Flapper Dick Ch. 11

For the perhaps as many as two of you paying attention, before this one I mention the District Attorney. The problem is Chicago doesn't have one, they have a county attorney. Cook County Attorney to be specific, which is a little surprising and then I never looked it up before. Did finally since I wanted to have an idea on what the offices look like.

Which is a little boring in all honesty, it is a big brick building. Which is most every building in Chicago, then and now. Also not since there are houses in Chicago that are not brick. There is also a dark room early on in this one. I will mention there are three steps used, which for 1926 probably didn't happen.

The third step is using a fixer, which mostly didn't happen then. I am rather unsure on if there even was the chemical developed then. I described that in there since I basically just put down what one does with black and white film now. Which means it is not right for the time period, but then perhaps is all in one since all I can find on it is that fixer was not always used.

Means perhaps there was a fixer for then, and perhaps not. There really is no way to tell since nobody has records of it online. Honestly be happy I found a step by step process of developing film. Also have at the very end a guy gets killed by his live in girlfriend. Laws of the time there was no extenuating circumstances so a murder is a murder.

She gets around that at first by not saying to the police that she killed him. The description of what happens is taken to the county attorney offices and there is a report but that is stuffed in a drawer. Which did happen, probably still does. Basically it is the courts saying be nice and you won't hear from us.

**

Wake to the alarm and groan, I just want to sleep. Fred has a different idea, he is pulling me out of bed and into the shower. Wake up some in the shower so I do wash Fred off, also getting my legs shaved and Fred is feeling at me there. Get handed the razor so do shave myself then I am feeling at my pits so shave one, Fred takes the razor back and does the other.

Giggling out of the shower then I am shaving Fred. Go to shave more of him and he grabs my hand.

"Not shaving more of me, it is now nineteen twenty six not hell froze over." Sigh and wave my hand down over me.

"I am shaved for your pleasure."

"You enjoy being shaved there more than I enjoy you shaved there." Snort since he is right.

"Suppose."

"Do you really want me shaved?" Ponder it then shake my head.

"Rather like feeling your hair when I am snuggled up to. Almost want more but then I probably would shave you then." Fred snorts and shakes his head.

"If I was that covered in hair I would shave. Let's get you dressed and see if they finished with the dark room."

Nod so on into our bedroom where I put my watch on first, Fred got me a really lovely silver watch. I got him the pocket watch which he likes, and then I went and bought him a dollar cigar. So Christmas Day he is smoking a cigar all day. Got him to laugh but when he did try it he smiled and kept smoking it, smelled rather good so tried a puff.

Smells better than it tastes but Fred liked it. So that is part of our Christmas now, a dollar cigar to Fred. I didn't enjoy the tree however so I yelled at Fred plenty and he relented so next year we will get a tree early in December, along with the calendars. Not to mention more ornaments for the tree, why it is a small tree there are not many.

Dressed we exit the bedroom and there is Audrey with a grin. She leads us down to the basement and the fellas have already left, I have a dark room. Which Fred counters with our dark room, so I give him that one. Not that it is a room, there is a section of basement with drapes hanging. Can open a little if you are not doing anything with the film or paper.

Which sounded funny since there is a light in there. It is a floor lamp with a red light and not very bright but they assure on being dim enough to not bother the paper when putting picture on it. Mostly because the projector has walls around it to block out the light. Windows are blocked off with some heavy cloth and then wood blocks one can fit in, so I can do the film part during the day.

"This is great." I say then my stomach rumbles so both of them are laughing.

"Kelly wants you to take photographs of me in our designs." I am nodding though there is one thing.

"So she is going to expand the advertisements?" Audrey is nodding.

"She had gotten an advertising company to do the advertisements for the store, and they want to do more. Sales have been good enough that she has decided we will and there is even talking to a magazine."

"I am excited on that one, though she is right, I am not needed that much." Audrey shakes her head though it is true, Kelly designed a rather sexy nightshirt.

"I think let's go upstairs and have breakfast." Fred says so we are heading upstairs.

