Searching for Sheila

Tobe's hand hovered a couple inches over the butt of the .38 in his belt. He felt sweat worm its way down his back. He could smell it. The gun barrel pressing against his spine drilled through his plastered shirt. The room was dead quiet, but laughter filled his head. It was Sheila's laughter, laughing at him, just like in the dream, that goddamned dream. The laughter seem to come from the picture in front of him on the wall, from Sheila's face in the flashlight's beam, from those hard eyes and vindictive mouth. He wanted to shut off that laughter, he wanted the voice behind him to shut off that heartless laughter. He'd have to do it himself. He heard his own voice say, "What do you want me to do? Raise my hands like in the movies?"

The gun barrel took a couple steps back. The voice said," Take the gun out of your belt with just your thumb and index finger on the grip, and raise it to your shoulder."

Tobe felt the gun taken from his fingers without feeling the touch of the hand that went with the voice.

"Now reach up and switch on the light over the picture and drop the flashlight. You can turn around real slow and raise your hands -- just like in the movies, Mr. Lanscott."

The man with the gun was dressed in a gray business suit and a tie with no color. He was an inch or so shorter than Tobe with light hair cut military style. He had the solid build of a man who had spent a good part of his youth on football fields. He held Tobe's gun in his large palm as if it were a toy and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile,"You know how to use this, Lanscott?"

"I saw a diagram in the army once. I think I remember which end the bullet comes out."

"You got a permit?"

"What if I don't?"

"Then you'll be charged with illegal possession along with breaking and entering. That oughtta get you twelve to fifteen at least."

"You a cop?"

"You'd better goddamn well hope I' m a cop instead of one of Maggard's boys. 'Cause right now you'd be dripping blood on the floor, just for starters."

"If you're trying to scare the shit out of me, you're doing a great job."

"Really? Somehow, I don't think you're the scared-shitless type, Lanscott. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. By the way, just why are you here?"

"Angel sent me."

"Angel?"

"Yeah, the classy lady who came to visit me at my motel room earlier tonight. If I'm not mistaken you're the guy in the car, her escort. You're Angel's guardian angel."

"Very good, Lanscott. Maybe you're a detective."

"And if you're a cop, I think I'm entitled to see some I.D. "

The man in gray pocketed Tobe's .38 and brought out a billfold and unfolded it close to Tobe's face. It read: Thomas A. Lundsford, Chief of Detectives, City of Piedmont Police Department.

"Impressive, "Tobe said. "Angel told me she had protection with juice. "

"I'll make a deal with you, Lanscott, since we seem to have Angel in common. I'll put my gun away, and you can lower your hands. Maybe we can start co-operating and you can tell me what you expected to find in here."

"Sure. I'm just doing your job, acting like a detective, digging up clues in this whorehouse which seems to be operating right under your nose, Lundsford."

"You can save the bullshit. All right. Angel said you were trying to reach your wife, that she had been -- shall we say- inducted into Maggard's ranks of blonde bimbos. "

Tobe nodded over his shoulder to the enlarged photo behind him. "Allow me to introduce you to

Sheila, the faithful Mrs. Lanscott. She's the one with Pharaoh all over her. "

"I see. Very attractive."

"She was. Now she looks like anybody's common slut." Tobe paused and said under his breath, "I never thought I would say anything like that about Sheila."

Lundsford took his eyes from the picture and said, "And how do you feel about that?"

Tobe took a breath and cast a glance at Sheila and her gangster-lover. "You name it, I've had every feeling in the book, from rage and bitterness to acceptance and resignation to what-the -hell-am-I-doing-here. I think that's where I am now."

"Really. I would think most guys in your position would be here to get even. "

"And what's that going to get me? "

"I dunno. Satisfaction, maybe. Revenge, self-respect. "

"All I want is some kind of closure to Sheila and me, to find out what happened to us, to our marriage, and especially what happened to her. But now I don't think I give a damn anymore. Being in this place and finding this picture puts it all in perspective. Why should I care after a year and a half? I'm thinking the best thing for me to do now is get the hell out of Dodge, go home and get on with the rest of my life."

"You disappointment me, Lanscott. When Angel told me about you, I thought maybe you were the man for the job."

"And what job is that?"

"The job of bringing Pharaoh Maggard's house of shit down and everything that goes with it."

"And how would I do that?"

