The Referral Game

believe that.”
    “I’m hanging up now.”
    “Wait Randall. Boy, you don’t have much of a sense of humor anymore.”
    I waited.
    “It’s your old friend Jimmy, remember? My associate Frankie and I tried to make a business arrangement with you awhile back. You remember me don’t ya?”
    “Every time I step on a bug.”
    “Yeah, that’s the funny man I remember. That’s what I like about you Randall.”
    “I still don’t need your neighborhood watch services, if that’s what this is about.”
    “That ain’t it Randall. We’re in a sideline business in conjunction to our neighborhood watch program. We now provide information to our preferred customers at discount prices and I’ve got some info for you. And the good news is that it’s only going to cost you a hundred bucks.”
    “You don’t know anything worth ten.”
    “Man, you’re a hard case Randall,” Jimmy said with a laugh. “I was just kidding you about the bread. I’m going to give you a free sample this time because of our long association and other considerations. Now sit back and listen to this.”
    He talked and I listened.

    The next morning I got busy and made some rounds. Over the course of the next few days I stopped by the Hall of Records, the newspaper archives, my bookie and several other points of interest. I also managed to fit in a little surveillance work. I found something worthwhile at almost every stop. I wanted things to make sense. Trouble was they did, I just didn’t like it. I decided to take a couple of days off, I had them coming, and think about my life.
    I woke up after a night of tossing and turning and decided to go and see Bill. It was still early, but I didn’t want to miss him. I took a long hot shower to try and clean the cobwebs out of my head. When I got out the mirror was all steamed up. I had no reflection. I wiped it clean with a towel, but it fogged up again. I gave up and shaved without a mirror. I cut myself three times.
    It was a short trip to Bill’s place. He had a bungalow in the hills above the city. It had a beautiful view at night of the city lights. The sun was just beginning to rise and would still be low in the sky by the time I arrived. I mailed a letter on the way and pushed my car hard the rest of the way. I wanted to see the lights. It was not yet seven when I pulled up to the curb in front of Bill’s house. I made it in time to see the lights below wink out one by one. It was like a firework show in reverse.
    As I sat in my car finishing a cigarette I got that familiar feeling of being watched. I turned around and the girl was in the backseat of the car. I could have reached out and touched her. I didn’t. I turned around and was facing front again. I finished my cigarette and stubbed the butt in the ashtray. I closed my eyes very tight for a minute and then opened them. I looked in my rear view mirror. She was still there.
    “Any tips?” I asked my tongue thick in my mouth.
    Just the same sad stare. I opened the car door, got out, and slammed the door. I walked up to Bill’s place and didn’t look back. I could feel her eyes on me.
    I rapped on the door for two full minutes before a bleary-eyed Bill answered. I told him that I needed to talk to him. He said that before he had his coffee he didn’t talk to anyone.
    I took a seat and listened to him bang around in the kitchen. He eventually came out, looking a bit more like himself, with his cup of morning eye-opener and sat across from me.
    “Shave in the car?” He asked, eyeing the toilet paper on my face.
    I shrugged and he went on. “Okay, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until a decent hour?”
    “Something happened on a case that I worked on last week.”
    “Is that all? Things happened to me last week too and I didn’t drag you out of bed to tell you about them,” Bill said with a wry grin.
    “This was for a guy named Paul Bristol. He went to college with Silas Pomeroy, they were in the same fraternity together.”
    “Fascinating,” said Bill as he smothered a yawn. “You’ve still got Silas on the brain I see.”
    “He even showed me a picture of him and Silas and all of their fraternity brothers.”
    “And you got me up to tell me that?”
    “You were in the picture Bill,” I said softly. “You and Silas were standing shoulder to shoulder.”
    We stared at each other in silence. I could hear the refrigerator motor kick on in the kitchen.
    “You’re mistaken Frank,” said Bill