Death Notes

sky.
    ‘Ronnie! Come in!’
    Mabel Barnes was living proof that there’s somebody for everyone. As young and as pretty as she was, it was hard to believe she was so madly in love with Pear - black Brylcreemed hair, pot belly, chewing tobacco, weird clothes and all. ‘Come in! Pear didn’t tell me you were coming!’
    She was a hearty redhead - big boned, big chested, and big hearted. Now she had a big stomach, too. Her loose smock swirled when she pulled me inside to give me her usual greeting - an arm-clenching bear hug.
    As far as Mabel was concerned, I was the only person who ever gave her husband an even break. Why she thought this, I didn’t know.
    ‘Did you come over for lunch, Ronnie? I’m fixing pasta and there’s plenty. Pear should have told me you were coming.’
    ‘No, no, Mabel. Thanks. It’s just business this time.’
    ‘You’re sure, now? It’d be no trouble, Ronnie.’
    She drew me into the living room, a good-sized space filled with elegant furniture. They had a couple of original oil paintings and a collection of crystal to rival a queen’s. All the furnishings matched perfectly - bronze here, eggshell white there, and polished wooden pieces all from the same period. Pear - and I guess Mabel - had done a good job putting it all together. ‘Pear’s in the office,’ Mabel said. ‘I’ll ask him to come up.’ She lifted the phone, pressed a couple of buttons and murmured something into the receiver. Two minutes later, Pear came charging in from the back of the apartment.
    ‘Ronnie - babe!So good to see you, again!’
    He put his arm around Mabel and patted her belly, then looked up proudly.
    ‘Still think it’s gonna be a boy, Ron? What’s the word? Now ya seen her, you got any feeling about this kid?’
    Mabel blushed, laughing. ‘Isn’t he silly? I need to see the doctor about that sonogram just to put an end to this foolishness.’
    ‘Listen to this dame! You hear that?’ He shook his head in mock disgust. ‘She wants to ruin me. Everybody - I mean everybody - has got simoleans on this kid. You find out what it’s gonna be, sweetie, and I’m ruined for life! I gotta cancel bets and blow my whole reputation.’
    Mabel patted his Brylcreemed hair and kissed the tip of his pointed nose.
    ‘Poor baby.’
    Then she giggled when he slapped her behind and murmured something to her about letting us talk business. She vanished into the kitchen without a sound. Pear watched her go, beaming like he’d married her yesterday.
    ‘Ain’t she something, Ronnie? I never thought a man could be this happy.’ He slicked his hair back with both hands, then looked at me and sobered.
    ‘I guess you want to know what I got for you, huh? Well, let me tell you, I been busy, hon, since we last talked. Checkin’ out this DuPont dude rattled a lotta cages.’
    He sauntered over to the side table where he’d set up a small bar. ‘It’s past noon. Can I talk you into some Scotch?’ I accepted and he poured us two stiff ones. Then we sat down to talk.
    ‘This guy DuPont,’ he began. ‘He’s pretty weird.’
    I glanced at Pear’s green and orange plaid pants, his bow tie and wire-rimmed glasses and tried not to smile.
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Listen to this, hon - he’s a jazz buff. Total loco. And guess who’s his fave?’
    ‘Match?’
    ‘You got it, babe. He put Match on H way back when. I guess when his old lady croaked - the first one. Maybe he figured the guy needed it. I don’t know. Anyway, my source says DuPont gave - gave - horse to Match for free.’
    ‘Free heroin to a junkie for fifteen years?’
    ‘I said weird, didn’t I? I couldn’t believe it myself, either, but there you have it. An’ this revenge bit, he’s serious as hell about it. He’s outta joint ’cause Match got popped right when he was startin’ up again.’
    ‘That’s real heart.’
    ‘Sure. Fifteen yearsa feedin’ a hype and right when it’s about ta pay off in music, somebody croaks the goose. I’d be teed, too.’
    He swigged some Scotch, threw his head back and said, ‘Aaaaah!’
    ‘What about the other guys?’
    ‘We’re not done with DuPont yet. Word is he was puttin’ heavy duty pressure on Margolis to pay him back.’
    ‘For the heroin?’
    Pear nodded. ‘If that isn’t nasty, I don’t know what is.’
    ‘But why?’
    ‘Got me. He really turned it on serious-like after Match put the band together.’
    Pear swigged more Scotch and said, ‘Anyway, that’s DuPont. Didn’t get