The Way You Look Tonight
Lois could hear Johnny yelling through his office door even before she stepped into the hallway. He was definitely in a lousy mood today, and no wonder. His mildly talented but often strung-out girlfriend had missed the evening show the night before, and Johnny hadn’t been there to ‘fix’ things for her. The Mountaintops had played without her, and by all accounts had done a bang-up job. The wait staff had reported more money in tips than at any time in the previous four weeks of the band’s scheduled six-week booking. And the girls in the band had had fun, more fun than they’d had while Christie had fronted them since the first two nights of the gig.
But Christie hadn't sung with them, which was guaranteed to anger Johnny Taylor, son of the club's owner, who was doing hard time in Federal prison for racketeering, mail fraud, extortion, and income tax evasion. Lois wondered how his son and daughter had dodged prosecution and how the club was able to stay open. But at the moment she didn't care. The Mountaintops had rocked the house the night before. They’d been as good as they’d ever been.
Now Johnny was threatening to cancel their contract and withhold payment for the balance of their engagement, and all because Christie couldn't hold her liquor and her drugs.
She put her hand on the door and finally heard two other voices in the room clearly. It sounded like Toni and Ramona were both in there, trying to divide Johnny’s wrath and prevent him from firing the band.
Lois hesitated, then pushed through the door. She had a legitimate reason for being there, and she was afraid that Ramona was near the end of her patience. And if Ramona lost her temper at their employer, it wouldn’t help the band get paid.
Johnny broke off his invective in mid-syllable. “What do you want?” he snarled.
Lois didn’t blink. “The manager of the Styles Club in Gotham wants to talk to Ramona.”
“She ain’t finished here yet!”
Lois shrugged. “I just thought if you’re going to fire us, she could tell the guy we could come in a couple of weeks sooner. He’s trying to negotiate for a longer booking anyway and I don’t have the authority to tell him yes or no. Ramona’s the band’s business manager, so she's got to make that decision.”
Johnny’s eyes narrowed, then he growled low and waved his hand in dismissal. Ramona turned and stalked stiff-legged out of the office. In a low voice, Lois said to her, “Lucy’s talking to him on the phone in the dressing room common area.”
Ramona nodded shortly. “Thanks.”
Lois caught her gaze and looked close. Ramona nodded again and took a deep breath, then closed the door behind her.
Ramona would be okay, at least for one more day.
Johnny threw his unlit cigar down on the desk in front of him. “I don’t care what any of you say! Christie fronts the band or you don’t play!”
Lois crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, then glanced at Toni. Toni only rolled her eyes and turned away. “Mr. Taylor,” Lois began, “if you had a meeting with your accounting firm and your head bookkeeper was sick and couldn’t come, would you cancel the meeting?”
“That ain’t the same thing and you know it!” he roared.
He’s pretty mean, thought Lois, but he’s not in the same class as my stepfather on a weekend bender. “It’s exactly the same thing, except if we hadn’t taken the stage last night, you would have lost money and would never have been able to make up the difference.”
Johnny blinked twice, as if he’d been surprised by an original thought. Then he shook his head again and repeated himself, but with less intensity. “The contract says that Christie Baldwin is the featured singer. I want her to sing.”
Better, thought Lois. Maybe he can hear me if neither of us is yelling. “If you were a baseball manager and your all-star catcher had the flu, you’d send in a sub. You’d have to, or you’d forfeit the game.” She lowered her arms to her sides and took a slow step towards him. “You don’t want to forfeit the game, do you, Mr. Taylor?”
She held his gaze for a long moment, then he flopped down in his overstuffed chair. “Fine! Just don’t leave Christie out of the mix. If she’s okay, she sings.”
Lois nodded. “We don’t mind that, Mr. Taylor. We all know that Christie’s a wonderful singer when she’s not sick. All the men in the club think so, too.”
Johnny picked up the bent cigar he’d thrown down and lit it. “As long as that’s all they think about, that’s okay by me.” He puffed it into life. “You girls got rehearsal today?”
“Two hours from now.”
He looked at the clock. “One-thirty?” Lois nodded. “Christie will be there. Make sure she okays the set list.”
“We always do, Mr. Taylor.”
“Good.” He took a deep drag. “And, uh, tell, uh, tell the other girl who was in here – “
“Ramona Wilcox.”
“Yeah. Tell her everything’s dandy now. Everybody says you gals did a great job last night.”
Lois smiled slightly. “Thank you.”
He waved the cigar in her direction. “Just don’t do it again, okay?”
“We won’t, as long as Christie stays – healthy.”