Into the kitchen with us and no potatoes diced, but I do want hash browns so make Fred do that. He skins and then grates the potatoes while Audrey is slicing up an onion. I am dicing bacon and it all goes into a pan so that is good, though there is more to make. I make up biscuits so there is two to each of us, then do up eggs.

Finally sit to a rather grand breakfast, and I get more than Fred. Mostly because Fred and Audrey add some of their hash brown mix to my plate. Toss my hands but then I probably will eat it all. Yesterday I had been hungry after breakfast so finished off our chocolate box. Then Audrey waves and points to the letter holder, which is actually for napkins but we don't use it for that.

"Ah good we can afford meats for the month now." Fred says taking up the letters so kick him.

"There were two." Audrey says so he groans and kicks me back.

I am giggling as he opens the thin one and that is our dough for the month. This time they sent us our dough in ones so it is a lot of aces. That goes in his pocket then he is opening up the other letter and he just reads that for a while.

"Interesting, they are adding to our duties. Instead of just investigating cases we are also to bring witnesses to trial when needed, and to find witnesses who don't show up." Pulls a frown out of me.

"Why would a witness not show up?" Fred sighs and shakes his head.

"They had one not show up for a gang trial. They convicted anyway, but still not having a witness show up is bad and that one didn't show since scared, lives down the street to the gang house."

"So we go and pinch the witness?" Fred snorts and nods.

"Basically, though closer to just go and make sure the witness does go. As in talk them into it, and since we do get gangs raided or do it ourselves anyway, they figure on send us over and the gang stops having a house."

"Except we can't just call in with there is a gang house, we have to go buy something."

"True, but then a fella or skirt living down the street to a gang house will have seen them selling. So the witness is a witness to something else and we call in a raid. Removes their reason to be afraid and off to court with them." I am nodding since true, that witness isn't needed anymore since the raid has evidence of lawbreaking.

"Is there a case?" Fred shakes his head.

"This was mostly just a letting you know letter. We perhaps could demand more dough, I mean driving to get a witness isn't free, have to get more gasoline." I am nodding since true.

"I am just glad for having one so close." Fred snorts, there is a gasoline station five miles from us on one of the main roads.

Finished with breakfast and not hungry, Audrey is sure to ask, I am being sent to get the camera. It is a rather small camera, the fella selling was quick to tell us this is the first camera that uses thirty five millimeter film. Made over in Germany so Fred had frowned on that part. Still it is a really good camera, the fella had sample photographs.

Showed us how to use it and it is actually really easy. There is a view port so you can tell what you are getting a picture of. The front of it extends and adjusts so you can change the focus level, so get a single person or a group. It is a really good design and the fella had been saying that he hopes everyone switches to the thirty five millimeter film, easier to have the film in the store.

Quite true, he showed the rolls of film he has in the store for the cameras. Some of those are pretty darn big. Then Audrey has gotten the lights to a good array and she is striking poses so I am taking pictures. Which is not nearly as fast as that sounds. I take a picture then she is running to change clothes.

Last out of the clothes is the wedding night finery we have done so far. The shorts and shirt are popular since it doesn't show the skirt. Very nice feeling in the satin too, so it is a delight to wear and then fellas really like how the skirt looks in it. More popular is the sort of dress, Capone kept those from being sold for a week since the seamstresses were making them for his bordellos.

Now that they can be bought Kelly has said it is hard to keep them in stock. Not fellas buying those either, the skirts are buying. Not to mention the red version everyone wants, if you can find things like this it is black or white. Coming in red is quite new and rather popular. Course for the shorts and shirt we have a bevy of colors, the factory produced in all of them.

With the pictures done I have two rolls of film to develop and a little excited. I get to do this finally, though the store had test versions so I have done it before. This is just the first time I am doing it with film I need to develop. Fred and Audrey come down to help too, so we are blocking off the windows then I am climbing in the dark room.

Just a little hard since it is so dark down here now. Then I am yelling to turn off the light, gets Fred and Audrey to giggle but they do go upstairs and turn off the light. Then I am spending about an hour trying to get the stupid film to get into the darn framework so I can develop it. Finally manage to get both of them then putting in the tray with the developing solution and waiting.

