Stained–smell it–semen.
Side 19
Ellroy – White Jazz
“Now it is not to laugh. I buy Lucille and Madge so many nice clothes that they must keep some down in the parlor. Perverted degenerate wants to hurt Lucille’s pretty things. _You look_.”
Tijuana whore stuff: “Pretty.”
“Not so funny now, Dan Wilhite’s errand boy. Now you don’t laugh.”
“Call Dan. Tell him what you want done.”
“I clean my own house!”
“Nice threads. Your daughter working her way through college?”
Fists clenching/veins popping/face-rips trickling–this fat greasy fuck pressing close.
Shouts upstairs.
I ran up. A room off the hall–scope the damage: Tommy K. up against the wall. Reefers on the floor, tough guy Junior frisking him. Jazz posters, Nazi flags, a sax on the bed.
I laughed.
Tommy smiled nice–this skinny nongreaser.
Junior: “He _flaunted_ that maryjane. He _ridiculed_ the Department.”
“Sergeant, apologize to Mr. Kafesjian.”
Half pout, half shriek: “Dave . . . God. . . _I’m sorry_.”
Tommy lit up a stick and blew smoke in Junior’s face.
J.C., downstairs: “Go home now! I clean my own house!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Bad sleep, no sleep.
Meg’s call woke me up: get our late rent settled, no silk-dress talk. I said,
“Sure, sure”–hung up and pitched Jack Woods: twenty percent on every rent dollar collected. He jewed me up to twenty-five-I agreed.
Work calls: Van Meter, Pete Bondurant, Fred Turentine. Three green lights: La Verne’s pad was bugged; a photo man was stashed in the bedroom. Diskant–tailed and overheard: drinks at Ollie Hammond’s Steakhouse, 6:00 P.M.
The bait stood ready: _our_ Commie consort. Pete said _Hush-Hush_ loved it: pinko politico trips on his dick.
I called Narco–Dan Wilhite was out–I left a message. Bad sleep, no sleep-the nightmare Kafesjians. Junior last night, comic relief: “I know you don’t think I rate the Bureau, but I’ll show you, I’ll really show you.”
5:00 P.M.–fuck sleep.
I cleaned up, checked the _Herald_–Chavez Ravine bumped my dead man off page one. Bob Gallaudet: “The Latin Americans who lose their dwellings will be handsomely compensated, and in the end a home for the L.A. Dodgers will serve as a point of pride for Angelenos of all races, creeds and colors.”
Knee-slapper stuff–it doused my Kafesjian hangover.
Side 20
Ellroy – White Jazz
* * *
Ollie Hammond’s–stake the bar entrance, wait.
Morton Diskant in the door, six sharp.
La Verne Benson in at 6:03–tweed skirt, knee sox, cardigan.
6:14–Big Pete B., sliding the seat back.
“Diskant’s with his friends, La Verne’s two booths down. Two seconds in and she’s giving him these hot looks.”
“You think he’ll tumble?”
“I would, but then I’m a pig for it.”
“Like your boss?”
“You can say his name-Howard Hughes. He’s a busy guy–like you.”
“He was a dumb fuck. If he didn’t jump, I probably would have pushed him.”
Pete tapped the dashboard–huge hands–they beat a drunk-tank brawler dead. The L.A. Sheriff’s canned him; Howard Hughes found a soulmate.
“You been busy?”
“Sort of. I collect dope for _Hush-Hush_, I keep Mr. Hughes out of _Hush-Hush_.
People try to sue _Hush-Hush_, I convince them otherwise. I scout pussy for Mr.
Hughes, I listen to Mr. Hughes talk this crazy shit about airplanes. Right now Mr. Hughes has got me tailing this actress who jilted him. Dig this: this cooze blows out of Mr. Hughes’ number-one fuck pad, with a three-yard-a-week contract to boot, all to act in some horror cheapie. Mr. Hughes has got her signed to a seven-year slave contract, and he wants to get it violated on a morality clause.
Can you feature this pussy pig preaching morality?”
“Yeah, and you love it because you’re-”
“Because I’m a pig for the life, like you.”
I laughed, yawned. “This could go on all night.”
Pete lit a cigarette. “No, La Verne’s impetuous. She’ll get bored and honk the Commie’s shvantz. Nice kid. She actually helped Turentine set up his microphones.”
“How’s Freddy doing?”
“He’s busy. Tonight he compromises this Commie, next week he wires some fag bathhouse for _Hush-Hush_. The trouble with Freddy T is he’s a booze pig. He’s got all these drunk-driving beefs, so the last time the judge stuck him with this service job teaching electronics to the inmates up at Chino. Klein, look.”