In the Blood
Before Star Search and American Idol launched the careers of vocalists like Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood, a singing competition called The Next Great Singer showcased new talent, some of whom went on to have successful professional careers. When eighteen-year-old Leslie Helm was contacted in 1981 by one of the show's scouts about becoming a contestant, she envisioned herself as the next Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell or Judy Collins. The only obstacle that stood between her and her dream of becoming a bestselling recording artist was her age. The competition's rules stipulated that anyone under the age of twenty-one needed a parent's permission to compete.
"My mother will never allow me to go to California," the teenager from Vermont told her close friend, Mary Lou Wenlock.
"Did you ask her?"
"No, but you know how overprotective she is. It took me two weeks to talk her into letting me sing in the church choir. When the show held the tryouts in Burlington, I had to sneak out of my grandmother's house to attend them."
"So, how are you going to compete without your mother's permission?" Mary Lou asked.
"My only hope is to get Daddy on my side. He's always been more lenient with me."
When Leslie approached her father with a copy of the letter from one of the show's assistant producers, she watched his face intently for any sign of emotion. There was none. Finally, he handed the letter back to her after reading it.
"Did you show this to your mother?" he asked.
"No."
"I didn't think so. I imagine you showed it to me first, hoping to get my help in convincing her to allow you to go."
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime, Dad! Even if I don't win, I'll get national exposure."
"I suppose you have your heart set on becoming a singer," Ike Helm said with weary resignation.
"Oh, yes! I want it more than anything in the world!"
"I'll talk to your mother and see what I can do. I'm not making any promises though."
Predictably, Blanche vetoed the idea when her husband brought up the subject later that night after their daughter had gone to bed.
"Absolutely not!" she cried.
"Leslie is eighteen," Ike calmly pointed out. "She's old enough to vote, to drive, to drink; and if she had been born a boy, she would be old enough to be drafted."
"It's bad enough she sings here in Vermont, but to go to California! I can't believe you would ever consider giving her permission to do so!"
"Once she graduates school in June, she'll be able to do whatever she wants. Don't you realize she'll leave home at the first opportunity? And where do you think she'll go? California."
"Maybe not. Maybe by then, she'll find a nice boy, get married and stay right here in Vermont."
"That's wishful thinking. She's dead set on becoming a singer. We shouldn't be surprised. It's in her blood."
"I know," Blanche replied, her eyes filling with tears. "What scares me is what else might be in her blood."
* * *
"I can't believe your mother is allowing you to go to California!" Mary Lou said when Leslie phoned her with the good news.
"It was my father's doing. He talked her into it."
"Are they going with you?"
"My mother wants to, but the show will only pay for my expenses. So, she reluctantly agreed to let me go alone. Of course, the producer assured her that I'll be chaperoned the entire time."
"When do you leave?"
"Since many of the contestants are still in school, the competition will be held over the summer. I'll fly to L.A. at the end of June."
"You're so lucky! Do you think you'll get to meet any movie stars?"
"I hope so."
"Imagine seeing Robert Redford in person! He is such a hunk!"
"Frankly, I'm more interested in my career at this point."
Mary Lou, whose only goal in life was to be a wife and mother, could not understand her friend's desire to be an entertainer. She supposed it had something to do with becoming rich and famous.
Who knows? Maybe she will eventually make movies like Bette Midler or Barbra Streisand, and I can brag to everyone that I knew her when.
On June 23, only four days after graduating high school, Leslie sat in the back seat of her father's Ford LTD as her parents drove her to the bus station. From there, she would take a bus to Boston's Logan Airport where she would board a flight to LAX. As Ike got the girl's suitcase out of the trunk, Blanche Helm hugged their daughter and recited a litany of warnings and words of advice for Leslie to follow. The teenager had heard most of them before: don't talk to strangers, keep your door locked, don't go anywhere by yourself and don't stay up too late at night.
"I know, Mom," the girl said, eager to be on her way.