Groan because I forgot to agitate so grab the stick and make the developer move in the tray. Also forgot to do the timer, then jump a mile at least when there is a ding and Fred is saying to do the stopper. So new tray and it is in with the stopper, so it stops developing. Finally on to the last step and the fixer is being done.

Course last step isn't last step, after the fixer I am rinsing the film off in the sink so I can turn the light on and actually see what I am doing. After the film is rinsed it is then taken out of the framework and then dunking in a chemical to keep water spots off. Finally done now I am hanging the rolls of film so they dry and I can check to see if I have photographs, which I do so I am yelling.

"Hey you don't have photographs you have developed film. What you got is negatives."

"Bad Fred, you are supposed to let me be happy that it has worked so far." Fred is chuckling.

"It's fun to sit over here while you do it, all I have to do is do a timer so you don't overdo something."

"I am very unhappy with this framework thing they sold us."

"Keep in mind the fella was saying it is the best design to do the film developing with."

"I think I will make you cut the film later."

"Take a feel of it, if it's damp let it be longer." Toss my hands then feel at it, little damp though the fella did say I can wipe so do wipe.

Then I am pulling out the paper, the fella sold us a bucket shaped like a box to put the paper in. Stop with the lid loosened and shove back under the table, have to get the darn negative set up still. So the projector is turned on and I am fitting in the negative string, get it all centered on the first picture, then projector off.

Paper comes out and goes into the plate and projector is on. I do the timer myself this time, mostly because I can see it now. Ding so projector is off then paper comes out and flipped over to get dropped in the developer. Go through the steps then I am hanging a picture and it is rather good so plenty of cheering about having a photograph.

Course after the first one I am then making more and this takes a while. So I am doing picture after picture. Luckily I can expose the paper while I am running the others through the chemicals. Finally I have all of the pictures done up and hanging to dry. Also dinner time so make sure I got the paper closed up and shoved under the table.

Everything else off, closed up, or not having to worry about for now, I am exiting the dark room. Upstairs with me and sit at the table since Audrey did up dinner for us. Today we are having ribs, barbecue with the same sauce they use at our barbecue place. The butcher one was good but not as so asked at the barbecue place and they started selling the sauce.

"Did you manage to get good photographs or just excited that you had any?" Audrey asks getting Fred to snort so kick both of them.

"Knocked up not a dunce." Stop and look up for a moment. "At least not a dunce besides in the getting knocked up and happy with that." Both are laughing, and I am laughing since being knocked up is nice, and then not all in one, I am expanding.

"At least you don't look like Liza." I am giggling now, sort of rude to her but she even says it.

"True, and I have a bunch of good photographs. At least as good as one can manage with you as the subject." Audrey tosses her hands.

"So how long before we can look at them?"

"Little while, need them to dry off. Suppose we can run the photographs over to Kelly tomorrow."

"Unless they call in again." Fred says so we are both looking at him.

"Why would they call in again?"

"Court starts today." Takes me a moment to catch up with that, it is Monday.

"So they don't have court from Christmas Eve until January fourth?" Fred snorts and shakes his head.

"Depends on when the new year starts, usually it is not until the next Monday, but depends on when the first is. If the first is Monday or Tuesday then court starts the day after."

Not wonderful, and then Fred is going to work. He is going to leave me here so I can eat again later when I get hungry. I had gone to the speakeasy over the weekend and then had to leave so I could eat both nights. I am expanding though, have a little lump in my belly now and I'm not happy with that, and a little happy because I am knocked up.

Fred had chuckled when I noticed it. I had been rather irate with that, I'm not sure if it was because he liked that I had a little lump or that he thought it was cute. I spend about half the night scared that the lump will get bigger, and the other half wanting it to get bigger. Not all that happened either, I did get hungry again.

Besides eating again, along with being sure on looking like Liza soon, I am working on coming up with a new dress. Not precisely glad rags, but are all in one. There had been a number of really lovely dresses there and the skirts talked about where they got their dresses. I actually got along better with the fellas.

