Jade Monkey

The Elvyn bar looked as if it had been shabby and run down, once. New paint had been hastily applied over the exterior hiding the brickwork from sight and the windows were dark. I tried the heavy front door and it pushed back easily on its hinges. Music to dance to hung in the air, and there was the smell of newness and alcohol on the air. I checked my pocket for my gun, put on a no-nonsense glare and went in.

The inside was a deep dark blue, and there was an undersea, marine feel to the place. The paint in here failed to cover marks in the walls where something heavy had been removed to put in the bar that ran all the way across one side of the building. I pushed the brim of my hat back and scowled at the early drinkers of the day. The people here didn’t look like the type who liked to have their drinking interrupted. In fact I now noticed that few of them had drinks in front of them at all.

The darkened windows let in little light and the small dimmed lights overhead reinforced the feeling of an undersea world with sunlight shining down a world away. I walked over to the bar itself and scrutinised a blackboard, all eyes had turned to me now. I felt a sudden chill course down the back of my neck. People were shifting subtly in their booths. Unperturbed I walked over to the bar, giving the impression that lack of service would lead to more than a written complaint. A worried looking barman hurriedly walked over to me, his hands held down low behind the bar. I glared at him blackly, ignoring the eyes fixed on my back, gun ready.

I folded my arms and leaned against the bar. The barman was still watching me uneasily.

‘What can I get you?’

‘Jack Daniels, with ice.’

His hands moved away from beneath the bar and started fixing my drink. I could still feel the weight of the rooms gaze on my back.

‘Friendly place.’ I said dismissively. ‘I need to talk to Red Mark?’

The barman managed to look even more nervous and held out his hand. The direct approach it was going to have to be. I pushed a few notes into his hand and picked up my drink. He looked at the crumpled notes in his hands for a few seconds and nodded and hastily put them into his back pocket.

‘Table in the far left hand corner.’

I turned around slowly; sudden movements in this place might mean that I wouldn’t finish my drink in a rather unpleasant and terminal manner. Looking round I counted twenty to thirty people hidden in the gloom of the booths. My eyes wandered slowly across the room and eventually over to a booth with dark blue cushions in the far corner. Yes.

Red Mark. He sat on the edge of his seat almost leaning over the table, facing the door watching it like a cat, unblinking, ready to pounce.  His dark suit was immaculate the lapels a fashionable wide cut, the flamboyant wide brim hat was the finishing touch on the well dressed young gangster of today.

Taking a deep breath I held my drink in my right hand, and walked across the bar to Red Marks table. He looked up at me quickly as I approached, eyes moving, assessing, noting the gun in my pocket and that I’d have to lose the glass of Jack Daniels to draw it.

Nodding to someone behind me he motioned me to sit down. I sat.

‘What can I do for you Mr…?’

‘Mr Jones’

Eyes that had wandered back to the door shot me an amused look. ‘Of course.’

‘I’m after information.’

‘About what.’

‘The Jade Monkey.’

‘I see.’ He paused. ‘It’ll have to be quick. I’m expecting a social call.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘I was told that you might be able to tell me a few things.’

‘About the theft?’

‘Yes.’

He looked at me solemnly. ‘I might just have something for you. One of my associates says there’s a guy operating out of the docks. Scary Anthony. He’s been bragging that he’s got something good going for him.’

‘Which might just be involvement in lifting the Jade. And you’d like me to check him out for you.’ I finished.

He smiled. ‘You catch on fast. If I send a couple of the boys round down to the docks it looks like I’m trying to make a move, and it complicates my life.’

‘Especially if he has someone standing behind him. You send me down; I find out what this guy’s been up to and let you know.’

‘That’s right.’

‘I don’t suppose you know anything about the disappearance of Mr Charles?’

‘Not a thing. Though you might want to talk to this Scary guy about that too. If there were some side arrangement to the theft then he’ll know.’

‘Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.’

‘No at all.’

The sound of the traffic had changed outside, it had been changing for a while but now I could just about hear it over the murmur of hushed talk and the soft background music, a dull roar of heavy diesel engines. I looked up quickly at Red Mark.

‘I think it’s about time you have to go Mr Jones.’

‘That social call?’

‘Yes. The police get it in to their heads time to time that the guys and me get lonely out here and they decide to drop in on us. The murder and the theft have got them all stirred up anyway so they’re going to come talk to me.’

I could just make out the blurred shapes of large police vans out of the dim windows. The dance music still played quietly in the background, made the whole scene surreal.

‘There a back way out?’

‘Through that door with the seaweed on.’

I nodded. ‘Stylish décor.’

‘Designed it myself. Underworld dive. None of the guys get it.’

I grinned.

He shrugged. ‘Perhaps I’ll do something different with the place for the next social. Goodbye Mr Jones.’

‘Thanks again.’

‘Just don’t forget to tell me what you find out about this guy. Otherwise we shall have a disagreement’

I quickly gulped down the rest of my drink and walked nonchalantly to the door past figures crouched down low behind turned over tables. I opened a second door at the end of white washed corridor to be greeted by two police officers in shooting positions. I dived sideways and scrambled into the cover of a doorway, and the two cops ducked reflexively ducked as the roar of Thompson machine guns erupted from the bar. The sound of breaking glass continued for a while punctuated now and again by the snap of small handguns. The police seemed disinclined to get up again just yet and seemed to be content with shouting unflattering things at me. I slipped to the next doorway, down an alley, over a fence, across a public park and out of harms way.