Twenty Questions
Richie walked with Nonnie down to the Tavern and found a table and went to the
bar, he knew what kind of scotch she drank.
Nonnie watched him he was in familiar territory she could see that, everybody seemed to know him, he stopped to speak to a couple of people on the way back to the table with their drinks. He was very smooth, practiced.
“What should we drink to?” he asked as he sat down.
“Do we have to drink to something?”
“I dunno, seems like a momentous occasion, I finally got you out of your shop.”
“Oh now I go out and come in all day long.”
“But not with me.”
“No…not with you.”
“So what made you change your mind?”
“Curiosity,” she sipped her drink.
Richie shifted in his chair, “I could say the same thing.”
“Hmm here we are two separate curio cabinets each full of our own collections. Are we going to play ah you show me yours and I’ll show you mine?”
“That could get interesting, you first.”
“Ask me a question.”
“What took you so long to come out with me.”
“You have a reputation to keep up, I didn’t want to be caught up in that, I still don’t. My turn, what kind of music do you like?”
“Ha, um oldies, stuff from the seventies and eighties I guess, all my stuff is in storage so I don’t listen to much music now. Um what do you do when you aren’t working?”
“I read, I like to go down to the beach and walk late in the evening. I listen to music, current pop mostly, some folk and the classics. What’s your favorite kind of restaurant?”
“Italian, there used to be a great little place in Jersey, man I lived in there, just loved the smell of it when I walked in. What’s your favorite old movie?”
“How old, black and white? Hmm, The Maltese Falcon. I loved Humphrey Bogart.”
“Yeah, me too and Sidney Greenstreet, man he had a laugh.”
“He was great. I don’t know why I always liked the old film noir movies, gangsters and detectives.”
“Really, I grew up watchin’ them, kids I knew were off watching westerns or spy movies.”
“Is that what made you want to be a detective?”
“Nah, not really I always wanted to be the good guy, the white hat ya know. In my neighborhood there were enough gangsters already. Who’s turn was it?”
“I don’t know I forgot.” Nonnie smiled, “I’ve finished my drink.”
“Buy you another one?”
“No, but thanks I have a drive to Coffs. That was fun Richie, maybe we’ll play twenty questions again.”
“We never made it to twenty…it was fun Nonnie thanks for coming with me.”
“Thanks for the drink,” Nonnie picked up her purse and stood up, Richie stood too and walked her to the door.
“Walk you to your car?”
“I’m parked in the alley and I have to gather up my ‘family’”
“All the more reason for an escort, it’s dark back there.”
Nonnie half grinned, “Okay I’ll accept your local protection for tonight, tomorrow I’m putting a light bulb in the back door light.”
Richie grinned and opened the door for her. “Don’t blame ya, Jessup could be lurking around.”
“He’s always lurking about, it’s like living next door to the town crier, I get the lowdown every day. I’ve got so I just ignore him.”
“Look ah, don’t believe everything you hear about me.”
“The reputation bothers you.”
“Sometimes, I really don’t pay much attention to gossip. I just didn’t want you to think that ah…”
“I’m not sure what I think so let’s leave it at that.”
“Right.”
Richie waited by her van while she got her dog and cat inside the vehicle, it really was dark back there. “You ought to have a security light out here.”
“I’ll put it on my list, thanks again.”
“Yeah, hey maybe next time, dinner?”
She started her vehicle, “Maybe,” she smiled and turned on her lights and pulled out of the alley.
Richie stood there a minute thinking about her, he still didn’t know what made her tick but he wanted to.
