ChuckleVision Noir

The trail had gone cold. No-one knew a damn thing, but something in this damn town stunk.

No-one knew a thing about what was going on in this city. And there was something strange, something I'd not seen before. It was like people were scared, more scared than they'd ever been. I'd mention the heist at the airport, or ask about the missing girl, and I'd get nothing but haunted looks and desperate attempts to change the subject. I'd seen people scared in my time, but this was different. It was like there was something new in town. Damned if I could work out what it was.

I was down to my last option. It was time to pay a visit to Little Barry, the Shoeshine boy.

He's a good kid, a little young for the streets at seventeen, but you wouldn't know to look at him. Looks old before his time, you know what I mean? Still, he'd kept his innocence. He seems kinda simple, but he's good to talk to. He knows things, too. There's many a time that he's dropped some passing hint that led to a story busting wide open. I kinda go to him like he's good luck, when nothing else works.

That morning he was there on his street corner, just staring into space. That ain't too unusual for him, though.

'Hey there, Newshound' he said as I walked on up to him. 'How's things going?'

'They ain't,' I said, tersely. 'Right now, Barry, they just ain't.'

'That's a shame,' said Barry, as I sat down in his chair.

'Yeah' I said. 'I'm chasin' a story, but I just can't find anything on it. It's like the town's full of ghosts.'

'Sounds serious' Barry said, as he got down to work.

'It sure is,' I said. 'it's got disappearances of private eyes, dames goin' missing, the police on the take, everything. Most I can figure, it's all about these two guys, two guys at the heart of everything. They're everywhere and nowhere.'

'Right,' said Barry. 'Hope you find them soon, then.'

'So do I, Barry. So do I. I just can't help feeling that the answer's right in front of me.'

Barry said nothing to that, just kept on shining my shoes. I talked on for a while as he worked, trying to make sense of my own mind as much as anything, but nothing came.

But then he said something. Something which changed the game. Something which put good old Bill the Newshound back on track.