“No I guess I don’t but I gotta do what I gotta do. Thanks for the warning. Good luck to you,” JJ replied turning to leave.
He got about ten steps from the bar when Aaron yelled out, “Hold it a second. Let me think about this.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll make it work with Kealer or one of the other clubs. You just happened to be the first I approached,” he said, continuing on and waving over his shoulder.
He stepped outside and walked leisurely to his Mercedes CLK 55. He was pretty sure Aaron would come busting out the door and sure enough, just as he reached his car, he came jogging up.
“Look, I may have been thinking too small. I mean, you showed me the figures and they can’t lie can they?”
“Not likely,” JJ said, opening the door. Aaron was eyeing the car and trying to talk to JJ at the same time.
“I wouldn’t have to put in any more money?”
“That’s what the plan. You already own the business; I would just be buying half so I put up the other money.”
“Damn. This is hard. I could be missing out on a real chance to make it big,” he said, mostly to himself.
JJ didn’t say anything, he just slid behind the wheel.
“Oh shit. You can’t get any place by playing it safe all the time.
Okay, I’m in,” he said at last.
“You might want to think it over. I meet with Kealer later tonight. Here is my card, it has my cell phone number on it. You can call any time before I meet with him,” JJ said, closing the door and rolling down the window. It slid down silently.
“No. I don’t need to think about it. I want in,” Aaron said firmly.
“Hey, no pressure. I don’t want you in unless you are totally committed. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
Aaron rubbed his hands over his lips several times and said, “No. This is what I want to do. We will be partners and get rich.”
“Now you’re talking,” JJ said, opening the door and handing the keys to Aaron.
“Consider it a bonus for making a good business decision.”
Aaron just stared at him with his mouth open.
“If you could call me a cab, however, I would appreciate it. It’s a long walk home,” JJ said, laughing and slapping Aaron on the back.
“You’re not shitting me? The car is really mine?”
“Lock stock and barrel,” JJ assured him.
“Damn. I ain’t ever even been in a Mercedes,” he said, pronouncing it ‘Mar-say-dees’.
“And now you own one.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The remodel took six weeks and Aaron was a pain in JJ’s ass about everything. He didn’t like the fact that the stage was bigger and had more lighting. The girls he had looked better under low lights. He didn’t like the upgrade to the liquor.
“You can’t have the good stuff in a place like this,” he argued.
“You can if you charge enough and we will.”
“They won’t buy it. There is a limit to how much you can charge for a drink,” he said.
“Not in this place. They will gladly pay what we charge but the drinks have to be good and made with the brand names,” JJ said.
“It won’t work,” Aaron said stubbornly.
JJ just dropped it. He knew damn well they would pay whatever price he wanted to charge for a place like he was building.
“Another thing. We can’t have all two top tables.”
“This isn’t the same thing as a strip bar with a bunch of drunken bums coming in with a pocket full of dollar bills. They will be either single women or couples.”
“Yeah, but you’re wasting space too. Look at the way you have them arranged,” Aaron argued.
JJ had the stage in the center of the room and it would slowly turn the full 360 degrees. The tables were arranged at different levels so each had a full view of the stage. They could seat one hundred at the tables and another fifteen at the bar. Of course he never expected every seat to be taken but even so, it created a problem with the permits. The building had an occupancy rating of seventy-five people.
It took JJ a few thousand to grease the right palms to get the rating moved to one hundred and twenty-five people. Aaron was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. He questioned everything and they had harsh words several times.
“Look Aaron, pissing and moaning isn’t going to do one bit of good. It will all happen. You are just going to have to trust me a little. I gave you twenty thousand for living expenses. I really don’t know what more I can do at this point.”
“Get this damn joint open.”
“It will but not until everything is in place. The new kitchen equipment will be installed by the end of the week. I’ve already hired three new line cooks that know their way around a more upscale kitchen.”
“Yeah. Sure. I got all of that but what about getting people to actually come through the door? The Cave don’t sound too inviting to me.”
“I’ve already started on that. I’ve gotten the word out over the internet. I’ve tapped into the local club scene that is into this kind of stuff. I’ve gotten’ a ton of emails asking when we are going to open. People are already lining up to buy memberships. Aaron, you need to relax and let me concentrate on my end of the business. All of this arguing takes away valuable time that I could use to line up even more clients,” JJ said, trying to remain even keeled.
He was tired of all the bickering and was starting to think that Aaron was more trouble than he was worth.
JJ wasn’t stretching the truth either. He had found the local chat rooms that talked about BDSM and the various events planned. He started talking up The Cave and what it was going to offer. Soon he had a flood of interested potential patrons wanting more details. He set up a website that immediately started getting hits. Every time he checked the counter he was amazed at how many were checking out the site.It didn’t take a marketing genius to realize these people were starved for exotic entertainment and a place to enjoy it.
* * *
“You want to do what?” Aaron yelled.
“I promise it will more than pay for itself,” JJ said, trying to control his temper.
“You don’t just give away booze for free. This is crazy,” Aaron said angrily.
