A/N: This chapter is written with you, the reader, like a fly on the wall witnessing Felix wrapping up the briefing of his youthful mobsters for the Sunday event. It contains, at some length, several of the characteristics of the date-rape drug together with details of the symptoms a person of average health who has imbibed a quantity of this drug when mixed with alcohol might suffer. This was a 'fashionable' drug in the 1980's, other concoctions might well have superseded Rohypnol today, but it is still out there. Be careful! I have read that the legitimately manufactured drug will exude a blue dye when mixed with alcohol. Generics illegally manufactured in back-street laboratories will not- but may exude other life threatening afflictions. I am not medically qualified and although I believe what I have written here from my research is accurate it MUST NOT be taken as advice as it could be wrong or incomplete. It is for the individual to obtain advice from properly qualified health professionals. For those that might be at risk, the young and vulnerable, I hope this encourages you to seek that advice so that you are better able to protect yourself should you come under threat. For that is the real purpose of this chapter. Now read on:
Part Eighty-Nine Charlie.
Felix stood up to address the youths sat on the bed from where he had crouched at the bottom of the bed while playing the director.
"Get the idea? ... At this point Dusty comes from back of the camera with Jess showing all he's got and in the right position fer Dusty to stand at the end of the bed and get on with what he's there to do."
The boys were spellbound, their mouths agape. One by one they began clapping. Felix flushed pink with pleasure. "I told Charlie I'd make a pretty good director"
"That's beautiful Felix."
"That'll work if he's doped enough."
"Leon shook his head vigorously. "Nah! This ain't gonna happen. You'll never get Jess to do that, drugs or not. He's a scaredy cat and will flit first, b'lieve me he will."
"No he will not! " Felix yelled, hammering his side with his fist, "Listen to me. The people Charlie wants to sell Jess to need to see him in action. That's why he's doin' this thirteenth pose. Jess don't know its gonna happen. He only thinks he's doin' a friggin' studio shoot and it's gotta stay that way. Got it!"
The news raised some catcalls from the boys before Felix shut them down with a rap of his knuckles on the top of the chest of drawers.
"It's crucial Jess gets to like Dusty before the camera rolls. ...Leon; that's why you gotta get Jess there at the bungalow on the stroke of 12:15 and then get yourself lost, sudden like..."
Leon raised a hand and interrupted Felix.
"Where do I get lost to, you got somewhere fer me to go hide?"
"Good question, show's you're usin' yer brain instead o' poisonin' it with the shit you take all the time. OK, this is how it'll work. You park your car in the first space and walk to the bungalow. Let Jess get half a step ahead o' you. You'll walk past a black Lexus with one-way glass. Just as you get to the car, Charlie's boys'll come out and start givin' Jess a hard time. They'll screen yer from him fer about five seconds. In that time you go to the back door o' the car, the door'll open fer yer. Get in and close the door, remember, you got five seconds before Jess'll be lookin' fer yer. You can see out from the car, but nobody can see you in there. Wait there until you see Dusty take Jess inside then you can get out and make yer way to the kitchenette. Kyler'll be waitin' there fer yer. Got it?"
Leon nodded. "Black Lexus, back seat. Got it!"
"Good, Now where was I. Oh yeah, One second you're there walkin' to the bungalow wi' Jess and next you're not. You're gone an' nowhere's to be seen. Charlie's boys'll work Jess over, scaring him badly enough for him to be real grateful to Dusty when he gets rescued. Charlie says it'll work 'cos Dusty'll be the only friendly face around. He ain't got no other choices, and so Jess'll go along with him just to be under his protection, and be obliged to him too. That's human nature fer normal people they tell me. Sounds like shit to me, but Charlie does it all the time and say's it works. Anyways, that's the plan."
Kyler shook his head. "That won't be enough to get him to do the business like you want with this Dusty character. Jess ain't done this with nobody before. If you can get him to do it, it'll be his first time and there's no way he'll go through with it with a stranger; no matter how scared or beholden he is."
Felix ignored Kyler's comment, who shrugged and asked.
"What do you want me to do then?"
