Grey Skies in Mourning

© 2010 Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Four

edited 12/12/2012

Across town the next afternoon a middle aged doe sheep looked up as the door to her boss’s office opened, the tiny bell mounted upon it jingling brightly. A rather large and very impressive black furred mare stepped in, reaching up without looking to shove one finger into the bell, stopping its song.

“Welcome to Pander Detective Agency Mam. May I help you?” she asked, impressed by the mare’s absent action.

“Harry in? I’ve a two o’clock appointment with him” the mare answered, closing the door before releasing that bell. “Names Nikki Benevedo.”

“Mr. Pander is busy with a client right now Miss Benevedo.” Quickly checking her calendar for the day she noted the name was there, which also told her of a slight mistake she had just made. So this was an expected disaster not one simply walking in from the street. She also noted that there was still nine minutes to the appointment. “If you will have a seat Mrs. Benevedo I will step in and remind him of your appointment.”

Standing quickly, she moved to the inner glass filled door and rapped lightly.

A rough, probably cigarette battered voice answered from the other side. “What is it dollface.”

“Your two o’clock has arrived sir” she answered, hoping that her boss’s current visitor hadn’t angered him too much.

Three heartbeats later the door opened wide, a rough looking basset hound standing in the opening. “Gotcha. Set Mr. Ringwald up with an green account.” He turned to look at his next visitor and forgot to breath, until his secretary non-to subtly punched him in the stomach. “‘scuse me Mam” he gasped. “Gimmie ah minute to air out the cave and Frances will bring you in.” He stepped aside, letting a bespeckled hedgehog leave the office.

“Don’t worry Mr. Ringwald” he told the dumpy little man. “I’m certain that your daughter is fine but I’ll keep my eyes open for her. My word.”

“Thank you Mr. Pander. Tanks you” the hedgehog answered, hat in paw. “It’s just been two week now.” He glanced at Nikki who was still standing. With an ‘epp’ of combined fear and excitement he made way, going to the doe’s desk to wait.

True to his word the basset hound had opened both windows in his office, tossing the half smoked cigar out one window before allowing Nikki to enter. As she did he gave the mare a smile. “I don’t really smoke Nikki Its just that most of my clients seem to expect it. Damn movies.” Taking off his trademark trench coat and tossing it on a coat rack he found a chair that an equine could sit in with some comfort, placing it across from his desk before returning to his own chair. “How’s the wife” he asked as he opened a desk drawer.

“Worried. She doesn’t like being away from me” the mare answered. “We hired you on Elsia Hoffman’s recommendation. Thanks for straightening us up on that US Steel matter.”

“No problem. Reporters hear one thing, write another down and Janson’s known for his typos. Still, U.S. Steel and Ussteal can get past you on occasion. How is Elsia?”

“Gotten over you, me and twenty or so other lovers by now” Nikki answered with a smile. “What’s with the hedgehog?”

“No harm tellin yah. Daughter wanted to be an actress, went to MGM. Friend of mine there showed me her screen test. Waste of film but she has a hell of a body. He claims she’s twenty-two, she looks a sexy twelve. DAKA has her and DAKA is supposed to be the mob. They’ve already released four films with her in it. She won’t last long when she discovers she isn’t working her way up the ladder to real films but just working. But she’s on her own, you see I don’t mess with the mob. Period. I’ll never charge the father a penny, tha’s what a green contract is for. But I’ll do what I can, if I run across her on the street before they turn her into a drug addicted disease ridden whore tha is.” Picking up his phone he pressed a button. “Babe, when your done with Mr. Ringwald close up shop and get in here. Bring the Henderson divorce file with you please?”

“Yes sir. Be five more minutes Sir” came the answer.

Shutting down the intercom button the hound grinned at Nikki. “Anyone asks Mr. Ringwald, you’re a divorce case.” He pulled a notebook from his drawer, closing the drawer again before referring to the notebooks pages. “Taking a shot at Republic huh? Pretty difficult target. Yade’s no idiot.”

“MGM’s too big and Twentieth has too heavy a debt” Nikki answered. “Republics the right size and weak right now” she continued. “Getting weaker every day, it’s exactly what we want. A small studio making it, but in trouble. There’s going to be war Pander and Spontoon’s a small nation. We not only want a fall back position but one that will both feed us and let us do something worthwhile during the coming war.”

