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ting down a short hallway。
I fast…footed it out of the film…storage room。 I saw flickery flits of light flick out from below two doorways。 I ducked down the dark hall。 Shifty shadows shot up from the door slits。 I crept up on them and got down in a crab…crawl crouch。 I slid one eye up against the door slits。
I saw a punk cameraman with a Panflex porta…cam packed into a pod…shaped peephole。 Next door： Rock and the monster…hung man…child making meat…mangling motions on a light…colored couch with the lights on。 Motherfucker： minuscule mini…mikes taped to a tall table lamp！
I flew back to the film…storage room。 I rapidly reshimmied down that drainpipe。 I whizzed across Wilshire； looped around La Cienega； and ducked down an alley behind Delores's Drive…In。 I vaulted a vine…covered fence； veered past Vance Vanning's van； and vibrated up to that shitty little shack that the sweaty swish had swayed by。
The drive…in was deep in a late…nite lull。 I spotted six sleds snouted into snack…serving slots。 I looked left and wrapped my eyeballs right。 I didn't see the sweaty swish or Ben Luboff。 I saw Vance Vanning and Buddy Berkow buzzing logs in their bug vans。
I fearlessly faced the shack door。 I nervously knocked and locked my loins to fight a scandal…skank war of some scope。 Nobody answered。 I wiggled the door open and walked in uninvited。
A lousy little all…linoleum office。 Disinfectant stench； a dirty desk； and a doily…covered chair。
A closet。
A preciously apropos prop and a prime hideout hole。
I hid in the closet。 I hunched myself up and heaved for breath。 Methedrine…mad minutes marched by。 I sweated and swore out a warrant on Ben Luboff's hide。
I heard the outer door open and shut。 Furtive footsteps and vague voices。 I peered through a pint…size pinhole in the closet door。 I saw Ben Luboff and the sweaty swish。
Perspiration poured over the pinhole and voided my view。 I locked my eyes shut and listened。
Ben said； 〃You know； it's ironic。 I've been hearing about your service for years； but it took a tip from fucking Danny Getchell to get me to contact you。〃
The sweaty swish said； 〃Choice chicken； doll。 The best boys in the West； and a good rep for discretion。〃
Ben said； 〃Yeah； and that's why the Rock buys all his extracurricular tail from you。〃
The sweaty swish said； 〃The Rock ain't nothin' but a hound dog。 He's got a perfectly gorgeous lover at homean art director at Metrobut he's got to roll around with every Tom； Dick； and Harriet he can findwith the emphasis on 〃Dick〃。〃
Ben said； 〃You've never forgiven him； have you？ He broke your heart； and that's what makes this deal so sweet for you。〃
The sweaty swish said； 〃Truer words never spoken； doll。 And godddd； it was torture selling boys to him。〃
Ben said； 〃Vengeance is sweet； baby…cakes。 You get your shot at the Rock； I get mine at the schmendrick Getchell。〃
In your faigeleh…finagling dreams； you fucking
The sweaty swish said； 〃You're sure we can't get hurt on this？〃
Ben said； 〃Nix。 My camera guy set up a breakaway set at the Fine Arts。 If the Rock takes the fuzz back there； they won't find the room he told them about。 It was all strictly clandestine。 My camera guy let your boy in the theater； and none of the theater chumps know that any of this happened。〃
The sweaty swish said； 〃Vengeance is mine； sayeth both of us。〃
Ben said； 〃Especially me。 See； I gave Getchell that tip on Don Jordan's whore racket； and I called Don and clued him in that Getchell was onto his biz。 Now； Don Jordan is a bad hombre to flick with。 He killed lots of guys in the Dominican Republic； and he's tight with this spic gangthe Apachesout in Boyle Heights。 I think it's safe to say that Danny Getchell's days are numbered。〃
I swirled sweat off my face and popped an eye up to the pintsize pinhole。 Ben said； 〃And look； call it penance。 I've done a shitty thing by exposing our kind of people； but now I'm doing all of us a mitzvah by taking Getchell out。〃
〃Penance〃？ 〃〃Our〃 people〃？
Ben leaned in and kissed the sweaty swish on the lips。 He said； 〃Later； Lover；〃 and languidly loped out the door。
I crashed out of the closetcrazily out of control。 The sweaty swish saw me。 He swirled and swung a switchblade out of his pocket。
He pirouetted and pounced。 I closed the closet door； swiveled； and swung it at him。 His switchblade swiped wood。 He swung off balance。 I swatted at his knife hand and kicked him in the kidneys and the 〃cojones〃。
He clipped the closet door。 I clotheslined him and claimed his knife off the floor。 I clamped down on his neck and kicked out his legs and laid him out on the linoleum。
I pinned him prone and swicked sweat beads off his beak with my blade。 I said； 〃Sing； shitbird。〃
He coughed and caught some breath。 He hemmed； hawed； and hummed in hyperventilation。 He stopped and stared at me。 He got hip to the hard hophead hate I had for him and put it all out prestissimo。
〃It all went down today。 You tipped off Ben to my operation； which he'd heard rumors about for years。 Ben told me you'd ratted me out； but why blow a potentially sweet partnership when we could work breakaway…bedroom jobs and snag some big people？ I wanted to put some hurt on Rock； and Ben and I both wanted to nail you for all the gay folk you've messed with。〃
I leaned in laceratingly low。 〃So this was a scandal squeeze on the Rock。 Pay； or see yourself in 〃Whisper〃。〃
The sweaty swish said； 〃Yes。〃 I said； 〃How much were you going to squeeze him for？〃 The sweaty swish said； 〃Twentyfive G's。〃
I leaned in lower and laughed。 〃Rock doesn't have it。 I heard he took a bath on a real estate deal。〃
The sweaty swish swung a sweet smile at me。 〃Then look for the Rock on the cover of the June 1958 issue of 〃Whisper〃。〃
〃WHISPER〃 WINS WICKED WAR OF WORDS！ THE 〃HUSH…HUSH〃 HEGEMONY WIPED OUT WITH A WHIMPER！
I blinked。 The sweaty swish blindsided me blindingly fast。
He landed a left on my lips。 He ratched a right to my chin。 A knee bit my balls and bounced me backward。
The sweaty swish swung to his feet。 I flattened myself to the floor； grabbed his two fat Florsheims and watched him fly back where he'd been。 He landed on linoleum； lurched upright； and laughed。 I lobbed my knife and lanced him in the larynx。
4
I punked out and panicked。 I left the sweaty swish larynx…lashed and laid out in lurid state。 I ran from the hellacious homo…cide。
I popped up to my pad off Pico。 I saw a pack of pachucos parked outside。 Mean Mexicans in mohair shirts and mohawk haircuts。 Machismo…mangled minions。 Don Jordan's homicidal 〃hermanos〃。
I hauled to the 〃Hush…Hush〃 office。 I hit on a horrific scene out of Hieronymus Bosch。
Heaps of 〃Hush…Hush〃 dirt files tossed and torched to Cinder City。 Scandal skinny scorched and dumped into dust piles。 Art sheets shivved and shorn to shit。 Type trays trashed and chairs chopped into chop suey。
My crew：
Bruised； contused； confused； and ripped from a raid on Dave Dockweiler's dope stash。
Dawn。
I dashed back to Delores's Drive…In and dipped by at a safe distance。 I drove one…handed and drilled the dive with my Bausch binoculars。
Copsa b