The Unexpected Heiress (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 1)
Page 11
I really did almost fall over at this. I looked up at Carter. "Well, friend?"
He shrugged. "I'll stay here with you, Dr. Williams. But you have to cut out all that pansy crap. Otherwise, I'll throw you over my shoulder, take you outside, and show you what pansy actually means."
My father stood up and said, "Thank God someone in this family has a backbone."
I walked out of the room, stunned, and left the two of them in there.
. . .
The cathedral was still mostly packed. I walked the lonely trip up the aisle and resumed my seat. I nodded at the bishop, who then led us through a beautiful and touching service.
When it was over, I walked to the back and, flanked by Ben and Carlo, Mike, Pam and Diane, shook hands with everyone who wanted to stop and give their condolences, and many of them were very kind and generous.
Most everyone, however, had gotten what they came for and had rushed out to go sit at tea and gossip about the rotten Williams clan. The daughter who died young, the son who was a known homosexual, and the father who was a raving drunk. The gossip machines on Nob Hill would have plenty of fuel for weeks to come.
When it was all over, the bishop came to us and spoke some soothing words. He pulled me aside and asked about my father. "Believe it or not, Bishop, I left Carter in that room with him, at his request."
The bishop's eyebrows went up. "Well, will miracles never cease?" I laughed.
I invited our little group to go for a stroll down California Street to Grant for some dim sum. Diane and Pam begged off because Diane wasn't sure they didn't still use dogs for meat in Chinatown. When we tried to persuade her otherwise, Pam intervened and said she had things to do at the house anyway, but thanks very much.
The guys, however, were in on the plan. I went to go find Carter, but the room was empty. I walked back over to the group and shrugged. We went outside in the blinding light of the beautiful day and found Carter standing on the steps talking to the reporter from the Chronicle who had given me the thumbs up the night before.
We gathered around just as Carter was saying, "It's going to be a kind of service never really available in one place before." I noticed the reporter was not really writing down much. He seemed to be very interested in Carter, however.
Mike stepped forward and handed the reporter a card. "Call me on Monday, and I'll give you all the information you want. Right now, we have a very important lunch meeting in Chinatown."
The reporter turned to him and asked, "And you are?"
"Michael Robertson, President of Consolidated Security."
I looked at him quizzically. He handed me a card. It said:
Consolidated Security
Nicholas Williams, C.E.O.
Michael Robertson, President
Marnie Wilson, Secretary
777 Bush Street
San Francisco 8
PRospect-7777
This was a pleasant surprise. I assumed that's what he'd been up to that morning. On a Saturday, no less.
The reporter lifted his hat to Mike and said, "Sure thing. I'll probably do a teaser in tomorrow's paper." He looked around and said, "Hey! Weren't all of you fired last night by the mayor?"
Mike nodded. "That's old news." He pointed at the card he'd handed the reporter. "This is the future."
The reporter looked at all of us. "You guys are my heroes."
Mike was all business. He said, "What we are is hungry. Call me at the number. Leave a message with the service if no one answers. I'll call you back. We'll get you a great story on the future of private security."
The reporter nodded and then ran down the steps.
We all walked down towards California Street together. This was the future. And, just like the day, it was looking bright indeed.
Author's Note
Thank you for buying and reading this book!
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the world of Nick Williams and Carter Jones.
As I mention above in my Author's Introduction, when I first wrote this book, I didn't completely understand what it would develop into. As of this writing, I've completed sixteen additional books and feel like I've only barely scraped the surface of what is possible.
The proposition of this ongoing story is simple: what happens when someone is outed (long before that term was invented) and doesn't back down? Sure, Nick has nearly endless financial resources, but, as we discover in future books, the law isn't on his side and won't be for many years to come. How does this affect his friends and family? Will he always be able to buy himself out of every scrape? If you'd like to know more, The Amorous Attorney is next in line...
Acknowledgments
The details of this particular story came out of thin air. But the mood and the style of the tale is the evolution of a story that I had in mind for many years: a gay satire of the Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner. His books have been favorites for many years. The gay twist was inspired by Mabel Maney's three novels featuring the lesbian adventures of Cherry Aimless, Nancy Clue, and their pals The Hardly Boys. They are great fun to read and I highly recommend them all.
J. B. Sanders, author of the Glen & Tyler series of books, is a personal hero who has written bold gay male characters in love. I want to acknowledge and thank him for all the hours of fun in reading his stories and for the inspiration his work has given me. I feel that, in a way that I hope pays homage where it is due, Nick & Carter are earlier, grittier versions of his protagonists.
