A/N: Here is a slightly different take on the club scene from the movie "The Rocketeer", a family adventure film that takes place in the pre-World War II days of 1938.

Spill the Beans

Neville Sinclair stared at Jenny Blake, listening to every word she spoke. He wasn't interested in the beautiful aspiring actress, and quite frankly there were other places right now he'd rather be than the South Seas Club. Clark Gable, W.C. Fields, Douglas Fairbanks and all the usual faces were there to see and be seen; as the number three box office star in America, Neville was part of the crowd to all appearances but he had other motives tonight.

He had overheard a conversation on set between Miss Blake and her boyfriend, who had been trying to discuss a rocket pack he had found in a hanger. The rocket pack was the very same one that Neville had arranged to be stolen fair and square from its developer Howard Hughes; after stealing it his associates had just managed to evade the Feds attempt to take it back by ditching it in some old plane in an airport hangar. He needed that rocket pack back, and the only connection he had was the girl. And the way to get that information was by flattery, feigned interest, and careful questions. When the opening in the conversation came, he pounced.

"Oh Jenny, I know that look all too well. Is it your boyfriend?" Neville asked, his tone velvet-smooth with just a hint of calculated jealousy for effect. To his satisfaction, she started telling him about her boyfriend Cliff Second; struggling pilot and a nice guy with occasional lapses of thoughtlessness due to his obsession with flying. Neville made a mental note that she considered him the best and worst guy around; typical paradoxical thinking of immature young people.

"He gave me these little oranges when we first met" she explained, showing off a silver charm on her bracelet depicting the fruit "when he crop-dusted my family's orchard. He flies racing planes like this one" she said, pointing to another shaped like the now crashed Gee Bee.

"A pilot, eh? I just finished a film where I played a pilot" Neville prodded.

"I know; we went to go see it yesterday. In fact our very first date ever was at the movies" she said, turning the bracelet around to show another charm of a ticket stub. "We love to watch and eat popcorn." Another charm showed an overflowing box of the treat. "When I can get him to stop chewing gum, that is" she added as she pointed to another spot on the bracelet.

"A wad of gum charm for a charm? I've never seen one" said Neville, wincing slightly.

"No, that's real gum that got stuck on it and hardened. We took it to a jeweler but he said he might damage the bracelet if he tried to take it off" she said, switching to her other arm where another bracelet held an advertisement for "Jim's Gems", the biggest charm shown so far.

"Fascinating. Tell me more" Neville coached while hoping at some point he would get some useful information before he fell asleep listening to her. In the background the house band started playing a Duke Ellington number.

"He likes to ride his motorcycle, here's a charm for it; his best friend is Peevy, here's a relief of him with a wrench. This one is of the hanger where they work, another for the airshow they work in and here is the one of a redwood he gave me for Arbor Day. On my birthday he gave me this" she went on, with a wonderful limited edition series of charms showing the doctor, hospital and even a copy of the bills for the delivery.

"I wondered why you were dropping your left shoulder so much while we danced; all those charms must be quite heavy. He seems to be very generous."

"He is; he regularly donates blood to those less fortunate" she said, pulling out papers from a purse showing him as 'Donor of the Month' for August. "He has a pretty rare blood type too; AB positive" she bragged, showing a small vial holding a red liquid that was a pendant on her necklace.

"He seems quite the competition for your affection; does he live here in town?"

"He sure does" Jenny blushed as she hiked up her skirt and stuck out her left leg to reveal her tattooed lower gam. "Here's a map of his neighborhood."

"The detail is amazing" Neville yawned. "I bet you could actually find his house on it."

"Right here where the 'X' is, 1635 Palm Terrace" Jenny giggled.

"Is he there now?" From what Lothar had said, there wasn't much home to go back to after the feds Swiss-cheesed it.

"Here's his schedule" she said, sticking her right leg out to reveal a tattoo of an itinerary. "Let's see...he's should be home tonight working on the rocket pack."

The girl hadn't heard anything yet about the government raid, then. "I don't suppose you've seen this silly rocket pack thing?" he asked coyly.

"No, I haven't actually seen the thing. I have a schematic of it tatooed on...well...I can't show you right now because we're in public. But..." she started but was interrupted as a waiter pulled up with a serving cart and started handing out bowls for soup. She noticed a note in the bottom of her bowl.

The End

A/N: In a lot of movies you have a scene where the bad guy is trying to sneak information out of an innocent person and they don't know anything but...what if that person had ALL the information you needed plus a little more?