Chapters

Everyone comes to Rusty's

by

Big Daddy

Chapter 21: Rusty Starts to Spin a Web

 

Big Juan's Nev. Day 6 Nov. 1960 1230

Jen was just changing the sockets on the wrench when she saw Little Edwardo on the ladder beside her. She was almost startled. But who would be looking for anybody almost 3 floors up at the top of a ferris wheel?

"Moma made you a lunch and thanks you again" he said as he passed over the wicker plate holder with the checkered napkin on top. Jen knew it would be a burrito something-or-other that was a meal in itself, stuffed with veggies and rice and a marinated chicken to die for.

"Thank your mother for me, Edwardo. Would you like to sit in the seat with me and enjoy the view?"

"I would like that very much, Juanita."

She had been coming out here off and on for nearly a year to fix things for Big Juan and the boy could NOT say 'Jen'. Oh well. 'Big Juan' was Edwardo's dad, and owned the place...one of those tourist sites off the main highway she was addicted to. This one featured carnival rides he had salvaged from fairs and circuses that had gone under, and something new...a race track?

"What is that, over there?" She asked in Spanish.

"That is my father's newest idea." replied Edwardo continuing in Spanish." A bad man came through here about six months ago more or less. He had very many monkeys. They were very sad. Dad bought them all and discovered they loved to run.

"So my father built a track for them. Each monkey has it's own very big room now and they race against each other with much fun all day. Many rich white people in suits come and stop their cars and buy food and bet on which monkey will win.

"Sometimes, if it is indeed hot, they monkeys will all just stop in the middle of the track and just pick their behinds. This makes my father laugh and the rich people start to scowl.

"Sometimes some of the men will bet the monkeys WILL sit down and pick their behinds, so they win much money. My father loves the monkeys extremely and has a vet come out and look at them for their needs. The doctor has said they are the only licensed monkey racing track in the state. We are very proud of this.

" The American star Winona Ryder. Would she like to advertise for a monkey racing track?"

Jen smiled at this. She wondered if they chased a wooden banana. She also hoped she could be around if they all sat down and decided to 'pick their behinds'.

"I am extremely sorry, Edwardo. Winona Ryder is a kind hearted woman who would like the monkeys to most likely go back to the jungle if they could. But, of course, they cannot. I do not know if monkeys racing around a track would make her laugh or make her cry. I am almost sure that watching monkeys pick their behinds, however, would make her laugh."

"I think she would like what we do with the baby ferris wheel."

"Yes, I think so as well." Jen threw the remote switch she had bolted to the side of the car and the ferris wheel slowly lowered. "Edwardo, can you do the baby ferris wheel for me? Right now?"

"Yes. Certainly."

The got off the big ferris wheel. Edwardo started to blow a whistle he kept around his neck. An entire zoo of animals of all sorts came strolling out of the barn. Edwardo would put some feed on a baby ferris wheel seat, and the animal would sit down. When the seats were all occupied, Jen and Edwardo pulled up a couple of lawn chairs and watched the animals slowly go around and enjoy the ride.

Freddy the Duck seemed the most dignified. He would stare out and occasionally flap a wing. Paully the dog enjoyed the ride the most, no question...his paws were on the back and his tail never stopped wagging. The Tabby Cat sisters stared back at Jen and Edwardo already bored.

Jen suddenly remembered her conversation about the UFO's in Florida and how people would pull out lawn chairs in Alligator Alley to watch the bright lights they thought were space ships. She decided everybody was probably peculiar.

************************

Rusty picked up a phone and dialed a New York number.

"Hugo, I don't like the idea, but a deal is a deal. Now listen. I know I owe Sam this. But I love Winona more. If anything happens I will kill you. I will not see her hurt. "

The voice on the other end was very even.

"Make the call Rusty. I have waited a year. I promise neither me, or Sam or Luigi will upset or hurt her. It will be painless.

" It is the thing to do. It is the thing you HAVE to do. And please do NOT threaten me..."

Rusty hung up and called Renny Day Cart's manager.

"We have a vacancy in the second room for next week. We agree to take your client for the price you want. Come over and we'll sign up."

Rusty hung up the phone. He sat in silence at the table for a long time swallowing hard and shaking.

"Forgive me, Winona..."

L.A. CA. Nov. 1960. DAY SIX 0800

Danni was eating breakfast with Wolf. She looked like hell.

"So you have an APB on him?"

"For what it is worth. He has no doubt ditched the costume now. Probably heading for Vegas. Which reminds me. I think I have a way of tracking the films."

"More bacon?"

"No. See, we know The Hungarian had his dirty movies duped and then stuck them in a can with a legit title on the front...like this one..."Closing the Deal with a Chevrolet customer". What I figure is, the places where he duped them probably had the original dirty movie in a can with the same title then shipped them out to the distributor, waiting to be shipped out when the smoke clears. It HAS to be either a different colored label, or ..."

"...a label in another language heading to a foreign market...he would only have to buy off the dupe guy. The shipping people would be doing their normal jobs.."

"The first place that Doc Slater came up with was New Orleans. The film duped there was " Michigan Trout Fishing". We can test it out."

"I'll get Chris. He was running down chicken farms in Nevada. I guess it can wait." Wolf looked over at his old partner and did not feel warm towards the escaped murder who had broken her heart. He decided that certain ADJUSTMENTS would be made if it came to him to decide these things.

*****************************

Charles and 'Becca were walking down the street in front of Paramount's gates. It was still early. The sun slanted orange on the black grill work of iron that spelt out the companies name. Her head leaned on his shoulder. He was still coming down from the night before, and the music he had made.

"What's wrong, Chas? You haven't said a word."

"Just thinking about how all of this is probably on it's way out. The television is killing all of this. I can almost see the sand coming up from the desert out there to bury the place like Egypt."

"Geez, you know how to make a girl feel good about her job future."

"You are a good writer, my love, and nobody knows. I was playing with one of the best reedmen in the music world last night and we barely had a three-quarters crowd.

 Meanwhile, Connie Francis packs them in, and America can't get enough of Elvis and his declawed films. Remember when he was a THREAT?"

"I remember. I remember. I write for him. He remembers too. The SMART SET still just spit on him. Popular culture, don't you know. Not FOLK enough. So he makes stupid movies now and sits around like a Tikki god..who can blame him? Most kids have never even HEARD of Sun records."

