Day 61

The names Leybourn; Evan Leybourn. I’m a private eye with a body attached.

I was on a call when this dame walked into my office. She was small, petite, innocent looking. And I had no idea she was about to change my life. She told me that she had a problem that she wanted me to take care of. School I think she called it.

She spent a while describing the problem to me, but I wasn’t listening. What I did catch was a single sentence, repeated over and over. “It’s boring” she would say. Like it’s some kind of mantra that she had to keep reminding herself of. I couldn’t help but feel that there was more to it. Like she wasn’t telling me the whole story.

“Look”, I said. “This school is too well connected, too important for anything to happen to it. If school suddenly disappeared from your life, people would start asking questions. Questions I’d prefer not to answer.”

Her eyes start to tear up. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a dame that cries.

I quickly continue. “But maybe I can help in another way. My rate is 15 hugs a day plus expenses.” She accepts my offer without question. I would have gone as low a 3 per day for a dame like her.

She starts to talk again. “Hold on”, I say. “Let’s try something else. A different approach.”

Suddenly it occurs to me.

“Maybe that’s the answer.” She doesn’t see the cunning plan take shape behind my eyes. “What if we literally take a different approach. Come with me.”

I figure a dame like her needs some variety in her life — something different to keep it fresh. I take her to my regular joint — a low down dive called ToastBox. She’s conveniently left her purse behind, so I have to pay. We keep the conversation light to keep her from thinking about her problems. We finish before too long and I hail us a cab.

Before long she realises where we are going and for a moment her grey eyes flash betrayal. But then she laughs. It’s like a weight has been lifted and she’s happy again.

I don’t want to say goodbye so I invite her to dinner tonight. It’s not much, a little homemade pizza, but it get’s her smiling. The gentleman that I am, I put her to sleep on the sofa. It’s been a good day.

Somehow I know this won’t be the last I see of her.

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