Johnny cocked one eyebrow. Good, thought Lois, he understands what I mean without having to admit he understands me. He saves face, we keep the job.
Johnny waved the cigar again and leaned back in the chair. “Okay, girlie, get back to making great music for us.”
“Will do, Mr. Taylor.”
She turned and stepped through the door, but Toni called to her. “Lois? Wait for me, will you? I need to chat with you for a minute or two.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Taylor.”
Lois closed the door but didn’t walk away. She stood away from the frosted glass in the door and listened.
Toni said something that Lois didn’t catch. “Come on,” Johnny said, “you can’t do that.”
Something else inaudible from Toni. “Cut it out, Toni! We got a board meeting day after tomorrow. We’ll talk about it then.”
“No we won’t!” Toni sounded mad. “We never talk about it! We’ve got to make changes in the way we do business! You can’t be – “ Lois couldn’t hear the rest.
“I’m doin’ things like Pop would do them!” Johnny’s voice sounded angry again.
“And Pop's rotting in jail! We can’t – “
“Enough!” he roared. “Go talk to – to what’s-her-name, the brunette out there! And don’t bring this up again!”
Lois quickly moved several feet down the hallway and leaned against the wall. Toni lurched through the door and almost slammed it shut, but controlled herself at the last moment.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah, Lois.” Toni stepped closer. “But first, I have to ask you – what did you hear?”
“When?”
“Just now.”
“I heard you come out of your brother’s office.”
Toni squinted in apparent suspicion. “That’s all you heard?”
“I play rock-and-roll music in clubs all up and down the East Coast,” she deadpanned. “All those loud amplifiers in my ears must have dulled my hearing.”
“Uh-huh.” Toni gestured for Lois to walk with her. “That soft version of ‘Me And Bobby McGee’ last night was inspired. Was that Christie’s arrangement?”
“Christie likes to pretend she’s Janis Joplin when she sings that song. I’d rather be more like Judy Garland or Julie London.”
Toni smiled. “Whatever. It worked great.”
“Thanks.”
“No. Thank you for coming in when you did. I don’t think Ramona could have lasted much longer with Johnny.”
“It wasn’t just an excuse. There really is a call for her from the Styles Club in Gotham City.”
“I see. You girls still set on moving on?”
Lois smiled thinly. “Can’t get a deal with a record company without getting lots of exposure. We all knew that coming in, and we’re all committed to the same cause.”
Toni nodded again. “You gals were tight last night. I don’t think anyone missed a note in the whole set.”
Lois smiled for real. “It felt great to us, too. We don’t have to have Christie on stage with us to be good.”
“So you’re not going to lure her away from the club when you leave?”
“And deprive Johnny of the love of his life? No chance of that!”
“True romance will win out in the end.”
They shared a laugh, then Toni said, “Listen, there’s a guy who’s probably going to be in the audience tomorrow night who might be able to help you with the money end of that record deal. He’s looking to expand into the entertainment industry, and if he likes what he sees and hears he just might not be averse to helping you climb that particular mountaintop.”
“Oh, very punny, Toni. What’s his name?”
She shook her head. “Uh-uh, no names, not yet. He wants you to play to the whole room, not just to him. Besides, he might not make it.”
“He’s not one of those ‘take my money and drop your pants’ kind of guys, is he?”
“No. He’s legit.” At Lois’s skeptical look, Toni amended, “Well, he’s legit as in he has deep pockets and he wants to get into the record business. Anything else is your call.”
Lois nodded. “Okay. Look, we’re having a band meeting, kind of a working lunch, so I need to get back and find out what Styles wants and what we can do for them.”
“Okay. As long as you finish out this gig first.”
Lois sketched a salute as she walked away. “Christie and Johnny permitting, no problem.”
*****
Clark checked his beard once more and nodded to himself, satisfied that it looked as real as he could get it. He’d never gotten the hang of using his vision gift to shape a beard, so he kept himself clean-shaven. All it required was a spray of air freshener to dispel the aroma of singed hair each morning and he was good to go.
He glanced at his watch and sighed. Fifteen minutes to ten, or fifteen minutes to wait for his appointment with ‘Pit Bull’ King – or, as she insisted, ‘Lucky Linda’ – to knock on his door. Linda had insisted on coming by to meet with him here at his pretend apartment to compare notes. He didn’t want to, but he had to admit that she’d been right when she’d pointed out that being seen together in public wasn’t good for their health, and since her place was nearly six miles further away from the Metro Club than his hole in the wall was, he’d given in.
