holding a spear about eight feet long and didn’t react when I spoke to her.
“How’s it going? ” I said.
She looked straight ahead, sort of standing at attention the way someone who’d never served in the military thought you stood at attention.
“The party for Gino up these stairs?”
Still no reaction. If I’d been drinking , I probably would have pulled some stunt like drawing a mustache on her face or worse. Instead, I just opened the door and went upstairs. The kid probably thought she added to the atmosphere.
The party room was a nice enough place. There were a half dozen reclining nude portraits gracing the walls. If I recalled, prior to the Tutti Frutti this place had been called Dusty’s, a cowboy theme bar serving long neck beers with a mechanical bull ride in one of the corners. The nude portraits seemed to be all that remained of Dusty’s.
A buffet table ran along a far wall. A number of aluminum chafing dishes held different foods and were kept warm by small flames burning beneath and what looked like heat lamps positioned over the trays. People were clustered in small groups talking in hushed tones not quite whispering, but almost. Next to the buffet table was a bar that seemed to draw me toward it.
“Hi, what can I get you?” She was a cheery thing, the bartender. She could have been pretty, pr obably was until she added fifteen pounds of metal piercing to her head. The ridge of both ears looked like a zipper had been sown onto them. I counted a half dozen jeweled bars running down the bridge of her nose. Her eyebrows looked like she’d had a bad experience with a staple gun, and her lips looked like the branch on a Christmas tree. I caught myself staring for a long moment.
“What would you like, sir?” she asked.
“You got a Summit EPA?”
“Yes sir, care for a glass?”
“Just the bottle will do.” I felt like asking her something personal like how she ever cleared airport security? Or were flying magnets a danger? Instead I just said, “Thanks,” and walked away.
I was standing in the middle of the room looking around and not recognizing anyone. I had hoped to run into Candi, but if she was around I didn’t see her, and she wasn’t the sort you’d miss.
“How in the hell did you get in her e?” It was Heidi. A least I think it was. She was adorned with more of her fake piercings. She’d dug out her red and purple skunk wig and had pulled the thing onto her head. She was poured into a military-looking sort of corset which was actually pretty good.
“Well , at least I didn’t have to wear a costume.”
“Very funny. N ot. You certainly seem to be climbing the social ladder. How did you rate to get in here?”
I looked around the room and thought if the state medical authorities knew about this group they’d drop a net over the entire bunch.
“I think all these people fell off the social ladder a long time ago.”
“I suppose you’d feel more at home in those dreadful dive bars you frequent. With people drunk and obnoxious or just passed out.”
“Probably. Hey,” I leaned in close and adopted the same hushed tone as everyone else. “What’s the deal, I thought the D’Angelos were having a victory party? This feels more like a funeral.”
“Figures you wouldn’t have a clue . Get me another drink and I’ll fill you in,” she said then handed me what looked like a large bathroom glass.
“You’re either drinking mouthwash or lime Kool-Aid?”
“A Green Fairy.”
“What?”
“A Green Fairy, of course you wouldn’t know. It’s the latest thing and she can really make a good one,” Heidi glanced over at the zipper headed bartender.
“Be right back.”
“Better give me another Summit and a Green Fairy,” I said then set my empty down beside Heidi’s glass. “Hey, what’s a Green Fairy anyway?”
“Green Fairy, oh , they can be nasty. Absinthe, melon liqueur and peach schnapps.”
“Absinthe?”
“It’s a French liqueur. They say
“How’s it going? ” I said.
She looked straight ahead, sort of standing at attention the way someone who’d never served in the military thought you stood at attention.
“The party for Gino up these stairs?”
Still no reaction. If I’d been drinking , I probably would have pulled some stunt like drawing a mustache on her face or worse. Instead, I just opened the door and went upstairs. The kid probably thought she added to the atmosphere.
The party room was a nice enough place. There were a half dozen reclining nude portraits gracing the walls. If I recalled, prior to the Tutti Frutti this place had been called Dusty’s, a cowboy theme bar serving long neck beers with a mechanical bull ride in one of the corners. The nude portraits seemed to be all that remained of Dusty’s.
A buffet table ran along a far wall. A number of aluminum chafing dishes held different foods and were kept warm by small flames burning beneath and what looked like heat lamps positioned over the trays. People were clustered in small groups talking in hushed tones not quite whispering, but almost. Next to the buffet table was a bar that seemed to draw me toward it.
“Hi, what can I get you?” She was a cheery thing, the bartender. She could have been pretty, pr obably was until she added fifteen pounds of metal piercing to her head. The ridge of both ears looked like a zipper had been sown onto them. I counted a half dozen jeweled bars running down the bridge of her nose. Her eyebrows looked like she’d had a bad experience with a staple gun, and her lips looked like the branch on a Christmas tree. I caught myself staring for a long moment.
“What would you like, sir?” she asked.
“You got a Summit EPA?”
“Yes sir, care for a glass?”
“Just the bottle will do.” I felt like asking her something personal like how she ever cleared airport security? Or were flying magnets a danger? Instead I just said, “Thanks,” and walked away.
I was standing in the middle of the room looking around and not recognizing anyone. I had hoped to run into Candi, but if she was around I didn’t see her, and she wasn’t the sort you’d miss.
“How in the hell did you get in her e?” It was Heidi. A least I think it was. She was adorned with more of her fake piercings. She’d dug out her red and purple skunk wig and had pulled the thing onto her head. She was poured into a military-looking sort of corset which was actually pretty good.
“Well , at least I didn’t have to wear a costume.”
“Very funny. N ot. You certainly seem to be climbing the social ladder. How did you rate to get in here?”
I looked around the room and thought if the state medical authorities knew about this group they’d drop a net over the entire bunch.
“I think all these people fell off the social ladder a long time ago.”
“I suppose you’d feel more at home in those dreadful dive bars you frequent. With people drunk and obnoxious or just passed out.”
“Probably. Hey,” I leaned in close and adopted the same hushed tone as everyone else. “What’s the deal, I thought the D’Angelos were having a victory party? This feels more like a funeral.”
“Figures you wouldn’t have a clue . Get me another drink and I’ll fill you in,” she said then handed me what looked like a large bathroom glass.
“You’re either drinking mouthwash or lime Kool-Aid?”
“A Green Fairy.”
“What?”
“A Green Fairy, of course you wouldn’t know. It’s the latest thing and she can really make a good one,” Heidi glanced over at the zipper headed bartender.
“Be right back.”
“Better give me another Summit and a Green Fairy,” I said then set my empty down beside Heidi’s glass. “Hey, what’s a Green Fairy anyway?”
“Green Fairy, oh , they can be nasty. Absinthe, melon liqueur and peach schnapps.”
“Absinthe?”
“It’s a French liqueur. They say
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