When the bus pulled into the terminal, she kissed her father and mother and told them that she loved them. As her daughter boarded the Greyhound, Mrs. Helm shouted out one last request.
"Call us when you get to Los Angeles, so we'll know you arrived safely."
"I will," Leslie replied, and moments later the door shut behind her.
Blanche waved as the bus left the terminal, and her eyes followed it as it drove down the road. She did not turn away until it was completely gone from view.
"Come on, honey," her husband gently urged. "Let's go home."
"Our baby's gone," she sobbed. "We let her just walk right out of our lives."
"She'll be back. The competition will be over in six weeks, and then she'll come home."
"Will she? You heard what she said. Even if she doesn't win, the national exposure will help her singing career. Who's to say she'll want to return to Vermont and not stay in California?"
"If that's what she wants to do, then so be it. We always knew the day would come when she would go out into the world. Well, I suppose it's finally here."
Although Blanche saw the logic of Ike's argument, his words brought her no comfort. Unable to hold back her tears, she gave in to a crying jag that continued for the entire hour-long journey back to the rural farming community where they lived.
Meanwhile, Leslie set about breaking one of her mother's cardinal rules. Every person on the bus with her was a stranger, and yet she talked to as many of them as she could.
"I'm going to be on The Next Great Singer," she proudly announced to those within earshot.
* * *
It was a day of many firsts for Leslie Helm. It was the first time she flew in an airplane, the first time she traveled outside New England, the first time she stayed in a hotel without her parents and the first time she laid eyes on Joey DeSantis.
After arriving in L.A., the Vermont teenager was met by a paid chaperone, hired by the show's producers. The middle-aged woman was standing in a group of drivers and tour guides, holding up a card with Leslie's name written on it.
"I'm Leslie Helm," the girl introduced herself.
"I'm Mrs. Slotnick," the chaperone replied. "I'll be your babysitter for the duration of your stay in L.A. I've got to pick up a few more contestants who will be arriving on a flight from New York, which isn't due for another hour and forty minutes. Since we have time to kill, why don't we get some lunch?"
It was another first for Leslie. She had never eaten an enchilada before.
After finishing their food, the two women walked around the terminal. Mrs. Slotnick waited nearby when her young charge phoned home to tell her parents she had landed safely. They visited a shop on the concourse that sold books, magazines, snacks and souvenirs. Leslie purchased a postcard featuring a photo of the L.A. skyline to send to her family and a second one of the iconic Hollywood sign for Mary Lou.
When the public address system announced "Eastern Airlines Flight 17 from New York now arriving," they headed toward the appropriate gate. Four contestants got off the plane: two girls from New York (Maria Salinas from the Bronx and Debbie DeFazio from Staten Island), Crystal Montfort from Connecticut and Joey DeSantis from New Jersey.
"My goodness!" she heard Mrs. Slotnick say, more to herself than to the teenager standing beside her. "He ought to do well in the competition, even if he can't sing a note."
"Why is that?" Leslie asked.
"Just look at him! He's the spitting image of Paul McCartney—not now, but about the time the Beatles made A Hard Day's Night."
Mrs. Slotnick was not wrong. Joey resembled the former Beatle so much that Leslie half-expected him to speak with a British accent.
After making brief introductions, Mrs. Slotnick herded the youngsters out to the parking lot where a van was waiting to transport them to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The two New Yorkers were put in the same room as were both girls from New England, and Joey DeSantis was to bunk with Deke Gatlin from Nashville whose musical idols included Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.
"I've already gone over the rules with you, so I'll leave you all to get settled in," the chaperone announced after the rooms were assigned. "We'll meet for dinner at six o'clock, down in the lobby. Until then, if anyone needs anything, I'll be in my room, which is right across the hall."
As Leslie waited for Crystal Montfort, her roommate, to open the door, she turned in Joey's direction. He was smiling at her.
"See ya later," he said.
Although she had gone on several dates with classmates from high school, she never had a serious boyfriend. Unlike Mary Lou, she rarely thought about boys. But this one was different. Not only was he good-looking, but he also shared Leslie's love of music.
