Nighthawk

32

Present day...

22nd July 1958, Chicago, 9:42 AM

Floyd walked up to Erasmus and stopped next to him in the street. "So," He asked. "what's your big idea?"

Erasmus walked over to a gamewell and opened it. Taking the phone, he spun in a number. "Operator, give me CPD. Erasmus Levitt, private investigator. I need an APB out on Lex Diction. I hereby give the order to shoot to kill on sight." After a couple of seconds, Erasmus put the phone down and closed the gamewell. Floyd shook his head, smiling.

"You are one cold son of a bitch." He remarked.

"And now, we wait."

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're frowning slightly. Something's on your mind."

Erasmus sighed. "I was trying to find something out that was staring at me right in the face. I thought that Lex Diction wasn't her real name. It seemed way too odd. What kind of a surname is Diction? But, as it turns out, that is her real name."

"Forget about her. You've got her on the ropes. You need to relax once in a while."

"You're right. Go home, you have done enough. I don't want to put you in any danger. Things will most likely get messy from here on in."

Floyd held his hand out and Erasmus shook it. "We will meet again."

Erasmus smiled. "I do hope so."

Floyd took his hand back and turned, going on his way. Erasmus walked down the streets and opened the door of his office, stepping inside. Pouring himself some whisky, he sat at his desk which still laid on its side and sipped it. He looked around his office slowly, noting everything down. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and looked up, just in time to see a young woman walk by his door. His eyes widened. Finishing his drink in one go, he walked out of his office, tailing after Lex. She did not seem to notice him and continued on her path. Suddenly, there was the sound of gunshots as two policemen fired at her. Lex made a run for it. Not having time to berate the cops, Erasmus made chase after her. He dived, tackling her to the ground. Picking her up like a ragdoll, he pushed her up against a wall. He snarled. Lex did not seem the least bit intimidated.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?" He asked her.

"Does it look like I care?" She replied, her legs dangling.

"What doesn't kill you, disappoints me."

Lex twisted, writhing herself out of his grip and they fought, trading blows and elbows. Erasmus went to punch at her and she blocked the strike, delivering an elbow to his side. Lex retreated and Erasmus gave chase as she jumped onto a ladder on the side of a building, climbing upwards. The detective climbed after her. They stood on the roof of the building, staring at each other. The light morning breeze whipped at Lexʼs hair. Suddenly, they heard sirens. A squad of police cars zoomed by them, pursuing a pair of ghosts. Lex looked down at the police and then looked back at Erasmus. The detective reached into his suit and took out his pipe, stuffing it with some mint leaves. He put it into his mouth. Lex waited for him as he took a match and lit it once more. He puffed away at it for a couple of moments and then flicked the match away. He stood there, motionless, smoking the leaves. Lex smiled at him and scoffed lightly.

"You're really not going to give up, are you?" She started asking. "Well guess what? Neither am I. You can try to chase me all you want, and I will still escape from you. And you know what? I still have the cognac. You're never going to find it. You're doing this all for nothing. You need me alive. You know that, right? You can't kill me. You need me to find the cognac. Without me, you're nothing. Without me –"

It was then that Erasmus drew out his pistol and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, the bullet hitting Lex in the breast, cutting her speech short. She staggered back slightly by the force and the fedora fell off of her head. It landed onto the ground. She looked down at herself, her eyes wide with shock. Blood quickly soaked into her shirt, causing it to match her suit. She looked up again as she saw Erasmus strolling up to her. Taking his free hand, he placed a single finger against her sternum. He looked at her. "Now I'm starting to wonder why nobody has ever hit you in the face with a brick." He told her before gently pushing her off from the roof. Lexʼs arms flailed about uselessly as she tried to regain her balance, but her wound messed with her momentum. She went to grab the detective, tried to take him down with her, but he just merely took a step back, leaving her an arm's length out of reach. Lex plummeted to the ground below. The people below screamed in shock. Erasmus stepped up to the edge and looked down at Lex's splayed corpse on the street beneath him. Civilians crowded around her. One person went to a telephone. Erasmus turned around and stepped over to his fedora that lay on the ground. He stooped down and picked it up, standing up again. He examined it, seeing a splatter of blood on it. He tried to wipe it away, but only made the stain worse. He sighed and shook his head, still putting it on nevertheless. "That was a twenty dollar hat." He mumbled to himself and then left the scene.