"Requiem For A Stripper" drabbles by Christopher
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 356
Requiem For A Stripper #356
She slammed my orange juice down in front of me, half of it sloshing out and winding up on the table top.
I looked at Harrigan, "Romero admitted to killing Honey Comb. He was having an affair with her and she wanted him to leave his wife for her."
It looked like Harrigan's brain was having a cigarette, because I swear I saw smoke coming out of his ears.
"Now," I continued, "the three charred bodies in that house were Klaus Schmidt, Horace Busby, and Anthony Romero."
His eyes glazed over when I said that.
"I'm sorry, Jim. I am."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 355
Requiem For A Stripper #355
"It's true," I said as Peggy approached us.
"Randolph," Harrigan said with clenched teeth, "don't you dare besmirch the good name of a fine police officer just to cover up your own ineptitude as a detective!"
I slammed my fist down on the table, "Now, just a damn minute, Harrigan!"
Peggy leaned over the table and said calmly but sternly, "I've warned you two before and I'm telling you right now, one more outburst and you will be banned from this diner for life."
I almost wanted to do it deliberately just to get us banned from this stupid place...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 354
Requiem For A Stripper #354
"Start talking, Randolph."
I nodded, "Okay. I went up there to check the place out. There were guards everywhere. But you know that wasn't going to stop me. I got in the place, nicked a robe and a mask so I'd look like everyone else there, and started poking around."
"And?" Harrigan said.
"Well, I found out that Klaus Schmidt was the new head of The Immoral Society. I also found out who killed Honey Comb."
"Who?" he asked.
"Anthony Romero."
Harrigan's eyes inflated like balloons, "Bullshit!"
"He was also a member of The Immoral Society."
"Bullshit!" he yelled again...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 353
Requiem For A Stripper #353
He had a four alarm fire of his own burning in his eyes as he slid into the booth.
"You've done it this time, Randolph! What the hell went on in Nichols Canyon last night?"
"It's good to see you too, Jim," I said with a half-smile.
"Cut the wisecracks, Randolph. Spill it. Now!"
"It was an Immoral Society party. You know, the thing you didn't believe in?"
"Did you start that fire?"
"Inadvertently, yes."
"How do you inadvertently start a fire?"
"You prepared for the truth, Harrigan? I mean really prepared? Because you aren't going to like it."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 352
Requiem For A Stripper #352
It said that a fire had broken out in a fancy home in Nichols Canyon. There appeared to have been some kind of party being held and that three charred bodies had been discovered. Firefighters spent hours extinguishing the blaze and that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
I bet they'd never discover that the cause was me firing at the chief of police of Los Angeles and missing, only to hit a burning torch and set a curtain on fire. I wondered if they'd discovered the identities of the bodies yet.
Harrigan came through the door...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 351
Requiem For A Stripper #351
"Well, Jake. Fancy seeing you here without Harrigan," Peggy said with a grin.
"I'm meeting him," I said.
"What is it with him and this place?" she asked. "I mean I'm grateful for the patronage, but he eats here all the time!"
"I don't know, Peggy. It's the first place we ate at when we got back from the war. I think he's a lot more sentimental than he wants to admit."
She nodded, "You want anything?"
"Just some orange juice for now."
"Okay, be back in a minute," she said.
I turned my attention back to the newspaper article...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 350
Requiem For A Stripper #350
I put that to rights first thing, and drove over to Hoofers. I parked the stolen car right in front of the place, which looked closed, and got in my car and drove off.
Then I headed for the Bluebird Diner. I knew I'd be there well before Harrigan at this rate so I stopped and bought the morning edition of the L.A. Times.
I got there about 20 minutes to 1 p.m. I got a booth by the window and opened up the paper. The headline said Fire Destroys House In Nichols Canyon.
Peggy came up to the table...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 349
Requiem For A Stripper #349
"Hello?" I said as I picked up the receiver.
"Can I assume that you had something to do with last night's conflagration in Nichols Canyon?"
"I don't want to discuss it over the phone. Meet me somewhere," I said, knowing what was coming.
"Bluebird Diner. 1 p.m. And you better have a damn good excuse for what you did last night!"
He hung up the phone.
I kissed Jen goodbye, telling her I'd see her later, and then went down to my car. Actually, I was still using Linda's goon's car. I hadn't had the time to retrieve mine yet...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 348
Requiem For A Stripper #348
"Who took care of all these errands before I came along?" I asked with a grin.
"Oh, I ran a lot of the errands myself!" she said with a wink.
I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
We woke up at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning. I got up and staggered to the bathroom and then headed for the phone. I left word for Harrigan to call me at Jen Ann's place as soon as he had a moment.
We ate breakfast and I ran yet another errand for Jen and then Harrigan called me back...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 347
Requiem For A Stripper #347
"So that's it? The case is closed?" she asked as she looked up at me.
"All except for Linda Erickson. She's not going to get away with trying to have me killed. I don't know how involved, if at all, she was in the deaths of the strippers or The Immoral Society's shenanigans, but she can't wiggle out of trying to have me murdered."
"Wouldn't that be just your word against hers?"
