Walk into a Bar (Originally published in LIMBUS II, October 2014; © 2014 by Jonathan Maberry Productions, LLC.)

      *** Dream a Little Dream of Me (Originally published GODS OF H.P. LOVECRAFT)

      *** The Unlearnable Truths (Originally published in LIMBUS III, October 2016; © 2016 by Jonathan Maberry Productions, LLC.)

      *** Goth Chicks – © 2016 by Jonathan Maberry Productions, LLC.; first publication

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

      JournalStone books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      JournalStone

      www.journalstone.com

      The views expressed in this work are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      ISBN:  978-1-945373-12-1 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-945373-14-5 (ebook)

      ISBN: 978-1-945373-13-8 ( hc)

      JournalStone rev. date: December 2, 2016

      Library of Congress Control Number:   2016957965

      Printed in the United States of America

      Cover Art – photo images & Design:  Rob Grom

      Edited by: Sean Leonard

      Sam Hunter

      Sam Hunter is a PI in the big bad city. When he takes a new case it’s like he’s accepting the client into his ‘pack.’ And Sam will do anything to protect the members of his pack. Dogs are like that. So are wolves. And so, too, are werewolves. Like Sam.

      Sam is a benandanti, an ancient race of werewolves who fight evil. And evil comes in all shapes and sizes; it comes at people from all directions. The cases Sam takes range from saving the world from genetically-engineered super soldiers to saving a young boy from the very real monster in his closet.

      The Sam Hunter Case Files gather together the weird, strange, funny, heartbreaking and disturbing adventures of a low-rent private investigator taking on very odd jobs. These stories include cameos by fan-favorite characters from Maberry’s bestselling Joe Ledger thrillers and The Pine Deep Trilogy.

      Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

      Introduction

      By

      Kevin J. Anderson

      Creative writing teachers always tell their students write about what you know about.

      You hold in your hands a collection of stories about Sam Hunter, a private investigator who also happens to be a werewolf, a guy who works on cases in the seediest, grimmest places you can imagine.

      Werewolves and seedy dumps. What does Jonathan Maberry know that we don’t know?

      I can say for certain that he does know werewolves. Jonathan’s first novel to hit the New York Times bestseller list was his novelization of The Wolf Man. He’s a big guy, intimidating (until you talk with him and realize he’s warm and funny and gregarious). I wouldn’t go so far as to call him hirsute, but Jonathan Maberry does have a big beard and more hair than I do (well, a dolphin has more hair than I do).

      And as for detectives, he is renowned for his Joe Ledger series, and now he’s working on X-Files books. That gives him street cred.

      As for why he’s so familiar with strip clubs, dive bars, and dark alleys…maybe it’s better not to ask. (A dozen beer taps, but none of them were for good beers.  Hey, I’ve been to that place!)

      Let’s just say that writers do a lot of the hard research so that the armchair reader doesn’t have to.

      You’re the private investigator?

      Yes, ma’am.

      Named ‘Hunter’?

      Yes.

      That a stage name or something?

      No. It’s a coincidence, but I’ve come to embrace the cliché.

      That’s how clients, and readers, meet Sam Hunter, werewolf private investigator. When Jonathan first asked me to read these stories and write the introduction, the connection was obvious. We’ve known each other for a decade or so, and Jonathan is a particular fan of my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. stories (he even wrote the introduction to my Working Stiff collection).  A werewolf detective?  Who could resist a hardboiled hairball?

      Considering the intrinsic potential for humor in the subject matter, I imagined these would be goofy and entertaining romps.

      I have three ex-wives and I pay alimony bigger than India’s national debt. I know how expensive women’s shoes are.

      And it turns out the Sam Hunter stories do have a lot of humor, mostly from the lycanthropic attitude and the tough worldview that keeps Hunter sane in a grim and twisted world.

      As it turns out, beings from the outer darkness don’t like to be called dickhead anymore than, say, a redneck at a roadside bar.

      But these stories aren’t slapstick. They are entertaining, but they are not meant to be fun.  In fact, Jonathan’s prose sometimes is so sharp, deep, and visceral it is a literary sucker punch. While reading, I often stopped to marvel at how he puts his fingers on the keyboard and also puts them right on the human soul.

