Satan's Breath

by Temple Madison

  She looked at him thoughtfully. “Well, maybe you’re right. There are too many things to think about in a place like L.A. or New York. Those are places you can get lost in. One day you’re there, the next you’re gone, and nobody ever knows the difference.”

  “Unless you’re somebody like Blaze Alexander.”

  “Maybe, but if I’m missed, it’s only until someone else comes along and takes my place. Someone who takes more chances maybe, or someone a little more sensational.”

  “I’m really sorry you have to go, Ms. Alexander.”

  “Blaze, please. Did I fall from grace that quickly?”

  “Sorry, habit, I guess. Well,” the mayor took a deep breath, “we made one step in the right direction, anyway. We got Calvin out. I’m still a little worried, though. You know what they say about one bad apple.”

  “No, I don’t think so. At least not in this case. Savannah’s a fine city, and it’ll stay that way as long as you stay in office.” She took a deep breath. “So, what now?” she said while perching on the edge of the table and pulling out a cigarette. “Do I just up and leave?”

  “The problem is, Ms. Alexander…uh, Blaze. In the case of an exile such as this, we have to do it like they did in the old days.” The mayor offered her a light.

  “The old days?” Blaze touched the tip to the flame and took a deep draw. Throwing her head back, she blew out a robust cloud of smoke away from the mayor’s face.

  “I guess the only way I can explain an exile is to bring up a few examples. Do you remember The Ten Commandments?”

  She looked up at him with lazy eyes. “Hey, Mayor, I ain’t lookin’ for God.”

  “How about Sadie Thompson?”

  “Yeah,” she lowered her head, “I guess me and Sadie’s got a few things in common.”

  “The problem is things like this just don’t happen anymore, and because they don’t, the rules and regulations have never been changed.” He indicated to the petition between them. “We’re supposed to be more civilized than this.”

  “Than what? What are you saying?” Waiting for his answer, she squinted at him through a cloud of smoke.

  “Blaze, you have to be escorted to the border, and then observed as you cross it.”

  “The border?”

  “The county line.”

  “Mayor, you can’t be serious.”

  “I’m afraid I am.”

  “By who?”

  “City authorities, which means me, and whoever else happens to be invited to the so-called event.” The mayor frowned. “Sounds kinda like a hangin’, don’t it?”

  Blaze gave him a helpless look. “No airport? No train station?”

  “I’m afraid not. Of course once you get across the border, you can do whatever you want. I can have a car waiting—”

  “I can’t believe this. This is like the Middle Ages. I’m surprised you don’t burn me at the friggin’ stake.”

  He looked down at the paper, irritated. “This was handled badly. The wording and everything. It’s possible Calvin didn’t know what he was doing, or he knew only too well. He might have worded the petition the way he did because he wanted to humiliate you.”

  “My God, hasn’t a woman ever said no to that creep before?” She angrily pressed out her cigarette.

  “Actually I don’t know why a woman would ever say yes.”

  Ignoring his comment, her mind began clicking away, and her eyes narrowed. “All right,” she looked up into the mayor’s kind face, “if it has to be done this way, then here’s what I want. Call every newspaper in town because I want headlines. Get every reporter and photographer available, and call all the radio and TV stations, and don’t forget the police department, particularly Chief Randy Parnell.”

  “But why?”

  “Are you kidding? If I’m going out, I’m going out in style! I want everyone from the President right down to the bum on the street to know what kind of man Calvin Little is.” Deciding the meeting was over, she whirled around, took her purse by the strap, and threw it over her shoulder. She swayed out of the conference room yelling, “Yeee-haa! Move over, Sadie, here comes Blaze Alexander!”

  Just before she passed through the wide double doors, she looked back over her shoulder and cast a seductive look toward the mayor, jutted out a shapely hip, and kissed the air.

  Chapter 21

  “Entertainment by Sanders.”

  “Yeah, is Scott in? This is Blaze Alexander.”

