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The sun rises over the grittier end of
Chicago, and the light of dawn cuts right through Maury Hoover’s
eyelids and into his hangover. He grumbles his annoyance and
embarks on another day of deceit, never knowing that there are
angels in his future.
Scooping coffee grounds from his potted plants and wondering that
they’re still alive, he readies himself for the rigors of the
day. But first… a client. The door swings open and in steps a
classic Femme Fatale, only this is Monica, so she’s a Femme Angele.
She plays the part perfectly, intriguing and mystifying Maury,
until he agrees to take on her missing person case. And if he can
wrap it up in two days, she’ll double his pay. All he has to do
is find Jim Grant. It shouldn’t be hard, after all Monica has
supplied him with a description, a last known address and a
fingerprint. Before Maury can ask her how she got the print, or
what this guy is to her, she has vanished. Dames.
Maury hits the local diner for some breakfast and to beg a favor
from a cop friend, then meets up with the runaway street-walker
he’s sort of adopted, Delphina. She’s led a troubled life; left
without a mother, beaten by her father, muscled by a pimp, and
dreaming of the good life as a fashion model. But with Maury’s
help, that dream may become a reality. He takes her with him to a
local bar, where the two of them hustle rich men who are naïve
enough to fall into their trap. Sure it’s dishonest, but it
brings the money in.
Only it doesn’t always go as planned. This evening, Delphina is
taken outside. Maury hurries out after him, but is blind sided by
Lennie, the aforementioned pimp. He’s angry that Delphina has
left him for Maury, and even more so that she’s kicked her drug
habit. He beats Maury up in retaliation. He might even have done
worse if Andrew hadn’t stepped in. He and Delphina get Maury
home, where they convince him to hire Andrew onto the case. After
all, he needs someone to watch his back. Maury gives Delphina a
couple of bucks to get something to eat, while he and Andrew check
out a lead on the missing Jim Grant.
They stake out his place, and at last the very man they want comes
home. Posing as Gas Company workers, they gain admittance to the
residence and look for evidence they can show Monica. What Maury
does find does not please him. According to the pictures on the
mantle, Jim Grant is Delphina’s father, and her name ain’t
Delphina, it’s Violet. Maury questions him carefully, and without
giving anything away, discovers that Delphina’s dad never beat her
like she said.
The next day Monica appears, and pays Maury for his work. It’s a
fat wad of cash and it doesn’t cheer him up. He struggles with
what to tell Delphina, but he’s come to like being needed by her.
He hands her the cash, telling her it will put her through
modeling school. She’s overjoyed, saying that now she can go back
home to her dad with her head held high. Maury fumbles, and tells
her that he’s found her father, and he’s dead. Delphina is
shattered.
When Maury is gone, she falls off of the wagon and back on the vein
train, taking up her old drug habit. It is only luck and a little
angelic help that keeps her from overdosing. After a couple
revelations, Maury sets things right, telling Delpina the truth,
reuniting her with her father, and making a deal to get Lennie
locked up as well. Days may start bad, and they may get worse,
but as long as the angels are on the case, they can get better.
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