“Yeah. Starling’s a queer old bird. Mad as a hatter and that German dingbat isn’t any better. You think America will get sucked into Europe’s mess again?”

“Men do love their wars” Nikki admitted. “I honestly don’t know, we have a treaty with Rain Island but their nothing to stop Russia or Cipangu.” She heard the doe say good-bye to the hedgehog and nodded. “Your wife is about to come in, we can end this chit-chat and get to work then.”

“How’d you know she was my wife” the hound asked, holding up his ring paw. “No ring. Never been one.”

“But she has one on her finger and another on a necklace she wears. You don’t call someone else’s wife or widow Babe or Dollface” Nikki explained, settling down as she waited for the real business to begin. “It’s my business to be observant.”

“So I see” the hound agreed. “It them damn movies again. Everyone expects my secretary to be single, and maybe my lover. Gotta play the part if you want business, Elsia taught me that ‘moung other things.”

Nikki laughed softly. “I see Elsia is right, you do have a talented tongue.” She turned to look as the inner door opened, finding the doe looking at her with an odd expression. “And?” she asked.

“I’ve gotta meet Elsia” the doe answered. “And she’s right, Harry does have a very talented tongue.” She shut the door behind her, carefully turning its lock. “Outer office is closed down honey so we better get to work.” She pulled up a chair that was obviously meant for her and sat, preparing her notepad and pen.

“Guess we better” the hound agreed. “Now, exactly what is yer plan tah take down Emperor Yade.” He spotted Nikki’s slightly raised eye and shrugged. “He’s got few friends other than that Governor and other high horses like that. Not much liked in the business anymore. Oh what he did to Mammoth and the others that’s just business but rumor is, girls that show up for screen tests sometimes end up at DAKKA like that little hedgehog at MGM. I’d bet she went to Republic within a day. Usually when the boys short of cash these rumors pop up. That’s a bad waste of talent though not in her case, but its still a waste of a pretty woman.”

“Yeah. Tah business” Nikki replied, casting aside the unknown hedgehogs future fate. She wasn’t here to play vendetta or get involved in any kind of power struggle but to do a job. A job that if successful might make ruin of such companies as DAKKA, in a thousand years or so. “Bottom line is this. We intend to cause the value of Republic Stock to crash while making it appear that there is so much hidden debt that buying even part of the company would be idiocy to the extreme. I understand that a certain publication makes a point in trash picking for information.”

“Wilkerson” the doe named. “He’s been shut outta the studios so he’s tryin to ruin them all in retaliation.”

“She’s right” the hound agreed. “Man’s crazy, starting a war with the studios. He’s even naming people who were, or are members of the Communist party as though that was illegal. But it sells papers until someone decides to off the jackal.”

“So you have been feeding him the prepared releases?” Nikki asked.

“Yes, though he hasn’t bit on many of them” Harry admitted. “Those he has, they have provin right so he’s bitin a bit more each time. How are you gonna feed him that last bombshell? About Republic bein’ a front for DAKKA?”

“Inside job, our agent is already there. He found a job and will slip the incriminating evidence into Yade’s trash can at the right time.” She gave her two hired agents a knowing smile, “Which will make Republic stock untouchable and ruin this Wikerson at the same time.”

Shivering the doe took her husbands paw. “And us?” she asked.

“Keep your mouths shut, long and happy lives for you. Besides, there are always detective movies and your husband seems to have the part down pat. It might even pay as much as you make now.”

“I see” the hound said softly, pushing his wife away gently. “You let us know the carrot, what’s tha axe?”

“There is no axe Mr. Pander, or whatever your real name is. Elsa wouldn’t tell us that by the way. You are working for us, knowing the goal and part of what we are going to do to reach that goal. A lot of very good minds and a lot more very good money has gone into this plan. You were chosen because Elsa said that you were the very best that she knew and trustworthy. We take care of our friends sir, if we are successful offering you a shot at stardom is exactly that. If we fail then we will look elsewhere, but we have never hurt the people that worked with us honestly and as long as we are alive we never will.”

