"The Eternal Night" drabbles by Christopher
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 211
The Eternal Night #211
"Relax," I said, "you're not gonna to have to do it. Once my suspicions have been confirmed I'll find a phone and call Detective Lyman and they can come bust the whole operation."
"Good," Mason said as he pulled the beard down from his face. "Because if I have to get undressed they'll see I'm not a natural redhead!"
That was an image I didn't want in my mind as I made my way through San Francisco toward Lombard Street.
I'd only seen the city once, when Harrigan and I went fishing up there, and wasn't too familiar with it...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 210
The Eternal Night #210
We left the Lexington Talent Agency and went to my car. Sure enough, all four of my hubcaps had been stolen. That was going on Sperry's expense account.
I told Mason to get the San Francisco map out of the glove compartment and find Lombard Street, which was the address on the piece of paper.
“What's going on, Jake?” Mason asked. “Is this legitimate?”
I shook my head, “I'm almost positive they're making pornographic movies to go along with the photographs that we found in Gertie's warehouse.”
Mason looked like he was about to swallow his red beard and moustache...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 209
The Eternal Night #209
"Now," Charlie 3 continued, "I's gonna call the producer of da film and tell him ya'll on ya'lls way. Be ready to do what he say when you get dere, dig?"
Mason nodded.
"Here da address where dey shootin' at. Whut you say yo name wuz agin?"
"Br..," he almost said Brick but stopped and said, "Herbert Randall."
"Herbie Randall...I likes it!"
He handed me the piece of paper. It was the same address I found on a pad in Lily's room in Aspen.
He looked at me, "You sure you ain't no actor?"
I shook my head...
"Damn shame!"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 208
The Eternal Night #208
The little man grinned, "Well, if Regina like you then you in, baby!"
Mason smiled.
"Now," the little man continued, "we don' usually take cats in off da street widout a propa vetting process, ya dig? But we's in a bit of a pickle right now. One of our cats dropped out so we gotsta find a replacement, dig?"
Mason and I nodded.
"If Jackie sent ya over here then I's assumin' he determined whether or not you could act."
"Yes," Mason said, "I've had a lot of experience."
The little man smiled, "Experience. Dat's just what we need, dig?"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 207
The Eternal Night #207
He continued, "I'm Charles Lexington the third, but you can call me Charlie 3!"
I laughed, "Okay, Charlie 3, but it's not me Mr. Salem sent over. It's my cousin Herbert here."
I pulled Mason up beside me. Charlie 3 looked him over, red wig, red beard and all.
"Uuuhhh, yeah, I don' kno' so much about him!" he said. "We got standards, ya kno!"
He kept eyeing Mason. "I don' kno, tho'. He a big strappin' boy, ain't he? I think it might work at that. Whaddya think, Regina?"
The girl behind the desk looked at Mason and smiled...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 206
The Eternal Night #206
A little black guy, probably not much above five feet tall, came through the door wearing a bright yellow Zoot Suit, which were actually banned in the state during the Second World War because the oversized suits were deemed unpatriotic in the age of rationing.
"Gen'lmens, gen'lmens!" he said as he bebopped up to us. "Ol' Jackie said he was sendin' me some talent fo' my new perduction!"
I stood up and stuck my hand out. "Hello, I'm Jacob Randall."
"Oooohhh! You gon' look good on film!" he said as he shook my hand and eyed me up and down...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 205
The Eternal Night #205
The girl picked up the phone and briefly spoke to someone.
"Mr. Lexington will be out in just a moment, if you'd like to take a seat over there," she said, pointing to a clump of chairs.
I smiled and said, "Thank you, my dear."
We went over to the chairs, picked out a couple and parked ourselves in them.
I was looking out the front window at my car. They still had the hubcaps on but I feared that was only a temporary situation.
After a few more minutes a door in the back of the lobby opened up...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 204
The Eternal Night #204
Now, this could've gone one of two ways: either Salem believed us and legitimately sent us here to take part in a movie, pornographic or otherwise, or he could've sniffed us out right away and was sending us here to get whacked. Now Lyman had told me he was holding Gertie and her gang for at least 24 hours before letting them make their one phone call, so unless they had a plant in the SFPD her accomplices wouldn't yet know she'd been pinched.
I had to play it by ear.
Mason might have to play it by another organ...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 203
The Eternal Night #203
We parked in front of the agency and got out. I wondered if I'd have any hubcaps on my car when we returned. We went through the doors and into a lobby. There was a cute Negro girl sitting behind a desk who smiled at us as we approached.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. May I help you?" she asked, still smiling.
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Jacob Randall and this is my cousin Herbert. We were sent here by Jack Salem. Said there might be a part in a movie for Herbert."
The girl smiled, "Yes, sir. Just one moment, please."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 202
The Eternal Night #202
We thanked Salem, saying we'd be back to take the photos later. He said if all went right Mason may not even need those headshots. Yeah, I was thinking they were wanting to film a different kind of head shot.