      Read this, you’ll see what I mean:

      Gail was one of the broken ones. One of those women who have been so comprehensively beaten down by life, by circumstance, by financial disappointments, by obligations, by missed opportunities, by fractured families and fair-weather friends that she was one step away from being no one at all. Pale, thin, almost translucent. You could look right through her and see that the world would be here if she up and died and that everything would look the same. Like that.

      Nice.

      These stories are engrossing, fast-paced, thrilling, and often thought-provoking. Many are substantial, almost short novels. All of them are excellent.

      I have to confess that I read a lot of manuscripts, mostly from writing students, new authors, writers at the beginning of their careers and eager for a blurb from a well-known author. Reading those is just part of my job, and it often feels like work.  When I printed out the manuscript for Beneath the Skin, I went into work mode again and rapidly found myself caught up, turning pages and absorbing the story, delighted to remember how enjoyable it is to read a book from a really good writer.  And Jonathan Maberry is a really good writer.  He knows what he’s doing.

      I still don’t know why he knows so much about strip clubs and dive bars, though.  I don’t want to know…

      BENEATH THE SKIN

      Like Part of the Family

      -1-

      "My ex-husband is trying to kill me," she said.

      She was one of those cookie-cutter East Coast blondes. Pale skin, pale hair, pale eyes. Lots of New Age jewelry. Not a lot of curves and too much perfume. Kind of pretty if you dig the modeling-scene heroin chic look. Or if you troll the anorexia twelve-steps or crack houses looking for easy ass that’s so desperate for affection they’ll boff you blind for a smile. Not my kind. I like a little more meat on the bone, and a bit more sanity in the eyes. This one came to me on a referral from another client.

      He actually try?

      "I can tell, Mr. Hunter."

      Yeah, I thought and tried not to sigh. What I figured.

      You call the cops?

      She shrugged.

      What’s that mean? You call them or not?

      I called, she said. They said that there wasn’t anything they could do unless he did something first.

      Yeah, I said. Can’t arrest someone for thinking about something.

      He threatened me.

      Anyone hear him make the threat?

      No.

      Then it’s your word.

      That’s what the police said. She crossed her legs. Her legs were on the thin side of being nice. Probably were nice before drugs or stress or a fractured self image wasted her down to Sally Stick-figure.

      Skirt was short, shoes looked expensive. I have three ex-wives and I pay alimony bigger than India’s national debt. I know how expensive women’s shoes are. I was wearing black sneakers from Payless. Glad I had a desk between me and her.

      Your husband ever hurt you? I asked. Or try to?

      "Ex, she corrected. And…yes. That’s why I left him. He hit me a few times. Mostly when he was drunk and out of control."

      I held up a hand. Don’t make excuses for him. He hit you. Being drunk doesn’t change the rules. Might even make it worse, especially if he did it once while drunk and then let himself come home drunk again.

      She digested that. She’d probably heard that rap before but it might have come from a female case worker or a shrink. From the way her eyes shifted to me and away and back again I guessed she’d never heard that from a man before. I guess for her men were the Big Bad. Too many of them are.

      It was ten to five but it was already dark outside. December snow swirled past the window. It wasn’t accumulating, so the snow still looked pretty. Once it started piling up I hated the shit. My secretary, Mrs. Gilligan, fled at the first flake. Typical Philadelphian –they think the world will come to a screeching halt if there’s half an inch on the ground. She’s probably at Wegmans stocking up on milk, bread and toilet paper. The staples of the apocalypse. Me, I grew up in Minneapolis, and out in the Cities we think twenty inches is getting off light. Doesn’t mean I don’t hate the shit, though. A low annual snowfall is one of the reasons I moved to Philly after I got my PI license. Easier to hunt if you don’t have to slog through snow.

      When he hit you, I said, you report it?

      No.

      Not to the cops?

      No.

      "Women’s shelter?

      No.

      Anyone? A friend?

      She shook her head. I was…embarrassed, Mr. Hunter. A black eye and all. Didn’t want to be seen.