"So how come we do it?"

"Our art? Or what passes for art? Simple.. because we have to. It's why Jerry Lee stays on the road. It's why Winona pawned her kitchen sink to make "Maturity". Sometimes it works. Sometimes."

He kissed her and told her how much an articulate woman got him going.

TRANS WORLD AIRLINES DESK. L.A. CA. NOV 1960. DAY SIX. 1340

"Yes, hello. I would like to book a flight to Las Vegas."

"Certainly, sir."

"You misunderstand. First of all, I must go by way of Mexico City or South America."

"Again, no problem, sir. Do you need a long stay over in Mexico City?"

"No...no, just long enough to loose my wife..you see, she doesn't like me to travel on my own..it is sort of a game we play with each other...and she got mad when I left the house without telling her where I was going."

The lady at the counter laughed and continued with the flight reservation.

***************************

"So, tell me. What has been happening" Mr. Omar was sitting behind his desk. The sweat on Yuri's face was dripping down towards his neck.

"The police have arrested a Cuban for the blowing up of the L.A. Auction House. This was doubtless why the place went up so quick...there was a second bomb as you guessed all along.

"Ironically enough, it appears that it was a Catholic Cuban who was angered at the smut picture trade and who wanted the films destroyed. This of course, has tripled their value."

"How would he KNOW of their whereabouts?" Mr. Omar's eyes glinted and stared directly at Yuri.

"YOU worked with them...they are always fighting with each other...it is in their blood. Besides, word on the street was very heavy...we WANTED the mob to know they were coming to town. And since when has anybody been able to separate the Cubans from the Mob?"

"How do we know he is not some sort of plant?"

"Tried to kill an FBI agent the other night. The agent had been wounded in some sort of local scuffle...and this man went to hospital to finish the job. The taxi companies had a war, he might have been angry over that...the old boss died in a stroke.."

"Are any of our FRIENDS interested or even remotely involved?"

"Osborne has been playing guitar nothing more.. Winona Ryder is to do a TV. special in Vegas...and also plans to bid against you for the film you have. Rusty believes you are Mr. Mishima. There has been no sighting of Big Daddy for years.

"Chris Chao was supposed to have been spotted, but it turned out to be a homosexual from the Philippines. "

"What about THE WOLF??"

"We have tried and tried and have found NOTHING. We cannot even prove he is anything more then a television host who introduces cartoons. And would such a man be used by the Americans? Would he tell the police he was a secret agent? Would he eat steak with Lenny Bruce?"

"Who is Lenny Bruce?"

"A comedian who has been arrested for swearing in public and using narcotics."

Omar relaxed. Slightly.

"So. It is still a go. We watch Winona Ryder. We watch Charles. We keep track of Rusty at a distance. It will be easy to do these things as we will be in Vegas very soon with them. "

"Excuse me. What has Winona Ryder to do with our plans?"

"Nothing. We are only watching her as long as she will be bidding against my movie. Nothing more. It is her friends I worry about. Osborne is an orderly mind. If it looks like he is onto something, he goes fast. And I don't need it to be quiet. Las Vegas is famous for gangsters, yes?"

Yuri relaxed. He would not die today.

LAS VEGAS. NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX. 1735

Winona Ryder never got used to flying. To her it was like getting a new lover...you wanted to enjoy the time, but you were always made to keep one eye open even when you really wanted to relax.

She picked up her overnight bag and strolled through McCarren Airport. Yup. Vegas alright. Slots practically beside the plane doors. A couple were already pumping money into the dollar machines.

Jen ran up and gave her a hug and asked how the flight was.

"Not bad. I still love the look of the place at dusk. Those lights against the orange sky are amazing. I think they use the LIGHT as their best building material."

"Charles would probably agree."

The two headed into a bathroom just past the TWA counter and started to change.
"So how was your drive?" asked Winona as she passed Jen the silver lame dress.

"Great. The fuel injectors check out fine. The cab is parked in a lot off the strip, and I rented you an Imperial"

Winona applied some make up to Jens' face and helped arrange a fox fur on her shoulders. Jen passed Winona her hat.

Winona walked out of the bathroom first. Her black trench coat had been replaced with a chauffeurs' vest. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore a pair of glasses.

Jen came behind lapping up the attention in the heels that used to belong to Mae West.

Winona opened the door for her 'client', then climbed in the front and started the car up. The Imperial pulled onto Paradise Drive, then headed west towards Las Vegas Boulevard...THE STRIP.

NEW ORLEANS LA. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 1800

The truck was parked outside the building. On it's side was a sign that read "Bert's Bug Spray and Chemical". Inside was Danni Hastings with a radio hook-up.

The building housed Capitol Film Processing and Distribution. Inside the building, Chris and Wolf were heading to the vault.

"Oh LOOK' crooned Wolf into his mic " A little SAFE..isn't that CUTE? Probably for the payroll and things."

"Do you want to PLEASE get over here?" rasped Chris.

"Hey, Danni, tell me again why we had to fly out here and do all of this..."

"We have no idea of what sort of system the people are using...a call requesting the film in the wrong way could tip them off..we have to see what they have and don't before we can play with it."

Wolf had moved over the film vault and popped the lock in about 5 minutes. He gave it as much concentration as peeling an orange.

"Okay, we are taking photos.." Danni heard him say above the sound of a camera shutter." Found the film stack you are looking for...looks like they have 3 copies of "Closing the Deal with Chevrolet"...and yes, Virginia, one IS written in what looks like Chinese...maestro?"

Danni heard the sound of Chris coming closer to Wolf's mic.

"Oh this is TOO easy...the can reads 'Cuban copy'. Now what do we do?"

Danni was about to tell them when she heard the sound of the guard dog.

RUSTY'S' CASINO LAS VEGAS NEVADA. NOV. 1960. DAY SIX. 1845

"Oh boss, you have GOT to see THIS!!!" The man at the screen was almost laughing.
Rusty was in his control room and moved over to the monitor to take a look for himself.

"There. See it? Wait..wait...LOOK!!! "

Winona Ryder walked in the room while the two men stared at the view being transmitted from the casino. She put her finger to her lips to keep Bosco quiet, took the plate of chicken from his hand he was about to give his boss, and in the back of her throat practiced the worst Brooklyn accent she could think of.

