Robert Randisi - It Was a Very Bad Year

‘Gun, Jerry!’ I said.

Jerry risked a look over his shoulder at me, then turned his attention back to the second Rienza. Abruptly, he lifted his knee into the man’s face. I heard bones crunch and, as teeth fell to the floor, the other man fell on to his back with a groan. Jerry quickly bent, patted him down, and came away with a.38.

I picked up the first man’s gun, which was also a.38.

‘What about Irwin?’ Jerry asked.

‘He took off on a motorcycle by the time I got outside.’

‘How did we miss that?’

I shrugged.

‘How was that fella Wayne killed?’ Jerry asked me. He wasn’t even out of breath.

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Well,’ he said, ‘if he was shot, it might’ve been with one of these guns. These guys are dumb enough to keep it.’

I looked down at the two unconscious brothers.

‘Maybe,’ I said, ‘we should make an anonymous call of our own to the cops.’

There were dumpsters behind the building. We found two more motorcycles behind them. That explained how we missed the Rienzas.

We found rope in my trunk and tied the brothers up before we left. Jerry unloaded their guns, and tossed them on the floor.

Jerry drove while I looked for a phone booth. He stayed in the car as I dialed and then made my anonymous call to the cops, giving them the address of the warehouse, saying I had heard shots.

I got back in the car.

‘OK,’ I said, ‘later we’ll have somebody call and drop Wayne’s name. For now those two idiots will just be taken in and checked out. Hargrove won’t let them go easily.’

‘So where to now?’ he asked.

‘Back to the Sands, I guess.’ The Sands seemed to be where it always started and ended for me. It was more home than home was.

When we got to the casino I was approached as soon as we walked into the lobby.

‘Mr Entratter’s lookin for you,’ a bellman told me. ‘Wants you in his office pronto.’

‘OK, thanks.’

‘I’ll go to my room,’ Jerry said.

‘No, Come with me,’ I said. ‘Let’s see what this is about.’

We took the elevator up. Jack’s girl was back and, probably in deference to the fact that Jerry was with me, said, ‘Go right in.’

As we entered Jack jumped up from behind his desk. ‘They got the bastards!’

‘The kidnappers?’

‘Yep,’ Entratter said. ‘You were right, Eddie. The first one they caught was Johnny Irwin. He had forty grand with him. And then he gave up the other two.’ He looked at a piece of paper on his desk. ‘Joe Amsler and Barry Keenan.’

‘You nailed that one, Mr G.,’ Jerry said.

‘You sure did,’ Jack said. ‘Frank wants you to come back to LA with me. You, too, Jerry. It’s his birthday and he’s havin’ a party.’

‘Today?’

‘Right now,’ Jack said. ‘I was waitin’ for you to show up so we could leave.’

‘Um. .’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I had a talk with Hargrove last night,’ I said. ‘He said if I had to go back to LA to let him know.’

‘Well, OK,’ Entratter said. ‘Use my phone and let’s get goin’.’

He moved around his desk so I could sit in his chair and call. It took a while for Hargrove to come to the phone, and when he did he sounded breathless.

‘Who is it?’

‘Eddie G.,’ I said. ‘I’ve got to go to LA. You wanted me to-’

‘What are you tryin’ to pull, Eddie?’ he demanded.

Uh-oh, I thought, he’d already heard about the kidnappers.

‘What do you mean?’

‘What do I mean? I mean the Rienza brothers were found tied up in a warehouse downtown. Their guns were on the ground next to ’em, unloaded. You don’t know anythin’ about this, do you?’

‘Why would I?’ I asked. ‘Did they say I did? Did anybody say I did?’

‘They ain’t talkin’,’ Hargrove said. ‘What’s goin’ on in LA?’

‘I don’t know,’ I lied. ‘Frank told me to come back. He says he’s got some news.’

‘Well. . fine. You go, but the minute you get back, haul your ass in here. I want to get to the bottom of this.’

‘We still talkin’ about the murder?’ I asked. ‘Did those two kill Wayne?’

‘We’re doing a ballistics check on their guns right now,’ Hargrove said. ‘By the time you get back, I’ll know something.’

‘OK, then,’ I said. ‘I’ll see you when I get back.’

‘You and your big friend aren’t off the hook yet, Eddie,’ he said. ‘Get that idea out of your head.’

‘Yes, Detective.’

‘And make sure he comes in with you.’

‘Yes, Detective.’

‘Are you yessing me, Eddie?’ he demanded. ‘You think you’re handling me, right now?’

I said, ‘Yes, Detective,’ and hung up.

Frank had called Chasen’s and had them bring in enough food for an army. He invited Dean and Joey (Sammy was away doing a show) and all the FBI agents and cops who had worked on getting Frankie back. Also there when we arrived were Jimmy Van Heusen, Gloria and Mike Romanoff and a man I knew was his neighbor in Palm Springs, Abe Lipsey.

Van Heusen was a hugely successful songwriter who had written many of Frank’s hits.

Gloria and Mike Romanoff owned one of the most popular restaurants in Hollywood, Romanoff’s.

Lipsey was simply a rich neighbor who had no connections to Hollywood, except that he enjoyed hosting parties to which he invited both movie and television stars, mostly at his Sunset Boulevard mansion. The parties became so famous that invitations were much sought after.

The party was as much for Frankie as it was for Frank’s birthday, but Nancy kept her son close to her during the entire proceedings, and she couldn’t be blamed for that.

Frank was a cheerful host, telling anyone who would listen that getting Frankie back was the biggest and best birthday present he could ever have gotten.

At one point he cornered Entratter and me and started telling us how much he appreciated the police and the FBI.

‘I’m gonna send each and every one of them somethin’ special,’ he said, ‘as soon as I figure out what it should be. And you.’ He grabbed me, put his arm around my neck and hugged me to him. ‘You’re gonna get the most special gift of all!’

‘I don’t need a gift, Frank,’ I said. ‘I’m just glad Frankie’s home.’

‘That’s what I love about this guy,’ he said to Jack, tightening his arm around my neck, ‘he’s modest. He’s done more than anyone over the past few years to keep us bums out of trouble. Now he not only saves my son, but supplies the information that the cops used to catch the kidnappers — and he don’t want nothin’.’ He looked around. ‘I need another drink.’

He went off to get one, got waylaid by Mike and Gloria Romanoff, kissed Gloria soundly before continuing on.

‘Whatever he gives you,’ Jack said, ‘just say thank you, Eddie.’

‘Jack-’

‘He’s comin’ to Vegas tonight. Tomorrow we celebrate the Sands’ eleventh anniversary, and he wants to be there. He’s gonna bring Juliet Prowse with him.’

I’d forgotten about the anniversary party.

‘But this will go on for a while,’ Jack said, putting his hand on my shoulder. ‘And you had a big part in bringin’ Frankie home, and finding the kidnappers. So enjoy the celebration.’

I nodded, and Jack moved off to join Jilly Rizzo and Mickey Rudin in a corner.

Sometime later I found myself standing off to one side talking with Nancy and Tina Sinatra. Or maybe we were flirting. We’d all had a lot to drink and were relieved that Frankie was safe.

Nancy was hanging on to one of my arms and Tina the other when Frank came stalking over and stood in front of us.