I woke up to the sun streaming through the Venetian blinds. Lying still I listened for a minute. No sound of breaking glass, and no footsteps in the living room. That was a good start. Reaching over, I kissed Brenda on the back of the neck and slid out of bed. Within a few minutes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee worked its way into our room. The smells did their job. I handed Brenda a cup as she sat up in bed.
“Thanks,” she said as she took her cup with both hands. As I sipped my cup, I thought about our next move. Two dead men and one injured and probably not going to live. And we had no idea why they were here in the first place. Finishing my coffee I got dressed.
It was early. Far too early to go see Robert. So I decided to go see people who would be up at this hour.
As I put my guns in their respective holsters and found my trenchcoat and hat.
I told Brenda I would be out for a while seeing the folks that Ben Roberts had apparently been working with.
I kissed Brenda as she went back to sleep. And making sure to lock the door behind me I slipped out into the early morning sun.
The sun was just barely making its way over the mountains surrounding LA. The night of semi coolness was fast warming up. By the time I hit the Red Light district It almost all up. Bathing LA in a show of brilliance that promised to be at least as hot as the last month had been. I stopped by an all-night diner along the way and grabbed a ham and eggs and coffee. The coffee was good so I had a second cup. As I unlocked the car I looked around. No one seemed to be around. Glancing back at the dinner, I took off my trench coat. It was already too hot for it. Tossing my coat in the back seat of the car, as I got in I fired up the old car.
I headed downtown to the seedier side of LA.
Even at this hour of the morning, there were theatres open. As I parked, no less than two girls came out of nowhere. All were about the age of the girls in the films and pictures I’d found. But they looked years older. Their tall skinny bodies barely covered by cloths as they plying their bodies in the early morning sun. I said thanks but no thanks, But I asked if they could help me. I told them I was looking for someone. That got their attention. especially when I reached in my jacket pocket and found my wad of bills. I showed them several of the small headshots of the girls we’d found in the files. They didn't seem to recognize any of them. I noticed that one of the girls saw the butt of my revolver on my belt. She barely looked at it but her reaction was obvious. Suddenly she became scared. I pulled out my PI license and showed them. I was looking for some missing girls is all I wasn’t there to hurt anyone. It didn't seem to reassure any of them. They clammed right up and took off. Leaving me standing on the sidewalk holding a bunch of pictures. Glancing around the street. The girls had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
Shoving the pictures back in my pocket, I headed for the front door of the theatre.
Buying a ticket, and going into what had once been a fancy lobby 20 plus years ago, long before the war. Probably even before World War I. It had been a fancy place to see a film. Now it was a dump and the only films you saw here were skin flicks featuring young girls doing things they shouldn’t know exist. Standing in the lobby I looked around. Noticing the side doors, I headed for one marked private. Suddenly the old lady from the ticket booth came running over.
“You can’t go in there” she breathlessly tried to holler as I reached the door much faster than her old legs could carry her across the marble lobby.
“Then perhaps you can help me,” I said politely not meaning it.
“I’m looking for any information about any of these girls and these two men.” I continued. Pulling out the stack of headshots. That seemed to stop her short.
“Why didn't you say so?” she stammered a bit. Taken back by my calm reaction.
I spent several minutes showing her pictures of the girls and the Willie and Ben. She didn't seem to recognize any of them.
“I was hoping to talk to the boss and see if he knew any of them,” I explained, knowing full well if they did, they wouldn’t say so unless I forced it out of them. I watched her for any spark of recognition. None.
I really didn't expect her to know any of them. I doubted that she had much to do with the girl's side of the operation, she probably just took money on the street, and let them in to see the films.
She knocked on the door marked private. A “Come in” came muffled from the inside.
She opened the door for me, and let me in.
Looking around at once had been a nice office. Now it was a collection of old used furniture. A desk and a couple of filing cabinets, and a couch filled the room. The bathroom door opened on its own. She popped out wearing only her birthday suit.
“Oops, guess I should have stayed in the bathroom,” she said quietly.
