Operatives

Two principals. One letterhead. A surname collision that billed better as a partnership.

James Snubinsky

aka “Snub” · Principal

Keeps the glasses clean and the ledger dirtier. Snub reads a room the way other men read racing forms: slowly, suspiciously, and always with a cigarette as bookmark. Claims the mustache is for warmth. The mustache disagrees.

Specialty Surveillance, silence, second opinions

Vice Correcting other people’s alibis

Sidearm A look that ends conversations

Notes Answers to Snub. Rarely answers the door.

Alfred Noseworth

aka “Nose” · Principal

The goatee arrived before the license. Nose smells a lie at thirty paces and a free drink at sixty. Partners with Snub on the theory that two half-truths make a whole invoice. Keeps the coats pressed and the principles flexible.

Specialty Interrogation, introductions, last calls

Vice Collecting other people’s umbrellas

Sidearm Charm with a five-o’clock shadow

Notes Answers to Nose. Answers the door twice.