Wolfe and Hood

Patricia M. Bryce

(c) 2018  Patricia M. Bryce

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the permission

of the publisher.

Cover Design by

PaisleyRose Designs

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Dedicated to

H. Bogart

The Bogie man

Chapter 1.

Roz Hood blew into my office like a cool breeze, just what I needed on a sweltering August night. Her bright red hair was swept up in a fashionable do, a warning to the wise that she was dangerous. She was a fixture here in west-town Lakeview, like her old man had been. She opened her pretty mouth and said the last thing I expected to hear: Wolfe, I need your help.  

Got any more of that rotgut? Her breathy feminine voice asked.

I gave up rotgut when you were eighteen, baby, I replied. It’s fine blended bourbon now, doll. I lifted the bottle and offered her one.

Two fingers, please, she said, casting aside her black patent clutch purse. So, who did you piss off that it’s so hot in here? She fanned herself with a hand that had red painted nails. Unusual for a gal who spent most of her day under a car fixing whatever had gone wrong with it.  Roz was dressed for a night on the town, not a night under a car.

The Mages Guild doesn’t like it when you put the pinch on one of their own... even if he is a rotten apple. However, it wasn't something I could sweep under a rug, I handed her the glass and watched as she gulped it down, Hey, sweetheart, that’s sipping bourbon! I warned. What brings you to my door? Shouldn't you be under some jalopy? Didn't I drop one off earlier this week?

The booze in the glass hadn’t affected her at all, she didn’t cough or sputter, she looked at me with the most serious expression I’d ever seen. She held her glass out for a refill, a request I ignored. She had high class connections and had turned many a head. One head too many according to her. After a failed marriage to a social leech named Shelby Forester, Roz had come back to the neighborhood and had gone to work for her father. She could have moved up to uptown... she had the class. Instead, she’d come home. I admired her, for getting right back up after narrowly escaping a bad marriage. She hadn’t looked back and hadn’t asked for pity, in fact she’d refused to be treated like a victim. For her to be so shaken now, worried me.

Why don’t you take a seat, Roz, tell me what this is about? The bottle went back into my desk drawer. I had a feeling, an inner sense that both she and I needed our wits about us.

Her fingers trembled, that was something that one didn’t normally see. Roz Hood was one of the coolest customers in the world. She wasn’t fazed by magic or mob. She was a hell of a woman working in a man’s world and making good. I’d seen her face down men I wouldn’t want to take on, big men, bad men. Men who could have snapped her like a twig. Yet, that five feet eight inches of woman, at only one hundred and twenty pounds could and would take on anyone who got in her way. Seeing her tremble caused the hair on the back of my neck to tingle.

She placed the empty glass on the edge of the desk and took a seat, crossing her gorgeous long gams that I shouldn’t be looking at. What’s this all about? I repeated, trying to put my mind on what could be bothering her.

Two days ago, she said. Will stopped by, as I was closing up. Said he needed me to keep his car, that he was taking a little trip. She shook her pretty head. I should have known something was up. She stood up and began to pace, I watched and listened.  Her voice dropped an octave, He's always been a bit of a problem. But ever since Pa died, I suspect that brother Will’s been up to no good.

WILL WAS UP TO NO GOOD long before your pa passed, I reminded her.

BIG BROTHER ROBERT refuses to even talk to or entertain him. Will won't come around when Robert is in town. Rob told me, he thinks, that Will has had deals going with some of the black-market Mages, you know you can’t trust them! He should know that by now.

SWEETHEART, I WARNED, Even the Mages on the up and up can’t be fully trusted. I was speaking from personal, and recent experience.

I KNOW, SHE AGREED quietly. Nevertheless, I heard Mages in the black market are treacherous. She was seething with anger. Pa and Gramps never trusted them. You’d think Will would have known better.

YOUR FATHER AND YOUR grandfather, never had reason to work with that element, sweetheart. I reminded her. I remembered her father well, from my days as a beat cop.

She came from honest, hardworking stock. Her old man had worked on our cars. Never complaining when they were brought in riddled with bullet holes. He somehow always managed to put them back together, and would joke about bailing wire, spit and a prayer holding them together. Hood's Garage was a standard bearer here, in the neighborhood. It had been a carriage works when the first cars had rolled off the assembly line, started by Red’s father. When the twenties came roaring in, Red took over most of the work, and really built the business up. Red could have moved out, he was sought after, even the people up in uptown wanted him. Hell, everyone wanted Red Hood, but he stayed here. Even going so far as to hire kids from the neighborhood to give ‘em a break and keep ‘em off the streets. When the war came, he stayed open and took people's IOU's. He trusted his neighbors, and they trusted and respected him.