“Here,” he said from behind the desk, tossing her her clothes and making embarrassed gestures. It was clear what was going on. The girls couldn’t have more than 16 pulled her clothes on and hurried past us and out the door we just entered. We all waited nervously while she left.
By now I’d lost whatever patience I was going to have with him.
I walked over to his desk and pulled out the pictures of the girls.
“How many of them have fucked?” I leaning over his desk glaring at him. I demanded. He slowly sat back down. Like he’d been caught with his pants down, which he essentially had.
The sight of a strange man throwing pictures of young girls at him and my guns clearly visible under my jacket as I leaned over his desk glaring at him at ungodly early hour in the morning finely woke him up from whatever dream he was in.
“Tell me about the girls.”
“Uh ah, I don’t know, they just sorta appear and I…” His voice trailed off.
“You use the ones that can still get you up?” I finished.
“Where do the films come from? You get the films you're showing from somewhere, Where?” Standing up. I turned to the old lady.
“This your wife?”
“Mmm Yes,”
“How about I abuse her, just because I can?”
“You like watching? You can watch while I have the same fun you were going to have with the girl that just left.” I had no intention of doing anything of the sort to her, But they didn't know that. Putting on a show of interest rather than the disgust I felt for the both of them.
“Nooo, No You can’t” he seemed to get the point quickly.
“Then tell me something I can use.” deliberating leering at the old lady.
He seemed to have given up. I handed him the pictures. Sorting through them, he said this one. Pointing to Ben Roberts.
“And him”, Willie.
“They used to bring the films around about once a month. And a couple of girls for me and the wife.” The last part surprised me.
Before I could comment, he continued.
“But they ain’t been around for at least six months. Haven’t seen Willie or Ben. and the films just stopped.” That jived with what I knew.
Standing back up straight,
“When did it all start?”
He looked at his hands fingering a pen on the desk, as he thought.
“I don’t know, couple years ago. Not really sure, My supply of films dried up and they appeared and offered me a cut of the take and as many girls as I wanted. Then they started taking more of the profits. They said to cover expenses, but I could tell they were all shot at the same places. There were no new expenses. They just wanted a bigger cut. And they took it” He finished.
“I see.” thinking for a minute.
“You ever meet them anywhere else? Did they always come here?”
“They always came looked at them. here.” his wife chimed in.
“But there was that time right before they stopped coming when we invited to the studio. I don’t remember what the deal was, but for some reason they wanted us to see the studio. Gave us the whole tour too.”
“Like we were stars, Boogie or Something” His wife again piped in.
“I see”
“Listen, here's my name and number, call me if you think of anything else.” I picked up a pen from his desk and wrote my information a paper and shoved it into his pocket.
As I hit the door, I turned and looked at them.
“Don’t worry about Willie coming back.
My wife shot him”
Outside in the morning sun, I felt like I needed a shower again.
Pulling out my notebook I made notes of the meeting.
The rest of the morning was spent going from dive theaters and cat houses looking for any word on any of the girls I had pictures of or Willie and or Ben. But they hadn’t been seen in six months by anyone. At least the was what the story I was getting was.
About ten or so I remembered I had to get to Bob’s to check out the reports on the men I’d shot yesterday. Making my way to LA in the midday heat was oppressive. All the windows were open, and the fan was blowing but I still felt I was in a steam room sauna. In the distance, I could see the heat waves rising from the cement roads and buildings.I kept a close eye on the temperature gauge. Not being sure what this car’s tolerance for running in high temperatures was. So far it seemed to be staying on the low side of the dial. As the temperatures got hotter, tempers got shorter. By now I passed several groups of people fight and the beat cops were trying to keep some kind of peace. LA was not a friendly place in a heat wave. Eventually, I made it to the police station unscalved. Parking in the first spot I found on the front street, I went directly to Bob's office.
“Hot enough for you?” I asked lightly knocking on his door frame and entering.
“Hell yes. Too damn hot.” came the reply.
“Coffee?” Bob asked.
“Yeah, I could use some with some whiskey in it.” I sat down in the nearest chair across from his desk.
“That bad?” he asked pulling a mostly empty bottle of whiskey from the bottom drawer of his desk. Pouring a little in the coffee, he handed me the cup.
