History doesn't knock

At the ping of the elevator I lifted my head and saw two men with thick necks, fedoras and plain brown suits come out. They were obviously cheap suits, as they bulged in all the wrong places, letting me know what kind of men they were. The men crossed the floor to the corner of my desk, staring at the door behind me.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” I asked.
One half turned to me. The other spoke, not taking his eyes off the door. “Is Mr Mayer in?”
“Yes, but he isn’t to be disturbed. Can I…”
“I’m sure he won’t mind, Miss,” he said as he opened the door and they went in.
“What’s this?” I heard Mr Mayer say before the door shut with a click.
This, I thought, wasn’t good.

We breezed in past the secretary, a pretty little thing, and went into Mayer’s office.
“What’s this?” he said, sitting up from his work with panic on his face. Just the way I like it.
Albert closed the door. I unbuttoned my suit and said, “We’ve come for a little chat.” Mayer’s wide eyes closed a little to a bit of a squint, then relaxed.
“Chat. Yes, okay, chat. Well, well gentlemen, do sit down.” He pointed to the heavy padded chairs in front of the desk.
The intercom buzzed. “I’m sorry Mr Mayer. They just went in themselves. I…”
Mayer pressed a button on the intercom, “Yes, yes, dear. Not to worry. They’re just here for a chat.” Mayer’s finger lifted off the button. “Coffee?” I responded with a blank stare.
“No then. Well then,” Mayer said, his left hand starting to tap on the desk. I don’t like the way he was acting at ease. Businessmen; always the same, think they can talk their way out of trouble.
“Mr Mayer, I’ll be blunt. You owe my employer a substantial sum of money. I am here to collect,” I leaned forward to press the point home, “and I’m not leaving without payment.”
“And who might be your employer Mr… Blunt?” Mayer said fingers tapping louder, “I do owe a number of people and institutions money.”
“My name is Corben, Reggie Corben, and you’ll do well to remember that, Mr Mayer,” I said, staring hard into his eyes. Old fool trying to make fun of me. However this goes, I’m not going to make it easy on him.
“Now, my employer is Mr Chase.” Mayer’s finger tapping stopped. The mere mention of Mr Chase’s name does that to people.
“Mr Chase sent you?” Mayer’s finger tapped again, but slowly.
“Yes, Mr Mayer. He sent me to get from you what you owe him. A simple enough act, as long as you are smart enough to pay.”
Mayer looked at me intently. The fool was actually considering not paying. Mayer’s eyes shifted from me to Albert and back again. Yes, we are big men that will hurt you and probably kill you if you don’t do as you are told.
“I hope you are not considering not paying,” I said. I realised I couldn’t reach my gun, flashing it about usually helps negotiations, and started to stand.
Mayer’s hand started tapping loudly, and then I heard a metal clack and turned my head to the door to see who was coming in.

