They turned the country up on its side, and everything loose fell into California.
(author unknown)
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency had readily hired former Eddy County Sheriff Roscoe T. Bannerman, after the Bannerman family had moved to California in late 1932. Private security guarding was a prospering business, because the upper crust required a lot of protection – protection from everything that threatened their pursuit of happiness. This included defence against unwelcome intrusions of police, FCFA, FSS and FBN as well as shielding against media and public view.
Coming from a fairly staid North Dakotan background, Bannerman initially had been shocked to learn about the lifestyle of those rich and famous. His naïve assumption that he would help protecting the people of wealth and taste against organised crime, muggers and mobsters had quickly given way to the realisation that the perils, which his new clients feared most, originated from US law enforcers and revenue authorities rather than from criminals.
Even stronger, he soon had found out that some clients belonged to the organised crime scene – or at least entertained best relations with it. The big bosses came along as respectable entrepreneurs these days, feasting in company of bankers, business men, film stars and politicians. And from his colleagues Bannerman learned that they regarded many business men, most bankers and all politicians as more criminal than ordinary outlaws.
The most aggressive enemy to be fought was J. Edgar Hoover’s FSS, although they often gathered facts only without promoting persecution. Next came Harry J. Anslinger’s FBN, always eager to find out more about the drug consummation of Bannerman’s clients. Sensationalist journalists were the third group to be feared, while ordinary police and the FCFA were more of a nuisance than a real threat.
The good thing was that Pinkerton’s paid very well, allowing the Bannermans to live a decent life. The bad thing was that his family obviously had problems in coping with the change of scene. Edna, his wife, who had propagated to move to California in the first place, had turned to drinking after making friends with two booze-happy house wives from the neighbourhood. Tommy, his son, was running around with some local youngsters suspect of belonging to a gang of hooligans. And Wendy, his daughter, a good and eager pupil in New Rockford, North Dakota, had become a recalcitrant and unwilling student in Santa Monica, California.
Bannerman was not happy with these developments, but somehow all his attempts of counteracting had failed so far. Neither was he able to persuade Edna to renounce her friendship with the two tipplers, nor sway Tommy to keep away from the streets, nor argue Wendy into taking joy in visiting school. – While working on the job was usually okay and sometimes rewarding, going home had become a kind of ordeal.
Because the Douglas Aircraft Corporation thrived from government jobs, Santa Monica thrived as well. As Douglas was perpetually hiring more workers and engineers, a tenement construction boom had set in as well. And at the water front, those successful in Hollywood were building secondary residences, including the just completed gorgeous Ocean House of Marion Davies, Vice President Hearst’s lover. The war in Mexico had no repercussions for Santa Monica other than that Douglas was asked to assemble still more airplanes – leading to extra jobs being created.
Although Bannerman was no friend of President McAdoo and the Democrats in general, he had to admit that McAdoo’s refusal to introduce conscription had been wise. While recent events down there had disgusted many patriots – and raised serious questions concerning the effectiveness of the US Army, the general public was not affected by this rout. Remembering well how conscription during the Great Southern Conquest had jolted families all over the country and spread misery everywhere, Bannerman thought that this misery was now limited to the garrisons of the professional army, while places like Santa Monica were merry and feeling comfortable.
Steering home his car through the dense evening traffic, Bannerman mulled over the economic situation. While back in the Midwest ‘Black Blizzards’ – dust storms – were raging and people were moving away in chores, the East and the West Coast seemed to be booming – and obviously easily accommodating those fleeing from the Dust Bowl. The US ostensibly were getting along well. Bannerman had read that the Midwest – despite the dust storms – still produced more foodstuffs than the markets could absorb for reasonable prices. So, it was perhaps okay that the dust drove away some farmers…
Arrived at home, Bannerman was only welcomed by Wendy, who was reading – or just looking at? – a book titled ‘Famous Funnies – a carnival of comics’, a new-fangled invention providing stories in picture.
Wendy said that Edna had gone visiting Marybeth after noon, and that Tommy had been picked up by ‘the boys’ an hour ago.
Marybeth was one of the two liquor loving ladies, and ‘the boys’ were the adolescent hooligans Bannerman didn’t like his son to herd with. Sighing, Bannerman walked over to the kitchen and started preparing dinner.