Regnad Kcin- Private Eye... The Case of the Erstwhile Accountant- Part X

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I sat on the patio enjoying a smoke and glass of Elnora's excellent Scotch- thinking... what had begun as a simple missing persons case- if there is such a thing- had evolved into a crusade to save the world, seemingly whether I liked it or not. Manny was invested to getting to the bottom of things- so too was Flora it seemed. My problem was how far I had already been pulled into this thing... mostly by accident- the bombing of Flora's apartment led to the murder of Philip with one l. Now I was ensconced in this gigantic conspiracy and was feeling more than just a little bit uncomfortable where things had taken me. Ultimately it was up to Elnora- how much cash she was willing to put out. Frankly, I was growing less than optimistic about ever finding her brother- if indeed he wanted to be found. If he wasn't already dead, he seemed to be going to great lengths not to be found... I had figured the murder of Philip would have flushed him out- unless he was trying to escape a similar fate.

Elnora came out into the fading sunlight and sat beside me on the chaise lounge, placing her hand on my chest. "A penny for your thoughts," she said.

"I was thinking about how a missing person case has grown into this crusade," I told her. "I need to know how far you want to go with this."

She lay down with me, putting her head on my chest and sticking her fingers into the spaces between the buttons. "As far as it takes," she said, "to find my brother and stop this evil." She pulled herself closer throwing her leg over mine.

I have a rule about sleeping with clients, but suddenly it didn't matter right at this moment. I put my arm around her and pulled her tight. She sighed and said: "There things you don't know... things I haven't told you. About my grandfather, my father and other people in Hollywood."

I got up, took her hand and led her inside. The results of the sweep had come up blank so it was safe enough to talk inside. She placed her hand gently on my cheek and looked deep into my eyes: "There's something I need to show you," she said, "pour me a drink and I'll be right back."

She was back a few minutes later with an old photo album. I handed her the drink and we sat side by side on the sofa. When she opened the album my jaw nearly hit the floor... there was Elnora with Walt Disney and she was dressed up as a Mouseketeer. There were other photos with her grandfather, Father and Harold- he was apparently a Mouseketeer too.

"They were sick," she began reluctantly, "they used us- all of us." She went on to tell about sex parties involving prominent people and children. All of the children involved in the Disney programming were involved and so too were many of their parents who sold their kids for fame and fortune.

"But your family was already rich," I reminded her. "Surely they didn't have to be involved."

"They wanted to," she replied. "It's all like a big sick club... and that's just one studio. It goes on everywhere in Hollywood- it always has." She was fighting back tears so I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her near. "This is the first time I've told anyone," she said.

She went on to tell me about the child stars through the ages, how they were all victims of the notorious casting couch, and how they had been forced to perform sexual acts often with the full knowledge of their parents. She went on to say how her family were some of the movers and shapers behind the scenes, especially her father and grandfather, both of whom had forced themselves on her- not to mention many of her friends.

I could feel my blood begin to boil. Suddenly, I felt very protective toward Elnora, vowing inwardly not to allow any harm to come her way. She began to sob, rocking back and forth. She looked at me through her veil of tears and said "I'm sorry Reg, so sorry."

"For what?" I said holding her closer and kissing away her tears. "You were a child, you didn't do anything wrong." I handed her my handkerchief and she dabbed at her eyes before looking up...

"I just want you to love me," she said in a plaintive voice, "and I'm sorry I dragged you into all this ugliness."

I poured us another shot and sat back down. Elnora took a sip and lay with her head in my lap. I tossed mine off, lit a Lucky and stroked her blonde hair gently. I tipped my head back reflecting on my conversation with Licki Wimbo... it looked as though I had been fishing in the wrong pond- unless there was a connection. But that was a subject for another day. I took Elnora by the hand and led her upstairs.