The Monarch Graveyard

by James R Nelson

  Phillip laughed. “That’s the idea. Isolation.”

  Stephen poured some whiskey over ice and handed it to Irving.

  “I must admit, your visit is somewhat of a surprise,” Phillip said.

  Irving took a sip. “I’m sure it is. Like I told your nephew, I had a meeting in Chicago, and I got to thinking. I’d heard Cyrus talk about your secluded place up here several times, so I thought, since I was this close, I’d like to pay you a visit. And of course, there’s the question of who’s going to finance your next project now that Cyrus is laid up.”

  Phillip poured himself a drink. “That brings up a good question. When you called and talked to Stephen, you mentioned that you heard that I was working on a new script. How did you know that? We’ve all been holed up here working. We haven’t said anything to anyone.”

  Irving looked surprised. “I didn’t know it was a secret. My secretary told me. She heard it from her sister who works over at Paramount, who heard it from a friend of Barbara Jenkins.”

  Phillip rolled his eyes. “Barbara! Why am I not surprised? Anyway, about funding. That was a topic Allen and I were discussing yesterday. I’m somewhat amazed that we’re even having this discussion. From what Cyrus told me, you thought the movie business was too speculative. You were more interested in commodities and the energy sector.”

  Irving nodded. “That’s true. But then I saw how healthy the return was on your last few pictures. Have you been following what’s happening at the Straits of Hormuz? It’s making the price of oil much more speculative than your movies.”

  “Not really. I got rid of our TV a few years ago. Anyway, I’m hoping if we can work out a deal somehow, we need to include Cyrus. He’s been there for me. I know you two have had your differences, but with him laid up in the hospital, I’m sure we all can come to some sort of an agreement.”

  Irving nodded. “Certainly. I agree.”

  Phillip stood. “Enough business talk for now. Let me show you around Cliffside Manor.”

  Stephen stepped into the kitchen. “How’s dinner coming?”

  Judith turned from the stove. “I think everything will be fine. Oh, someone called for you about an hour ago. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Who was it?”

  “A Mister Gerard from Television City.” She picked up a paper from the table. “Here’s his number.”

  ###

  As the sun was setting over Big Bay de Noc, the wind picked up and a light rain began to fall. The sudden drop in temperature, along with the drizzle, was enough to quickly disperse the small crowd that had gathered around the veiled figure in front of Britt Adolphson’s memorial stone.

  Once everyone had gone, the woman took a few slow steps, circled the granite stone and then headed over to a beat up car that was almost totally hidden in the woods. She got in the driver’s seat, carefully removed her veil, and started the car.

  She headed north on the two-lane blacktopped road for a few miles and then turned right onto a dirt road. A few minutes later, she pulled up to a small farmhouse where she had rented an upstairs bedroom.

  The woman walked up to the wooden porch. When she opened the front door, a man called out, “We have some beef stew on the stove, Miss. You’re welcome to join us for dinner.”

  She hesitated. It smelled so good, and she was hungry. “No thank you.” She headed up the stairs to her room.

  The man turned to his wife. “That lady’s not right. Why is she dressing like that? Where does she go all day? We need to ask her to leave.”

  “You’ll do nothing of the sort, Elmer. Just let her be. She’s paying us good money to rent that room. Money we need for taxes. It’s not any of our business what she does when she’s away from here. I got a few more words out of her yesterday. I think she’s warming up some.”

  Elmer shook his head. “I don’t like it. It ain’t right. No good’s going to come from this.”

  ###

  Paulie couldn’t stay in the cabin one more minute. What to do? Talk to Al? Yes. He needed to talk to Al. He stuck a snub nosed .38 into his waistband and headed toward the car.

  Only one car passed him on the way to the IGA store. He kept his head down. That floppy hat he’d found in the closet did wonders. A blue Pinto was parked in front of the phone booth. Paulie pulled up behind it and waited.

  After a few minutes, he started drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. What was that guy talking about for so long? If this was back in New York, he’d pull that ass hole out of the booth and send him on his way with a bloody lip.

  Paulie rolled the window down and was about to yell an obscenity when the phone booth door opened. A young kid stepped out. “Sorry, mister. It’s all yours.”

  Paulie nodded. He waited until the kid got back into his car and pulled away. Al answered on the second ring. “Jesus, Paulie. Where you been? I got guys calling me from Vegas and Milwaukee wondering what the hell you’re doing up there.”

  “I’m leaving, is what I’m doing. I’m coming back to the city by myself. I just wanted you to know.”

  “By yourself? What about the girl you need to grab?” Al paused.

  “I mean all by myself. No actress and no Kitty. Al, there’s just no way I can grab that broad. She’s hiding in a huge mansion behind a big rock fence. The house must have thirty rooms not counting another building. How the hell am I supposed to find her there?”

  “Wait a minute. We had a deal. Damn you, Paulie. I knew I should never have gotten involved. What am I going to tell these guys? They don’t want to hear ‘no’.”

  “I’ll tell you what. I’m going back to the cabin and pick up my stuff. On the way out of town I’ll stop by Kahle’s place and give it one more try. But that’s it. If I don’t get her, I’m coming back to the city. I’ll deal with those guys myself.”

