"The Eternal Night" drabbles by Christopher
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 151
The Eternal Night #151
I smiled, "Well, that was a nice try, Mason."
Mason grinned, "I said it in a movie once that I filmed up here."
One of the goons turned and looked at Mason and then said, "Are you Brick Mason? From Riot At Reform School?"
Damn, I really had to see that movie!
Mason smiled, "Yep. Glad to know you, gentlemen."
The second goon looked at the first goon and said, "Will you shut up?"
The first goon said, "Naw, he's really good! And the one he talked about filming up here, where he played a lousy cop, that was... ah...,"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 150
The Eternal Night #150
Mason and I looked at each other.
"Slight miscalculation?" Mason asked.
"Apparently," I responded.
"Okay, you schmucks. Let's take a nice stroll to the parking lot. We have a car waiting there that will take you on a little journey."
I knew what that meant so I said, "Look, let him go. He doesn't know anything."
"Move!" one of them said as he got behind me and pushed.
Mason asked, "Would it make a difference if I said we were undercover San Francisco police officers?"
They stopped in their tracks. They whispered to each other and then said, "Get moving!"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 149
The Eternal Night #149
A big burly guy took a swing at me. I ducked and then came up under his chin with my right fist so hard that he got some free dental work out of the deal.
I grabbed Mason and started shoving him toward the emergency exit in the back.
"Why go this way?" Mason asked.
"Because," I said over the commotion, "those cats that came to our table will be waiting for us out front and I want the upper hand."
I pushed open the emergency exit and we walked right into the two guys with trench coats.
And pistols...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 148
The Eternal Night #148
I didn't see how a brawl could have erupted that fast, but apparently all they were waiting on was someone to start the ball rolling.
Chairs and teeth were flying everywhere as the clowns that brought dates there at least had the good sense to grab them and make a beeline for the door.
Mason ducked a beer mug that flew into the mirror behind the bar and shattered it. The mirror, not the beer mug.
The two guys in trench coats that had approached our table made a quick exit, although I knew they'd be waiting for us outside...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 147
The Eternal Night #147
I was merely trying to create a diversion, but Grinn had apparently had enough of hecklers. He dove off the stage and landed on me. We crashed into the table and then hit the filthy floor.
I didn't want to hit the little guy but he didn't have the same reservations. He clocked me right in the face. I rolled him over on his back and said, "Let's see how well you Grinn when you're missing some of your teeth!"
I smacked him and he took a little nap.
By then all hell had broken loose at The Devil's Den...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 146
The Eternal Night #146
Two guys in trench coats and fedoras came through the front door and made a beeline to the table Mason and I were sitting at.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. Can we speak to you outside for a moment?"
I saw Grinn glance in our direction and say, "Uh-oh! Looks like someone can't pay their bar tab!"
I wanted to create a scene. I'd rather face those guys in front of all those people than in a dark alley so I looked up at Grinn and yelled, "You come down here and say that, you little shit!"
Then the unexpected happened...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 145
The Eternal Night #145
Barrett yelled, "No! Audience, help him out. We hope you all..."
The audience yelled, "Grinn & Barrett!"
Grinn scratched his head, "The emcee already announced us!"
Barrett hit him on the back of the head, "No, dummy! That's our catch phrase!"
Grinn yelled, "No, that's our name!"
Barrett yelled, "I give up!"
Grinn asked, "So, you just can't Barrett anymore?"
The audience laughed.
I could feel myself losing IQ points as I sat and listened to their nonsense. Mason, on the other hand, was enjoying himself.
But I had a feeling that was about to change in pretty short order...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 144
The Eternal Night #144
Two guys, one short and one tall, came barreling out onto the stage. The tall guy was wearing a nice black suit while the shorter one was wearing a loud plaid jacket and slacks that were the color of baby vomit.
The short one said, "I'm Grinn!"
The tall one said, "I'm Barrett!"
Together they said, "And we hope you all..."
Grinn said, "Take a flying leap!"
The audience laughed as Barrett said, "No! That's not what it is! That's not the saying! It's 'We hope you all...'"
Grinn, "Drop dead?"
Barrett, "No!"
Grinn said, "Catch chlamydia?"
The audience laughed...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 143
The Eternal Night #143
I pulled Mason's arm and we went to a table near the front of the stage. I sat on the side of the table so I could view the bar without having to turn completely around. Just as I suspected, the bartender grabbed the phone and started talking into it. He kept darting his eyes toward our table and nodding and then speaking and then nodding again. I just wish I knew who was on the other end of that phone.
After a few moments the emcee came back out and said, "Well, here they are, folks! Grinn & Barrett!"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 142
The Eternal Night #142
"I'm sure it's this club she danced in. I have a photo of her," I said, pulling out the picture of Lily and Sandra.
The bartender didn't even look at it. "I said I don't know her."
"What about the other girl in the photo? Her name was Sandra."
The bartender froze in his tracks like he'd been hit with liquid oxygen.
He finally turned to me, "I don't know either of them. Now, if you don't want another drink, why don't you grab a table and get ready for the comedy show?"
