"The Eternal Night" drabbles by Christopher
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 191
The Eternal Night #191
I laid it on thick. "Yeah, I used to love watching her dance. There was another girl that danced there too at that time. I think her stage name was Sandy Snow."
I was looking at him to see if he had the kind of reaction that the bartender at The Devil's Den and Gertie had had. But he just got a sad look on his face.
"Yes, she used to dance there too."
"Did she go to Hollywood with Lily?" I asked.
He shook his head, looking even sadder.
"No, I'm afraid Sandy was murdered a few years ago."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 190
The Eternal Night #190
I pointed to the picture and said, "Hey, that's Lily Rose! I used to see her dance at a club here in town!"
Salem smiled, "Right! Lily was a client of mine. We shot a lot of pictures of her. Very photogenic!"
Something about the way he said that creeped me out, like he knew something that he thought I didn't know.
"She still dance at The Devil's Den?" I asked, knowing the answer but I needed to see what he said.
"No, I believe Lily relocated to Hollywood a couple of years ago to try her hand at acting."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 189
The Eternal Night #189
Salem nodded, "Well, I think we can help you out. Why don't you come into the studio and we'll see what we can do? Follow me, gentlemen."
The little guy behind the desk smiled at us as we followed Salem through the door.
We walked into the studio. There were lights all over the place and a little area with a couch and fake backdrops behind it. There were also pictures lining the walls, mostly young beautiful girls but a few guys sprinkled in.
I kept scanning all the photos until I found what I was looking for: Lillian Wells...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 188
The Eternal Night #188
I said, "So, you're not the Jack Salem that's in the California State Senate?"
He grinned, "No, but I get that all the time. I must say I have traded on that name to get a better table in a restaurant!'
He laughed more than what would be considered appropriate.
"Well, My name is Jacob Randall and I'd like to get some headshots for my cousin here...uh, Herbert."
Mason looked at me funny.
"Headshots, huh? Is Herbert an actor?" he asked.
"Yes," Mason said, "I majored in Drama in college, and I did several off-Broadway plays in New York."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 187
The Eternal Night #187
"Our rates are on this side, and this side shows an example of the kinds of shots we can do. Let me see if Mr. Salem is available."
He stepped through a door behind his desk as we pretended to peruse the book, just in case someone in the back was surveilling us.
After a few moments the little guy came back through, followed by a tall man in a pinstripe suit. He looked like he should be the curator of a museum, not a photographer.
"Hello, gentlemen. Welcome to Lorem Portrait Studio. I'm Jack Salem, owner, operator and photographer."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 186
The Eternal Night #186
There was a very queer looking little guy sitting behind the desk in the lobby of the portrait studio. His eyes left teeth marks all over our bodies as we approached the desk.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?" the guy asked, and the way he said gentlemen creeped the hell out of me.
"Yes," I said, "I wanted to see about getting some photos of my cousin here. He's trying to break into the movies and needs to get some headshots for his portfolio."
The little guy pulled a book out, turned it around to face us, and opened it...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 185
The Eternal Night #185
We stopped at a novelty shop and got Mason a shaggy red toupee and a red fake beard and moustache. After he got it on all he needed was a kilt and he would look like he was ready to go caber tossing.
But he seemed to like it better than the Italian ice cream seller he looked like in Aspen, so we left and headed for the Lorem Portrait Studio, which was located on Turk Street next to a store called Liquor Now.
"Okay, just follow my lead," I said as we pulled up in front of the agency...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 184
The Eternal Night #184
"We'll try to find something a little more appropriate this time. I didn't have much choice in Aspen," I said.
"So, how much longer is this case going to last?" Mason asked.
"Well, it's pretty obvious there are things in Lily's past that would cause scandal for Sperry. And that's what he asked us to find out. But I just want to make sure that the police have all the evidence they need to put this whole operation out of business."
"Would you be continuing if you were still a detective and the job was done?"
I nodded.
Mason smiled...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 183
The Eternal Night #183
Mason had gone back to the hotel to get some sleep while I was at the police station, so I went back and caught a couple of hours of shut-eye myself and then got up and showered. It was lunch time and Mason had awakened as well, so we ate lunch at a restaurant downtown and discussed the next move.
"Okay," I said, "either you're going back to the hotel while I go check out the Lorem Portrait Studio and I can fill you in when I get back, or you wear a disguise."
He sighed, "A disguise then."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 182
The Eternal Night #182
I said, "You said you thought the name Lillian Wells sounded familiar. She was friends with Sandra. You sure you don't remember her? She danced under the name Lily Rose."
Lyman's eyes rolled up toward the ceiling, "Now, that's a name I remember. I hauled her in after Sandra was murdered and questioned her, but she wouldn't tell me anything. I was already 0 for 1 in trying to convert one of Gertie's girls and I didn't want to get Lily killed too, so I let her go."
I nodded, getting up to leave.
"I'll be in touch," I said...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 181
The Eternal Night #181
He shook his head, "You've gotten a lot more info than we ever have. Maybe you should go there today."
