A writer who’s working on a book about Dixieland singers interviews the one man who might have a 1955 tape recording of Ruby Benton whose voice always drew comparisons to the most outstanding singer you’d ever heard. The man does indeed have a recording as well as a theory about why Ruby disappeared from the clubs of Storyville West at the particular time she did.
The tattoo was obviously her social security number, but it was preceded by an “A” and followed by a space and five additional digits.

Variants

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  1. “Lorelei at Storyville West” by Sherwood Spring, in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Fall 1977.
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Sherwood Spring