We stared at each other a moment...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 141
The Eternal Night #141
"Let me ask you something," I said to the bartender. "How long have you been working here?"
The bartender poured the bourbon and asked, "When did the Civil War end?"
I laughed, "That long, huh? Well, maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a girl I used to watch dance back in the late 40's. I think she danced here. Her name was Lillian Wells. Remember her?"
"No...no... I don't," the bartender said.
Now, I may not have been a detective anymore, but I could still detect when someone was lying.
And this guy's nose was starting to grow...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 140
The Eternal Night #140
Miss La Pizza got a standing ovation at the close of her number. She winked and blew a kiss to the audience and exited the stage.
The emcee returned to the stage clapping and yelling, "Wasn't she fantastic, folks?"
Everyone cheered as the emcee said, "Well, she'll be back a little later, but coming up we have everyone's favorite comedy duo, Grinn & Barrett!"
There was a small wave of cheers and claps as one of the patrons yelled, "Those bums?"
The band began playing a soft number as I turned back to the bartender to refill my bourbon glass...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 139
The Eternal Night #139
Miss La Pizza bumped and grinded her way over the stage, eventually pulling the left bra strap down her shoulder. The men started hollering even louder. She repeated it with the right one and the decibel level rose even more.
I thought I was going to go deaf from the cheers when she dropped the bra and revealed the pasties over her nipples, with the little tassels hanging down, like her breasts had just graduated high school.
I downed the last of my bourbon just as she was finishing her number. Mason was still sipping on his disgusting Bloody Mary...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 138
The Eternal Night #138
She finally emerged from the side of the stage. The black fishnet stockings were held up by a black garter belt that was over some diamond-studded panties. The black bra had the same sparkling treatment. The bra had quite a job, however, as Hornee's breasts were quite ample. They shook like Jell-O as she gyrated across the stage in time with the music's thumping beat.
The entire male population of the joint, save me, Mason and the bartender, cheered and screamed like lunatics. The few females in the audience looked away or put their hand over their face...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 137
The Eternal Night #137
"Anyway, folks," the emcee continued, "this is the moment you've all been waiting for! Direct from Napoli, the little gal who made the Leaning Tower of Pisa stand erect! Hornee La Pizza!"
The band fired up "Night Train" as a leg jutted out from the right side of the stage. It was covered in fishnet stockings. It swayed with the music for a moment then the foot, encased in a black strap-on, stiletto-heeled shoe, set itself on the stage.
The dancer peeked her head around the curtain and winked at the audience and the whole place went nuts...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 136
The Eternal Night #136
The whole place erupted in cheers, applause and catcalls. I had just noticed that the patrons in the place were 99% male. There were only a couple of ladies in the audience, sitting there with dates who apparently didn't realize that this was no place to bring a lady.
The emcee continued, "Well, I know the band is just itching to play!"
The five-piece combo, consisting of a drummer, bassist, guitarist, pianist, and saxophonist, belted out a quick burst of music before stopping so the emcee could continue.
"Well, they're itching, at least!"
There was a smattering of laughter...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 135
The Eternal Night #135
The bartender was tall and burly, with a black beard that looked like it was so tough it would have to trimmed with a pair of hedge clippers. His fingernails probably needed the same treatment.
"What'll it be?" he asked in a voice that sounded like gravel falling out of a dumptruck.
"Bourbon on the rocks," I said.
The bartender looked at Mason, who said, "Bloody Mary."
We turned and looked at the stage. A man came out wearing a blue tuxedo and a grin. He looked like a gameshow host.
"Good evening, folks, and welcome to The Devil's Den!"
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 134
The Eternal Night #134
There was a little red devil painted on the sign, and his pitchfork was playfully stabbing a scantily-clad girl's behind. But they both looked like they were enjoying it.
We pushed the door open and entered. There was more cigarette smoke inside than there was fog in the San Francisco Bay. I gave the place a quick once-over. One way out was the way we'd come in, but I saw a sign that said Emergency Exit over a door toward the back of the club. And there was a door that said Employees Only.
We approached the bar...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 133
The Eternal Night #133
Mason entered the room looking very dapper in a gray suit.
"I'm not going to have to wear a disguise, am I?" he asked.
I shook my head, "If what I think is going to be happening on the stage at The Devil's Den is happening, no one is going to be looking at you!"
We stopped and had dinner at a restaurant that had to have been bribing someone at the city health department to remain open.
We got the The Devil's Den about 10 pm. Their business card wasn't lying. You could see Alcatraz Island through the fog...
Jake Randolph in "The Eternal Night" Pt. 132
The Eternal Night #132
We were checked into a small hotel in downtown San Francisco by 5 pm. I told Mason to rest a while, then get cleaned up. I wanted to hit The Devil's Den that night and see just what kind of club it was, although I pretty much already knew.
I showered, dressing in a pair of black slacks, white button-up shirt, and shiny black silver tie. I put my shoulder holster on, sliding my Browning 9mm, with 10-round clip, in it. And a black overcoat
I hoped I wouldn't need the gun, but I wasn't taking any chances...