  “Yes, just a moment, please.”

  Blaze waited, and then heard Scott’s voice coming through.

  “Blaze? How the hell are you, sweetie? Is everything all right?”

  “I’m afraid not, Scott. I’m coming back to L.A. I just wanted to call and take you up on the offer you made when you were here. Is it still good?”

  “You mean the one about getting your house ready for you?”

  “Yeah. How about it? Do you think you can do that for me?”

  “You bet your sweet, little ass I can. What made you come to your senses? Something I said, I hope.”

  “Well, it was kind of decided for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Scott, believe it or not, I’ve been exiled out of Savannah.”

  “Exiled? What in hell—”

  “Hold onto your seat,” she began, and then told him the whole story.

  “Well, I’ll be goddamned. I’ve heard everything now. First of all, you don’t just exile someone. When a person is exiled, they have to be exiled to a certain place, like John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.”

  “What in hell are all these Bible examples?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, in explaining it to me, the mayor mentioned Moses being exiled out of Egypt.”

  “He wasn’t exiled out of Egypt, he was driven out of Egypt and exiled to the desert which sounds like what’s happened to you. This whole damned thing is so incompetent.”

  “That’s because of Calvin Little.”

  “Who the hell is Calvin Little?”

  “Only the person responsible for turning my life into a nightmare. He drew up the petition, got enough signatures to make it legal even though the way it’s worded is…I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. It’s the biggest mess I’ve ever been involved in.”

  “Well, that’s okay, Blaze. If they don’t want you in Savannah, we’ll take you here in L.A. Just get your cute, little butt on the next plane—”

  “No plane.”

  “No plane? What do you mean?”

  “I have to be escorted to the border, and then observed as I cross over.”

  “I can’t believe this. That city is still back in the Dark Ages. Didn’t I tell you, Blaze? Didn’t I say those—?”

  “I can’t believe you’re saying I told you so.”

  “You’re damned right I’m saying I told you so. I’m taking every opportunity to say I told you so, because I did!”

  “All right. Jeez, Scott, calm down.”

  “I’m mad, Blaze. That city is just too damned backward.”

  “It’s not their fault, Scott. Like I told you, the person that did this is stupid.”

  “All right, so what happens now?”

  “I want you to be watching the news tomorrow night at six.” Blaze paused. “No, wait a minute, our six would be your three, or is it, I don’t know, and I’m too damned tired to figure it out. Just watch the evening news whenever it comes on.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll find out why. I’m making sure this thing goes nationwide.”

  “I should have known Blaze Alexander would capitalize on disaster.”

  “It’s like the old saying. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

  “Okay, sweetie, I’ll take care of things here, you just get back as quick as you can.”

  “Thanks, Scott, I owe you one. By the way, when I get there, I just want to collapse and do nothing for a while before I go back to work. Think you can manage
that?”

  “You got it, babe. After what you’ve been through, California’s gonna pamper you.”

  “Bye.”

  Scott took the receiver from his ear and frowned down at it. “That poor baby.” After he replaced it, he immediately buzzed his secretary. “Jill, first of all call the Dainty Maid Cleaning Service, and get them out to 2545 Paradise Lane, and then call the utility companies and have the utilities turned on at that same address. By the way, call my wife and tell her I’ll be late tonight. There are a few things I have to take care of.” He got up, cleared away all the paper work, and locked his files. On his way out, he told Jill to cancel his appointments for the rest of the day.

  When he walked into Blaze’s house, he looked around at the thin layer of dust and the small hanging cobwebs that had aspirations of growing into bigger ones. Aside from needing a good cleaning, everything seemed to be in place, so he went back out to the front door and put her key under the mat. He paced while he waited, and then turned abruptly when the Dainty Maid Service pulled up in a van. He showed them around, explaining what he wanted, and they immediately went to work. By the time the sun was setting, the cleaning service was finally through.

