He walked out of his building, still pondering the case. Minnie hadn't given him a lot to go on, but he had plenty to think about. The buildings of the city looked excellent in this light. The streets were crowded for one o'clock on an alternate blue moon. He watched a Kia Rio swerve to avoid a Nissan Sentra as it strolled by. What a jerk, he thought. Across the street an inventor wearing a beret came out of a tattoo parlor. You don't see that very often anymore. His first stop was at a psychic reading business to pick up an artificial flower. No luck; they were sold out. Well, no time like the present to stop by the tattoo parlor and pay Charlie a visit. It was pretty far to walk, but too close to take a cab, especially considering the depleted state of his budget.
The sky had a tinge of silver. There might be a storm brewing, he thought oddly. He walked past a plain man carrying a prickly brush. A bit unusual, but it probably meant nothing. As he walked, he felt other people staring at him. He glanced at the faces. If they knew he was a detective, they'd probably think he leads an exciting life, jetting to Lithuania or Rwanda, meeting glamorous and bold people, pulling out his torpedo and whacking anyone who got in his way. Sorry to disappoint them; his worst problem was boredom.
He arrived at the tattoo parlor a bit late...
Next Chapter