"Mis-tah Raw-stee? Does ya wants de reebs and ba-ack bay-coon now??"

The effect on Rusty was dramatic

"Bosco!!!! How did that HOWLING MENACE get back in here? THROW HER OUT!!!"

Rusty actually took a couple of steps before realizing it was only Winona.

"You are EVIL, little one. That was a perfect imitation of that stupid cluck..."

"I remembered her from last time, when she dumped soup down your crotch and you had her bounced out.."

The two old friends laughed and hugged. Rusty pulled back and had a tear in his eye.
"I love you. You know that, right?"

Winona was thunder struck.

"Yes. I know...hey...what's wrong..."

"Nothing, nothing, I just missed you, and heard about the shooting, and this old guy gets worried."

"I did a switch to come into town on the Q.T. Jen is now upstairs in the star suite setting things up. I promised her mother to keep a sharp eye on her. The kid is growing up fast.

"Now, tell me what is so funny over there.."

Although she hated gossip, Winona had a weakness for wanting to know any joke that was occurring.

"It's a doufus on the floor..." replied the monitor man.

"..he has one of the oldest tricks in the book on him tonight...see that thing in his hand? Looks like a joy buzzer? Well, it's a magnet, and he thinks he can stop the wheels in the slot machine with it."

"Can he??"

"It works as well as putting a warped record in the oven to try and straighten it out." replied Rusty." In THEORY, sure...but hardly ever in real life...Gawd, I have NOT seen one of those in years..."

Rusty's laugh spread across the room.

"Take it from him and throw him out..Winona, anything you want..it's yours...coming down for supper?"

NEW ORLEANS LA. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 1900

"Can we GO now, Marlin Perkins?"

"One more shot."

"No! No! You have shots of the doggie standing. You have shots of the doggie dancing with you and eating the Oscar Myer wiener. You put a clown collar and clown hat on the dog and you took a picture of that...You do not NEED a photo of the dog in SUNGLASSES."

"Chao is right, Wolfman. You have everything fixed. Get OUT."

"..NONE of you are any FUN..."

 

RUSTY'S CASINO LAS VEGAS NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 1800

"Okay" asked Keaton between mouthfuls of his Peking duck." Tell me what your guessing game is."

"Well," replied Doc Slater." We are going to met a real honest-to-God Russian spy. I guess I should say ex-Russian spy. The guessing game I mentioned is trying to figure out who in the room is KGB."

"You have my undivided attention."

"Right. We have six tables here at Li Po's occupied. There are four in my direction, two yours. My four have two couples, and the KGB usually fly solo. Take out them. There is a negro at table three. There is a little old lady, blue dress at table five. Loud guy in cowboy hat, table one. Methodist minister type last table."

"Why are we meeting an ex-spy?"

"Rusty's idea. We don't want him. We want a name he can give us. When we get the name, we pass it onto one of our boys and they plant the info we want."

"Why am I here?"

"Believe it or not, the guy wanted to meet you. He's a fan."

"No..."

"Yes, yes. Even now, at the worst of the cold war, your movies still show in Russia. All the time. They really dig you over there. He must have seen every one of them."
"It would have been NICE if somebody had sent CASH for this...

"Do you want me to tell you my guess?"

"No.. we'll ask before he leaves."

A tall man came into the Chinese restaurant and waved at Slater. Keaton would have taken him for a ballplayer if he had not known his real job...but WHAT was that?
"Mr. Slater. And Mr. Keaton...THIS is an honor. Sir, could I have ...an autograph? No one will believe this back in Moscow. No one. "

Buster made with the pen and looked down to hide his red face. Praise always got to him.

"You know, when you dived down that hill in "The Seven Chances", with those REAL rocks as big as you are coming behind you...Mr. Keaton, I thought you were America's greatest athlete."

"Speaking of athletes," Keaton countered trying to get the topic off himself " You look like you could hit the ball out of the park really far. What do you DO?"

"Culture. I assume Steven has told you the real nature of my business. Well, my ex-business. See, just before Stalin died, he had one of those annoying bouts of paranoia that gripped him quite frequently. Seems that a spy couple split up and one decided to stay behind here. Stalin ordered everybody home.

"At the time, the Embassy had about 2 spies for every one person doing work. We became short handed over night. I was removed from the spy list and actually started to do the job I was actually being paid for.

"I had to stay behind, and was to be ordered liquidated...merely for not being able to leave. But before the order could be 'taken out', so to speak, the government had changed hands.. finally.. and I was spared. SOMEBODY had to book the Bolshoi and the Circus and the other culture shows that bring hard cash back in.

"Well, I took to it. And before long, the Kremlin decided I was pretty much the Col. Tom Parker of the U.S.S.R. Then they made me a valve. Do you know what a valve is, Mr. Keaton?'

"No..."

"Stevenson had an idea that there should be a phone line between the two superpowers. There actually is something like that right now. Both sides have about 24 people whom I call valves...persons whom information can pass through to the other side. We are NOT double agents or even agents. I would no more betray my country then Mr. Slater would here. It is a chance to talk and not step on one another's toes.

"The other thing is, we have to more or less tell the truth. We have authority to close minor deals. This is a rare honor for a civilian to see a meeting like this, Mr. Keaton. But I DID want to see you in person..."

****************

One of Luigi's people had called Sam after the conversation finished with Rusty.
Sam looked at his papers for a long time and decided it would not work. He need more firepower. He phoned the Texan.

***************

"Dave, we want the name of an agent that we can deliver a message back to the KGB to."

"Risky"

"Yeah. You're WITH them and you approach with arms length. We cannot just TELL them what we know, they would never understand it. And I worry if I tell you, there would be consequences."

"Thank you for that. What is the nature of your message?"

"The Hungarian has surfaced. And he is dirty."

"Holy cow. With us, or the Chinese?'

"Neither. He is freelance right now. Setting up a deal for himself."

"God, this is perfect. Naturally you would like the little roach squashed. The Chinese, from what I can ascertain, are not his fans at the moment either. He could be put out to retirement without either side protecting him.

