Six Ways To Sunday

TheGrind

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Jonathan tossed his felt hat on his desk as he shut the door behind him. His name had been printed on the distorted glass three years prior. Already seven years into the Depression and he hadn’t so much as anything lighter than a nickle leaving his pocket. But rich men and women wanted things and such people had deep pockets. That’s not to say times were always easy but sometimes a man had to drum up his own business.

The women were always the best customers. They often had nowhere else to go either because the cops were corrupt, they didn’t care or a case had just turned cold. Some were willing to pay a lot, and the poorer ones in various other ways in order to have their breadwinner returned home to them. Without an income the family would be lost for jobs in the city were impossible to come by. He’d chosen the right racket to join.

Before he sat down behind his desk he removed his revolver, placing it inside the top drawer. The holster joined its partner moments later. It hadn’t been used today, or ever. The more he stayed in the shadows the better off he was. The way they portrayed his occupation in those detective noir films just weren’t accurate. But he wasn’t about to downplay the heroism or womanizing features Dick Tracy portrayed.

One more appointment laid ahead of him before he’d end the day. Leaning forward he heard over the phone that his appointment had arrived. It was another disappearing persons case. If the police couldn’t solve them they were almost impossible but there was always hope. Jonathan returned his answer over the closed wire to send the girl on in. Within minutes he’d find out if it was worth his time and effort to take on what she was seeking.
 
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Louise couldn't believe it was 1936 already and that her and her family still didn't quite recover from the 1929's crash. They used to be wealthy, or wealthy for a family of a small town in the middle of no where. However, the economy had taken a turn for the worse and her family was left with very little money. Louise and Paul, her brother, had to leave home and go to the big city to find work and send money back to help pay the bills. It wasn't what she had planned to do with her life, but it was what fate had reserved for her.

She worked behind the counter of a perfume shop, a job that had been granted to her only due to her pretty face. Ladies who had the money to spend in frivolities liked to see young, beautiful women behind the counter. These rich women liked to feel superior to younger, more beautiful girls because they had money and the girls did not, but it was an honest job and Louise got her money by the end of each week.

However, Paul had vanished. Sometimes he vanished for the weekend without a word, he was known as a ladies man and not showing up for three days was just a sure sign he was with some married woman somewhere. But Paul always turned up late on Sunday night.

When Paul still wasn't home on Monday, Louise worried and went to the police. They laughed, accusing her of innocence and blindness, and reminded her of his many adventures with women. The next Monday came and Paul still wasn't home. Louise searched for help, but every door closed for her. A girl at work told Louise about a private detective and she called.

Louise left work in a hurry and only had time to fix her hat before entering the detective's office. She sat, intimidated by the dark office and by the man on the other side of the desk. Stumbling on her words, she explained the matter.

"You see... I don't have a lot of money to pay you, though. But... I can promise to give you half on my salary every month until I pay off my debt to you. Please. Please help me, there is no one else to turn to!" She said, holding on to the edge of the desk, desperation in her voice.
 
“This isn’t one of the new Sears and Roebuck homes you can buy through their catalogues,” Jonathan spoke seamlessly. "You can't promise money." He’d spoken the once improvised line so many times that it was clear it was nothing more than a line. But at this point he no longer cared. People thought the world ran on hope, change and dreams. Greenbacks mattered but the metal that backed them seemed to matter the most.

Jonathan stared the girl down as he leaned down ever slightly, pulling out the bottom right drawer of his desk. She knew he must’ve been watching but he didn’t care. The times lacked it. As had his soul. With little more effort his fingers hooked around the neck of the bottle and pulled it up until he was able to set it on the desk. The small glass followed in the adventure as he watched the girl. He knew she must’ve already gone to the police. Nobody went to private detectives unless the police had waived them off for any number of reasons, laziness seeming to reign at the top.

With the effort of a professional he removed the top of the bottle, laying its cap to the side. Then he held the base of the bottle strong as he tipped it enough, pouring its contents into the glass in front of him. It was hardly enough to get him drunk but it was more than enough to get him started. With the glass brimming to the edge with legalized liquor, Jonathan capped the bottle again and gripped the glass.

The slight raising of his glass acknowledged her presence but ignored her pain as he tilted the glass to his lips, draining its contents down his throat. And to think the sun was still shining outside.

“Quite frankly Miss, if you don’t have money or something of equal value to trade then I don’t have the time. Until you find that something, this seat will be here waiting for you. I’m sure you can find your own way out.”
 
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Louise got up on her feet and left without as much as a word of goodbye. As determined and desperate as she was, she wasn't about to bet her last dime on some drunk who happened to have an office on a sleazy downtown office.

She went back to the police, but they started laughing as soon as they saw her. Everyone she talked to about the issue told her to find a private detective, but to be ready to pay Paul's weight in gold. Louise begged her boss for a week's payment in advance and, seeing what it was for, the man kindly gave it to her.

Louise went from detective to detective, she took a phone book and visited all of them within walking distance, sometimes walking up to an hour to see men who were all starting to look pretty much the same. Some refused to see her, others laughed just like the police did. Some others said she would never have the money to pay them.

She knew she needed help so she went back to the first detective she had gone to. Sure, he drank, but was the least evil looking of them all. At least she now knew what to expect. "Here." She said as she put all the money she had on his desk. "This is all I have. Please help me. Is there anything else besides money you want? I don't have any valuables but I can run errands for you, clean this place up... whatever you need!" Despair was in her voice and in her eyes, she prayed that he'd take pity on her.
 