“Strange words” the hound countered. “Then you are from ah strange country. All right, first things first. That odd account? Its Yade takin ah personal loan on his Preferred Stock. He runs Republic like its his own business, ignores tha other owners and stockholders. That’s caused a rift and so far two of tha other owners have walked out. Rumor is ah third is levin. One sold his Preferred Stock, washed his paws completely of tha place.” He looked over to his secretary/wife. “Lover?”

Opening the folder she had brought in with her the middle aged ewe cleared her throat. “First thing. Whatever the money is being used for it is not all Republic Pictures. There isn’t any financial records of that kind of influx, though it is obvious that a large portion does somehow enter Republics coffers but months after tha loan closes. Sayin that, we still have no clue where the remaining cash is goin. That’s several thousands of dollars just vanishing and there is no record that Republic ever repays what ‘e put in it.” She laid a single typewritten sheet of paper on the desk surface face down, glancing at the second. “Your finance advisor is really good, we’ve been able to back up every bit of information that was in it. There are some new items that hah’ surfaced though. Your now aware of course that two, perhaps three members of the original group have abandoned ship.” She took the mares slight nodding of her head as a yes.

“Good. Those were the most independent people working for Yade. Haster is only staying so he can destroy the Studio. He was given ah nickle on the dollar for his studio, if it had been a quarter he’d probably had accepted the loss but a nickle? He carries a big hurt in his heart and he’s going to find a way to cripple Yade. Preferable by bankrupting the stallion. Now with my husbands help, based on the information you’ve given us I’ve made up a false background for you.”

She pulled a light green page from her folder, offering it to Nikki. “You’re a well off woman from the Fillippines who’s sister wants tah get into tha movies. You, as the older sister have come to see what Hollywood is like before you agree to allow her to come here.” She looked over to her husband. “I wish more parents would do that.” Turning back to Nikki she continued. “Nice film clips by tha way. Seeing what you are really like, you’ve some acting talent.”

“Songmark teaches you a great deal” the mare answered softly. “Go on please.”

“Very well. Currently Republic is on a very shaky foundation, someone like Yade has the ability to pull it out, as long as he stays at the helm. He is honestly a financial genius in his own way, our problem is getting him away from the helm long enough to set an unshakable course onto the rocks.”

Setting another page down she withdrew a pink sheet of paper. “Two years ago Mrs. Yade vanished. Her ahn the gardener, along with a substantial amount of cash from Yade’s bank account. Official story is she ran off with tha younger wolf. Rumor though.” She gave the page to Nikki. “Yade took ah long flight out that night, he has his own floatplane and is a fair pilot. Rumor is three furs went out, one came back. That, and the occasional slip of tha tongue by Yade himself when he’s drunk or very angry. Common belief is he took their bodies somewhere and dumped them but with no evidence there’s no case. Besides Yade has too many friends in very high places for any investigation to even start. Like tha local an state police force. Ahn tha state government. Remember that.”

Nikki carefully read the page before returning it,. “You are correct” she admitted. “Impossible to prove, even if we found what is left of the bodies today. So then we will stay with the current plan, you have my itinerary and a guide?”

“Yeah” the basset hound answered. “Found yah a real intelligent, ahn not too nosey bird tah be yer companion. Used tah High Society till her investment crashed in ‘twenty-nine, so you better be really good at actin.”

“Ahm high city meself” Nikki countered, dropping back into her Spontoon persona. “Ah was born tah ah rich family, buh ah aint rich nah more.” She giggled slightly as both her companions mouths opened wide. “As I informed you, Songmark teaches her daughters well. Yes, I am from a high society family, one that turned their backs on me not long after I entered Songmark. Fooling this little bird should not be difficult at all. Besides, I train women. Remember?”

“Yes. Yes I was warned about that” Pander admitted. “My wife has your itinerary along with your reservations. Not the best of hotels, still ones we believe a fallen high society woman would use. Almost four star, but just cheap enough to be affordable. Your guide will be informed as to where to find you and when to first meet with you, after tha it’s our own game Mrs. Benevedo.”

Almost an hour later Nikki left the Investigators office, heading back to her hotel. She had found the Pander’s to be honest, hard working and very supportive of her goals.