On Downey Street

Nobody knew who in hell he was or how he got in but judging from the mess he left on the sidewalk it became kinda obvious of how he got out; an open window on the fourth floor.

He landed on his head with a disapponiting thud. Nobody saw the incident but a derelict named Fuzzy claimed he heard the noise while he was guzzling a bottle of Thunderbird in an alleyway adjoining Downey Street.

By the time that the cops arrived, Fuzzy was standing over the broken body wondering if any of this was real.

Fuzzy told his fuzzy story.

The cops booked him on public intox and took him to the station for later questioning when he sobered up. This wasn't the first time in the tank for Fuzzy.

After they carted Fuzzy off, the bellguard from the hotel walked out onto the street to see what all the commotion was about. The bellguard who everybody in the hotel knew only as Blackie was indeed dressed all in black.

That's the way Blackie rolled unlike the body in the street who hadn't rolled one bit, a tiny bounce and a flop but that's about it.

"Ya know this guy Blackie?" Big George the cop asked.

Blackie didn't know the guy and he sure as hell couldn't recognize him even if he did know him as the doofus had executed what must have been a perfect swan dive onto the cement based on the condition of the flattend nose on what was once his face.

Blackie did know Big George. Blackie had called the cops many times for assistance when things got out of hand in the hotel. 

Blackie had once been an English teacher. 

Big George and Blackie looked up at the hotel from across the street.

"But soft, what light from yonder window breaks" said Blackie spotting a light shining through an emptry window on the fourth floor.

"Let's go up and take a look," said Big George.

" Let's not look too close," said Blackie.

"Why not," asked the cop.

"The only people who use the fourth floor are cops and their hookers. There was an open door party up there earlier tonight. I doubt if anybody locked up"

They took the broken down elevator to the fourth floor.

They entered the room.

A scene of law and disorder had been partially straightened up, only one clue left behind.....a note.

Blackie spotted the note and pointed it out to Big George.

George went over and picked up the note.

The note said " I walk the lonely streets."

No wallet, no identification no nuthin' just like the shattered dude in the street.

"Another John Doe, I guess" said Blackie.

"Yeah", said Big George, let's get the coroner to shovel this guy up."

The coroner showed up took one quick look at George....winked a couple of times and said "Yup, John Doe's a jumper. "Case closed."

Blackie went back into the hotel and locked the door.

Big George made his way to Pearl's coffee house

Fuzzy spilled the beans about the situation to another guy in the drunk pit.

The other guy spilled the beans to another guy and the legend began to grow

about a broken hearted lover

and Heartbreak Hotel.

70 years later, everybody knows the story even if they don't know the story or who in hell the guy was.