      Which means there’s no record. Nothing to support her case about ex-hubby wanting to kill her.

      I drummed my fingers on the desk blotter. I get these kinds of cases every once in a while, though I stayed well clear of domestic disputes and spousal abuse cases when I was with Minneapolis PD. I have a temper and by the time they asked for my shield back I had six reprimands in my jacket for excessive force. At one of my IA hearings the captain said that he was disappointed that I showed no remorse for the last ‘incident.’ I busted a child molester and somehow while the guy was, um, resisting arrest he managed to get mauled and mangled a bit. The pedophile tried to spin some crazy shit that I sicced a dog on him, but I don’t have a dog. I said that he got mauled by a stray during a foot pursuit. Even at my own hearing I couldn’t keep a smile off my face to save my job. Squeaked by on that one, but next time something like it happened—this time with a guy who whipped his wife half to death with an extension cord because she wasn’t ‘willing enough’ in the bedroom—I was out on my ass. He ran into the same stray dog. Weird how that happens, huh? Long story short, I already didn’t have the warm fuzzies for her husband. We all have our buttons, and when the strong prey on the weak all of mine get pushed.

      Did you go to the E.R.?

      No, she said. It was never that bad. More humiliating than anything.

      I nodded. What about after the divorce? He lay a hand on you since?

      She hesitated.

      Mrs. Skye? I prompted.

      He tried. He chased me. Twice.

      "Chased you? Tell me about it."

      She licked her lips. She wore a very nice rose-pink lipstick that was the only splash of color. Even her clothes and shoes were white. Pale horse, pale rider.

      Well, she said, that’s where the story gets really…strange.

      Strange how?

      "He—David, my ex-husband—changed after I filed for divorce. He’s like a different person. Before, when I first met him, he was a very fastidious man. Always dressed nicely, always very clean and well-groomed."

      What’s he do for a living?

      "He owns a nightclub. The Crypt, just off South Street."

      I know it, but that’s a Goth club right? Is he Goth?

      "No. Not at all. He bought the club from the former owner, but he remodeled it after The Batcave."

      As in Batman?

      As in the London club that was kind of the prototype of pretty much the whole Goth club scene. David’s a businessman. There’s a strong Goth crowd Downtown, and they hang together, but the clubs in Philly aren’t big enough to turn a big profit, and not near big enough to attract the better bands. So, he bought the two adjoining buildings and expanded out. He made a small-time club into a very successful main stage club, and he keeps the music current. A lot of post-punk stuff, but also the newer styles. Dark cabaret, deathrock, Gothabilly. That sort of thing. Low lights, black-tile bathrooms, bartenders who look like ghouls.

      Okay, I said.

      But this was all business to David. He didn’t dress Goth. I mean, he wore black suits or black silk shirts to work, but he didn’t dye his hair, didn’t wear eye-liner. Funny thing is, even though he was clearly not buying into the lifestyle the patrons loved him. They called him the Prince. As in Prince of—

      Darkness, yeah, got it. Go on.

      David was more fussy getting ready to go out than I ever was. Spent forever in the bathroom shaving, fixing his hair. Always took him longer to pick out his clothes than me or any of my girlfriends.

      He gay?

      No. And she shot me a ‘wow, what a stereo-typically homophobic thing to say’ sort of look.

      I smiled. I’m just trying to get a read on him. Fastidious guy having trouble with a relationship with his wife. Drinking problem, flashes of violence. Not a gay thing, but I’ve seen it before in guys who are sexually conflicted and at war with themselves and the world because of it.

      She studied me for a moment. You used to be a cop, Mr. Hunter?

      Call me Sam, I said. And, yeah, I was a cop. Minneapolis PD.

      A detective?

      Yep.

      Okay. That seemed to mollify her. I gestured to her to continue. She took a breath. Well…toward the end of our relationship David stopped being so fastidious. He would go two or three days without shaving. I know that doesn’t sound like the end of the world, but I never saw David without a fresh shave. Never. He carried an electric razor in his briefcase, had another at home and one in the office at the club. Clothes, too. Before, he’d sometimes change clothes twice or even three times a day if it was humid. He always wanted to look fresh. Showered at home morning and night, and had a shower installed in his office.

