"Requiem For A Stripper" drabbles by Christopher

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 236

Requiem For A Stripper #236

"So,” she said as she opened the oven door and looked inside, "any more progress on the case?"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty productive day. Did I tell you I met Debra Snow's brother yesterday?"

"I think so," she said.

"Well, anyway, he told me to look up a girl named Mindy Porter. She was supposedly a friend of Debra's."

"Why do you say supposedly?" she asked as she set the table.

"She seemed shocked to find out that Debra was dead but didn't seem to care one way or the other."

"Sounds like a real peach of a girl."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 235

Requiem For A Stripper #235

I got to Jen Ann's around 7 p.m. I could smell food cooking. I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd already eaten dinner, so when she opened the door I took a sniff and said, "Mmm! Something smells good!"

"That's me," she said, kissing me on the cheek. "20 dollar perfume."

"Worth every penny. But I was actually talking about food."

"I know, silly. It's a chicken casserole. My mom's recipe."

"Well, your mom apparently knew how to produce beautiful girls and good smelling casseroles!"

I walked with her back to the kitchen and sat at the table...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 234

Requiem For A Stripper #234

I drove to Jen Ann's while running over the next night in my mind. I had my first dance lesson at Hoofers then, and I was having drinks with Linda, the owner, afterwards. Jane had told me to get Linda drunk and she would probably reveal a lot of information. Then, just before midnight, I needed to head to Nichols Canyon to witness a party presumably being held by The Immoral Society. I knew that was probably going to be a dangerous evening, but hoped I'd finally unravel the mystery then.

But for now, I had an errand to run...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 233

Requiem For A Stripper #233

I started for the door and then turned back to Harrigan, "You wouldn't last five minutes stuck in an office with me and you know it!"

He looked up like he was contemplating what I'd just said.

"Yeah, I think you're right," he said with a grin.

"Besides, we wouldn't get anywhere without someone on the inside of the L.A.P.D. to give us information."

He nodded, "You're right again, Randolph. You couldn't solve half your cases without me."

"That's the truth. I'll see you later," I said as I pushed open the door and walked out into the cool evening...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 232

Requiem For A Stripper #232

I smiled, "The same errand I ran this morning?"

"Mmhmm," she said.

"Be there soon!" I said and hung up.

I went back to the table, telling Harrigan I had an errand to run.

"Judging from the grin you have on your face I should probably ask what this errand's name is," he said, grinning back at me.

"Actually, her name's Jen Ann and she dances at the Daffodil."

"You know, I should've become a private detective with you instead of going to the police academy. Harrigan & Randolph, Private Detectives. Whatcha think?"

"I prefer Randolph & Harrigan," I said...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 231

Requiem For A Stripper #231

I ate my last spoonful of beef stew and slid my bowl towards Harrigan's empty plate. They met in the middle of the table like long lost lovers.

"I gotta make a phone call," I said as I got up and went to the pay phone near the bathrooms.

I dropped in a dime and called Jen Ann's apartment. After a few rings she picked up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, baby. It's Jake."

"Jake! Where have you been all day?"

"Crime scenes, police stations, dirty diners. You know, the usual."

She chuckled, "Well, I have another errand you can run."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 230

Requiem For A Stripper #230

"Klaus Schmidt has a lot of friends downtown, did you know that?" Harrigan asked as he chewed his piece of pork chop.

"No, I didn't. But it doesn't surprise me."

He nodded, "Anyway, I just think the chief didn't want to ruffle any feathers."

I shook my head, "That doesn't make sense, Harrigan. Klaus seemed very eager to find out what happened to his girls and he even forced Minga to assist me. I doubt it would've ruffled anybody's feathers downtown to have gotten a search warrant."

"Well, that's my theory, anyway," Harrigan said as he slid his plate away...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 229

Requiem For A Stripper #229

45 minutes later we were sitting in the Bluebird Diner. Harrigan was eating pork chops and I settled for a bowl of beef stew. I was beginning to wonder if he was a part owner of the place as much as he ate there.

"You know," Harrigan said with a mouthful of pork chop, "been thinking about why Chief Romero didn't want us getting a search warrant for the lockers at the Pussycat."

I knew he'd be thinking about that.

"Okay, what's your conclusion?" I asked.

He cut off another piece of pork chop and stabbed it with his fork...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 228

Requiem For A Stripper #228

"Don't read too much into it, Jake. Leave your conspiracy theory about a secret club of elites out of this. It's just a murder case."

I wanted to tell him that secret club of elites that he didn't believe existed was meeting in Nichols Canyon the following night, but I didn't have any evidence on them yet. It's not a crime to have a party.

"Yeah, you're right, Jim. Just a murder case."

"Good man," Harrigan said. "Now, come on. I'm about to knock off and I'll buy you an early supper."

"Just not at the Bluebird Diner. Please, Harrigan."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 227

Requiem For A Stripper #227

"Why not? You know what a crumb that guy is," Harrigan said.

"Yeah, and I found a large knife in a drawer in his office at The Pink Pussycat. But I don't think he's got the cojones to go around killing broads. He has two goons that he uses to do his dirty work so he doesn't get his perfectly manicured fingernails dirty."