He sighed again. Maybe Perry could team her up with someone else after this story was filed. There were only so many ways for him to tell her ‘no’ without being rude, and he was certain he’d used all of them at least twice. Maybe he could play up to one of the women at the club to discourage her.
Or maybe that would make Linda mad enough to make a mistake, one which might endanger her. Or a mistake which would force Clark to choose between keeping his anonymous role as the Silent Vigilante or allowing someone to be hurt. Upon reflection, he decided that baiting Linda was a bad idea.
At least until after the story was printed.
A jaunty knock sounded from his door. He knew who it was without having to look.
He opened the door. “Come on in, Linda.”
She sauntered in like a two-dollar hooker and gave the cheap motel room a cursory glance. “Nice place ya got here, Cholly.”
He wasn’t in the mood to play the game with her. “Not today, Linda. I have to start hauling cases of liquor from the delivery truck to the storage room and I already have a crick in my back. And since this is Saturday, it’s going to be a busy day.”
She flipped characters in an instant and became a sexy vamp. “Oh, you poor boy! Do you want me to give you a back rub? I bet I could get those kinks out.”
He ignored her double entendre and shook his head. “No, I already took some medication. Can we just get on with it?”
Linda smiled as if she hadn’t just been shot down again. “No problem. I e-mailed my notes to you at the Planet already, but I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version.”
“Go ahead.” He sat on the chair and motioned to the couch beside him.
“Thanks, Clark. I’ve already found out that Johnny Taylor’s girlfriend is a lush who also likes the nose candy a lot more than she should.”
His eyebrows pinched in confusion. “Nose candy?”
She mimed inhaling a line of powder. “The girl snorts cocaine, a lot of it. Up until about two months ago she seemed to have it under control, but I guess the free samples from Johnny’s endless supply got to her.”
“So the Metro gang is wholesaling cocaine, too?”
“I think so, but I don’t have hard proof yet. One of the other waitresses told me about Christie. She’s a fair ballad singer who can belt it out pretty good if she’s clean and sober, but the other girls think she’s headed for a crash.”
“How soon?”
Linda smiled. “They asked me if I wanted in on the pot riding on the day when Christie burns out and Johnny tosses her out the door.”
Clark nodded. “What’s the action?”
She barked out a sudden laugh. “Clark! You’d bet on something like that? You won’t even get in on the newsroom baseball pool!”
He shrugged. “I may need some extra money. Besides, I have to blend in.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But I don’t know if the bartenders are in the pool. You’ll have to talk to one of the other guys over there.”
“I’ll do that. Have you heard anything about money laundering or numbers rackets?”
“Not yet, but there’s an executive meeting tomorrow morning before the club opens. I’ll try to get in and hear what I can.”
He fixed her with a pointed glare. “Be careful. You heard what Perry told us. Don’t take dumb chances.”
“I won’t, I promise! Hey, how is that story on the Vigilante going?”
He grimaced. “Nothing new. And Perry is going to start breathing down my neck about it as soon as this assignment’s over.”
She reached out and patted him on the knee. She left her hand there longer than he would have preferred. “Don’t fret about it, Clark. You’ll get it. You’re almost as tenacious as I am.”
“Let’s focus on one story at a time.” He sat back and blew out a long breath. “I haven’t learned anything about the club yet, except that they don’t make sure their ‘guests’ are old enough to drink.”
“Private clubs make their own rules. There’s nothing illegal about that.”
He stood. “I don’t want to see any more teenagers ending up dead or crippled in alcohol-related car wrecks. If the Metro Club is feeding that addiction too, I intend to see that it stops.” He stepped towards the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to eat before I go in to work.”
She opened her mouth but Clark stopped her with a frown and an upraised hand. “No. We can’t have breakfast or lunch together. You and I aren’t supposed to fraternize, either at work or outside it.”
For the first time, she let her irritation show. “The other girls don’t pay attention to those rules! Why should I?”
He gently shoved her towards the door and opened it. “Because we’re new employees and I don’t want to have this assignment terminated prematurely because my partner can’t keep her hands to herself, that’s why.”
She snapped her head around to face him. “Can’t keep – you think a lot of yourself, don’t you, Kent?”
He hadn’t set out to irritate her, but he decided to keep the flow going. Maybe it would discourage her. “I think a lot of my job. And I don’t engage in office romances.”
She glared at him for a long moment, then stormed out of the room. Now I can get some peace, thought Clark.
And Perry will run for Mayor of Metropolis, he mocked himself. Just as likely.
****
Toni Taylor smiled as the Mountaintops filed past her. “Great show, girls! Shamika, you rock!”