I drank a large swallow before answering.
“Yeah, I’ve been up since early this morning trying to chase down anyone who seen either Roberts, Black, or any of the girls. I’ve talked to pimps, leg breakers, and an assortment of movie houses owners who either don’t know them or haven’t seen them in six months. It’s like they just left town with their lights on one day. And No one has seen or heard from them since. I can now give you a list of every house in the city that has films of underage girls, and I’ve seen my fair share of flesh today too,”
Bob nodded knowingly.
“But no sign of Ben Roberts. “ Changing subjects;
“What you get on the three men I shot yesterday?”
Bob tossed a thick File over to me.
“They were three local hired leg breakers. They’ve worked most everyone in town but us.” He joked.Meaning the police.
Glancing over their respective jackets I found connections to several of the pimps I’d talked to this morning, along with a host of other people I’d run into. Then one name stuck out.
“Bob, they worked for that first moviehouse couple I told you about, the one with the girl who was in the bathroom.”
“Yeah so? They worked for anyone who’d pay them enough.”
“Yeah I know, But there was something about the looks they exchanged that said they knew a lot more. I didn't catch it then, but it was there.”
I gave Bob the names and address of the movie house, and whatever else's I could remember. He made a couple of phone calls.
Sure enough, both of them had records going back to the war. They were well known to vice. He called Detective Stone. A few minutes later he showed up in Bob’s office carrying a folder.
“Here you go Bob, The dope on Mr. And Mrs. Porn as we call them over in Vice.” tossing the folder on his desk, he glared at me as he sat down. I glared back.
While Bob thumbed through the file. Stone Played with his hat
“I hear your body count is up to three this week,” he commented.
“Yep, just felt like shooting them just because the broke into my house. Could have offered them coffee, but wasn’t in the mood.” I replied My joke was lost on Stone, I did see Bob kinda grin, behind the folder he was reading.
Bob closed up the folder and handed it to me. While looking directly at Stone, daring him to say anything about my seeing an official police record.
“Do we have any wants or warrants out on them now? Anything we can pull them in for now?”
“Not really, I Checked and they've been staying out of trouble lately. I roused them a while back, caught them with a couple of girls I swear were underage, but they had Ids saying they were 18, so I had to let them go, and not charge them.” Stone replied.
“I see” Bob commented.
“How about putting a stakeout on them for a while And see what they’re up to?”
“I would but I don’t think I have enough to justify the extra manpower.” Stone thought aloud.
“Well, I don’t need a warrant or extra manpower, I’ll go sit on them and see if they get squirrelly. My visit this morning may have scared them just enough they do something stupid.”
Bob started to hand the file folder back to Stone.
“Keep It, I have a copy upstairs.”
“Thanks” as he put it on a pile of folders on the corner of his desk. I got up to leave, as Stone got up. Stone shifted around to let me through the small office, The glare I got as I passed him was enough to melt ice.
The drive back from Bob's office was long. While keeping an eye for tails I let my mind go back over the events of the last several days. It kept coming back to a simple question. Who was behind the attack at the bar? And Why?
Parking behind the bar as usual. I let myself in one of the back doors. Brenda was in her office working on paperwork. I knocked on her door and came in.
“Hi Hon.” leaning down to kiss her.
As she finished filling more state license forms I went into the kitchen and pulled out a beer and came back into her office. Popping the cap off the bottle, I leaned against the counter with the coffee pot and watched her.
Letting myself think aloud I begin.
“ Brenda, there must be some connection between you and Ben Roberts. You’ve never seen or met him before?”
“No”
Taking my beer and walking around the front of the bar. I noticed that many of the objects on the walls were there from before we were married. Stuff her father had decorated the bar with before he retired and let her take it over. Pictures, and mirrors, and a couple of plagues.
I did notice several new pieces.
“Brenda, When did you get the new pictures of William Powell, and Myrna Loy?” There several new posters from a couple of their earlier movies.
She came in and wrapped her arm around my waist and took a sip of my beer.
