reported for work every morning as usual. He was devastated to the point of numbness, which enabled him to avoid tipping off Mr. Mertz and his colleagues that something was wrong. Meanwhile, he secretly devised a plan to never return. He couldn’t be a silent player for much longer.
Rumors circulated around the studio that an incident had occurred with Mr. Mertz, but details were scarce. Mr. Mertz kept a low profile and chose not to have Aidan and Matthew arrested. He valued his pride too much to reveal their attack on him. He even paid off the security guards who showed up in the aftermath, and Charlie, who manned the front gate.
For the first time in years, a studio cover-up happened without Nathan’s assistance. On behalf of Mr. Mertz, he had hushed various scandals involving many of the studio’s top stars—adultery, homosexuality, and alcohol and drug abuse were some of the common themes—anything that would damage an individual’s career or the studio’s reputation. But this he would have no part in.
Nathan wasn’t sure if Ethel, Mr. Mertz’s longtime secretary, knew what was going on behind her boss’s office doors, but following the incident with Aidan, she had to be aware now. Since then, however, she had been stationed at her desk, carrying on with her job as though nothing vile had happened. Caroline also continued to play the role of dutiful secretary. What had they been bribed with? What lies had they been fed to get them to stay and keep quiet? Sure, Nathan’s continued presence on the lot suggested that Mr. Mertz still had hooks in him, too, but at least he was trying to break free. If Ethel and Caroline were smart, they’d get out sooner rather than later.
The official word from the studio was that Golden Gloves was terminated permanently. Elia Kazan demanded a meeting with Mr. Mertz when the news broke, but he was ignored.
Nathan heard that Beth returned to her hometown of Clarkson. He wouldn’t blame her if she never came back to L.A. As for Olivia—well, he didn’t know her location at all. His search into where she’d fled turned up nothing. Aidan’s whereabouts were a mystery, too.
Aidan was obviously troubled long before he came to Hollywood, but Nathan never investigated his past. For once, he refused to use the skills Mr. Mertz taught him to pry into someone else’s private life. Shamefully, that didn’t stop him from exploiting Aidan’s weaknesses to execute his revenge against Mr. Mertz.
When Nathan informed Aidan of what he’d witnessed between Beth and Mr. Mertz, he thought he did it because they were friends and Aidan needed to know the truth. But the relief he felt when Aidan went after his boss confirmed his real motive: Mr. Mertz would finally get what he deserved.
Nathan regretted that he didn’t stand up for himself and the people he cared about. While Matthew and Aidan defended the women they loved, he let Olivia walk out of his life without a fight and lost everything. Mr. Mertz’s hold on him was too strong to have done anything else at the time, but it had now come to the point where regardless of the consequences, he, too, had to take drastic action.
Near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Nathan stopped in front of a small movie theater in such need of refurbishing it looked abandoned. This weekend, the featured film was one of his favorites. But he’d known that when he started his walk tonight, hadn’t he?
He stared at the marquee for a few minutes before he assembled the courage to approach the box office. “One for the nine o’clock showing, please.”
The ticket agent grinned. “It’s been quiet ’round here for a while. A young man like you interested in the classics gives me hope for the new generations of moviegoers. These days, everyone would rather go see the talkies with their big budgets and fancy Technicolor. I just don’t get it.” He shrugged. “Anyway, that’ll be ten cents, mister.”
Nathan paid and entered the
Rumors circulated around the studio that an incident had occurred with Mr. Mertz, but details were scarce. Mr. Mertz kept a low profile and chose not to have Aidan and Matthew arrested. He valued his pride too much to reveal their attack on him. He even paid off the security guards who showed up in the aftermath, and Charlie, who manned the front gate.
For the first time in years, a studio cover-up happened without Nathan’s assistance. On behalf of Mr. Mertz, he had hushed various scandals involving many of the studio’s top stars—adultery, homosexuality, and alcohol and drug abuse were some of the common themes—anything that would damage an individual’s career or the studio’s reputation. But this he would have no part in.
Nathan wasn’t sure if Ethel, Mr. Mertz’s longtime secretary, knew what was going on behind her boss’s office doors, but following the incident with Aidan, she had to be aware now. Since then, however, she had been stationed at her desk, carrying on with her job as though nothing vile had happened. Caroline also continued to play the role of dutiful secretary. What had they been bribed with? What lies had they been fed to get them to stay and keep quiet? Sure, Nathan’s continued presence on the lot suggested that Mr. Mertz still had hooks in him, too, but at least he was trying to break free. If Ethel and Caroline were smart, they’d get out sooner rather than later.
The official word from the studio was that Golden Gloves was terminated permanently. Elia Kazan demanded a meeting with Mr. Mertz when the news broke, but he was ignored.
Nathan heard that Beth returned to her hometown of Clarkson. He wouldn’t blame her if she never came back to L.A. As for Olivia—well, he didn’t know her location at all. His search into where she’d fled turned up nothing. Aidan’s whereabouts were a mystery, too.
Aidan was obviously troubled long before he came to Hollywood, but Nathan never investigated his past. For once, he refused to use the skills Mr. Mertz taught him to pry into someone else’s private life. Shamefully, that didn’t stop him from exploiting Aidan’s weaknesses to execute his revenge against Mr. Mertz.
When Nathan informed Aidan of what he’d witnessed between Beth and Mr. Mertz, he thought he did it because they were friends and Aidan needed to know the truth. But the relief he felt when Aidan went after his boss confirmed his real motive: Mr. Mertz would finally get what he deserved.
Nathan regretted that he didn’t stand up for himself and the people he cared about. While Matthew and Aidan defended the women they loved, he let Olivia walk out of his life without a fight and lost everything. Mr. Mertz’s hold on him was too strong to have done anything else at the time, but it had now come to the point where regardless of the consequences, he, too, had to take drastic action.
Near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Nathan stopped in front of a small movie theater in such need of refurbishing it looked abandoned. This weekend, the featured film was one of his favorites. But he’d known that when he started his walk tonight, hadn’t he?
He stared at the marquee for a few minutes before he assembled the courage to approach the box office. “One for the nine o’clock showing, please.”
The ticket agent grinned. “It’s been quiet ’round here for a while. A young man like you interested in the classics gives me hope for the new generations of moviegoers. These days, everyone would rather go see the talkies with their big budgets and fancy Technicolor. I just don’t get it.” He shrugged. “Anyway, that’ll be ten cents, mister.”
Nathan paid and entered the
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