      I get the picture. Mr. Clean. But you say that changed while you were still together?

      It started when he fell off the wagon.

      Ah.

      When I met him he said that he hadn’t taken a drink for over two years. He was proud of it. He thought that his thirst—he always called it that—was evil, and being on the wagon made him feel like a real person. Then, after we started having problems, he started drinking again. Never in front of me, and he always washed his mouth out before he came home. I never smelled alcohol on him, but he was a different person from then on. And he started yelling at me all the time. He called me horrible names and made threats. He said that I didn’t love him, that I was just trying to use him.

      I have to ask, I said, being as delicate as I could, but was there someone else?

      For me? God, no!

      What set him off? From his perspective, I mean. Did he say that there was something that made him angry or paranoid?

      Well…I think it was his health.

      Tell me.

      He started losing weight. He was never fat, not even stocky. David was very muscular. He lifted a lot of weights, drank that protein powder twice a day. He had big arms, a huge chest. I asked him if he was taking steroids. He denied it, but I think he was trying to turn into one of those muscle freaks. Then, about a year and a half ago he started losing weight. When he taped his arms and found that his biceps were only twenty-two inches, he got really angry.

      David has twenty-two inch biceps? Christ. Back in his Mr. Universe days, Arnold the Terminator had twenty-four inch arms, fully pumped. I think mine are somewhere shy of fifteen, and that’s after three sets on the Bowflex.

      Not anymore, said Mrs. Skye. He lost a lot of muscle mass. Really fast, too. I was scared, I told him to go to a doctor. I thought he might have cancer.

      Did he go to the doctor?

      He said so…but I don’t think he did. He kept losing weight. After six months he didn’t even have much definition. He was kind of ordinary sized.

      Was he drinking by this point?

      I’m sure of it.

      That when he started putting his hands on you?

      Yes. And he became paranoid. Kept trying to make it all my fault.

      How long did this go on?

      "Well…after the first time he, um, hurt me, I gave him a second chance. After all, he was my husband. I figured that he was just scared because of his health. But then it happened again. The second time he knocked me around pretty good. I couldn’t go out of the house for a few days."

      Was that when you left?

      It took her so long to answer that I knew what her answer would be. I’ve done too many interviews of this kind. If self-esteem is low enough then victimization can become an addiction.

      I stayed for two more months.

      How many times did he hurt you during that time? I asked.

      A few.

      A few is how many?

      Another long pause. Six.

      Six, I said, trying to put no judgment in my tone. What was the straw?

      She looked at her hands, at the clock, at the snow falling outside. If there’d been a magazine on my desk she would have picked it up and leafed through it. Anything to keep from meeting my eyes. He choked me.

      I see.

      It was in the middle of the night. We were…we were…

      I almost sighed. Let me guess. Make-up sex?

      She nodded, but she didn’t blush. I’ll give her that. He’d been sweet to me for two weeks straight without getting mad or yelling, or anything. He acted like his old self. Charming. She finally met my eyes. David has enormous charisma. He makes everyone like him, and he always seems so genuine.

      Uh huh, I said, wondering how that charm would work on a blackjack across his teeth.

      We sat up talking until late, then we went to bed. And in the middle of the night…things just started happening. You know how it is.

      I didn’t, but I said nothing.

      I was, um…on top. And we were pretty far into things, and then all of a sudden David reaches up and grabs me around the throat. I thought for one crazy moment that he was doing that auto-whatever it’s called.

      Autoerotic asphyxiation, I supplied.

      Yeah, that. I thought he was doing that. He talked about it once before, but we’d never tried it. He’s really strong and I’m pretty small. But…I guess I thought he was trying to change things, you know? Create a new pattern for us. A fresh start.

      Naivety can be a terrible thing. Jesus wept.

      But it wasn’t sex play, I prompted.

