None of That Jazz

by

Brian Beatty

Hackett only stepped into the pawnshop because he noticed the saxophone displayed in the store’s front window. It reminded him of the horn he’d played back in his high school jazz band days. He hadn’t picked up an instrument in years, but that was how they lured suckers inside.

“Looking for a gun?” the clerk asked him over the ring of the bell above the door.

“Do I look like I need a gun?” Hackett replied.

“You look like you need something. And you look like police. Undercover, of course.”

Two teen boys messing around with an electric guitar turned their attention Hackett’s way.

“I’m not a cop,” he assured them. “Undercover or otherwise.”

Then Hackett nodded past the clerk’s shoulder. “Can I take a closer look at that sweet horn?”

“Good thing you’re no cop,” one of the teens laughed as Hackett took the saxophone from the clerk. “That would totally suck.” Then he produced his own gun. “Wallets and the cash register, gentlemen. That’s how this works.”

Hackett gave the saxophone a baseball bat swing that connected with enough force that loose teeth clattered against the window glass.

The kid’s pal raced out the door without looking back.

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Bio:

Brian Beatty is the author of five poetry collections and a spoken-word album featuring music by Charlie Parr. Beatty’s short stories have appeared in BULL, Cowboy Jamboree, Floyd County Moonshine, Hoosier Noir, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Monkeybicycle, The Museum of Americana, Mystery Tribune, Noir Nation, Pulp Adventures, Punk Noir, The Quarterly, Seventeen, Shotgun Honey and Thriller Magazine.