I came to California to start my career, she thought as she unpacked her suitcase, but I might also have found my soul mate, too.
* * *
Unlike American Idol, where one contestant is sent home each week until only the finalists remain, all those who hoped to earn the title of "the Next Great Singer," competed for six weeks, each featuring songs from a different music genre. The premiere episode was dedicated to Broadway show tunes. The contestants were given five days to learn and rehearse their numbers before appearing in front of a live audience and being judged by a panel of professional singers, musicians and record producers.
"I don't suppose you ever drive down from Vermont to catch a Broadway show," Joey said to Leslie as they were heading to the studio for their first day of rehearsals.
"No, but I've seen dozens of shows that were made into movies: My Fair Lady, The King and I, Camelot."
"Do you know what you want to sing?"
"Yes. The title song from The Sound of Music. What about you?"
"I have absolutely no idea," he laughed. "Broadway's not my thing."
"But you're from New Jersey, right across the river from New York. Haven't you ever gone to a show?"
"No, and I never intend to. I'm into rock 'n' roll, not Rodgers and Hammerstein."
"What about singing something from Bye Bye Birdie then? It's a musical about an Elvis-like rock singer who gets drafted into the army."
"I'm not the biggest fan of Elvis. He's more my parents' generation. But I suppose it's better than dressing up like a cowboy and singing 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'.'"
"Is that what Deke plans on doing?"
"You got it."
After reading the lyrics to all the songs, Joey chose Conrad Birdie's "A Lot of Livin' To Do."
When Leslie heard him sing it for the first time, she was amazed. He easily had the best voice among the male contestants. Undoubtedly, with his good looks and his talent, he would go far.
By the time the five days of rehearsals were over, the contestants were ready for the first episode. There were songs from A Chorus Line, The Music Man, West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, Chicago, Cabaret and several other popular musicals. Both Leslie and Joey impressed the judges and received high scores.
"You beat me by half a point," Joey laughed when they boarded the bus to go back to the hotel. "But I'll get it back when it's time to feature rock 'n' roll."
"That won't be until the last episode. First, we have to get through four more weeks."
"Do you know who you want to pair up with for the duets challenge?"
"No, I haven't really given it much thought," she lied, knowing full well she wanted to sing with him.
"Maybe you and I can do one of Sonny and Cher's old songs or one by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell."
"I'd like that."
"Me, too. Our voices ought to complement each other's."
* * *
While Leslie and Joey were considering songs they could perform together, they also had to prepare for the second episode, which would showcase country and western tunes. For Joey, song selection was even harder this week than the previous one.
"Why do all these country songs sound so hokey? Look at this one," he said showing Leslie a piece of sheet music with lyrics. "'I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.' Really? If I sang that I'd never be able to go back to Jersey. Or check this one out. 'I like beer. It makes me a jolly good fellow.' It would be great if we were doing a Budweiser commercial."
"If it makes you feel any better, the songs for women are just as bad. Have you ever heard Donna Fargo sing 'The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.'? It's so sickly sweet, I feel like I'd get diabetes if I sang it."
"Maybe she's been drinking too much beer with this Tom T. Hall guy."
"What's Deke gonna sing? Country music is his forte."
"Since he idolizes Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, he chose a song they both recorded, one called 'I Saw the Light.'"
"I know that one. It's not that bad actually."
"It's not for me, though. I don't go in for churchy music."
As Joey continued to examine and reject dozens of county classics, Leslie tried to decide on her own song. She eventually narrowed it down to Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams." After learning that another girl in the competition was singing the former, she chose the latter.
Again, she was one of the top three high scorers of the week. The other two were Deke and Joey, who finally chose Eddy Arnold's "Make the World Go Away" and did a hell of a job singing it.
"Two episodes down; four to go," Leslie said after the show came to an end.
"Yeah, and you've increased your lead over me by another point."
"It's still early in the competition, and despite your wanting to be a rock 'n' roll singer, I think you're gonna kill the love songs episode. You've got the perfect voice for ballads."