"You're already at it, nosing around, asking questions, breaking into his den of iniquity, trying to contact your wife who's become one of his women. You could become a real pain in the ass to him. Sooner or later Pharaoh's got to take some action. Maybe he'll make a wrong move. Which could lead to his demise. "

"And which could lead to my own demise. No thanks, Lundsford. I didn't come riding in here on a white horse. I'm not interested in cleaning up your cesspool. That's your job. "

"It's kinda hard to clean up a cesspool when you're standing in the middle of it."

"That's your problem. Mine is Sheila, and only Sheila. I want to find her and then . . . Well, I guess then I want to lose her. Forever. And be gone from this place. Unless you're taking me in."

"You're no good to me incarcerated, Lanscott. I want you out on the street, being a pain in Pharaoh's royal ass, searching for Sheila. Maybe you and I can bring Maggard down. " Lundsford nodded to the picture. "Brunswick Hotel. In case you don't know, it's on the north side of town on Victoria. Is that going to be your next stop?"

"I think I might put it on my itinerary. "

'"And I think I might put a man on you. "

"I appreciate you letting me walk, Lundsford. But I don't want anybody tailing me. "

"You're going to need someone to wipe your nose. You're sticking it in some pretty dangerous places. As long as you're in Piedmont, you're going to have a shadow. "

"As long as I'm sticking my nose in dangerous places, I'd like to have my gun back. And I do have a permit for it."

"And you did say you knew which end the bullet comes out. Here. Turn off that light, will ya?"

In the darkness Tobe picked up his flashlight and turned it on. He said, "I notice you didn't bring a flashlight, Lundsford. You must know your way around this joint. "

"I've been here a time or two, for dinner and drinks. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to pretend I have perfectly clean hands. But I've never taken any money from the son of a bitch and I haven't used any of his women. "

"Including Angel? "

"Including Angel. "

"I guess that makes you a boy scout, Lundsford. I'd like to get out of here now. "

Outside Tobe brought the doors together with the add of the crowbar.

"Don't worry about it," Lundsford said. "Pharaoh will know about the break-in soon enough."

"Alarm? "

"Apparently not. I know he's got a team of cops on the take patrolling this place regularly. "

"Where are they? "

"I dunno. I'm surprised we got in as easily as we did. But lately Pharaoh's pulled in his dogs, keeping below the radar screen. "

"Why? Because I hit town? "

"I'm assuming that's a joke. No, my guess is that it's because Maggard's brother, Doke, got an early release. Somebody pulled strings with the governor. The drug division took Doke down on a bust just a couple years ago. I can't prove it, but I'm willing to bet that the informer was his big brother, and I'm willing to bet that Doke believes the same thing. There's no love lost between them. "

"Lundsford, that's perfect. There's your cesspool cleaner -- Doke Maggard."

"I've thought of that, but Doke's gone to ground as well. Besides I don't want to replace one Maggard brother with another. "

When they were on the other side of the fence, heading for their vehicles, Tobe said, "As long as we have Angel in common, you mind me asking a question about where you stand with her? "

"What you really want to know, Lanscott, is where you might stand with her. "

"You in love with Angel, Lundsford? "

"I won't deny it. But there's nothing I can do about it. I'm married, two kids, one on the way.

Denise loves and trusts me and I won't betray her trust. So I've got no real reason to leave my marriage. Sure, I'd like to have an affair with Angel, but I won't let it happen. "

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, she doesn't look on me as her lover. I'm the guy who helped her get free of Pharaoh, who looks after her, doesn't judge her. And besides, an affair would be hurtful to Angel. She seems brash and confident on the outside, but on the inside she's very fragile. If you have any feelings for her, Lanscott, you'll keep that in mind."

"I can see she's in good hands," Tobe said.

"I can see that you wouldn't hurt Angel. The very fact that you're here trying to find your wife tells me that."

"How's that?"

"You're doing the honorable thing, coming here and reaching out to your wife, no matter what she's done to you, to your marriage, and especially to herself. My guess is you want to end the relationship

on some high note, if possible, a respectful way, so you can walk away from it with your honor intact. I have to ask myself if I were in your position, would I have a strong enough sense of honor to do what you're doing. Or would I let the pain and the hatred make me my own victim. I think it's your own sense of honor that brought you to Piedmont. Maybe you did ride in here on a white horse. I'll get off my soapbox now."