  “Good. Give it one more try. Break into the damn place and find her. It’s not like you never did that before. You used to be a good second story guy. What happened? You get soft in the joint?” There was a pause. “Hey, what about that broad that helped spring you? Did she take off on you or something?”

  An image of Kitty tied to the bed popped in Paulie’s head. Her eyes had been wide with panic when he stomped out of the bedroom. “No. I still need to deal with her. Don’t ask any more questions. Look, I gotta go.” He slammed down the receiver.

  Back at the cabin, Paulie stared out the living room window. A thin mist was rising from the darkening forest. What should he do with Kitty? She was going to betray him. Leave him stuck in that shit-hole cabin. Just drive off and leave him. Then what? Would she have stopped at the nearest police station and turned herself in? How long would it have taken before twenty cops surrounded the place and shot the hell out of him?

  He closed his eyes. He could picture them coming out of the woods with their guns blazing. Hell, he could have ended up riddled with bullets just like Bonnie and Clyde. It was one of his favorite movies. He’d taken that busty blonde, Sally Kaminski, to see that picture. What ever happened to her? Maybe he could look her up when he got back to New York. Good old Sally.

  ###

  After dinner, Stephen helped carry the dirty dishes to the kitchen. Phillip stopped Judith. “You did a wonderful job with the meal tonight. Thank you. We’ll be adjourning to the library. Stephen and I will take care of things for now. Once the dishes are finished, your time is your own. Stephen said he’ll make breakfast again in the morning. Plan on meeting everyone in my office around ten tomorrow morning.”

  She set down a stack of dirty dishes. “Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad everything turned out okay.”

  As Phillip left the kitchen, Judith said, “Stephen, you don’t have to make breakfast tomorrow. I’ll be happy to do it.”

  “No. Don’t be silly. I enjoy it.”

  “I’m going to take a walk later. Would you like to join me?”

  Surprised, Stephen said, “Unfortunately, I’m not hanging around here much longer. After
I make sure things are ready in the library, I’m headed out. I’ve got a date with Jeanette.”

  The smile on Judith’s face disappeared. “Oh, that’s right. Your girlfriend’s Jeanette.”

  He was surprised to see the quick change in her demeanor. “Yes.” He turned to the door. “Have a relaxing evening.”

  “Thank you. I’ll try.”

  He quickly made sure the library was ready and then grabbed a jacket from his room. Back downstairs, Judith called out. “Stephen, you have a phone call.”

  He returned to the kitchen. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t know. Some woman.”

  Expecting Jeanette on the other line, he grabbed the phone. “I’m on my way. I was almost out the door when I forgot my jacket. I was —”

  “Stephen, it’s Gayle.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought you were my girlfriend.”

  “There’s something you need to know. We just traced the license plate number on the car we found in Pearblossom. Are you sitting down?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “The car belongs to Irving Plotnick.”

  “What? Now wait a minute. Why would Irving’s car be sitting in Cyrus’s garage?” He gripped the receiver. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. The tag’s registered to Irving Plotnick.”

  Judith poured herself a cup of coffee and watched as Stephen talked to Gayle.

  He turned and lowered his voice. “Gayle, Where are you?”

  “I’m at the house.”

  “Give me a little time to digest all of this. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  As he hung up the phone, Judith asked, “Is everything all right?”

  He smiled. “I hope so. Where did the guys end up?”

  “They started out in the trophy room, but now their having cigars in the atrium.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Stephen hurried out of the kitchen and headed over to the trophy room. He closed the door. Maybe he should call that guy back from Television City before talking to Gayle again. He pulled the man’s number from his pocket and picked up the phone.

  Twenty minutes later, Stephen hung up. His head was spinning. What to do? Mr. Gerard had offered him a job. A great job with good pay. Stephen didn’t mention he was Phillip’s nephew. He knew his uncle was well respected, but Mr. Gerard made it clear the only reason he was interested was because of the hands-on experience Phillip Kahle provided.

  In the short time since he had dropped off his resume, things had changed. His uncle now had a project. It was fun working with Allen. But the offer was good. Could he leave Phillip now? Maybe dropping off that resume hadn’t been such a great idea. He hadn’t seriously considered that he’d get an offer so soon.

  He picked up the phone. He had to get back to Gayle. When she answered, Stephen said, “I’m sorry I had to hang up. I wanted to tell you something, but I wasn’t alone.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’re not going to believe this, but Irving’s here staying with my uncle.”

  “He is?”

  “Yes. He got here a few hours ago.”

  “What’s he doing there?”

  “It’s a little strange. He called out of the blue. He said he was in Chicago and that he’d like to drive up and talk about financing our next project.”

  “Has he ever been there before?” Gayle asked.

  “No. He said he heard about it from Cyrus. My uncle was surprised he wanted to come. He was also surprised that Irving wanted to finance his next picture because Cyrus always said Irving thought movies were too risky.”

  “I don’t know. It sounds a little too coincidental. You’re out here asking him questions, then a few days later, he pays your uncle a visit even though he’s never been there before. I’d be a little suspicious if I was you. Especially now that we know it was his car that was sitting out in Pearblossom.”