“Oh them, I picked them up about six months ago out in Hollywood, some movie theatre was throwing out a bunch of old posters and I managed to get these. They were a couple that wasn't destroyed by water, or tore up.” She said.
“Anything else new here?”
“Let's see..” Finishing my beer for me, she walked around the empty bar.
Leaning against the bar I followed her gaze around the room. Most of the decorations had been there since before the war. I knew she added a few new things when she took over, but that had been years ago. I was interested in what was different now, and most importantly where it had come from.Watching Brenda walk around the bar was distracting me from my main objective.
“This.” She finally said. Walking pointing to a rather large black and white aerial picture of LA. “This is why I got it” Pointing to the picture, There in the lower corner was our bar. Looking for the picture closer I saw several cars I recognized, along with a number of signs from up and down the street. Some of which were readable most not because of the angle of the picture. But Our humble bar was clearly visible. The picture looked good on the wall. I liked it and said as much.
“Brenda tell me about where you got it.”
She leaned against the bar next to me.
“Yeah, it was the same time I got the posters. I remember cruising around Hollywood. There were a number of old second-hand shops down by the porn theaters. I was looking for something different to add to the bar. Most of the stuff in here was my dad’s and I wanted to add something of mine.” She nodded towards the pictures.
“The little thrift store next to Russell's Theater, on Union.” The address perked me up again.
“You mean Lancer’s Thrift store?”
“Yes, that's it.”
“I was there this morning. Actually not at Lancers’ but Russell's Theatre, I talked to the old couple who run it. They’ve got a record with vice going back way before the war. I think they're connected with Ben Roberts. Too. They used to get his movies, you know the girly movies he filmed at his place.”
I went to the fridge and pulled out a couple more beers, and handed her one. She reached behind the bar pulled out the bottle opener and opened a beer and handed it to me, then opening her beer, she took a swallow and lean back and thought.
”Tell me exactly what happened when you bought the picture.” I prompted.
“Well, let's see.. It was still cool if I remember right, and It’d been raining. I remember because when it's cool and wet I have to pee all the time.. Yeh, that was it, I stopped there to use the restroom, and on the way though the store I saw the picture. I remember opening a couple of doors before I found the bathroom. I remember seeing a guy and a girl in a room. ,,”
“Go on..What were they doing?”
“ I think he was kissing her, no wait, She turned around and looked directly at me for a second Now I remember her top was half off. And I saw him behind her. ..” her voice sorta trailed off, as he suddenly stood up, and headed back to my office,
“Those pictures,?” she asked. I quickly found them on my desk, She flipped through them. Finding the headshot of Ben Roberts, She stopped and stared it.
“It was him, That's who was in the back room of the store.”
“And the girl? “ I asked patiently.
Flipping through the massive pile of pictures of girls we’d taken from Robert’s office, she sat down. “Not here.”
“That's ok, we’ll figure it out,” I said quietly, sipping my beer.
“After you went to the bathroom?” I prompted again.
“ Let's, see, I found the picture and saw that the bar was in it, and decided it would nice for the bar. So I bought it. Is all” she finished.
“I see, But you don’t remember who the girl was?”
“No, I’m sorry”
"That's ok, hon, We’ll figure it out together.” I pulled her close to me as we leaned against my desk.
I glanced at my watch. It was almost time to open the bar for the evening. So we got ready to open. While Brenda got ready behind the bar and made sure the till was set. I swept the floor one last time and put the chairs down from the tables.
Every so often I glanced at the picture on the wall. Something was bothering me. There was something I wanted to remember but it wasn’t coming back.
Just as we about to open, The phone rang.
It was Walt. He said he had my car ready, I could pick it up tomorrow. I thanked him and filled him in on what we’d figured out earlier. He said he’d be over later.
As we were still no closer to figuring out what was happening. We decided that Walt would be extra security for the foreseeable future. Again he took up a table where he could see the bar, and “drank” a couple of beers throughout the evening.
The evening passed quietly, There were no fights or obnoxious dunks that needed to be escorted out by Walt or me. While Brenda and I cleaned up for the evening, Walt went around and made sure the building was secure. I already knew it was. But we checked again. Locking up behind the bar at out our cars I told Walt I’d meet him in the morning to pick up my car. And went on our ways. All the time something was bothering me. I just couldn’t remember what it was.