The door was opened without notice. I looked up and watched two goons stride in. The second goon closed the door with a click, as the first unbuttoned his jacket. I thought this is it. Very few of us get to die a natural death in this business. I waited for the inevitable drawing of a gun – I wondered for a second if it would be silenced or not, or if they intended to kill Alice too, or if they already had – but a gun wasn’t drawn.
“What’s this?” I asked, my voice a little too high.
“We’ve come for a little chat,” said the one that might have the capacity for thought. However his statement said more than that. It said he didn’t know who I am, and that gave me an advantage. Now all I had to do was get to my desk.
I knew I had to appear afraid, which wasn’t a performance at first, to keep them calm. Play the affable old man.
“Chat, yes, okay, chat. Well, well gentleman, do sit down,” I said, pointing to the chairs, finger trembling. Sitting down they’ll have trouble reaching for those guns under their jackets.
The intercom buzzed. “I’m sorry Mr Mayer. They just went in themselves… I…” Miss Thornton, always worried for me.
I eased myself forward, careful not to move too quickly, and answered, “Yes, yes, dear. Not to worry, they are just here for a chat,” I said, smiling too much at them. Then, as I took my finger from the button I could not resist asking, “Coffee?”
My reply was two glares. I guess they don’t expect to be here long, or don’t want anybody coming up behind them.
“No then. Well then,” I said realising I’d taken control of the conversation. They were both focused on me and I needed them focused on themselves, or at least on something other than my right hand. I started tapping my left hand, in as irritating a way as possible.
The thinker glanced at my tapping hand, then back to me and said, “Mr Mayer, I’ll be blunt, you owe my employer a substantial sum of money. I am here to collect and I’m not leaving without payment.” He leaned forward on the last bit; I guess a performance aimed at intimidating me. I leaned forward in reply, my right hand feeling for the silenced pistol I had under my desk. I had a cradle especially built that holds the gun firm and allows me to push it forward and cock the gun, placing the first round in the chamber with a minimum of fuss.
“And who might be your employer Mr…Blunt,” I asked, keeping my left hand distracting. “I do owe a number of people and institutions money.”
The smart thug glared at me. His anger was seething and I wasn’t sure if I hadn’t pushed him too far. Then he said, “My name is Corben, Reggie Corben, and you’ll do well to remember that Mr Mayer.” His name was familiar but I couldn’t quite place it. “Now, my employer is Mr Chase”.
I knew Chase, and now the name dropped into place. Corben was Arthur Chase’s right hand. I wondered why the right hand would be on a collection trip. It didn’t make sense. Except maybe it was because it was me, but then guns would be drawn. Arthur didn’t tell them who I am. Then I realised I had drifted off. I started the finger taps again.
“Mr Chase sent you?” I said, my mind trying to put the pieces together.
“Yes, Mr Mayer. He sent me to get from you what you owe him. A simple enough act, as long as you are smart enough to pay,” Corben said.
I wondered about the phrase ‘to get from you what you owe him’. Chase didn’t tell Corben what was owed. Corben assumes money since he’s asking for payment, but I have no debts with Chase. Well, ten bucks, but that was a long time ago. Definitely not worth killing over.
Killing.
That’s what that bastard Chase wants. I looked from one thug to the other. Chase want’s these men dead, or maybe just Corben. Either way, I don’t like being treated as a garbage disposal.
“I hope you are not considering not paying,” Corben said and moved in his seat. I could not risk him standing and had to act now. I pushed the gun forward in the cradle, tapping my other hand as loud as I could to cover the clack as it cocked the gun.
Clack.
The noise was still too loud, luckily Corben turned to the door. He must have thought someone was coming in. His partner knew better, looking straight at me as he dug for his gun.
I pulled the gun out smoothly and shot that one twice in the chest. Corben turned back at the noise of the shots, the silencer not really silent in a small room. I shot Corben in the right shoulder and just below the ribs. He slumped back in the chair. I wanted him pacified, not dead. Not yet.
I stood slowly and walked around the table, gun still trained on Corben. The other one’s breathing had stopped almost immediately, but Corben was still drawing gasping gulps of air.
“Don’t speak young man,” I said, “it’s my turn to talk.”
I smiled pleasantly at him as I sat on the edge of the table in front of them. I watched his eyes looking to his right.
“Oh, your friend is quite dead. Of course, that was the point of coming here.”
I watched Corben frown, probably trying to work out what I meant.
“You know, I’d heard of you before Mr Corben. I know you are Mr Chase’s right hand. Number two in the organisation.
“Didn’t you wonder why he sent you on a simple debt collection run? Didn’t you wonder who I was to warrant a visit from such a powerful person?”
I could see in Corben’s eyes him searching his memory.
“I know you didn’t wonder about me, or your guns would have been drawn. But I’m just some silly old man, borrowing money from the wrong person. Oh, that reminds me.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ten dollar note. Tucking it into Corben’s lapel pocket, I said, “I best pay up. Can’t make a liar out of you.”
“Yes, I can see Arthur kept you in the dark about me, and you were too stupid to check. Always do your own research.” I leant in close to Corben’s face, “That lesson would have kept you alive. It would have meant you would have watched me spluttering out my last breath, not how it is now.”
A croak of noise came from Corben, which sounded like, “Why?”
“Why?” I said, “Which why? Why did he do it or why am I telling you? I’ll tell you the last first. I’m an old man with few friends, and I like to talk. Not often is my audience so receptive. As for the first, I can guess.
“You have been making noises about Chase being old, not quite up to it anymore. Trying to curry favour among the other hands, seeing who would support you in a challenge.” I took Corben’s wide eyes to mean I was on the mark. “Obviously you have spoken too rashly to the wrong person. Maybe you were trying to pick up the fence sitters. They are tricky, that’s where my plan fell down.”
Corben coughed up some blood and looked hard at me. I smiled at him. “Yes, you are starting to get it now. I was you way back when. I was Chase’s first right hand, many years ago. Then, like you now, I was planning a takeover. Then, I’m guessing like now, Chase found out and sent me on a little collection mission. I thought it strange enough to make my own enquiries, and found out the guy was an old hit man. I didn’t take any chances; I killed him before he killed me, like you should have.
“I did question him, and found out he knew nothing about Chase’s plan. Chase is smart, getting someone else to take me out so not to have bad blood from my supporters. I also knew Chase wanted me dead, and I didn’t have enough support. So I disappeared, kept my ears open. Picked off a few assassination attempts. We, Chase and I, even came to an agreement of sorts. As long as I stayed out of his activities he didn’t care what I did.” I waved the gun at Corben, “Obviously something has changed that deal.”
I could see Corben’s eyes starting to close, and I knew he wouldn’t live much longer. That reminded me of the mess.
I pressed the intercom, “Miss Thornton, could you get my cleaners on the line, I have a job for them.”
“Yes sir,” she replied, “I don’t know why you use them, my mother’s house needed cleaning so I sent them over and she said they did a terrible job, even broke some things. She thinks they may have even stolen something.”
“Just get them on the line,” I said. I wondered how stupid Miss Thornton was, then I realised I gave her no idea what kind of cleaners they were. I had to be more careful with her, and the part about theft would have to be looked into. “I’ll have a word to them about your mother. When they turn up why don’t you take the rest of the day off.”
“Oh, thank you Mr Mayer.”
I turned away from the intercom and said to Corben “She’s quite pretty, but needs a bit of help to understand things,” I smiled, “Of course, that is why I hired her.”
I looked at Corben, who didn’t seem to be listening, but his lungs were still working. No matter, I like to talk.
“Where did you get that suit? It’s horrible. I wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Look at mine, quality work.” The phone rang, “Ah, that will be the cleaners.”

