Part Four

It was 11.30 pm and Rick was in the same bar in Greenwich Village. There were more people, and it was busier and noisier than before.

Rick drank his beer slowly. He saw the big man, but Brad wasn’t there. Rick saw the door open, and Brad came in nervously. He sat next to Rick.

Suddenly the music stopped. A short fat man, with glasses and wearing a suit, spoke into a microphone.

‘Ladies and gentleman, it’s wonderful to see you all here tonight. Now I’d like to introduce the fantastic, the incredible, the most beautiful singer in Manhattan, Simone!’

The bar became dark when Simone started to sing, but Rick saw the big man walk to the bar. He spoke to Brad and laughed. Brad moved quickly and took out the pistol. Rick was behind him, but Rick moved too slowly. 

The music stopped. Simone screamed.

When the police arrived Simone was different. She didn’t have long brown hair, she had short blond hair. She wasn’t Simone the singer, he was Simon the taxi driver from Queens. The police took Brad, Simon’s brother, to the police station. The big tall man was dead on the floor and Simon was next to him, crying continuously.