“Thanks,” she said as she took her cup with both hands. As I sipped my cup, I thought about our next move. Two dead men and one injured and probably not going to live. And we had no idea why they were here in the first place. Finishing my coffee I got dressed.
It was early. Far too early to go see Robert. So I decided to go see people who would be up at this hour.
As I put my guns in their respective holsters and found my trenchcoat and hat.
I told Brenda I would be out for a while seeing the folks that Ben Roberts had apparently been working with.
I kissed Brenda as she went back to sleep. And making sure to lock the door behind me I slipped out into the early morning sun.
The sun was just barely making its way over the mountains surrounding LA. The night of semi coolness was fast warming up. By the time I hit the Red Light district It almost all up. Bathing LA in a show of brilliance that promised to be at least as hot as the last month had been. I stopped by an all-night diner along the way and grabbed a ham and eggs and coffee. The coffee was good so I had a second cup. As I unlocked the car I looked around. No one seemed to be around. Glancing back at the dinner, I took off my trench coat. It was already too hot for it. Tossing my coat in the back seat of the car, as I got in I fired up the old car.
I headed downtown to the seedier side of LA.
Even at this hour of the morning, there were theatres open. As I parked, no less than two girls came out of nowhere. All were about the age of the girls in the films and pictures I’d found. But they looked years older. Their tall skinny bodies barely covered by cloths as they plying their bodies in the early morning sun. I said thanks but no thanks, But I asked if they could help me. I told them I was looking for someone. That got their attention. especially when I reached in my jacket pocket and found my wad of bills. I showed them several of the small headshots of the girls we’d found in the files. They didn't seem to recognize any of them. I noticed that one of the girls saw the butt of my revolver on my belt. She barely looked at it but her reaction was obvious. Suddenly she became scared. I pulled out my PI license and showed them. I was looking for some missing girls is all I wasn’t there to hurt anyone. It didn't seem to reassure any of them. They clammed right up and took off. Leaving me standing on the sidewalk holding a bunch of pictures. Glancing around the street. The girls had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
Shoving the pictures back in my pocket, I headed for the front door of the theatre.
Buying a ticket, and going into what had once been a fancy lobby 20 plus years ago, long before the war. Probably even before World War I. It had been a fancy place to see a film. Now it was a dump and the only films you saw here were skin flicks featuring young girls doing things they shouldn’t know exist. Standing in the lobby I looked around. Noticing the side doors, I headed for one marked private. Suddenly the old lady from the ticket booth came running over.
“You can’t go in there” she breathlessly tried to holler as I reached the door much faster than her old legs could carry her across the marble lobby.
“Then perhaps you can help me,” I said politely not meaning it.
“I’m looking for any information about any of these girls and these two men.” I continued. Pulling out the stack of headshots. That seemed to stop her short.
“Why didn't you say so?” she stammered a bit. Taken back by my calm reaction.
I spent several minutes showing her pictures of the girls and the Willie and Ben. She didn't seem to recognize any of them.
“I was hoping to talk to the boss and see if he knew any of them,” I explained, knowing full well if they did, they wouldn’t say so unless I forced it out of them. I watched her for any spark of recognition. None.
I really didn't expect her to know any of them. I doubted that she had much to do with the girl's side of the operation, she probably just took money on the street, and let them in to see the films.
She knocked on the door marked private. A “Come in” came muffled from the inside.
She opened the door for me, and let me in.
Looking around at once had been a nice office. Now it was a collection of old used furniture. A desk and a couple of filing cabinets, and a couch filled the room. The bathroom door opened on its own. She popped out wearing only her birthday suit.
“Oops, guess I should have stayed in the bathroom,” she said quietly.
“Here,” he said from behind the desk, tossing her her clothes and making embarrassed gestures. It was clear what was going on. The girls couldn’t have more than 16 pulled her clothes on and hurried past us and out the door we just entered. We all waited nervously while she left.