“Always do, Toni. But thanks.”
“Lois, that was some inspired bass work. Keep it up! Oh, Connie, you were great! Every note just jumped off your guitar.”
Connie smiled back. “It’s easy to sound good when you work with a great band.”
“That’s the truth! Lucy, everything you did tonight was just wonderful! I loved those snaky dual guitar lines with Connie.”
Lucy nodded. “Thanks. Connie’s idea, but we came up with the lines together.”
“Hey, after tonight I’d believe that you girls can do just about anything!”
Christie stopped in front of Toni and batted bleary eyes at her. “And I suppose I sounded like a herd of squalling cats?”
Toni forced herself to look surprised. “You, Christie? I’ve never heard you sound better, either with the others or by yourself.”
Mollified, Christie smirked at Toni and meandered in the direction of Johnny’s office as Ramona stopped and leaned her head close. “You’re laying it on thick tonight, aren’t you?”
Toni lifted one eyebrow in mock consternation. “Am I? I don’t mean to. I just want you all to know that management knows how good you all are and how much you’re appreciated.”
“Uh-huh.”
Toni put one hand on Ramona’s near elbow. “Really. I watch the nightly receipts more closely than my brother does. I know how much traffic you girls are pulling into the club every night. On Thursday, on the band’s day off, it’s easy to see what a difference it makes when you’re not playing.”
“Don’t you think they’re coming to hear Christie?”
Toni waved her hand. “At first they were, yes, but the word is out on you now.” She mimed opening a newspaper. “The woman-about-town columnist in the Daily Treat writes, ’The Metro Club is hosting the Mountaintops for two more weeks. Go hear them while you can, because the next time we have a chance to listen to them live it will probably cost a lot more.’ And that’s practically a word-for-word quote.”
Ramona chuckled. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. We’re good.”
“You know you are.”
“And Christie sounded really good tonight, too. I just hope she stays straight enough for a repeat performance tomorrow night. That money guy you told Lois about better not have a tin ear.”
Toni smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s practically writing the check already.”
*****
The five members of the Mountaintops had already changed, eaten dinner, and gone to their hotel for the night. Christie had accompanied Johnny to his apartment for a nightcap. And Toni was making the first of a series of moves intended to ease her into Johnny’s spot as leader of the Metro Gang.
She opened the door to her office and gestured for her visitor to precede her. “You were correct, my dear,” he purred. “The band is top-notch. They are musically excellent and quite attractive, if a bit raw and untutored in a visual sense. But I believe they can be molded into hit makers.”
The door clicked shut behind her. “I told you they were good, Lex. And they can do rock, country, pop, jazz, or a cappella equally well.”
Luthor smiled. “I believe you. However, I think I would prefer to reserve judgment on them for the moment. I would like to listen to them again tomorrow night.”
“Of course.”
“But I do have one request.”
Toni’s eyebrows drew down. “For me or for them?”
“For the ladies in the band, of course.”
Toni relaxed. “What is it?”
“You said that the lead singer – Christie – was not a part of the group?”
“No, she’s not. We originally hired them to back her up, but they’re better as a band than as session players. I think they sound better without Christie.”
Luthor pulled out a cigar and lit it. Toni noted that it smelled several levels better than Johnny’s favored brand. “You wouldn’t have any feminist goals in mind, now, would you, my dear?”
She hid her response to his repeated and grating ‘my dear’ and smiled. “I’m pushing them because they’re good. They can be big nationally, maybe even internationally. And they understand what the dangers and pitfalls are. They’re willing to pay the price for fame.”
“I see. At any rate, my request is that they perform two songs of their own choosing tomorrow night without Christie, preferably cover tunes, not original songs. I want to make certain that they are as good without your brother’s girlfriend as they are with her.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll pass that on to them. Anything else?”
He gave her a cobra smile. “Not at the moment. I will, of course, present you with a finder’s fee should they succeed as you expect them to.”
“Of course. Until tomorrow night, then?”
He lifted her hand and bussed it gently. “Until then. Goodnight, my dear.”
She escorted him to the rear exit without a word, then watched as he climbed into a waiting black limo which glided quietly away. Once he was out of sight, Toni relaxed and hoped that the next joint venture she started up with Lex Luthor – the mysterious new ‘boss’ of Metropolis – was as profitable as this one was certain to be. All she had to do was not let Luthor know that she knew who he really was, just keep pretending that she thought he was the successful businessman everyone else thought he was. And since no one else in the Metro Gang knew who he really was, there was no way anyone could betray her to him.
Or betray her to her brother.
