WJL: You've made yourself clear.
HH: The desert air kills germs.
WJL: Yes, Sir.
20.
(Las Vegas, 12/23/63)
The Party--a Vegas perennial--Wayne Senior's Christmas bash.
A fag redid the ranch house. He added ice sculptures and snow-flocked walls. He hired elves and nymphs.
The elves were wetbacks. They slung hors d'oeuvres. They wore mock-rag coats. The nymphs whored at the Dunes. They served cleavage and drinks.
The fag brought a bandstand. The fag added a dance floor. The fag hired a bumfuck quartet.
Barb & the Bail Bondsmen--a singer and three swish ex-cons.
Wayne circulated. The combo bugged him. He popped the trumpet for flim-flam. He popped the sax for stat rape.
The singer compensated--red hair and wild legs.
Lynette circulated. The crowd meshed. Cops and Vegas trash. Mormons and Nellis brass.
Wayne Senior circulated. Janice danced solo. A crowd watched her. Janice shimmied. Janice swayed. Janice dipped loooow.
Wayne Senior walked up. Wayne Senior twirled his walking stick. A Nellis one-star grabbed it.
He cued the combo. Barb tapped a beat. The combo vamped. Barb palmed maracas.
The one-star knelt. The one-star dropped the stick looooow.
Barb ad-libbed. "Vegas limbo mighty good, lady go down like she should."
Janice spread her legs. Janice rolled her hips. Janice popped looooow. The crowd clapped. The crowd stomped. Barb milked the beat.
Janice went looooow. Janice popped sequins and spangles. Janice popped seams. Her high heels snapped. She kicked off her shoes. She went under and up.
The crowd clapped. Janice bowed looooow. She ripped her dress. Her red panties showed.
Wayne Senior passed her a Salem. The lights went low. The combo vamped "Moonglow." A baby spot blinked. It focused on Janice. It swooped and caught Wayne Senior low.
They linked up. Janice held her cigarette. Smoke blew through the light.
Circle dance.
Wayne Senior smiled. Wayne Senior loved it. Janice mugged and mocked this corny shit.
They swayed. Janice dropped sequins. The spotlight jumped. Wayne saw Lynette. Lynette saw Wayne. Lynette saw Wayne ogle Janice.
He dodged her eyes. He walked outside. He paced the front deck. He smelled marijuana--pot alert below.
Janice toked up for parties. Janice shared with the help. You had zorched valets. You had a hundred cars--now check the runway: One airplane valet-parked--one guest's Piper Deuce.
Wayne paced. Wayne walked the deck. Wayne fretted Dallas up.
Jack Ruby observed Hanukkah. The paper ran x-clusive pix. Two pages in: HOPE FADES FOR MISSING POLICEMAN.
Wayne watched the party. A glass door killed the noise. Check the wino elves--they're digging on Barb.
Wayne watched her.
Barb moves her lips. Barb bumps her hips. Barb hits the mike stand. Barb scans the room. Barb sees a face and melts.
Wayne hugged the glass. Wayne got an angle. Wayne tracked her eyes.
To Mr. Meltman--Pete Bondurant.
Barb melts. Fucking snowdrifts in August. Big Pete reciprocates.
Wayne cracked the door. Wayne caught the vocal: "I Only Have Eyes for You."
Wayne shut the door, His stomach dropped. He leaned on the glass. He caught a chill and saved his dinner.
Barb blew a kiss. Pete blew one back. Pete stretched and bumped his head on the ceiling.
Pete grinned. Pete went ooops! A man joined him--sunburned and thin--some shitkicker runt.
Wayne grabbed a chair. Wayne kicked up his feet. Wayne rocked off the rail. A match flared below him. Reefer smoke plumed its way up.
It smelled good. It sent him back. He toked once himself. Jump School at Fort Bragg. Let's jump stoned and watch clouds change colors.
The door slid open. Noise spilled out. Wayne smelled Janice--cigarettes and Chanel No. 5.
She walked up. She leaned on him. She pressed his shoulders and back.
Wayne said, "Come on, work."
Janice worked him. Janice dug in. Janice unknotted kinks.
"Something smells sweet down there."
"It smells like a felony roust, if I was inclined."
"Be nice, now. It's Christmas."
"You mean, 'It's Vegas, and the law's for sale.'"
Janice dug in. "I wouldn't be that blunt with a policeman."
