AZOTUSLAND chapter thirty

The door closed and Maugham heard footsteps down the hall. He was arched like a cat under the bed, his adrenaline pumping extra doses.

"Helllooooo?" came the East Indian voice down the hall.

Maugham's face buried itself in the carpet and he slid out from under the bed.

"Mister Maugham how are yooos? Why is there black stuff on your faces?"

"Do you mind telling me what the fuck you are doing here Manfred?!"

"You left this most magnificent of weapons in the Jeep and I thought you might need it for your nights of beings Maugham P.I."

With that Maugham's tall head did do the Magnum head clunk of despair.

"How the hell did you get here and get in?"

"I am the Pizza man!!" Manfred declared. "Oh indeed by jove there is a wonderfulness to Pizzas and I had three of them in the back. The guard is eating an Archimedes Delight even nows."

"And?"

"And you left the directions on the seat for me to pick yous up."

"I was supposed to come back and then we rack up and come home."

"But you are not in that great a shape!"

"Okay Manfred," Maugham sighed. "Look...get back out that door and into the Jeep and meet me back at the beach in Belvadere."

"What am I to do with this pie?"

Maugham looked left as if to say to God "See what I have to deal with?"

"TAKE it with youus. And put that gun under the seat where I left it!"

With that Manfred's countenance fell and he walked away slowly out the door with the last pizza.

Maugham put the cat out again (it had made it's way in with Manfred somehow) and locked the door and wiped everything down. The condo reeked of anchoives.

Out the back door and down the strairs he suddenly saw a young couple in an embrace on the beach below, so he crouched in the shadows and waited.