"Go to Murray. He has the ear of the KGB right now. He got a new...well, just say he did good last month...but listen, do it this way...that guy is ALWAYS looking for an angle..."

******************

"Good morning, Roy."

"Is this Sam?"

"Yes, Roy. I need help. We finally have a go with Winona Ryder."

"Never thought I'd see the day.."

"I did..."

"Well, you're smarter then me. What do you need?"

"A real 'show stopper' Roy. Can you come up with one? I'm fresh out."

"My best is being used...but I have something on the stove that will fill the bill nicely..even better then that other one. I'll run it past my little lady.

"I won't need it back until next spring. And it will be nice to give it a dry run..should have it ready in a couple of days."

Roy could hear Sam's smile over the phone. Sam had a very nice smile when it came to business..

"Yes...it would be nice to see a dry run..Nothing too..complicated...right?"

"It could get tough, but I'll be right beside her. She won't like that, though...."

"She will not have a choice...I think..."

"Usual rate?"

"..oh, yeah...sure...whatever...I think we can even soak Rusty for a little more on this one..."

"Good talking to you Roy."

"Thank you Sam."

Roy rang off and smiled. Sam always made him feel good. A real CRAFTSMAN.

RUSTY'S CASINO LAS VEGAS. NOV. 1960. DAY SIX. 1900

"You speak American very well." observed Keaton.

"Yeah. Mention spy and everybody things of delicatessen accents. They DO like us to fit in.."

"But this working together...does that happen a lot?"

"More then you would think. Every spring two guys have lunch over a picnic table and decide how much water goes to Israel and how much goes to Jordan. Even though neither officially does business.

"Yalta and Korea really kick started us. If we had more communication, neither would have happened. You guys over estimated Pappa Joe's strength after the war, so that was the American motive to start talking over the fence. Korea worked to spur on both of us. We couldn't get out of THAT one until Stalin died..and nothing much was accomplished..

"Now Steve here, he is too modest to tell you his contribution to international cooling of temper..mostly it's still classified, but try to imagine this...

"Think of a power plant, the kind that would leak RADIATION...now imagine one goes up in the SOUTHWEST..can you picture how happy children who had been evacuated out of their homes would be if they got a free toy and a hot meal? That really went far to help us see Americans in a different light..."

Keaton turned to Doc Slater." What is he talking about?"

Steve looked Dave squarely in the eye." Nothing. Nothing at all. The CIA picked up an explosion on one of their...well...they picked up an explosion. But nothing checked out. Government asked if they had a problem. If they wanted help. Russians said no. Everything was fine.

"But this nuke plant that used to make electricity showed up missing on photos...so did the big pile of nuke waste that was behind the plant stacked like a compost heap. The Russians still said nothing had happened. You cannot go within 25 square miles of the place where the plant used to be now, and nobody lives there. But nothing happened.

"So a bunch of us, we decided to make an end run. Asked if we could contribute to kids Christmas funds over there. Well, they took that. A few of the group made it over to actually make sure that the toys got to kids and not the black market.

"But nothing happened, right Dave?'

"No, nothing. " replied Dave looking Steve right in the eye gaze for gaze." I gained a friend and a lot of homeless kids had a nicer Christmas then they would usually get, even though some of them died of radiation sickness that spring. Funny how all those cases came from the same neighborhood if somebody took the time to look..."

********************

"Your final instructions for the day sir?"

"Yes. Shoot."

"Charles Osborne and Rebecca Francisco. Arrive at midnight."

"Suite on the top floor. Three guitars. Stereo with the Ventures. Stereo with Elvis. Breakfast at 8. One plate fresh fruit. One plate eggs and waffles. Extra syrup."

"Doctor Robert Johnson, also due in at midnight."

"Forget it. He will never show. Rent his room to the first man that will come to the front desk in a Hawaiian shirt, flirt with the desk girl, ask for a copy of the new Groucho Marx bestseller, and want a stereo with Little Richard records. The Little Richard will be important."

"Sir, that could be anybody..."

"No, it won't...serve him Special K with toast and honey."

"Chris Chao. Fred "Larry-O" Tate."

"Stereo for Chao. There is a girl who sings in South East Asia. Sounds like Shelley Fabares, all echoey...Big Brown Eyes...soft black lacquered hair...have her records..the name is on file...Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Unbuttered toast. No bacon."

And Mr. Tate?

"Take a suite. Don't tell me which one. Put the key in an envelope. Take 50 bucks from petty cash. Put the envelope with the key and the 50 dollars in the furnace room. Write "20 minutes" on the outside. Go up to the room and wait. If he shows in 20 minutes, let him keep the money. If he doesn't, get it back..he should not be in any case later then half an hour."

"And for breakfast?"

Rusty looked at her in admiration. A quick girl.

"L.A. breakfast burrito. Steak and eggs. Recipe is with his file at the front desk.

"Is Winona Ryder where she was last?"

"Yes sir."

"Very good. Thank you."

Rusty took the stairs up to his suite. He could feel the tension of the day start to roll off his shoulders. He headed over to the bar. The room was black except for the light that glowed behind and below the bar.

Years of running his place told him what would happen next. So did the cameras.
He had the Johnny Walker black over the ice and just about up to his lips before she spoke up.

"What is going on Rusty?"

Winona Ryder was out in the darkness. The big corner chair with her head back on the rest. He thought he could smell Captain Morgan.

He knew this was coming. It didn't make it easier. He said nothing. He needed another few seconds to steel himself.

"Turn on the lights." she asked. Her voice was a cold column of marble. He had to physically stop himself from hitting the switch.

"You hug me. You tell me you love me. But in a tone that my Uncle Nessy Plantagent used before he died of cancer. I don't have cancer, do I?"

"No."

"You do not have cancer, do you?"

"Not according to the last check up. Blood pressure up a little bit. Should cut out the fatty foods."

"Then the lady who cleans out the rooms says she hears that Renny Day Cart is coming to town, that the deal has been sealed."

"Yes."

"Is the lady also correct in telling me that she will be performing here?"

"She is."

"I won't ask you again. Turn on the lights."

High noon. The room exploded in a yellow blaze that made them both blink. Rusty had been crying softly. Winona had a tear going down one cheek. The eyes that were usually wide and deep were narrow now. Narrow and angry.