"I'm comin' to that Kyler! ...Leon, let's stay with you fer now. Once you get in the car lock the door, there'll be one of Charlie's assistants in there. Jess'll be searching fer you. You disappeared so quick the car'll be an obvious place fer you to be hidin' and he might try the door, so lock it as soon as you get inside; try not to give him any clues where y'are by slammin' the door. You keep well out of Jess's sight an' sound until Dusty gets him inside the bungalow. If he sees you, he'll break from Dusty to come over to you, and we need him making pals with Dusty. Got It?"
"Yeah, got it, got it?"
"That's good. ...Keep stayin' out of his sight when you get in the washroom next to the kitchenette You only come outta there fer the last block of 'studio pics; the one's you're gonna be in with him. ...The Director'll call you into the bedroom when you're needed. Got it?'"
"I think so. This thirteenth pose, that's the action, all of it, that's why he's really there, right? ...The takes before the thirteenth are a sham, just to get him to the thirteenth, right?"
"Right and wrong. If we get some good shots they can be used fer publicity. Charlie's takin' four good sets to send out East. First set fully clothed, next tops, no bottoms; third full nude and finishin' up with full nude showing all and excited. He wants three good poses from each group. Then comes the thirteenth, followin' straight on like it's part of the previous set; be ready fer it, there'll be no break in the schedule between the twelfth and thirteenth. You might have to help him keepin' excited. Dusty's goin' to be buddy-buddying him to get Jess loosed up and cool with him before the thirteenth take; he'll be keeping Jess's boiler stoked; kissing and if he can get him doin' some orals, them too. Dusty knows what he's about, he's been doin this stuff fer years."
Kyler shook his head. "I don't see how you're gonna get him to do any o' that shit without at least a couple o' roofies or something else we gonna have to give him. He just won't do it, I'm tellin' you. I know this guy. He's a candy ass most times, but when he gets his back up, he's a fighter. We saw that in him the other night in the dorm. Sure he'd let us do what we wanted, but he said he'd make us pay fer it afterwards; and by the look on his face we knew he weren't foolin'. We all think he's a weaklin', but he's stronger than Ethan. ...That's why Ethan's doin' the shoot with the beast on Sunday an' Jess ain't."
Felix said nothing for a couple of seconds and sat smiling at the boys as they looked at him; waiting silently for him to speak.
"Okay, I hear you Kyler. It comes down to nerves in the end. That's really what you're tellin' me. Jess gets bad nerves in public. Right now seems a good time to talk about the remedy we got fer nerves."
Felix took out a small, brown medicine bottle from his inside jacket pocket, opened it and spilled several white tablets into his hand and showed them to the boys.
" Y'all know what these are."
Kyler spoke for all three of them. "Roofies."
Felix dropped all but one tablet back into the bottle and held it up between his finger and thumb for them all to see.
"Like you said Kyler, this is a roofie, or to give it it's real name this is Rohypnol; the date-rape drug by another name. On it's own it's a downer ten times stronger'n the Diazepam most stressed out folks take on prescription fer their anxieties. But when this little beauty's taken with the right amount o' strong booze it brings on a dramatic high, real fast, along with memory loss. It gets folks into a proper party mood and they can't remember a darned thing about it or what happened to 'em afterwards."
Leon interrupted "Phew, so that's how you gonna get Jess to do all this stuff with Dusty; and he won't even know it's happened."
" 'Cept he'll have a sore butt in the morning when he sleeps it off," Billie-Joe chirped with a raucous laugh.
Kyler was unimpressed. "We've used this stuff before, it ain't new."
Felix verbally jumped on him. "Not like this we ain't, and not as much of it as we're gonna use on Sunday."
Leon looked confused. "Do you expect me to give him this stuff when I'm climbing through a goddamn window an' doin' all that other shit?" It raised a laugh and Felix joined in with his tinny cackle before continuing.
