her twice after that but she never had time to meet him again. To Rick the matter was then over. He wasn‘t the type who‘d run after a woman. Yet he could never stop thinking of her.
So Rick was more than surprised and happy when Mantel called him after all this time asking him to meet her in a bar one evening.
Rick opened the door and thick smoke hit his face. The bar smelled of alcohol and sweat. Mostly bikers were sitting at the counter drinking or playing at the pool table. A Metallica song was playing. Rick‘s eyes scanned the room and found Mantel sitting in a dark corner at a table. She was wearing a long black coat and a baseball cap. If she was trying not to be noticed she hadn‘t succeeded.
„Mantel“ Rick said as he approached the table „I was so glad you called me. I wish you would have chosen a nicer place though.“
„Shhh. Sit“ Mantel was acting mysteriously strange, more than usual.
Rick did as he was told. And just as he remembered her, Mantel was acting weird. He found it irritating yet somehow attractive. There was something exciting about her. He look at her, waiting. Instead she looked past him and hissed:
„Lenny! Over here!“ Mantel waved then immediately duck her head as if someone might have spotted her.
Rick turned around and saw a shady looking man with shoulder long dark hair and piercings in his face coming towards their table. The man had a deep raspy voice, also sounding a bit annoyed: „Okay Mantel, what do you want this time?“
„Sit“ she said to the new arrival.
Lenny roled his eyes but did as commanded. He had known her for years, and her bizarre behavior. He found it amusing at times but never admitted to it. Mantel leaned forward looking from one to the other.
„Alright guys listen“ Mantel began. „I need your help. Last month I got a phone call. A man said that two keys were stolen from him and he wanted me to get them back for him. I did. But then it turned out the guy just used me to steal these keys from that other guy! Now that so called client of mine disappeared with the keys, which as I found out are keys to a museum. He wants to steal something there. I have to stop him before he does!“
„Wow, nice story Mantel. Good-bye.“ Lenny tried getting up but Mantel grabbed his arm.
„Please Lenny, I need you!“ she begged.
For what?“ he didn‘t believe her.
„You‘re a criminal“ she said bluntly. „That no good son of a bitch who used me is a criminal too. You know how he thinks. I need you as my personal advisor if you will.“
„And what‘s in it for me?“ Lenny knew it was never a good ? idea to get involved in one of Mantel‘s adventures.
„Money?“ Mantel shrugged.
Lenny didn‘t quite believe that. Mantel never had much money. He folded his arms: „You got money?“
„I‘ll think of something“ Mantel shrugged again.
After a moment of silence Lenny agreed to help. He didn‘t have anything better to do anyways and maybe there was something more in it for him, he thought. It could have also been her persuasive talents. As annoying as Mantel could be sometimes, Lenny thought, she was always fun to hang around with.
Rick who had listened to the conversation without so much as a peep, finally joined in: „Where do I fit into your plan, Mantel?“
„You‘re a pilot, right?“ Mantel asked.Rick nodded. „Well then, you have to fly us to Egypt“ Mantel smiled.
„Egypt?“ Rick and Lenny exclaimed simultaneously.
„Yeah, haven‘t I mentioned the museum the guy wants to rob is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo?“ Mantel asked innocently.
Lenny waved his hands in disapproval: „Oh no Mantel. I‘m not going to Egypt. Forget it.“
Mantel once more held Lenny‘s arm preventing him from leaving.
„Come on Lenny“ she pleeded. „It'll be fun! We‘re going to be like the A-Team!“
„More like the Z-Team“ Lenny laughed.
„Uh okay, like Zorro“ Mantel replied.
„No“ Lenny rephrased. „Maybe the X-Team.“
„Uh, like the X-Files“ Mantel got excited.
„I‘m leaving“ Lenny gave up.
„Okay, okay“ Mantel held his arm tighter. „We‘ll be like the Three Musketiers. How’s that?“
„The Three Musketiers were actually four if you want to be correct“ someone said approaching the table.
Mantel, Lenny and Rick raised their heads in surprise. A handsome man in a suit stood by their table. Some strands of his brown hair covered his matching brown eyes.
„Victor“ Mantel recognized the man.
It was the assistant of Donald Kraut. Donald was, like herself, a private investigator with the difference that he was good at his job. Not that Mantel was bad, really! She solved 90% of her cases. But rather with luck and unconventional ways. You wouldn‘t say that Mantel was a professional investigator. Yet, she did have a certain reputation.
Mantel always wanted to get Donald to work together with her who never liked that idea. One day, as Mantel came by Donald‘s office to ask him for the hundereds time to work together on a case she met Victor. When Donald introduced him as his assistant Mantel was furious. How could he get an assistant when she offered a partnership for such a long time? She couldn‘t accept that and declared war. Since then she always tried to steal clients away from Donald.
„How did you know where I was?“ Mantel was baffled. Victor took a chair and sat down at their table.
„I came to your house to see you and found a note at the door. It said: ,I‘m not at home. Come back later.‘ And below that you wrote a little smaller: ,In case of emergency you can find me at the Pirates Cove Bar downtown.‘„
„Real clever“ Lenny shook his head.
„Never mind that now“ Mantel dismissed his comment. „So what do you want Victor?“
„I want to join you“ Victor came forward.
Victor told them how Donald didn‘t let him work on any cases anymore for the past few months. He just gave him all the paper work to do. Victor spent all his working hours at the office and he didn‘t like it. He wanted more action. So this morning he quit his job with Donald‘s agency.
„You always wanted a partner“ Victor continued. „Why not take me instead of Donald? I‘m sure we‘d be great partners.“
Mantel wasn‘t sure but she thought why not. With this case she could probably use all the help she could get. And besides, the more the merrier was her motto.
„Okay Victor. You can be my assistant“ she agreed, adding: „for starters!
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