      No. He started squeezing his hands. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. It was weird because we were so close to…you know…and David kept staring at me, his eyes wide like he was in some kind of trance. I tried to pull his hands apart, but it just made him squeeze tighter. That’s when he started calling me names again, making wild accusations, accusing me of destroying his life.

      How did you get away?

      Her eyes cut away again. This was obviously very hard for her.

      I threw myself sideways and when I landed I kicked him in the, um…you know.

      I smiled.

      Good for you, I said, but she shook her head.

      I grabbed my clothes and ran out. Next day I drove past the house and saw that his car was gone. I had a locksmith come out and change all the locks and change the security code on the alarm. I hired a messenger company to come and take a couple of suitcases of his clothes to the club. Next day I rented a storage unit and hired a moving company to take all of his stuff there. I used the same messenger service to send him the key.

      I’m impressed. That was quick thinking.

      I…I’d already looked into that stuff before. Until that last stretch where he was nice I was planning to leave him. I’d already talked to my lawyer, and I filed for divorce by the end of that week.

      What did David do?

      At first? Nothing except for some hysterical messages on my voicemail. He didn’t try to break in, nothing like that. But after a while I started seeing his car behind mine when I was going to work.

      Where do you work?

      I’m a nurse supervisor at Sunset Grove, the assisted living facility in Jenkintown. Right now I’m on the four to midnight shift. I’ve spotted David’s car a lot, sometimes every night for weeks on end. I’ve seen him drive by when I’m going into the staff entrance, and he’s there again when I get back home.

      What makes you think he’s planning to do more than just harass you?

      He’s said so.

      But—

      "He didn’t say or do anything at first…but over the last couple of weeks it’s gotten worse. About three weeks ago I came out of work and stopped at a 7-11 for some gum, and when I came out he was leaning against my car. I told him to get away, but he pushed himself off the car and came up to me, smiling his charming smile. He told me that he knew who I was and what I was and that he was going to end me. His words. ‘I’m going to end you.’ Then he left, still smiling."

      Did anyone see this?

      At one in the morning? No.

      Convenience stores have security cameras, I thought. If this thing got messy I could have her lawyer subpoena those tapes. I had her write down the address of the 7-11.

      That’s how it went for a couple of weeks, she said. But last night he really scared me.

      What happened?

      He was in my bedroom.

      How?

      That’s it…I don’t know. The alarms didn’t go off and none of the windows were broken. I heard a sound and I woke up and there he was, standing by the side of my bed. He’s really thin now, and as pale as those Goth kids at his club. He stood there, smiling. I started to scream and he put a finger to his lips and made a weird shushing sound. It was so strange that I actually did shut up. Don’t ask me why. The whole thing was like a nightmare.

      Are you sure it wasn’t?

      She hesitated, but she said, I’m positive. He pointed at me and said that he knew everything about me. Then he started praying.

      Praying?

      At least I think that’s what he was doing. It was Latin, I think. He said a long string of things in Latin and then he left.

      How’d he get out?

      The same way he got in, I guess…but I don’t know how. I was so scared that I almost peed myself and I just lay there in bed for a long time. I don’t know how long. When I finally worked up the nerve, I ran downstairs and got a knife from the kitchen and went through the whole house.

      You didn’t call the cops?

      "I was going to…but the alarm never went off. I checked the system…it was still set. I began wondering if I was dreaming."

      But you don’t think so?

      No.

      Why are you so sure?

      She fished in her purse and produced a pink cell phone. She flipped it open and pressed a few buttons to call up her text messages. She pointed to the number and then handed me the phone.

      That’s David’s cell number.

      The text read: Tonight.

      Okay, I said. Let me see what I can do.

      "What can you do?" she asked.

      Well, the best first thing to do is go have a talk with him. See if I can convince him to back off.

      And if he won’t?

      I can be pretty convincing.

      But what if he won’t? What if he’s…I don’t know…too crazy to listen to reason?

      I smiled. Then we’ll explore other options.

      -2-

      The Crypt is a big ugly building on the corner of South and Fourth in Philadelphia. Once upon a time it was a coffin factory –which I think would have been a cooler name. Less trendy and obvious. The light snow did nothing to make it look less ugly. When we pulled to the corner, Mrs. Skye pointed to a sleek silver Lexus parked on the side street.

