Page 14 of Buck Baxter and the Mysteries of Love

“Sure, why not?”

“Then what was that you were doing with Lanky Larry?”

“That? Oh, that was just a little cash on the side. That wasn’t love. Love is much more than that. Love is mysterious. Love is deep. Lois has the teeth marks to prove that. Or is it Lucy?” She shrugged again. “At least one of them does.”

I was drunk, and Stella’s words faded away as questions ricocheted through my head like bullets from a Tommy gun.

Why was Mrs. Hart risking everything to meet with the Feds?

Did I need to bite Harry on the leg to truly make him mine?

What exactly was Stella doing with my pipe when I wasn’t in the office?

I decided I was done with drinking. If I wanted any kind of clarity, I was gonna need something much stronger.

I was gonna need a visit to thePeking Empress.

CHAPTER 7

The fogalways seemed to follow thePeking Empress. Even on a clear day like today, the giant red Chinese barge floated toward the dock enveloped in a mist. Slowly it drifted to the pier on the river, a figure in a black silk shirt hovering like a ghost on the deck.

As the barge neared, I heard the figure’s familiar voice. “Mr. Baxter, welcome back.”

The boat docked and a gangplank was lowered. I stepped on board, unsure whether it was me or the boat that was swaying, given the number of gins I’d downed at the bar before leaving Stella to her own devices.

“Good to see you again, Wuzhou,” I said to the man in the silk shirt. “Have you been well?”

“Always, Mr. Baxter. Madame Chang awaits your company.” He bowed graciously and gestured to the set of stairs leading below deck.

I knew the way, even drunk as I was.

Downstairs, the veil of smoke was as thick as ever. The only thing that penetrated the shroud was the glow of lanternsswinging from the beams of the barge and the cast-iron burners filling the air with plumes of opium smoke.

From behind the swirling curtains of mist I could hear the moans of stoned lovers, knowing they were languishing on cushions, exploring one another in a drug-induced haze, tasting each another’s lips, tongues, bodies.

My tingling fingers were already peeling the jacket from my shoulders.

I let it drop to the floor as I continued walking through the veil of smoke, stepping out of my shoes, loosening my tie, sliding the shirt from my skin and unbuckling my trousers, until before I knew it I had reached Madame Chang’s lounge and was standing there naked before her.

Upon sensing my presence, she sat up, her sightless white-marbled eyes turning in my direction, the silks of her robe floating like tendrils of smoke in the air.

“Mr. Baxter, what a delight. Have you come to lose yourself… or find the answers to a riddle you seek?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer the question, other than to say, “I think I’m looking for answers. Answers to the mysteries of love.”

Madame Chang smiled, then reached forward and touched my hand. “Come. Lay before me.”

As I took a step forward, two large shapes on the floor on either side of me moved forward. I heard hissing and the scraping of claws on the deck, then saw the protective glint in the eyes of Madame Chang’s guardians—her two Komodo dragons.

With a silent wave of her hand, Madame Chang commanded them to stand down.

The dragons each let out a low growl and slid back behind the veil of smoke.

“Come, Mr. Baxter. Lay yourself down.”

Like a slave boy in some strange opioid-laced opera, I did as she asked and laid myself down at her feet, my body naked, my eyes glazed, and my head spinning in a slow ethereal swirl.

Gently she stroked my temples, and my eyelids fluttered shut. “Speak to me of your woes, Mr. Baxter. What is perplexing you now? What twisted and tangled troubles do you need me to unravel, my darling love detective?”

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