Noir: The End
So near to fruition, my plan! Tugger will march with the master race. In time he will accept his glorious role as stud to the legions of eager _Mütter des…
Noir: Liebhaber in the Boat Dock
Just about the time I decide this woman is completely delusional we row into a covered boat dock. A very large fellow with the lightest blonde hair I’ve ever…
Noir: Secret Passage
I take his hand, stroking its little hairs; such a man. “We must hurry, and follow the secret path before Himmel has set the trap.” I tow him outside. We run…
Noir: I Understand You Understand That Nobody Understands
I’m not sure what a protees or a fanz are. Maybe they’re in the guy. In any case, she seems to think one or both of them are ruptured. I guess I hit her harder…
Noir: Phanes
Überraschen, his strength! I have found the father for my little soldiers who will glorify the Reich. When I saw his fine figure, tested his self-control…
Noir: Escutcheon
The closest refuge is The Topaz. After checking the alley for DiSibio’s thugs, I head into it and let myself in the back door. In the men’s room I check the…
Noir: Cursed
So now he wants a drink. And he won’t say who he works for. No matter; suddenly I am sure of him: Reichssicherheitshauptamt, the Reich Main Security Office…
Noir: Close Quarter Interrogation
“Honest to God, ma’am, I know a lot less than you think.” I know I have a bigger gun, if only I weren’t such a slow draw. She gives me the stink eye and utters…
Noir: Multiple Choice
An intruder in my dressing room! Of odd attire, as though he’d lost a fight with a clothesline. A clever disorienting tactic; his people are most…
Noir: Loose Cannon
She mumbled a lie about how she didn’t want to leave me, knowing how much danger she’d put me in. I sighed, stepped into the hall, retrieved her suitcase and…
Noir: I Fought The Law
Breaking the window wasn’t smart. I feel air rushing in and feeding the fire. The music turns queasy and dies as the record melts. Now there’s only the crackle…
Noir: Stalking Horse
As the maître d’ leads me away, I hear a crash. I glance back. A determined man, rough-cut handsome, is backing away from the scene. He’s holding an archaic…
Noir: Curious George
Two hours later, I’m part way through the first drawer. I don’t know any more businesses than I did before; the burned-down shoe factory and the Topaz. A…
Noir: You Can't Fight It
City Hall looms out of the fog; neoclassical stonework on the front, brick on the sides and back. I get directions from a guard to the business licensing…
Noir: Peacemaker Redux
I spent the night in a spare room, well, spare in the sense that one of the ladies was ill that evening thus it was going unused. The walls were thin, and I…
Noir: Lost and Found
I’m on my way to pick up the detective whom my associates selected, Nicholas Beretta. I might have sent an agent to bring him to a meeting. Instead, we will…
Noir: The Home of the Ladies Luck
At first I was making sure my tail didn’t get lost. As I began to try very hard to lose him, things got a bit dicey. This guy was good, or just very motivated…
Noir: Badwill
Saturday is my day off. But it’s going to be a busy day, just the same. While the coffee is percolating, I go down to the foyer to get my morning paper…
Noir: Research
I go back into The Topaz. Fortunately, most of the staff has gone home. Soon I will go to the rest room, inspect my new wounds and clean myself up. This is…
Noir: Punishment
What a night. At least Maryanne took my advice; poor Vincenzo. I slip on my wool overcoat and derby. I leave the Topaz by the back door into the alley. My car…