She Was There! - The Cilly Black Chronicles. Chapter 7 - The Chicago Outfit
Cilly sat in her office, cigarette in one hand and Gin and Tonic in the other. She massaged her temple whilst she swigged her drink. Her next meeting was not going to be an easy one. As she took a drag of her cigarette, there was a knock at her door.
Cilly straightened up in her chair, stubbed out her cigarette and fussed with her hair and dress.
“Come in,” she called.
A young man poked his head round the door of the office.
“They’re not here Ma’am,” he said shakily.
They’re?
“Sweet boy, I am waiting on a very important meeting with one of our benefactors, and as he is a he, and is meant to be arriving alone, I don’t think I have time for whatever they, it is you’re talking about. So unless he is here, I don’t want to see your pretty face again, capiche?”
The assistant disappeared hastily closing the door behind him.
Gin give me strength!
Cilly took a large swallow from her glass.
Hang on, did he say “They’re not here?”
“Boy!” she called?
The same young boy appeared around the door.
“Yes, C, Ma’am?”
“You get hold of them, you find them. Tell them this is their last chance. You tell them I can find 1000 girls to fill their heels. I am done! Capiche!?”
The young man punctuated Cilly’s verbal tirade with nods and chirps of “Yes, C! Of course, C! Whatever you say, Ma’am!”
She was supposed to be here by the now. What the hell’s happened!?
“Now get out of my perfectly set hair kid!”
“Yes, C!” the boy disappeared again.
Cilly stood up and made her way across the office and fixed herself a drink from her personal bar. None of the watered down cheap swill they served at that bar. She kept the good stuff for herself, and her guests.
She sat back at her desk and lit another cigarette.
She better get here before he does, he has to see her here. This cannot be another foul-up like the hungarian.
Cilly took a long drag on her cigarette and let out a low growl as she exhaled the smoke. She took another large mouthful of her drink, and slammed her hand down on the desk.
They cannot do this to me. They CAN NOT do this to ME!
Another knock at the door.
“Yes!” Cilly shouted irrately. The boy again.
“C…”
“You better be getting ready to tell me they’re here.”
The boy stammered. Cilly walked round her desk and cradled his face in her hands.
“Baby, sweet boy, angel of my heart. I don’t care if you are my favourite pair of buns in this place. I don’t care if you are the reason I have to periodically dry my seat off. I don’t care if it is true that you are actually half way competent at what I actually hired you for. If you do not tell me they are here, right this second, I am going to spend the rest of my night using you AS A GODDAMN ASHTRAY! Capiche?”
“I...I’m, I’m sorry C. Only one of them is here.”
WHAT THE…
“What do you mean, one. Which one?”
“The scary one, Ma’am!”
FUCK!
“She said she can do it alone,” the boy stammered.
“You get her on that stage. Now! Go!”
Cilly pushed the boy back through the door and slammed it shut.
She leant back against the door and massaged her temples again. As she began to move back towards her desk, she heard the voice of one of her doormen.
“Just through here, Sir.”
Crap!
Cilly hurried around her desk and reclined picking up the lit cigarette she had left in the ashtray on her desk.
A knock at the door.
“Come in.” Cilly said, deliberately absentmindedly.
“Your guest is here, Ma’am”
“Please show him in.” Cilly stood to greet her guest.
A gentleman wearing a blue pinstriped suit and tilted fedora stepped into the office.
Cilly made her way round the desk and shook the man’s hand.
“Al, darling. So good to see you. Can I get you a drink? Cigarette?”
“I’ll never stop loving that accent of yours Cil, smoke please. No drink, not until the business is done.”
“Quite right, shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. Although that is quite difficult when one does business with you Al.”
“Hey now, don’t you start!”
Cilly handed Al a cigarette. They lit them together and both took a seat either side of the desk.
“So is it done? All of it?”
“The final target was eliminated this evening.”
“And your girls are happy to take the fall.”
“We have an arrangement, a friend of mine will have them out again in time. Not all together of course, it’ll be handled discreetly.”
“I hear one of them got a bit shaky?”
“Yes, the Hungarian couldn’t go through with it. So I handled it personally. We’ll make sure she stays quiet.”
“And the sixth target was dealt with this evening, you say?”
“That’s right Al. It’s all done.”
“Excellent. Now how about that drink?”
“Right away.”
As Cilly made her way across the office to her bar, there was another knock at the door.
The young man appeared in the doorway again.
“I’m so sorry C,”
“I am so close to putting this cigarette out on your tongue boy. How dare you interrupt me when I’m with our guest!?”
“But C, the cops are here.”
“What!?”
“Ms. Black, do you have a back door I can use?”
“Sure Al. Boy, take Mr Capone out the back. Make sure he gets the privacy he deserves.”
“Of course, this way please Mr Capone.”
The two men left the office in haste. Cilly downed what was left in her glass, and made her way out of her office and towards the stage.
When she arrived she found a number of police officers stood at the front of the stage looking up at her lone star.
“Velma Kelly, I’m arresting you for murder.”
Here we go…
Cilly walked out onto the stage, “Excuse me officers…”
Cilly sat staring at the empty stage, her boyish assistant sat next to her. She was lost in thought, Velma would be out soon, but she needed someone to fill this stage. Someone to draw the crowds in.
“What did you think of that last one, C?” the boy asked.
“No. Next!”
A young woman walked on the stage nervously with sheet music in her hands. She was wearing a “nice” red dress and her hair was fashionably curled. A band with a feather on her head. The feather was slightly askew.
“Honey!”
“Yes, Ma’am?” the young starlet replied, her voice shaking. She looked like a deer in headlights.
“Call me C. Ma’am is for school teachers. Your plume, sweetie.” Cilly gestured in an upward fashion.
The girl reached up to straighten her feather and spilled her sheet music over the stage. She frantically tried to gather it up.
Cilly kicked her assistant under the table and nodded toward the girl.
He hurried to help her, took the music from her and handed it to the pianist.
“Whenever you’re ready sweet girl.”
After the young lady had finished Cilly sat nodding and smiling.
“Thank you for your time,” the young lady said as she began to shuffle off the stage.
“Forgetting something, kid?”
“Oh my sheet music!” she hurried back across the stage to the pianist.
“And…?” Cilly prompted.
“And?” she echoed.
“You might ask how it went…”
“Do you have notes for me Ma’am? I’m sorry, C.”
“I just have one word for you. Star. As in you’re going to be one. My one!”
“Oh, C! Say you’re not foolin’!?”
“I never kid, kid! Now tell me, what’s your name?”
“My friends call me Red, on account of my best dress,” she gestured at her attire.
“I’m not going to call you Red. Red is the name of mechanics from the south. Not a star like you, kid. I’m gonna call you…. Scarlett!”
“Oh C! I’m going all flush. Is it hot in here? I think I’m gonna faint!”
“Fever! That’s it! Get our new star a drink boy!”
Cilly made her way up on to the stage, and put her arm around Scarlett.
“Are you ready for a wild ride kid?”
“Oh C, you betcha!”
“Don’t call me C, the boys call me C. You call me Mumma.”
“Mumma?”
“Yeah kid, I’m gonna look after you.”