Wayne leaned back. "Who's the one-star?"
"That's Brigadier General Clark D. Kinman. He has a powerful crush on yours truly."
"I noticed."
"You notice everything. And I noticed you ogle that singer."
"Did you notice her husband? The big guy?"
Janice worked his spine. "I noticed the airplane he came in, and the ankle holster he's wearing."
Wayne twitched. Janice tickled his neck.
"Did I touch a nerve there?"
Wayne coughed. "Who's the skinny guy?"
Janice laughed. "That's Mr. Chuck Rogers. He described himself as a pilot, a petroleum geologist, and a professional anti-Communist."
"You should introduce him to my father."
"I think they're fast friends already. They were discussing the Cuban cause or some such nonsense."
Wayne rolled his neck. "Who hired that combo?"
"Your father. Buddy Fritsch recommended them."
Wayne turned around. Wayne saw Lynette. Lynette saw him. She tapped the door glass. She flashed her watch. Wayne flashed ten fingers.
Janice said, "Spoilsport." Janice made claws. Janice goofed on draggy Lynette.
Wayne turned on the rail light. Janice walked downstairs. Sequins dropped behind her. The light made them glint.
The valets giggled. Hola, senora. Gracias por la reefer.
Wayne fucked with the light.
He swiveled it. He dipped it. He strafed the airplane. He caught a window. He saw shotguns and vests.
The hatch popped open. Pete B. jumped out. Wayne flashed him. Pete waved and winked.
Wayne fretted it. Wayne walked inside and rejoined the party. Midnite hit. Drunks waved mistletoe.
The eggnog was out. Ditto the prewar cognac. Ditto the pre-Castro cigars.
The elves were sloshed. The nymphs were bombed. The Mormons were blotto. The ice sculptures leaked. The manger scene dripped. Baby Jesus was slush. Said Savior played ashtray. His cradle held butts.
Wayne circulated. The Bondsmen packed up. Barb lugged mike stands and drums. Wayne watched her. Lynette watched him.
Wayne Senior held court. Four Mormon elders and chairs tucked in tight. Chuck Rogers sat in. Chuck balanced two bottles. Chuck sucked gin and blueberry schnapps.
Wayne Senior dropped names--Mr. Hoover said this/Dick Nixon said that. The elders laughed. Chuck shared his jugs. Wayne Senior passed him a key.
Chuck palmed it. Chuck stood up. The elders laughed. The elders shared frat-boy looks.
They stood up. They walked down the side hall. Chuck bird-dogged them. They rendezvoused. They all braced the gun-room door.
Chuck unlocked it. The elders piled in. The elders chortled and yukked. Chuck stepped in. The elders snatched his booze. Chuck shut the door fast.
Wayne watched. Wayne grabbed a stray drink. Wayne guzzled it. Vodka and fruit pulp--lipstick on the glass.
The pulp killed the burn. The lipstick tasted sweet. The rush hit him low.
He walked to the gun room. He heard yuks inside. He jerked the door. He popped it.
Movie time.
Chuck ran the projector. Film hit a pull screen. Tight on: Martin Luther King.
He's fat. He's nude. He's ecstatic. He's fucking a white woman hard.
They fucked. They fucked sans sound. They fucked missionary-style. Static hiss and film flecks. Sprocket holes and numbers--FBI code.
Covert work/surveillance film/some lens distortion.
King wore socks. The woman wore nylons. The elders yukked. The projector clicked. Film cut through a slide.
The mattress sagged--plump Reverend King--the woman more so. An ashtray bounced on the bed--butts scattered and flew.
Chuck grabbed a flashlight. Chuck centered the beam. Chuck palmed a 4-.by-6 tract.
King thrashed--the camera panned--Trojan rubbers on a nightstand.
Chuck yelled--pipe down now--Chuck read from the tract. "Big Bertha said, 'Maul me, Marty! We shall overcoooooome!'"
Wayne ran up. Chuck saw him. Chuck gawked--what the-- Wayne kicked the projector. The spools flew and rolled. The film hit three walls and went dead. The elders backed up. The elders tripped and banged heads. The elders knocked the screen down.
Wayne grabbed the tract. Chuck backed off. Wayne shoved him and ran out. He cut down the side hall. He grazed the bandstand. He sideswiped some nymphs and elves.
He made the front deck. He grabbed the rail light. He honed it and flashed on the tract.