"This stuff is beautiful. You can't taste it or smell it an' nobody you give it to can tell it's in their drink. It cain't be detected; 'cept in a lab. It starts workin' twenty to thirty minutes after it's swallowed and lasts anythin' from 4 to 24 hours. ...For us next Sunday, it's the best tool in our box o' tricks. ...It's got one other great feature. ...Inhibitions; it does away with 'em. They vanish like they were never there. We're talkin' now about Jess's demon's you're all worried about; they'll not be there no more; they'll be gone in less than thirty minutes. ...While the roofie's workin' you can do what you like with Jess and he won't remember a darned thing about it next day. When it's workin' on him he'll just seem like he's had a little bit too much to drink and, knowing him, maybe he'll have the giggles too while it's all happenin', 'cos all his embarrassments'll be gone right out the window. ...Best of all, it happens quick." Felix snapped his fingers to emphasise his point. " You only have to wait twenty or thirty minutes for it all to start happening once he's drunk it down. Remember that!"
A rousing cheer of appreciation went up from the boys. Felix held up his hands for quiet and held the tablet over their heads.
"What I told you was what happens with a regular drug made by Roche. What I got here is a substitute, a generic, made in a back street lab in Mexico City; one that won't turn blue in a drink to let you know it's there, like the regular one's do now. It'll do exactly the same job; maybe even better; there's no way of tellin' 'till we use it. It might give out some side effects we don't know about. Depends what else they might've put in it when they made it."
"Why'd they want to put anythin' else in it..."
"They don't dummie, they don't make these things in a clinically clean laboratory, more'n likely they make 'em somewhere like a back street kitchen or bathroom, somewhere's not too clean. That means we gotta watch out fer any side effects settin' in, an' be careful when we're usin' this stuff. ...Even the reg'lar stuff from the legit drug company gives out problems sometimes..."
Billie-Jo interrupted. "What sort o'problems?"
" Some people get breathin' troubles after takin' it; they can collapse, even die. Watch out fer side effects, we only want profit outta this. We don't want no 'culpable homicide' raps chasin' after us."
Felix paused to make sure the boys had absorbed this information before he continued.
"Billie-Jo, I'll give you the stuff you need fer Ethan outside the school gates Sunday morning. You don't have to do anythin' to prep it,'cept maybe shake it up before you give it Ethan. It's mostly Pepsi, with the right amount o' vodka and roofie in it Make sure Ethan gets the first one twenty minutes before you drive down to the bungalow from the pull-in. You'll need to make sure he gets the other one twenty minutes before the Director calls 'Places,' Got it?"
" I...I think so. You told me this already."
"It's important. Make sure you don't fuck up. We cain't afford glitches on this run. That's why I'm tellin' you again you dumb ass."
Leon butted in. "How will I know if Jess's doped enough or it's workin' on him even?"
Felix patted Leon's shoulder to reassure the boy. "Best guide is like I said, he'll be a little drunk, his eyes'll be bloodshot, his face flushed and his speech a bit slurred. The way it'll take Jess'll probably mean he'll be gigglin' a bit. You'll need to control that if it gets too much."
"How, fer cryin' out loud, I do that?"
Felix sighed and shook his head. "Fer Chrissakes Leon, use your goddamn head fer somethin' more'n hangin' your hair on. Gag him. Put your mouth over his; kiss him long and passionate on the friggin' lips. It's a skin flick and it'll go with the movie. They're making video and stills both. You're still lookin' dumb, what's wrong now?"
"Who's giving him the roofies? Is that fer me to do too?"
"No, fer Jess, Dusty Miller'll have that under control. He'll give him the right doses at the right times and in the right places. You don't have nothin' to do with it unless what Dusty gives him ain't enough."
Leon still appeared confused. "Who is this Dusty Miller dude. I never heard of him?"
"Dusty was a sick bay attendant in the Navy for seven years. Nobody knows more about drugs than Dusty Miller. He's a pro actor now an' Charlie's bringing him in fer the Jess shoot." Leon scratched his head in obvious confusion.
"What's botherin' you now?" Felix made no attempt to conceal his exasperation from his voice.
"You said my job's to make sure he's got enough o' the drug, so what do I do, ask Dusty to give him some more if I think Jess needs it."
"NO! No way, you stay out of sight, watching only from the side until the last scenes when you get involved. You know Jess well enough and his habits, if you think he's struggling against the drug or it ain't takin' on him you signal the Director for a break. I'll give you one roofie, a slug of vodka and a can o' Pepsi tomorrow to take with you on Sunday as a stand by. Keep it close durin' the shoot, in case you see Jess needs it to keep goin' with the script. If Dusty's busy and cain't break to give him anythin' more, you give it him. If you see it's not goin' well 'cos Jess is resistin' you'll need to mix it up and get it down him pronto. You got no measuring to do 'cept cutting the pill in half, you cain't go wrong; there's a line right down the middle. The mix is half a roofie with all the vodka in the flask I'll give yer an' all the Pepsi from the can. All you got to do is mix it all up and get him to drink it, fast. Got it?'
