Phthalo Blues

by Will Wallner

  "This is it." Hunter pulled the car in front of a very tall apartment building. "We want apartment 307. I guess we just knock on the door and see what happens." Hunter and Taz entered the building. Taz shrugged his shoulders at the stylish decorations, as they walked through the lobby. During the elevator ride up to the thirtieth floor, Hunter realized he might be making a big mistake.

  "Taz, this could be a potentially dangerous situation. Maybe you should wait in the car."

  "I'll be alright, I've got your knife in my jacket pocket."

  "Are you crazy?! Taz, you can't carry a weapon in public. This isn't Valley Village. They have strict laws in cities like this."

  "Hunter, chill out man, no one will ever know I have it."

  On the thirtieth floor, they looked through the corridor until they found the correct apartment. Hunter nervously looked at Taz for a short moment, then knocked on the door. To his relief, a woman in her forties answered.

  "How may I help you?" She asked timidly. Hunter had no idea of what he was going to say, but tried to explain the situation.

  "Good morning, madam. Ugh, this is going to sound very strange. We recently found an abandoned car and inside the glove box was a piece of paper with your address on it." The lady looked at Hunter slightly confused and then suspiciously peered at Taz, not saying a word. "We were hoping you might know who the car belongs to." After another moment's silence, she finally replied.

  "…you better come inside." She invited them to sit down in her well-furnished living room. "May I see the piece of paper?" Hunter pulled it out from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is my handwriting…was it a black sports car?"

  "Yes, it was," Hunter replied.

  "The car belongs to a private investigator. His name is Michael Paris. I hired him to look into my son's case. So you've found his car? That's strange."

  "Well, we think he might have been murdered…" Hunter wasn't sure if he should have revealed this piece of information.

  "Murdered?! That's terrible, I knew there was something odd about this whole situation. Do you think his murder is somehow related to my son's disappearance? My son, could he also have been murdered?" A tear rolled down her face, as she held her forehead.

  "Madam, I'm sorry, we don't know anything about your son. We just wanted to know more about the car we found and identify its owner."

  "Why? Why do you care about this car? Are you private investigators as well? Can you help me find my son?" Her frantic voice was filled with desperation and sorrow. "I'm sorry, it's been a difficult time for me."

  "There's no need to apologize. Can you tell us about your son? What happened?"

  "My son went missing about six months ago. The police weren't very helpful, so I hired an investigator." Hunter glanced over her shoulder at a photo of the lady's son, hanging on the wall. "His name is Max. He's twelve years old. He started working at a comic book store a few weeks before he disappeared. It was just a small job for after school. He went to work one day and never came home. The store said he left at his usual time. He was probably abducted on his way home. I don't know. The police just didn't seem interested. I'd almost given up hope. Then Michael Paris contacted me, saying he'd heard about my case and offered to help. I was so grateful. It's been so long. I've started to accept the fact he might be gone forever, but I just want to know what happened to him."

  Hunter looked at the picture of Max again and couldn't help but think that Taz was almost the same age.

  "Maybe we can help you find your son?" Hunter said.

  "Really?" The woman replied.

  "We came to Tech City because someone told us we would find something. Something important. I supposed we are investigators, in a way. We just didn’t know what we were supposed to investigate, until now. Last night, a man was murdered. We saw his body thrown into the water, on the outskirts of Tech City. That man was probably Michael Paris. We found his car and in the glove box was your address, which led us to you. I don’t think this is a coincidence. I think this is what we were supposed to find in Tech City. We're supposed to find your son."

  Even though she thought he sounded a little crazy and didn't fully understand his story, Hunters words filled the woman with optimism.

  "I can't believe you want to help me. I'm so grateful." She said.

  "We will do our best." Hunter smiled at her, then Taz interjected himself into the conversation.

  "When you say you hired Michael Paris. Does that mean there was some sort of payment involved?"

  "Please excuse my little friend." Hunter used his facial expression to keep Taz quiet.

  "No, it's quite alright. I will cover all of your expenses and pay you anything you want, just please help me." The woman replied.

  "I need to know the name of the comic book store. Also, have you ever heard of the Tech City Piano Bar?" Hunter asked.

  "The store is called ‘Big World Comics', the manager's name is Steve. I've never heard of the piano bar."

  “Thank you for the information. We'll be in touch as soon as we find anything useful. By the way, what's your name?"

  "Katrin. Katrin Fielder." She replied.

  Hunter and Taz left the apartment and took the elevator back down to the ground floor.

  "I guess now we don’t need to look for work?" Taz said arrogantly. Hunter looked at him and raised his eyebrow.

