Ken got a new case. A working stiff, Mr. Robert Fletcher, was convinced his Ol’ Lady is stepping out on him. He follows her and finds she has a “Sugar Daddy”. Ken is never happy to take these kinds of jobs but the guy is paying, so he tracks her for almost a week. He carries his Land camera and snaps pics every time he can.
It starts off simple enough. She tells her hubby she is going to work. A waitress at a greasy spoon. But following her, Ken finds out she was fired and is getting picked up by some guy. They go to cafés, hooch joints, and card dens. He gifts her with lace and nylons. She changes out of her waitress getup and dresses to the nines for her new man, like she is his “Doll”. Ken does his best to keep back, and just take notes. He knows that if he takes photos from too far away, they wouldn’t show anything and if he’s too close, the game will be up. The cafes and bars are easy to follow them, but it’s harder to follow them into a game. Regardless of where they go, around 4, she changes back into her waitress uniform and he drops her off at the bus stop near her house. By the time her old man gets home, she has dinner started and is back being the ‘happy housewife’. Any lettuce she has from her Sugar Daddy, she passes off as tips from work.
He doesn’t recognize the Sugar Daddy. He apparently has lots of scratch to spread around, but Ken is never really good about knowing all of the high rollers in town. He might be a Sharper, or a Butter and Egg man. Ken just hopes he’s not running number and carrying the poke for one of the Mobs.
One early afternoon, they leave a game being held in a warehouse. Sugar Daddy has Doll in tow, as they get into his sedan. He looks unhappy and she looks a little nervous. They drive a few blocks and park in an alley. Ken follows behind and uses his binoculars to watch. They are talking, and she is shaking her head. He smacks her. She rubs her cheek and looks around. Then Ken watches as her head bobs up and down in the guys lap. He can’t get a good view. The guy can’t be too big, because she is taking him all the way in her mouth. Or maybe he’s hung like Pete, and Doll has a very talented mouth? Ken tries to take a few snaps, but can’t really see anything clearly. After a few minutes she sits up, and wipes her mouth with a hankie from her purse. She then changes from her dress, back into her waitress outfit. They are done for the day. This guy was being cagy and careful.
Ken finally lucks out one day when at lunchtime they leave another game and go to a hotel. It is a snazzy place, the Palace Hotel. He watches Sugar Daddy and his Doll, take a key from the front desk and make for the elevator. Ken quickly snaps a couple of shots.
He hears a voice behind him. “Whatcha think ya’ doin’, Bub.”
Ken stops, turns, and smiles. It’s the House Dick. Frank Jackson had been a cop but found that he could make more money working at the Palace, paid to keep the peace, and paid to keep quiet.
“Hiya Frank. How’s tricks?” Ken says extending his hand.
Frank shakes it. “I’m okay, but I’d be better if I knew what you were doing.”
“I’m working. The doll who just went upstairs with the high roller, has an old man who’s busy at work all day. He suspects she’s cheating on him. I’m just getting proof.” Ken folds up the camera and puts it in a shoulder bag.
“Hey Ken, I don’t want no trouble here. Maybe you should get outta here.” Frank says, puffing out his chest.
“Easy, pal. It’s not like that. I just want to make sure I got the full story before I go back to the client with proof. Can you help me with a few things?” Ken says as he pulls out a few bills and slips them to Frank.
“Give me another double sawbuck, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Ken pulls out his money clip, pulls a 20 from the center of the fold. “Ok, what do you have?”
Frank leads Ken to the Front Desk. “Alice, gimme the register.”
A thin, but cute brunette reaches under the counter and pulls out the large book.
“Anything for you Frank.” She says with a smile and a wink.
Frank opens it, flips a few pages, then points to a signature. Marcus Powell — Room 1104.
Ken jots it down. “Thanks. Is there any chance I can see what’s going on in 1104?”
Frank closes the book and gives it back to Alice.
“Ken, I can’t let you up. But I can’t control what ya’ do outside of the Palace. Eleventh floor are penthouse suites. 1104 is on the East side. Ya’ might be able to see somethin’, if you understand me.”
“Thanks. By the way, Frank, what do you know about this Powell character? Is he legit, or tied to a mob?”
“That I don’t know. He’s quiet, pays for his suite on time, and up until recently hadn’t been taking anyone up. What’s the deal with the frail, how did she hook up with him?”
“Her husband said she had been working in a hash house, but I found she was let go. What has her husband suspicious is she’s always tired and always has a headache in bed too. That’s when he asked me to snoop.” Ken says reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. He lights it and takes a deep drag, blowing a cloud in the air. “I don’t know how they met, but Sugar Daddy seems to be taking care of her during the day, and sending her home after.”
Franks shakes his head. “That’s a nasty business. Sounds like a Dear John, in the making.”
“Yeah, hate to break my client’s heart, but none of this looks good. By the way, Who owns the other suites?”
Frank shakes his head again. “Nope. That will cost ya’ more than ya’ got. Let’s just say the city’s best and brightest have rooms here. Ya’ come back with another case, and maybe I’ll help.”
“Okay, it was worth a try.” Ken says extending his hand.
“Be careful, I would hate to call the flatfoots on ya’ for being a peeping tom.” Shaking his hand.
