You'd Be Surprised (baileygaines)

I ran a finger over the seat of Lulu's car. I don't want to know how much this cost. I glanced sideways at Lulu and found her watching me. How she could drive and stare at me so steadily was unnerving.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Her lips curved upwards. "I bought it as payback for being married to Shamus."

"Why did you save me?" I asked abruptly.

Lulu leaned her head back a little and focused on the road. "Let's just say I'm protecting an investment."

"How am I an investment? I haven't cost you anything...except that cup of coffee."

She raised one eyebrow. "The money I gave you...you haven't spent all that yet?"

"Oh." I shifted in my seat. "No." My hand found its way to my pocket as I felt the roll of money for the hundredth time. "Miss Lulu...I think you should take your money back."

"Why?"

"If I had the foggiest idea where Bruce was, I would tell you. But..." I spread my hands, "I don't ever hear from him unless he needs something from me."

"Mr. Buchanan...Buck..." Lulu spoke softly. "If there's anything you can remember..."

I shook my head. "I don't know. Your husband and his men wanted something from him a few nights ago. Why don't you ask Delaney where Bruce is?"

The car swerved a bit, and Lulu tightened her hands on the steering wheel. "I trust Brody, Mr. Buchanan. Implicitly."

"Yeah? Did you ever see any of the money that he and Shamus took from Bruce?"

The car screeched to a stop at an intersection. A streetlight illuminated her face as she leaned towards me. The look on her face was enough to make me gulp.

"Mr. Buchanan. I told you I trusted Brody Delaney. Stop making me doubt him! And myself." She took a long, shaky breath and the car started to move again.

We pulled up in front of a fancy flat that probably cost as much as the car we were riding in. Lulu got out and opened my door. "Aren't you coming in?"

I got out slowly. "I...I guess so." She led the way up the stairs and into the flat. I whistled under my breath when I saw how it was furnished. "Was this a consolation present, too?"

She whirled around, lips pressed together. "No! No," she said more quietly, "this place was Shamus's."

My eyes were drawn to a mahogany piano. I trailed my fingers over the smooth wood. "May I?"

Lulu perched on a red velvet chaise. "Please, help yourself."

I sat down and tried to think of something to play, but my mind had gone blank. Play something! Somehow I started playing "You'd Be Surprised."

He's not so good in a crowd but when you get him alone

You'd be surprised

He isn't much at a dance but then when he takes you home

You'd be surprised

He doesn't look like much of a lover

But don't judge a book by its cover

He's got the face of an angel

But there's a devil in his eyes

I turned my head to one side. Lulu was humming along, but she stopped abruptly when she saw me looking at her. "Do you sing, Miss Lulu?"

She laughed and walked over to the piano. "No. But I play." I got up to let her sit down and she played something classical and way beyond my skill level. I swallowed my pride and applauded. "Do you play classically, Buck?"

"No, I...improvise." And you'd better improvise yourself out of this situation so you don't get in trouble with Delaney. I hadn't missed her switch from "Mr. Buchanan" to "Buck."

"Really?" Lulu stood up and regarded me closely. "Are you any good at it?"

"Improvising?" I blinked. This conversation was beginning to have the marks of a typical encounter with a woman - it seemed like we were talking about two things at once. I suddenly didn't care about Delaney any more. "I'm very good at it. You'd be surprised." I abruptly leaned in to kiss her. Time seemed to stand still until my hand came to rest on the keys of the piano with a discordant clink.

Lulu's eyes flew open and she smiled. "He doesn't look like much of a lover," she whispered.

"But don't judge a book by its cover," I finished solemnly.

"You surprise me, Buck. You're much better at...improvising than your brother." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed me.Improvising just became a lot more rewarding. I made a mental note to have a talk with Bruce about not getting involved with married women - not like he'd listen to me. After all, he was the older twin. I pushed Bruce from my mind and focused on improvising.