Rusty had seen eyes like that once before. Back on the farm. A stupid boy from town had tried to drown his cat and when he pulled the animal out of the river, it had the same narrow hate filled eyes that burned into Rusty's flesh with guilt.

"Do you know how I really feel about that girl?"

"I have an idea."

"Let me CHART IT OUT FOR YOU." she almost screamed the last part. Then the voice went back to cold marble. "You know about the Oscar. You know she turned her back on me and betrayed me in my hour of biggest need. But do you know about James Dean?"

"You were lovers. For a summer. Big Daddy knew."

She laughed: "Yeah. He WOULD know. But did he tell you this? After we made love for the first time, he cried beside me in the bed. I mentioned it once to Ronny and she made a joke about it.

"He was totally honest and child like and it was a big laugh all over Sunset Strip. And all because of her. I can forgive a lot of things...but THAT...WELL... But why should I have to tell you? Aren't my wishes enough for you? Did we NOT have a deal? Wasn't this the ONE PLACE IN AMERICA that I could come and not have her face rubbed into mine??

"What was the rate?"

Rusty loved it. The bottom line always comes." No more then usual. Regular rate. Second room."

This struck her like a blow.

"She gets the regular rate? She will make a fortune on the turn over with that. "

"No, no she will not..."

A silence. She saw the tears. Felt some of the grief and guilt that were gnawing at him. Something else had to be going on. Okay. Let's see what:" What are you doing?"

"I have a bad feeling. I think we are in danger. I think the whole thing could blow out of control if we are not careful. Sure, we snuck you in and we have you under guard so the escaped killer can't get you.

"But the Hungarian is behind the movie you want to buy. He could kill for profit or just for kicks. And he will not be happy at all, not one single bit, when he looses those films..."

"Go on..."

"I let her have the room but I let her have it because I need an empty room and a full one. Remember the shell game? YOU will be in the full room. Hundreds of people for protection. SHE will have the empty one. I can move what I want."

She thought about this." You will set her up to fail?"

"I have more experience with more shows in this town then most. She will come in and make mistakes. I will let her. Besides, her act stinks."

Winona leaned her head back and giggled softly." She will have celeb duets."

"Yes."

She started to chuckle." She will want a chorus line..dancers..."

"Yes."

"She will pause for a moment of silent prayer for 'Daddy'" By now she was laughing.

"I hope so, it was a big show stopper in L.A."

They both guffawed.

She took a belt of the Captain Morgan rum. "So what do you have in the first room that will be so all fire hot?"

"Charles and I have been working on that. The ultimate rock and roll show."
"Who?"

"The Ventures. Fats Domino. Maury Williams. Duane Eddy. Chuck Berry. Little Richard. Link Ray. "

"The guitar acts I recognize as Charles. But the black acts sound like..."

'Big Daddy...yes. Yes they are. We are pulling in markers."

"Who else?"

Now, it was time for the bait...he had to remember to dangle it properly.
 

"I didn't tell you about all of this because you have enough on your plate, and there was nothing for you to do. But the rock and roll show would allow me to get Charles and you and the rest into town and not cause too much concern. We all might get out alive.

"Now, this one is big, and I needed a closer. So I went out and got Elvis."

"Bullshit. Elvis bombed at the Frontier. I was there. Vegas is a great town for him to party. Lousy town for him to play."

"WHY do you interrupt?" asked Rusty in mock frustration." Elvis has that southern gentleman pride. He wants to redeem himself. The Frontier was one of his few failures.

He is really bugged by the movies now. He would like to salvage this.

He cannot perform here, his manager won't allow it. But he wants to send in a guinea pig to work out the bugs first. He effectively wants to produce an act and see if he can figure out the rules to going over in Vegas.

"Now, no one must know. Just to take some of the heat off, he thought it should be a girl act...and it was there that we ran into trouble."

Easy, Rusty...he said to himself, dangle dangle..

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, I worked out a deal with Sam Arkoff to film the show and cut the thing down to a feature length."

Now this was the dangerous part, old boy. You have to use the name 'Sam'...just keep going and concentrate on THIS Sam...dangle, dangle...

"HE wanted Annette Funicello."

"...oh God!!!" gasped Winona.

"Now come on...who else do we HAVE? Shelley Fabares? Connie Francis? If it is going to be a movie, we need an ACTRESS to sing the last song, and that is my problem. YOU won't sing live for money. God knows I have asked you again and again and again.

"Winona, I say, star in a show in my big room..."

She grew restless and looked resentful.

"But: I cannot let you do that. No indeed. Especially after that romance that you had with The King. But do you think you could M.C.?"

A good magician never looks at things he wants his audience to ignore. Since Rusty wanted her to think the main thrust of his pitch was THIS, he stared right at her.
It worked.

"I'm not big with live crowds, but yeah...I could do THAT.. I mean, I'm doing the 'Gone with the Wind' special at the same time, right? What's one more gig?"

Rusty turned to the bar and poured another Johnny Walker. Magic time. Time to NOT concentrate on what he wanted to push.

"What is the show stopper that Elvis wants his female to do...you never told me..."
"A Buddy Holly song. 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore'. He wants to do it slow tempo. More acoustic. He thinks the New York studio ruined it by making it bright and bouncy. He says he keeps hearing a long, low guitar solo. Charles can hear it too..It's a got a good range...Jimmy Durante could not blow it.."

Winona took the last of the rum. The ice tinkled in the bottom of the glass.

"The boy makes sense. Let me know when he comes into town. And have Charles give me a ring. Hey, it could not HURT to LOOK at it, right?"

"Uh, yeah...yeah...I was going to ask you to do that for me, actually...see if it sounds good to you...have the guys play through it once for you...I respect your taste."

"Gawd, Elvis...he was something...did you ever met the Mom?"

"Once."

"Unique lady...For some reason, she was absolutely crackers about me..."

"Did you break up on good terms?"

"Oh yeah, yeah...I even went to the funeral. He liked that..but oh, did he FEEL the death of Mom..."

"So you could SING for him and not be put out?"

"Hell, YES, if he wants me! I could try! Did he SAY he wanted me to TRY?"

The fish was nibbling. It was time to start reeling. But slowly.

