3- It's Noir or Never

“Is it going to snow?”

Matthew had only seen snow once in his life. The dreary skies looked promising but each year it would be the same. The wind would be cold and the sky would be gray but no snow would fall their way. Luke, who had never seen snow, piped up with the word he had only heard about from his brother’s flashcards.

“Snow! Snow! Snow!” He giggled.

“No snow!” Matthew told him, giving him a disapproving shake of the head.

In response, Luke waggled his finger back and forth at his brother and ran away as quickly as his little legs could go. Matthew sniffed loudly, trying to prevent the snot from escaping his nose. Besides the runny nose, his head felt stuffy and he couldn’t stop coughing.

Mommy came in just then to see his runny nose and grabbed a tissue for him. “Are you getting sick?” She looked him over. “Maybe you should lay down.”

“I don’t want to go to bed!” Matthew began to wail.

“Then let’s get you bundled up on the couch. I’ll put on some old movies just like my Mommy used to when we were sick. I’ll get a fire going and make you some soup.”

Matthew climbed up in the couch, glad to be watching television. Just as she had promised, Mommy brought out a soft blanket and tucked it in around him. She set to work lighting the fireplace until a nice fire started up and then began playing a movie.

Matthew blinked. Was something wrong with his eyes? He looked away from the TV. No, he could see the green leaves on the plant and the brown binding on the book with the gold lettering. Yet when he looked back at the TV, everything was black, white and gray. So distracted was he with the lack of color that he wasn’t paying much attention to the movie itself. His amazement was short lived as he felt his interest disappear. Mommy helped spoon him some warm chicken soup until it was gone. The soup tasted good and made him feel content as he lay there. His stuffy head felt comfortable on the pillow and the warmth from the blanket and the fire quickly pulled him into a deep sleep.

A light tapping woke him. Matthew opened his eyes groggily and looked unseeingly at the room before him. Everything was dark and the only light he could see came from a small lamp on his desk and a sliver of light from under the door. A flash of lightning behind him jerked him fully awake and he realized the tapping must be coming from outside since it was raining. He reached up to touch the cold glass. The distortion of the glass itself and the rain falling down made it difficult for him to see through. The tapping noise sounded again and he realized someone was just outside the door. He couldn’t see much of his surroundings to know where he was and while the darkness helped prevent full disorientation, he was beginning to suspect that he had fallen into another world again. “Come in,” he called out.

The door burst open and a woman’s silhouette stood in the doorway. “How can you see a thing?” There was a sound of a switch as an overhead light flickered to life.

“There’s no color,” he muttered, looking around him in shock. Everything was as black and white just like the movie he had been watching.

The woman looked at him uneasily. “Have you taken to drinking?” She approached his desk and lifted a crystal glass cup that would have gotten him in trouble for even touching.

“Drink? I had milk this morning.”

“Hmm,” she responded, setting the empty glass back down on the surface. She studied his face for a moment, wondering if she could trust the person behind it. Finally she turned and made her way to sit down in an armchair across from him. There she began unpinning her hat from her curled hair. She wore a simple gray jacket and pencil skirt with gray legs in black high heels. Her black hat was almost as dark as her gray hair and the eyes that looked at him were gray as well. As far as he knew, she seemed to match everything. “I hear you’re the best.” She pulled a long cigarette from her clutch and motioned to offer him one as well.

Matthew waved his hand to decline the offer. “Depends what you think I’m the best at.”

She waited to respond to him until she had lit the end and exhaled a couple puffs of smoke. Matthew’s eyes watered and he waved a hand to get the smoke from his eyes. “You shouldn’t do that,” he managed to choke out.

The woman pulled the cigarette from her mouth and looked at it with amusement before putting it out in an ash tray. “I suppose it is bad for my health.” She pulled out a tube of dark gray lipstick to reapply to her lips. “I need someone of your…expertise to track down a mad woman.”

“What is she mad about?”

