Robert Randisi - It Was a Very Bad Year

‘They’re all in there,’ one of the men said, as he opened the door for me.

‘Thanks.’

As I entered, Frank was saying, ‘. . don’t feel like it, right now.’

‘Frank,’ Mickey Rudin said, ‘you’ve got to eat something. You’re not gonna do Frankie any good if you pass out from hunger.’

Frank, still seated on the bed by the phone, said, ‘Yeah, OK. Have them bring up a table and spaghetti for four. My friends are gonna eat with me.’

‘Your friends?’ Rudin asked.

‘Jack, Eddie and Jilly,’ Frank said, ‘The rest of you can fend for yourselves.’

The lawyer, who probably considered himself a friend of Frank’s, looked a little wounded, but he said, ‘OK, I’ll take care of it.’

‘I’m going to make a few calls,’ the DA said. ‘I’ll check in with you later. If you get a call-’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ Frank said, ‘the FBI’s right outside the door. I get it.’

Raggio, Rudin and the FBI left the room. I heard Jack go to the door with them and whisper, ‘Make sure there’s meatballs.’

When the door closed, Jilly asked Frank, ‘You want a drink, Frank?’

‘No, I don’t want no booze,’ Frank said. ‘I gotta keep a clear head.’

‘Frank, whatever they ask for,’ Jack said, ‘no matter how much, the Sands will front it.’

‘I appreciate that Jack,’ Frank said, ‘but I got it covered.’

‘Frank,’ I said, ‘I’d like to talk to you about Jerry.’

‘Who?’

‘Jerry Epstein?’

He frowned at me, almost annoyed, then his face brightened and he said, ‘The Brooklyn kid?’

‘That’s right. I think I’ll need him, to back me up on this drop.’

‘No problem. Use him.’

‘I’ll need to get him here — or wherever the drop is supposed to be.’

‘Once we get the call and find out, I’ll have my plane pick him up. Is he ready?’

‘I just have to get him on the phone, but he’ll be ready, if I know Jerry,’ I said. Knowing he was going to help me and Frank, Jerry would walk all the way if he had to. . barefoot.

‘OK, good,’ Frank said. ‘I want you and Frankie to both walk away from this.’

That made two of us.

I excused myself to try Jerry again, said I’d be back to eat.

This time when I dialed, Jerry answered.

‘Hey, what’s up, Mr G.?’

I told him about Frank Jr. being kidnapped, and that Frank asked me to make the pay-off.

‘I’ll be on the first plane to Vegas-’

‘No, Jerry,’ I said. ‘We’re in Reno, but I don’t want you to come here, either.’

‘I gotta do somethin’-’

‘And you will,’ I said. ‘As soon as Frank gets the call with the kidnapper’s demands, and finds out where the drop is, he’ll send his plane for you. I want you to back me on the drop.’

‘You got it, Mr G.’ he said. ‘Thanks for thinkin’ of me.’

‘As a matter of fact,’ I said, ‘I was kind of thinking of me.’

‘I getcha. Don’t worry, I’ll be ready to move as soon as I get the call.’

‘Thanks, Jerry,’ I said. ‘I knew Frank and I could count on you.’

‘Always, Mr G. Tell Mr S. I’ll see him soon.’

‘You got it.’

I hung up, thought about calling Penny in Danny’s office and telling her what was going on so she could fill him in. But he was away, working another case, and I didn’t want anything leaking out that shouldn’t be.

I stepped out into the hall in time to see the two FBI agents frisking the bellman, who stood patiently, probably figuring his tip would make up for it. He had a table on wheels, and there were some folding chairs leaning against the wall that he had probably brought up in the elevator with him.

Finally, they opened the door and allowed the bellman to wheel the table into the room. I came down the hall and grabbed the folding chairs, carrying them in with me.

‘That’s fine,’ Jack Entratter said. ‘We’ll take care of it.’ He tipped the guy a twenty.

‘Gee, thanks,’ the young man said.

Jilly walked him to the door and ushered him out.

We set the chairs up at the table, and Jack enticed Frank to leave the phone and sit at the table to eat our spaghetti and meatball lunch. Frank backed the table up so he could sit within reach of the phone. He held his fork in his right hand, and the roll of dimes in his left.

When the phone rang we all had our mouths full of pasta. Frank actually spat his out and grabbed the phone.

‘Yeah?’ he said. ‘Yeah, this is him. Is my son. . what? Wait, is that all? What about-’

Obviously, the person on the other end had hung up. Frank sat there holding the phone, staring.

‘Frank,’ Jack said. No answer. He got up, walked to Frank and took the phone from him. ‘Frank? Who was it? What did they say?’

Frank shook his head, noticed us as if we had just appeared.

‘It was them. They said Frankie was OK, and they’d call me again with the amount and the location.’

‘That’s it?’ I asked. ‘That’s all they said?’

‘No,’ Frank said, ‘he said one more thing.’

‘What was it?’ Jilly asked.

Frank looked at us and quoted, ‘“Discretion will be the demeanor.”’

The FBI had the phone tapped, but the call hadn’t lasted long enough to trace. They did, however, have a tape of the conversation.

Raggio and Rudin came back into the room, leaving the FBI agents in the hall.

‘Mr Sinatra,’ Raggio said, ‘you’ll have to keep them on the phone longer next time so we can get a trace.’

‘Look, pally,’ Frank said, ‘I don’t care about any damn trace. I want my boy back. I’m gonna pay them, get him back, and then, believe me, I’ll find them.’

‘Sir,’ Raggio said, ‘with all due respect-’

Jack Entratter stood up, towering over the DA and the lawyer.

‘Mickey, take the gentleman outside so Frank can finish eatin’. When the phone rings again, we’ll do our best.’

‘Jack-’ Rudin said.

‘Mickey,’ Jack said, ‘please.’ Jack’s tone was respectful, but the look on his face was murderous. Mickey Rudin took the hint and accompanied the DA out into the hall.

‘I didn’t even get a chance to ask to talk to Frankie,’ Frank said.

‘It’s gonna be OK, Frank,’ Jack said. ‘They’re not gonna hurt Frankie. If they do, they get no money.’

‘Jack’s right, Frank,’ Jilly said. ‘They got to keep him healthy, in case you do ask to talk to him, or see him.’

I knew they were trying to make Frank feel better, but none of that rang true to me. They could have killed Frankie already, and still be able to collect from Frank. I was worried because these guys sounded like amateurs. For one thing, they had left a witness alive who could ID them. And they hadn’t asked for money yet. It was as if they didn’t know how much to ask for and were trying to figure it out.

I wasn’t and never have been an expert on kidnapping, but this sounded messy to me.

‘All right,’ Jack said, ‘come on, let’s finish eating. You still got to keep your strength up. Next time they call they’ll ask for the cash and probably tell you where to deliver it.’

Frank let himself be coaxed into returning to the food, but he mostly played with it from that point on. Actually, it wasn’t very good spaghetti. It was way undercooked, and the sauce was watery. The meatballs kept falling apart. Finally we all gave up and pushed the table out into the hall. The FBI men eyed the food hungrily. I never knew if they ate the leftovers or not.

‘You guys mind givin’ me some time alone?’ Frank asked, sometime later.

Why not, I thought? We were just sitting around, doing nothing, anyway. We sure as hell weren’t making Frank feel any better.