Sort of sad, and then being a trained tailor I should have a better dress. Which was mentioned, mostly because there were four skirts there wearing the black sequin dress. It is a really wonderful dress, but I can do nicer so I am working on that. Also working in satin, half the dresses were big dresses there, which were rather imposing, and not wonderful to wear according to the skirts.

Which means not a big dress, so it is lighter and then smaller. Rather good thing to me, I don't want to wear something that weights thirty pounds. One of the skirts had said her dress is that heavy due to boning so it is a big dress. Audrey had giggled when I talked about the dresses. Still I have a fairly good design going now, satin with short poofy sleeves.

Also missing something so I am puzzling over it and this is being a slow process. Audrey going to bed mentions one thing so I am sitting up and paying attention. She hit it on the head, it is boring. So how to make it not boring. I don't want to make it sequined, mostly because it is a very slow process.

Course the alternate option is eluding me, and then I think of two color dress. Not that I want to cut this dress up, but adding the satin on top of the satin. So get to work and I am adding in cuts of satin on top of the satin. So when Fred gets home I am wearing the dress that is now purple over my bubs, the basic color had been pink.

"Oh that is new, though the skirt is still pink." Look down and shrug.

"I am trying to make this nice, this is the latest idea." Fred is nodding and waves his hand.

"The front of you is now purple, but then pink arms, and pink skirt." Sigh since he has a point, the whole front of my body is purple now.

"Work in progress." Fred nods and shrugs.

"I like that it is satin, but the purple is too much over the pink." I am nodding then grin since one thing came to me.

"I will adjust it so the purple is only half of my body so it is pink and purple." Fred shakes his head.

"Doesn't really make you stand out though, you have great bubs." Look down and sigh, then grin since that is an interesting idea.

"I get it, make it segmented so my bubs are separate part of the dress." Fred is nodding.

"Yes, and then you mentioned they kept the place warm enough so you could be spare on the cloth."

"Perhaps not that, there are limits to how much a skirt can show. Still I can build a brassiere in to the dress and then put that as it's own section of the dress." Fred nods and grins.

"I like it, and then I think should sell that at the store too." I'm unsure on that part.

"I wanted to make up a dress I can wear to the ball next year."

"The ball was a week ago, sell this one, and then make up a new for the ball this year." Snort and nod since that isn't bad, can sell the ball worthy dress at the store.

"Good thought, besides Kelly can help me make up a new dress." Fred points upstairs and I groan then nod. "Yes Audrey will help too. Besides she came up with the idea on this dress. Said it's boring so I thought of making a two color dress."

"I think let's go to bed and you can make up the new design tomorrow."

"Unless we get called in." Fred sighs and gets me out of the dress then picks up to get to bed.

Wake up to Fred getting up, but no alarm so I am confused. Then notice Audrey is there so I am waking up more. Follow Fred and Audrey into the kitchen then Fred is getting on the phone so I am watching that and Audrey guides me to sit.

"Not having an affair or something, there was a call and they wanted to speak to one of you."

"I didn't wake up?" Audrey shakes her head.

"According to Liza you are already needing more sleep. Just wait, in another two or three months you won't stay up all day anymore." Groan and roll my eyes.

"You are not helping, and whole new design of the dress. Going to make it a little like the not dress and have a brassiere as part of the dress."

"So it will make your bubs look bigger?" Shake my head.

"That is only fine in the bedroom, or bordello I suppose. There will be an outer layer, the whole idea is to make my bubs stand out better, without looking like bubs." Audrey nods and grins.

"I get it and that is a good idea. Same basic dress besides that?" Shake my head since this will be different.

"Make it a two color again, or even three. Fred pointed this part out last night, the ball was last week so we sell this design and come up with a new later on." Audrey is nodding and rubbing her hands together.

"I like this idea, and then the satin is only a little more expensive per roll so the dress we can sell at say seventy five cents."

"That's not bad, it will be rather ball worthy and will be low cost enough that the fellas working at the train yard can afford."