A Twist Of Noir 174 - Des Nnochiri

NEGATIVE EQUITY - DES NNOCHIRI

Arnold grinned, the red light taking some of the edge off of his sharp features. His nose wrinkled, as the extractor fan stuttered.

Third time, in the last 20 minutes. He'd have to get it fixed. No, replaced; he'd soon have plenty of coin available to do that.

His fellow professionals might rag him for being behind the times. A lot of them did. But Arnold was a traditionalist.

Sure, the equipment was tough to maintain. And getting harder to find. But the pay-offs made it all worthwhile.

Negative equity.

These days, those were dirty words. But not for Arnold.

He held a contact sheet up to the overhead lamp. Clear liquid glistened off its surface. But, it was there, all right. All of it.

The preacher's wife with a passion for the ponies - though she wasn't a betting woman.

The TV anchorman with a never-ending supply of underage "nieces", to escort him to all those seedy clubs.

The crusading district attorney with a nose for The Real Thing. Colombian variety.

All there.

There were always clients. Waiting to be discovered. Waiting to be...snapped up.

Business was booming.

BIO: Desmond (Des) Nnochiri spent his early years traveling with his parents, and was educated in England, the USA, and the Republic of Ireland (Eire). He writes freelance now, and has taken his first steps into the world of screenwriting. He has contributed stories to A Twist of Noir, The Flash Fiction Offensive, and Powder Burn Flash. He has just started blogging at Des Nnochiri's Write to Speak.