Chapter 10

Perhaps Raja Kahn was right;perhaps love was the greatest motive of them all. Wilde City was full of fellas that had bumped off their broad just for looking sideways at the wrong guy, or gals that had topped their double-crossing daddies for turning some flapper into a slapper.

Speaking of killer dames, if I was going to get to the bottom of Raja Kahn's dodgy deal with Bugsy Brown, the one person who could give me the lowdown was Bugsy's ex-missus and archrival Mamma Marlow.

The next day I made my way to Mamma's place. I decided to leave Stella behind, knowing that last time we'd seen Mamma we kinda blew up her bootlegging headquarters. I didn't exactly expect her to greet me with open arms… more like a pair of cement boots to try on for size. But to my surprise, Mamma Marlow not only opened her doors for me, she opened her best bottle of single malt whiskey as well.

"I've been saving this for a special occasion," she said as she poured two generous glasses.

We were sitting in the library of her lavish mansion, a house built out of booze, broads and bribes.

"This is a special occasion?" I asked, trying to contain my puzzlement.

"Indeed it is, Mr. Baxter," she said, handing me a glass and clinking her glass against mine. "It's not often you get to thank the man who saved the life of your son's lover."

She was, of course, referring to Stu Whitmore, the kid I saved from his screw-loose sister and nun-with-a-gun, Peggy Whitmore. Mamma Marlow's gratitude was not only unexpected, it seemed completely out of character for the hardened queen of crime. Then again, I knew Mamma Marlow by reputation more than anything. How was I to know what made the woman tick? I barely knew what made myself tick these days, let alone someone else.

"I was happy to help," was all I said in reply. "Your son seems like a good kid."

"Perhaps you'll get to know him better someday."

"Thanks, but I'm sorta taken at the moment." The words came out of my mouth before I even knew it.

Mamma laughed. "I didn't exactly mean it that way… but good for you. I hope you're happy."

"I am," I said so unconvincingly that Mamma picked up on my tone.

"Going through a rough patch?" she delved.

"You could say that."

"Stick it out," she said with a wink. "The only thing tougher than getting through the hard times, is living with the regret that you shoulda stuck together in the first place."

"Does that advice come from experience?"

Mamma shrugged. "Who knows? If you're askin' whether I'm still in love with Bugsy Brown, hell, me and him got more chance of killing each other before we kiss and make up. But crazier things have happened."

She lit a cigar and offered me one. I took it. It had been some time since my last puff of the dragon thanks to Stella smoking the last of my pot, which reminded me I was overdue for my visit to Madame Chang on The Peking Empress. I made a mental note before focusing the conversation squarely on Bugsy.

"While we're on the subject of your ex-husband, I wanted to ask if you knew anything about a certain arrangement between him and Raja Kahn."

Mamma blew a plume of smoke up to the ceiling. "You mean the insurance policy on the Majestic? It's not exactly a one-off deal. Bugsy's managed to negotiate several little financial agreements around town. The Cinema Paradise on the corner of Elm and Main, Ginger's Gin Mill, hell, he even tried to stitch up a deal with Holden Hart over his nightclub, but apparently Holden told Bugsy he wouldn't touch that policy with someone else's dick. That takes balls, let me tell ya!"

Just the mention of Harry's name made my heart stumble like a drunk in the gutter. Harry had never once mentioned Bugsy Brown to me. How many other secrets was he keeping from me?

"What kinda policy are we talkin' about?" I asked. It wasn't the only question rushing through my head.

"Bugsy approaches popular venues that may have a rocky financial road ahead and cuts them a deal. If things get tough, Bugsy will burn the business to the ground and hand the owner a cash payout, in return for one little favor."

"What's that?"

Mamma drew on her cigar and the embers sizzled. "Bugsy hides a bunch of stiffs in the venue just before dowsing the place in gasoline and torching it. The bodies of his enemies are burned beyond recognition, none of the corpses can be identified, and everyone walks away happy."

"You think Raja Kahn is planning on burning his theater down to save himself from bankruptcy?"

Mamma shook her head. "I'm not so sure. If I know one thing about Raja Kahn, he loves that theater. He may have signed a deal with the devil, but it'd take a lot for him to go through with it."

"Wait a minute," I backtracked. "Why would Bugsy approach Holden Hart? Hart's Nightclub is the hottest ticket in town."

Mamma smiled knowingly. "If there's one person with an uncertain future in this town, it's Holden Hart. You have no idea what's going on with Holden's father, Howard, do you?"

I shook my head.

"My dear boy, Howard Hart is making deals with the Germans that will either turn him into Wilde City's first billionaire or seal the fate of the Hart family forever." Mamma took one last puff on her cigar before stubbing it out and saying, "Hart Industries is either going to take over the world… or cause the next world war."