  "Taz, as I've said before, you're a very smart kid."

  As they exited the building and were about to climb inside the black sports car, Katrin Fielder came running out of the lobby and called out.

  "Excuse me, there's something else I forgot to tell you!” She noticed the car. “Isn't this Michael Paris' car, you took it?!?"

  "Yes we did…" Hunter didn’t know what else to say.

  "It doesn't matter. I just wanted to tell you something else. When I met with Michael Paris to discuss my son's case, he asked me about something called ‘Project Overlord'. I have no idea what it is, but it might help with your investigation."

  "Project Overlord." Hunter wrote it down. "Thanks, we'll keep it in mind." Katrin watched them drive away and couldn’t help but think that Hunter and Taz were a bit of an odd couple.

  Along the way, they stopped at a newsstand. Hunter stepped out of the car, leaving Taz in the passenger seat. He bought a telephone directory and some snacks. He noticed a blue diagram pinned up behind the cashier.

  "What's that?" Hunter asked.

  "It's a blueprint of the construction plans of Tech City. They make a great souvenir. You want one?" The cashier replied.

  "Construction plans?"

  "You’re not from around here, are you? Tech City is famous because of its perfect street design. Everything you see around you is drawn on these plans. They're only fifteen woolongs."

  "Maybe some other time, thanks." As Hunter handed the cashier the money, he saw a group of three children sitting on the pavement next to the street vendor. They were war orphans from Tiberia, just like Taz. They wore tatty clothes and begged for money. They had no place in society. All they had was each other. They were lost children.

  Hunter looked at the three of them and then looked at Taz, sitting in the car. He was glad Taz had been lucky enough to end up in a place like Valley Village. A place where orphans could be given a better chance at a new life. Not all the orphans from Tiberia were as lucky. Hunter gave the three children some money, then they ran off through the streets of Tech City. As they drove back to the Dolphin Inn, Taz continued to stare out of the window at the gigantic buildings and the fluorescent advertisements for the whole journey.

  When they got back, Moja stood up from the bed where she had been sleeping. She stretched her front legs and yawned. Her tongue extended far from her mouth, as she wagged her tail at the sight of her friends. She jumped down, then ran over to Hunter and Taz.

  "See, she slept the whole time we were gone." Hunter handed her a treat. Taz and Hunter stood over the small table, looking at the clues from their investigation. Moja
sat staring up at them, wagging her tail.

  "So to recap. Our initial goal of finding the identity of the man who was dumped into the water has been solved. The man was Michael Paris, a private investigator who was investigating the disappearance of a twelve-year-old boy called Max. We still don't know who murdered Michael Paris or why. We also have a new mission, to find out what happened to Max."

  "We've been here less than twenty four hours and you've managed to turn our original, simple, goal of finding some information into a missing person and murder investigation. Oh, and we're probably going to be wanted by the police as soon as they find Michael Paris' body. Good job Hunter. I guess I won't be doing much sightseeing on this trip."

  "Taz, I'm sorry. Bear with me. This will all work itself out, I know it."

  "It's fine, but just so you know, I'm keeping all of the payment from Max's mother for myself." Taz clicked his fingers and pointed at Hunter.

  "It's a deal." Hunter clicked his fingers back at Taz. "Of the three clues from Michael Paris' glove box, there are two more we need to investigate. Taz, your job is to figure out what this key is for. I want you to go through this phone book and call every bank you can find. Ask them if they keep safety deposit boxes and tell them the numbers on the keyring. Hopefully one will match. I'm going to visit the Tech City Piano Bar. You're definitely too young for a place like that, so I'll go alone. You can keep an eye on Moja here at the hotel and please stay out of trouble."

  "You're seriously not going to let me come with you? You’re going to make me stay in the hotel, while you explore the city?"

  "You'll get your chance tomorrow. You're going to go to that comic book store and ask for a job. Maybe you can learn some useful information. It will also give you something productive to do. I promised your Uncle I wouldn't let you sit around all day."

  "Work at the comic store? That would be awesome!"

  "That's the spirit Taz. Then the last clue we have is Project Overlord… I can't think of what that could be." Hunter put the business card for the piano bar in his pocket and opened the door. He paused, then looked back over his shoulder. "Taz, keep my knife with you at all times." He left Taz and Moja alone in the room.

  Taz jumped up on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and turned on the television. He opened a big bag of potato chips, then patted the bed with his hand, signaling for Moja to come sit next to him. She wagged her tail and quickly leaped up. She sat next to him, patiently waiting for Taz to give her a potato chip.

