BEg2 chapter 3 water cooler talk

[Michael Bailey]

On the second day of Daytona’s tenure with Tail ‘Em and Nail ‘Em Maxine
vented about Horst:

“…there I go, whining again.”

     “Oh, I thought it was this fridge.”


Builds the scene - she’s got an old, noisy fridge in the office.

One of the best things about cozy detective stories with a touch of noir (a
category I want to suggest as one of the easier niches in which to place
BE, and a genre I want to champion as being much more user-friendly than
pure noir) is the office of the investigator. Even a few more details will
limn it enough to make the story filmable (imho.)

Can’t remember if we get them.

That conversation occurred on Daytona’s 2nd day - not overly formal, then.


The current conversation, after Reg’s departure, sparks into being over
Maxine’s search in the aforementioned refrigerator for some wine.

Pinot E-Grigio - bupkis, that’s what I know about wine. I think it’s a
white wine. Probably expensive.

 Maxine’s comments to Daytona do not seem especially woke. In fact,
somewhat rude, and potentially triggering to someone in rehab.

Context being important, with her knowing Daytona’s upset, may she actually
be trying to get her to spill?
Or take her mind off Reg and his problems - he warned her to carry a gun?!

She can be rude, but she’s not unsympathetic.

Daytona gives the rudeness back, more cleverly than Maxine. We knew she was
feisty when we walked in with Maxine in chapter 1.

And, she does vent about the Jamaican fellow with whom she has problems
similar to Maxine’s with Horst, although his wayward love seems to be for
ganja (clashing with Daytona’s 12-step pledges) rather than for women named
after cigars.

“ Do not, ever, associate with nobody from Jamaica the island, he thinks
joint custody means who brought the ganja.”

Jamaica the island as opposed to Jamaica Queens.

Also, Maxine perceives Daytona’s sharing as “the usual emotional cash-flow
statement, full of uncollected receivables and bad debts” -
workplace coloration of the narrative!