Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Livia Moon’

Busman’s Holiday

“What are you doing here, Tulip?” Bernie said.

“Stripping, basically,” she said, still patting me. She was an expert! We were in the dressing room at Club Utopia, which I should probably remind everybody about.

“Um,” said Bernie, “uh. I meant are you still with Livia, or … “

“Oh, yes! I’m learning so much from her. This is just something extra, sort of a busman’s holiday, Livia says.” Maybe I should also remind everybody that Livia Moon runs a place in Pottsdale called Livia’s Friendly Coffee and More. Tulip works in the more part. “But can I ask you the same thing?” Tulip said. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Astrid Jason,” Bernie said. “Do you know her?”

Tulip nodded. “I hope she comes back soon. Not that I mind storing her stuff. But it’s a big responsibility.”

“You’re storing her stuff?”

“Just a couple suitcases,” Tulip said.

“Can we see them?” Bernie said.

“Well, I don’t know,” Tulip said. “I promised I’d take good care of them.”

“Then we’re on the same side,” Bernie said.

Admin to Staff: If Staff will send an address to spence.quinn@gmail.com an arc of To Fetch A Thief will be on its way, a little recovery-period reading material.

Here’s a little more Rosie Gray. If link doesn’t work, maybe cut and paste: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/07/chelsea_clinton_2.php

Tomorrow 10-noon, Spencer Quinn at Brewster Books, 2648 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631

An Old Friend

We went into the dressing room at Club Utopia, me, Bernie and the bouncer, who limped a bit on the stairs, but Bernie took his arm and gave him a little boost. I needed no boosting myself, never do, really – hey! was I  more of a booster? That was an interesting thought. I turned it over in my mind a few times and then away it went.

The dressing room was small, with a counter along one side, mirrors above it, surrounded by little light bulbs. A young woman wearing not much sat before one of the mirrors, putting on makeup. Makeup is an interesting subject – worn mostly, but not always! by women which reminds me of a bar called No-No’s, where … but perhaps a story for another time.

The young woman saw us and turned. “Bernie?” she said. “Chet?”

“Tulip?” said Bernie. His gaze kind of left her face, wandered down. He forced it back up, big struggle. Poor Bernie.

But the point was this was Tulip. She was a pal. We knew her from Livia Moon’s place in Pottsdale -Livia’s Friendly Coffee and More. Tulip worked in the More part, at the back. That’s all in To Fetch A Thief. I went right over to her.

“How’s my big beautiful guy?” she said, and gave me a pat. Tulip was an excellent patter. So were all the young women who worked for Livia Moon, no idea why.