Almost as if on cue, the night was suddenly filled with the crackle of exploding fireworks and Daria almost floated into the bar, the throng parting for her. She stood before me looking like a long drink of water crying out to a thirsty man and a stiletto chill sliced through me. Her eyes glowed bright emerald green and then faded to black as she smiled, a s***h of red lipstick across her full lips.
“Detective Dalton,” she said, in a voice as dark and thick as the smoke from a French cigarette.
“That’s ex-Detective Dalton,” I slurred. “I’m retired, now. A full-fledged member of the self-employed community.”
The words tripped over themselves as they tumbled out of my mouth. I handed Daria a business card. I had hundreds of them. Since Duffy convinced me to become a private eye, I’d had t
