Ghost of a Chance

“Well, I can understand how someone might want to shoot you,” Barton said. “If you’re guessing right, there’s very little chance I’m going to get my motor back. To make matters worse, there’s no conspiracy by my competitors so there’s no chance I can get the deadline extended.” He clenched his fists and Alex could hear a humming noise like an electric motor under a load. “I suppose I need to put all my efforts into making sure the new motor is ready on time, then.”

Barton reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a roll of cash that had a thousand-dollar bill on the outside. He opened it and peeled off a twenty and a five, handing them to Alex.

“Your daily rate, I believe,” he said. “I won’t be needing your services any longer.”

Alex accepted the money.

“There’s still a chance,” he said as Barton turned away. “Give me till Saturday to find your motor.”

Barton looked back and shook his head.

“I never throw good money after bad, kid,” he said.

“Are you a betting man, Mr. Barton?”

Barton’s handlebar mustache turned up in a smirk.

“You’re speaking my language,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”

“You give me till Saturday, double or nothing,” Alex said.

Barton considered him for a moment, looking Alex up and down.

“For someone who seems to be right out of clues, you seem awfully confident,” he said, then he stuck out his hand and Alex shook it. “Done then,” he said. “You have till Saturday to find my motor. Good luck.”

With that, Barton turned and swept down the hall and out onto the metal stairs that led to the factory floor.

* * *

“Coffee,” Alex told Doris as he dropped his hat on the stool in front of The Lunch Box counter. “And some poached eggs on toast.” She smiled and nodded at him, laying out a cup and saucer.

Alex moved to the pay phone on the wall and dropped a nickel in the slot. He didn’t know if Leslie would be back from Suffolk county yet, but he gave the operator his office number anyway. The phone rang for a long time until Leslie’s voice came on.

“How was your trip?” Alex asked.

“Divine,” she said with a smile Alex could hear. “I’m not even mad at the mass of people already here who want anti-ghost runes.”

“Wow,” Alex said. “Is Randall as happy as you are?”

“You’re just jealous.”

“So, do you have anything for me? Other than gloating I mean.”

“Be nice,” Leslie said. “Randall worked late last night and we found twenty-three names of people who worked for Seth Kowalski.”

“Good,” Alex said. “I’m at The Lunch Box right now, but I’ll come by as soon as I eat, and we can go over it.”

“That’s great, but there’s more,” Leslie absolutely purred. “I convinced Randall to look for any suspicious activity during Kowalski’s tenure.”

“Did he find anything?”

“Not yet, but he’s going to call me this afternoon if he finds anything.”

“You must have made quite an impression on him.”

“What can I say? I’m very good at my job.”

“See if you can run down any of the names on that list and I’ll see you soon,” Alex said.

“Wait,” she said before he could hang up. “Did you find the guy who was kidnapped?”

Alex sighed. He didn’t want to talk about Leroy. Despite Iggy’s assurances, he didn’t have any better idea how to proceed now than he had at breakfast.

“You need to call the wife right now,” Leslie admonished when Alex explained his situation. “She must be going crazy, Alex.”

He sighed again. Leslie was right, of course. He’d been a heel to make Hannah wait by the phone for any word on her husband. The news wasn’t good, but she ought to know the truth.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll call right now.”

He said goodbye, then dropped another nickel in the slot. Pulling out his notebook, he gave the operator the number for Hannah Cunningham’s apartment.

“I’m sorry,” the operator came on a few minutes later. “Your party doesn’t answer.”

Alex thanked her and hung up, being sure to retrieve his nickel from the return slot. He’d try her again after he’d finished his eggs.

“You look like hell,” Mary said, setting down Alex’s plate. She winked at him as he came back to the counter. “You need to eat better,” she said. “Come by more often.”

“Sorry,” Alex said. “I’ve been up to my neck in impossible cases.”

Mary opened her mouth to ask him about it, but right then a half dozen people came in and she had to vanish back to the kitchen. Alex hated to admit it, but he was grateful not to have to talk about his frustrations, even to Mary.

It felt good to just sit and eat and not have to think.

“Hey, where are you?” Danny’s voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

Alex looked up from his empty plate and was surprised to find his friend sitting next to him. He checked the clock on the wall and found that nearly three-quarters of an hour had gone by.

“Sorry,” Alex said, finding it difficult to focus. “I guess I was lost in thought.”

“I’ll say,” Danny said with a concerned look. “I was talking to you for a couple of minutes before I noticed that you’d punched out.”

“You here for lunch?”