"Yes. But geez, kid, he thought the same way I did. He didn't THINK you would WANT to do it live for ANYTHING.

Me, I saw it as a great chance. I mean, Oscar, maybe Emmy for the TV. show, maybe Grammy for a good record...and there has never been a really good rock and roll documentary...it is only a matter of time before there is one, too. The equipment is getting better and better.."

"Tell him to call me."

"I'll have him do that...by the way...could you listen to one of Big Daddy's groups?"

Winona's made a face. Her taste was for more of the guitar bands. Less for Big Daddy's honkers and shouters. None for his jazz.

"Who are they?"

"Total unknowns. The Sheppards. Chicago. But they literally make the girls faint in the aisles.."

She put on the single, 'Island of Love' with no interest.

Then the 45 started.

It was like she knew the words before the lead singer even sang them. Every harmony was perfect..like she had taken it all in during a previous trip and simply forgotten it until now...slow, seductive. tender, mellow. The perfect love song. She saw Brando. And Dean..She saw herself at 15 for the first love...It was love remembered. Love longed for.

She shed a tear again.

"That son of a b*tch." she said." That big son of a b*tch."

"He comes up with some stuff, doesn't he?"

"Mr. Rusty...forgive me for doubting you. May we have this dance?"

She turned over the 45 to play 'Never Felt this Way Before'.

They slow danced above Vegas as the lights of the city outside winked around them.
 

**********************

"So now what happens?" asked Keaton.

"We do this message thing. Then the KGB puts some heat on The Hungarian." replied Dave.

"...Will they...kill him?"

Dave thought about his answer." Maybe. Depends entirely on their mood, really. They could tell him to cool it, they could cut off ties, they could send out a clean up crew. Most of the time they take the cost effectiveness into account, but not always. And The Hungarian has been playing fast and loose with everybody. The Chinese won't admit it, but they will be glad to see him 'retire'."

Keaton looked sad and perplexed and agitated at the same time. "Lord, is this a cut throat business."

"You should have seen things about five years ago. The temperatures have cooled nicely since then."

With that, Doc Slater brought out a Slinky and an Etch-a-scetch. "Here, this is for the KGB and you."

"Which one is the KGB agent, by the way?" asked Keaton."Doc told me one would be in the room."

"That's right. Standard procedure. They just want to make sure nothing weird goes down. They wouldn't try to bug us or anything. Just watch at a distance. They get the Etch-a-sketch. It will fetch a months' worth of food back in Siberia on the black market."

"So who is it?"

"Old lady. But she isn't old, and she is not a woman. Make-up. Married and father of one. Heads back to Moscow tonight. This is his last mission here. I am very low risk, Mr. Keaton."

"You seem to have a clear eyed view of things..."

'So why would I not defect? I love my country. There is a lot wrong with it...but have you ever READ our constitution? It is beautiful, Mr. Keaton. We are not practicing it. And after Stalin many people doubt we even HAVE a constitution, but it is, in my humble opinion, even better then the French or American models it used as inspiration.

"I think you will become more like us, and we will become more like you...I think communism is here to stay, and we will stop these stupid turf wars. Then maybe both countries can get together and make a car the rest of the world would like to buy...
"At any rate, it would be nice to see more culture between the two super powers...and less bickering like that fight between Khrushchev and that stupid Nixon."

All three laughed.

Dave got up and shook hands and left the room.

The old lady finished her tea and left three minutes later.

**********************

After all their time together, Rebecca Francisco knew how to wake up her man. It took slow, steady pressure to the shoulder. No sudden moves. She had made that mistake one night and wound up staring down the barrel of a gun for her trouble.

They were circling McCarren and she was looking at the lights. "Do they have an eclectic bill or WHAT?"

"Actually, they have access to some of the cheapest power in North America and the world" Charles replied.

As they landed and went through the airport, Osborne told her how gambling had been legalized in 1931 and the Hoover Dam had been fired up in 1935.

"Ever since the switch was thrown, they've used as much as the wires will take..some of those colors you can't see anywhere else, in fact...They figure if some is good, as much as they can get is better.."

"The sign in front of Rusty's takes 30 thousand light bulbs and 20 miles of wiring. I was out here for a job a about a year ago. The one hotel we did? Their main pool loses about 5 thousand gallons of water a day to just evaporation."

Rebecca whistled low.

Charles was always of two minds regarding Vegas. He dug the relaxation the city could afford and had sat in with a lot of the acts. But there was enough of the Old New England Puritan in his blood to make him shake his head when he passed signs that read;" Cash your pay check here and earn millions".

Francisco had never seen him gamble and knew why. It was years ago, he had first came out when he hit the big time. He had gone on a tear with Dean Martin and lost it all in one night.

Since then, he regarded the casino floor the same way he looked at the assembly line for Ford or Coors..it was a way to make money for somebody else...not him...these people were in the harvesting business. And they harvested the hopes of millions everyday.

They checked into Rusty's and headed back down stairs. There was no sense trying to get to sleep yet. That would hit them like a club at about one a.m.

In the meantime, a room was set aside, and Charles unpacked his acoustic Gibson. He was still tuning when a guy about 5 foot 9 came in and began to work on the piano. He was playing 'The Old Rugged Cross' and Rebecca was about to tell the jerk to knock it off when she realized it was Elvis Presley.

"It's alright, honey...maybe I would be better off if MORE people got angry at me and told me to shut up.." Presley laughed. "Here...try and sing this note...can you do that??"
Rebecca said she could and did.

"We may need a background singer for this one if I can't hire anybody cheap that night, and angel face, you have the looks for it..."

Francisco thought she would faint but instead just smirked and thanked him.
Charles was sitting beside Elvis now, and trying out the notes and alternating chords for the song.

"Well, this sounds promising. What say we phone up the Little Lady?"

Charles went over to the phone behind the empty bar and gave a call up to Winona's room.

L.A. CA NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 2 A.M.

There were two cars. Four men got out of them. Two out of each. One man remained with another man in the back of the first car.

The two cars were parked in front of the house of Officer Donald Duck LAPD.

The four men paused on the concrete pathway. They loaded some handguns.

The first hail of gunfire from the upstairs window cut down the man on the end.

"Spread out "yelled one man. "He DIES. If the family gets in the way, kill them all."

