"The Eternal Night" drabbles by Christopher

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 111

The Eternal Night #111

"Ari!" I yelled. "He's researching a movie role! I'm supposed to be schooling him on how to be a detective!"

"Oh yeah?" Ari said as he spit out his cigar. "Well, he's about to get schooled on what happens to mouthy guys!"

I wanted to let Ari beat the hell out of Mason. He deserved it for what he said. But part of my job of training Mason to be a detective was also to keep him safe.

Ari cracked his knuckles and I knew the next crack was going to be Mason's bones breaking.

I had to think fast...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 110

The Eternal Night #110

Ari finally looked at Mason and then back at me, giving me the evil-eye.

"The boss don't like you, Randolph. He sure ain't gonna like some stray cat you brought in here off the street."

Mason looked offended.

"Hey, squirt. I'm no stray cat!" Mason yelled.

Oh hell! This was about to get ugly.

Ari swung his legs off the counter and started to climb down off his chair.

"Ari," I said as I put my hand up, "he didn't mean that. Apologize, Mason."

"I will not! I'm not going to be criticized by this..."

"This what?" Ari asked...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 109

The Eternal Night #109

"No," I said, turning to Mason, "Ari's more into beer, poker and loose women."

Ari puffed on his cigar, blew out three smoke rings, and said, "You know me well, Randolph."

I smiled, "Oh, I'd like you to meet Brick Mason. He's a movie star."

"Good for Brick Mason," Ari said, not even looking at Mason. "So, what brings you here, Randolph?"

"Just wanted to see my good friend Whistling Eddie."

Ari coughed out some cigar smoke and said, "That's not how I'd describe you two's relationship."

I nodded, "Well, maybe you're right. But I still need to see him."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 108

The Eternal Night #108

When Ari heard the bell on the door ring he looked up and smiled.

"Randolph! I haven't seen you in a month of Sundays! How the hell ya been?"

I approached the counter and stuck my hand out. Ari put his little hand in mine and squeezed it like a vise grip.

I winced and said, "Haven't lost any of your strength, have you?"

He chuckled, "Nope! How you been keepin' since you left the game?"

"Oh fair," I said, "you should come by the cafe. Drinks are on me."

"Thanks, Randolph. But jazz and poetry recitals ain't my bag."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 107

The Eternal Night #107

The flower shop was run by Aristotle. He was a midget that wasn't even 4 feet tall, but he stood head and shoulders above most other men. He was a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy. He had a gravelly voice and was always chomping on a stubby cigar.

I pushed the door open and Mason and I walked in. I hadn't been there in a few years but still the combined aroma of all those flowers almost knocked me out.

Ari was sitting behind the cash register with his little feet up on the counter...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 106

The Eternal Night #106

I went to pay a visit, with Mason in tow, to a flower shop on Pico Boulevard. The proprietor was a weasel I knew from my detective days called Whistling Eddie. Eddie put the social in social disease. Come to think of it, he put the disease in it too.

The flower shop was a front for all of Eddie's illicit activities: bookmaking, prostitution, and a litany of other wonderful pastimes, including dirty pictures. That's why I wanted Eddie to develop the film. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him, but I had leverage on him...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 105

The Eternal Night #105

Mason and I flew back to Los Angeles later that afternoon. I wanted to meet with Sperry and acquaint him with the situation before Mason and I headed up to San Francisco to check out the Lorem Portrait Studio and the other places I found out about in Aspen.

But my mind kept going back to the lowlifes that Lily's father had referred to. Lowlifes didn't bother me any, but I was worried about Brick Mason's safety.

Anyway, the next step was to have the pictures Mason took developed. For that, I had to see some lowlifes of my own...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 104

The Eternal Night #104

Since we went there in a cab, Mason and I had to walk down the sidewalk back toward the hotel with Mr. Wells' eyes boring holes in our backs.

"What did he mean by lowlifes, Jake?" Mason asked.

I shook my head, "I don't know. But I have a feeling if we keep digging into this we're going to find out. People referred to as lowlifes can be dangerous. You might want to think about packing it in, Brick."

"No way," he said, shaking his head, "I'm going to see this through."

He was actually starting to earn my respect...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 103

The Eternal Night #103

When we got outside Mr. Wells was loading his skis into the back of a Chevy Bel-Air Station Wagon.

I nodded as we walked by and he put his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Look," he said, "I know you jokers aren't with a magazine. I don't know if you work for Sperry or from those other lowlifes my daughter starting hanging around with and I don't care. Just stop bothering my wife and me."

"What lowlifes are you talking about?" I asked, a little taken aback.

"Just get the hell off my property," he said angrily...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 102

The Eternal Night #102

I also found a business card that read Lexington Talent Agency and an address in San Francisco, which I wrote down on my pad.

"I've got the room from every angle," Mason said quietly.

I figured the best time to make our exit would be while Mrs. Wells was still on the phone. We came out of the bedroom and down the hall.

I quietly said, "We have another appointment. Thanks so much for your time, Mrs. Wells."

