It would be sun up in another hour but it was only a 30 minute drive to the Baker's Tin. The Muffin District was relatively calm. The signs of poverty brought by the prohibition were visible even at this early hour.

"Moose get your head in here!" Moose ignored me and continued to stick his mug out the window. The car would need a good cleaning to get all that drool off. I pulled up at the back door and we used my key to get in. Everything was quite in the factory. The production line was at a standstill. I slipped past the empty barrels and up the stairs to the manager's office. A light glinted through the glass, as I gingerly turned the knob.

"Good Moring boss."

"Do you ever Doss, Lenny?" I said taking the seat he had vacated. Moose sat next to my chair scrutinizing the dimly lit office. "Not at work, boss." Lenny shifted some papers piled on a chair and took a seat opposite to me.

"Do we have any consignments left? Are all the orders done for the week?"

"Yes. The last order for strawberry Muffin Wine went out yesterday. We are out of supplies and will have to stock up."

"Stock up ... Have Donovan's men been around?"

"Like clockwork. Trying to spook some of our men into telling them."

"And did they?"

"No boss!" He looked surprised I had asked. "We would never spill on you. Your father was a good man and you've been good to us, as well. We would never have survived the prohibition if you hadn't given us a job."

"Even if it's illegal?"

"Illegal! Shutting down a perfectly good factory for no purpose, that's illegal! " Lenny spat out in frustration. Moose growled at him not liking his tone. He gave Moose a toothy grin.

"Donovan or whoever he works for wants control of the Muffin trade. They still haven't figured out who manufactures them. After they shut down the factory they figured it was The Ritzy but that theory went bust too. They are guessing and I want to keep it that way especially if there's a Turf war."

"The mob?" his eyebrows shot up and he reached for a glass of water on the table. I let him take a few gulps because he wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"Not mob ... Mobs ... The Irish, the Chinese maybe even the Spanish! Even crocked cops and God knows who else. I can't be involved in this mess."

He took another swallow of water from lack of having something else stronger. I pulled out an envelope from my purse and placed it on the desk.

"Here's the usual cut. You can count it."

"Never needed too. Never will."

I couldn't help but smile at the trust he had in me. I placed another envelope on the desk and he look at me puzzlingly.

"There's enough kale in there for some time. I want your men to lay low and stay low until I say so. You'll have to stay at the factory as usual. You pay whoever that needs to be paid and then not a peep. Only sound waves."

"You don't mean it."

"BG is going dry."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drive back was the calm before the storm. Norma filled me in on what all had gone down including the report brought in by Annie. Then came the call from Gunn.

All hell had broken lose.