"The Eternal Night" drabbles by Christopher

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 51

The Eternal Night #51

I opened it. A picture slid out. It was of a girl who looked between 18 and 25. She had brown hair that was done in the Italian cut style, named after Italian actresses who wore it. It was short and curly, a loose yet sculptured hairstyle. She carried it off well. She also carried off the bikini she was wearing very well. If she had been a stripper earlier in her life I could understand why. I'd been on that beach where the picture was taken but I couldn't place it. I put the picture back in the folder...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 50

The Eternal Night #50

"Now," Sperry said, "you look like a man who wouldn't pad the bill so I'm going to give you an unlimited expense account, since Mason will have to be tagging along. But I expect receipts and an itemized account of every expense."

I nodded, "Do you have any other information about your fiancee? Like where she originates from or any old friends?"

He got up and went to a desk in the corner and grabbed a Manila folder. He came back and handed it to me.

"Every last thing I know about Lily, which isn't much, is in that folder."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 49

The Eternal Night #49

I nodded, "So, do you have any reason to believe that there may in fact be something in her background that could cause you scandal?"

Sperry sighed, which seemed out of character for a man like him.

"The only thing she told me is that she used to be a dancer. A...burlesque dancer."

I nodded, "And you know as well as I do that can be a fancy way of saying stripper."

He looked offended, then realized I was telling the truth and just nodded.

Mason observed everything, so at least he was holding up his end of the deal...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 48

The Eternal Night #48

Sperry nodded and sat down in a high-back chair opposite the settee Mason and I were sitting on.

"My fiancee is a young lady named Lillian Wells. Lily is a lovely girl, but I know next-to-nothing about her past and she keeps very hush-hush about it. Now, I really want to marry her and she's pushing for us to get married right away. But, with bringing back Paragon Pictures, I can't afford any kind of scandal right now. I need to know a lot more about her background before we get married."

It seemed straightforward enough...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 47

The Eternal Night #47

I didn't know if it was an amused sort of laugh or a "I'm about to have you killed" sort of laugh. I don't think Mason was sure either.

"I like you already, Randolph," Sperry said.

I drank down the bourbon, giving me an idea of what fire eaters on the Santa Monica Pier felt like.

"Mr. Sperry, I'm not a detective anymore, but I took the job very seriously when I did it. I'm only doing this now as a favor to Roxie, but if I take your case you can be assured that it will be totally confidential."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 46

The Eternal Night #46

I wondered if he was trying to intimidate me. He'd need a lot more moxie than he could buy to intimidate me.

It was getting pathetic so I finally said, "So, what is it that you need a detective for?"

He was still looking at me. I was about to get up and leave when Sperry finally broke his silence.

"Mason is under contract. I basically own his ass so, even though I don't trust him, I know he'll keep shtum to save his job. But you I don't know."

"You want references?" I asked and Sperry laughed out loud...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 45

The Eternal Night #45

"So," Sperry continued, "tell me what you know about this situation, Randolph."

"Well," I said, "Roxie...Miss Harrison...said that you were resurrecting Paragon Pictures and that you were doing a film adaptation of the Derek Slade novels. Mason here was playing Slade and wanted to get training from a real detective. She asked around and apparently my name came up."

"But you're not a detective anymore, are you?" Sperry asked.

I hate people who ask questions they already know the answer for. It seems pretentious.

"No," I said and just let it go at that.

Sperry sat there staring at me...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 44

The Eternal Night #44

I wanted to see if Sperry deemed me one of the important people. Apparently he did. After he poured Mason a sherry and handed it to him, much to Mason's chagrin, he reached under the bar and pulled out a very vintage looking bottle. He poured a shot and brought it over to me.

"This was made before the days of Prohibition. Ah, they knew how to make liquor back then."

"Thank you," I said as I took the glass.

"Sit down, Mason!" Sperry barked, and like a dutiful pet Mason came over and sat beside me on the settee...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 43

The Eternal Night #43

"Good evening, Mr. Sperry," Mason said like a groveling idiot as Sperry crossed the floor of the drawing room, heading for the bar.

"Hello, Mason. Would either of you care for a drink?" Sperry asked in a tone that suggested he'd rather not have to supply us with drink.

"I'll have what you're having, Mr. Sperry" Mason said with a tongue that must've known what Sperry's boots tasted like.

"No, I save the good stuff for the important people, Mason. You'll have a sherry. I take it you're Jake Randolph. What'll it be?"

"I'll have what you're having," I said...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 42

The Eternal Night #42

William Sperry kept us waiting for about 25 minutes, probably on purpose, and then appeared at the door of the drawing room wearing a red velvet smoking jacket with black lapels, held together by a black belt around his waist and tied in a knot in the front. He had a pipe in one hand and a glass in the other with what looked like bourbon in it.

Mason stood up like Sperry was some kind of royalty. But Sperry did sign his paychecks so I guess I couldn't really blame him.

