The 16mm Caper

Chapter 13

Julia called and Austin appeared at her door shortly after, pleased to be in the company once again of such a bedazzling woman. She closed the door and swept past him to a drink cart by the ocean-sized leather couch, her Japanese print dressing gown billowing behind and surrendering brief flashes of shapely calves.

"Vodka martini do?" The drink was made and offered before he could respond and he accepted it with a nod of pleasure, waiting for her to sit before he followed suit. "So, Austin, what's new in our little conspiracy? I've missed seeing you at the office." She sipped her drink and trained her amazing eyes on his.

He related how the young man who found the film had somehow traced the inquiries back to Ralston and how he had taken the call, leaving the impression that it was Ralston speaking. He left out Vera's impulsive action but divulged the fact that they did know the whereabouts of the original film and plans were in the works to obtain it - for them.

"Aside from the obvious, Austin dear, what is my part- my contribution to this enterprise. I seem to be having only benefits and no responsibilities." One languid leg extended from beneath the gown, stretched and returned with equal leisure.

"We need Ralston to uhm . . . spur his original resource into action. It's much better if the line of aggressive activity remains connected to him. My people will make their intervention at the appropriate time and we- you and I, Julia-will receive what I have discovered to be a most valuable possession. He described his anonymous research into the film and the sudden stew of interest his inquiries started. 

It seemed, he told her with surprised satisfaction, that this director's works were among the most sought after movie memorabilia on the market today. Even the major film manufacturers had lines out for any clues to their existence. It seems this young man stumbled onto a gold mine." Austin tasted his martini and licked his lips. "A mine, Julia, that you and I shall claim. Pun intended." They shared sly smiles.

Julia finished her drink and set the glass on the wooden tray built into the arm of the couch. "It all sounds very exciting and I see now that my part is to be the rider that spurs Ralston into spurring his source?"

"I wouldn't have described it quite that way." Austin looked apologetic.

"But in essence . . .?"

He shrugged, smiled and finished his own drink, a twinkle in his eye.

******

Freddy limped to the door and looked through the spy hole into the distorted face of Cheryl. He slipped the lock and opened the door, leaning on the frame and barring her entrance.

"What do you want, Cheryl. I'm not changing my mind."

"You might when you see what I've got." She held up a disc and pushed past him into his apartment. Clothes were strewn about carelessly and old magazines and newspapers littered the various pieces of furniture. The sight gave her some pause as to her intended association with Freddy but the big picture put it in perspective and she squared her shoulders, ready to make her case.

"What's that? Not what I think it is?" Freddy reached for the disc but she held it away.

"It is what you think it is but we haven't negotiated an agreement yet, Freddy."

He gave her an incredulous look and limped past, flopping into his favourite chair, the one covered in crumbs and stains from various liquids.

"Just what have we got to negotiate about, Cheryl?"

"This."

"I'm the one with the contact, remember?"

"And I'm the one with the copy so where do we begin?" She looked around and selected the least objectionable roost, slipping off her coat and folding it on her lap.

He chewed his lip and ran the previous events through his head as he stared at her. The mysterious woman that nearly crippled him knew about Mediatrend and Cheryl but not his contact. The guy, Rabb, knew about Mediatrend and Hughes . . . he processed facts for a minute and decided that Cheryl and Hughes were the best combination if they acted quickly.

"Okay, Cheryl. Here's the deal. I hook you up with my contact and you do the deal we agree on with him. When he pays off we split seventy thirty."

Cheryl closed her eyes and mentally blinked. "Seventy is awfully generous, Freddy. Are you sure you'd be happy with thirty?"

"Hell you talkin' about!" He sat up, gripping the arms of his chair. "I get the seventy, babe."

She nodded slowly. "Now we're negotiating."

"No we aren't!" He stood and moved toward her. "I found the buyer, I'm the one that can hook you up and I'm the one that got mauled by that--" He stopped and turned away. Great, asshole. Tell her everything why not?

"Who mauled you? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, just a figure of speech. The point is I'm the one that can move this thing forward or not."

"Nothing to move forward without this, Freddy. Let's be fair, say fifty, fifty."

"Fif-!" He stopped and thought about it. She would be the one on the firing line, his part in it would be hidden and fifty percent of something was better than the alternative. "Okay, Cheryl. Fair's fair." He made a placating gesture and returned to his chair. "Can I at least see that it's a real copy?"

******

"Mister Hughes, I was- this is downright weird. I was just about to call you with some very good news." Freddy felt his forehead grow warm as he parried the opening bark from his caller.

"Any goddamn news would be good. What the hell have you been doing? You called me remember, with this information, and I told you to get on it. I don't like waiting, Fisk."

"No sir and you don't have to." Freddy puzzled over the fact that Hughes hadn't mentioned being contacted by Rabb. "I'm arranging for you to meet with a young lady who has a copy of--"

"What the hell's this about a copy? I don't buy copies. You told me you had a line on the original."

Freddy's head began to sweat. "I know, I know, Mister Hughes but by the time I got back to the owner there were a lot of others nosing about. Now he's refusing to let go of the item but I managed to get a complete copy--"

"Didn't I just tell you, boy, I don't deal in copies?" The phone went dead and Freddy saw his hopes dying with it.