The next day I took a chance and went back to the office. After all, what’s a dick without an office?
I opened the door and who was sitting there behind my desk? Not Celine. Not the Red Sparrow. It was McKelvey. He gave me a sweet, false smile.
“Good morning, Belane, how they hanging?”
“Why do you ask? You want a peek?”
“No thanks.”
Then he scratched his, and yawned.
“Well, Nicky, my boy, your lease has been paid up for the next year by some mysterious benefactor.”
Lady Death, said a voice inside of my head, is playing with you.
“Anybody I know?” I asked.
“Swore on my mother’s honor to keep it quiet.”
“Your mother’s honor? She’s handled more turkeyneck than the corner butcher!”
McKelvey rose up from behind the desk.
“Take it easy,” I told him, “or I’ll turn you into a basket case.”
“I don’t like you getting on my mother.”
“Why not? Half the guys in this town have.”
McKelvey moved around the desk toward me.
“Come closer,” I said, “and I’ll have your head breathing up your butt.”
He stopped. I looked awesome when I was pissed.
“All right,” I said, “fill me in. This benefactor…it was a woman, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Never saw a babe like that!”
His eyes looked glazed but they always looked like that.
“Come on, Mac, fill me in, tell me more…”
“I can’t. I promised. Mother’s honor.”
“Oh Christ,” I sighed. “O.k., get out of here, my lease is paid.”
McKelvey shuffled slowly toward the door. Then he looked back at me over his left shoulder.
“All right,” he said, “but keep the place nice and clean. No parties, no crap games, no crap. You got a year.”
He walked to the door, opened it, closed it and was gone.