      That’s his.

      I jotted down the license plate and used my digital camera to take photos of it and the exterior of the building. You never know.

      Okay, I said, I want you to wait here. I’ll go have a talk with David and see if we can sort this out.

      What if something happens? What if you don’t come out?

      Just sit tight. You have a cell phone and I’ll give you the keys. If I’m not out of there in fifteen minutes, drive somewhere safe and call the name on the back of my card. I gave her my business card. She turned it over and saw a name and number. Before she could ask, I said, Ray’s a friend. One of my pack.

      Another private investigator?

      A bodyguard. I use him for certain jobs, but I don’t think we’ll need to bring him in on this. From what you’ve told me I have a pretty good sense of what to expect in there.

      As I got out my jacket flap opened and she spotted the handle of my Glock.

      "You’re not…going to hurt him," she asked, wide eyed.

      I shook my head. I’ve been doing this for a lot of years, Mrs. Skye. I haven’t had to pull my gun once. I don’t expect I’ll break that streak tonight.

      The breeze was coming from the west and the snow was just about done. I squinted up past the streetlights. The cloud cover was thin and I could already see the white outline of the moon. Nope, no accumulation. Typical Philly winter.

      I crossed the street and tried the front door. Place didn’t do much business before late evening, but the doors were unlocked. The doors opened with an exhalation of cigarette smoke and alcohol fumes. There was probably an anti-smoking violation in that. Something else to use later if I needed to go the route of making life difficult for him.

      It was too early for a doorman, and I walked a short hallway that was empty and painted black. Heavy black velvet curtains at the end. Cute. I pushed them aside and entered the club. Place was huge. David Skye must have taken out the second floor and knocked out everything but the retaining walls of the adjoining properties. The red and white maximum occupancy sign said that it shouldn’t exceed four hundred, but the place looked capable of taking twice that number. Bandstand was empty, so someone had put quarters in to play the tuneless junk that was beating the shit out of the woofers and tweeters. Whoever the group was on the record, they subscribed to the philosophy that if you can’t play well you should play real god damn loud.

      There were maybe twenty people in the place, scattered around at tables. A few at the bar. Everyone looked like extras from a direct-to-video vampire flick. The motif was black on black with occasional splashes of blood red. White skin that probably never saw the sun. Eyeliner and black lipstick, even on the guys. I was in jeans and a Vikings warm-up jacket. At least my sneakers and my leather porkpie hat were black. Handle of my gun was black, too, but they couldn’t see that. Better for everyone if nobody did.

      The bartender was giving me the look, so I strolled over to him. He knew I wasn’t there for a beer and didn’t waste either of our time by asking.

      David Skye, I said, having to bend forward and shout over the music.

      Badge me, he said.

      I flipped open my PI license. Private.

      Fuck off, he suggested.

      Not a chance.

      I can call the cops.

      Bet I can have L and I here before they show. Smoking in a public restaurant?

      Another smartass remark was on his lips, but he didn’t have the energy for it. He was paid by the hour and this had to be a slow shift for tips. I took a twenty from my wallet and put it on the bar.

      This isn’t your shit, kid, I said. Call your boss.

      He didn’t like it, but he took the twenty and made the call.

      He says come up. The bartender pointed to another curtained doorway beside the bar. I gave him a sunny day smile and went inside.

      There was a long hallway with bathrooms on both sides and a set of stairs at the end. I took the stairs two at a time. The stairs went straight up to his office and the door was open. I knocked anyway.

      It’s open, he yelled. I went inside and as I looked around I hoped like hell that the office décor was not modeled after the interior landscape of David Skye’s mind. The walls were painted a dark red, the trim was gloss black. Instead of the band posters and framed ‘look at who I’m shaking hands with’ eight-by-tens, the walls were hung with torture devices and S and M clothes. Spiked harnesses, leather zippered masks, thumbscrews, photos from Abu Ghraib, diagrams of dissected bodies. A full-sized rack occupied one corner of the room and an iron maiden stood in the other, one door open to reveal rows of tarnished metal spikes. The only other furniture was a big desk made from some dark wood, a black file cabinet and the leather swivel chair in which David Skye sat. He wore a black poet’s shirt, leather wristbands, and a smile that was already belligerent.