"That's what my music teacher said, but I wanna be like Mick Jagger."
"Really? I would have imagined you wanted to be Paul McCartney."
"Oh, no! Not you, too!" he moaned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"All through high school people would say, 'You look just like one of the Beatles.' I'm so sick of hearing it."
"Okay. I promise I won't mention it again," she apologized.
* * *
The producers of the show realized that the majority of the contestants had never been to Los Angeles before and were eager to see the sights of the city. On Sundays, those over twenty-one were free to explore on their own while the younger ones toured with their assigned chaperones. Under the watchful eye of Mrs. Slotnick, Leslie, Joey, Deke, Crystal, Maria and Debbie went to Universal Studios the first week and were taken to Disneyland in nearby Anaheim the second. Although the six teenagers were required to remain together at all times, they were able to escape their chaperone's eagle eye when they were standing in line for the rides.
"I'm surprised she doesn't insist on following us into the Haunted Mansion," Joey laughed.
"She would but she suffers from motion sickness. She can't even ride a Ferris wheel or a merry-go-round," Crystal explained.
"Lucky for us," Debbie said. "I'm getting tired of having Big Brother watching us wherever we go."
While riding on the Pirates of the Caribbean, Joey reached across the seat of the boat and took Leslie's hand. It was a rather old-fashioned gesture, a far cry from the more permissive lifestyle of the time. But to the shy, sheltered girl from rural Vermont, it was the epitome of romance. They were still holding hands when they got off the ride and continued to do so throughout the day. When Mrs. Slotnick noticed, she raised her eyebrows.
I'll have to keep a close eye on those two. What they do after the competition is up to them, but under my watch, there'll be no hanky-panky.
The following Saturday, in the Motown episode, Leslie sang Mary Wells's "My Guy," and Joey chose the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." The boy from New Jersey and the girl from Vermont led the others in voting again. Although Joey closed the gap between them by half a point, Leslie was still in the lead.
"I'm gaining on you," he teased as they strolled hand-in-hand along Santa Monica Pier.
"It's nice here," Leslie said.
"If you think this is nice, you should see the boardwalks we have in Jersey. They make this one look sick."
"Coney Island has got a longer boardwalk than this, too," Maria, one of the New Yorkers, added.
"You both forget. I'm from Vermont, a state that has no coastline, so I think this place is great."
Only Deke from Tennessee, another land-locked state, shared her opinion.
The following day, Leslie joined Joey in search of a song they could sing together on the next episode.
"I hear Deke is going to sing 'Jackson' with that Mexican girl from Texas," Leslie said.
"I don't think I've ever heard that song."
"It's one Johnny Cash sings with his wife, June Carter."
"It figures. Deke is probably going to sing as many Johnny Cash songs as possible."
On Joey's suggestion, Leslie sang Cher's part of the 1971 hit, "All I Ever Need is You." Joey, who had a much better voice than Sonny Bono, elevated the performance. All five judges agreed that the two teenagers' rendition was better than the original.
"Maybe the two of us shouldn't have partnered for the duet," Joey said after the judges announced their decision.
"Why not? We came out on top."
"Yeah, but since this is a duet, we each get the same number of points. I'm still trailing behind you, and there are only two more episodes left."
Since the remaining two genres were love songs and rock 'n' roll, Leslie was fairly certain the New Jersey boy was bound to not only make up the difference but pull ahead in the aggregate total.
* * *
"Hollywood!' Crystal exclaimed when she got off the bus in front of Mann's (formerly Grauman's) Chinese Theatre. "Never mind the La Brea Tar Pits. This is what I've been waiting to see."
"Me, too," Debbie agreed, taking a Kodak Instamatic camera out of her handbag. "I promised my mother I'd take a picture of Marilyn Monroe's handprints."
"I wonder if we'll get to see any movie stars," Deke said. "I'd love to run into John Wayne."
Joey looked at Leslie and rolled his eyes.
"What's the matter?" she asked. "Don't you like actors?"
