Muller, Marcia, [McCone 01] Edwin of the Iron Shoes(v1, shtml) Read Free Book Online

high-ranking, professional cop, even given the traditional antagonism of his breed for private operatives.
    When I pulled up to the curb in front of Junk Emporium, I sat in the car a minute, watching a lone drunk grope his way along the sidewalk, the bottle in its paper bag clutched to his chest. After he passed, I got out and locked the car.
    The big front windows of the shop were dark, but I could see light coming from way in back, where Charlie lived. I pounded hard on the door, and after a bit heard shuffling footsteps. Charlie's haggard face peered out at me, and then the bolts and locks started to turn.
    When I stepped through the door, the sharp odor of gin hit me. Charlie was drowning his sorrows, and they apparently were dying hard. He regarded me a moment with bleary eyes, his mouth hanging slack, then mumbled, "Oh, it's you."
    He immediately turned and wandered away, leaving me in the open door. I shut it and locked up as best I could, then followed in his meandering wake down the wide central aisle. On either side, battered old pieces of furniture lined up ponderously, spectators at our absurd little parade.
    "It's an ill wind, Sharon. It's an ill wind blowing through the world tonight." Involuntarily, I shuddered. The musty room and Charlie's mood, not surprisingly, were making me wish I'd waited till morning.
    "Can you feel it, Sharon? Blowing like it'll never stop?" Charlie peered back at me, his gaze unsteady.
    Just what I need, I thought. A morose drunk on my hands. "I can feel it, Charlie."
    "It's been blowing for a long time. I should of paid attention to it. Maybe it wouldn't of ended that way, not the way it did." His enunciation was remarkably clear, even if his eyes weren't focused.
    I went up and took his arm. "Let's go in back and sit down, Charlie." I began steering him toward the source of the light. For a big man he felt surprisingly frail tonight.
    "Loved her," he said huskily, leaning on me. "Everybody did." He then jerked away from me and whipped into brisk motion. "Come on and meet my friend. He loved her, too. I oughtn't of been so goddamn selfish, trying to keep her to myself."
    It was too quiet for anyone else to be in the shop. My lord, I thought, now he's imagining things.
    It was so quiet, in fact, that when a man appeared in the doorway in front of us, I jumped.
    He was a tall man, taller than Charlie, with slightly rounded shoulders, and he wore a flashy tan suit. His bald head was surrounded by a ruff of brown hair, and the light from a floor lamp just inside the door gleamed off his thick horn-rimmed glasses and highlighted the heavy features of his face.
    "Didn't mean to startle you," the man said in apologetic tones. "I'm Ben Harmon."
    The name was vaguely familiar. I said, "Sharon McCone."
    He smiled and held out a large, neatly manicured hand. "Oh, you're All Souls' investigator. I've heaid a lot about you, from Joan."
    His words made me remember how I knew his name. Ben Harmon, bail bondsman. He was the man who had originally sent Joan to All Souls when her grandson had been arrested for possession of narcotics. His office was a few blocks away, on Bryant Street. Joan, unable to cope when she got news of the arrest, had turned to him for help.
    Harmon had a reputation for rough dealing, I recalled. If you were smart, you didn't even think of jumping bail on Ben Harmon. He employed a staff of men who were pros at tracking down fugitives, and anyone who violated his agreement with Harmon was found and speedily dragged back to jail. I had heard about one case when Harmon's men had managed to retrieve a recalcitrant accused of murder who had fled to Mexico.
    Now Charlie lunged through the doorway and extended his arm in the general direction of Ben Harmon's shoulders. "Want you to meet a good friend. And Joanie's good friend. Ben loved Joanie, too."
    Harmon smiled tolerantly and extricated himself from the embrace. "Let's all sit down, Charlie. I'll get Miss McCone a drink."
    Charlie