I was worried about Mr Mayer in there with those two men. Who knows what is happening, they have been in there quite a while.
The buzz of the intercom scared me. “Miss Thornton, could you get my cleaners on the line? I have a job for them,” said Mr Mayer’s voice.
“Yes sir,” I replied, and then added, “I don’t know why you use them. My mother’s house needed cleaning, so I sent them over, and she said they did a terrible job. Even broke some things.” I added for effect, “She thinks they may have even stolen something.”
“Just get them on the line,” Mr Mayer snapped back, and then paused and added “I’ll have a word to them about your mother.”
At that moment I knew two things. One, Mr Mayer was alive; and two, he believes I am so stupid as to use his ‘cleaners’ to clean a house. It amazed me what a blonde girl could get away with.
“When they turn up why don’t you take the rest of the day off,” said Mr Mayer.
“Oh, thank you Mr Mayer.”
I took that to be the end of the conversation. As I dialled the cleaners I smiled at myself for setting up that mother’s house test. Those guys actually did a pretty good job once they realised there was no body. Top quality professionals who can think on their feet. How does an old guy get those sorts of contacts? For that matter, I couldn’t help but wonder how Mr Mayer managed to take out those two goons. He has some tricks up his sleeve, the old guy. Good to know so I don’t make the same mistakes.
At first I though Mr Chase was offering me too much for a simple hit. Now I think it’s not enough. I think there are some things he just hasn’t told me.
But a job’s a job, and I am a professional.

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mowat noir