By now I’d lost whatever patience I was going to have with him.
I walked over to his desk and pulled out the pictures of the girls.
“How many of them have fucked?” I leaning over his desk glaring at him. I demanded. He slowly sat back down. Like he’d been caught with his pants down, which he essentially had.
The sight of a strange man throwing pictures of young girls at him and my guns clearly visible under my jacket as I leaned over his desk glaring at him at ungodly early hour in the morning finely woke him up from whatever dream he was in.
“Tell me about the girls.”
“Uh ah, I don’t know, they just sorta appear and I…” His voice trailed off.
“You use the ones that can still get you up?” I finished.
“Where do the films come from? You get the films you're showing from somewhere, Where?” Standing up. I turned to the old lady.
“This your wife?”
“Mmm Yes,”
“How about I abuse her, just because I can?”
“You like watching? You can watch while I have the same fun you were going to have with the girl that just left.” I had no intention of doing anything of the sort to her, But they didn't know that. Putting on a show of interest rather than the disgust I felt for the both of them.
“Nooo, No You can’t” he seemed to get the point quickly.
“Then tell me something I can use.” deliberating leering at the old lady.
He seemed to have given up. I handed him the pictures. Sorting through them, he said this one. Pointing to Ben Roberts.
“And him”, Willie.
“They used to bring the films around about once a month. And a couple of girls for me and the wife.” The last part surprised me.
Before I could comment, he continued.
“But they ain’t been around for at least six months. Haven’t seen Willie or Ben. and the films just stopped.” That jived with what I knew.
Standing back up straight,
“When did it all start?”
He looked at his hands fingering a pen on the desk, as he thought.
“I don’t know, couple years ago. Not really sure, My supply of films dried up and they appeared and offered me a cut of the take and as many girls as I wanted. Then they started taking more of the profits. They said to cover expenses, but I could tell they were all shot at the same places. There were no new expenses. They just wanted a bigger cut. And they took it” He finished.
“I see.” thinking for a minute.
“You ever meet them anywhere else? Did they always come here?”
“They always came looked at them. here.” his wife chimed in.
“But there was that time right before they stopped coming when we invited to the studio. I don’t remember what the deal was, but for some reason they wanted us to see the studio. Gave us the whole tour too.”
“Like we were stars, Boogie or Something” His wife again piped in.
“I see”
“Listen, here's my name and number, call me if you think of anything else.” I picked up a pen from his desk and wrote my information a paper and shoved it into his pocket.
As I hit the door, I turned and looked at them.
“Don’t worry about Willie coming back.
My wife shot him”
Outside in the morning sun, I felt like I needed a shower again.
Pulling out my notebook I made notes of the meeting.
The rest of the morning was spent going from dive theaters and cat houses looking for any word on any of the girls I had pictures of or Willie and or Ben. But they hadn’t been seen in six months by anyone. At least the was what the story I was getting was.
About ten or so I remembered I had to get to Bob’s to check out the reports on the men I’d shot yesterday. Making my way to LA in the midday heat was oppressive. All the windows were open, and the fan was blowing but I still felt I was in a steam room sauna. In the distance, I could see the heat waves rising from the cement roads and buildings.I kept a close eye on the temperature gauge. Not being sure what this car’s tolerance for running in high temperatures was. So far it seemed to be staying on the low side of the dial. As the temperatures got hotter, tempers got shorter. By now I passed several groups of people fight and the beat cops were trying to keep some kind of peace. LA was not a friendly place in a heat wave. Eventually, I made it to the police station unscalved. Parking in the first spot I found on the front street, I went directly to Bob's office.
“Hot enough for you?” I asked lightly knocking on his door frame and entering.
“Hell yes. Too damn hot.” came the reply.
“Coffee?” Bob asked.
“Yeah, I could use some with some whiskey in it.” I sat down in the nearest chair across from his desk.
“That bad?” he asked pulling a mostly empty bottle of whiskey from the bottom drawer of his desk. Pouring a little in the coffee, he handed me the cup.
I drank a large swallow before answering.