It was hardly the first time a woman left him for something they didn’t approve. But she had come to him and he wasn’t about ready to change his attitude on one needy woman. There were far too many desperate and gullible people in the world to chase after a single case. Especially when the world was falling apart and everyone was asking for help.

During her absence Jonathan saw two more people within the day after having taken a few more shots of whiskey. After the second drained glass and the second offered case he hid the bottle back into its drawer. There was no need for him to wake up in an alley or a puddle without his wallet. He learned the first time that it was best to drown the brain after he returned home. Jonathan believed that in this world nobody could trust anyone. Yet they still did.

Jonathan’s eyes rose toward the door as he saw the girl returning for the second time in the day. But he didn’t say anything as he saw her approaching his desk without a word. Only when she dropped her pile of money on his desk did his face show a moment of surprise. The surprise didn’t come from the amount rather in the way she presented it to him and her words that followed, telling him that was all she had. However his expression didn’t hold long as he centered his attention back onto the girl. She seemed so eager to give more and in this case, Jonathan wasn’t about to disappoint.

His eyes darted toward the money briefly, commenting, “This should be enough to get started. But if this is all you have then you’re right, you’ll have to do more.” Jonathan paused momentarily as he thought over his next words. He decided that he already had another offer to work with so there wouldn’t be a problem if she stormed out again. “This place is fine as it is and there aren’t many errands I need to run. Not enough to make up for your weekly cost. What you can start by doing is locking the door and stepping out of your clothes.” Jonathan smiled briefly, “Unless you want to try your luck with the police again.”
 
"I beg your pardon?" Louise said after what could have been an moment, a minute or even an hour. She wanted to believe she had heard something wrong. Was this man asking for sex in return for his help?

Women her age who were still unmarried were virgins, or at least they were assumed to be, so how could a man ask her for sex that blatantly? Was he assuming she was the same as her brother? Louise wasn't a virgin, she had given her virginity to a guy who made her promises of eternal life but disappeared never to be seen again when she gave him what he wanted. It had been another one of the reasons why she had accepted to come work to the big city and leave her parents home behind, but he wouldn't know that, not if he was the greatest detective in the History of the World.

"What... what will you have me do if I accept?"
 
“I think you’ve heard me,” Jonathan answered after she asked her first question. After quoting them an unorthodox offer or as was known in these times without money, a trade, then they always acted as though they hadn’t heard him. By now Jonathan had long become accustomed to their questions and he patiently waited for her follow up if there would be one.

And there it was. The rebuttal which told him more than the fact that she was poor but that she was actually going to consider the offer he put forth. Of course there would be more that she would have to do. A Roman statue she wasn’t. At least he believed so since she hadn’t discarded any piece of clothing.

“What else will I have you do?” he questioned her. She had to know or else she wouldn’t have asked the question. “I’ll have you bend over this desk tonight and every other night you want me to remain on your missing person case. But if you prefer not to then that’s perfectly fine. I’m sure you know more than anyone else what your other options are.”
 
"How can I be sure you're any good? How can I be sure it'll be worth it? Think of what you're asking, you're asking for a lot when I have no guarantee."

Louise needed to think, this wasn't a decision to make lightheartedly. He didn't come across as a hard worker and she had never heard anything about him, not good nor bad. Who was he, anyway?
 
Jonathan wryly smiled from behind his desk, “How can I be sure you’re any good? But if you don’t want to make the agreement then you can take your pile of money and hide it under the nearest mattress you can find.” Then he paused momentarily, “Its times like these that we all need to have a little faith.”

Then he began to move from behind his desk, starting toward the door. “If you prefer to go at it alone and find your missing person yourself you’re welcome to it. I doubt you’ll have much luck since you’re already seeking outside help but I’ll wish you luck regardless.” Jonathan then stole his coat from the wall as he added, “If the offer is unacceptable to you then I will have to ask you to leave. Its almost closing time for the afternoon.”
 
"No, I... " There was really no choice here, was there? "I'll do it."

Louise started to unbutton her cardigan, her hands shaking, panic starting to build up. What was she getting herself into? It felt like she took an hour to deal with those tiny mother-of-pearl buttons. She let it slide down her arms, all the way to the floor. She did the exact same with her blouse, trying as hard as she could to look anywhere but at the Detective.

Her skirt dropped to the floor easily and pooled at her feet. She stepped off it, her white brasserie, underpants and underskirt the only items of clothing she was wearing now. Louise was blushing scarlet, embarrassed, humiliated by the situation.
 
Once she corrected herself and began stuttering her words into place Jonathan halted his movement toward the door. Either way Jonathan didn’t care. If she did then he received a case he would claim to work on while he pinned her against the desk. If not then it was one less thing for him to worry about.

After those first pieces of clothing hit the floor Jonathan turned his attention toward her, returning to his desk. But he didn’t sit down. There wouldn’t be time for that even if she were taking her own sweet time in taking off her clothes. Even though it was taking time for her to shed her beliefs, along with her clothing, he didn’t want to help her. He wanted her to know that she was doing it completely on her own. She wasn’t being subjugated to anything but her own will.

But he did add, “You’re halfway there. The sooner you do this the sooner your case can begin.”
 
"You... you're not making this any easier..." Louise said, almost under her breath. Carefully, with her hands trembling, she undid the clasps on the front of her brasserie. Her perky breasts released themselves just when Louise thought she couldn't feel any more embarrassed.

Louise untied her underskirt, which fell to the floor and took off her panties, avoiding Jonathan's gaze all she could. She made her way to his desk, slowly, unsure, but thinking of the good that could come from this. She never took her eyes off the floor, this was not how she envisioned paying for a detective.
 
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