A Foot in the Door
“Well hello solicitor, you know if you ever bought anything you’d be my most favorite customer, at least the most frequent visitor, what can I help you with?”
“Hi Nonnie,” Richie smiled, “you just don’t carry the right brand of shaving cream.”
Nonnie chuckled, “I might look into that, now that I know what excites you to buy.”
Richie moved around the store waiting for a customer to leave, “actually I need to talk to you.”
“Talk don’t pay my bills Richie.”
“Okay…sell me something.” He met her eyes.
“I don’t think I have anything here you can afford.”
“You might be surprised what I can afford.”
“Hmm, tell me what you’re interested in then maybe I can get it for you.”
“I ain’t sure, I’ve seen it but I can’t figure out what it is.”
Nonnie smiled and walked toward the front door and locked it after the woman left. “When you know what it is you want solicitor…let me know.” She walked back over to him, “now what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“The case your Uncle gave me. I sent my associate to Coffs to talk to one of the contacts, Mr. Penworth, she found him with a knife in his chest and got bashed on the head for her efforts.”
“Oh we don’t like this, bashing and stabbing, no this is not good at all. Did she get a look at him, the basher?”
“Yeah, a pretty good description I’d say. She took Zack Grant, one of the guys opening across the street with her, I’m bringing him in, he’s got contacts.”
“And the police?”
“They stopped at a public phone box and called it in anonymously.”
“Good job then, well Uncle Stephen will not be pleased that one of his contacts was knocked off. This is getting ugly quickly, too quickly.”
“Do you know any of the people involved in this scam?”
“I only know a dealer that was scammed into buying one of the miniatures. Unfortunately I was the one that had to tell him it was a fake.”
“You might be careful, your uncle was right these are not nice people.”
“I am very careful where I go in Coffs, I’m not known in The Glen.”
“I don’t know about that, word’s out Nonnie has a gift and antique shop.”
“Are you offering your protection here?”
“I wouldn’t mind it, protecting you.”
“I wonder you’d have the time, you must be spread pretty thin these days,” she smiled a little smile.
“I can always find time for somebody like you.”
“Ha, ha, you don’t even know what kind of somebody I am Richie.”
“I’d like to find out.”
“I just bet you would, well was there anything else?”
“Can I buy you a drink Nonnie?”
Nonnie looked at him for a while, “one and then I’m off to Coffs Harbor.”
Richie smiled and walked toward the door with her.
