Before It Gets Cold by Dan Leicht
A Charles Splints Case
I woke up at noon. The sun attacked me through the spaces between the blinds. All I had left was enough instant coffee for half a cup. The cupboards were empty. The refrigerator was still frozen over.
Some luck.
The life of a private investigator wasn’t always a glamorous one.
I took to the streets. Duke’s would have what I needed. The bar down the street always had whatever I needed. Lindsay would be there, ready with a drink. Some local character would be falling off his barstool. It beat going to the office. Coincidently, I didn’t have one to go to anyway. Might explain the lack of cash flow for a stocked pantry.
Brooksend in the summer wouldn’t look too good on a postcard. The trees tried their best to appear green. Birds sang off key. The sidewalks had more color from chewed gum than the buildings did from graffiti. Mist evaporated from the sewer grates up into my nostrils. At the very least, it wouldn’t make for a good scratch-and-sniff postcard.
A commotion in an alleyway pulled me away from indulging my senses any further.
Three tall brutes stood over a man on the ground folded in two.
“Three against one doesn’t seem too fair,” I said. I pulled my blazer back just enough to show my pistol. “Care if I even the odds?”
“Get lost,” said the tallest brute. I wondered if he introduced himself as such at parties.
“How do you think I found myself here in the first place?” I said. “Let’s play nice.”
“It isn’t worth it, Rudy,” said the shortest of the tall brutes.
“He’s right Rud,” I said. “It isn’t worth it.”
The three best friends took off down the other end of the alley. I helped the lone warrior to his feet.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “You’re a marked man now.”
“I’m hungry is what I am,” I said. “You got anywhere to be…”
“Teddy. Teddy Spinetti. They’re going to come after me again. I owe Mitch Wild ten grand.”
“I look forward to meeting Mr. Wild. It isn’t often I get the opportunity to meet a new loan shark anymore. I helped put most of the corrupt ones behind bars. What’s his monthly percentage?”
“Weekly. It goes up ten twenty percent weekly.”
“You must’ve been in some bind. I’ll treat you to lunch if you tell me all you know about Wild’s operation.”
“Hungry for a fight?” he said.
“I like taking a shark down first thing when I wake up. Goes great with black coffee. Come along Spinetti. Have you ever considered going by Ted?”
& & &
I saddled up beside Spinetti. Lindsay came over shortly after. She wore her blonde hair up in a bun, a pair of jean shorts, and a light blue v-neck.
“Just wake up?” she said to me.
“Maybe you should be the detective,” I said.
“I hear the pay is crummy.”
“Good eyes and ears. You missed your calling.”
She placed a glass of bottom shelf scotch on the counter in front of me.
“What’s your friend drinking?”
I turned to Spinetti.
“What’ll it be?”
“Do you have any iced tea?”
“I do. What about to eat?”
“Hot ham on rye,” I said.
“Do you have a menu?”
& & &
Our food arrived and the door swung open. The three brutes strolled in and a man half their sized trailed in behind them. The half brute wore a three-piece suit.
“Dress for the job you want,” I said, pointing to the half brute. “Let me guess, secret agent?”
“I heard you threatened my friends here.”
“You must be Mr. Wild. Mind if I call you Mitch?”
“You shouldn’t meddle in other people’s business,” said Wild. “That pal of yours owes me a great deal of money. Can I assume you’ll be paying it for him?”
“He’ll pay the initial amount. Two-fold if it doesn’t break his bank.”
“Mr. Spinetti borrowed two thousand dollars from me. I made my stipulations clear when I loaned him the money.”
“More like you took advantage of someone with no other choice. Four thousand seems like a fair enough compromise. What do you think, Spinetti? Do you have the scratch?”
He nodded.
“I have it,” he said. “I can do four today.”
“See?” I said. “Look at us. We took care of this before our food could get cold. That must be some kind of record.”
“No deal,” said Spinetti. “How would taking such an offer make me look?”
“It’d make you look a lot taller,” I said. “A man with a heart as tall as a skyscraper.”
“I’m not here to jest,” said Wild.
He flicked his finger and his friends made a move for me.
“Don’t mess up my bar, Charles,” said Lindsay.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said.
I lunged off the stool and speared one of the two men in the stomach. It took more strength than I had to spare on an empty stomach, but I managed to push him out the door and into the street. His two other friends came walking out to join the dance. I let go of my partner. The three stood in a line. I reached for my pistol.
“Look behind you,” said the tallest brute. Rudy.
I glanced over my shoulder to see my gun in the street.
“Pulled it and tossed it,” said my former dance partner. “Not so tough now, are you?”
“Let’s get this over with before my sandwich gets cold,” I said.
Rudy lumbered toward me. His fists were out in front of him. A boxer. He took a wide swing with his right and I ducked it and sank my left into his gut. Amateur boxer. He lost his swagger for a moment, but I capitalized and sent him to sleep with an uppercut.
The other two came at me together. Smart. The shortest of the trio, still at least six feet, stood to my left. The other on my right. A bead of sweat dripped down my brow. The heat seemed to only grow. I was more worried about tearing the shoulder on my blazer.
Six Feet swung and I accepted it in the chest. He winced as his fingers cracked. I went low and swept him off his feet. A dirty tactic but I was outnumbered. I sank a fist into his cheek before he could get up and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
His pal came at me with both arms out as I was getting to my feet. He managed to wrap his arms around me, him standing behind me, and squeezed.
I wheezed. The heat only got worse.
I tried to walk and he kept me locked down. A car parked a couple feet in front of us offered me an out. I staggered forward and put a foot on the passenger side door. It was all the leverage I needed. I pushed back and he lost his footing. His head cracked into the sidewalk as I broke free and stumbled to the ground. I broke my fall with my hands, a hot pain jolted up my wrists in the process. For what it was worth, I looked better than he did.
The first to initiate the fight was getting his bearings and was almost to his feet when I delivered a hook to his nose.
& & &
I walked into the bar to see Wild sitting next to Spinetti in my seat. My sandwich gone but not my scotch.
“Didn’t want to wash it down?” I said.
“How are you…”
Wild looked like a child as he got off the stool.
“You have poor taste in drink,” he said. “How is it you’re still alive?”
“Good genes,” I said. “Your friends are outside waiting for you. I’d call an ambulance. If you can afford it, that is. Spinetti will get the money to you tomorrow. Isn’t that right, Spinetti?”
“Yes,” he said. “Tomorrow morning. First thing.”
“Get lost, Wild. And don’t worry about the sandwich. Lunch is on me.”
* * * * THE END * * * *
Copyright Dan Leicht 2026
Image Source: Dey from Fictom.com