BA HAMMER Blackmail Ch. 01

Opening night finally arrived. I decided to watch it from backstage. Bob showed me where to stay to be able to see but be out of the way. All the news about Woods caused a sensation in the public. They were sold out and had people standing outside. Everyone was very excited. I checked in with Willie to see how he was holding up.

"I can't remember having a buzz around an opening like there is around this one. If we can pull it off tonight, we might have a shot at Broadway later this year. "Willie was dressed in a tux and looked presentable. I was in my normal jeans and shirt, but, just for this occasion, I had put a suit-type coat over it. I thought I would go and wish Mary luck. I found her in her dressing room.

"I guess I'm supposed to say, "break and leg", correct?"

She laughed. "Who says you don't know theater?" She gave me a kiss. To get to lip level, I had to lift her off her feet. Holding her made me realize I wanted to keep this woman around. I didn't care about her career, or physical attributes. She was beautiful, and famous, but that is not what gives me that feeling when I am around her. We would have to have a talk about this later. But now, it's showtime.

I went out and climbed up a ladder to a landing above the assistant stage manager who calls out the cues for the show. I was downstage right and could see the entire stage floor, as well as the orchestra pit, between the end of the curtain and the proscenium arch. The orchestra was tuning up. The doors were open, and the audience was filing in. This is where I will stay until the first intermission. You learn a lot of theater terms listening to a theater troupe for a month. I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about.

I watched for the next 70 minutes as the first act flowed smoothly. Chad was smooth. I couldn't tell that he was doing something he hadn't practiced for three months. When the curtain came down, I went down to see the crew. They were flying around, setting up the second act. Bob was talking to his assistant stage manager. They were going over the cues for the next act. I decided to move to a different spot to watch the second act. Everything went great. Mary was perfect, Mellon covered the lead role, and the audience seemed to enjoy the show.

After the show was over, I went to see the cast. They were gathered in the green room, eating the spread that had been laid out for them. Chad came to see me.

"What did you think of my first show, BA?" He could hardly stand still.

"It looked like you had been practicing that role for months." Mary was watching us, smiling. Chad looked for someone else to ask. "I thought you were better than perfect." She blushed.

"I missed a line on the fourth page of scene two. Thomas covered for me, and it worked out okay."

Willie brought me one of the hand bills that were handed out to the audience. I don't know how they did it, but they made the changes in just one day. I noticed that Chad was now C.T. Allen. I will keep this bill forever.

As everyone was planning on going to the opening party, Mary came up to me and whispered in my ear.

"How about we have our own celebration? I have the perfect place." She smiled and I nodded.

She took my hand and we headed for the door. We caught a cab and headed for her apartment. I could get my car tomorrow. When we got to her place, I shed my coat while she was making some drinks. We went to her couch. She sat down and kicked her shoes off and curled her feet under her. I sat down beside her and took a drink from her. We sipped them for a moment, until I reached down and kissed her. She put her drink down and climbed on my lap. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, hard. She then put her head down on my shoulder and I just sat there, holding this little, beautiful dynamo of a woman in my arms. I could sit here all night. Well, not really. There were other things I wanted to do, and I was certain she did too.

I picked her up and she pointed to the bedroom door. I carried her in and sat her on the bed. She began removing her clothes as I did. It was almost a race to see who could get ready first. In a matter of seconds, we were both as naked as when we were born. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and I told her so.

"Enough talk, Thor, show me the hammer." She laid back and readied herself for the onslaught. I moved to her, and we enjoyed the next couple of hours beyond belief. We finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

I woke up with the sun shining through the bedroom window. I looked at this creature sleeping beside me. She was amazing, and I wanted to make her happy. She finally stirred, smiled at me, and cuddled up to me.

"Okay, Thor. I won't be teasing you about your hammer ever again. You can swing it at me anytime you want."

We got up, fixed a good breakfast, and headed for the theater. They had a show tonight and two tomorrow.

I had reported to Fat Toney about where his money went. The box at First National had $50,000 in it. It was being held for the trial, but Willie believes they will get it back afterwards. I told Tony about the foreign accounts. He thought he might have an idea for that and thanked me for solving his little problem. He told me he owed me one, but I told him I thought it best if I stayed away for a while. Ed did come through with my PI license, so I was in business now. I would have to wait for the carry permit, but they were hard to get in New York, so I was prepared to wait.

Over the next month, I saw every performance. They were all sold out. The publicity about the trial did nothing to hurt the gate, and there was talk about maybe Broadway soon.

Just when I was getting comfortable being with Mary every day, Willie called me to his office.

