(thing) by moJoe Fri Dec 01 2000 at 3:56:25
The man turned briefly to look up and down the decaying hallway from which he came. Satisfied, he closed the door and slid the bolt. Flashing a nervous smile he crossed the room. He slid into the proffered seat hastily, with only a slight frown at its battered condition, and introduced himself as Kim.

"And what brings to this fine establishment, Mr. Kim?" Deck inquired as he rummaged in his desk drawer. Sliding a glass of highly questionable cleanliness into the center of his desk, he tipped the empty bottle over it.

"Drink?" he asked.

Kim blanched and declined politely. "Well, Mr. Coffield, I would like to retain your services."

Deck leaned back in his chair and fondled his tumbler of JTS Brown like a lover, "No shit?" He cocked an eyebrow ironically: "Who's she cheatin' with; best friend? Say, you ain't datin' a broad name a Mona are ya?"

"No, no, you misunderstand me, Mr. Coffield; this case, it is probably not the sort of work that you are used to doing," Kim explained as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. (In a stroke of drunken genius, Deck had long ago broken a spring in the "client seat" in order to keep conversations as short as possible. He was not a man for social interaction.) "What I need, Mr. Coffield, is for you to hold this for me." Kim produced a small green book that was padlocked shut by a riveted metal clasp. He held it up and then slid it across the desk.

"Later, I may need other services from you; but for now, here is five-hundred dollars." He pulled a rubber-banded wad from his jacket pocket, counted off twenty-five fresh looking Jacksons and laid them next to the book. He then began to scrawl on a matchbook cover. "I will call your office every day at 5PM sharp. If I do not call--even once--you take that book to this address." He looked up, dropping the matchbook on the stack of bills. "Do this and another $500 is yours."

"5PM, eh?" Deck grunted, eyeing the address on the matchbook and then tucking it in his shirt pocket. "I should charge you double for making me miss Happy Hour."

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