  As Scott walked through the place, he gave it a thorough inspection, and had to admit the place sparkled. Scott paid them, and then went to the local market to stock up on food. He got everything he knew Blaze liked, put it away, and then ran the dishwasher through a wash cycle to clean out any fungus, or mildew smell that might be clinging to it. By the time he was through, the afternoon was gone, and much of the night. Still not completely through, he lit some candles, and then sat down on the couch to relax with a glass of wine.

  As he looked at the huge fireplace, he smiled when he remembered how Blaze loved them. She didn’t really need one here, but insisted that the house she bought had to have one.

  “Maybe as a way to welcome her home, I should have it burning when she walks in.” He scratched his head as he continued to mumble to himself. “I should probably get it cleaned first. I’ll have to remember to do that tomorrow.” His pen moved hurriedly, scratching out reminders in his calendar, and then checked off everything he had already done. “Blaze’s things should be getting here in a few days,” he continued thoughtfully, then taking another drink of wine, he looked up, noticing for the first time how dark it was outside. “Oh, my God, I’ve got to get home! Louise will think I ran away.”

  He picked up the bottle of wine, thinking he would take it home to his wife. If he could get her drunk, maybe he wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch.

  * * * *

  Blaze looked around at the empty apartment that held so many memories, even though she had been there such a short time. She looked up at the spot where she had hung Erik’s picture, and how empty it looked. She wondered where Erik was now. With a woman, maybe.

  One who could make him happy, she thought, refusing to let a tear drop.

  She couldn’t allow herself to get sappy, so she pushed the painful thoughts out of her mind and looked around one more time. She’d made arrangements to have all her possessions shipped to L.A., even her car. Everything she owned was on the road, and if everything worked out the way she planned, pretty soon, she would be following close behind.

  “Maybe I should have put myself in a box,” she mumbled, still checking in closets and shelves. Being satisfied that nothing had been forgotten, she looked down at her watch and decided she had better hurry and get dressed since the mayor and his entourage were going to pick her up in only a half hour. She hurried to the bedroom, looked behind the door, and saw the outfit she had decided to wear on her historic exit out of Savannah, hanging all alone in the otherwise empty apartment. While Blaze hurried to get dressed, the whole world was watching the six o’clock news.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the biggest night in Savannah’s history is about to happen right before your very eyes. Because of a petition that was circulated around town, Blaze Alexander, Savannah’s racy late night deejay known as the Queen of Steam has been compelled to comply with a set of rules and regulations that haven’t been used in hundreds of years.

  “Ms. Alexander was accused of corrupting the morals of the youth of Savannah and has been asked to leave. She is being personally escorted out of town by her own entourage which includes Mayor Simon Parker, and Chief of Police Randy Parnell. They will be accompanied by WSCX Station Manager, Greg Brannigan, and Station Owner, Bran Farewell.

  “Through this broadcast, Ms. Alexander is extending her own personal invitation to all of her fans to come to the Riverwood District where she will be making her historic crossing. In the words of Ms. Alexander herself, she says, ‘I would just like to say goodbye to all of my late night fans. I’m sorry it couldn’t work out. I’ll miss you.’”

  Blaze looked at herself as best she could in the bathroom mirror. This was one night she wanted to look sexy. Her black skirt was draped, tying at the side, and hanging open a few inches above her knees. Her hose were dark, and her blouse was gold, and glittery, and draped in the front, accentuating her breasts. Her hair was wild and untamed, and she had on glittery, dangling earrings. Her shoes had a steep four-inch heel, and the last thing she added was a shiny new ankle bracelet. She turned when she heard a knock on her door. Walking to the door, she opened it wide to Mayor Simon Parker and the Chief of Police, Randy Parnell.

  Looking Blaze up and down, the chief whistled while elbowing the mayor. “The little lady is out for blood!”

  Looking at Blaze with a happy smile on his face, the mayor said, “I fired Calvin’s ass today. Does that qualify?”

  “Only too well!” Looking into his twinkling eyes, she added softly, “Thanks.”

