Meet At Joe's

3 Old Friends Part 1 Welcome Aboard

It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, one day in October. There was no sun, and there were storm clouds over the distant hills. Yes, the storm clouds are an ominous foreshadowing. And yes, this is the same as the opening line to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. And yes, this means Kirby Jackson, the wanna be Philip-Marlowe-like, hard-boiled detective is about to make an appearance.

He was not alone.

Kirby is a private detective we hired to find a relative of the previous owner. It is a long story you can find in the prequel to this book. The good-looking strawberry blond with him was new to me. Kirby usually works alone.

"Hey Kirby! What brings you here?"

 "Hey Joe. How's you and the gang?" Kirby removed his fedora and trench coat and the two of them sat at the bar.    

"We are all fine. Who is your friend?" 

"Joe, this is Pixie. She's a colleague of a bud of mine who I worked a case with when I lived on the East Coast."

"So, she's a detective too?"

Kirby leaned in over the bar, and almost whispering said, "Joe, for now, she is a waitress looking for a job. Here's the deal, we need Pixie to work here on Tuesday nights to help serve that group of software geeks you got coming in on that night. She needs to find out what they're up to. We really can't tell you more than that. Pixie's client is very hush-hush. When Pixie found out I had a connection to the owner of the bar where these guys were holding their skull sessions, she asked me to see if I could set something up where she could observe them."

"Gee, Kirby, I guess so. I have been suspicious about what that group was up to. Can you tell me anything else?"

"Sorry Joe, no can do. You got the scoop as far as I know and that is probably more than I was supposed to dish out. And mums the word to the rest of the gang. They have to believe Pixie is just some dame helping you out."

"Pixie, do you have any experience as a server?" I asked.

"Sorry, the only servers I've worked with are computer ones," she shrugged. "But I'm a fast learner."

"That's okay. I'll just tell everyone that you are a friend of a friend to whom I owe a favor and you needed a job. I'll have Destiny teach you the ropes, but be careful around her, she used to be a spy."

"Not a problem. I've had a bit of experience with that community."

"I'm just saying that fooling her will not be easy. Anyway, welcome aboard." I shook Pixie's hand.