"I'm not here to kill defenseless kids and women." yelled back the second.

Another hail of gun fire. The man who was not there to kill defenseless kids and women was dead in the front yard. The two men left started for the back and the front doors at the same time.

Chapter 23: Strangers in the Night

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 2300

Jen watched Winona Ryder walk into the room with what Jen called "Winona's tired walk". Few knew or noticed she had been hit and knocked over hard during a stunt once and as a result she tended to list to one side when she was very tired. The ankle of the right and the knee of the left. Or the other way around.

"What's up, boss?" asked Jen.

Winona told Jen everything that had happened upstairs at Rusty's.

"So do you feel better now?"

"Well, okay, a little. I don't think he has ACTIVELY betrayed me. But SOMETHING is going on, and I don't know what."

"What makes you say that?"

"Hon, I was a tray girl for almost a year...oh, you wouldn't know what that is...a tray girl gives the magician his props, helps him misdirect...tougher then what you think..you have to think totally in time with the magician. It's practically dancing with him...and Rusty, remember, is an old magician..I had the d**nest feeling up there that I was doing a tray girl job for him and not even knowing it...I smell something, but I don't know what.."

L.A. CA NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN ONE A.M.

Officer Donald Duck was a passionate husband. And a considerate one. The wife had taken the kids to the beach and he had finished early at work. He had come home early and cleaned the house and put a meal on for them all.

Duck considered his marriage a partnership, not a 'MAN IN CHARGE' deal like a lot of cops who are used to having what they say taken without question. His wife had been a former Ford model, and he loved doing whatever made her happy.

After tucking his 4 children in, they got to bed after the late news and she leaned over to express her affection.

After a long time married, couples can talk in a sort of shorthand, where a word or phrase innocent in and of itself could drive the other wild with anger, irritation, or passion.

Tonight Mrs. Duck whimpered common simple words into her husbands ear that drove him wild. They made soft quiet love so as not to awaken the children. This drove Duck into further heights of passion; the erotic necessity of being sneaky.

When they finished and kissed and rolled over to hug one another under the sheets, Duck fell asleep almost at once.

It was not until he heard the scream of his daughter from downstairs that he woke up.
 

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 2310

Winona answered the phone and was excited almost immediately. She turned to Jen after she hung up.

"Remember when I told you I dated Elvis? Looks like you get to meet him tonight..."
Jen screamed that high pitched howl of delight that girls the world over unleash when their circuits are in danger of over amping.

"Oh my Gawd, Really Really?? I CANNOT handle this! Listen, tell me something so I do NOT MAKE a fool of myself...I NEED to be cool!!!"

"Okay, okay, uh...he uses Pepsi Cola for a salad dressing. Honest. And picture this. He has really bad acne. On his back. Huge black heads. I used to have to pop them for him. They would curl when they came out like little worms..."

"Eeewwwwww...okay, THAT did it...yeah, yeah, I think I'll be okay now, I'll just picture that...holy SMOKE..."

"Come ON...he is downstairs in one of the unused rooms, and he WANTS TO HAVE ME SING.."

Jen uttered two words that would describe sanctified excrement.

L.A. CA. NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 0110

Duck was out of bed in a bound and lumbering down the stairs by twos. Half way down he noticed the lights were on.

At the bottom of the stairs he found his dog. It was eating a piece of salami. He then found his daughter standing in front of a man wearing a gas uniform.

"Daddy, this man says there is a gas leak in the neighborhood and we have to go to a hotel tonight. I was scared because he rang the door bell and I was down here by myself...sometimes I come down and get some milk and give doggie a little snack too, and I got scared.

"I'm sorry."

The two men's' eyes met.

"Good evening, Mr. Holden."

"Hi, Officer Duck."

The girl smiled and relaxed a bit. "Daddy, you KNOW the gas man??"

"Mr. Holden and I met a while ago..at a diner. Right, Kenneth?"

"Mr. Duck...you have to leave. You and your family. Now. The neighborhood is not safe. Gas."

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX. 2320

Elvis Presley got up when Winona and Jen walked in past his entourage. "Hey Petaluma!"

"Hey, Tupelo! Long time no see!"

"They hugged and pecked like brother and sister and shared a laugh.

"What HAS it been? Year?"

"Didn't see you at Buddy Holly's funeral."

He gave her a haunted look. "I could NOT make it.."

She believed him. Few knew the two had been friends during Elvis' barnstorming tours through Texas. They maintained a friendly competition...until Feb. 1959.

He snapped out of it immediately. "C'mere, we have a song we want you to do for Rusty's little rock and roll show...and he thinks you're the only girl in town pretty enough to bring it off."

If it had not been for the zit story, Jen would have fainted on the spot. As it was, she was in need of a chair.

Winona sat down beside him at the piano...

L.A. CA. NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 0120

"Honey, go upstairs and tell your mother what you just told me. Get dressed. I'll be up in a while." Duck waited until the girl was safely upstairs and then turned to Kenneth." What do you want?"

"I am a bad man. I know this now. I am not a cop. I dress up like one. I act like one. But I am not a cop. I have killed. And I hurt Miss Danni. I wanted to give myself up tonight.."

Mrs. Duck came down the stairs and paused on the landing." Honey, WHAT is going on!"

"A gas leak, dear, we have to go to the Holiday Inn for the night, and the gas company pays.  Just keep the receipts. We all get to go, right Mr. Holden??"

"Yes. That is right. I will have to stay behind to fix the leak. Both houses on either side are doing the same. Look."

Holden had obviously gotten the other two houses up first. They had either left, or were pulling out of the driveway.

RUSTY'S CASINO, NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX. 2330

"Anybody know where a man can get a decent submarine sandwich in this place?"

"Doc Slater, Get over here! We need a drummer! Still have your union card?" Elvis waved Steve to the drum stand while Buster pulled up a chair for Steve's wife, Gwen.
"Drummer? Hell, hire RYDER! Didn't she ever TELL you how she played 'Sing Sing Sing' and brought the house down for the high school talent show??"

"We need some brushwork for this one...Winona is singing lead, Jen, 'Becca, and ...Gwen, get over here, we need a trio..that will sound good...now, Charles, take it from the top, the acoustic opening, like I said.."

L.A. CA. NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 0130

Mrs. Duck had gone upstairs.

