Thanks, Moejoe.
Sounds like noir all the way, which is what I like.
We can use the first line as a starting point for some noir shenanigans. To wit:
She came along the alley and up the back steps skipping and hopping like an agitated grassphopper that's just been sprayed with a biopesticide repellent, her body lithe and active in its tight-fitting clothing, the expression on her face pinched in agony as she said to me, "Where's the bathroom, buddy?"
Don