The Case of the Rising Star

by Zavo

  “Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Steele and Mr. McAllister are here. Would you like your usual?”

  “Thank you, Donald. Yes, please, and bring something for Jonathan as well.”

  As Donald left the room, Gordon and the other young man rose to greet us. “It’s nice to see you again, Derrick.”

  “Same here, Gordon. This is Daniel McAllister, one of my business associates from Steele Investigations.”

  He shook hands warmly with both of us.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Maxwell.”

  “Please, call me Gordon as well. It’s nice to meet you, Daniel. Thank you, Derrick, for arriving so quickly. Please, have a seat. This is my business assistant, Jonathan Clark.”

  I guessed Jonathan to be in his early twenties. He was quite handsome. His thick black hair curled above the tips of both ears, while a few strands fell onto his forehead. He stepped around the desk, extending his hand as he did so.

  “Nice to meet both of you.”

  Gordon seemed unusually agitated. I wondered if something had happened since our visit this morning. Before I got the chance to ask, Donald returned with a tray full of drinks, plus a bottle of Kentucky Capital bourbon and a bottle of whiskey. He efficiently dispensed them and left the room, closing the door behind him. I saw Jonathan had received a glass of water.

  “As I told you this morning, Derrick, I just recently purchased this estate. I’m in the process of having it furnished. I’m very particular about the way I like things and haven’t made much progress, except for my study. I’m currently on my third interior decorator. So please excuse the interior of my house.” He paused. “Derrick, when I returned home from your office, I found a second envelope pinned to the front door. Along with a note was a very compromising photograph of me.”

  At this point, Gordon turned to Jonathan. “Would you mind leaving us for about a half hour?”

  “Not at all, Mr. Maxwell.”

  After the young man had left, Gordon turned to us once more. “The photograph could ruin my career.”

  “Rest assured, Gordon, as I told you at the office, we treat all of our cases with the utmost discretion. After you left I went to see Lieutenant Michael Grogan, my contact at the Sixty-ninth Precinct. He’s checking on the list of suspects I gave him. Do you feel this latest note and photograph place you in physical danger?”

  He stared down at the desk for several minutes without speaking. When he finally raised his head and met my gaze, I could see genuine fear in his eyes.

  “I’m not sure, Derrick. I’m still hoping for the time being that we don’t have to officially involve the police. I need to keep this out of the papers if at all possible. The publicity would hurt my career, not to mention the studio. Here’s the second letter. It’s handwritten as well. The spelling is as bad as the first one. It’s no doubt from the same person. I’ll let you read it before I show you the photograph.”

  I quickly read the note:

  Enclosed yu will find the photo frum the other nite.

  It shows whut yer true colors are.

  If yu do not drop out of the picture

  I will ruen yur cureer.

  XX

  I handed the note to Daniel. When he had read it, he gave it back to Gordon.

  “As I told you at your office, Derrick, I’m a relative newcomer to the motion pictures industry. My last picture did better than my agent or the studios had anticipated. My family owned horses, so I was a natural for all the riding scenes. Things have been happening pretty fast for me, as you can imagine. But before I launch into my story, can I get either of you another drink?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  “Bourbon or whiskey?”

  “Bourbon, please.”

  Gordon smiled as he got up from the desk. He came around its side, grabbed the bottle of Kentucky Capital, and filled my glass. I could not take my eyes from him.

  “Thanks, Gordon.”

  “Daniel, would you like a bourbon or whiskey, or another beer?”

  “Bourbon is fine. Thanks.”

  Gordon picked up one of the empty glasses from the tray, filled it halfway with bourbon, and handed it to Daniel. He also refilled his own glass with whiskey before taking his seat again.

  “Here’s how the photograph came about. I was at one of those unending studio parties in the Hills, at some producer’s home, this past weekend. I was with a man I’ve been discreetly dating. As is the norm at these parties, there were plenty of actors, booze, and dope. Plus a large cadre of hangers-on. As the night progressed, we were both getting more inebriated by the minute. It seemed every time we finished our drinks a waiter was right beside us, handing us another.

