by Julia Proud
* * *
Mr. Barnes and Ed Valenti walked all over the east side, in the theater and the financial districts where the flappers, dappers and darbs of Maverick City paraded nightly from respectable establishments to not so respectable establishments, trotting to jazz rhythms that flowed through their veins, igniting passions, and stirring souls to give into temptations.
Few people had any recollection of Jake Barnes, and those who did, were either too drunk to be reliable or had nothing to say about the kid's current whereabouts. Still, Mr. Barnes insisted they checked out every nook and cranny; so, if any the people that they were asking about Jake even sneezed in the direction of a joint, they would visit it without question.
It was dawn, and the gray light embracing the cold, snow covered streets brought with it its gloomy mood. It had been snowing all night so Ed's feet and his fancy, useless shoes were soaked to the bone - he almost lost the right one a few times to the chilling grip of the snow.
They were heading to the west side - there were some speakeasies near the docks, shadier than usual since the Italian mob not only ran those, but outright lived there. Still it was worth a try.
As the sun rose from the city skyline, the street lights were dying one by one. Mr. Barnes was having another one of those coughs and had to stop and grab a hold of a street pole.
Ed was staring at the orange patch of light from behind a skyscraper - it grew larger and brighter with every passing moment, and he was in awe at the view. Hadn't he seen countless sunrises already? Didn't he usually leave the pig blinds at just about this hour almost every day? He had never really looked and he had never really been as sober as he was now. Ed was trying to ignore his jittery hands and pass that off as a result of the cold.
"Get a wiggle on," Mr. Barnes said hoarsely trying to remove Ed from his musing state.
"What's the hurry? Ain't like we're getting anywhere with this," he shrugged the words and then quickly came to regret being so honest with a man looking for his son, a man who had nothing to go on but hope.
But the former copper didn't retort and just sighed, leaving a trail of his white breath in the frozen winter air, as he turned around and went on with his futile quest.
They reached the docks too late - no joint stayed opened as late as nine in the morning.
"Call it a night, Mr. Barnes."
The former cop coughed a bit and shook his head.
"I have to find - ” his words were cut off and the old man collapsed into the dirty snow of the sidewalk.
Ed helped Mr. Barnes as best he could.
He carried him to a cab and paid for a ride across the city to his apartment building. Then Ed carried the frail old man up two stories, and laid him to rest on the couch.
The Italian took his time drinking from his dented silver flask, and after a few swings, Valenti felt more at ease, and fell asleep in the armchair facing the couch where his guest was resting.
When Ed opened his eyes the man was gone, but there was a distinct smell in the air that his taste buds immediately picked up on, and his mouth was all a drool.
Mr. Barnes was making scrambled eggs and bacon.
Ed felt a little out of place in his own home, and just sat at the table waiting to be served by his guest.
"You're makin' a grown man feel like a kid," Ed spoke, trying to break the silence with a lighthearted observation.
"How old are you?" Mr. Barnes asked as he served Ed his eggs and bacon.
"Just turned twenty-eight a couple weeks ago."
"Ha! You are a kid!"
"To an old man like you everyone's a kid, pops," Valenti retorted without much consideration and received Mr. Barnes coughed chuckle as a response - thankfully, the private dick had a sense of humor.
They ate in silence and despite a desire to ask about the old man's fainting episode, Ed felt it was best he avoided that matter - the retired cop's health was not his business.
Rested and fed, the two went out again, looking for Jake, roaming the dark, ever expanding streets of Maverick City.
They entered one of the joints Ed had never been in - The Blue Canary. It was a new place and he had heard that neither the Irish, nor the Italians owned or were connected to it. Ed knew who could have been supplying the booze to such a place, but he didn't even dare think the man's name. However, the mind has a way of running off on its own, and of whispering dark things to men who are already suffocated by their overfed regrets.
Barton Shane was the only bootlegger in town who could sell or even own such an establishment. Barton Shane was also the reason that Billie had disappeared.
My Billie.
Those red, fire locks, that warm gentle touch . . .
He'll try to find her again.
And a notion was starting to take shape now - Ed realized that once this Jake business was over, he could ask Mr. Barnes, a former cop, for help. He could ask the old man to teach him how to go about finding her. For the first time in a long time, Ed believed that he actually stood a chance at getting to hold her one more time.
My Billie.
"Ed, you gonna do this?" Mr. Barnes asked peering at him a little confused. "Had one too many? Gonna upchuck?"
Hah! If anything, Ed hadn't had enough to drink and that was part of the reason why he had been staring blankly at nothing for the past few minutes, thinking of her.
The retired policeman had been encouraging Ed to be the one doing the talking, and having done this all night the night before, Valenti was pretty comfortable asking his questions, and rather sure he'd receive nothing but shrugs, indifference, useless comments, and false leads. Still, there was this odd, pleasant rush he felt - it was almost like gambling. Actually, it was gambling. He bluffed with every lie he told, hoping to win the pot - that one lead that would take him where he needed to go.