      The fuck are you and the fuck you want?

      The man was a charmer. I could just taste the charisma his wife had mentioned flowing like sweetness from his pores.

      I flipped my ID case open. We need to have a chat. It can be friendly or not. Your call.

      Go fuck yourself.

      So much for friendly.

      That whore send you? he demanded.

      I smiled but didn’t answer.

      He had a handsome face, but his wife was right when she said that he’d lost weight. His skin looked thin and loose, and he had the complexion of a mushroom. More gray than white.

      Did my wife send you? he said, pronouncing the words slowly as if I’d come here on the short bus.

      Why would your ex-wife send me?

      His eyes flickered for a second at ‘ex-wife.’ I strolled across the room and stood in front of his desk. He didn’t get up, neither of us offered a hand to the other.

      She makes up stories, he said.

      What kind of stories?

      Bullshit. Lies. Says I slapped her around.

      Who’d she say that to?

      He didn’t answer. He did, however, give me the ninja secret death stare, but I manned my way through it.

      What are you supposed to be? he asked.

      Just what the license says.

      "Private investigator. Private dick."

      "Yes, and that was funny back in the 1950s. Why do you think I’m here?"

      She’s probably trying some kind of squeeze play. The club’s doing okay, so she wants a bigger slice.

      Try again, I said, though he might have been right about that.

      Oh, I get it….you’re supposed to scare me into leaving her alone.

      Do I look scary?

      He smiled. He had very red lips and very white teeth. No, he said, you don’t.

      Right…so let’s pretend that I’m here to have a reasonable discussion. Man to man.

      Skye leaned back in his chair and stared at me with his dark eyes. It was a calculating look and I’m sure he took in everything from my slightly threadbare Vikings jacket to my cheap black sneakers. Put everything I was wearing together and it would equal the cost of his shirt. I was okay with that. I don’t dress to impress. Skye, on the other hand, smiled as if our mutual understanding of my material net worth clearly made him the alpha.

      I smiled back.

      What does she want? he asked.

      For you to leave her alone.

      What is she afraid of?

      She thinks you’re trying to kill her.

      "What do you think?"

      What I think doesn’t matter. I’m not a psychic, so I don’t know whether you’re trying to kill her or if you’re playing some kind of mind game on her. Whatever it is, I’m here to ask you to lay off.

      Why should I?

      Because I asked real nice.

      He smiled at that.

      "Because it’s illegal and I could build a harassment case against you and you could lose your club and sink a quarter mil into legal fees. Because I know inspectors who can slap you with fifteen kinds of violations that will hurt your business. I can have your car booted by accident three or four times a week, every week."

      And I could have you killed, he said, the smile unwavering.

      Maybe, I said. You could try, and I might fuck up anyone you send and then come back here and fuck you up.

      Think you could?

      You really want to find out? When he didn’t answer, I took a glass paperweight off his desk and turned it over in my hands. A spider was trapped inside, frozen into a moment of time for the amusement of the trinket crowd. I knew he was watching me play with the paperweight, wondering what I was going to do with it.

      I put it back down on the desk.

      Really, though, I said, how long do we need to circle and sniff each other? We don’t run in the same pack and I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do, who you are, or how tough you think you are. We both know that you’re either going to stop bothering your ex-wife and go on with your life, or you’re going to make a run at her—either because you have some loose wiring or because I’m pushing your buttons by being here. If you back off, we’re all friends. I’ll advise my client not to file a restraining order and you two can let the divorce lawyers earn their paychecks by kicking each other in the nuts.

      Or…? he asked. Still smiling.

      Or, you don’t back off and then this is about you and me.

      Nonsense. You’re no part of this. This is about me and—

      I cut him off. "I’m making this about you and me. Maybe I have a wire loose, too, but once I tell a client that I’m going to keep her safe, I take it amiss if anything happens to her."

