going to show you what else I can do to your balls, you hear me?”
“Jesus,” he swore, straightening up, “all right, all right. You’re not much of a little lady after all, are you?”
“I never was. Now tell us where the hell you want us to go and who the hell you want us to meet and why.”
Maximus looked at me and I shrugged. I was going to let Perry do her thing. This inner bitch of hers was giving me a hard-on.
“All right,” he said, wincing a bit as he shook out his leg. “There’s a girl I used to know, our contact. I want to see if she still works at the bar, the one I used to work at. It’s just here in the Quarter on Royal Street.”
“So let me get this straight,” she said slowly, “this girl is our contact and you don’t even know if she still works at the same place. Haven’t you been in contact with her?”
“Not since I left.”
I frowned at him. “Maximus, you do know what the term ‘contact’ means, don’t you? It generally means you’ve been in contact with the person.”
“Yeah, well I reckoned there wasn’t time. Besides, we don’t need her, we can investigate the haunted house on our own. I just thought we should get her involved.”
“Why?” Perry asked, leaning back on one leg, full of attitude.
He slowly tilted his head back and forth, considering the question. Finally he said, “Because she’s a lot like you guys.”
“What do you mean like us?” I asked warily.
“She sees ghosts, too. She’s…pretty special.”
“And what’s her name?” Perry asked. “This special ghost girl?”
“Rose,” he said, almost sadly. “Her name is Rose.”
And with that, he turned and left the room, heading down the staircase. I had a feeling that Rose was more than just a contact to him. How much more, well I guess that was something we were about to find out.
I nodded at Perry. “Grab your purse. At least we’re going to a bar.”
I think we were all going to need a drink at this point.
CHAPTER SEVEN
We got to the bar by walking down Bourbon Street for a bit, just to get a feel for the place. Perry and I stopped at one of the bars that were open to the street and ordered two sickly sweet Hand Grenades to go, sucking back on that antifreeze while we navigated the early crowds and puking frat boys who’d probably been drunk all day. And how could you not be? I mean booze to-go? Public drinking was encouraged? Suddenly every bad vice I had was begging to come back.
Rose’s bar on Royal Street was further away from the touristy crowds, a large place filled with live jazz, crazy cheap drink specials, and locals having a good time. I was in heaven, especially with the hot woman at my side.
“Do you see her?” I asked Maximus as we stood in the doorway, surveying the room. Most people were sitting near the jazz band, though a few of them were playing pool, and a handful were sitting at one of the two bars.
He shook his head.
“What’s the name of this place?” Perry asked.
“It’s nameless,” he said absently, walking toward the jazz set-up, searching the seats in front of it. A lanky woman with giant breasts and an afro to match was singing sweet sadness, while two old hep cats played easy drums and mellow bass.
“Ugh, this makes me want to play,” I mumbled to myself, feeling the energy of the music seeping through my bones, revving my engines.
“The bar has no name?” Perry went on, still stuck on it.
I nodded to a coaster on the closest table. “Nameless is the name.”
“What happened to your hand grenade?” she asked, noting my empty hands.
“I drank it.” I turned to her. “Do you think they’d mind if I went up there and sang?”
She frowned at me. “Don’t you dare.”
“Hey, I know you find my voice sexy.”
“Dex, you’re one of the best singers I know and I’d love more than anything if you were to sing for me. But please don’t go tossing that woman out of the way. Let’s not get ourselves
“Jesus,” he swore, straightening up, “all right, all right. You’re not much of a little lady after all, are you?”
“I never was. Now tell us where the hell you want us to go and who the hell you want us to meet and why.”
Maximus looked at me and I shrugged. I was going to let Perry do her thing. This inner bitch of hers was giving me a hard-on.
“All right,” he said, wincing a bit as he shook out his leg. “There’s a girl I used to know, our contact. I want to see if she still works at the bar, the one I used to work at. It’s just here in the Quarter on Royal Street.”
“So let me get this straight,” she said slowly, “this girl is our contact and you don’t even know if she still works at the same place. Haven’t you been in contact with her?”
“Not since I left.”
I frowned at him. “Maximus, you do know what the term ‘contact’ means, don’t you? It generally means you’ve been in contact with the person.”
“Yeah, well I reckoned there wasn’t time. Besides, we don’t need her, we can investigate the haunted house on our own. I just thought we should get her involved.”
“Why?” Perry asked, leaning back on one leg, full of attitude.
He slowly tilted his head back and forth, considering the question. Finally he said, “Because she’s a lot like you guys.”
“What do you mean like us?” I asked warily.
“She sees ghosts, too. She’s…pretty special.”
“And what’s her name?” Perry asked. “This special ghost girl?”
“Rose,” he said, almost sadly. “Her name is Rose.”
And with that, he turned and left the room, heading down the staircase. I had a feeling that Rose was more than just a contact to him. How much more, well I guess that was something we were about to find out.
I nodded at Perry. “Grab your purse. At least we’re going to a bar.”
I think we were all going to need a drink at this point.
CHAPTER SEVEN
We got to the bar by walking down Bourbon Street for a bit, just to get a feel for the place. Perry and I stopped at one of the bars that were open to the street and ordered two sickly sweet Hand Grenades to go, sucking back on that antifreeze while we navigated the early crowds and puking frat boys who’d probably been drunk all day. And how could you not be? I mean booze to-go? Public drinking was encouraged? Suddenly every bad vice I had was begging to come back.
Rose’s bar on Royal Street was further away from the touristy crowds, a large place filled with live jazz, crazy cheap drink specials, and locals having a good time. I was in heaven, especially with the hot woman at my side.
“Do you see her?” I asked Maximus as we stood in the doorway, surveying the room. Most people were sitting near the jazz band, though a few of them were playing pool, and a handful were sitting at one of the two bars.
He shook his head.
“What’s the name of this place?” Perry asked.
“It’s nameless,” he said absently, walking toward the jazz set-up, searching the seats in front of it. A lanky woman with giant breasts and an afro to match was singing sweet sadness, while two old hep cats played easy drums and mellow bass.
“Ugh, this makes me want to play,” I mumbled to myself, feeling the energy of the music seeping through my bones, revving my engines.
“The bar has no name?” Perry went on, still stuck on it.
I nodded to a coaster on the closest table. “Nameless is the name.”
“What happened to your hand grenade?” she asked, noting my empty hands.
“I drank it.” I turned to her. “Do you think they’d mind if I went up there and sang?”
She frowned at me. “Don’t you dare.”
“Hey, I know you find my voice sexy.”
“Dex, you’re one of the best singers I know and I’d love more than anything if you were to sing for me. But please don’t go tossing that woman out of the way. Let’s not get ourselves
Similar Books