  "To think I was going to spend the summer milking the cows and cleaning up after the chickens. Things are starting to look pretty good for us, right Moja?" He handed her a chip and rubbed her head. The treat was gone in a millisecond. She licked her lips and stared at his hand, as it re-entered the bag. "I'll start calling the banks right after this cartoon finishes."

  That night, Hunter drove to the piano bar. Along the way, he was deep in thought. Being alone in the car gave him a chance to think about the events leading up to this moment. His memories still hadn't returned. As he drove, he looked at all of the advertisement billboards. After a while, they all started to look the same. The colorful city lights reflected on the hood of the car. They reminded him of his dreams. He still frequently dreamt of the blue light and the two burning red eyes, but still didn't know what they meant.

  He parked the car down the street from the piano bar and stepped out onto the street. After pausing for a moment, he opened the trunk and put on the black leather jacket. It fit him perfectly. As he walked away from the car, he couldn't help but look up at the gigantic skyscrapers and the streets around him. There were so many people walking in every direction. He'd never seen anything like it, at least, he thought he hadn't.

  The entrance to the bar was down a narrow alleyway. The alley was gritty and covered in graffiti. Exhaust steam from buildings either side filled the narrow space. A large bouncer sat on a stool in front of the entrance. Hunter approached slowly and the bouncer held the door open for him. Directly at the entrance there were a set of dimly lit stairs leading down to the basement where the bar was located.

  When Hunter reached the lower level, he looked around at the dark dingy atmosphere. Red curtains covered the walls and there were black and white tiles on the floor. It was poorly lit. In the center of the room, there was a slightly elevated stage with a black grand piano. Around the stage, were several tables, with the bar situated in the corner. He looked at the other guests. They were mostly older men, all wearing suits and smoking cigars. Hunter sat down at an empty table near the back and watched the cigar smoke slowly drift through the air.

  A waitress approached his table. She wore a red corset and black leggings. As soon as he saw her, Hunter started to feel uncomfortable.

  "Hello stranger, what can I get for you?" She leaned towards him in a seductive way.

  "I'll take a sparkling water, thanks." Hunter smiled at her, nervously.

  "Sparkling water? Is that a joke?" She asked.

  "No, why would that be a joke?" A bewildered Hunter tried to understand what she meant.

  "We don’t serve water, we serve alcohol." The waitress replied.

  "Just bring me whatever you think is best?" Hunter said, as she rolled her eyes and left the table. Hunter watched her go to the bar and speak to the bar tender. The waitress returned with a tall, thin glass, containing a pale green liquid.

  "There you go sweetheart, one Technarita, enjoy the show."

  Hunter picked up the glass and stared at the drink. He took a small sip, and although it tasted like poison, he tried to look like he enjoyed the taste. As he sipped the drink, the lights went dark, and a spotlight appeared on the stage. A beautiful woman, with dark hair wearing a skin-tight red dress approached the piano. She looked incredible. She walked right past Hunters table and for a split second, the two made eye contact. She sat at the piano and started to play a slow melancholy melody.

  The music captivated Hunter. Her deep voice sang soulful and mysterious lyrics. As he tried to understand the meaning of her words, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Hunter turned to look at a short fat man with a messy beard, smoking a cigar, who was sitting next to him.

  "Isn't she great?" The man said.

  "Yeah, she's amazing. Who is she?" Hunter replied.

  "That's Nakita, the bosses girl, she plays here every night."

  "The bosses girl? What does that mean?" Hunter asked, as the man took a deep smoke from his cigar.

  "You know, the boss. That's his girl." The man exhaled smoke directly at Hunter. "It means hands off, or you'll leave in a body bag, hahaha!" He cackled like a demented hyena. "I haven't seen you here before. What brings you to our fabulous establishment?"

  "A friend of mine recommended it." Hunter replied.

  "Your friend sounds like a guy with good taste. I'm Simon, the manager, nice to meet you." Simon stuck out his fat greasy hand. As they chatted, Hunter watched Nakita. She sat perfectly still, except for her hands, as they fluttered around the white and black keys. She played for a short while, then stood up from the piano.

  "So kid, do you want to meet the artist? You can talk to her, but whatever you do, don't touch her. Understand?”

  “Hey Nakita, you've got a fan over here." Simon waved her over to the table and she sat next to Hunter. "I'll be back in a bit." Simon left the table and the two sat in silence. Hunter nervously smiled at her. She looked even more attractive up close. Her skin was slightly tanned and her dark hair was perfectly styled. She wore dark eyeliner and her deep blue eyes would hypnotize any man who gazed upon her.

  "So uh… I really liked your song." Hunter broke the silence.