  Stephen said, “No kidding. Especially with the conclusion I came up with yesterday.”

  “What?”

  “I think it was Irving who put a tail on us that day we went over to Cyrus’s house on Robin Drive.”

  “You do?” Gayle asked.

  “It had to be him. He’s the only one who knew I was in L.A.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t talk to anyone else?”

  Stephen thought for a moment. “Who else would I have talked to? Oh, I did visit with Caroline and Richard later that evening. But I can’t imagine either of them would want to have me followed.” He paused. “Wait a minute. Maybe someone was following you?” His statement was met with silence.

  Then Gayle said, “I don’t think we can rule that out. I mean, everyone knew I was working with Francesco on some pretty interesting stories. I’ve been trying to keep a low profile since I left the newspaper, but you never know. I…I sure hope it wasn’t me.”

  “It’s something we need to consider. Here I was, so sure that it was Irving who had us followed.”

  “You could be right. Since we don’t know the answer to that, I think you’d better be careful. Especially when he just showed up all of a sudden.”

  Stephen fiddled with the cord. “I will. I just wish I knew what was going on.”

  “I don’t know. But I’d be careful if I was you. Watch your back. Anyway, I’ll let you know if I find out anything else from my end.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do the same. Bye.” Stephen hung up the phone. Were they just being paranoid? How much of this should he share with his uncle? What if Irving really was only interested in financing the next project?

  He looked at his watch. Damn. He was going to be at least half an hour late for his date with Jeanette.

  ###

  The Freighter View Tavern was almost empty when Stephen and Jeanette slid into a booth. He grabbed two menus. “Are you hungry?”

  “A little. I haven’t been doing much now that we have the nurse, so I don’t get as hungry as I used to.”

  He sighed. “I really miss you. It’s strange seeing another woman sitting in on our meetings.”

  “How’s that going?”

  “Okay, I guess. Phillip’s lost his patience a few times. He expects Judith to have all the answers you do.”

  “That’s not fair. I didn’t have any answers the first few months I started working there.”

  Stephen took her hand. “He knows that. But with Barbara’s antics and Cora gone, it’s hard dealing with someone new. You don’t know how many times I started heading either to your office or your room before I had to stop myself.”

  She glanced at the menu. “Please. Don’t remind me. I miss everyone so much.” She paused. “Well, not Barbara.” She looked down at the menu.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I got a new job offer today.”

  Jeanette tossed the menu down. “Really?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t believe it.”

  She asked, “How did that happen?”

  “I dropped off a resume at Television City when I was in L.A. They called today. The man said he had reviewed my resume, liked that I had been working with Phillip. Said I’d be working in TV shows, not movies, and made me an offer. A really good offer.”

  Tears formed in Jeanette’s eyes. “I’m…happy for you, I guess. But with all that’s going on with me right now, I don’t know if I can —”

  Stephen got up and slid alongside her. “I’m not going to take it. How could I? I couldn’t possibly leave now, not with what’s going on with your mom.”

  She pulled a napkin from the holder and dried her eyes. “Now I’m going to feel guilty about holding back your career.”

  “No. You didn’t let me finish. I’ve been working with Allen and Phillip on the new script. This project is making progress. I have no reason to look for a different job.”

  “That’s good. I hope you’re not just saying that to make me feel better.”

  “I’m not. By the way, Barbara’s talking of leaving now tha
t Phillip’s locked up all the booze.

  Jeanette looked up. “That will make Phillip’s life easier, and Cora’s too.”

  “I’m not so sure she really meant it. How’s it going with your mother?”

  “Not much has changed. She’s heavily sedated. She actually seemed to have a better day today. I was quite surprised.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. She’s in good hands with you, your sister, and the visiting nurse all there.” He looked over at a big chalk board that listed the daily specials. He thought about telling her that Irving Plotnick was visiting, and all of the latest information he had heard from Gayle, but then decided not to. It would only worry Jeanette, and she certainly didn’t need that on top of everything else.

  After a nice dinner and another drink, Stephen walked Jeanette to her car. “I’m sorry you can’t stay over,” she said. “But under the circumstances.”

  “I know.” He smiled. “I’m sorry too. I’m cooking breakfast in the morning, so it’s probably best that I get back at a reasonable time.”

  They embraced. “I’ll be glad when this is over with,” he said.

  “Me too.”

  Cliffside Manor was quiet when Stephen returned. All the lights were off. He presumed everyone was asleep. Moonlight lit up the clock in the hallway. It was almost midnight. Stephen quietly went up the staircase to his room and sat at his desk. He missed Jeanette. Seeing her had only made her absence worse. It would be nice when she was back at Cliffside Manor.

  He stepped into the bathroom, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. He put on his pajamas and climbed into bed. He tossed and turned. What about Irving’s visit? What had been discussed during his absence? Was Irving actually going to finance Phillip’s next picture? Would Cyrus be cut into the deal as Phillip requested? Was Irving’s reason for sending someone to follow him true? And the car. Why was a car registered to him found in Cyrus’s garage out in the middle of the desert? Why had it disappeared? Nothing made sense.