A Beautiful Winter Case

Chapter I

How long had I been standing there. One hour... Two. Had I zoned out pouring water in the coffeepot? How much had poured over the side? How much was this slipup going to cost me on my water bill.

As I opened the top of my coffee maker I heard the door be hit thrice. And the voice of a harsh lady. A landlady to be exact. "GET YOUR ASS UP YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NEW CLIENT THIS MORNING"

As always she was right. I immediately turned around to my rust bucket of a refrigerator. I rested my chin on the edge to get a clear view of the paper I had placed on it last night.

"Meet new client at the star-brucks in town" the note I wrote to myself read.

On my way there I burnt through $10 worth of lung Cancer. As always the Batista was very friendly. She had me a table saved just for me.

I pulled a cigar out of my pocket, I lit it. As I inhaled my inevitable death, a young lady and an older gentleman walked toward the coffee shop. the young lady was quite a sight, she brought to mind a Black Orchid blooming, she was petite the top of her head might of went up to my shoulders if she stood on her tiptoes, her hair was a flow of hot chocolate, her eyes where as rich as freshly brewed coffee. She had a small rainbow bow in her hair.

The older gentleman moved like molasses on a winter morning, his hair White as was snow, his where dead, as though he didn't want to be here, or be for that matter. He wore a well tailored brown suit, I'd assumed from early to mid fifties for his suit.

They both looked as though the worst possible thing just happened. They began to approach me.

"Please excuse us sir, but does your name happen to be Bradley Nolan" softly said the lovely young Maiden in an angelic voice.

"Are y'all my new clients" I said in the most comforting voice I could conjure up.

She nodded very shyly.

"What y'all got for me" I sighed out with a puff of smoke.

"Mehwerfderderndtihrperlerswerntenvestrgert" he unintelligibly yelled through his lips.

"Please grandad don't hurt yourself." she cried gently to him.

"I'm sorry sir I didn't quite catch that." I calmly replied to his slurry speech. "Would you mind repeating"

He took in a great amount of air as though he where a big bad wolf about to blow down a brick House. But before he could say anything the young lady hushed him swiftly.

She turned to me and with great conviction said "Granny died and the police aren't willing to investigate"

As I slowly took a year off my life, I exhaled the poison and then questioned her. "Why do you think they should?"