"Yeah, I Got it."
"Good! You gotta be more'n careful with this stuff and only use that extra dose if it's really necessary to get him loosed up enough to get the job done. Jess ain't used to this stuff, nor alcohol come to think of it; we don't want to overdo it. We'll be giving him some o' both out at my place tomorrow during the trainin' when we go through the poses with him. There might still be traces left over in his body from Saturday when we get him into the shoot on Sunday. He could easy overdose; so watch him close all the time. This stuff's dangerous; this Mexican stuff's like gelignite - does the job, but it ain't too reliable. It works, but sometimes better'n it should.
" We're not gonna be doin' the thirteenth routine at your place tomorrow, surely to God," Leon protested.
"Sure we will, but without the Dusty routine, we need to make it look like the thirteenth's just the last one o' the studio shots; so Jess gets familiar with it and thinks it's part o' the regular schedule on Sunday. We'll go through the pose naked, so you can practise getting him roused."
"Thanks." Leon muttered, screwing up his face in distaste. Felix laughed and slapped Leon's shoulder.
"Bring some o' them skin magazines with you tomorrow. They just might help you get him in the state we want him in."
"Gay or straight rags?"
"How the fuck do I know what'll work best on him, bring both lots. You just remember to be extra careful about usin' that standby roofie on Sunday. That's all! Any questions?"
"What exactly am I doin' there on Sunday?" Kyler asked with an exaggerated sigh.
"I thought we got that covered, but you bein' a dumb ass peter puffer we'd best tell you again. You're the backstop Kyler. You don't have any partic'lar function. You'll be standin' by in the kitchen next to the bedroom where the action is. You're in there just in case you're needed anywhere, at any time, fer anythin' Got it?"
"You want me in there dressed or butt naked."
Felix grinned. "Your choice baby-doll, but with all them hairy cameramen around I guess you'll want to show off your delights to 'em all."
Billie-Jo piped up over the raucous laughter. "What about the girls. Who's lookin' after Lizzie and Sabine?"
"Don't worry about the girls. They ain't on until after Jess. I'm takin' care o' them."
"Is that it then," Kyler asked, standing up as if to go?
"Not quite," Felix drew out three more envelopes from his inside pocket and waved them in front of his face as he talked. "While I was doin' nothin' tonight at the Truck Stop, waitin' fer the flickin Feds that didn't show, I wrote down instructions fer each of yer on these envelopes."
The boys held out their hands for the envelopes.
"Just before I give 'em to you I want you to be careful how you open 'em. You wanna know the reason Jess is so important to Charlie? I'll tell yer. He's gonna make the boy a porn star out Far East, it's all set up, providin' everythin' goes right on Sunday. To make sure we do our bit right he's paid me five hundred bonus; in advance. That's one hundred to each of you three and two hundred to me."
The boys grabbed the envelopes with a gusty cheer, taking out the crisp, new, one hundred dollar bills, waving them around and whooping with delight.
" Knock it off and let's get done," Felix waved his arms for silence and when they quietened, he finished his speech.
"I have every faith in you boys 'cos you did good tonight. Now you know why Jess has to be looked after like he's wrapped up in best white cotton until this thing's over. Don't lose those instructions until it's over, then burn 'em. Call me if you have any questions. Don't use my reg'lar number; I got me a new emergency phone. I've wrote the number on the envelopes; that's a precaution in case the Feds are pokin' around in my affairs and have got me wire tapped. Nobody but Charlie Vaughn and you three know that new number. Make sure it stays that way. ...Billie-Jo, I'm gonna tell you again, 'cos I don't think you unnerstand how bad it's gonna get fer Ethan. You're gonna have to manhandle Ethan out o' there. Charlie's expectin' Duggie Bishop to work him over pretty bad, Charlie has a guy with one o' them Taser guns standin' by to drop Duggie if he gets too carried away and the situation looks like it's getting' dangerous fer Ethan. Don't lose any time getting Ethan out o' there, back to school and into bed in the dorm so he can sleep it all off. Stick around awhile to see he's sleepin' soundly, but don't be obvious, stay in the shadows like you're not with him. If it goes wrong you don't want to be seen so you can't be connected with it. Got it?"