“What isn’t she is the real question. I’d do the detecting myself if I wasn’t already working a case.”

“You’re a detective?”

The woman smiled and drew a badge from her pocket and placed it on his desk with a gloved hand. “Private eye, Rachel McClane at your service.” Matthew leaned forward to look. He couldn’t read, but he could recognize some of the letters on the white card attached to the black leather casing. He nodded after a while, pretending to know what he had been looking at. She tucked it away.

“That’s a private eye?”

Rachel looked at him confused again. “Perhaps now is not the best time.” She stood and made as if to leave.

“Wait, you haven’t told me about the mad woman.”

Rachel paused before answering. “Her name is Mrs. Price. She was last seen down at the Hummingbird. The sooner we can get her back to the nuthouse, the less likely it’ll be that she murders someone.”

“Like kills? She’s a bad guy?”

“One of the worst.” Rachel tilted her head at him and reached out to hand him something. “Say, uh, here’s my card. If you run into trouble, give me a jingle.” She winked at him and left, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Matthew looked down at the little white card with the writing. He then tucked it in his pocket and looked at the door Rachel had just passed. Whatever this world was that lacked color, he was about to discover all that it held.

A long coat with a belt hung by the door under a hat. He put both on and found he had to pull the collar up to prevent the rain from falling down his back. He had made his way out to the street below and was bombarded by the amount of noise from the cars tooting their horns at each other and the sloshing of the water that the tires drove through. The sky itself looked like black ink. He made his way down the sidewalk, not seeing many people out and about. He wasn’t sure where the Hummingbird place was but hoped that each step in the direction he was heading would bring him closer. The rain was starting to seep into the jacket when he finally saw a neon white sign. A hummingbird was painted on wood over the door and he gladly made his way in, eager to get out of the wet cold. The place was full of life and smoke that smelled worse than what Rachel had made earlier. He took his hat from his head to cover his mouth as he made his way over to the bar area. He sat at an empty stool and put his hat on the surface, looking around. He hadn’t thought to ask what this Mrs. Price looked like and now he didn’t think he would be able to find her. Everyone was dressed the same. The women (though few of them there were) had the same sort of attire Rachel had been wearing while the men wore slacks and buttoned down shirts like himself. He was still having a hard time getting used to everything being gray.

“Can I get ya something?”

Matthew looked up and found himself smiling at the familiar face behind the bar. “Luke! It’s me, Matthew! Boy am I glad you’re here.”

It looked like Luke had grown into a full-sized man, but his face and head were still the same baby shape. “Aye, ya look familiar. But I go by Lucas. Can I get ya a drink there, bub?”

“I’ll have a milk.” When Lucas gave him a disbelieving look he added with some hesitation, “warm please.”

Lucas smacked the surface of the counter with a bellowing laugh. “Ah, you’re a funny guy! You want a warm milk like a baby? Made my night!”

Matthew’s cheeks warmed in embarrassment. He shook his head, trying to portray confidence as he tried to think of a grown-up drink. “I’m kidding, buddy. I’ll have a coffee.”

Lucas gave him a little nudge from over the bar top. “That’s what I’m talking about, my man!”

Matthew looked after Lucas with some disappointment. Would it have been better if Luke had come here as a dog? Looking around at the foreign place, he didn’t think so. Yet to see that he was just another character to this strange world made him feel alone. Lucas returned with the hot cup and set it down with a wink. “I added a little warm milk to the joe for ya.”

“Oh, thanks!” Matthew lifted the cup to his lips and his excitement to try the grown up drink vanished as he tasted the bitter liquid. He set the cup down, trying not to grimace and nodded his head to Lucas who had been waiting to see his reaction. “So good.” He pushed the cup aside and clasped his hands together. “Actually, maybe you can help me with something. I’m trying to find someone. Name of Mrs. Price. Heard she was here last.”

“What, are ya some kind of private eye or something?”

Still unsure what was meant by ‘private eye’, he just answered, “Yep”.