"I'm not a cop, though. I wouldn't want to blow the case you're building on these clowns."
He grinned, "They dragged you into this when they kidnapped you."
"True. There's one other place to check out. I found it at Lily's parents' house and it was also on a piece of paper at Gertie's warehouse. Have you ever heard of the Lexington Talent Agency?"
Lyman lit a cigarette, shaking his head.
"Well," I said, "it's mixed up in this somehow."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 180
The Eternal Night #180
Although I kept Sperry's name out of it, I laid the whole thing out for Lyman, that I was hired by Lily's fiance to find out about her background. I told him the only information I was given was the contents of a folder, which I revealed: two photos of Lily, a matchbook for The Devil's Den, and a business card for the Lorem Portrait Studio. I explained the trip to Aspen to visit Lily's parents, and the trip here to The Devil's Den.
"I was gonna check out the portrait studio today. But...I guess you'll be doing that, huh?"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 179
The Eternal Night #179
"When was this?" I asked.
"About six years ago. June of '50. But I blamed myself for her death. That's why I asked to be transferred out of vice and into homicide. I tried for a year to determine what happened and solve her murder. But I couldn't."
"Well," I said, "maybe if we go over the evidence I've uncovered we might be able to come up with something."
He looked like a fire returned to his eyes that had long been doused.
We got to the precinct house in downtown San Francisco at about 4 am.
I was exhausted...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 178
The Eternal Night #178
"Cassandra," Lyman said, "used to dance at The Devil's Den under the name of Sandy Snow. We knew that club was tied into Gertie's operation but we couldn't prove it. I had been talking to Sandra, trying to get her to turn states' evidence, full immunity from any wrongdoing if she would squeal on Gertie and her operation. I was due to meet her in an alley near the club and get her answer. When I got there she was lying on the ground with blood oozing out of her stomach. Someone had shot her to death."
That poor girl...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 177
The Eternal Night #177
Why the hell did everyone stop in their tracks when I mentioned that girl's name?
"How did you come by that name?" Lyman asked in a very determined way.
"I first saw it on a picture of her with Lily. On the white edges of the photo was written 'Me and Sandra in the dorm, '47,'" I said. He was staring holes through me.
"And," I continued, "when I asked the bartender at The Devil's Den and Gertie in there about Sandra they both had the expression of a poodle dropped into a bathtub with an alligator."
He kept staring...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 176
The Eternal Night #176
"Is that Brick Mason?" Lyman asked.
I nodded, "Yeah."
"Is he part of the pornography ring?"
"What?" I asked. "No! He's with me. He was helping me check out this girl's background."
"Not the best idea to go undercover with a famous Hollywood actor, is it?" Lyman asked.
"I'm discovering that. Believe me, we had no idea we'd be stumbling onto something like this."
"So, who is this girl whose background you're dredging up?" he asked.
"Lillian Wells," I said.
"That name sounds familiar," he said.
"Does this name sound familiar: Cassandra Elizabeth Snow?"
He turned and looked at me...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 175
The Eternal Night #175
Lyman looked at one of the officers and said, "Take Miss Stratton and her two boyfriends down to the station and book them on suspicion of producing and distributing pornographic material. And get vice down here. They've got a lot of material to pick up and review. I know how they just hate looking at pictures of naked girls."
Lyman kept looking at Mason. I had no idea so many people would recognize him. I didn't think he was all that famous. He'd been in several movies but they weren't exactly Gone With The Wind or The Wizard Of Oz...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 174
The Eternal Night #174
"Quite a big one from the look of it," Lyman said before looking into the office and seeing Gertrude Stratton lying face down between her goons.
"Gertie? Is that you?" Lyman asked.
"Oh shit!" Gertrude said.
"You know her?" I asked.
Lyman nodded, "I used to work vice about 12 years ago. They're still trying to bust her but have never been able to get her and the goods in the same place. Looks like that's changed now, huh, Gertie?"
"I wanna talk to a mouthpiece!" she yelled.
"You'll get a chance to confer with a lawyer. Sit tight, Gertie."
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 173
The Eternal Night #173
I told Mason to find Detective Lyman and bring him to the office.
A man in a trench coat and a fedora approached and I asked, "You Detective Lyman?"
He nodded, "You must be Randolph. Boy, did I get an earful about you!"
I could only imagine what Harrigan told him.
I nodded, "That doesn't surprise me."
"If Harrigan wasn't such a good friend I wouldn't even be here. So, what is this all about?"
"I've been trying to do a background check on a girl and I fell head first into a pornography ring."
Lyman looked around the warehouse...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 172
The Eternal Night #172
I figured this was quite enough to show Mr. Sperry that Lily's background was full of things that would cause him scandal, but I just couldn't let it go there. I had to make damned sure everyone involved with this ring got busted. Too many young girls fall prey to these scumbags all because they want to break into the movies and be stars. I had to make sure that Detective Lyman had all of this information so he could thoroughly root these people out.
Mason came back to the office and said, "Two police cars are pulling up outside."
