"Requiem For A Stripper" drabbles by Christopher
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 316
Requiem For A Stripper #316
Everyone in the place was wearing some variation of the robe-mask get-up. Most robes were red, but some were purple. And the masks ranged from domino masks, like the one I was wearing, to full headgear. There was someone at the front of the room that everyone had their eyes on. They were wearing a purple robe and had a mask on that resembled a big goat head. They were standing in front of an altar, which looked like a concrete slab. There was a naked girl lying on the top.
It was Mindy Porter, bound and gagged...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 315
Requiem For A Stripper #315
I dragged his unconscious body into the garage and opened the trunk of the Rolls-Royce. I took the robe off him as well as the mask, grabbed some twine that was lying on a shelf, and hogtied him. Then I picked him up and dropped him in the trunk of the car. I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and gagged him with it. I closed the trunk, slipped on the mask and the robe, and then headed into the party.
There was a huge open room with a vaulted ceiling that all the partygoers were gathered into...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 314
Requiem For A Stripper #314
I went through the garage and found the door that led into the house. I could hear murmurs and commotion coming from a room somewhere in front of me.
I heard movement in a room next to me. I eased the door open. Some guy in a robe and a domino mask was urinating in the toilet. I stepped back into the garage, grabbed a wrench and came back in, smacking the guy in the back of the head. He wobbled and fell over, leaving a streak of piss on the wall.
He still had his business in his hand...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 313
Requiem For A Stripper #313
They eventually moved past where I was hiding in the bushes. I eased out and started toward the house. I ducked behind trees, crisscrossing the lawn until I got to the corner of the house. It was a large white two-story dwelling with stucco siding and a red terra cotta roof. I came up on two sets of giant barn doors that must have led to the garage. There was a small door on the side by the barn doors, which wasn't locked.
I was right. There were two cars in the garage: a Rolls-Royce and a Cadillac...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 312
Requiem For A Stripper #312
Two guys ran over and looked at the fallen limb.
"What caused that?" one of them asked.
"Sometimes," the other one said, "the limbs grow so much it gets too heavy to hold up and it weakens and weakens until one night, when we're out here patrolling while they're having a fancy do inside, it cracks and falls."
The other guy chuckled and then asked, "Do you think someone could've been on that limb?"
"Yeah, it's possible," the other one said. "Let's take a look around."
They started waving their flashlights around as I remained very still in the bushes...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 311
Requiem For A Stripper #311
I climbed up the tree until I got to the limb. I slid out on it until I was over the wall. I was looking to see how much security there was. I could see a few lights bobbing back and forth and knew there were guards with flashlights patrolling the grounds.
I heard the tree limb make a noise that sounded like it was in desperation. Then there was a loud cracking sound and before I knew it I was on my ass on the lawn. I heard someone say, "What was that?"
I ran over to some bushes...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 310
Requiem For A Stripper #310
I was looking at the mailboxes and trying to find 2980, which was the residence where the party was being held.
I finally located it and parked my stolen car across the street. I couldn't see much of the place in the dark, but I could tell it was a very big house built onto the side of the canyon. There was a high brick wall around the property and giant gates blocking the entrance to the driveway.
I walked the perimeter of the wall until I saw a tree with a long limb that hung over into the yard...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 309
Requiem For A Stripper #309
But I still couldn't help but believe that The Immoral Society had something to do with Honey's disappearance. That was why it was so important to get up to Nichols Canyon and check out that party.
I pulled onto Nichols Canyon Road at about a quarter after 1 a.m. It was too dark to take in much in the way of sightseeing, but I was trying to spot Ava Gardner's cottage, which she had recently purchased there. I probably should've stopped off and bought one of those maps of the stars' homes.
But that wasn't what I was there for...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 308
Requiem For A Stripper #308
I got in the car I'd procured from Linda's goons and made my way toward Nichols Canyon. I was going over in my head what had just transpired. It was hard to fathom that out of the five strippers that were murdered the very one I was hired to find out what happened to was not even killed by the person that I found out killed the others! I solved everyone's case but my own!
I supposed it was possible that Madame Helga did kill Honey but had so few marbles left in her bag that she didn't remember it...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 307
Requiem For A Stripper #307
I turned to Jen Ann and asked, "Are you going to be okay for a while? I'll get back to your apartment as soon as I can."
"I hope so," she said with a grin. "I have another errand I need you to run."
I heard Harrigan say Good lord under his breath as I grabbed her and kissed her.
"And please be careful," she added as I started for the parking lot.
"By the way, Jim, I'm driving a stolen car. Do you want to arrest me for that?"
"Ah, shut up and get outta here, Randolph!" he yelled...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 306
Requiem For A Stripper #306
"What the hell for, Jake? The case is solved," Harrigan said.
"Not what I was hired for. Madame Helga said she didn't kill Honey Comb."
"And you believe that fruit bat?" he asked.
"Most people tell the truth on their deathbeds, Harrigan. Or even if they're on the ground in a park."
