The Red Carpet, Part 6

The Red Carpet, Part 6, by Kathryn

Herbert was just coming up the hallway when Dot ran out of the room.

"Herbert! Come quick! Tip's hurt!" She cried, motioning for him to come. Herbert ran into the room and found Tip slouched on the edge of his bed, talking on the phone. Tip ran his fingers through his dark brown hair.

"Yes, Room 312, the Beverly Palms Hotel. Thank you." He hung up.

"What on earth happened?" Herbert asked, seeing the bandage on Tip's head.

"Some guy was hiding in my room... he hit me on the head with his gun, I think," Tip replied, feeling the bump and wincing. "The police are on the way."

"What could he have wanted? I mean, we don't even know anyone in Los Angeles! Who is he? A crook? Maybe he's wanted by the police! What if he was trying to kill you, Tip?" Dot cried.

"Calm down, Dot! Here, sit." Herbert led his nervous wife over to a chair. She sat down and put her head in her hands.

A few minutes later, two police officers arrived, along with an investigator named Sam Riegler.

"You say the man hit you on the head while you were lying in the bed?" Mr. Riegler asked, jotting something down in his notebook.

"Yes... You see, I haven't been feeling terribly well, so I laid down. I heard a noise, like a soft footstep on carpet, so I opened my eyes. That's when I saw him, looking down at me, and then he slugged me!" Tip exclaimed, a slight pout appearing on his face.

"Did he take anything?"

"That's the weird thing... he went through all my stuff, but I don't think he took anything. It's like he was looking for something, something that I obviously didn't have." Tip groaned, holding the icepack on his head that Dot had given him.

"Hey, Sam! Check this out!" An officer cried. Riegler hurried over to the corner of the room where the two officers were leaning over something on the floor. They looked at it, whispered, then turned around.

"Do you know a Sharon Clermond or a Charles Dipietro?" The investigator asked.

Dot shot a quick glance at Herbert.

"Sharon Clermond is my aunt," Herbert replied.

"This is an empty envelope addressed to Dipietro from your aunt, found at the scene of the crime. I'm afraid we're going to need to ask your aunt some questions."


To be continued!

Part 5

Taking off her sun hat, she rushed over to his bed and looked at her older brother. She took opened the blinds a bit and ran over to him; thinking he was lying down because he was suffering heat stroke with his hat on?  Slowly; she unbuttoned his suit jacket. He must be hot! and took his fedora off and nearly screamed, " Tip!" She shook him. She saw his hair was slicked in one spot, bloody on his forehead  What had happened?

Running to the bathroom; she found a cloth and wetting it, she wrung it out and walked over to his bed. He had stirred and was groaning, kinda blinded from the sun.
" Dot- what-" He stopped as she hushed him sitting down at the edge of the bed.
" Hush Tip, easy now," She said in her soothing voice.
under her voice her heart was thumping. What had happened? had he tripped when he walked in the room? she sat him down against the pillows she propped him up in a sitting up position, applying the cloth carefully. Did she have any iodine too? and how about bandadges?

" Easy sis," He said, breathing in sharply, his arm instinctively stopped hers, she drew her hand back. He groaned again.
" Whats happened? Tip, you look terrible," Dot said.
He felt his head and winced, seeing his hand.
" I have a terrible stomach ache- ate too much back at the cafe,  and I got knocked unconscious by a man, he looked the amiable type at first; said he thought this was his room; I said I was Tip and I owned his room,  he knocked me down and thats I'll remember," He said.

Dot's eyes went big and she stood up about to get Herbert but stopped at the door.
" Was this after Herbert walked in?" She asked.
" Yeah, shortly after; I wasn't feeling so good and to add to that," He kinda groaned.
Dot went into the bathroom and rummaged in the sink drewars to see if their was some bandages, she found some and some iodine, and soon fixed him up.  " Why do you think he did this?" She asked. Tip shrugged.
" I know this sounds crazy Tip, but do you think it would be in connection with Aunt Sharon? she being an actor, Herbert said her manager wanted to talk to her- That's crazy, why would it be connected?" She asked.
Tip reached for the phone on the bedside table. Dot was still looking out the window when she heard Tip's voice.
" Operator- give me the police,"
She turned suddenly around; The police? He nodded to her and motioned it was alright. She hurried out to tell Herbert.

The Red Carpet, Part 4

The Red Carpet, Part 4, by Kathryn

"Is anything wrong, dear?" Dot asked, as they strolled along the stone path.

The California sun shined bright that afternoon on the couple, who were wondering around The Beverly Palms Hotel garden. Beautiful plants and flowers were everywhere, along with a fountain and few benches for seating.

Herbert seemed lost in thought, taking a few deep breaths occasionally then letting them out slowly.

"Herb?" She asked again.

"Oh! Sorry. No, I was just thinking. Tip was kinda acting strange earlier... When I came back from seeing Aunt Sharon, I stopped in his room to see how he was settling in."

"And?"

"He hadn't unpacked a single thing, and the room was dark. He looked kinda down, too. You don't think he's thinking twice about this trip, do you?"

Dot stopped walking. Tip? Think twice about coming to sunny Los Angeles, where there was nothing but fun, food, and pretty girls?

"Surely not..." she said, half laughing, half being serious. "But maybe I should go see if he's okay."