  “Well, one thing led to another, and suddenly my friend and I were in a luxurious bedroom. I was savoring my young man’s substantial assets, shall we say? Suddenly, there was a flash, and a man ran from the room. Before I could get my wits about me, my young friend had leapt off the bed and charged after the man. But he was unable to find him.”

  “It sounds like you were set up by the photographer, Gordon.”

  “Do you think so, Derrick?”

  “Do you think your friend was involved, Gordon?”

  “I’m sure he wasn’t, Derrick.”

  Gordon handed me the photograph. When I saw it, I felt an immediate stirring in my pants. Gordon’s face was plainly visible, with his mouth open wide and his tongue protruding. An enormous cockhead was resting on the end of it, with a telltale puddle of come on Gordon’s tongue. His eyes were closed in evident bliss. All that was visible of the other man was the shaft of an impressive cock, half a patch of black crotch hair, and the top of a heavy sack of balls.

  Chapter Four

  I showed it to Daniel and his eyebrows rose in appreciation. I handed the photograph back to Gordon.

  “Not to be crude, Gordon, but do you remember the name of the other man in the photograph?”

  He laughed deeply. “I do indeed, Derrick. Yes, I sleep around, but I always know with whom. I’m not a hustler.”

  I winced inwardly at that last remark.

  “However, I cannot give you his name without speaking to him first. You see, he’s in the same business as I am. However, whereas I am single, he is not. If word of our dalliance were to be made public, it would ruin his marriage and his career, as well as my own.”

  “How do you propose we protect you, Gordon, if you’re going to keep secrets from us? It very well could be that your friend’s wife is aware of your assignations and is the one who is blackmailing you.”

  “That bitch couldn’t find her ass with both hands!”

  He stared angrily at us for a moment and visibly collected himself. Based on his emotional response, I wondered if there was more to this relationship. Perhaps Gordon and this mystery man were in love with one another. My gut was telling me Gordon wasn’t being completely honest with me.

  “Sorry, Derrick. I hate to speak ill of anyone. It’s just that I’m well acquainted with her because she is also in the motion picture business. Rest assured she knows nothing of her husband and me. She would skip the threatening notes and go right for a gun. From what I’ve been told, she’s a fairly decent shot.”

  “If you aren’t willing to divulge their names at this time, can you somehow obtain a sample of their handwriting for us to compare to the two notes? Also, does your friend know of the existence of this photo?”

  “He does indeed, Derrick, but he has yet to see it. I’m meeting him this afternoon so we can discuss a plan of attack. By the way, I think it would be a good idea for you to come to Paramount Studios this afternoon and meet the other actors on the set. You can work on your list of suspects. Perhaps I’ll even introduce you to my friend!”

  “I think that’s a fine idea, Gordon.”

  Inwardly, I felt a small twinge of jealously at the mention of this friend of Gordon’s. What the hell was that all about?

  “May we hang on to this photo, Gordon?”

  “Not just y
et, Derrick. I need to show it to my friend and then it can be all yours. I trust you implicitly, but it’s best that the photograph doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I hope you realize, Gordon, that there are probably several copies.”

  The look on his face indicated this thought had not crossed his mind. Daniel interjected, “That brings up a good point, Gordon. Neither note has mentioned any monetary amount. Perhaps the blackmailer just wants you out of the way so a new leading man can step in?”

  “That thought did cross my mind, Daniel. If you’re not a fan of the gossip magazines, you probably don’t know of my feud with Jerome Sinclair, one of my costars in the new picture. As I told you, Derrick, at your office, I actually beat him out for the lead role. Well, he hasn’t forgiven me for it. He takes every chance he gets to let me know it. It could well be that he, or any of his coterie, are hell-bent on seeing me removed from this picture. It could be the director, Stuart Douglas. We worked on two pictures in the past, and he is a consummate asshole. He and I argued, quite volubly, on numerous occasions. I can create a list of names from those two pictures of folks who were witness to our arguments.”