Billie-Jo grimaced. "I heard about that Duggie Bishop. What if Ethan's hurt real bad and needs the doc or hospital even?"
"Shit! If that happens, don't you call the doc, get someone else to call the duty house person and let them call the doc, don't you do it; don't get yerself linked to the situation or the call. Get two, maybe three stooges between you and the call to any authorities, know what I mean? Get someone to call someone else to call the doc. You stay in the shadows. If it looks like he'll need help, try getting' him up to bed without anybody seeing you do it. Got it?"
"I could leave him outside..."
"No! Dumb ass, that'll only start a police investigation right away and come right back on us. Get him in bed without bein 'seen an' let him sleep away some time. Then what happened to him only he can say 'cos no one saw him come in or knows where he's been- and he won't remember nothin'. If he's sleepin' peaceful in bed there aint' no emergency an' a good chance any drug still in him will pass out before they call the doc."
"Got it Felix," all three chorused.
"That's it fer tonight then, I'll see you, Billie-Joe. on Sunday mornin', 5-20 at the school gates, don't be late. I'll have the drinks and chips ready to give yer fer Ethan. Leon!"
"Yo!"
"I'll meet you at the school gates tomorrow at 8.45. Make sure you get Jess out of his bed in the dorm first thing, don't let him out of yer sight fer a second, stay with him through breakfast and bring him out to the car on time. Billie-Jo and Kyler, you guys drive over to the New Springtide tomorrow..."
"Come on Felix, we know the way..."
"You just do the fuck like I tell you and you'll be feelin' no pain. You ain't as smart as you think y'are, you dumb faggot." Felix roared at Kyler, viciously poking a finger into the youth's chest. "And just in case you ain't listenin' to me anyway and think you'll do it your way. I want you to know I'm reading a real interesting book. It's about pullin' out fingernails. It explains the technique to perfection, with diagrams an' all an' I reckon I could do it no problems, all I need is a little practice. Got it?"
"Got it Felix," they replied through a bored groan.
"Billie- Jo, that's you fixed up fer Sunday. Kyler you get to the bungalow before Billie-Jo arrives with Ethan. Leon, you get Jess to the bungalow at 12.15. One more thing, Charlie Vaughn wants no contact between any of the groups, not even a wave if you meet each other on the road. You're all to do your own thing, get in and get out; he wants no chance of hang-ups of any kind. ...And one more thing. He don't want Jess seein' no more o' that Limey he's been hanging around with. If this goes well on Sunday, Charlie wants no distractions fer Jess while he's bringing him on fer the Far East opportunity. ...It's real big bucks. We just might have to do somethin' about that guy if he keeps hangin' around Jess."
"Again..."
"Shut your mouth Billie-Jo, you want to get us put away inside fer a stretch?"
"Sorry Felix. It kinda slipped out."
"Don't let it, now get this place tidied up and let's get out of here."
Kyler made for the door and Felix shouted after him.
"Where do you think you're going Kyler?"
"Home, where d'you think, we're all done here ain't we?"
"We are, but you ain't. Ain't you forgettin' you got an appointment with a Keswick driver tonight."
Kyler groaned, looking increasingly sickly as he walked back into the room to face Felix.
"You mean you weren't joking?"
"That's right, clever boy, no jokes."
" But I told you last time. I want no more of that guy. He's poison. I told yer to blacklist him. Didn't you do it?"
"So you did and no I didn't. ...His money not good enough fer you?"
"It ain't that, I don't want to talk about it. I just ...don't like him. Let's leave it there."
"Like? Like? What is there to like? This ain't no honeymoon fer lovers, this is business fer cash. You fetch what you need from your car and wait here when the others're gone an' I'll bring him on over."
Felix went outside and breathed deeply of the cool, fresh air.
"Like! What's like? I don't know like." he laughed harshly and walked to his car.