"BA, I wonder if you could help me with something?" He didn't seem to be so happy asking me something, but that's why I am here.

"I have a friend, Theodore L. Cunningham. "(Why do producers seem to always use three names?) "He is the producer of a well-known family musical at the Minskoff Theatre. He has some sort of problem with one of his actors. He wouldn't say, but you are the type of person he is looking for, even if he doesn't know it yet."

"So, you are volunteering me to help someone who isn't asking for my help?" This will turn out well.

"He's desperate. He needs delicate help, and I told him about what happened here. He will meet with you to at least discuss it."

I went to the address Willie gave me. It was in a fashionable district in Manhattan. I looked up his office in the directory and went up. The receptionist barely looked up as I entered.

"Excuse me, I have an appointment with Mr. Cunningham." She finally looked up, paused for a second, and finally picked up her phone.

"Your name please."

B.A. Hammer."

"Mr. Cunningham, there is a BA Hammer here to see you." She told me to go on in.

I entered his room to find a sixty something white-haired man sitting behind a big desk. He stood up when I entered and shook my hand. "Thank you for coming. I don't know what to do about this."

"I'm sure I can help you. Can you describe your problem?" He started fiddling with his hands and licking his lips.

"We need to be very careful about this. If this gets out, it could end one of the longest running shows on Broadway, not to mention, an outstanding career by a fine woman."

"Didn't Willie tell you how I work? I work behind the scenes. No one in the public has any idea about what I did for him. The police got all the credit, and I am fine with that. Either tell me what the problem is, or I've come downtown for nothing."

He looked down for a minute, then looked up and nodded. "One of the principals of our musical is being blackmailed. She had pictures taken early in her career, and someone is threatening to publish them if we don't pay for them. We have no idea who. This is a large family company's musical. You know what would happen if it became public. We've been running for years, and we would probably have to replace her."

"This is pretty common. I imagine every woman in Broadway has pictures floating around out there."

"True. However, she is beside herself and she won't tell me why."

"Alright, I will talk to her, and if she can convince me that this is not the run of the mill pictures, I will help you, for Willie's sake." He jumped up and started shaking my hand rigorously.

"I told her you might come by. She probably won't want to meet you at the theater. I can have her come here. That would be normal enough not to raise suspicions."

"When can we do this? I don't want to be driving around this town more than necessary."

"Can you be here at 10 tomorrow morning?" I nodded and left. I can't imagine what pictures could be that much of a problem. There are pictures of nearly everyone if you know where to look. We will see tomorrow.

I arrived at ten the next morning. The receptionist led me into his office the minute I arrived. Sitting on a couch was a woman of fiftyish, slight, and fit. She stood up and shook my hand. "Hello, Mr. Hammer. My name is Ester Blasingame. I am the director of this production. I have been here since the beginning."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Blasingame. How may I be of service to you?"

She looked at Cunningham. "I guess I have no choice but to trust you. Thirty years ago, when I first arrived in New York, I was struggling, like everyone does. I got to a real low point in my life, and let a sleazy man talk me into making a picture. By picture, I mean a movie where clothes were not necessary for the plot, if you understand what I mean?" I nodded. I really did. The number of young girls that are taken advantage of in New York rivals that of Los Angeles.

"I understand. This would be devastating for a "Family" musical troupe. It would severely limit your future employment in the theater district." She began crying.

"Yes, I am willing to pay them, but I don't trust them. I need someone who can handle the payoff and retrieve the film. That is what I need you to do for me."

"I don't recommend paying them. They never really go away. However, I will do what you wish. Can you show me what you have?"

She brought out a manila envelope and gave it to me. In it was a cutup letter. Really, it's 2011, not the 90's. They could have done this on a computer, but whatever. It also had stills from a grainy film that didn't show much but did show a picture of a much younger Ester Blasingame. She was engaged in an activity with an unknown man that still can't be shown on network TV.

"I see what you mean. Can I have these? Do you remember anything about the man who made this movie? A name? A company's name? Anything would help."

"Yes, you can take them. I remember his first name was Benny. That is all I remember, except the guy who was running the camera had a funny name, like Squiggy, or Squirly, something like that."

"Okay, give me a number where I can reach you directly. Let me know the next time they contact you. They will send you the instructions for the payment." She gave me her cell phone number and I gave her mine.

I called Mary and she was still home. I told her I was coming by. I was spending a lot of time there now. It seemed to be progressing nicely.

When I arrived at her apartment, I asked her about Ester Blasingame. "Ester Blasingame. She is a big-time director in this town. She has been doing the same play for nearly ten years now. Why do you ask?"