“Ah, well, I don’t know about no dame by that name but you can talk to Butch over there. He knows everyone that comes in this joint.”

Matthew followed Lucas’ finger to a shadowed table in the corner. A dark figure sat there, a steady stream of smoke exuding from the area. “Excellent, thank you.”

Matthew felt around in his pockets until he found a coin. He placed it on the surface but Lucas shook his head. “Save it. You’ll be needing the coin for Butch.”

Matthew nodded thanks and took up his hat to make his way toward the man. If the dog Butch were a human, Matthew wondered if this would be what he’d look like. The man was burly with a scar cut right across his left eye and a big cigar hanging off his lip.

“Excuse me, are you Butch?”

“Who’s asking?” The voice was gruff and dangerous.

“My name is Matthew. I have a private eye.”

Butch looked up at him and Matthew adjusted nervously as the piercing gaze bore into his very soul. “Ye have a private eye or ye are a private eye? If the former then I have no business with ye. If the latter, maybe I can help.”

Matthew considered the two options. “The…latter.”

Butch smiled slightly and kicked out the opposite chair. “Take a seat, kid.”

Matthew sat in the seat, making sure to keep a good distance between them without seeming too obvious. “I’m looking for someone named Mrs. Price. Heard she was here earlier. Do you know her?”

Butch cocked his head and squinted at him until he squirmed. Finally he answered, “Aye, I seen her here. Dame got wine at the bar. Mad up the walls, she was. Threatened couple of the boys for coming near her. Almost called the copper but the dame made a clean sweep before we could.”

“Where did she go then?”

Butch raised his eyebrows. “Say, private eye or no, ya gonna compensate me for this information? I don’t give things out freely ya know. Not part of my business.”

Matthew sat confused for a second and then remembered what Lucas had told him at the bar. He pulled out the coin and slid it over to Butch who took it and tucked it away.

“Yeah the dame took a right out of here, made some mention about a mug named Tom.” Butch made to stand. “If ya find her, best lock her up tight. Them dames can be dangerous.” He gestured to his scarred eye then fit his hat over his head to leave.

Matthew stood to ask where this Tom lived, but Butch’s massive size and intimidating expression told him that their exchange was done. Instead he nodded and watched Butch leave the Hummingbird, a string of putrid smoke following him out.

Matthew made his way back up to the bar where Lucas was shining a glass with a rag. “You don’t happen to know where some bloke with the name of Tom lives, do you?”

Lucas gave him a toothy smile. “Only one Tom I know. I’m about to scram out anyway. I’ll take ya to ‘im. Gimme a few ticks.”

“Much obliged.” Matthew looked around as he waited and spotted a phone booth across the way. He pulled out the card that Private Eye Rachel McClane had given him and made his way over. He pulled the door shut behind him and looked at the phone. He had become so accustomed to the small rectangular device that his parents used that the contraption before him only befuddled him. The part that he lifted off a hook was attached to the main box with a wire cord. A tone in his ear told him that he could listen out of this end. The dial before him made no sense and he stood there, holding the earpiece dumbly in one hand while staring at the numbers. Poking the holes where the numbers were did nothing. Finally the tone went away and a friendly woman’s voice sounded on the other end. “Operator, who can I connect you with?”

“Ah yes, Rachel McClane please.” He spoke loudly into the earpiece, unsure if she would hear him. He hurriedly put it back up to his ear to hear her tell him to standby as they were connected. The phone rang for a while and then the other end was picked up and he heard Rachel’s voice. “Rachel, it’s Matthew. I have a location on Mrs. Price. She went to Tom’s house. I’m heading there now with a buddy of mine.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The connection broke as she hung up.

Matthew returned the earpiece and stepped out of the booth. Lucas was waiting for him. “Ready to go, boss?”

“Lead the way, buddy.”

Lucas showed Matthew to his little black car. It reminded him of one of the Hot Wheel cars he had in his toy box back home. They took off in the rain down the street until they were no longer in the main part of the city. Lucas turned off into a housing complex just as the rain began to die away. The streets were dark and quiet. “Let’s park a couple houses back, just to be safe.”