“No it isn’t. We will have the grand opening and everything will be free for that night. Once people see what we have to offer we will be swamped. Aaron, all you do is argue. I don’t get it. Do you want to get rich or not? I sure the hell do.”
“I don’t see how we are going to get rich giving food and booze away free and not even charging to get in. Sounds like we are going to lose our ass.”
”Only for that one night. Even before the night is over we will have twenty to thirty people signed up as members.”
“That’s your estimate. What happens if only a handful are interested? Then what?” Aaron asked.
“Then I have spent a lot of money on nothing and you can go back to being a strip club again. That is not what is going to happen though. Come opening night you will be singing a different tune.
JJ had been right. People showed up in droves. At one time they exceeded the capacity and people were standing three deep at the bar. JJ talked to as many attendees as he could, getting feedback about the place. Almost to a person, they were pleased and impressed with what they had done. At the end of the evening thirty-one couples and twenty-seven single women had signed up as club members. At six hundred for couples and three fifty for singles they grossed over twenty-eight thousand dollars.
“Man, can you believe this?” Aaron asked, pouring drinks behind the bar.
“Yes. Yes I can. I told you it would all work out. I’m really not surprised one bit,” JJ replied.
“I can’t believe there are this many people interested in this kind of thing.”
“And this is just the first batch. Who knows how many couldn’t even get in?” JJ said.
“Man, I never had people that I turned away. This place is
going to be a gold mine. You were right on everything you said would happen. I was flat wrong,” Aaron said, pouring brand name liquor into a drink.
“I know,” JJ replied.
CHAPTER SIX
Jerome sat in the back corner in the darkest part of the room. He was content to watch the people as they pranced around in their bizarre outfits. The Cave had become even bigger than he had projected. He was shocked to learn how many closet B & D fans there were in a Midwest City smack in the middle of the heartland. It just goes to show you that things are not always as they appear.
He would sit and write in his book about some of the more interesting performances. He also kept close tabs on the main clientele and made sure they were given additional perks. It was a month after they re-opened that he saw his first semi-notable. A football player from the Colts came in one night and hung around. A few weeks later he started showing up with a partner who was not his wife. After that, word seemed to filter to the right quarters and he wasn’t surprised to see minor dignitaries, and even some fairly high level government people showing up.
Single men were clamoring to get in but JJ made sure he kept the number down and anyone who became drunk and belligerent was immediately banned from ever coming back again. They made money their first month which was a total shock to him. He figured it would be five to six months before they started turning a profit.
Unfortunately Aaron did not mix well with this new crowd. He was too crude and didn’t understand the tact and diplomacy that was necessary. They fought over his behavior on several occasions. JJ tried to get him to understand how important being discreet was but he just didn’t get it. Finally he had had enough. He decided that Aaron had to go. He offered to buy him out but Aaron would hear nothing of it. He tried to limit his exposure to the clients that were making them rich but it was no go. He was becoming a liability and one way or another, Aaron needed to be separated from the business. It took JJ almost a month to set it all up. It was tricky, more so than he would have liked, but it had to be done.
* * *
JJ was sitting in the office. It was 9:12 A.M. when he heard someone knocking loudly on the front doors of The Cave. He flipped on a couple of lights and went to the door. There were two men standing outside under the awning. Sleet was coming down. It was right on the verge of turning into a full blown snow storm. One of the men held up his badge for JJ to see through the fingerprinted door glass. He opened the door and let them in.
“Are you Jerome Hanson?” the detective asked, shaking his head. Cold water splashed onto JJ’s face.
“Sorry about that. It’s damn cold. Didn’t mean to give you a shower,” he said.
“It’s okay; I haven’t had one yet today.”
The cop smiled. “You the owner?” he asked.
“One of them. I have a partner.”
The cop took out his notebook and flipped it open, “His name is Aaron Dillon, right.”
“Yep. That’s him. Why, is he in trouble?”
“When did you see him last?”
“Sorry, I didn’t get your name,” JJ said.
“Detectives Sorenson and Kinshaw. IPD,” he replied.
“Nice to meet you detectives. Would you like to come on in and take a seat at one of the tables?” he asked. The other detective had been looking at the place with a great deal of interest.
“We’re fine here. When did you see your partner last?”
“Day before yesterday. We divide up the work load. He does Monday and Tuesday. I take Friday and Saturday. We don’t open on Sunday,” JJ said.
“What about Wednesday?” Sorenson asked.
“We alternate. I was on yesterday. It makes for a long weekend but it isn’t too bad.”
“Just what kind of place is this?” Kinshaw asked.
“A private club and bar. I have my license in the office if you want to check them. My liquor permit is there as well. It’s current, I assure you,” JJ said.
“What the hell does private club mean? This isn’t just a sleazy strip joint. What kind of perversion goes on in this dump?” Kinshaw snarled.
JJ ignored him.
“I’m sure everything is in order. Your partner. You haven’t seen him since Tuesday?” Sorenson asked.
