Tough Guy for a Tough Case: Noir

It was a tough case, and that's why they brought in the guy who'd seen it all. At least, that was what I figured at the time. Turns out there was more to it--a lot more--but what did I know? I was fresh, a rookie on the squad, and I'd only heard them talk of Frankie Shapel in hushed whispers in connection to cases I knew I didn't want to be on. Hell, just hearing the rumors was enough, sometimes, to make me lose my appetite. Funny thing, that. You'd think that Frankie would be skinny, unable to eat after seeing all that horror, but he was a guy really liked his food. It didn't make any difference what he'd just seen. He could have the shakes--I saw it once, but only once--.

Inspiration: This noir picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hwproductions/3361726003/
Story Potential: High. High-ish. Medium?
Notes: There's nothing unique in this snippet, but the genre has a lot of appeal, and the characters just kind of came to life.