The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [103]
Littell cooked his books. Columns wiggled. Dollar signs blurred.
50
(Las Vegas, 7/18/64–9/8/64)
Rapid Cab—muerto.
The torch was impromptu. The torch was unsanctioned. He informed the Boys. He informed them post-torch. He stressed his pure motive.
WE need a cab base. WE need dirt. Let’s help Drac. Let’s accrue dirt. Let’s deploy it.
Carlos clapped. Sam G. clapped. Moe blew kiss bouquets.
Pete braced the Rapid dispatcher. Pete greased him. Pete bought his account book. Pete bought his soul. Pete hired him. Pete resigned his accounts. Pete got nine legislators. Pete got Nellis brass and fat cats galore.
Moe fixed the torch. Moe fixed it with LVPD. Arson cops took bribe cash. Arson cops framed a wino.
Moe fixed the Rapid end. Moe fixed it post-torch. Goons fucked up the owner. Goons relocated him to Dogdick, Delaware.
Pete renamed the biz. Dig it—Tiger Kab refortifies. Tiger Kab resurrects.
He sold the old Packards. He bought twenty Fords. He hired dope-addled “artist” Von Dutch.
Von Dutch ate peyote. Von Dutch painted cabs. Von Dutch laid wiiiild upholstery. He painted tiger stripes. He scrolled kustom script. He fashioned mock-tiger-tuft seats.
Pete bought four limos—high-end wheels—Lincoon Coontinentals. They had hi-fis and recliner seats. They were mobile fuck pads.
He consulted Milt Chargin. He steam-cleaned the hut. He dumped some fruits. He hired some straight guys. He kicked two drag queens out.
He took Milt’s advice—keep Nat Wershow—Nat’s smart and butch. Keep Champ Beauchamp. Keep Harvey Brams. Keep Donkey Dom—Dom’s a fruit magnet—Dom draws fruit biz.
He called his Teamster contact. He signed the crew on. They got pensions. They got health plans. They paid Teamster dues.
Jimmy H. got points. Jimmy was thrilled. The fruits genuflected and swished. They got the clap. They got the syph. The Teamsters now paid for their cures.
Pete hired two jigs—Sonny Liston boys. They were good drivers. They were semi-punch-drunk. They were good Browntown brawn.
Biz was strong. The cash base was strong. No Monarch clients strayed.
Pete ran the hut. Pete worked three shifts. Work drove him. Work drained him. Work killed his bad thoughts.
He lived at the hut. He brought the cat in. The cat chased wall rats. He built a straight john. He kept the fruit john. The straights refused to shit with the fruits.
The straights hated the fruits. The fruits reciprocated. Pete addressed the issue. Pete stressed coexistence. Pete enforced the Law:
No bickering. No fistfights. No factional wars. No sex jive. No queer-straight flirtation.
Both factions kowtowed. Both factions obeyed.
He cut a deal with Johnny R. He got roost rights at the Dunes. He cut a deal with Sam G. He got roost rights at the Sands.
He told the crew: I WANT DIRT.
Quiz hookers. Quiz card dealers. Glom dirt. Glom dirt on celebrity tricks and gamble-o-holics. Accrue dirt. Report dirt to Milt C.
Milt was good. Milt mediated crew complaints. Milt deflected tsuris.
Milt made airport runs. Milt drove famous fruits. Milt drove state legislators. Milt drove them to fuck pads. Milt drove them to dope dens. Milt reported his dirt.
Milt dispersed tip cash. Milt greased bellhops/barkeeps/B-girls. Milt said I WANT DIRT.
Dirt meant leverage. Dirt meant status. Leverage meant juice. Juice for the Boys and Drac Hughes.
Tiger Kab: Dirt Central. The racket hub supreme.
The fruits pulled crimes. The straights pulled crimes. They achieved détente and pulled crimes together. Pete hired drivers off rap sheets. Pete hired drivers off reps. Pete hired bent guys x-clusive.
Pete consolidated. Pete worked two main gigs. Pete worked the pill and slot-machine endeavors.
He dumped the smut gig. He dumped the mule flix. He dumped the T.J. cops. He dumped the smut kids. He leaned on Eldon Peavy. He made him quit making smut.
He hired Farlan Moss. He sent him to T.J. Moss greased the spic cops. Moss shanghaied the kids. Moss sent them home pronto más.
Pete stole Peavy’s records. Pete logged smut transactions. Pete logged DIRT.
Peavy left town. Pete lost