Skeletons Without Halos 10

Welcome to our latest entry in the “Skeletons Without Halos” series. Things seem to be taking a criminal turn with Nicky now a newly made boss and running her own territory. Has our girl gone bad, or is there still a hope for justice in the big city? And what about Vicky? Would she of all skeletons work for a boss? She certainly seemed happy to work for Cynthia.

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I knew Victoria had wanted me alone. Maybe she’d thought we’d go back to being partners and somehow clean up the town, but we both knew better. I also knew that she had not been made a boss by Cynthia. Cynthia had a problem when it came to sharing her toys. I treated the news of their separation with outward sympathy and inward skepticism. “I don’t know what to do.” She confessed after agreeing to my job offer. “I want to become a cop again, to be a detective, but there’s no point, is there? When did we become bad cops, Nicky?”

One of my men growled and they both turned, clearly awaiting my orders. “I became a good boss, Nicky. I am kind and generous to the people under my protection. Am I so different now? The people responsible for the car will be caught and punished.”

“You mean hit.” She said bitterly and my blood ran cold.

“So, you’d feel all better if we were cops and they got the chair? This world isn’t so bad, Vicky. Most folks go about their daily lives from cradle to grave under our protection and never deal with us.” It was news on me that skeletons could have offspring, but like dying again, some were talented at that too.

“I’ll never work for you. I thought I could reason with you.”

“Go back to Cynthia. She’s the only one who will protect you now. You have two hours to leave my territory.” I said quietly and stood. Vicky glared at me and any fondness I had for my old partner died then and there. “I love Chester, Vicky. You ever come into our territory against him and I’ll deal with you myself.”

Vicky left and my men watched her go. “You want her escorted out?” One asked lazily and I shook my head.

“What was she after, Boss?” The other asked. They were good men. True, they were skeleton mobsters, but good men all the same.

“What everyone in this town wants, boys. Power.”

Chester didn’t seemed surprised that Vicky had left. “Tried to get you to leave with her, did she?” He asked as we got in his car.

“Yeah, she’s going to try to clean up this town singlehandedly. I tried to tell her we’re more or less the same as the cops running things.”

Chester laughed darkly. “When I came to this town the cops did run things. The bosses brought law and order. These scuffles, these swipes at you, are not like us. No one would profit from your demise and they all know what my reaction would be.”

“They do, which is what puzzles me. You think the cops are trying to take over again?”

“No. They play their part and are actually glad we run things. They still get to arrest people, none of us favors anarchy. It ever occur to you the same dame crazy enough to shoot at you in my office planted that bomb? She did have you go out to the café with her, right?”

“I don’t think she’s suicidal, and why risk you getting vengeance against Cynthia?”

“That I do not know, but I can tell you one thing. She didn’t expect you to turn her down. If she was trying to bait you into Cynthia’s territory she failed. But on to happier things. Like our pending nuptials. Are you excited?”

“I am, I still can’t believe we are getting married, Chessie.”

“We are and you better believe it. I intend to keep you with me forever.” Chester said happily. I smiled in reply, my mood lightening until I remembered I’d forgotten his order in all the excitement.

“Coffee! I forgot your coffee, and doughnuts. And I meant to get you a paper.” I apologized but Chester waved me off lazily. “Well, you’re mellow today, but I still feel bad for forgetting.”

“I know, I’ll have some sent up for both of us. I noticed you’d lost your appetite. That’s the only thing I don’t like about being the boss, Nicky. It’s lonely. You’re the only one I can trust and it isn’t like you could stand...” He trailed off and looked away.

“Stand more time with you?” I asked and he nodded. “Chessie, I’ve just been waiting on you to ask.” I said fondly.

“No fooling? Hey, we can have the doughnuts and such brought up then go to the dock area. We have some employees that need a motivational example. It’ll be nice and romantic. What do you say, Nicky?”

“I say “Yes.”.” I said and the grin he rewarded me with was worth it.

During our private nosh of doughnuts and coffee, Chester drew a black velvet box out of his suit jacket. “Got you something, Nicky.” He said shyly as he put the box on the table. “I know I ain’t the type of guy to shower you with presents and the like, but I never thought of you as the type of dame who was into all that girly stuff. Still, I hope you like it.”

I opened the box and looked inside. Nestled in velvet was the biggest heart necklace I’d ever seen. Encrusted with diamonds in a gold setting it threw back the light in a way only real diamonds do. “Oh, Nicky, I love it. Put it on me, would you?” I asked and he happily complied, brushing my hair back gently as he fastened the necklace.

“I ever tell you that once upon a time I was just like you, Nicky?” He asked after kissing me softly and returning to his seat. Chester sipped his coffee then looked at me. “I have never told you this, but I didn’t start off as the boss of bosses. Not even as a foot soldier. I was a detective, like you, and the bosses were better to me and more honest than the force ever was. They gave me the family I never had. But now you’re my family and you know I don’t like letting people in close.” He said as we finished and rose from the table.

Chester chucked me under the chin fondly and I smiled in response then melted into his embrace. There were days it was good to be a boss, real good.

At the docks I wasn’t too surprised to see one of our men hanging upside down. At least it wasn’t my driver. I wasn’t quite sure how being hung over water was much incentive to a skeleton to behave, and then I saw our men chumming the water and the sweep of ominous fins cutting through the surface. “What did he do?” I asked as we stood and looked up at his frantic wriggling dance for freedom. That he’d have simply fallen in the water made me think he wasn’t too bright.

“He was our doorman. The same doorman that didn’t alert us to the fact that Victoria was on her way up. It kills me to have to make an example out of him, it truly does.” Chester said in mock sadness. He tapped the button that powered the winch and the bound skeleton was lowered a few inches.

“Please, Boss! She said she was expected, I swear.” He yelled in terror. “I wouldn’t betray either of you, I swear on my sainted mother I wouldn’t.”

“You believe him, Nicky?” Chester asked playfully.

“Didn’t your mom used to run a card game in the back of her joint?” I asked and our man nodded.

“Yeah, but it was an honest game, I swear, Boss. That broad said she knew you, kind of let on that the big boss didn’t know about her visit, but like it was a nice surprise you two had cooked up. I swear!”

At my nod Chester swung in the winch system and our man, trembling and terrified was let loose and began groveling, praising us both as the best bosses the city had ever seen. “And I swear, I won’t mess up again.”

“You’re right, you won’t.” Chester said. “Until further notice your job incudes starting our cars until I say otherwise.” Our man paled in terror but nodded. An engine roared to life behind us and I turned to see our car barreling towards us with no driver. We had nowhere to run as it closed the distance and some of our men jumped into the water as the others started shooting.

Chester grabbed me and swung me out of the way but as the car barreled past it caught him and I watched it take him off the end of the dock, narrowly missing the crane. I screamed his name as they both sank beneath the waves and our men had to hold me down to keep me from diving in after him. “He’s gone, Boss. He’s gone.” One said through his tears and as the fins turned the water with a frenzy I knew he was right.

I did not see that coming, did you? Is it truly the end for our beloved Chester or does the boss of bosses have a chance? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out.