Tobe grinned into the darkness. "You do marriage counseling on the side, Lundsford?"

He could just make out Lundsford's smile. It was a cop's smile, but it was a smile. He said,"Every man is an expert on marriage -- his own marriage. And I'm going home to mine. Goodnight, Lanscott. And good hunting."

II.

He was lying on a strange bed in a strange room and there was pounding on the door. Then there was a voice, high and thin: "Hey, Mr. Lanscott. It's me, Lenny, from the office. Open up, will ya? I gotta talk to you. It's real important. Unlock the door, okay?"

Tobe swung his feet to the floor. His watch told him it was almost noon and he thought he had never felt so tired. He called out "Just a minute", but the pounding went on. He went to the bathroom and threw cold water on his face and neck. Looking in the mirror he realized he was still dressed and there was the .38 in his belt. He shook his head, ran a hand through wet hair and dropped the gun into his back pack on his way to the door.

There was Lenny, his eyes wide, his almost toothless mouth open and suddenly soundless. The skinny man was pushed aside by a broad man in a shiny blue suit and a tie full of pink flowers. He shoved his way into the room like a man coming through the swinging doors of a saloon. He was followed by a man who looked as thin and weightless as Lenny. The smaller man slammed the door.

"See if he's packing," the big man barked.

The thin man had little hands and they went over Tobe, hardly touching him. He had a narrow face almost hidden by the wide brim of his hat and his shoes were shiny and pointy-toed. He seemed disappointed that he couldn't find a gun on Tobe, but quickly went to the back pack and came up with the .38. His smile was thin, but full of satisfaction. The big man, who looked like a refrigerator crate in an expensive suit, waived the gun back into the bag as if it were not worth considering. He backed into the chair, cocked it against the wall and folded his hands in front of his considerable girth. He looked around the room as if it were below his dignity to be there.

"You guys from central casting, or what?" Tobe said.

"Whadayamean?" demanded the small man.

"Haven't I seen you guys in the movies? Which one of you is Al Pacino?"

The refrigerator crate snorted, but the smaller man said," You got a smart mouth on you, mother-fucker."

"Just ignore it. I do."

"I think you need to learn a little respect."

The little man pulled a gun out from somewhere and made it point in Tobe's direction. The gun looked like a .45 automatic, the type Tobe carried in the army. In the small hand of the thin man it looked like a large machine tool.

"You're going to need both hands to operate that thing, sonny."

Cold steel met Tobe's forehead. It was the second time in a matter of hours that he had felt the press of a gun barrel, but this time he didn't sweat.

"I only need one hand, mother-fucker. And one finger to blow your fuckin' brains away."

The refrigerator crate laughed softly and said, "All right, Arnold. You can put it away. You ain't made the guy piss in his pants yet." He turned to Tobe. "How you like his act?"

"He's good. I guess you keep him around for laughs."

"I keep him around because he's good. Know who I am?"

"I'll take a wild guess. You're Doke Maggard. You got a brother named Teal who's called Pharaoh."

"That's right -- the guy you're looking for."

"Maybe."

"No ' maybe' about it. You come in here yesterday, tell Lenny your old lady's left you, which probably means you're here lookin' for her, hire a piece of pussy who used to be with my brother, pump her in more ways than one -- and here I'm takin' my own wild guess -- find out that your ex-old lady is one of my brother's whores. How I'm doin'?"

"You connected a few dots. Sounds like you made my business your business. The question is why."

"Because your business is my business. I want to find the son of a bitch worser than you do."

"Shouldn't be too hard. This town's not that big, I hear. And you've been around."

"Not lately."

"That's right. I heard the state's been supporting you."

"Support you call it. Listen, this hole you been staying in looks like the fuckin' Ritz compared to where I been."

"Then you ought to get out more. Have Arnold show you all the fun spots."

"Yeah? Well, we been around some and the son of a bitch ain't showed up. We got a little matter between us. He disappeared and nobody's talkin', not even Hogg."

"Who's that?"

"My brother's partner. Big guy. Thinks with his muscles."

An image of Sheila being fucked by muscle-man flashed across Tobe's mind.

"I think I know who you're talking about."

"Seen him?"

"No. But he's probably as charming as you are."

"Well, I figure a smart guy like you who wants your old lady back will find her. And when you find her, you find him. And when you find him, I find you."

"Sounds complicated. How's that going to work?"

