Chapter 13
Beethoven’s Fifth, a pub in the Colson district, is a favorite watering hole for postmodern adventurers. It’s where I first met Old Jed and where I hope to pick up some backup willing to work without a down payment. That’s unlikely, but possible. I step through the heavy wooden double doors set in the aged brick façade, and into a different world.
Neon tubes spread like veins in a place that could have been carved from the grudging hulk of a long-dead machine. Set perfectly flush in the seams, they fill the place with thin light. A breathalyzer, currently reading 0.6, is affixed next to the door at shoulder height, and curtained booths raised a step above the main floor line the walls.
I head for the bar. The bartender, a solid guy I don’t recognize despite the scar across hi
