tour of the dance studio on the top floor after that.
Barbara and I picked up the coffee cups, spoons and plates. I washed and dried them while she put out a simple lunch for us before we left. She paused as she sliced some bread.
“It will be safe, Kid, won’t it?”
I gave voice to what I had been thinking. “I think so, maybe because Lynn and Miss Quist will be along. Donnie’s a hood, but he’s not going to cause trouble with so many witnesses around. At least I don’t think so.”
“That’s why Lynn said she was going, too?” Barbara had read my mind.
“Yes, safety in numbers and all that. Besides, Donnie always liked her.”
The sound of footsteps on the stairs announced Lynn’s and April’s return.
Barbara took my hand and whispered to me just before they came in. “Well, you watch out nonetheless.” She squeezed my hand and dropped it before I could answer.
Our lunch took longer than expected, partly due to April’s peppering Lynn with questions about her former work at The Pink Poodle, how she started as a stripper and what it was like, but eventually we were ready to leave. We decided to take April’s car, as on our return there would be four of us, including the oversize Max, and Lynn’s little Geo Metro wouldn’t do.
The three of us trooped out the front door of the store to the sound of the bell jangling, Barbara crying, “Godspeed!” and Junior the cat meowing his complaint at our leaving. Just before the door closed, Lynn dashed back inside and then joined us on the sidewalk. She held a copy of Max’s book in her hand.
“A peace present for Donnie,” she explained.
“Good idea,” I said, marveling as I do at least twice a day at how much smarter Lynn is than I am.
We reached April’s rented sedan and piled into it. I sat in the back so that Lynn could provide directions to The Pink Poodle. April buckled herself in and pressed the power button. The car’s dashboard lit up with gauges and LCD screens but without the purr or vibration of an engine. There was only the slight hum of an electric motor that increased in pitch as we pulled away from the curb.
“I understand why your car wouldn’t be big enough, Lynn, but doesn’t Greg have a car of his own?” April asked as she took the first corner.
Personally, I didn’t think it was necessary for Lynn to explain to April that I had only gotten my driver’s license a few months before, but evidently she felt it was.
“He still can’t handle the stick shift when he has to stop on a steep hill. You should see him trying to juggle the clutch, the gas and the emergency brake.”
April laughed.
I refrained from taking part in the conversation.
Lynn can be so funny at times.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Pink Poodle is a second-rate strip club in a third-rate part of town. Not much had changed in the year that had passed since I was last there. The street was still full of potholes, and the adjacent sidewalks were still cracked and crumbling. The nail salon on the far side was still in operation, but the pet store next to that was closed and boarded over. A neon pink French poodle, dim in the afternoon sunlight, hung over the door to the club.
Lynn pulled into the gravel-covered parking lot next door. The few cars in the lot were parked near the club’s back door. Although The Pink Poodle opened at eleven in the morning, the strippers didn’t start their routines until three in the afternoon. Aside from a few habitual barflies, there wouldn’t be many customers.
I watched April as we walked from the parking lot around to the front of the building. I could tell from her expression as she stepped around a puddle of oily water that so far, she wasn’t too impressed.
We reached the front. The marquee windows were made of unbreakable acrylic that had turned yellow and brown with age. Pinup photographs of the dancers were tacked inside. April cast an inquisitive eye over them and then turned to Lynn.
She
Barbara and I picked up the coffee cups, spoons and plates. I washed and dried them while she put out a simple lunch for us before we left. She paused as she sliced some bread.
“It will be safe, Kid, won’t it?”
I gave voice to what I had been thinking. “I think so, maybe because Lynn and Miss Quist will be along. Donnie’s a hood, but he’s not going to cause trouble with so many witnesses around. At least I don’t think so.”
“That’s why Lynn said she was going, too?” Barbara had read my mind.
“Yes, safety in numbers and all that. Besides, Donnie always liked her.”
The sound of footsteps on the stairs announced Lynn’s and April’s return.
Barbara took my hand and whispered to me just before they came in. “Well, you watch out nonetheless.” She squeezed my hand and dropped it before I could answer.
Our lunch took longer than expected, partly due to April’s peppering Lynn with questions about her former work at The Pink Poodle, how she started as a stripper and what it was like, but eventually we were ready to leave. We decided to take April’s car, as on our return there would be four of us, including the oversize Max, and Lynn’s little Geo Metro wouldn’t do.
The three of us trooped out the front door of the store to the sound of the bell jangling, Barbara crying, “Godspeed!” and Junior the cat meowing his complaint at our leaving. Just before the door closed, Lynn dashed back inside and then joined us on the sidewalk. She held a copy of Max’s book in her hand.
“A peace present for Donnie,” she explained.
“Good idea,” I said, marveling as I do at least twice a day at how much smarter Lynn is than I am.
We reached April’s rented sedan and piled into it. I sat in the back so that Lynn could provide directions to The Pink Poodle. April buckled herself in and pressed the power button. The car’s dashboard lit up with gauges and LCD screens but without the purr or vibration of an engine. There was only the slight hum of an electric motor that increased in pitch as we pulled away from the curb.
“I understand why your car wouldn’t be big enough, Lynn, but doesn’t Greg have a car of his own?” April asked as she took the first corner.
Personally, I didn’t think it was necessary for Lynn to explain to April that I had only gotten my driver’s license a few months before, but evidently she felt it was.
“He still can’t handle the stick shift when he has to stop on a steep hill. You should see him trying to juggle the clutch, the gas and the emergency brake.”
April laughed.
I refrained from taking part in the conversation.
Lynn can be so funny at times.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Pink Poodle is a second-rate strip club in a third-rate part of town. Not much had changed in the year that had passed since I was last there. The street was still full of potholes, and the adjacent sidewalks were still cracked and crumbling. The nail salon on the far side was still in operation, but the pet store next to that was closed and boarded over. A neon pink French poodle, dim in the afternoon sunlight, hung over the door to the club.
Lynn pulled into the gravel-covered parking lot next door. The few cars in the lot were parked near the club’s back door. Although The Pink Poodle opened at eleven in the morning, the strippers didn’t start their routines until three in the afternoon. Aside from a few habitual barflies, there wouldn’t be many customers.
I watched April as we walked from the parking lot around to the front of the building. I could tell from her expression as she stepped around a puddle of oily water that so far, she wasn’t too impressed.
We reached the front. The marquee windows were made of unbreakable acrylic that had turned yellow and brown with age. Pinup photographs of the dancers were tacked inside. April cast an inquisitive eye over them and then turned to Lynn.
She
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