“Is it accessible to Miami?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I was thinking of the Tiger Kab stand as a recruiting hub.”
Stanton looked almost hot and bothered. “Gangster connotations aside, I think the Tiger Kab place could be utilized. Chuck Rogers is working there already, so we’ve already got an in.”
Kemper said, “John”–very slowly.
Stanton looked dead ecstatic. “The answer to all your suggestions is yes, pending the deputy director’s approval. And bravo, Kemper. You’re more than fulfilling my expectations.”
Kemper stood up and bowed. “Thanks. And I think we’ll make Castro rue the day he sent that boat off.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears. And by the way, what do you think your friend Jack would say about our little freedom barge?’
Kemper laughed. “Jack would say, ‘Where’s the women?’”
o o o
Paez talked a blue streak. Kemper rolled down his window for relief.
They hit Miami at rush hour. Paez kept jabbering. Kemper drummed the dashboard and tried to replay his talk with Stanton.
“…and Mr. Thomas Gordean was my patron at La United. He loved pussy until his fondness for I. W. Harper bonded bourbon inappropriated him. Most of the executives at La United got out after Castro took over, but Mr. Gordean has remained behind. Now, he is drinking even more heavily. He has several thousand shares of United Fruit stock with him, and refuses to leave. He has bought off militiamen to be his private bodyguards and is beginning to sprout the Communist line himself. My great fear is that Mr. Gordean will go Communisto like the Fidel I loved long ago. I fear that he will become a propaganda tool par eccentricity and…”
“Stock shares”–
“Thomas Gordean”–
A light bulb popped on and nearly blinded him. Kemper almost ran his car off the road.
DOCUMENT INSERT: 2/10/59. Hush-Hush stringer report: Lenny Sands to Pete Bondurant.
Pete,
Here’s a lead I’ve picked up. 1.–Mickey Cohen’s diving for crumbs. He’s got two goons (George Piscatelli & Sam Lo Cigno) set to maybe work a sex shakedown racket. I got this from Dick Contino, in Chicago for some accordion soiree. Mickey got the idea when he read Lana Turner’s love letters to Johnny Stompanato after Lana’s daughter shanked Johnny. Johnny used to screw rich widows and had some out-of-work cameraman film it. Mickey’s got some choice film clips. Tell Mr. Hughes he’ll sell them for 3 grand.
Cheers,
Lenny
DOCUMENT INSERT: 2/24/59. Hush-Hush stringer report: Lenny Sands to Pete Bondurant.
Pete,
I’ve been on the road with Sal D’Onofrio’s junket gig. Here’s some tidbits. 1.–An the midnight shift cocktail waitresses at the Dunes Hotel in Vegas are hookers. They serviced President Eisenhower’s Secret Service crew when Ike addressed the Nevada State Legislature. 2.–Rock Hudson’s banging the maitre d’ at the Cal-Neva restaurant. 3.–Lenny Brace is hooked on dilaudid. There’s a whole squad of L.A. County Sheriff’s set to entrap him the next time he appear’s on the Strip. 4.–Freddy Otash got Jayne Mansfield an abortion. The daddy was a shvartze dishwasher with a 16” schiong. Peter Lawford’s got pictures of the guy stroking it. I bought one off Freddy 0. I’ll send it to you to forward to Mr. Hughes. 5.–Bing Crosby’s drying out at a Catholic Church retreat for alcoholic priests and nuns outside 29 Palms. Cardinal Speliman visited him there. They went on a bender and drove to L.A. blotto. Spellman sideswiped a oar filled with wetbacks and sent 3 of them to the hospital. Bing bought them off with autographed pictures and a few hundred dollars. Spe]Jman flew back to New York with the DT’s. Bing stayed in L.A. long enough to beat up his wife and then went back to the dry-out farm.
Cheers,
Lenny
DOCUMENT INSERT: 3/4/59. Personal note: J. Edgar Hoover to Howard Hughes.
Dear Howard,
I thought I would drop you a line to tell you how much I think Hush-Hush has improved since Mr. Bondurant hired your new stringer. Now there’s a man who would make an excellent FBI agent! I so look forward to the verbatim reports that you send met Should you wish to expedite their delivery, have Mr. Bondurant contact Special Agent Rice at the Los Angeles Office. Many thanks also for the Stompanato home movie and the snapshot of the prodigiously endowed negro. Forewarned is forearmed: you have to know your enemy before you can combat him.