Red Hood ran a clean shop, no one hassled him. He was on good terms with the other business owners on his block. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Red Hood was fair, and honest. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of his youngest son. Will was the black sheep of the family. Will Hood was a small time wantabe racketeer, started out running numbers for some of the little games being played. He had been a bit of a disappointment to the old man. Not wanting to get his pretty-self dirty, doing honest work, unlike his sister and doctor brother. I’d heard that Will had moved up from the numbers boys to running traffic for the black-market Mages. I didn’t want to know what he was doing for them back then. If he didn’t cause trouble for his sister, I had no reason to interfere.

I’VE KNOWN FOR A LONG time that Will was bad news, Roz said. Even so, because of Pa, I’ve given him cash now and again when he was low on funds. She paced the floor, her heels making soft clicking sounds on the wooden planks. He’d left his car with me plenty of times when Pa went to visit Robert, and even after pa died, she said. But this was the first time that he showed up after everyone else had gone. Again, she shook her head, and paused.

I NODDED, GO ON.

HE SAID, HE’D ONLY be gone a few days, she explained. That I should just cover the jalopy up, not let anyone bother it. Roz turned, her big hazel green eyes looking deep in my soul, When he left, before I locked up and turned off the lights, I don’t know why, but... I tossed his car. I could see that confession cost her, that she wasn't happy about admitting this, even to me.

I TAKE IT YOU FOUND something that shouldn’t have been there.  

YOU COULD SAY THAT, she didn’t want to look me in the eyes anymore and turned to look at the wall. In the backseat, covered up by an old rug. She closed her eyes tight, as if she were trying to make the image disappear. Something was wrapped in newspaper, and tied tight, with shipping string. I thought it was a shoebox, or a gift he’d forgotten. He never spent money on wrapping paper... But, when I picked it up, it was heavy, heavier than something that size should have been.

You opened it, I said, she looked at me, nodded and said nothing. Whatever it was she’d found was making her nervous, no, make that scared. Was it imbued with magic? Her eyes darkened. I had a feeling that if I pressed she wasn’t going to tell me what it was. So, I took a different tact. What did you do?

I TOOK IT OUT OF THE car and put it in the office safe. She answered. Then I covered the car; like Will had asked me to. I turned off the lights and went upstairs. In the morning, the shop door was wide open, and the car was gone.

WAS ANYTHING ELSE DISTURBED?

SHE SHOOK HER HEAD, all that autumn auburn hair, piled high, moving from side to side, Not a thing.

DID YOU REPORT THE break in?

I WAS GOING TO, BUT before I could, this mug I’ve never seen in my life busts in and puts a gun in my face. He demanded I turn the package over or else... and he said if I went to the cops, Will would be dead meat.

HE HAD PROOF HE HAD Will?

WILL'S SIGNET RING.... The one Grandpa gave him for graduation. The bastard tossed it at me, as if it were .... He demanded I turn over the damn package! She came back to the chair, her hands gripping the back, as if that would hold her together. I lied, said I didn’t know what he was talking about. I thought I could buy some time...

IS THAT THING STILL in your safe? I asked.

NO, SHE ANSWERED. I didn’t think keeping it in the garage was a good idea. She looked uneasy, as if she didn’t trust me enough to say what she’d done. So, I moved it.

THAT WAS PROBABLY SMART, I wanted her to trust me, I didn’t press for information. Once she was ready, she’d sing like a bird. However, I wasn't sure I'd like the song.

THIS MORNING, THE COPS came by, her knuckles went white, as she tightened her grip on the chair. "They said they found Will’s car, in the lake, her voice caught in her throat, but no sign of Will."

THE CAR IN THE LAKE was a warning, I told her. If I’m any judge, you’ll be hearing from his captors again, and soon.

CAN YOU HELP ME, WOLFE? I know he's not worth it, but he's still my brother.

IT’LL COST, I WARNED. I had a feeling that whoever was holding Will was going to be a tough cookie. While I liked Roz, I had bills to pay, and Lon’s widow to look after. I’m reasonable, not cheap.

DAD ALWAYS SAID YOU were a good man, Roz countered. That people in this part of town needed good men who wouldn’t turn a blind eye. He said that you were fair in your dealings with your clients. He said you were worth every penny you asked for. She smiled a wistful smile, I’ll pay you whatever you ask.