“Yeah, I’ve been up since early this morning trying to chase down anyone who seen either Roberts, Black, or any of the girls. I’ve talked to pimps, leg breakers, and an assortment of movie houses owners who either don’t know them or haven’t seen them in six months. It’s like they just left town with their lights on one day. And No one has seen or heard from them since. I can now give you a list of every house in the city that has films of underage girls, and I’ve seen my fair share of flesh today too,”
Bob nodded knowingly.
“But no sign of Ben Roberts. “ Changing subjects;
“What you get on the three men I shot yesterday?”
Bob tossed a thick File over to me.
“They were three local hired leg breakers. They’ve worked most everyone in town but us.” He joked.Meaning the police.
Glancing over their respective jackets I found connections to several of the pimps I’d talked to this morning, along with a host of other people I’d run into. Then one name stuck out.
“Bob, they worked for that first moviehouse couple I told you about, the one with the girl who was in the bathroom.”
“Yeah so? They worked for anyone who’d pay them enough.”
“Yeah I know, But there was something about the looks they exchanged that said they knew a lot more. I didn't catch it then, but it was there.”
I gave Bob the names and address of the movie house, and whatever else's I could remember. He made a couple of phone calls.
Sure enough, both of them had records going back to the war. They were well known to vice. He called Detective Stone. A few minutes later he showed up in Bob’s office carrying a folder.
“Here you go Bob, The dope on Mr. And Mrs. Porn as we call them over in Vice.” tossing the folder on his desk, he glared at me as he sat down. I glared back.
While Bob thumbed through the file. Stone Played with his hat
“I hear your body count is up to three this week,” he commented.
“Yep, just felt like shooting them just because the broke into my house. Could have offered them coffee, but wasn’t in the mood.” I replied My joke was lost on Stone, I did see Bob kinda grin, behind the folder he was reading.
Bob closed up the folder and handed it to me. While looking directly at Stone, daring him to say anything about my seeing an official police record.
“Do we have any wants or warrants out on them now? Anything we can pull them in for now?”
“Not really, I Checked and they've been staying out of trouble lately. I roused them a while back, caught them with a couple of girls I swear were underage, but they had Ids saying they were 18, so I had to let them go, and not charge them.” Stone replied.
“I see” Bob commented.
“How about putting a stakeout on them for a while And see what they’re up to?”
“I would but I don’t think I have enough to justify the extra manpower.” Stone thought aloud.
“Well, I don’t need a warrant or extra manpower, I’ll go sit on them and see if they get squirrelly. My visit this morning may have scared them just enough they do something stupid.”
Bob started to hand the file folder back to Stone.
“Keep It, I have a copy upstairs.”
“Thanks” as he put it on a pile of folders on the corner of his desk. I got up to leave, as Stone got up. Stone shifted around to let me through the small office, The glare I got as I passed him was enough to melt ice.
The drive back from Bob's office was long. While keeping an eye for tails I let my mind go back over the events of the last several days. It kept coming back to a simple question. Who was behind the attack at the bar? And Why?
Parking behind the bar as usual. I let myself in one of the back doors. Brenda was in her office working on paperwork. I knocked on her door and came in.
“Hi Hon.” leaning down to kiss her.
As she finished filling more state license forms I went into the kitchen and pulled out a beer and came back into her office. Popping the cap off the bottle, I leaned against the counter with the coffee pot and watched her.
Letting myself think aloud I begin.
“ Brenda, there must be some connection between you and Ben Roberts. You’ve never seen or met him before?”
“No”
Taking my beer and walking around the front of the bar. I noticed that many of the objects on the walls were there from before we were married. Stuff her father had decorated the bar with before he retired and let her take it over. Pictures, and mirrors, and a couple of plagues.
I did notice several new pieces.
“Brenda, When did you get the new pictures of William Powell, and Myrna Loy?” There several new posters from a couple of their earlier movies.
She came in and wrapped her arm around my waist and took a sip of my beer.
“Oh them, I picked them up about six months ago out in Hollywood, some movie theatre was throwing out a bunch of old posters and I managed to get these. They were a couple that wasn't destroyed by water, or tore up.” She said.
“Anything else new here?”