For historical perspective and details, I have relied heavily on one particular book: Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 by Nan Alamilla Boyd. I have referred to Ms. Boyd's research for the names of bars and nightclubs and specific historical events that affected the LGBT community of San Francisco. I have also relied on her descriptions of the era, which have been very useful. I am deeply grateful for her research and this book. Any mistakes, of course, are mine alone.
As to the form of writing a mystery, my chief inspiration is more from Dorothy L. Sayers than anyone else, although you may be hard-pressed to see that. If you know the Lord Peter mysteries, however, you may find a few small homages to them in these pages.
I was inspired to just sit down and write this first book after a number of helpful and powerful conversations with several friends: Benny, Paula, and Piper Jackson; Jody Ben-David, Edward Vilga, and Karen Cuccioli.
David Tangredi offered wonderful feedback and helped me remember that not everyone in the world watches old movies constantly. My favorite thing that he asked was, "Who is Winchell?"
Many thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and emailed me about the Nick & Carter books. It is deeply gratifying in ways that words will never be able to fully express. Thank you.
Finally, my mother, Carol Haggard, gave me the gift of storytelling or, at least, a deep interest in telling good stories. Hopefully that is what has happened here.
Added September 16, 2017: Many thanks to T.L., a loyal and devoted reader, who graciously informed me that Grace Cathedral in 1953 was still in a work in progress. He also gave me the correct forms of address for the Bishop of California. I've finally made those updates in this version and am deeply grateful for his help on this and many other topics.
Historical Notes
The events in this book take place between Monday, May 11, 1953, and Saturday, May 16, 1953.
The primary characters are all fictional. There are, however, several historical persons portrayed in a fictional manner.
Eddie Mannix was the infamous fixer who worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was recently portrayed by Josh Brolin in the Coen Brothers' movie, Hail, Ceasar! I first heard of Mr. Mannix through the most excellent podcast You Must Remember This, written and narrated by Karina Longworth. Neither Ms. Longworth nor Messrs. Coen has any responsibility for my particular portrayal of Mannix. His mistress and his wife's relationship with George Reeves, apparently with the consent of Mannix, are generally well-known.
; George Hearst was the oldest son of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. His youngest sibling was Randolph Hearst, now most famously known for being the father of Patricia. The San Francisco Examiner was called, "The Monarch of the Dailies," and was known to be the flagship publication of the Hearst Corporation.
In 1953, there were four newspapers published daily and distributed throughout the City: The San Francisco Examiner, The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco News, and The San Francisco Call-Bulletin. There was a fierce rivalry between the four newspapers, so the idea of individuals rooting for one paper or despising another is very much in keeping with the times. The use of sordid headlines and the publishing of the names, addresses, and employers of men arrested during raids on gay bars during this period has been documented extensively. This happened in newspapers all over the United States. I borrowed the phrase, "Homo Nest Raided," from the New York Daily News, which used that phrase in its headline for the July 6, 1969 story that it published following the riots at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969. My depiction of George Hearst is completely fictional although consistent to the time period.
San Francisco Mayor Elmer Edwin "Rob-Rob" Robinson was in office from 1948 through 1956.
Most of the locations referenced are correct, as far as I could verify. I consulted Polk's San Francisco City Directory for 1953 to verify business names and addresses. There is, however, no building at 777 Bush Street in the Tenderloin nor is there an unassuming bungalow at 137 Hartford Street in Eureka Valley. I verified both through the City & County of San Francisco Office of the Assessor-Recorder using their online property search database.
Eureka Valley is a neighborhood name that some readers may not recognize. It is the older name for the area now commonly referred to generally as The Castro.
The Shell Building stands today, in all its understated glory, at the corner of Bush and Battery. According to Polk's, in 1953, the 10th floor was occupied by a division of Royal Dutch Shell, which was the primary tenant of the building until the 1960s.
One anachronism that eagle-eyed readers will immediately see is the use of the 4-digit local telephone number. PRospect-7777 would not have existed in 1953, as Pacific Telephone had already migrated to the 5-digit number for their exchanges in San Francisco to allow for long distance direct dialing. I did this on purpose so that I wouldn't have to use KLondike 5 as the exchange for all the phone numbers, not wanting to inadvertently use a current phone number.
One final thing: Owning or driving a 1953 Buick Skylark is now on my bucket list! That looks like one sweet ride!
More Information
Nick Williams Mysteries
The Unexpected Heiress
The Amorous Attorney
The Sartorial Senator
The Laconic Lumberjack
The Perplexed Pumpkin
The Savage Son
The Mangled Mobster
The Iniquitous Investigator
The Voluptuous Vixen
The Timid Traitor
The Sodden Sailor
The Excluded Exile
The Paradoxical Parent
The Pitiful Player
Nick & Carter Stories
An Enchanted Beginning
Golden Gate Love Stories
The One He Waited For
Their Own Hidden Island
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