***

I sat alone in a legitimate bar, a bottle of muffin-flavored wine on the table - curtesy of Lulu McGinty. "Mr. Buchanan?" I looked up as a girl stopped in front of me.

"That's me." I pulled out a chair for her and looked her over. She sat primly with her chin in the air, one ankle crossed over the other. "And you are...?"

"Annie O'Capella." Her chin tilted further upward. "Mr. Buchanan, we both have something in common. We were both in the Velveteen a night or two ago when it was raided."

"Is that so?" Normally women made me tongue-tied, but this Annie was too young to be intimidating. Either that or my time with Lulu had changed the way I acted around women.

"I very much enjoyed your playing, Mr. Buchanan. Do you write songs, by any chance?"

I laughed. "I'm afraid not. But I'm sure you didn't come to me just to talk about music."

"Oh...yes..." She rummaged in her purse for a tiny notepad and a pencil. "Mr. Buchanan, I'm interested in the death of Shamus McGinty. What can you tell me about him?"

I shook my head. "You'll never get far in the newspaper business that way."

She darted a glare at me. "I'm not in the newspaper business. I'm a writer."

"I'm not buying it. You're asking me questions and taking notes."

The girl sighed and pushed her hat back on her forehead, her freckles peeking out from beneath her makeup. "Mr. Buchanan, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I am a writer. I write songs and romances stories, not newspaper stories. My job is on the line, and so is my..." She paused, scrunching up one side of her mouth. "My reputation."

I hid a smile. "Your reputation?"

She blushed, her cheeks turning almost the same color as her reddish blonde hair. "That was a poor word choice. My safety?" I waited, and she sighed again. "I could go to jail if I don't figure this out. I made a deal with someone."

I groaned inwardly. This was the second dame who had come to me for information in the space of a week. "I'm listening."

"Did you have connections with Shamus McGinty?"

"No...I mean...not really." I exhaled loudly. "My brother worked for him, but I don't know what he did."

"Which he?" She looked up.

"Huh?"

"You don't know what Shamus did, or you don't know what your brother did?"

I need a drink. "Both...either. I don't know what Bruce..." I stopped as she scribbled down Bruce's name. "I don't know what Bruce did for Shamus."

"So you don't know what could have caused Shamus's death? Or who's responsible?"

I looked down. "No..." Annie's shoulders slumped, and suddenly I found myself speaking again. "But I do know that Shamus and Bruce have had several arguments. One was very recent. Bruce owed him money."

Annie was scribbling furiously. When she looked up, her eyes were sparkling. "Thank you, Mr. Buchanan. I can't tell you what this means to me." She stood up, slipping her notepad and pencil back into her purse. "Thank you for being willing to talk this time."

I coughed. "This time?"

"Yes." She frowned, one eyebrow dipping down. "I tried to talk to you last night, but you were...otherwise engaged."

I most definitely didn't see her last night. "Remind me...where were we when you tried to talk to me?" She must have seen Bruce.

"Near the NoLuk club, remember? You were heading for a...um...an establishment," she finished lamely, cheeks flushing. "I didn't want to bother you."

Bruce heading for an "establishment?" What a surprise. I hid a grin. "Oh...yes. I remember now. What were you doing near Madame Lee's?"

Her cheeks flushed brighter and she pursed her lips. "I was doing the same thing I'm doing now. Trying to find out about Shamus." She laid a card on the table and took a step backwards. "If you think of anything else, please call me. Or..." She grabbed the card and scribbled something on the back. "Come to my flat."

"You just told me where you lived." I looked up at her. If she were my kid sister, I wouldn't let her give out her address to just anyone.

She shrugged resignedly. "Yes, I did. But...you seem trustworthy. Thank you again, Mr. Buchanan."

When Annie was gone, I headed for the nearest phone and dialed a number. I felt the roll of money still in my pocket and thumbed through the bills. "Lulu? I've got another surprise for you."

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