Nightlights

I should be reading The Modern Prince by Carnes Lord (quite a cognomen)...but, of course, I'm not. I just finished a gem by a classic Angeleno author. See if you can guess from a clipping.

"Wasn't that a firm offer, huh? Just a passing fancy, or not even that. Just a trick to make me slaughter my sleeping hours and trot around looking for bodies that weren't there."

"Did anybody ever give you a swift poke in the nose?"

"Frequently, but sometimes I make them miss."

I grabbed hold of her. She tried to fight me off, but no fingernails. I kissed the top of her head. Suddenly she clung to me and turned her face up.

"All right. Kiss me, if it's any satisfaction to you. I suppose you would rather have this shappen where there was a bed."

"I'm human."

"Don't kid yourself. You'r a dirty low-down detective. Kiss me."

I kissed her. With my mouth close to hers I said" "He hanged himself tonight."

Got it?

Raymond Chandler in Playback. It comes highly recommended for those looking for a seedy crime novel.