"You need me to go with you?" he asked.
I shook my head, "I'm not even sure if they were involved. I just want to scope out this party and see what's what. But you can see that Jen Ann gets home safely."
"You got it," he said...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 305
Requiem For A Stripper #305
"Well, she can't be all bad then, can she?" he said with a grin.
"I thought you two were old friends," Jen said.
"We are," I said and then Harrigan and I in unison said, "This is what we do!"
Harrigan and I looked at each other and laughed.
"Jim, the woman's name is Linda Erickson. She needs to be picked up and questioned. The last time I saw her she was in a bar called Brannigan's Pub on Armstrong Avenue by the Silver Lake Reservoir."
"We'll get her," Harrigan said.
"Now, I've got to head up to Nichols Canyon."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 304
Requiem For A Stripper #304
"Oh, we do a lot more than just shack up, Detective Harrigan," Jen said playfully. "Would you care to join us sometime?"
I'd never seen Harrigan's face turn that shade of red. I couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or incredibly angry. It was probably a little bit of both.
"Listen, Harrigan," I said, "there's a chickie that runs the dance studio called Hoofers. She's the daughter of the old stiff over there. I'm not sure if she had anything to do with the murders of the strippers but I can tell you she tried to have me killed tonight."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 303
Requiem For A Stripper #303
"It's 12:03 a.m., Harrigan. I hardly call that the middle of the night."
The Immoral Society party had just started up in Nichols Canyon. It looked like I was going to be fashionably late.
"Well, I work too damn hard during the day to have to come to parks after midnight and scrape old ladies up off the ground after you've plugged them!"
Jen Ann had recovered by this time and was standing beside me.
"Boy, he's just like you described him, Jake," she said with amazement.
"Oh," Harrigan said, "and this must be the stripper you're shacking up with."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 302
Requiem For A Stripper #302
I heard a funny noise come from Jen Ann and turned to see her starting to faint. I jumped up and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. I carried her to one of the picnic tables and laid her down on it.
I went looking for a payphone. I called the L.A.P.D., telling them what happened. I also told them to find Detective Harrigan and get him there.
Forty-five minutes later the park started filling up with cops, including Harrigan.
"Randolph," he said, "couldn't you solve these cases mid-day instead of the middle of the night?"
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 301
Requiem For A Stripper #301
Linda was Madame Helga's daughter? Jane had said Madame Helga was always tighter with Linda than with the other girls in the brothel. I guess that explains why.
Jen Ann came up behind me and said, "Jake, what the hell is going on? I missed my performance tonight to come out here and meet you."
"I didn't leave that note for you, kid. Madame Helga did."
"Is that Madame Helga?"
"Yeah, she lured you out here," I said.
"For what purpose?" she asked. She really wasn't getting it yet.
"Well, Jen, she was going to stab you in the back."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 300
Requiem For A Stripper #300
I interjected, "And you couldn't stand seeing all that beauty again."
She nodded as she coughed up more blood, "Exactly. You do...understand."
"So you killed all the missing strippers? Lily Padd, Candy Apple, Debra Snow, Barb Winston, and Honey Comb?"
She shook her head, which made her wince. "Not Honey Comb. That cheap little slut got it before I could stab her."
"Do you know who killed her?" I asked. I could see she was about to have her ticket punched for the Grim Reaper Express.
"Tell my daughter...I'm sorry."
"Who's your daughter?"
"Li...Li...Linda...," she said as she went limp...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 299
Requiem For A Stripper #299
"Mr. Randolph. You're...much more handsome...in person than in your photograph."
"I thought you were recruiting girls for The Immoral Society and they were doing away with them. But you've been killing them? Why?"
"Exactly because I was...recruiting them for...the newly reformed Immoral Society."
I didn't understand.
"You see, Randolph...I used to be a beautiful woman...you may not see it now...but I was. And I took care of a lot of...beautiful girls. But after getting burned...I found I hated beauty. I kept to myself...after the fire. But then when The Immoral Society...was revived...they wanted me to start supplying them girls again."
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 298
Requiem For A Stripper #298
Jen looked at me, unaware of what was happening behind her, and I yelled "Stop!" once more but they kept coming. I fired and the dark figure went toppling back and slammed into the ground.
I approached the figure. They had some sort of veil over their face and when I pulled it back I knew who it was even though I'd never seen her before. Her old face showed evidence of severe burns. You could tell the skin grafting hadn't worked very well.
"Why, Madame Helga?" I asked, kneeling down.
She coughed up blood and just looked at me...
Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 297
Requiem For A Stripper #297
I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car before it even stopped rolling. I jumped the fence into the park and started yelling for Jen Ann. I crossed the park and went through a clump of trees to a picnic area where there were tables and benches set up. I saw Jen Ann standing there like she was looking for someone. Then I saw a dark figure emerge from the trees with a knife. The figure raised the knife up as they neared Jen's back.
I pulled my gun and yelled, "Stop!"
They just kept coming...
