The Most Dangerous Dame

“I’m surprised to see you here, Mr. Trubble.” She peered through the shadowy veil of her elaborate fascinator. A long silver-trimmed cigarette holder dangled lazily from her fingers, casting spirals of smoke my direction. “But it saves us the nuisance of looking for you.”

“Came to pay my respects.” I tipped my Bogart. “Scarlett was a special kind of lady.”

“Scarlett was a name I hated.” Moe Flacco’s eyes smoldered as he slowly turned in his chair. “Sophia called herself a dancer, did you know that? Lifting her skirts in men’s faces for dibs. Scarlett was the name she chose for that…occupation.”

“I didn’t know that, Mr. Flacco. When I met her, she was a hotel clerk.”

“She had many professions.” Flacco studied me with a severe scowl on his face. “None of which matter now. She’s dead, as you well know. And you know that I know you were the last person seen with her.”

To be in a room full of Borgata top dogs glaring at you is an experience you don’t easily forget. The room seemed to increase in temperature and my parched throat was a desert crying out for a drop of rain. Or a glass of hard liquor, in my case.

I swallowed hard. “I might have been the last person seen with her, but I wasn’t the last person to see her. That would be the dropper that put her on ice. Or the dead man, as I like to call him. Because when I find whoever did the deed, I won’t be bringing him in to the clubhouse in bracelets. I’ll be too busy fitting him for a New Haven trench coat.”

Moe gestured. “Sit down, Mick.”

I sat next to Electra, who gently patted my hand with a comforting smile. I checked for poison needle stabs as soon as her head turned. I didn’t find any, but I was pretty shook up, regardless. The Black Widow had many rumored ways to take out her prey, and not a single one of them was pretty.

“Did you see what they did to her?” Moe’s voice was raw, his words choked. “What they did to my little girl?”

My eyes burned as the forensics photos resurfaced in my head. I nodded.

“They cut up her face. Like they were sending a message. Who would do something like that to one of mine?” He gritted his teeth and slammed a heavy fist against his chest. “To one of mine?”

No one said a word. We sat in our misery, giving Sophia her well-deserved moment of silence.

Moe finally lifted his head. “You could have laid low, but you showed up here. A lot of cowards in your position wouldn’t have bothered. I respect that.” He opened a mahogany box on his desk. “Cigar?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Since it was obvious I wasn’t about to feed the fishes, I figured I might as well enjoy the overpriced smoke. Nothing like the darb, full-bodied flavor of a Cuban when barbering with the Borgata.

After Ben the Bear lit our stogies, Moe continued. “Tell me about your relationship with Sophia, Mick. Leave out the sexual details.”

“Met her on the fly while scoping the zones on a gig. We connected, saw each other for a while until things went south.”

“Why?”

“I’m not the type that settles down. You stop moving, you kiss the concrete in my line of work.”

Moe nodded, blowing a casual stream of smoke across the room. “I understand the notion. And the other night, when you were seen with her…?”

“First time I clapped eyes on her since we split. She said she was looking for me. Wanted to thank me.”

“For what?”

I shifted in my seat. “Said I was the only honest man she’d known.”

No-Nose Nate snickered. “Honest man. Yeah, I bet you were.”

I resisted the urge to kick his teeth in. Fortunately Moe cut him off with a sharp gesture. “Enough, Nate. Show some respect.” As Nate looked properly chastened, Moe turned back to me. “Was there anything she said that might indicate she was in some sort of danger?”

I shook my head. “I’m pretty good at reading folks, but I didn’t get any telltale signs she was in any trouble. I’ve thought about that night long and hard—”

No-Nose disguised his snigger as a cough, smirking behind his hand.

I glared at him. “I’ve thought about that night a great deal, but I still can’t recall anything that might pinpoint her running from someone or involved in anything dangerous.” I winced as the memory of the crime scene photos resurfaced. “I wish I could tell you something, but the truth is I was just as shocked as anyone when I got the news.”

“Which was this morning, when you got your elbows checked on suspicion of murder.” Flacco raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look so surprised. I got crumbs in all corners of this city. The only reason why we’re having a civilized conversation is because the brass has nothing on you. Surveillance footage shows Sophia leaving the hotel. You were still in your room at the time. That means she was taken somewhere between there and wherever she hung her purse.”

I took a drag on the stogie while considering the info. “I was told at the precinct that surveillance didn’t spot her leaving.”

“You were lied to.”

I casually exhaled a couple of smoke rings. “Why would the good detective lie?”

“To get you to do what he wanted. You know how the brass operates.”