She put her hand over the receiver and said, "Anytime, gentlemen. If you want to know anything else just let me know."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 101

The Eternal Night #101

I told Mason to snap as many pictures as he could while she was out. I only hoped he'd familiarized himself enough with the camera to not have all the photos come out looking like the world as seen through the eyes of a drunk with cataracts.

I eased the bureau drawers open and found only clothes. The top of the dressing table had a pad on it with indentions where someone had written something on top of the pad and then pulled the page off.

I took the pencil and shaded over the paper until an address was visible...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 100

The Eternal Night #100

I wasn't sure if Mrs. Wells was going to leave us alone in there or not so I was scanning with my eyes trying to find anything that might be of interest to Sperry.

Mrs. Wells had just opened her mouth to speak when the phone rang.

"Oh, dear. I'll be right back. Look around, gentlemen, and if you want to know about anything I'll explain when I get back."

"Take your time, Mrs. Wells," I said and I was not joking. I wanted to nose around a little bit and couldn't do it with her breathing down my neck...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 99

The Eternal Night #99

"Well," I said, "thank you again, Mrs. Wells."

"Wait!" she said. "Would you like to see Lily's room? We've kept it just as she left it."

I figured there might be something in there worth checking out so I said, "If it wouldn't be too much of an imposition."

"Nonsense! Follow me."

We trailed behind Mrs. Wells as she led us through the kitchen and down a hall and into Lily's bedroom.

It was a typical girl's bedroom: pink walls, stuffed animals, a big dressing table and mirror, with pictures of Frank Sinatra and Perry Como taped around the sides...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 98

The Eternal Night #98

"That's right!" I said nodding. "My memory isn't what it used to be, I'm afraid."

"Tell me about it!" Mrs. Wells said.

"Well, I think that's everything we needed to know, Mrs. Wells. We thank you so much for your time. Oh, by the way, did you actually meet Mr. Sperry? I know Lily met him here in Aspen."

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. They had what you might call a whirlwind romance and he had to leave for Hollywood sooner than he thought. So, we'll more than likely meet him at the wedding."

That sounded kinda shady...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 97

The Eternal Night #97

"Do you know if Lily has a friend named Sandra?" I asked.

Mrs. Wells thought a moment and said, "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"It's just a name that came up during our research and I just wondered if Lily knew her."

Mrs. Wells shook her head, "Not unless it's a friend she made after she left here. Maybe at the modeling agency?"

I needed the name of that modeling agency but I didn't want to ask point blank.

"Could be," I said as I turned to Mason, "That agency was called...uh...,"

"The Stratton Agency," she said...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 96

The Eternal Night #96

Well, that accounted for her being in San Francisco. Then I remembered the photo of Lily and another girl that said "Me and Sandra in the dorm." I assumed dorm meant college but maybe I was barking up the wrong tree.

"So, did Lily at any time go to college?" I asked nonchalantly.

Mrs. Wells looked disappointed and said, "No, she went straight from high school to this acting lark. And I think she thought that modeling would be a way to break into acting."

No, the best way is to become engaged to the head of a movie studio...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 95

The Eternal Night #95

Well, that confirmed my suspicion. What better way to break into the movie business than to marry a Hollywood studio head?

Mrs. Wells continued, "She had taken Drama in high school and had done a few plays but she really seemed intent on moving to Hollywood and becoming a star. Her father and I tried to make her change her mind but she was determined."

"So she relocated to Hollywood?" I asked, trying to see if Mrs. Wells knew anything about her daughter being in the San Francisco area.

"No, first she signed with a modeling agency in San Francisco."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 94

The Eternal Night #94

The center of attention. I wondered if that meant she wanted to be a star. That would explain why she was with a man more than thirty years her senior. She had to have known he was in the movie business when she met him. I also wondered if that random first meeting that Sperry talked about had been a bit more calculated by Lily. I only hoped Sperry could handle whatever I found out about her.

"So," I continued, "what did Lily do after high school?"

"Well, Lily got it in her head she wanted to be an actress."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 93

The Eternal Night #93

"Anyway," she continued, "Lily was a very expressive child. She always wanted to be the center of attention, perhaps because we did spoil her. She was in high school during the war and was the head of every extracurricular activity there, including spearheading a letter-writing campaign to send letters of encouragement to the troops."

I got a letter like that when I was in the war. It would've been ironic if it had been written by Lily.

"She's sounds like an extraordinary young lady," I said.

"Oh, she is. She's always been her father's and my pride and joy."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 92

The Eternal Night #92

She looked back at me and said, "So, what do you want to know?"

I got my notebook and pen out. "When and where was Lillian born?"

I figured that Sperry knew so little about his future bride that even that basic information would be helpful.

"Well, she was born right here in Aspen, on February 25, 1928."

"So," I said, "if I'm doing the math right she just turned 28."

She nodded, "That's correct. She's the only child my husband and I had, so I'm afraid we spoiled her just a little."

I smiled, "Well, that's to be expected."