'Who keeps track of your hours?' Ventura said.
'I do.'
'Well, that's a pretty soft deal for you now, ain't it.'
'Pretty soft,' I said.
We were quiet. The late September air moved gently through the window and fluttered some papers on my desk. The young woman pursed her lower lip for a moment as if she were going to whistle 'Evelina.' But she didn't, she just let it purse there for a moment and then went back to holding it in her upper teeth. It was sort of interesting.
'I heard about you,' Ventura said.
I nodded modestly.
'Talked to some people about you.'
'Un huh.'
'Like your man Hawk, for instance.'
'Hawk is some people,' I said.
'Says you're a big pain in the ass.'
'He's jealous,' I said. '
'Cause girls like me better.'
'Fact is I asked him to take this thing on for me.'
'Oh,' I said.
'That kind of work.'
'Maybe,' Ventura said.
'Hawk says he'll do it, if you do it.'
'When I can,' I said, 'I like to be legal.'
'Nothing illegal about this job,' Ventura said.
'Un huh.'
'You want it? Pay your fee, no argument; expenses, no problem; cash if you want; maybe two, maybe three weeks' work.'
'So how come Hawk won't do it unless I do it too?'
Ventura shrugged.
'He didn't say.'
'He often doesn't,' I said.
'Whaddya got?'
Ventura glanced at the blonde beside him.
'My daughter's husband took off on her,' he said.
'Daddy,' the blonde said.
'You don't know that. Something coulda maybe happened.'
'This your daughter?' I said.
'Yeah.'
I stood and leaned over the desk and put out a hand.
'How do you do,' I said.
'Yeah,' she said.
'How you doing.'
She took my hand and shook it.
'You know my name,' I said.
'Sure.'
She licked her lower lip again, quite fast back and forth.
'Her name's Shirley,' Ventura said.
'Lovely name,' I said.
The lower lip went under the teeth again. I let go of her hand and sat back down.
'So you want me to find your son-in-law?'
'Don't call him that,' Ventura said.
'My daughter married him.