Sperry looked at me, noticing I didn't stand...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 41

The Eternal Night #41

The butler greeted us at the door, a sour looking little man that had all the charm of a soggy pancake. He directed us to the drawing room. I told him okay but we didn’t bring our pencils. He looked at me like I was a fork on the right side of the plate. Mason and I sat down and waited for Mr. Sperry.

The drawing room was filled with the kind of pretentious objets d’art that only the truly rich can retain any kind of fondness for.

And the house had an eerie silence.

It was like a mortuary...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 40

The Eternal Night #40

As I drove out to William Sperry's mansion in Beverly Hills I had a real twinge of nostalgia. It would've been just like old times had it not been for a Hollywood actor sitting in the passenger's seat asking me inane questions.

"How often do you get shot at?" Mason asked.

Good lord.

"More often than you want to," I said.

I pulled through the gates and drove up the driveway past the perfectly manicured lawn, with perfectly manicured shrubbery, probably kept up by a perfectly manicured gardener.

I wondered what could possibly happen to people with such perfect lives…

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 39

The Eternal Night #39

Mason turned to me, "Did you say something?"

"Yeah," I lied, "I said let's get started."

We sat down at the bar and Mongo got me some coffee and asked Mason what he wanted. A martini, again, so Mongo made it and handed it to him gently.

"Now, Mason, we'll head to Sperry's in a few minutes and I'll get all the info I can and then we'll start tomorrow on the case."

"Do you think this will take long? I've got a date."

Oh, boy. If I can get through this without killing Mason it will be a miracle...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 38

The Eternal Night #38

Mason showed up at the cafe just before 8:30 pm. At the very least he was punctual. Although that didn't make up for his lack of personality it was something.

"Good evening," Mason said like he'd just rolled out of bed.

"Evening, Mason. This is Mongo. He's a big fan of Riot At Reform School."

That perked Mason up. He approached Mongo, sticking his hand out. Mongo stared at it like it was fine china, then gently shook it.

Mason said, "The script was terrible but I made the best of it."

"He said modestly," I said under my breath...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 37

The Eternal Night #37

"But, you're not a detective anymore."

"Yes, but Roxie, my girlfriend, is his agent and she thought I could give him some pointers about how to play a detective."

Mongo nodded but I don't think he fully grasped it.

"So, what's this meeting tonight in Beverly Hills?"

"William Sperry, the head of the studio that's making the Derek Slade movie, has some work for a detective and I told Rox I'd take the case and let Brick Mason come along."

"Are you becoming a detective again?"

"Only briefly," I said as I took some empty liquor bottles to the stockroom...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 36

The Eternal Night #36

Roxie and Mason left as I cleaned up the bar. Mongo still had stars in his eyes.

"He was really here," he said under his breath.

"I would've introduced you but I figured you'd have a coronary so I skipped it."

"Yeah, probably best," Mongo said, nodding.

"Plus, I can't stand the guy already and I didn't want to talk to him any more than I had to."

"What's going on, Jake?"

"You know I used to be a detective, right?"

Mongo nodded.

"Well, Brick's starring in a movie version of Derek Slade, Private Eye and he wants some training."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 35

The Eternal Night #35

I think Roxie got it too because she quickly changed the subject.

"So, I spoke with Mr. Sperry and he can see you tonight at 9 pm at his estate in Beverly Hills."

I figured I might as well get it over with. I didn't want to get on Roxie's bad side because her good side was great!

"Okay," I said. "Mr. Mason, do you want to meet me there or come here and we can go together?"

He thought for a moment and said, "I want the full experience so I guess here."

Great.

"Okay, be here at 8:30."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 34

The Eternal Night #34

Mason smirked, "Is sarcasm a trait of a detective or a cafe owner?"

"With me, it's both."

I didn't like this guy already. I was about to suggest that he find another detective, one that was still a detective, to annoy when Roxie came sauntering in.

"Well, I see that you two have gotten acquainted," she said, coming up and kissing Mason on the cheek and me on the lips.

Take that, Mason!

"Well," I said, "Mr. Mason just got here but I feel like I know him already."

I think Mason got the gist of what I was implying...

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 33

The Eternal Night #33

"I appreciate you meeting with me, Mr. Randolph," Mason said in a tone that suggested it wasn't that genuine of a statement.

"Call me Jake. And you're welcome," I said as I motioned toward the bar.

Mongo was standing there with his mouth open and I closed it as I went by and asked Mason if he wanted a drink.

"Martini," he said, sitting on a barstool and looking around.

"Nice place," he said. Another imitation statement. If this was an indication of his acting ability I feared for this project.

"Well," I said, "the roaches seem to like it."

Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 32

The Eternal Night #32

"Oh man!" Mongo said. "That's Brick Mason!"

"You know him?" I asked.

"Not personally. But he was in my favorite movie, Riot At Reform School."

"Riot At Reform School? That's your favorite movie?"

He nodded, "It's a ridiculous movie but that's what makes it so much fun. I can't believe he's in our cafe."

"I can. He's here to see me."

"You know him?" Mongo asked, wide-eyed.

"Never met him before," I said as I walked over to Mason.

"Are you Jake Randolph?"

I nodded, "You must be Brick Mason."

I held out my hand and he shook it...