Now Playing: Save The Girl!
Episode Two concluded with:
“What exactly does
this guy who calls himself Philip Richardson do with the Palace Theater when he
rents it out for an afternoon?”
“He holds auditions for shows that he puts on in another town.”
Dehner saw the leer on Harry’s face when he gave that answer. The detective’s
face remained expressionless as he handed the theater manager another coin.
“What’s this for?”
“The truth, Harry. You just held out on me. I’ll let it pass this one time. Now
tell me the truth.”
Episode Three
The
theater manager looked down and laughed. “Guess I shoulda known better than to
try and fool…”
Harry was fast. He grabbed the
hammer and swung it at Dehner. Rance bent down in a jackknife position, then
came up quickly. Harry’s swing had been too hard. The theater manager was now
off balance. Dehner delivered two rapid fire punches to the head. Harry went
down flat on his back . Dehner landed on him, placing a knee on each of Harry’s
arms and an arm against his throat.
“Now Harry, I know you are a
prominent man in this neighborhood. You don’t want your fellow citizens to hear
and see you crying like a little kid. That’s what you’ll be doing if you don’t
answer my questions. Understand?”
“Yep.”
“Philip Richardson not only pays for
the use of the building, he pays you to keep quiet, doesn’t he?”
“Yep.”
“Where does he take the girls?”
Harry went silent. Richardson had
paid him well.
Dehner back handed him across the
face, then pressed down harder on his wind pipe. “I’ll turn you into a
blubbering baby, Harry. Out with it!”
Dehner
eased the pressure on his opponent’s throat. The ploy had achieved its purpose.
Harry was close to panic.
“Alcott. They go to Alcott.”
“What does Richardson own in
Alcott?”
“A theater,--the Emerald.”
“Does he own a saloon too?”
“Yeah. The Big Diamond.”
“How’d you find this out?”
“I hang around during the auditions.
The girls are nice to look at. Heard Richardson talk to them ‘bout the theater.
He tells ‘em that most parents have a very old fashioned idea about singers and
actresses. They shouldn’t tell their families where they’re going. Just leave a note and run off. He says when
they are famous like Carrie Whiting their families will thank them.”
“How did you find out about the saloon?”
“He told me when he paid me to…keep
quiet. Richardson is a funny guy. He doesn’t want other people talking about
him much but he likes to brag on himself.”
“What does the funny guy look like?”
“Brown hair, medium height. Tries to
talk like a limey, but the accent is phony.”
“How many girls does he take from
each audition?”
“Five… ten at the most. They gotta
be pretty, but they also hav’ta be able to sing some. Phil likes ‘em young and
innocent like. Doesn’t want girls who’ve worked in a saloon.”
Tomorrow: Episode Four of Save the Girl!