"Not ones who play cowboys. I'd much rather see Jack Nicholson."
"I loved him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
"Me, too. He's from Jersey, you know."
"Really?"
"Yup. Born in Neptune."
"Is that anywhere near where you live?"
"No. It's by the shore. I live farther north, about ten miles west of New York City."
Once all six of the teenagers had an opportunity to fit their hands and feet in several of the cement prints outside the Chinese Theatre, they decided to stroll along Hollywood Boulevard and see the brass stars embedded in the sidewalk of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Joey was able to see the plaques of fellow Garden Staters Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and Jerry Lewis, all of whom had multiple stars on the Walk; but to see the one belonging to Hoboken-born Frank Sinatra, he would have to walk down Vine Street.
"I don't see Robert Redford anywhere here," Leslie declared as she continued walking down Hollywood Boulevard.
"Oh? Is he a favorite of yours?" Joey asked.
"Kind of, but my best friend, Mary Lou, is crazy about him. Ever since she saw Butch ...."
Leslie's feet and mouth both stopped working the moment her eyes fell on the brass star in the pavement in front of her.
"What is it?" Joey asked when he saw the pallor of her skin. "What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Moments later, her eyes seemed to roll back into her head, and her knees gave out. Had Joey not caught her, she would have fallen to the ground. The ever-present Mrs. Slotnick rushed to her side.
"What happened?" she demanded to know, sniffing the air to see if she could smell any lingering odor of alcohol or cannabis.
"I don't know. One moment she was fine and the next, she just passed out."
"W-what ... h-happened?" Leslie asked, as her eyes fluttered open.
"You fainted," the chaperone answered.
"I did?"
"Here, let me help you to your feet," Joey offered, holding her firmly by the arm.
"Nothing like that has ever ...."
Again, she fell silent, but she did not pass out. Instead, she stood still as a statue, staring down at the star on the pavement in front of her.
"Slim Acheson?" Joey said, following her gaze. "I never heard of him."
"He was a singer," Mrs. Slotnick explained, satisfied that the Vermont teenager had recovered from her dizzy spell.
"Sounds more like a cowboy to me."
"Slim sang what they called western swing music. He was quite popular in the late Forties and the Fifties, but by the Sixties, his career was over."
"Another American singer done in by the British Invasion," Joey laughed.
"When are we gonna eat lunch?" Debbie whined. "I'm starving. I didn't have anything for breakfast, and it's nearly two o'clock."
"Let's get back to the bus then," Mrs. Slotnick said, "and we'll go over to El Coyote."
Although Leslie had developed a fondness for Mexican food since arriving on the West Coast, she hardly touched her meal. Both Joey and Mrs. Slotnick were concerned over her lack of appetite.
"Are you still feeling woozy?" the young man asked.
"No. I'm fine. I'm just not hungry," she replied, forcing a smile.
Despite her insistence that nothing was wrong, the Vermont teenager remained quiet and withdrawn for the rest of the day.
* * *
With only two weeks left until the Next Great Singer was chosen, the contestants were even more careful in their song choice. Love songs fell into a broad category that crossed music genres. Joey, yielding to his mother's advice, decided on Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." Surprisingly, Deke did not pick a country song but, instead, chose the Righteous Brothers' classic "Unchained Melody." It was Leslie who went with a country song, Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."
By the end of the week, all the contestants knew their song lyrics to the point where they could have recited them in their sleep. There was one final rehearsal on Friday afternoon, a dress rehearsal.
"There's no way in hell I'm going to wear a sequined jumpsuit!" Joey exclaimed when one of the show's assistant producers suggested he dress like Las Vegas-era Elvis.
"Maybe you ought to wear a blue band uniform like McCartney did on the cover of Sgt. Pepper," his roommate teased.
"Redneck!" Joey said under his breath, angry at being compared once again to the former Beatle.
Sticking to the basics, he wore black pants and a light blue shirt—no leather, no frills, no sequins. As he waited for the contestant from Miami to finish his rendition of the Beatles' "Yesterday," he was joined by Leslie, dressed in a lavender gown that resembled an ancient Roman toga.
