The Lost Angel by Adam C. Mitchell

Renetti had wired Jack the extra money he had asked for and he was now able to catch a plane to Frisco. With luck, he would arrive hours before Kovakx and the rest of the travelling boxers. Jack could almost taste the money. It would not be long before he and Eddy stood face-to-face. Jack reached into his coat pocket and felt the cold steel of his Magnum. It would not long before it saw daylight. 
    * * *
    The private airfield was a mess of metal and steel frames. The war overseas had stopped its completion some years before. But it had gathered momentum again.
    The DC-6 was waiting on the runway. Its sleek metal skin shone in the sun, a beacon of the times. The steady line of passengers walked out from the main building and across the tarmac to the steps. The two hulking engines whined as they fired up. Jack had only been on a plane a couple of times before and he wasn’t a great fan. Men shouldn’t fly. It wasn’t right, and besides, it was a luxury a hard up P.I could not afford. It was not a enjoyable experience anyway. A train would have been better for Jack. He could have stretched his legs, maybe had a drink or a meal. But here there was little in the way of drinks or food due to the lack of space and weight on board. But it was quicker, and right now, that was all that mattered.
    ***
    Kim, Eddy and the motley crew of boxers arrived in sunny San Francisco and wasted no time in finding the hotel. Eddy figured he and Kim would spend a short while with the troop before giving them the slip and striking out on their own. It was a plan, the only one he could think of. Before questions about Paddy’s absence started and fingers started pointing. A spell behind bars wouldn’t help his fresh start.
    * * *
    Jack watched them from across the drinking house across the street. He had been in Frisco for half a day, waiting for the train full of boxers to arrive. Kovakx was caught, he just didn’t know it yet. Jack had only one decision to make now. Take him back to Victor and who knows what would happen, or hand him over to the cops? The money was a big factor. Jack was good at his job but times were hard. The P.I business was slow and he needed a break. All he had to do was make Eddy vanish. Maybe he could send him a warning and a one-way trip to Europe. No, that wouldn’t work. He had to disappear and never show up again. That meant one thing, and then the ten grand would be his if Victor could be trusted. There was a lot to think about and not much time to do it!  
    Jack checked his gun and snapped it shut, stowing it back in his trench pocket.
    ***
    Kim and Eddy left the gang of boxers in the hotel bar, where the volume and profanity grew louder. He lead Kim up to their room, clutching her in one arm, the leather bag full of cash in the other. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. His time had come. No more small-time con’s or scams for him. No, from now on, it was the legit lifestyle. He had made it big and gotten away clean. No one knew where he was. He was free as a bird. A very rich bird. And with the most amazing broad he’d ever clapped eyes on.
    They flopped on the bed and fell into each other’s arms, enjoying each other’s naked bodies passionately. There would be no more running for either of them. They kissed, gently at first, and then with passion and intensity. After a while, they poured themselves a drink and covered themselves with blankets.
    ***
    Jack finished his drink and glanced at the clock on the wall. Nine pm. Not too late, but late enough that darkness would get him across the street and into the hotel unseen. There was only one desk clerk at the front and he was busy reading a cheap skin mag. There was a broad on the centre fold with gams so long she had them wrapped around her head.
    It would be no problem getting the hotel register once he’d knocked the clerk out. He straightened his coat and stepped forward when Moses entered the lobby from the bar. He staggered to the main desk.