Jake Randolph in "The Naked Beat" Pt. 19

I saw him come through the door like a bowling ball through a glass window. He was a man on a mission. I could tell he was burdened by something. He looked to be about 50, the button-down, suburban type. He looked as out of place in a Beatnik café as a goldfish stuck to a cactus.

He approached the bar, fishing in his trench coat pocket for something. I had a nostalgic twinge as I thought he was going for a gun. All my nerves tensed up.

My nerves relaxed when I saw he pulled out a photograph...