“Actually, I didn’t see him Tuesday. I was up in Chicago. They have a private club much like ours. I was checking it out.”
“When did you go to Chicago?” Sorenson asked.
“Tuesday. About 4:00 P.M. or so. I thought I might miss most of the traffic that way. Fat chance. That city is always gridlocked. I couldn’t stand to live in a place like that,” JJ said, shaking his head.
“Anyone with you?”
“No. I went by myself. Look, what is this all about? What has that blockhead done now? He does the craziest things when he is drunk.”
“You don’t get along?” Sorenson asked.
Kinshaw was walking around looking at the various pieces of equipment. He picked up a pointer stick and looked at it for several minutes. Paddles, leather restraints and whips were lying around on tables. JJ was watching him out of the corner of his eye as he picked up several of the items.
“He is my partner. We get along about as well as any partners do. He does some incredibly dumb things from time to time but he is basically harmless. He certainly knows the bar business. I couldn’t do this without him. Come on, what gives?” JJ said, acting like he was getting upset and worried.
“I have some bad news for you, Hanson. We found your partner dead of a drug overdose. Then again, maybe it won’t upset you very much,” Kinshaw said.
“What? You’ve made a mistake. He does a little stuff from time to time but nothing like that,” JJ protested.
“You never saw him shoot up?”
“Hell no. I wouldn’t stand for that. I don’t even like the weed he smokes,” JJ protested.
“Uh huh. That kind of shit doesn’t go on in such a fine establishment,” Kinshaw said sarcastically.
JJ ignored the comment. He was actually enjoying the challenge. It was fun to screw with the cops.
“What about next of kin?” Sorenson asked.
“I don’t have a clue. We never talked about it. We just never talked about family. He isn’t married that I know of. If he was he never acted like it,” JJ said.
“So who ends up as the owner now that Dillon is out of the way?” Kinshaw asked, getting up in JJ’s face.
“I get it. You’re the hard ass cop this time. It ain’t gonna’ work detective. You can take a flying leap for all I care. I got enough problems figuring out how I’m going to keep this place going. You can be as big a prick as you want,” JJ replied, in a calm steady voice.
“You shit,” Kinshaw said, reaching for JJ but he was ready and knocked his hand away.
Kinshaw started to go after JJ again but Sorenson stepped in front of him, putting an end to the altercation.
“Shove it detective. You want to talk to me anymore, you either clean up your act and treat me with respect or you go through my attorney. Now unless you have something else on your mind, I have work to do,” he said and opened the door.
“Why don’t we step out back? I can give you something really good to talk to your lawyer about,” Kinshaw snarled.
“Get out or I’ll call a real cop,” JJ taunted.
“We will be back,” Kinshaw snapped glaring at him with hatred in his eyes.
“Good. Bring money ‘cause you will need to pay to get in,” JJ quipped.
“Cool it Kinshaw,” Sorenson finally said.
“Detective Sorenson, I would be happy to talk to you but leave this prima-donna at home in his cage,” JJ said.
Kinshaw started to lunge at him but Sorenson stepped between them again.
“Why don’t you wait in the car,” he said to Kinshaw, giving him a slight push toward the door.
Kinshaw gave him an angry look but finally yanked the door open, stepped outside and slammed it behind him so hard it almost broke the
glass.
“Nice guy. Has he had his rabies shot?” JJ said.
“He has his moments. He is going through a rough time,” Sorenson said.
“Aren’t we all? I have my troubles and it seems like they just got a whole lot bigger,” JJ lamented.
“So, who ends up with the place?” Sorenson asked.
“Detective, I honestly have no idea. I guess it will depend on if he had a will or some next of kin. I guess that is a question for the lawyers to answer. We didn’t have a formal written agreement. Neither of us considered the possibility of something happening to the other one. We just never got around to discussing it. Hell who would have thought this would happen. He was the reason we were making any money at all. It was his skill at controlling costs that saved our ass each month,” JJ said.
“And you never, ever saw him use heavy drugs?”
“No. A line of coke once in a while but very seldom. He knew how I felt about drugs and business. He tended to keep that stuff out of sight.”
“Drugs are a business, Mr. Hanson,” Sorenson said.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that someplace but it wasn’t a way of business here. I wouldn’t allow it. A very close friend of mine died because of drugs. I am totally anti-drug,” JJ said firmly.
“Alright Mr. Hanson. We will need you to come down the morgue and identify Dillon unless we locate a relative.”
“Why? You obviously know who he is. Why do I need to ID him?”
“It’s standard procedure. We need an independent confirmation whenever possible.”
JJ rubbed his face for a moment, “I don’t like the thought of looking at a dead guy, even if he was my partner,” JJ replied.
“I would appreciate if you would accommodate us on this,” Sorenson told him.
“Okay, I’ll do it but I don’t like it. When do you want me to do it and where do I go?” he asked.
Sorenson handed him a card with directions, “The sooner the better. It would help move the paperwork along,” he told JJ.
“I’ll do it today. Anything else?”
The Logan Files - Pain Center: The Logan Files Page 3