I stood back and watched as the ship's crane lowered the crate onto the dock, cigarette smoke stinging my eyes. The dame watched, too, but with a different gleam in her coffee-brown eyes. See, she didn't know that I knew that the package she'd hired me to find was worth far more than she'd promised to pay. She also didn't know that I am never,
ever
stiffed on my finder's fee. It's 10% or your ass. Or both. The way this dame looked, I intended to have both.
I turned to study her on the pretense of watching the dock workers. She was expensively dressed in an ermine-trimmed coat that stopped just below her knees and left quite a bit of long leg to be admired. Her face was hidden behind the mesh veil attached to her stylish hat but it could see creamy skin and blood-red lips that calmly sucked on the end of the cigarette holder, thin wisps of smoke issuing from them. She seemed to sense my perusal and turned those dark eyes on me, giving me a subtle nod of acknowledgement. I motioned her over to her waiting car and lit another cigarette, watching her sashay over to me.
"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Arrow. Before I called you, I'd given up hope on ever finding it."
"I told you I'd find it, didn't I?" I smirked cockily. "Arrow Investigations always finishes a job."
"I will be telling all of my friends about your business, Mr. Arrow. You will probably have more business than you can deal with."
"Bring it on."
She smiled briefly and reached into the long cuff of her black satin gloves, extracting a thick envelope. "Your finder's fee."
"Miss Long, we have a problem." The brim of her hat shot up so quickly that it nearly took my nose off. She glared at me with suspicious eyes, still holding the envelope. "The item that you requested me to find is substantially worth more than what's in that envelope."
The creamy skin paled and I saw her mind working, trying to think of a quick retort. "I don't re-negotiate."
"Fine." I flashed my pearly whites at her, then shouted at the crane operator. The crate came to a halt, suspended over the gap between the boat and the dock, something that was not lost on her.
"What are you doing?" She said frantically, looking from the swaying crate to the dark, choppy water below. "You can't stop it."
"Oh, but I can. I paid him, remember?" I took two long drags, letting her stew in her misery. As I said before, I am never,
ever
stiffed on my finder's fee. She bit her bottom lip nervously, her eyes locked onto the wooden box. "Now, do we talk or do I tell him to put it back on board?"