Johnny Porno

Chapter 28

Even if she didn’t help him rip off John Albano the next day, Holly could still help Louis get away. It was one reason to let her cry on his shoulder today. It was what he was thinking when he parked near her dorm on LaGuardia Place.

The worst that might happen was a welcome afternoon fuck. Louis was tired of waiting for the rash to go away and had been teased beyond reason by both Sharon Dowell and his ex-wife. Holly wasn’t all that good in bed, nowhere near Nancy, but she seemed to give a little more effort when she was feeling guilty.

He met up with her at the dorm on University Place and could tell she had been crying. They started walking toward Washington Square Park when Louis remembered that was where Myra claimed she trolled for customers on her roller skates. He took Holly by the hand and turned her in the opposite direction.

“I’m not sure I should even be here,” he told her. “I feel kind of stupid, tell you the truth.”

“I’m grateful you came,” said Holly, squeezing his hand. “Really, I am. I was afraid to leave my room. He hasn’t stopped calling. I was afraid he’d be outside when I left.”

“Except you dumped me for the guy.”

“Don’t be angry with me, Louis, please. I made a mistake.”

“Because he turned out to be a pervert? Wasn’t for that, you’d be with him right now.”

“I was stupid about him. I didn’t realize it at the time.”

They walked in silence until they reached Houston Street. Louis guided her west toward Sixth Avenue.

“And don’t think I don’t know you wouldn’t have been interested in him unless you were bored with me,” he said.

“It was a mistake,” Holly repeated.

Louis put on the drama and sighed. “I thought about it, what you said on the phone, and I think he should pay, this perverted fuck.”

“I’d rather just forget it,” Holly said. “It’s too embarrassing.”

“He probably counts on that.”

“I don’t care.”

He was thinking there might be a few bucks in blackmailing the professor. At least it was worth a try.

“He probably does this to a dozen girls a year,” Louis said. “Gets them up to his apartment like that. He probably scores with most of them, too.”

“I don’t want to think about it. Please, Louis.”

“Who was it? At least tell me that. The guy you left me standing in the park alone for the other night? That one?”

She blushed before shaking her head and Louis knew he had guessed right.

“He really a history teacher? What’d you say it was again, the Inquisition you had to study for?”

“I lied,” Holly said. “Sociology, he teaches that.”

“What’s his name?”

“Please forget it,” Holly said. “I’m glad you came. I feel a lot better you’re here now.”

“So will that pervert feel better if you don’t do anything.”

“What can I do? I’ll look just as bad as him. It’s too embarrassing.”

“There are other ways he can pay, Holly.”

She stopped walking. “What are you talking about?”

“Money.”

“I don’t want any.”

“So give it to your organization. That’d teach him.”

“No, I’m not doing that. It’s blackmail.”

Louis took her hand again. They continued walking until they reached Sixth Avenue.

“Can I go home with you tonight?” she asked.

“I’m not sure we should do that.”

“Please?”

He didn’t really want her spending the night at his place. He decided to downplay the idea. “It still doesn’t feel right,” he said. “Not after this. Not so soon.”

Holly sniffled. “You must hate me now.”

“I could never hate you. I think I love you. I think I did, but you have to admit I have a right to think things over. You did dump me.”

“I don’t want to go back to the dorm tonight,” she said.

“I can back the guy off. At least let me do that.”

“I don’t want to involve you, Louis. This was my fault.”

“He shouldn’t get away with it. I’ll just tell him to leave you alone, to stay the fuck away.”

Holly went silent.

“It isn’t easy knowing the girl you might’ve been in love with dumped you for some smooth-talking college prick, never mind he almost raped her.”

Holly sniffled again.

“A guy is supposed to walk away from that without an ounce of satisfaction? Not this guy.”

Holly avoided his eyes.

“Alright,” Louis said, “have it your way.”

He started to walk away, but she grabbed one of his hands. “You promise not to hit him? He didn’t touch me, I swear.”

Louis made her wait for his answer.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” she said.

“I promise I won’t hit him,” Louis said.

“You mean it?”

“There’s no winning with you, is there?”

He started to turn away again when Holly pulled him back in the direction of the dorm.

Kelly examined the four reels of film they found in the trunk of the Pontiac. He held one up and turned to the driver.

“What’s this?” he asked.

The driver shook his head. “Beats me,” he said.

“Loops,” Brice said.

“What’s a loop?”

“A short. An eight-to-ten minute film they use in the sex joints in the city. The ones where the slime balls drop a quarter in the slot and jerk off.”

“How you know so much about it?” Kelly said.

“They gave a class on the various forms of pornography when I transferred in,” Brice said. “They covered the loop thing.”

Kelly turned to the driver again. “Where’s the movie?”

“What movie?”

“Don’t jerk my chain, asshole.”

“I don’t know nothing about a movie.”

Brice looked to George Berg to see if he was smiling.

Kelly frisked the driver behind the car. The trunk was open.

Brice read from the driver’s license: “Nicholas Michael Santorra. What are you doing out here, Nicholas?”

“Stopping to see a guy for a friend,” Santorra said.

“George here the guy you’re stopping to see or the friend?”

“I know a guy he knows,” Berg said.

“And the mutual friend’s name is?” Brice asked.

Santorra shook his head. “I forget,” he said.

“Me, too,” Berg said.

Kelly had unwound one of the reels of film and was holding it up to the light. “Two broads,” he said. “All they do is kiss. They don’t even take their clothes off.” He turned to Santorra. “They all like this?”

“I have no idea,” Santorra said. “I didn’t even know they were in there.”

“Yeah, right,” Kelly said. He turned to Berg. “This what you were waiting for all day?”

“I don’t know anything about that stuff,” Berg said.

“You’re full of shit,” Kelly said. “The both of you are.”

Brice rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe this was what he had wasted two days waiting for. He thought about Levin again and how he was probably enjoying a nice cool drink in an air-conditioned bar somewhere.

“Am I under arrest?” Santorra asked.

“Shut the fuck up,” Kelly said.

“Am I?” Berg said.

Kelly gathered the four reels of film together and headed back toward Brice’s car.

“Detective?” Berg said to Brice.

Brice tossed Santorra’s wallet inside the trunk.

“Brice!” Kelly yelled.

“Can we go?” Santorra asked. “I don’t want to be accused of fleeing the scene.”

Brice gave Santorra a hard stare.

“Detective?” Berg repeated.

Brice ignored Berg and headed back to his car.