  “Derrick did fill me in on the details of the feud. It’s tough to be famous, I guess, Gordon.”

  “Why don’t the two of you make a trip to the set this afternoon? You can meet the director and some of the cast.”

  Daniel’s last comment had been laden with sarcasm, which indicated to me he had taken an immediate dislike to Gordon. I wondered why.

  “If there’s nothing else, Derrick, I’m afraid I must cut our meeting short. I have to be on the set earlier than I had anticipated. That also means I won’t be able to have lunch with you.”

  “No worries, Gordon. Daniel and I will see you at the studio.”

  We were just getting ready to leave when Donald came bursting into the room. “Mr. Maxwell, I just saw a man climbing over the stone wall in the backyard!”

  “Was he coming or going, Donald?”

  “He was leaving, Mr. Steele.”

  “Please show me where you saw this man, Donald. Daniel, stay here with Gordon, and call the police. Make sure to get Michael on the phone; we want to keep this quiet.”

  “Okay, Derrick.”

  Without waiting to hear Gordon’s response, I followed Donald out of the study and down the hall. It brought us to an oversized but empty kitchen. In the eating area there was a set of French doors, similar to my parents’ kitchen.

  “I was just going outside to check on the gardeners when I saw the man.”

  “Did you get a good look at him, Donald?”

  “Not really. His back was to me. However, he had dark brown hair and was solidly built. He made it over the wall without any difficulty.”

  “Okay, you stay here till the police arrive. I’m going to see if our intruder is still lurking about.”

  I drew the Walther PP and went as quietly as possible down a set of flagstone patio steps. I was halfway across the lawn when I heard the unmistakable sounds of a fistfight coming from the other side of the wall. The sounds were quickly followed by a holler of “Help!” I ran as fast as I could to the wall and began climbing it. It was constructed of fieldstones, so it was easy to negotiate. When I reached the top, I paused a moment to get my bearings. Several feet to my right, a man was lying in the grass, moaning softly. A mower was next to him. There was no one else in sight. I pushed myself from the top of the wall, bending my knees as I hit the soft grass. I fell onto my side and rolled to lessen the impact.

  When I reached the man he was trying to sit up. I immediately saw he had a large lump over his left eye. It was rapidly growing in size.

  “Are you okay?”

  He looked at me with a quizzical expression on his face, as if trying to recall whether or not he knew me.

  “Don’t worry, mister. I’m a private detective working for Mr. Maxwell. My name is Derrick Steele. Who are you?”

  “My name is Steven. I’m one of Mr. Maxwell’s groundskeepers. I was mowing this strip by the road when all of a sudden a man jumped from the top of the stone wall. He almost landed on top of me and was hitting me with his fists before I even had a chance to fully understand what was happening.”

  “Did you get a good look at him, Steven?”

  “No, Mr. Steele. It happened too fast. But he was young, and very strong. He ran off in that direction.” Steven pointed north down the road, but the perpetrator was nowhere in sight.

  “Did you notice a car parked along this strip as you were mowing? Maybe when you arrived here today?”

  “I didn’t see any parked vehicles, Mr. Steele. Several trucks did go by, but they were delivery or maintenance trucks.”

  “Is there a way onto the grounds, Steven, without having to climb back over the wall?”

  “There’s a delivery gate a few feet around the corner. I have a key.”

  I helped the man up, and we walked to the gate. After he unlocked it, we were headed across the lawn to the back patio when I saw a patrol car pull into the driveway. We skirted the patio and headed toward the car. I was pleased to see Michael get out. I quickly explained the situation to him, including the details on the second note. Donald had appeared and was helping Steven into the house. Michael and I went back through the gate and began searching the area.

  “Here’s where the intruder came off the wall, knocking Steven to the ground. Steven said he didn’t see any vehicles parked near here. Of course, the intruder could have walked. Who knows?”