“As you say, boss.” After a moment he asked, “Has Tom gotten himself in some kind of a pickle?”

“I don’t know,” Matthew replied. “The Mrs. Price I asked you about, I guess she went to his house. She’s supposed to be…mad. I don’t know what she’s mad about but sounds scary.”

Lucas nodded.

They pulled up to a small house and peeked out the windshield to get a better look at Tom’s house. The lights were on and the shadows moving back and forth across the main floor window told them that someone was home.

“Ya got a bean shooter?” Lucas asked.

“A what?”

“A bean shooter! You know…” He reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a small gun. He held it up to show Matthew.

“You’ve got a gun! Do you kill bad guys?”

Lucas smiled at him as he stowed the gun in his big coat. “Haven’t plugged anyone yet. Still got all the lugs. But best bring it along to be safe.” He patted his pocket gently.

Matthew nodded, feeling more confident about going in with Lucas, but also wondering what he was getting himself into.

“Don’t forget your lid, boss.”

Matthew grabbed his hat and fit it on his head. “You don’t have to call me boss.”

Lucas chuckled and shrugged. “I suppose you ain’t payin’ me for my help.”

The two left the car and crouched down to approach the house. They ducked behind a rose bush just inside the property line. “Should we knock?”

Lucas shrugged.

Sneaking around the house didn’t seem like a good idea so Matthew straightened and approached the door as confidently as he could. Lucas followed, staying close behind. They could hear yelling inside the house and as he knocked on the hard wood door, the yelling stopped. For some reason this made him feel more uneasy. The door opened slowly to reveal a tall man with disheveled hair. From the looks of him, he wasn’t having a great night. “Can I help you gentlemen?”

“Ah yes,” Matthew said, trying to keep up some courage. “I’m looking for a woman. Mrs. Price. Heard she was here.”

“Hard not to with all the racquet you were making,” Lucas added.

“What do you want with her?” Tom stayed where he was, refusing to move aside or make any inclination of helping them.

“We just want to make sure she is okay.”

Tom looked at the both of them for a moment. “Just the two of you?”

“Yep,” Lucas replied.

Tom smiled suddenly and stepped aside. “Right this way, fellas.” Matthew and Lucas stepped into the house as Tom checked the outside and closed the door behind them. He then motioned them to the living area.

“Nice place you got here,” Matthew commented, although in truth the place was in shambles. Things had been thrown around the room and drinks had been knocked over on the furniture. More than that, though, he felt a shiver of fear and he didn’t know why. Even void of color, there was something sinister about this place.

His fears were confirmed when a crazed woman carrying a shotgun came into view. She glared at them, keeping the barrel pointed in their direction. “Come to take me away, have you?” Her voice was shrill. The hair on her head had frizzed out from her bun. Her glasses were slightly crooked on her face giving her more of a crazed look.

Matthew was immediately grateful that Lucas had brought a gun, but the shotgun was a lot bigger. They turned back toward the door to find Tom had already fixed a gun on them as well. They were trapped. “I was just trying to find you,” Matthew told her, trying to stay calm. “I heard that you were mad about something.”

Mrs. Price cackled. “Mad, ye say? Ye call me mad?” Her menacing laugh died away and the fury in her eyes came back with full force. “How dare you call me a looney!”

“What should we do with them?” Tom asked, keeping his eyes on the two.

“They be gunnin’ fer me. Gonna take me back to them head docs. I ain’t gonna go. All day long grillin’ me and pokin’ me wit needles. I ain’t doin’ it again. This is my joint and I ain’t goin’ without a fight.”

“Aye, we’ll make it look like they bumped each other. The sorry mugs came here alone. We’d be long gone before anyone thinks to look for them.”

Mrs. Price giggled. “Ya shouldn’t have tried to find me.”