“See you around.”
Ken heads back to his office. He needs to make a phone call. Picking up, he dials the Police, “Sergeant Mulrooney Please, Tell him it’s Ken Cooper.”
After a few minutes, he hears “Mulrooney.”
“Brian, its Ken. What’s the skinny on a guy named ‘Marcus Powell’?”
“Kenny, Now what causes you to be asking me about him? You aren’t in any trouble are you.?”
“No, Brian, it’s nothing like that. I’m working a case and the babe he’s seeing is the wife of my client.”
“Oh. So, he’s a homewrecker is he. That makes sense. He’s a high roller. Making from game to game we hear. I don’t think he is a sharper or anything, but just a man who like risk and to press the odds.”
“Is he mobbed up? Whose toes am I stepping on if I keep trailing the skirt?” Ken asks as he jots down some notes in his book.
“Kenny, I hadn’t heard anything about him being with any of the families, just that his name has been mentioned as Vice shut down a few unlicensed games.”
“Thanks Brian. I owe you. Next time I see you, I’ll get you a shot and a beer.”
As Ken hangs up the phone he looks at the clock. It’s mid-afternoon. Sugar Daddy and his Doll will be finishing up and dropping her back home soon. He makes sure he has his binoculars in his bag and drives back towards the Palace Hotel.
When the Palace was built, it was one of the tallest buildings in the area. But that was last century, and a few places have sprung up that are taller. He looks for one on the East side. The Gulstead Building, a high rise with offices, apartments, and an observation area.
“Yeah, that might just be the ticket” Ken thinks to himself as he parks and takes the elevator to the deck.
Walking around, he sees a few tourists using their Brownies to snap shots of the skyline. He walks around looking for the best angle, if there is one.
He looks over to the Palace. Lifting his binoculars, he focuses on the eastern side of the building. The Penthouse suites have balconies, terraces, and large windows. Those are worth a pretty penny. He guesses which one will be 1104. They don’t have curtains, but the rooms look empty. The only sign that they had been there is the bed is unmade. He snaps a photo, so he knows which hotel room to look at next time.
In the suite next to it, he notices some motion.
Setting his camera down, he looks though the binoculars again. He sees two men, and older and a younger one, hugging, and then getting undressed. “Looks like a pansy show is about to start.” He chuckles to himself, about to look away, when he gets a good look at one of the men. Theodore Huddler. “This got more interesting.”
He watches as the older man presses the younger man to his knees. From the angle of the observation deck, Ken gets a clear view of the younger man licking and sucking off his boss. He wishes he had a camera with a telephoto lens. But then he looks away. “Dammit. What does this prove? I already know that Teddy and his friend are together. Karen and Hillary told me as much.” He says to himself as he packs up his binoculars. “I need to focus on the case I have and stop wasting time on Fruit Basket Detail.”
As he rides down the elevator, he shakes his head and smiles. “That’s all it is.” He says aloud. The elevator operator looks at him. “Excuse me Sir?”
“Nothing. The observation deck has a wonderful view.” He responds holding up his binoculars and patting his camera bag.
“Yes. Sir. You should return at sunrise and sunset. The view is exquisite.”
“Thank you. I will keep that in mind. See you around.” Ken says adjusting his fedora as he walks across the lobby.
Sitting inside his car he lights up a cigarette and laughs. “That is what has been bothering me about the Huddlers, it reminds me of doing the Fruit Basket detail. I got to keep my head focused. I’m not working for the Provost Marshal. I don’t care who sleeps with who, unless I’m paid to. I already have a client.” He puts the car into gear and drives to the office.
For the next few hours, he writes up a report. The only thing that it’s missing is photos or a description of Sugar Daddy and Doll together in bed. He might have to go up to the observation deck one more time and see if he can get lucky.
Joan comes over, looking at the photos on the desk. “Hey Boss, what’s with the pics of the Palace Hotel? Good shots, but…”
“Yeah, they only show an empty bed. I need to go back tomorrow and see if I can catch ’em. But I also have to be sure I have the right room.” He shows her the photo he took in the lobby of them getting into the elevator. “That’s what I’m writing up in the report for the client. Mr. Marcus Powell has a penthouse suite, room 1104. He is apparently entertaining our client’s wife there. Or has at least moved up to taking her there instead of in his sedan.” Ken comments as he points to a photo of a man sitting in a car, with possibly a woman’s head in his lap.
“Gee Boss, that’s gonna break Mr. Fletcher’s heart.” She responds in a sad tone.
“Give him Richard’s number. He’s a good shyster. Should be able to help with the divorce.”
“OK Boss. But couldn’t you let me talk to her, woman to woman first? Maybe it’s just a fling? Maybe she a Catholic?”
He smiles a second at that, remembering how some Italian wives cheating on their husbands, during the war, would have only oral or anal sex because it wasn’t violating their sacred vows. “Maybe she’s into sodomy. Okay, tomorrow morning, when she is supposed to go to work, why don’t you talk to her.”
“Where will you be?”
“I think I’ll watch the sun rise from the Gulstead Building.”
(If you enjoyed this story, leave me a comment. Remember to return tomorrow for Part 5. If you enjoy my writings, follow and subscribe.)
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