"Yeah, but I've got a plan. It involves Harrigan, though. I'll have to see him later."
"Well, right now you can take care of that errand for me."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 346
Requiem For A Stripper #346
"There's something Schmidt told me that disturbs me, though," I said.
"What's that?" she asked as she rested her head on my shoulder.
"He said The Immoral Society members were in every walk of life, that they controlled everything: Hollywood, the media, the governments, all of it."
"It was probably just a load of bull," she said.
"That's what I thought, but then knowing Romero was a member makes me wonder. You ever heard the phrase you can't fight city hall?"
"Sure I have," she said.
"Well, I'm quite certain that whoever coined that phrase was an Immoral Society member."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 345
Requiem For A Stripper #345
"What was Horace Busby doing there?" Jen asked.
"Looking for Minga. He was going to kill him because he believed Minga was responsible for Debra's death."
"But he wasn't there?"
I shook my head, "Schmidt said Minga wasn't a member of The Immoral Society. He just procured the girls for them."
"D'you think that's the truth?"
"Probably. Schmidt acted like Minga was beneath him even at the Pussycat, so I doubt Minga would've been a member of The Immoral Society. Not enough stature. But Minga's as dirty as they come. It's just a matter of time before he goes down."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 344
Requiem For A Stripper #344
She tilted her head slightly, "Was it...?"
"Self defense?" I asked. She nodded.
"Yes it was. And he had just shot and killed Horace Busby not ten seconds before that."
"And Busby is...?"
"Debra Snow's brother."
"Oh, that's right. I can't keep all these people straight," she said.
"And the head of the newly revived Immoral Society was Klaus Schmidt, the owner of The Pink Pussycat."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but he's dead too. He was burned up. The house that the party was being held in caught fire. They'll find the charred bodies of Romero, Schmidt and Horace Busby in there."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 343
Requiem For A Stripper #343
She brushed back a few tears, "Okay. So who did it?"
"Anthony Romero. The chief of police of the city of Los Angeles."
Her mouth fell open.
"Apparently, Honey was having an affair with him and she wanted him to leave his wife for her."
Jen shook her head, "She was always going around with the wrong kind of man."
"Well, it ultimately led to her death. Anyway, Romero's dead now too so there's at least some closure to the case."
She raised an eyebrow, "Did you kill him, Jake?"
"Yes I did. And I'm not ashamed about it either."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 342
Requiem For A Stripper #342
It was after 3 a.m. before I got to Jen Ann's apartment. I hadn't knocked on the door twice before she opened it.
"Jake!" she screamed as she grabbed me and pulled me into the apartment. She kissed me so hard I thought my lips would be bruised the next morning.
"Well, it's done," I said as she led me over to the couch.
We sat down as she said, "Tell me everything."
"Well, for a start, I found out who killed Honey Comb," I said.
She got a funny look, "So she is dead?"
I nodded, "I'm sorry, baby."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 341
Requiem For A Stripper #341
I had a thought before I left, and went into the garage and got the guy I'd hogtied and dumped in the back of the car and pulled him out. I untied him as he laid there shaking. He didn't even look at me. As soon as he was free he jumped up, running and screaming. He may have been an Immoral Society member but I couldn't just let the poor bastard get burned up.
I got back to my car and headed out of Nichols Canyon. It was just a matter of time before someone called the fire department...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 340
Requiem For A Stripper #340
The people that had been attending the party were all scrambling to get back to their cars. A makeshift parking lot had apparently been designated on one part of the lawn and they were all heading in that direction. Most still had their masks and robes on, but a few had removed them. I recognized at least one movie star and a prominent local newspaper reporter. I guessed Schmidt wasn't lying when he said they had people in all walks of life. I saw Mindy Porter attempting to get a ride with someone. She was trying to use people again...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 339
Requiem For A Stripper #339
I picked my gun up that was lying next to one of the goons that Horace had shot and tried to make my way to the door as the entire house was starting to go up in flames. The smoke was beginning to get to me. I coughed and wheezed until I got to the front door and out onto the porch steps. I had to be careful. I didn't know how many guards were still active outside. I assumed the gunshots I heard before Horace got into the house meant he took at least a few of them out...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 338
Requiem For A Stripper #338
I dodged flames as I went over to check on Chief Romero. He had blood pouring out of his chest but he was still alive.
"Randolph!" he yelled. "Get me out of here! We can make a deal!"
"You mean you, the boot, would make a deal with me, the insignificant ant? You didn't make a deal with Honey Comb, now did you? Sorry, Chief. But who's the boot now, huh?"
I turned and went back to Horace's body. I wiped my fingerprints off his gun with the robe I was wearing, and then placed the gun in his hand....
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 337
Requiem For A Stripper #337
A huge piece of the curtain burned loose and fell over the altar, completely covering Schmidt. I could hear him screaming as the flames engulfed him. I thought it was fitting that he got the same treatment as Madame Helga, although I doubted seriously that he would live through his ordeal.
I turned to look at Horace. His eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling that was quickly being obscured by smoke. I checked his pulse to be sure. He had said he didn't want to live without his sister. I guess he got his wish.
I closed his eyes...