"You look great!" he said.
She nodded her head but said nothing.
"Are you sure nothing is wrong? You've been so quiet lately."
"I think the pressure of competing is getting to me. You better hurry. You're on next."
Joey took his place under the spotlight, picked up a microphone and once the music began to play, he started to sing.
"Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you."
As he sang, he never took his eyes off Leslie.
He's singing to me! she thought, her heart leaping with joy. It's his way of telling me he loves me!
The song came to an end, and it was her turn to sing. Joey passed the microphone to her and squeezed her hand, a gesture meant to wish her luck. As she watched him walk off the set, she wished she had chosen a song to express how she felt about him, not one that was about two lovers parting. But it was too late to make a different selection now.
"If I should stay, I would only be in your way," she began. "I'll think of you each ...."
"Wait!" the musical director called. "You left out a line. Go back and start over from the beginning."
"If you should stay ...."
"You got it wrong, Leslie. It's 'If I should stay.' Let's try it again."
After her third mistake, the director lost his patience.
"You were supposed to have learned the lyrics to this song by now. You've got to perform it live tomorrow night, not only in front of the studio audience but also millions of TV viewers."
"I ... I won't mess it up. I promise."
"Take the rest of the day off. And, for God's sake, learn those lyrics."
"Something is wrong," Joey said, grabbing her by the wrist as she headed toward the women's dressing room. "You've been acting weird all week. What gives?"
Since the teenager from New Jersey might very well be her future husband, she decided to be open and honest with him.
"It's that star we saw on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the one for Slim Acheson."
"What about it? Did you bump your head on it or something?"
"I can't get his name out of my mind. It's like when you hear a piece of music and you know you've heard it before but you can't remember where or when."
"You've got to forget about it. You can't let it interfere with your performance. You've got too much riding on this."
"Don't you think I've tried? But I can't. The name seems to be playing over and over in my mind on an endless loop."
"Maybe if you remember where you heard it, it will help," Joey suggested.
"I'm sure it would, but how do I do that?"
"Let's find out as much about him as we can. Maybe something will jar your memory. We can start by talking to Mrs. Slotnick. She seemed to be familiar with him."
When the chaperone answered the knock on her hotel door later that evening, Leslie let Joey do the talking.
"What can I do for you two?" asked the middle-aged woman, whose hair was up in curlers and whose face was covered with cold cream.
"I want to know who Slim Acheson is," Joey announced.
"I told you. He was a western swing singer."
"Is he still alive?"
"No."
"When and how did he die?"
"What's all this interest in Slim Acheson?"
When he explained Leslie's predicament, the chaperone invited the two teenagers into her hotel room.
"Slim Acheson was the son of a poor Oklahoma farmer who picked up some extra cash by playing the fiddle at local dances. When the Dust Bowl hit, the family moved west. Music must have been in Slim's blood because he taught himself to play the violin. He got married at seventeen and went to L.A. where he became a regular performer at the ballroom on Santa Monica Pier. At about the same time, he started getting bit parts in westerns and even worked as Roy Rogers' stand-in on several occasions. By the 1940s, he was playing to packed houses. He got a record deal and had a hit that topped the charts for two solid months. That led to his being given a weekly variety show that soon became one of the most well-loved TV programs in the L.A. area.
"Unfortunately, Slim had a few faults. One, he liked to drink; and when he got drunk, he let his nasty temper get the best of him. Two, he was a notorious womanizer. But he met his match in Bunny Swade, a backup singer who had ambitions herself. Since Slim led his own band, he tempted her by putting her in the spotlight as a featured performer. Eventually, he divorced his wife and married Bunny."
"I never heard of her either," Joey said.
"I'm not surprised. Things soon began to go downhill for the couple. In 1959, Slim's TV show was canceled. Western swing was losing its popularity to rock 'n' roll. Then, in 1964, after suffering years of her husband's drunken abuse, Bunny filed for divorce."