  When she walked out, she linked her arms through those of the mayor and the chief who were on either side of her. Blaze was nervous, and very quiet, not knowing what to expect. But as the three of them emerged from under the shadowy breezeway of her apartment building, the crowd immediately began cheering.

  “We love you, Blaze. We don’t want you to go!” they shouted.

  She lifted an arm full of jangling bracelets and waved at them. Bulbs were flashing, and TV cameras grinding. Several reporters made their way to the front, pushing microphones in her face.

  One reporter boldly pushed himself forward knowing Blaze’s reputation for speaking her mind. Starting out mild, he said, “Ms. Alexander, how do you feel about what the people of Savannah did to you? Any hard feelings?”

  Blaze’s voice rang loud and clear through the sensitive mikes. “The people of Savannah aren’t to blame for what happened to me. It was that little weasel of a man, who because of his utter stupidity, did himself a whole lot more damage than he did to me. He got himself fired.”

  There was a sudden rise of applause, and then the reporter continued, bringing her out. “Would you tell us who this man is, Ms. Alexander?”

  Blaze hesitated at first, and then continued, “Sure, I suppose so. His name is Calvin Little. Just because I said no to him, he circulated a petition to have me exiled out of Savannah. Said I was corrupting the youth of the city. The youth, hell. If they’re corrupted, it’s not me that’s corrupting them. It’s people like Calvin who got to them long before I came along.”

  The fans yelled in support of what Blaze was saying. The reporter looked around, pleased with the excitement Blaze was causing from her belittling remarks about this Calvin Little.

  “So, what was it you said no to, Ms. Alexander?”

  Blaze lifted an eyebrow, and angled a look at the reporter. “Use your imagination, for God’s sake. What do you think it was?”

  The reporter lifted his lips in a half-smile. “I think it was sex, Ms. Alexander. Is that what you said no to?” He turned to the crowd and yelled, “Never let it be said that Blaze Alexander doesn’t tell it like it is!”

  “Look, you want me to spell it out for you? He wanted to keep me, fuck me, and dope me up. You’re damned right I said no!”

  A
sudden rush of applause and laughter lifted into the air. The reporter had to yell to be heard over them. “Ms. Alexander, some people might say that you ask for that kind of treatment because of the kind of show you do. What do you say to that?”

  Blaze’s eyes narrowed on the reporter. “Listen, you and everyone else can think what they want, but it’s a free country, after all. It’s a small-minded person who thinks just because I do a racy show, I deserve anything I get. Believe me, if I want something, I know how to ask for it. No dirty suggestions, innuendoes, or sly remarks. Those characteristics are reserved for lowlifes like Calvin Little. It’s people like him that give Savannah a bad name.”

  Just then, she felt a hand on her arm. Turning her head, she leaned it toward the mayor who was whispering in her ear, “Blaze, we have to go.”

  “Now?” Blaze asked. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Turning back to her audience, Blaze said, “Sorry, boys, but the mayor says we have to get out to Riverwood.

  The two men stayed close to Blaze as they escorted her through the crowd and helped her into the mayor’s car. Chief Parnell’s car was in the lead with his whirling lights on, and then came the mayor’s car, and everyone else brought up the rear. As they paraded slowly through town, the crowd on the street was incredible. People were running in the middle of the road, and the caravan of cars had to go extremely slow. The crowd was waving and yelling Blaze’s name. Some even ran alongside the car and looked in, hoping to see her.

  When the caravan finally arrived at a lonely stretch of road, Blaze’s eyes widened. She expected to see a few people, but she couldn’t believe the crowd that came out to see her off. There were so many the police had to cordon them off, allowing them to come only so close.

  Huge lights had been set up, and TV cameras were shooting the car Blaze was in as they drove up. When she stepped out, the people went wild. They began waving and yelling at her. Some tried to get past the barricade, but were detained. She looked over at the mayor and the chief. “Please, may I go over?”