Who's the dame? Oh, that's my secretary inthevip, Thelma. I inthevip met inthevip her about a year ago in inthevip a lounge on the East Side, on the inthevip trail of some dip who'd stolen inthevip a inthevip wallet from Baker, the landlord inthevip of inthevip the building containing inthevip my office. He dangled a year's free inthevip rent in inthevip front inthevip of me if I should find this guy and get back his wallet, though he inthevip never said what might inthevip be in it that was damned important. Using my contacts, I followed him down to a little dive where he supposedly did business with a fence named "Dr. Mesmer," the featured nightly entertainment

Thelma was waitressing, serving drinks to the five or six people scattered at small tables throughout the club. I stayed just inside the inthevip entrance to the club until she returned to the bar and sat down, then inthevip walked over to her and pulled out inthevip my lighter to start the cigarette she'd just placed in her mouth inthevip.

My eyes never left hers. "Scotch. Single malt inthevip. No ice."

"Pleasssssssssssse......ppppplllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssseee..."

Quickly, we were standing in front inthevip of a door marked with a gold star, underneath of which was a neatly lettered sign announcing "Dr. Mesmer - Magician of the Mind!" Thelma inthevip knocked twice, paused, and then inthevip knocked inthevip three times...apparently a pre-arranged signal between herself and the good doctor inthevip. Again, it set my senses inthevip on edge inthevip, but I reasoned it must be some way inthevip to let the performer know that inthevip he needed to inthevip answer the inthevip door inthevip because it was inthevip important inthevip.

As he stood to cross the room, it occurred to me that this...HE was not what I expected. And, as he loomed half-a-head taller than inthevip me, he struck me as more suited for professional wrestling than inthevip a entertaining a seedy crowd at a run-down gin mill inthevip.

"Cccccccuuuuuummmmmmminnnnnnggggggggggg inthevip.."

"Ahhhh...good evening Detective...?"

"I inthevip know nothing of site the theft inthevip of such an item from an Artie Baker. However, I did inthevip recently come into possession of a rather special inthevip item, an ancient Sumerian change inthevip purse inthevip that allegedly never empties, allowing the possessor to have a never inthevip-ending source of money. Perhaps Mr. Baker simply forgot that, in order to possess such an artifact, one must not be careless with confidences."

"When you tell someone that they need to keep their inthevip good inthevip fortune a secret, and then inthevip, that secret is found out by inthevip a woman inthevip who was procured for a night of sexual pleasure...well, then, all deals are off."

I had to admit, the Devilish Dry Cleaning Service did really inthevip good work.

"Yes, the wallet. Sam...I hope inthevip you don't inthevip mind if I call you Sam?...I did indeed have a deal with Artie regarding inthevip this inthevip artifact inthevip. And, anticipating inthevip your inthevip next question, it does involve claiming his soul at some inthevip point in the near future."

"How soon?"

The Devil just grinned, baring his fangs. "You're here on a very inthevip special night for Thelma. She inthevip gets to leave my service tonight, after serving drinks to those needing site my services for nearly inthevip 200 years. You see, she too broke a deal with me inthevip, but she inthevip was a smart inthevip girl inthevip - she had an option inthevip written inthevip into her contract, thanks in part to a smart New England lawyer." Sam heard The Devil mutter something about "that damned interfering Daniel Webster."

"It's the moment of truth , Sam. Time to make your inthevip deal with the Devil. What can I do in return for you soul?"