Duck headed over to the nightstand.

"It's not there. Your gun. I have it in the gas truck. I do NOT want to hurt you. But I don't want you to hurt me. I was going to give myself up to Danni.

"I was there. In the diner. When she came in and talked to you. And I knew I had broken her heart." Holden was trying hard not to cry.

Duck had slipped into an emotional void that he used to allow himself to record every detail. Not to judge. Not to make assumptions. But to be able to recall it all back later.
 

"I wanted to turn myself in. I could not. I know that if I do, I will get the chair. I will pee in the chair. I will pee and be a bad boy and go to hell even deeper then I am going now.

"Tonight, I was sitting outside the police station. I was trying to be brave enough to go in an' surrender. I am sick of all of this. But they were moving the FBI man who was mean to you. Powell.

"They were taking him downstairs to the garage, and two cars pulled up. They shot the policemen trying to take Powell away and they threw Powel into one of their cars.

"I thought they were bad man at first, like Powell. But they are different bad man. They yelled for numbers and Powell said he would give them any d**n numbers they wanted as long as they killed you first.

"It took me half an hour to find your name in the book. There are not that many Donald Ducks in L.A. Now, leave and come back tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am redeeming myself. Tonight. I have done bad things. I will burn in Hell. But maybe God can forgive me if I save the life of a cop and kill the men who are after him.

"You have insurance, yes?"

"Yes...why?"

"I have soap, and fertilizer and gunpowder and flares and other common useful household products in the truck. I have a handgun on me. I have an automatic rifle. I have a shot gun. It all ends tonight. My life for yours. I will not go to the chair."

Duck would have been able to take it if Holden had delivered his speech in a dramatic voice like Charlton Heston. But Holden merely told him these things. Like he was describing the tools he would need to fix his gas leak.

It was that calm reasonable voice that almost made him cry. He ran upstairs to get his children and his wife and his clothes and get out.

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 0130

Charles' guitar twanged out a high ending as Winona sang about it not mattering anymore. Big Daddy had come in with a blues harp, and Rusty had come down to play piano. The two had trioed with Charles on the bridge while Steve brushed softly behind them.

Everybody held their breath, realizing they had a winner. Then the room erupted in clapping and cheers.

"And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a HIT!!!" Elvis was pleased with himself.

"Okay, okay, great song, but not a climax..." added Winona, her own toughest customer.

"Yeah, we need another one BEFORE THAT, don't we?" observed Charles, right on cue.
"And another one we have..."chimed in Big Daddy." Try this one...'Louie Louie' by Richard Berry"

"Was that the one Rusty played for me upstairs"

Steve sat back and marveled at the clockwork precision that was going down here.

Without that dance upstairs, he could guess what Winona's reaction to the song suggestion would have been.

"No, this is one from Richard Berry and the Dreamers. But we wanna play it loud, more like Charles' surf and stomp stuff..Hey, Chris! Still do bass?"

"Yeah...but not that much..."

"Son, this one J. Fred Muggs could handle...strap it on..."encouraged the King.

"Okay, Rusty...chord this one. Charles...I think you know what we need.

Wolf...rhythm...Winona, the words...here..." Big Daddy had magically produced about eight copies of the song. Ryder's eyes narrowed, but when the force of the guitars hit her in the gut, following the piano that had slammed in behind the bass and drums, she was sold.

L.A. CA NOV. 1960. DAY SEVEN 0130

"Hello, this is Duck.."

"FUCK!!!! Thank Christ himself you are safe!!! We have been trying to call you...The police were ambushed tonight, four killed trying to move that FBI man...we couldn't reach you..."

"I know, I know, I know, shut up, shut up...The phone line is dead. I'm at a booth. I got out with my family. Ken Holden is at my house, got that? He is waiting for the suspects and he is setting up some kind of d**n suicide ambush. Get some black and whites out there. Get back up.."

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 2340

"So El', why are you DOING this?" asked Winona.

"Hey, ever hear of Ike Turner? Used to be the A&R man at Sun Records, right? Well, he has DONE the same thing with his wife, Tina. They went over the top this year with something called "Fool in Love". If I don't do it now, somebody else is gonna beat me to it...and who else has rock and roll DOWN more then YOU??"

Winona turned red and punched him in the arm. Dang southern charm.

L.A. CA. NOV. 1960 DAY SEVEN 0210

Mrs. Plotsky, from up the block phoned in the shots and told the police the Red Chinese or the Russians were attacking in her neighborhood and what the heck were they going to DO about it?

The two gunmen hit their doors at the same time. Nothing downstairs.

They headed upstairs. They still found nothing. They were also by this time running on nerves. They did not smell the gas. They could not know the leak was real. That Holden had evacuated the families on both sides of the Duck property for more reasons then just to avoid hostages being taken or hit from stray shots.

"Jesus loves me, this I know..."

Kids bedroom...

"For the Bible tells me so..."

They lined up on either side of the door.

"Little ones to him belong..."

They broke down the door.

Inside was a record player. The paused at this.

From out in the backyard, they saw Holden. He was crying in the moonlight. Holding a detonator in his hand. He was perfectly happy.

"They are weak but he is strong. Yes. Jesus loves me. Yes. Jesus loves me. Yes. Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so...the bible..the bible..the bible..the bible..."

The house swayed and rocked as it exploded in the night. The tree caught fire. The windows next door on either side shattered.

The car out front shot off into the night. At the end of the street, a black and white blasted out the tires and the car hit a light pole. The man in front's head hit the horn.

He did not move.
 

RUSTY'S CASINO NEV. NOV. 1960 DAY SIX 2340

"Okay, know what? We can fix that..." Elvis was solving problems for Winona faster then she could come up with them." Charles, show her the mic...this is a Shure mic, the blues special...I know your biggest fear is going out of pitch or starting out on the wrong note...this thing was MADE for the untrained voice...Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, they all used this or it's cousin.."

She gave Elvis and Charles and Rusty and Big Daddy a severe look. Or tried to.

"Don't think you have FOOLED me. I know what is going on here...You all want to see me perform...and okay, you got me..."

They all cheered and whistled.

"But one time, one night, one performance only..."

Charles whistled at the unwitting title of a rock and roll documentary classic.

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