Robert Randisi - It Was a Very Bad Year

Hargrove looked at the paper again, this time more intently.

‘You’re telling me this photographer, Irwin, was involved in the kidnapping?’

‘At the very least he knew about it,’ I said. ‘And his brother was involved.’

‘What about this date? The twenty-second? The day JFK got hit.’

‘I think that might have been the original date they were gonna grab Frankie. The assassination changed their minds.’

Hargrove picked the piece of paper up for the first time.

‘Where did you get this?’

‘If I tell you,’ I said, carefully, ‘I don’t wanna get pinched.’

‘Me neither,’ Jerry said.

Hargrove chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few moments.

‘If this leads me to my killer,’ he said, ‘and Irwin, and it turns out he was involved in the kidnapping, you guys are off the hook.’

‘I got that out of Irwin’s desk, in his studio.’

‘What were you doin’ there?’

‘A favor for a friend.’

‘After the murder?’

‘Before,’ I said, ‘way before.’

‘What was the favor?’

‘That’s not on the table,’ I said.

‘Gotta be discreet with your show-business friends, huh?’

‘I don’t wanna get arrested,’ I said, ‘and I don’t wanna lose my job, either.’

‘I’m gonna keep this,’ he said, tapping the paper with his finger.

‘Go ahead. I copied it.’

He put it in his pocket, drank some beer.

‘If this pans out, I’ll forget about breaking and entering and tampering with evidence,’ he said. ‘But I can’t forget about murder, if you had anythin’ to do with it.’

‘We didn’t,’ I said. ‘I guarantee it.’

Hargrove looked at Jerry.

‘You,’ he said, ‘don’t leave town.’

‘Why would I?’ Jerry asked. ‘I love Vegas.’

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Now get out of my bar. You’re makin’ me look bad.’

‘One more thing.’

‘What?’

I told him about the two torpedoes who worked me over in Reno. I didn’t mention that Jerry had to kill three in Brooklyn.

‘I think Irwin sent them after me.’

‘Describe ’em.’

I did.

‘Ring a bell?’ I asked.

Hargrove sat back in his chair and regarded me for a moment.

‘Sounds like the Rienza Brothers.’

‘Italians?’ Jerry asked.

‘Working for Irwin,’ I said.

‘They work for anybody who’ll pay the freight,’ Hargrove said. ‘OK, I’ll look into them, too. Now will you leave?’

‘We’re gone,’ I said.

‘Remember,’ he said, ‘don’t leave town.’

I paused getting out of the booth.

‘Now what?’

‘Might have to go to LA to see Frank,’ I said. ‘And the LA County DA wants to talk to me.’ I was stretching the truth.

‘Yeah, OK,’ Hargrove said, ‘if that happens, call me and let me know.’

‘You got it.’

I slid out of the booth and Jerry followed me. As we walked to the door we were the center of attention, again. Or rather, Jerry was. My guess was they could always tell somebody who wasn’t working the same side of the street as they were.

Outside Jerry said, ‘Don’t make me do that again, Mr G.’

‘Do what?’

‘Go in a cop bar.’

‘Yeah,’ I said, looking back at the door, ‘let’s neither one of us ever do that again.’

This time we drove back to the Sands. I got Jerry a room — ‘A regular one,’ he insisted — so he could spend the night comfortably. Then I went to see Jack Entratter in his office.

‘What’s goin’ on?’ he asked when I walked in. It wasn’t a demand. In fact, he was sitting back in his chair and said it very nonchalantly.

I’d already explained it to DA Evans and Detective Hargrove, so giving it to Jack didn’t take very long.

He thought the information over for a few moments, then said, ‘You didn’t tell Frank?’

‘Jack, when we went out to deliver the money, Frank had a gun,’ I said. ‘I don’t want him gettin’ himself in trouble.’

‘Guess you’re right,’ he said. ‘If he got the chance he’d probably blow the heads off those scumbags.’

‘So I told Evans, figured he’d act on it, then told Hargrove so he wouldn’t throw me into a cell.’

‘And I’m third on the totem pole, huh?’

‘Don’t get offended, Jack.’

‘I’m not offended,’ Entratter said, wearily. ‘I’m tired. This whole Frankie thing. . if the kidnappers get caught, then I’m glad you told whoever you told. Now, what’s happening here, in Vegas, that’s gonna keep you from workin’?’

‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘I mean, hopefully, when they catch the kidnappers, everything else will go away.’

‘So whatever you stirred up when you were helping Abby will be over, too?’

‘I said. . hopefully.’

‘Yeah. . take tonight off, Eddie. See you at work tomorrow.’

‘OK.’

As I stood up he said, ‘Oh, wait.’

‘Yeah?’

‘What about Jerry? Where is he?’

‘I stuck him in a room,’ I said. ‘A regular, normal room.’

‘Is he goin’ home tomorrow?’

‘He’s gonna stick around,’ I said. ‘Um, Hargrove kinda told him to stick around until everything is. . resolved.’

‘Resolved,’ Jack said. ‘That’s a good word.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Tell me, what’s gonna happen when they catch the kidnappers in LA and Hargrove realizes you gave them the info before you gave it to him?’

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I guess I’ll have to deal with that when the time comes.’

‘Get some sleep, Eddie,’ he said. ‘You look like shit.’

I went home.

Jack was right. I was exhausted. I fell on to my bed without getting undressed and when I opened my eyes, it was morning. Not early morning. It was ten. Jerry had probably had pancakes by now. That was good. I wasn’t quite up to watching him work his way through two stacks.

I showered, got dressed, made myself a simple egg sandwich for breakfast, washed it down with coffee while I watched the TV. Frankie’s return home was a big story. Also, the fact that the kidnappers were still on the loose, and were being hunted. The police said that their capture ‘was imminent.’ I wondered if that was because of my information.

I was getting dressed when the phone rang.

‘Hello?’

‘We gotta talk,’ a man said.

‘If I knew who you were-’

‘It’s Irwin,’ he said. ‘We gotta talk.’

‘About what?’

‘I can help you.’

‘Help me do what?’

‘Catch my brother, and his two idiot friends.’

‘Amsler and Keenan?’

He hesitated. I could hear him breathing on the other end.

‘You know more than I thought.’

‘I know about Canoga Park, I even know about November twenty-second.’

‘Yeah,’ Irwin said, ‘they was gonna grab the kid that day. The JFK thing shit-canned all that.’

‘So where are they?’

‘Ya gotta meet me,’ Irwin said. ‘And I need some money. You shorted me last time.’

‘Why would I give you money?’

‘I gotta get away.’

‘Seems to me you’ve done a pretty good job of going underground.’

‘I been in LA, but I came back.’

‘Why?’

‘To pack my stuff,’ Irwin said. ‘This time when I disappear I want it to be for good.’

‘I don’t have any money, Barney.’

‘You must have. . some.’

‘I can probably scrape together a couple of thousand.’

‘That’s all?’

‘If you wanted more you should’ve stuck with your brother and got your cut.’

‘No, it wasn’t like that,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t involved, nor that I should get a cut.’

‘Two grand, Barney,’ I said. ‘That’s it.’