June 12th, 1947
Late Thursday night, we were alone in my apartment, just the two of us. From the radio on the table came the sounds of Bing Crosby singing “Embraceable You,” but other than that all was quiet and the lights were low. He looked up at me with those big green eyes and I could tell he wanted more, as I held him in my arms and danced him around the apartment, singing softly in his ear. He was insatiable, but I was done in. It had been a long day and a long night. Still, his eyes, his gaze, that adorable face were hard to resist. Finally, as the song ended, I set him down and gave him another scratch behind the ears as he rubbed up against my legs and weaved in and out between them.
“All right, Oscar, you’ve had a saucer of milk, a dance, a tummy rub, and an ear scratching. You are a sweetie, but I have a fellow with two legs whose ears I’d rather be scratching, and there must be a cat somewhere in all of Milwaukee who would be happy to see you, my friend.”
He looked up at me again, blinked, and let out a soft meow, as if to say, “Maybe so.” He walked with me to the door of my apartment, and I let him back out into the hall to continue his nightly roaming from door to door, looking for love and maybe another saucer of milk or two. After he’d gone, I picked up the phone receiver on the hall table near the door and dialed Kings Lake 5-2835. After a few brrrrrrrrrings, I heard Alan’s deep, masculine voice.
“Hello?”
“I just let the cat out.”
“Of the bag?”
I laughed. “That’s a curious expression, isn’t it? I wonder what its origins are. But no, our secret is safe, mister, at least for now.”
“Good to know.”
“You’re good to know.”
“That’s good to know, too.”
“All right, enough.” I laughed.
“So whose cat did you let out?”
“Mrs. Ferguson’s. She lives in 310 and lets him roam the halls every night. He goes from door to door and knows I’m a soft touch for an ear scratch and a tummy rub.”
Alan chuckled. “Lucky cat.”
“Indeed. Are you packed?”
“Packed, ready, and able, Detective. A long weekend in Chicago with you is just what the doctor ordered.”
“I agree. I’ll bring my stethoscope.”
“You’re in a mood, Heath.”
“A good mood. As you may recall, our recent attempts to get away haven’t exactly been successful.”
He laughed harder this time. “To say the least. You have the hotel reservation confirmation letter?”
“I do. A double room, Edmonton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, checking in Friday, June thirteenth, checking out Monday, June sixteenth. I have the train tickets, too. The morning train gets us into Union Station before eleven. It’s just shy of two miles to the hotel from the station, so we’ll grab a taxi.”
“That’s a bit extravagant, Heath. We could walk it.”
“But we’ll have our bags to lug. I think I can splurge on a taxi this one time.”
“All right, big spender, it’s your nickel. Of course, the way you overpack, your bag probably weighs thirty pounds.”
I smiled. “Well, it’s difficult to ascertain what one will need, you know.”
He laughed again. “Very true, but not so hard for me. My wardrobe is a bit more limited than yours. Regardless, I can’t wait.”
“Well, you’ll just have to wait one more night, Officer. I’ll pick you up at your place at eight a.m. sharp.”
“I’ll be ready at seven.”
“Good. Three days, three nights with nothing to do.”
“Nothing?”
“You know what I mean, Alan, and by nothing, I mean everything to do with each other. Away from prying eyes, someplace where we don’t know anyone and no one knows us. We’ll just be two fellas out on the town, having a gay old time.”
“I like the sound of that, Heath. It’s not easy living behind a wall, having two faces.”
“You’re hardly the two-faced type, Alan.”
“You know what I mean. My public face for friends, family, fellow officers, and the private face for you and maybe one or two others.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I know only too well what you mean. This weekend will do us both a world of good.”
“You know, I’ve never been to Chicago, Heath.”
“So you mentioned. I still find that hard to believe.”
“Just never had a reason to go, I guess. For me, growing up in Racine, Milwaukee was the big city. My folks never had much money, and vacations consisted of weekends at the beach or day trips to the zoo. We did go to the Wisconsin Dells once, when I was twelve.”
“Chicago’s nothing like the Dells, Alan. I think you’ll like it.”
“I can’t wait. Dinner at the Pump Room?”
“On a police detective’s salary?” I arched my brow.
“I’ll order the melba toast and tea.”
I laughed. “That’s about all I could afford, mister, but we’ll see.”
“Thanks.”
Then he got very quiet.
“What? You still there?”
“Hmm? Oh yeah, sure. I was just thinking, that’s all.”
“About the Pump Room?”
“No, about the nightclubs. I’ve heard and read about them my whole life—the Boulevard Room, the Empire Room, the Tip Top Tap, and Chez Paree.”
“Swanky. Chez Paree is one of my Aunt Verbina’s favorites.”
“I want to meet her someday.”
“Yes, we need to arrange that. Anyplace else of interest?”
“Well, there’s the Sky Star Ballroom at the Edmonton, right where we’re staying. Did you know Bing Crosby played there last year?”
“That should be an easy one. I’m listening to the Bing Crosby hour right now.”
“Keen, me too.”
“Nice. Well, we can definitely hit a nightclub or two while we’re there, if you want.”
“Sure, I know.”
“But?”
“But we can’t dance. That’s one of the prices we pay for leading secret lives, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it does. I’d love to lead you to the dance floor and waltz you about, maybe even do some swing dancing. That looks like a lot of fun. But we can’t. Not in public, and you and I both know that.”
“So, what’s the point of going clubbing?”
“Because we can drink, listen to the music, and there will always be single ladies looking for partners. If we each choose a partner and dance close together on the floor, it will almost be like we’re dancing with each other.”
I heard him sigh. “It will have to do, I guess. But promise me when we get back to the room we’ll push the furniture aside, put the radio on, and do some private dancing.”
“That, Officer, is a promise. And the room’s a double, but we can push the beds together at night.”
“And apart again in the morning before the maid comes in.”
“It’s the way it has to be, unfortunately.”
“I know, I understand. I really am looking forward to it, but I hope we’re not courting trouble leaving on Friday the thirteenth.”
I laughed lightly. “Always the superstitious one. You know it’s the only weekend we could get off this month. And my buddy Mike, the dick at the Edmonton, got us a great rate because it’s Father’s Day weekend.”
“That’s another thing. What about your dad?”
“What about him?”
“Won’t he want to see you on Sunday?”
“I’ll buy him a tie down in Chicago and swing by the house for dinner with him and Mother Monday night after we get back to Milwaukee, just a day late.”
“Your mother won’t like that.”
I laughed. “You’re right. I phoned her earlier tonight and told her we were going to Chicago this weekend. She tried her best to make me feel guilty about it, and she kept making that clicking sound with her teeth, but I promised I’d be over Monday night for dinner. It’s funny, you’ve never even met my mother and yet you know her so well.”
“Well, you do talk about her.”
“I suppose so. Still, she’s my mom, and he’s my dad.”
“You’re lucky you still have your folks.”
“I know. You’ve been on your own a long time without your parents. It would be nice if you could come Monday night, get to know my parents, but…”
“I know, don’t worry. I’ll have unpacking to do, stuff to get ready for my shift on Monday night. It’s fine. I’m just glad we’re getting away.”
“Me too. Well, I’ll see you bright and early in the morning, then.”
“I’ll be there with bells on. Good night, Heath.”
“Night, Alan.”