“Let's see..” Finishing my beer for me, she walked around the empty bar.
Leaning against the bar I followed her gaze around the room. Most of the decorations had been there since before the war. I knew she added a few new things when she took over, but that had been years ago. I was interested in what was different now, and most importantly where it had come from.Watching Brenda walk around the bar was distracting me from my main objective.
“This.” She finally said. Walking pointing to a rather large black and white aerial picture of LA. “This is why I got it” Pointing to the picture, There in the lower corner was our bar. Looking for the picture closer I saw several cars I recognized, along with a number of signs from up and down the street. Some of which were readable most not because of the angle of the picture. But Our humble bar was clearly visible. The picture looked good on the wall. I liked it and said as much.
“Brenda tell me about where you got it.”
She leaned against the bar next to me.
“Yeah, it was the same time I got the posters. I remember cruising around Hollywood. There were a number of old second-hand shops down by the porn theaters. I was looking for something different to add to the bar. Most of the stuff in here was my dad’s and I wanted to add something of mine.” She nodded towards the pictures.
“The little thrift store next to Russell's Theater, on Union.” The address perked me up again.
“You mean Lancer’s Thrift store?”
“Yes, that's it.”
“I was there this morning. Actually not at Lancers’ but Russell's Theatre, I talked to the old couple who run it. They’ve got a record with vice going back way before the war. I think they're connected with Ben Roberts. Too. They used to get his movies, you know the girly movies he filmed at his place.”
I went to the fridge and pulled out a couple more beers, and handed her one. She reached behind the bar pulled out the bottle opener and opened a beer and handed it to me, then opening her beer, she took a swallow and lean back and thought.
”Tell me exactly what happened when you bought the picture.” I prompted.
“Well, let's see.. It was still cool if I remember right, and It’d been raining. I remember because when it's cool and wet I have to pee all the time.. Yeh, that was it, I stopped there to use the restroom, and on the way though the store I saw the picture. I remember opening a couple of doors before I found the bathroom. I remember seeing a guy and a girl in a room. ,,”
“Go on..What were they doing?”
“ I think he was kissing her, no wait, She turned around and looked directly at me for a second Now I remember her top was half off. And I saw him behind her. ..” her voice sorta trailed off, as he suddenly stood up, and headed back to my office,
“Those pictures,?” she asked. I quickly found them on my desk, She flipped through them. Finding the headshot of Ben Roberts, She stopped and stared it.
“It was him, That's who was in the back room of the store.”
“And the girl? “ I asked patiently.
Flipping through the massive pile of pictures of girls we’d taken from Robert’s office, she sat down. “Not here.”
“That's ok, we’ll figure it out,” I said quietly, sipping my beer.
“After you went to the bathroom?” I prompted again.
“ Let's, see, I found the picture and saw that the bar was in it, and decided it would nice for the bar. So I bought it. Is all” she finished.
“I see, But you don’t remember who the girl was?”
“No, I’m sorry”
"That's ok, hon, We’ll figure it out together.” I pulled her close to me as we leaned against my desk.
I glanced at my watch. It was almost time to open the bar for the evening. So we got ready to open. While Brenda got ready behind the bar and made sure the till was set. I swept the floor one last time and put the chairs down from the tables.
Every so often I glanced at the picture on the wall. Something was bothering me. There was something I wanted to remember but it wasn’t coming back.
Just as we about to open, The phone rang.
It was Walt. He said he had my car ready, I could pick it up tomorrow. I thanked him and filled him in on what we’d figured out earlier. He said he’d be over later.
As we were still no closer to figuring out what was happening. We decided that Walt would be extra security for the foreseeable future. Again he took up a table where he could see the bar, and “drank” a couple of beers throughout the evening.
The evening passed quietly, There were no fights or obnoxious dunks that needed to be escorted out by Walt or me. While Brenda and I cleaned up for the evening, Walt went around and made sure the building was secure. I already knew it was. But we checked again. Locking up behind the bar at out our cars I told Walt I’d meet him in the morning to pick up my car. And went on our ways. All the time something was bothering me. I just couldn’t remember what it was.