"Arnold's going to be your tail. Like I say, he's good. You won't even know he's around."

"He's going to have to get in line. I already got me a shadow."

"Oh,yeah?"

"Detective Lundsford's already got a man on me. It's starting to get crowded."

"Lundsford, huh? You're a popular guy."

"At least I won't be lonely. What makes you think I'll have any better luck finding your brother than you would?"

"First off he's lying low because of me, I figure. The second thing is that he prob'ly already knows you're in town and why, and sooner or later either him or Hogg'll have to deal wit' ya."

"How would your brother know I'm here?"

"Easy. 'Cause Loose-Lips Lenny prob'ly told him. He tells my brother everything. In fact, he'll tell anybody anything. I think Teal owns this place. Lenny's pro'bly on the phone right now telling him me and Arnold are paying you this little visit."

"That makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over."

"Well, Lanscott, if you ain't up to do what needs to be done about your old lady, then maybe you better start headin' south. Think about it. We gotta be on our way."

Maggard pushed himself from the wall and got up with some effort. He straightened his tie which didn't need straightening and brushed off his suit as if something had contaminated him.

"Well, nice doing business wit' ya, Lanscott. Try to stay alive, will ya? You're no good to me dead."

"That's comforting," Tobe said to himself, as the door slammed behind them. But he was smiling when he said it.

III.

Tobe sat near the end of the bar in the Estabrook Lounge on Victoria Avenue. The place was cool and dark enough to almost hide its shabby décor. The blinds on the front window were up, but very little of the late afternoon sun seemed to make it through to the Estabrook's dim interior. From where Tobe was sitting he could make out the Brunswick Hotel across the street. Judging from the guests going through its revolving doors and its weathered exterior, the Brunswick seemed to be sliding into a rather ungraceful old age. In the background Johnny Cash was singing in a bewildering tone about being sucked down into a ring of fire. Tobe thought he could relate.

The bartender looked to be about the same age as the Brunswick with a face that had seen all the trouble there was to see in this City of Piedmont. He approached Tobe and wiped an invisible spot away.

"Looks like once upon a time the Brunswick was an elegant place," Tobe commented.

"Yeah. Once upon a time. Used to be a nice place, nice people, respectable people. Like this place, like the people who used to come in here."

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened? Shit happened. The Maggard brothers came to town. Hell, I dunno. Things change. You'd like to think things always change for the better. But they don't."

"I've heard of the Maggards. They come around much?"

"Never see them, except in the papers. They got their own places. Some of their women and cronies stay over there, but they don't come over here. Anyway, one of' the Maggard boys is in the pen. Lady down there wants to buy you a drink."

Tobe turned in his seat. He had been so occupied with the Brunswick, he hadn't seen the woman come in. Her hair was red and worn casually as if all she did in the morning was run her hand through it. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt of business-like length with matching jacket, a lime-colored blouse, cream-colored high heels and no stockings. She nodded to him and smiled. Her smile said: I'd like to meet you. Her eyes said: Be careful.

Tobe approached her and said,"Thanks. I was starting to feel lonely down there."

"No need for that. I'm Cordelia, friends call me Delia."

"I'm Toby, formerly Elwood. Now everyone calls me Tobe."

"Pleased to meet you, Tobe. What are you drinking?"

"Well, when I'm buying, it's beer. When someone else is buying, I'd like a Manhattan. On the rocks. Okay?"

The bartender, who had followed Tobe, said, "Say, I ain't built a Manhattan in years. This crowd don't drink'em. Tell ya what. It's on the house, mister. What'll you have, lady?"

"The same. But I'll be glad to pay."

The bartender held up his hand with no trace of the previous sorrow on his face.

"Wouldn't hear of it. Two Manhattans comin' up."

"Well, you certainly made his day," Delia smiled. Tobe decided she had a nice smile and nice legs,

but what the hell was she after?

"Well," Delia said, "I think this is where one of us says 'come here much?' "

"First time for me."

"Me, too. I was a few blocks over making a sale. Thought I'd stop in for a drink to celebrate."

"Good for you. "

"Don't take this personally, Tobe, but you don't look like the Manhattan type."

"I used to be in middle management with Essential Insurance. You know, suit and tie everyday, a Manhattan in my hand at every cocktail party. I quit a few years ago to start my own home improvement business. I found out I'd rather build something than push papers all day."