"Good for her! I hope she took him for every cent he had."
"I'm afraid she never lived to get her day in divorce court. Slim murdered her but only after he spent hours torturing her first."
Leslie who had been silent throughout Mrs. Slotnick's narrative, tearfully asked, "What happened to him?"
"He was tried and convicted of first-degree murder. Even back then, his celebrity status earned him a certain amount of leniency. After serving only seven years, he was granted parole. As a show of gratitude, he agreed to do a charity concert. At the conclusion of the show, he walked off stage and—BAM! He dropped dead from a massive heart attack only four days before he was to be released."
"That's what I call poetic justice!" Joey exclaimed.
"What about their daughter?" Leslie inquired. "What happened to her?"
"Daughter? What daughter?" Joey asked. "How did you know that Slim and Bunny had a child?"
"I don't know," she answered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "But it's as though I've heard this story before. Maybe I overheard my parents talking about it."
"I don't know what happened to the little girl," Mrs. Slotnick replied. "I assume she went to live with relatives. She was barely two years old at the time and after such an ordeal ...."
"What ordeal?" Joey prompted.
"She was in the room when Slim tortured and murdered her mother."
"That bastard! Sorry. Please excuse my language."
"It's okay," Mrs. Slotnick said. "The word definitely fits him."
* * *
When Leslie appeared at breakfast Saturday morning, she seemed to be in much better spirits than she had during the previous week.
"Do you think you'll have any problem with the lyrics today?" Joey asked.
"None at all."
Although she sang the song without any slipups, she scored one-half point lower than Joey who gave a stellar rendition of Elvis's song.
"Next week is the finale," he said with a smile that made him look even more like Paul McCartney than before. "One more song and the Next Great Singer will be determined. And, best of all, we get to sing rock 'n' roll songs. I already know which one I'm gonna do."
"What is it?"
"'Satisfaction.' I'm no Mick Jagger, but I think I can do a good job. Do you have any idea what song you'll choose?"
"Yes. Janis Joplin's 'Me and Bobby McGee.'"
"Great choice. I can't wait to see what Deke is gonna sing."
"Didn't Johnny Cash start out as a rock 'n' roll singer before switching to country?"
"I think you're right, but I don't know what songs he sang then."
"I'm sure Deke does!"
The next day, the last Sunday the competitors would spend in Los Angeles, they were given a choice of what they wanted to do: see a baseball game at Dodger Stadium, visit Griffith Park and Observatory, take a bus tour of the movie stars' homes or sunbathe on Venice Beach.
"I'll pass on the baseball game," Joey announced. "I like the Yankees, not the Dodgers. So, I opt for the beach."
"Don't you have beaches back home in New Jersey?" Leslie asked.
"Yeah, but that's the Atlantic Ocean; this is the Pacific. It's a big difference."
"Okay, the beach it is, but we've got to rent an umbrella. I don't want to get sunburned."
It was not until they arrived at the studio Monday morning for rehearsals that Leslie realized she and Joey would be going their separate ways at the end of the week.
But he loves me, she thought. And I love him. We'll find some way to be together. I suppose the most logical solution is for me to move to New Jersey. After all, how many jobs are there for singers in Vermont? New York, on the other hand ....
"Penny for your thoughts," Joey said, taking her by surprise.
"They're worth a lot more than a penny," she laughed.
"You're not still thinking about Slim Acheson, are you?"
"No. You were right. Once I realized that I must have overheard my parents talking about him, I stopped obsessing over him."
"Good."
The week passed quickly—too quickly for Leslie, who hated the idea of returning to Vermont without Joey. She tried to tell herself it would only be temporary, but a separation of any length was still heartbreaking.
On Friday evening, after the conclusion of the final rehearsal, all the singers were treated to a celebratory dinner at Dan Tana's.
"Even if I don't stand a chance of winning, I had a great time here in L.A.," Deke said, washing his words down with a glass of beer.
"The competition isn't over yet," Leslie pointed out.
"Let's face it, either you or Joey will be the Next Great Singer. You two are way ahead of everyone else in points."