The agency was located on Fillmore Street by the Cut Rate Drugstore. It wasn't exactly a reputable part of town. The mood seemed a bit more sinister.
As we drove down Fillmore I felt a little out of place, like we'd driven into an Amos N' Andy movie. There were very few whites.
And by very few I mean none...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 201
The Eternal Night #201
The Lexington Talent Agency. There it was, all tied together. I had a pretty good idea of the kind of movie they were wanting Mason for now. If I was right, this whole thing was about to come crashing down.
I already knew the address of the talent agency, having gotten it in Lily's bedroom on a business card, but took it anyway and smiled.
Mason had changed back into his regular clothes, but I had a feeling they would not be necessary for the role they had lined up for him.
But I wasn't going to tell him that...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 200
The Eternal Night #200
"I think that would be wonderful!" Mason said, really taking all of this deception in his stride. "I am willing to do anything to make it, Mr. Salem. Anything at all."
Salem smiled, "Alright. Well, he needs you right away but you can come back any time and I'll do the headshots for you free of charge."
I looked at Mason, "You get out of that tux and I'll get the address."
Mason nodded and exited the office.
Salem said, "Here's the address. The actors are being provided by the Lexington Talent Agency, so you'll go to their offices first."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 199
The Eternal Night #199
"Oh really?" he said, looking at Mason and me. "Yeah, well I might be able to help you. Let me call you back in a few minutes, huh? Okay, bye."
He smiled at us and said, "What would you say if I told you that was a producer and he's in desperate need of an actor who can start right away?"
Mason smiled, "I'd say that's great!"
"Now," Salem continued, "it's a small studio picture, not affiliated with Hollywood or any of the major studios, but could be a great way for you to get your foot in the door."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 198
The Eternal Night #198
I quickly ran out of the office and back into the bathroom, flushing the toilet and then opening the door back so that by the time Salem came down the hall to go to his office I would be exiting the bathroom.
Mason was tagging along behind Salem, who said, "Just a moment, gentlemen. Let me take that call and we'll get started on the photos."
Mason had changed into a black tuxedo. He actually looked pretty sharp.
We walked to the door of Salem's office and waited as he answered the phone.
"Jack Salem. Yeah, yeah, Charlie, what's up?"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 197
The Eternal Night #197
I also found a file labeled Lexington Talent Agency and the names and profiles of a lot of girls, including Lillian Wells. Lexington was the name I'd found on a business card in Lily's room at her parents' house in Aspen and also found that name in Gertie's office at the warehouse. It was obvious now that all of this was tied together in a pornography ring. I just wasn't sure how the talent agency played into it. That was to be my next stop.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone on Salem's desk started ringing...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 196
The Eternal Night #196
I went through the door the little squirrelly guy had pointed to and found the door to the bathroom. Then I made my way a little further down the hall until I found Jack Salem's office. I could hear him and Mason talking in the wardrobe room so I looked around his desk. It was mostly innocuous items regarding the legal side of his photography studio. But in a filing cabinet I found folders with pictures of girls with their clothes on, and then the same pose sans clothing. I only looked at them a second.
Okay, maybe two seconds...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 195
The Eternal Night #195
The little fruity guy from out front came to the back and asked me, "Would you like a drink...or something?"
The way he said 'or something' made my skin crawl. I didn't want him to think I was soliciting him but I needed to roam around a little so I asked, "Do you have a bathroom?"
I thought I saw a glimmer in his eye until he realized I was only asking because I needed to relieve myself.
"Sure, through that door and on the right," He said as he pointed to a door in the back of the studio...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 194
The Eternal Night #194
I'd gotten a lot of information out of Salem having loose lips. I supposed he was the one that took the dirty pictures of the girls but he didn't seem like a criminal. Gertie, on the other hand, seemed like the type that had slithered out of the gutter last Monday no matter what day of the week it was.
Salem took Mason to get a costume to take his pictures in and I looked around the studio. I didn't want to arouse suspicion so I just glanced at the pictures on the walls and occasionally looked around the room...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 193
The Eternal Night #193
"The sad thing is," Salem continued, "Sandy got the part in the movie that she and Lily auditioned for. She only came back up here to quit her job at The Devil's Den and then to get her things and move to Hollywood. She came by to see me the day she was killed. It was tragic."
So, Sandra probably was meeting Detective Lyman in the alley to tell him she was leaving town and wouldn't help him bring down the pornography ring.
So if Gertie and her gang are the ones that killed Sandra, they did it for nothing...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 192
The Eternal Night #192
He didn't have the reaction that the others did, he looked more sad than shocked or guilty.
"That's a shame," I said. "I talked to her and Lily some when I used to watch them dance. They seemed to be pretty close."
He nodded, "Oh, they were. Practically inseparable. In fact, not long before Sandy was murdered she and Lily had went down to Hollywood together to audition for a movie."
So, Sandra wanted to be a star too.
Salem continued, "Lily was a lot prettier than Sandy but Sandy was a much better actress from what I had seen."