THAT SMILE GOT ME, Could you fix my favorite car?

ROZ FROWNED. THE ONE that Lon got killed in? Her voice went up an octave.

It had been a challenging six weeks since he’d been killed. It was going to be harder still when the shock wore off. I feared what would happen then. Lon had been a good man, the best man I'd ever known. The gold leaf paint on the office window facing the street had begun to peel with years of heat and humidity. My late partner’s moniker was practically gone. A reminder of how fleeting partnerships could be. Some men might have had his name removed, but I wasn’t some men. His name would stay on the window, just as mine would. That would be the one, I nodded. I'm very fond of that car.

THE HAZEL GREEN EYES darkened as they narrowed, I wondered how many of her crew took refuge when she looked like that. You’re kidding.

NO, I SAID.

WOLFE!

YES, MISS HOOD? I leaned back. I was sure she knew it was going to take a lot to get that old sedan back into running order. I had contemplated letting Roz junk it, but it held great sentimental value. For the time being I was using Lon’s car, as Lyla, Lon’s widow, refused to go near it. However, Lon's car didn't have the meaning that mine had. Lon's death didn't erase my feelings for it. Perhaps his death had only intensified my feelings.

FINE, SHE SAID AT last. But, here’s my deal, she leaned toward me, I have to charge you for all materials. However, I won’t charge labor, and I’ll work on it myself. I have a feeling none of my crew would want to go near it.

THAT’S MORE THAN FAIR, I agreed. I’ll give you a set of keys. You'll have to go pick it up, it’s still in the police pound.

I HATE GOING THERE, she growled. The lot crew there looks at me like I am a side of prime beef.

THAT’S BECAUSE YOU're too cute to be a mechanic. I teased. And they are a randy bunch.

I TAKE IT THEY ARE ready to release it?

I NODDED. THEY ARE finished with it. Said they collected all the evidence they need. I tossed the extra set of keys I’d pulled from my pocket. Lon had been driving with his set, and that was the set the cops had taken at the scene of the crime. I should have surrendered mine, but just couldn’t find it in myself to do so. Too many times I’d seen keys or evidence go missing. Holding on to the keys made me feel still connected with Lon. Entrusting them to Roz, I knew they’d be safe. They said the trail of Lon’s case has gone cold.

IN JUST SIX WEEKS? Roz exclaimed. She didn't believe it any more than I had. How can that be?

"I KNOW, DOLL, I KNOW. But, if you find something they didn't, hold it for me, don't call the cops. It wasn't something I needed to remind her of, but for some reason, I had. I took a long breath, You up on your removal of hexes?" Roz had secrets, some I knew, some I didn't want to know. One I did know, was her father had used her talents to unhex more than one vehicle.

LET'S SAY, I KNOW WHAT I'm up against. She looked at the keys, These are yours, they are giving off your vibe. Nothing I can't handle. I’ll take good care of her for you, Wolfe.

AND I’LL TAKE CARE of finding out who wants, whatever it is, Will had in his possession. I promised.

I WANT TO BE INVOLVED, she said.

NO CHANCE, DOLL FACE, I shook my head. I’m willing to risk my life, not yours. You think the black-market mages are bad? Baby, this is going to be much worse. Her lips parted, but no sound came. She knew I wasn’t kidding. Reluctantly, she nodded. Do you know any dives in the neighborhood that Will was still hanging out in?

I heard that he was tossing back drinks in Goldie’s recently. She admitted. Will had a thing for Goldie a few years back, before Pa died. Before he moved up to Goldie's he used to hang out at the Ugly Duckling, near the harbor.

As good a place to start as any, I said. Got a spare jalopy I can use? I don't think I should be out there in one of the cars that Lon or I used recently. Too easy to recognize.

I've got a bone crusher that Pa wanted to junk for parts years ago. I felt we should hold on to it, Roz answered, It's not much to look at, but it's still street legal. And it doesn't have your marker or your vibration on it, you can pick the keys up in the lock box in the morning. I want to go over it once and put new protections on it.

I watched with appreciation as Roz exited my office with that slow gait of hers. Once she’d gone, I picked up the phone and dialed The Ugly Duckling bar. It’s Wolfe, I said gruffly, Is Horner in his corner?

Yeah, a brusque voice answered. He's here.

"Don’t let him leave; I’m