"I predict in two years, I'll be waiting in line at Sam Goody's to buy a record by one of you," Debbie prophesied.
"Who knows?" Crystal said. "Maybe both of them will become famous."
"Or maybe we'll team up like Sonny and Cher," Leslie added.
"No way!" Joey said, believing her comment had been said in jest. "I want to be a front man in a rock band, not one-half of a singing duo."
Leslie laughed, but she did so to hide the pain of rejection she suddenly felt.
* * *
"Hi, Mom," Leslie said into the receiver when she phoned her parents the next day.
"I tried calling you all morning," Blanche Helm said, "but the line was busy."
"Everybody's been calling their parents. Today's the big day."
"Yes. You'll be coming home tomorrow!"
"Are you and Dad going to pick me up at the airport?"
"Of course. We can't wait to see you! We've both missed you so much."
Ike then took the phone from his wife, who had broken down in tears.
"Hi, honey!"
"Hi, Dad."
"You're doing so well in the competition. We're both very proud of you!"
"Thanks. I'm sorry, but I've gotta go. There's a long line of people here waiting to use the phone."
"Okay. Good luck tonight. Break a leg, or whatever you're supposed to say to a performer."
"I'll see you tomorrow night. Bye."
She then handed the phone to Joey, who was standing in back of her, awaiting his turn. Leslie was only a few feet away from him when she heard him ask to speak to someone named Deena. Although she had not intended to eavesdrop, she could not help overhearing his final words: "I love you, too, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
As Joey headed toward the wardrobe room to pick up his costume, Leslie followed closely behind.
"Who's Deena?" she demanded to know.
"My girlfriend, back in Jersey."
"But I thought I was your girlfriend."
"You're my friend, who happens to be a girl. There's a difference."
"Why, you lousy, cheating, no-good two-timer!" she screamed.
"What? I didn't ...."
Joey never had the opportunity to defend himself, either verbally or physically. Leslie attacked him with such sudden ferocity that she took him completely off-guard. Before any of the startled spectators could intervene, she grabbed hold of a nearby fire extinguisher and crushed his skull with one blow.
* * *
"For God's sake, Blanche!" Ike Helm said. "Don't let the girl see you've been crying."
His wife took a compact out of her purse and dabbed powder on her tear-stained cheeks, but there was little she could do for her red eyes. When the hospital orderly opened the door to the girl's room, the adoptive parents put false smiles on their faces.
"Hello, sweetheart," Ike greeted Leslie, who stared vacantly ahead, as though in a trance. "Your mother has brought you some of her homemade chocolate chip cookies."
"They were always your favorite," Blanche said, fighting back another torrent of tears.
The girl, committed to an institution for the criminally insane two years earlier after murdering Joey DeSantis, remained totally unresponsive.
"One of your friends was asking about you," Ike announced after several minutes of uncomfortable silence. "A young man named Deke Gatlin. Do you remember him?"
Silence.
"He won The Next Great Singer competition after you ...," Blanche began.
Ike gently elbowed his wife in the ribs to silence her, but her words had no effect on the patient.
"The doctors say that if you show any signs of improvement, they might transfer you to a facility in Vermont. Wouldn't that be nice? Then your mother and I can visit with you more often."
"We miss you so much," Blanche sobbed, unable to contain her emotions any longer.
Although her face showed no sign of comprehension, Leslie's mouth opened.
"Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train ...."
"She's singing!" her mother cried with joy. "That's got to be a good sign."
"Yes!" Ike said, sharing his wife's optimism. "And I recognize that song. It was the one she was going to sing that night. It's like I always said, singing is in her blood."
And, unfortunately, Blanche thought, looking with both love and pity at her sister's daughter, who she and Ike had adopted and raised as their own after Bunny's death, so is murder.
The character Slim Acheson was inspired by the King of Western Swing, Spade Cooley, the only convicted murderer (so far) with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Salem, you can't get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame because you appeared in a YouTube "Crazy Cats" video.