Harrigan said, "But you told me earlier today that everything you'd found out about this case had Minga's name attached to it."

"Oh, he's ass deep in this for sure. But there's something else going on here."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 226

Requiem For A Stripper #226

I nodded, "We may have the pattern now. Leaving notes for the girls asking them to meet him somewhere."

"And then stabbing them in the back," Harrigan said.

"Did the coroner check for any signs of sexual assault?" I asked as I sat down in front of his desk.

Harrigan nodded, "Yeah. Found no evidence of sexual activity."

"So we've got, what, some joker killing strippers because he gets off on it?"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone killed for the thrill of it," Harrigan said.

"As much as I want to believe it, I can't buy Minga doing this."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 225

Requiem For A Stripper #225

I left The Pink Pussycat and stopped by the precinct to see if Harrigan was back from the crime scene. I wanted to see if they had identified the body of the woman in Griffith Park yet and also to make sure he wasn't still angry with me.

He was at his desk when I came in. He looked up and then back down at his paperwork.

"Hey," I said quietly, walking up.

"Hey," he said back. There was an incredibly awkward mood between us.

"Well, you were right," he said after a moment. "The dead body was Lily Padd."

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 224

Requiem For A Stripper #224

I so wanted to jump out of the closet and turn Minga's undershorts brown, but I resisted that urge.

I waited until he cut off the light and exited the room before I left the closet. I opened the office door to make sure no one was about in the hall and left out the same way I'd gone in.

I fully intended to be an uninvited guest at that party the following night. But before that I was going to get as much information out of Linda Erickson as the liquor I was going to feed her would allow...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 223

Requiem For A Stripper #223

Minga sat down at his desk and picked up the phone. After a moment he said, "Mindy! How are ya, babe? Good, good. Listen, I just wanted to make sure you were still coming to the party tomorrow night. Yeah, same place. 2980 Nichols Canyon Road. Festivities begin at the witching hour. Yeah, yeah...that's midnight, babe. Great. Have a good one."

He hung up the phone and said "Dumb broad" under his breath as I kept repeating 2980 Nichols Canyon Road over and over in my head.

The witching hour. That sounded appropriate for what these degenerates got up to...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 222

Requiem For A Stripper #222

I heard voices coming down the hall. I found a closet at the side of the office so I turned the light out and fumbled my way for the closet door. I stepped in and got the door shut just as the office door opened and the light came on. I cracked the closet door slightly to see who it was. It was Minga and one of the goons that had tried to run me off the road. The one who shot at me.

Minga yelled, "I don't care how you do it just get it done!"

The goon exited...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 221

Requiem For A Stripper #221

But that theory didn't exactly hold water either. If The Immoral Society had been in action since at least the 1920s they probably had a lot of girls pass through their porthole. They couldn't kill all of them to keep them quiet. Most could've either been scared into silence or bribed into it, and probably a little bit of both.

So, that begs the question: why these girls? I mean, only one of the two dead girls had actually been confirmed as one of the missing strippers but I was almost positive the one in Griffith Park was Lily Padd...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 220

Requiem For A Stripper #220

I knew Minga was involved in the disappearances of these strippers somehow, but I honestly didn't think he was murdering them. And, if I believed in coincidences, I might think that him having a big knife was one.

The sticking point was that if Minga supplied girls for The Immoral Society's parties but wasn't a member, and he wasn't a Hollywood elite so I wouldn't think he would be, then what would be the point of killing these girls? I mean, two of them worked at his own club.

Unless...unless it was to keep them quiet about what they'd witnessed...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 219

Requiem For A Stripper #219

I started pulling drawers open and found more pictures of young girls in various states of undress. I wondered if they were for professional reasons to Minga or private ones.

In the bottom drawer I found a loaded .38 revolver and a box of bullets. I also found something else that was interesting: a very large knife.

I remembered Harrigan telling me about Debra Snow having a stab wound in her back from what was apparently a very large knife. And the as-yet unnamed female in Griffith Park also had a stab wound.

Minga just became the prime suspect...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 218

Requiem For A Stripper #218

I started down the empty hall looking at each door I passed. The one at the other end of the hall said Nicky Minga - Assistant Manager. There was no light coming from the crack under the door, so I turned the knob and it opened.

I closed the door behind me and turned the light on. The office was as neat as Minga's manicured fingernails. There was a couch just inside the door and his desk was opposite it.

I walked over and looked on top of the desk, finding nothing but applications and photos for aspiring young dancing girls...

Jake Randolph in "Requiem For A Stripper" Pt. 217

Requiem For A Stripper #217

I snuck as quietly as I could behind him and as he opened the door and went through I grabbed it just before it shut. I opened it slightly to make sure no one was looking and stepped in. It looked like a storage room, full of boxes of napkins and toothpicks.

There was a door to my left, which I slowly opened and looked out. It was a long hall and when I looked to my left again I saw Klaus Schmidt's office. So this was the room that one of Minga's goons had jumped from and grabbed me...