      ’Amiss,’ he repeated, enjoying the word.

      But that’s a minute from now. We’re still on the other side of it until you give me an answer. What’s it going to be? You leave her alone? Or this gets complicated.

      What were you before you started doing this PI bullshit?

      A cop.

      He grunted. You sound like a thug. An asshole leg-breaker from South Philly.

      Thin line sometimes.

      He steepled his fingers. It was one of those moves that looked good when Doctor Doom did it in a comic book. Maybe in a boardroom. Looked silly right now, but he had enough intensity in his eyes to almost pull it off. He gave me ten seconds of the stare.

      I stood my ground.

      His cell phone rang and he flipped it open, listened.

      I’m in a meeting, he said and closed the phone.

      His smile returned.

      I heard the footsteps on the stairs even though they were quiet.

      I sighed and turned. There were four of them. All as pale as Skye, but much bigger. Really? You want to play that card?

      "It’s one of the classics. Though, to be fair, it’ll be more than a typical beating. I…hm, am I wrong in presuming you have had your ass kicked?"

      That cherry was popped a long time ago.

      The four men entered the room and fanned out behind me.

      So, our challenge, then, Skye said, is to put a new spin on this. Something surprising and fresh so that you’ll be entertained.

      Mind if I take my jacket off first?

      Go right ahead.

      I heard a hammer-cock behind me.

      Skye said, You can put your jacket on my desk here, and take off your shoulder holster and put that—and your piece—on top of it.

      Sure, whatever, I said. I shrugged out of the jacket. I bought it the year the Vikings took their eighteenth division title. I’ll buy a new one if they ever win the Super Bowl. Or when pigs sprout wings and learn to fly, whichever comes first. I folded it and set it down, unclipped my shoulder rig, set that down. If I was going to ruin my clothes, then at least nothing I was currently wearing had sentimental value.

      I leaned on the desk. Let’s agree on a couple of things first, okay?

      Sure, he said with a grin.

      When I’m done handing these clowns their asses, then you and I dance a round or two.

      That would be fun, he said, but I doubt I’ll have the pleasure.

      Second, if I walk out of here on my own steam, then it’s with the understanding that you will leave the lady alone.

      If you walk out of here? Sure. But, tell me something, he said, and he looked genuinely interested, why do you care? What is she to you?

      Maybe I’m the possessive type, too. Maybe now that she’s asked for my help, it’s like she’s part of the family. So to speak.

      Part of the family? You fucking kidding me here?

      Nope.

      You Italian? This some kind of dago thing?

      "I said it’s like she’s part of the family. My family, I said, and I protect what’s mine."

      That’s it? It’s just a macho thing with you?

      No, it’s more than that, I admitted. I gestured to the torture and pain motif in which his office was decorated. But, seriously, I doubt you would understand.

      Mmm, probably not. I’m not into sentimentality and that bullshit. Not anymore.

      What happened? What changed you?

      His smiled faded to a remote coldness. I learned that there was something better. Better than family, better than blood ties. Better than any of this ordinary shit.

      You found religion? I said.

      "It’s a ‘higher order’ sort of thing that I really don’t want to explain and I doubt you’d understand."

      I might surprise you.

      "I don’t think that’s possible. But we might surprise you. In fact I can pretty fucking well guarantee it."

      Rock and roll, I said.

      I straightened and turned toward the four goons. They took up positions like compass points. The office was big, but not big enough to give me room to maneuver. They were going to fall on me like a wall, and they knew it. The guy with the gun even snugged it back into his shoulder rig. They were that confident, and they were smiling like kids at a carnival.

      You shouldn’t have bothered Mr. Skye, said the guy in front of me. He was the guy who’d holstered his gun. He stood on the East point of the compass. You should have—

      I kicked him in the nuts. I really didn’t need to hear the speech.

      I’m not that big but I can kick like a Rockette. I felt bones break and he screamed like a nine year old girl. Dumbass should have kept his gun out.

      I stepped backward off of him and put an elbow into West’s face. It had all of my mass in motion behind it. That time I heard bones break and he went down so fast that I wondered if I’d

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