"Hey there, doll," he greeted one of the B-girls at the bar.
She was all dressed up and smiled instantly in his presence. Either she liked him or not, it was her job to convince impressionable men that all she wanted was their company and that they, being the gentlemen that they were, had to buy her drinks to keep her happy.
"Name your poison," she giggled in a pleasant, sweet tone, and she made eyes at him, playing coyly with the feather hanging from her wide, sparkling headband.
"Only your finest and of course - " Ed turned to address the bartender " - one more for the lady." Mr. Barnes was paying so he didn't think twice about it.
"So generous," the B-girl uttered with a purr.
"You have no idea." Ed winked at her, and eagerly sipped the fine whiskey the bartender had just poured for him.
He asked her to dance even if he hated dancing and was really a dead hoofer, not knowing his left from the right and most of the time just stepping on people's feet, but he figured skirts loved to dance, and before he could get anything out of her, he had to make sure that she was in good spirits.
By the end of the second dance, Ed pulled her aside and applied some subtle touches to her waist and arms, not really willing to submit the poor girl through more than was necessary for him to pass of as drunk and careless.
"I have a friend - well, not really a friend," Ed lowered his voice and whispered as he went on, "he's my brother. I always get stuck taking care of him. Well, just the other day he boasted about coming here so I had to check it out. He said he'd met this looker, a real hot mama. I'm pretty sure now that he was talkin' about you, doll."
She laughed. Women always laughed at compliments - why did they do that?
Billie never laughed. She just shamelessly asked for more.
"And what makes you say that?" she asked but he wasn't really listening.
"Why did you laugh?" Ed noticed her confusion and he explained. "Just now, why did you laugh?"
"Because I . . ." she let the word hang and she suddenly laughed again, slapping his chest. "What are you trying to pull, Mister?"
"Nothing." Ed answered plainly and then went on. "My little
brother, though. I'm looking for him. His name's Jake Barnes. You heard-"
"Jake? Dreamy blue eyes Jake?"
Ed wouldn't exactly call the kid that, but he nodded getting a little excited himself given the woman's sudden show of interest and good humor.
"He's your brother? You don't look nothing alike."
"Different mothers. Long story, doll - not one I wanna bother you with."
Ed was often surprised at himself, at how easily the right lies came to him.
"But you were sayin' about Jake? How odd is it that you met him here - when was that exactly?" Ed tried to encourage her to tell her own story.
The B-girl took her time before answering.
"I think it was Monday? No. What day was yesterday?… Wednesday, I'm sure," she took her time to get the facts right.
"And how did that go?"
She blushed and turned her face away from him, trying to stifle a giggle. By that reaction Ed could guess more than enough.
"Any idea where my blue-eyed brother might be now?" he asked masking the glimmer of hope in his voice with a hint of mockery towards Jake.
"He's supposed to come here tonight," she confessed shyly.
"Tonight?"
"Yes."
"That's good news."
"Is it? You bear to share me with your brother so easily?" the B-girl asked in mock surprise and Valenti smirked.
Finally, they had a solid lead.
Ed sent the girl away claiming he had business to discuss with the old, skinny specter of a man lurking around the bar. Mr. Barnes was becoming restless watching Ed sweet talk the broad for so long - it meant that they had a lead otherwise, why spend so much time on her?
And the old gumshoe was right.
All Ed and Mr. Barnes had to do now, was wait at the Blue Canary until Jake showed up.
It was well after four in the morning when the B-girl shrugged under Valenti's inquisitive gaze - Jake hadn't come.
"Know of any other place where he might be?"
"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" she more stated than wanted to know, and Ed wasn't going to contradict that, especially since he had to be the concerned, older brother in her eyes.
"All I know is that he doesn't want to talk to his father. That him?" the B-girl tilted her head toward Mr. Barnes and Valenti couldn't hide his surprise - she was no Dumb Dora.
"Yeah. He and Jake had an argument. The old man's only lookin' to apologize," Ed explained putting on a face of candor and concern as he spun his lie.
"Jake was worried his father wouldn't like me, but I knew it was more than that. We were in his room when his father came home - I ain't never seen a man so afraid of his poppa. He made me climb out of a window just so he wouldn’t have to face ‘im,” the twist whispered that last part glancing at Mr. Barnes.
"When was that?" Ed needed to know.
"Last night, I told you."
Last night Mr. Barnes had been nowhere near his home but instead had been roaming the city with Ed - Jake was telling a lot of lies, no wonder he was laying low.
"Where was that?"
The B-girl looked at him confounded by the question and said lowly, "Jake’s home. At your house."
"Oh, poppa has more than one, see?" Ed revealed in a hushed tone.
"Oh! Really?!" Her face betrayed the little gold-digger that lay dormant inside her.
"Yeah. The place, darlin'? Maybe you know the street?"
"14th Street, the big white one with the ugly statues."