  “Derrick, do you think this is connected to the handwritten notes or another incident altogether?”

  “My gut, Michael, is telling me these incidents are related. Whoever left the notes physically came onto the property. While the first was in the mailbox, the second was tacked to the front door.”

  “Okay. I’m going to walk to the estates on either side of Gordon’s and ask if anyone suspicious was seen this morning. I’ll be discreet, of course.”

  “Thanks, Michael.”

  I watched him walk away, then went back through the gate and into the house via the patio. Steven was in the kitchen with Donald tending to him.

  “Are you going to be okay, Steven?”

  “I think so, Mr. Steele. Thankfully I inherited my father’s hard head.”

  “Donald, you stay here with Steven. I’m going to update Gordon.”

  When I returned to the study, Gordon was standing by the window, peering out intently. Daniel was still seated, his face inscrutable. Had something happened while I was gone? Gordon turned to me as I entered, and Daniel rose and came to me. He was the first to speak.

  “Did you find anyone, Derrick?”

  “Unfortunately no, Daniel. But there was someone on the grounds. After he made it back over the stone wall he clobbered one of Gordon’s gardeners and got away without leaving any clues behind. Gordon, can I get a list of all the employees you’ve hired since you moved in here?”

  “Certainly, Derrick. Donald can get that for you. If you need anything else from me, just ask him. I need to leave for the studio.”

  “Okay, Gordon. I plan to be out there after Daniel and I grab a quick lunch.”

  Gordon smiled and nodded, then left the room.

  Daniel returned the smile, albeit a forced one.

  “What’s wrong, Daniel? You seem out of sorts. Did something happen between you and Gordon?”

  “Nothing, Derrick. We simply made small talk while you were gone.”

  “Okay. Michael is checking with the neighbors to determine if anyone saw anything. I thought we could go home and grab some lunch before we head to the studio. I’m going to call Mother to let her know we’re on our way.”

  “Okay.”

  Jonathan showed me to a phone I could use. Once I confirmed with Mother, Daniel and I headed to the car. He turned to me, an intense look on his face.

  “I don’t like that young man, Derrick. He acts like a spoiled brat. I don’t care for the way he l
ooks at you, either. As if there’s some secret the two of you share.”

  I was speechless for a moment. Daniel had never shown any signs of jealousy over my dalliances outside our relationship—nor I his. Nor had we ever had any issues when other participants had been added to our lovemaking. However, I decided not to pursue it at the moment.

  “You know how those movie stars are, Daniel.”

  He made no response, nor did he speak the rest of the way home. When we arrived home, his mood did brighten. My father was out playing golf. We met Nathan as he was leaving to talk to another potential client. I delayed him a moment while I brought him up to speed on the Maxwell case. He said he would be at the office for the rest of the afternoon.

  My mother was delighted to see us, and we had lunch on the patio. After a green salad, grilled chicken breasts, and several glasses of iced tea, I was anxious to get to the studio. However, despite my protestations, mother insisted we have a slice of her cherry cake. Over dessert, I filled her in on the VanHauser case and asked her to let my father know. She was shocked, but I knew I could count on her discretion. Once Daniel and I were on the road again, thoroughly stuffed, he returned to his reticent self.

  “What’s wrong, Daniel? You haven’t been yourself all day.”

  “Just a little tired, I guess. Work at the office continues to increase. We could use more staff.”

  What he’d said was certainly true; Nathan’s efforts to increase our client base were proving wildly successful.

  “I do know Nathan is looking at hiring one or two more detectives.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  The rest of the trip was made in silence.

  Within a half hour we were at Paramount. It wasn’t hard to find: it was one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area. When we pulled up to the entrance, there was a long line of vehicles ahead of us. However, it moved fairly quickly. I had been here several times when I was a boy: once for a tour, and the other times when I had tagged along with my father when he was attending an investors’ meeting. I had also been here as a detective on at least two occasions.