She turned around and hurried back towards the hotel lobby entrance, as Herbert yelled,

"Don't forget our dinner date with Aunt Sharon! I know how long it takes for you to get ready!" And with that he sat himself on a bench, pulled his fedora over his eyes and began to take a nap.

                                                         ***

Dot knocked softly on Room 312.

"Tip?"

She turned the handle and stuck her head through the crack and into the dark room. The shades were drawn, blocking all the bright sunlight outside, and just as Herbert had said, Tip's suitcases lay on the bed, unopened.

She took a step in, and was surprised to see Tip laying on the bed, still in his brown suit and hat.

"Tip!" she cried, rushing forward, her heart thumping wildly.

To be continued!

the red carpet part 3

The next day they were on their way, boarding the plane and Dot dreamily looking at all the magizenes about this location and got a little sick on the plane. Herbert lent her a hand as they walked down the stair steps from the plane. she was a little green in the face but as soon as they stepped in a small cafe with jazz music and filled up on a lunch of burgers and fries and a milk shake, Dot was ready to go again as she was finishing up her soda, turned to Tip who was finishing off a second burger. He could eat enuagh to feed an army and still be skinny. If she ate too much, she'd be gaining pounds.

" Your really are hungry brother," She said, kinda laughing.
He looked up from his almost finished burger and in between bites and sips from his cola said
" I'm starved sis, I haven't eaten since a small breakfast this morning," He said.
" We ate a large breakfast, bacan, eggs, toast, orange juice, lots of fruit," She said. She would remember to thank Eloise, Herbert's sister who kindly heard they were leaving that day and brought over a breakfast. Herbert smiled as he finished off his coke from the bottle.
" Remember; Tip was late, doing last moment packing," He said.
Dot remembered and realized Tip had met them at the airport. " Anyways, I'm ready to go, I'm all full now," She said. Tip finished his food, wiping off his fingers and they left, getting into their cab that Herbert's Aunt had said to put in her name. She was too sweet, Dot thought and she hadn't seen her yet.  Her heels clicked on the pavement as they got into the car and made their way to the hotel.

As she had said, Aunt Sharon was waiting for them and beaming as they pulled up, she looked quite attractive and exchanged greetings, she was very warm and friendly. Dot and Tip hurried to their rooms with  their suitcases while Herbert and her talked. As Dot was freshening up, Herbert walked in, looking kind of worried.

" Whats the matter Herbert?" She asked.
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.
 " Aunt Sharon's said that she's not sure about her acting career, the manager just saw her today and told her he had to speak with her-" He trailed off.
Dot gasped.
" Nothing to worry your sweet head about dear, it'll be fine, she said she'd meet us for dinner, she has an arrand to run," He said.
He changed the subject even before Dot took on the subject and he suggested they walk around the garden of the hotel. But as they walked, Dot thought something was weighing on Herbert's mind.

The Red Carpet, Part 2

The Red Carpet, Part 2, by Kathryn

"Just think! We might actually be in a movie!" Dot shrieked.

"Just as extras, dear, extras... That means the people that walk down the street, you know? I don't want to get your hopes up," Herbert mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Are you kidding? As soon as they see Dot, they'll beg her to star in 3 movies in a row and ask her to sign a contract at MGM." Tip teased, flipping the page of his magazine.

"Oh, you'll both see..." Dot sighed and walked over to the window, gazing down at the busy street below. "Say, what time do we fly tomorrow?"

"10am. Tip can meet us down at the airport." Herbert said.

Just as Dot was about to speak, the telephone rang loudly on the small table next to the couch.

"Hello?" Tip asked. "Yeah, sure." He covered the mouthpiece. "It's for you, Dottie dear." She made a face and grabbed the reciever.

"Yes? Oh, Aunt Sharon! How are you? Fine, fine. What's that? Oh, we'll be boarding tomorrow morning. Yes. Okay, love you, too! Bye." She gave Tip the reciever back, who had been holding the bottom of the phone the entire conversation.

"That was your aunt, darling. She says to meet us at the Beverly Palms Hotel when we arrive. Oh, I can't wait! It'll be nice to see Aunt Sharon again... maybe we can do a little shopping while we're staying in Los Angeles."

"Yeah, if she's not our surfing or mountain climbing or something..." mumbled Herbert. Dot laughed.

Sharon Clermond was an adventurous person who traveled frequently. She was spirited and very good looking, although she had never married. When she wasn't tanning in the Caribbean sun or exploring African jungles, she spent her days in her home city of Chicago, where the excitement never ended.

"Maybe she'll teach us how to hang glide," Tip jokingly suggested.

To be continued!

The Red Carpet

part 1

Dot and Tip were looking at magazines as Herbert was half asleep napping in the easy chair in their apartment, a soft lull of jazz music was on the jukebox radio, a glass of untouched lemonade with melting ice from the hot day sat on the coffee table as the two siblings sat on the sofa.

Dot was delirous looking over flashy ads for hollywood red carpet, her eyes nearly bugging out.
" That resort looks so gorgeous!" She said.
" Oh Herb! looky!" She said.
He opened his eyes sleepily and yawned, seeing the ad for the resort they were to stay at shortly near hollywood. It had started a week ago, Herbert's Aunt was an attractive actor, blond hair and blue dreamy eyes almost like Marilyn Monroe. She said she was on a vacation and asked them to come up for a week, and maybe act in a part for a movie that needed extra's. Dot was totally estatic about it and his Aunt Eloise said that Tip could come too.
.....