I ran everything by her and waited for her response. It didn't take long. "If you find these guys, cut their nuts off for me. Almost every young woman that comes here has to fight this slime off with a club. They are relentless, and many desperate girls make those films. I was approached several times."

It bothered her so much; I hugged her and held her until she stopped shaking. "You know I will do what I can, my love."

She headed off for that night's performance, and I headed to Ed O'Sullivan's office. I wanted to see how much background he might be able to provide me about this problem.

I explained this to Ed, but I didn't show him the picture. I showed him the letter. "I assume you don't want to tell me who the victim is, correct?"

"You are correct. I need to find these guys. They want to pay, but we both know that is a bad idea. I need to find out who this is and stop them before I must pay them. Were you in the force thirty years ago? That would be the early eighties."

"I'm old, but not that old. But I may know an old codger who's still breathing from that time. Let me check, and if he can help you, I'll put you in touch with him."

"Thanks, Ed. Let me know. Do you know anyone who might be able to tell anything by a few pictures?"

"Pictures you can't show me?" I nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

I went home. I haven't been going to every performance any longer. It is her job. I need to do mine. I got a call from Ed's contact the next day. His name was Walter O'Malley, and he was a cop for nearly thirty years. He has been retired now for ten years. I arranged to see him at his favorite pub. Of course, it was an Irish pub, The Shamrock. He was waiting for me.

"You're Hammer?"

"Yeah. Thanks for seeing me. I need someone who was there then to help me with this."

I laid everything out for him. When I was finished, he sat back and was quiet. I ordered a couple of his favorite beers and waited.

"You say his name was Benny?" I nodded. "The only Benny I knew in this line of work was Benny Bear. At least that is what he called himself. I think he's dead now. He dropped out of sight around twenty years ago. He certainly was the type of person who operated that way. He got busted several times for making pornos in stores, and other businesses without permission. The cameraman was actually a woman named Susie Neal. Her nickname was Twiggy, after the model, because she was really skinny. I haven't heard what happened to her."

"Thanks, Walt." As I left, I gave the bartender a hundred, and told him to keep Walt happy for as long as it lasted.

On a hunch I called Fat Tony. I wondered if any of his old boys would remember either of these two people. Tony promised to ask around and let me know.

I went to Mary's apartment, got a beer, and sat in the big, comfortable chair to think. She wouldn't be home for hours, and I needed to think this through.

Why had the film laid dormant for thirty years?

Who knew about the old film and who the girl in it really was?

Why had they waited for ten years to try this? She is a famous Broadway director and has been for fifteen years.

Why didn't they do this sooner?

I decided to find out if either of the two had any children, or heirs. It is possible this film was found in their effects, and no one realized what they had until now. That seems like the most likely scenario.

I fell asleep in the chair. When Mary came home, she woke me up and put me to bed.

The next morning, I asked Ed to check to see if there were any records still around of Benny Bear's arrests. I didn't think so, but I need somewhere to start. He said he'd check. One of Tony's boys came by the office and dropped off an envelope. He just left it and bolted. Not the talkative type. In the envelope was an old picture of Benny Bear. It also had a list of a few of Benny's finest masterpieces. There is no way I would ever get lucky enough to have the film I am looking for to be one of the ones on this list, but it gave me a place to start. There was also a name written on a piece of paper. "Slim Jim Anderson"

I decided to look Walt up to see if that name rang a bell. I found him at the Shamrock.

"Wow, I haven't heard that name in years. Jim knows more about the seventies and eighties porn industry around New York than anyone else I knew. I don't know if he is still alive, but if he is, he's the man you need to talk to."

"Thanks, Walt. I made another deposit with the bartender and left. The porn video business was a booming business, and I knew one old man who had a chain of stores. He might remember Jim Anderson.

I went to a sleazier area of New York to find the original store of the "Good Times Video" store chain. There was a kid behind the counter, and a few less than savory customers lurking around when I came in.

"Is Max around?"

"Who?"

"Just Max. You know, the owner of this joint."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea who you are talking about. A guy name Wilson owns this chain now."

"Sorry to have troubled you." I left but watched through the window to see what the kid did. Sure enough, as soon as I was gone, he was on the phone. I guess I would have to wait to see who shows up to check on me. I figured I would make it easy on them and went back into the store.

"Hey, kid. How about I leave you my card so you can give it to Wilson?" I left a card on the counter and left. Now all I had to do was wait at my office to see who showed up. That was a lot better than busting my ass looking for Max.

It didn't take long for them to show up.