Matthew squeezed his eyes shut as Mrs. Price pumped the shotgun and raised it to shoot. Before she had a chance, a muffled shot sounded and Mrs. Price fell, the shotgun clattering to the ground. Tom turned but his gun was shot from his hand before he could react. Matthew opened his eyes to see Tom, hands raised, backing into the room next to Lucas. From the shadow of the entryway emerged Rachel McClane, revolver in hand. The silencer on the end gave away the shooter of the now late Mrs. Price.

“You alright there, boys?” As she spoke, the door burst open and a string of police officers came charging in. They took Tom into custody and rushed toward Mrs. Price. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said, approaching them and tucking the revolver away. “I’m a good shot, but I had to stop her from offing the both of you. Sorry for getting you involved.”

“Why did you?”

“Turns out the case I was working happened to lead me to Tom as well. He was the trigger man in a bank robbery. Took me a while to track down his identity. Nicked a whole ten grand. Probably was the one who freed Mrs. Price so they could run away together. One’s crazy, the other’s crazy for love.”

“Which is which?” Matthew asked.

Rachel winked. “Well isn’t that the real mystery then, detective?”

She led them out into the fresh air. The evidence of the recent rain still puddled the streets but even without the color, Matthew could see the stars twinkling in the sky. He turned to Lucas and held out a hand. Lucas grasped it with his own, firmly. “Sorry I dragged you into this. At least you didn’t need to use your gun.”

Lucas laughed and smacked his forehead. “Blast, I forgot I had the dang thing!”

Sudden yells from the house grabbed their attention and Rachel ran forward to one of the officers. “What’s happened?”

“Mrs. Price has escaped!”

“What?” The officer shrugged and continued hurrying off, sirens blaring after them.

“How could Mrs. Price have escaped? I thought you shot her.” Matthew said.

“I did!” Rachel shook her head in wonder. “Dang cat’s got nine lives. No matter. Better get you back to your office. The police can take it from here.”

Matthew nodded. He was suddenly feeling very tired. “See you later, Lucas,” he called.

“Hopefully not too soon, brother!” Lucas ducked into his car and brought the engine to life.

Matthew smiled after him and climbed into Rachel’s car. They sped off back to the city center where it had all begun. As they drove Matthew looked out the window at the buildings speeding past him. Walking down the sidewalk, he thought he saw the massive form of Butch still creating a smoky ribbon with the cigar. Then the Hummingbird came into view, now dark, the neon sign no longer burning bright. Finally they pulled up to what he knew was the entrance to his private office. “I hope to see you again soon, detective," Rachel called after him.

“Mrs. Price is still missing so I think you will.”

Rachel smiled. “The never ending case of the missing Mrs. Price.”

Matthew dipped his hat respectfully and left the car and Private Eye Rachel McClane behind.

He made his way up to his office, feeling the weight of sleep pressing in on him. All the adrenaline that had taken him over in all the rush of excitement had finally left his body and he was eager to get some shut eye. His office was still lit when he arrived and he took a quick look around before switching the light off. The only source of light to remain was that from the lamp on his desk. He shut and locked the door, tossed his coat and hat on a chair and went over to sit in his leather seat. He sighed a heavy sigh and sank into dreamland.

Light pulled him out of sleep and he woke groggily, recognizing the familiar surroundings of the living room. He smiled as he took in the color around him and sat up to see more of it better. The black and white movie had long since ended and the television was now playing a Hallmark Christmas movie. “Hey buddy, you feeling better?” Matthew looked over to see his Daddy sit down next to him on the couch.

In truth he felt much better than he did earlier. He nodded his head, rubbing his eyes.

“You look better.”

Luke strolled into the living room just then, a goofy smile on his face. Spending time with the black and white Lucas made him realize just then how little of a brother he had. “Come on, Luke! Let’s go hunt for Mrs. Price!” He climbed down from the couch and ran after his giggling brother to the room.

“Who’s Mrs. Price?” Daddy asked, but he received no response.