Robert Randisi - You're nobody 'til somebody kills you

But Dean’s smoking, that was for real. In fact, Dean, Frank and Sammy-who all made their living with their voices-were heavy smokers.

“Bourbon, Eddie?”

“You know it.” Now my drinking, that was for real, too.

He turned to the bartender, Lew, who nodded and gave me a wave. I took the seat next to Dean.

“Kind of odd for you to come in this early for a one-night show,” I said.

“I know,” he said. “Frank and Sammy will be in tomorrow. They want you to have dinner with us.”

“Be my pleasure.” Lew set my drink down. “I saw Sammy here a couple of months ago, and Joey last month. I haven’t seen Frank since Tahoe.”

“I remember,” he said. “Seems like we always come to you when we’re in trouble, Eddie.”

“What are friends for?”

“Well,” he said, “we should be your friends even when we’re not in trouble.”

“I’m invited to dinner tomorrow night, right?” I asked. “I don’t guess that’s because all three of you are in trouble.”

“No, it’s because all three of us like you, Eddie,” Dean said, “and we wouldn’t come to Vegas without seein’ you.”

“I appreciate that, Dean,” I said. “And I understand it.” I sipped my drink. “So, tomorrow that’s just for pleasure. Right?”

“Right.”

“And tonight’s for …”

“You’re a smart man, Eddie.”

“Sometimes I think so, too,” I said.

“It isn’t one of us who has a problem this time,” Dean said. “It’s a friend.”

“A good friend?”

“Yes.”

“A … girl?”

“It’s not what you think,” Dean said. “I’ve known this lady for a long time. She’s kind of … delicate. When she came to me with her problem I knew you were the man to help her. You know how to keep a low profile.”

“Yeah,” I said, “that’s something you guys aren’t so good at.”

Dean smiled.

“Never been high on any of our lists, I guess.”

“Okay,” I said, “so when do I meet the lady?”

“How’s tomorrow sound?” he asked. “We can take a ride to Tahoe in the morning.”

“Tahoe? Why there?”

“Vegas makes her nervous. She’s staying at the Cal Neva as Frank’s guest.”

“Is this somebody equally as high-profile as you guys?”

Dean raised his glass and asked, “Why ruin the surprise, pally?”

I was back in my pit ten minutes when Jack Entratter approached.

“Jack,” I said, as he reached me, “what are you doing around so late?”

“What’s late?” he said, shrugging his shoulders, adjusting his jacket. “I’m here all the time, Eddie, you know that.”

He was, and he wasn’t. Jack was around whenever he wanted to be. He had a house, but he also had a room in the hotel. In fact, his mother had a room, too.

But he was on the floor, and at my pit, and it was almost midnight. This was not normal.

“Listen,” he said, “Frank, Dean and Sammy will be here tomorrow. They want you to have dinner with them tomorrow night. That ain’t a problem, is it?”

“No, Jack,” I said, “that’s not a problem.”

“Good,” he said, “good, Eddie.” He patted me on the shoulder. Now, that was unusual.

“Anything else, Jack?”

Jack hesitated. Something was on his mind, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to bring it up.

“Well … my nephew’s comin’ to town,” he said. “Richard. You’ve never met him.”

“No, I haven’t.” I hadn’t even known Jack had a nephew.

“Yeah, well … you’ll get your chance. I want to show the kid a good time.”

“What’s the kid’s game? Or do you want a girl-”

“No, no,” Jack said, “nothin’ like that, Eddie. He’s a good kid. Not old enough to gamble, and my sister would kill me if I fixed him up … you know.”

“Oh, I get it, Jack.”

“Yeah.” He looked around, shrugged his shoulders again. “I ain’t really that sure how to entertain him, ya know?”

“There’s a lot to do in Vegas, Jack,” I said. “I’ll get him a ticket for the show.”

“That’ll be good,” he said. “My sister, she loves Frank.”

I didn’t want to say that his nephew might like somebody like Paul Anka, or Fabian, better.

“Uh, Jack, I’m going to need the chopper tomorrow morning, and some time off.”

“Time off? For what?”

“Dean wants to go to Tahoe.”

“You saw Dino?”

“Tonight,” I said. “He dealt some blackjack, and then we had a drink.”

“He’s here early,” Jack said.

“Yeah.”

“Well … his suite’s always waitin’ for him.”

“I know that.”

“What’s he want to go to Tahoe for?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“Okay,” he said, scratching his cheek, “okay, yeah, sure, take ‘im to Tahoe. Let him do what he wants to do.”

“Sure, Jack.”

Jack looked around, didn’t seem like he wanted to walk away.

“Hey, boss, what’s goin’ on?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re … distracted.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, “I’ve been talkin’ to my sister, and my mother … Richard gets in tomorrow morning. I gotta pick him up at the airport …”

“Did you want me to pick him up?” I asked. “Was that what you were gonna ask me?”

“Naw, naw, Eddie,” he said, “I wouldn’t ask ya to do that. You ain’t a chauffeur. Besides, my sister and my mother would both have my ass if I didn’t pick him up myself.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to get them mad at me.”

“No, believe me,” he said, “you wouldn’t. I’m gonna take a walk around the place, Eddie. When do you get off?”

“Three.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then-stop in whenever you get back from Tahoe. I’d like to know what’s goin’ on.”

“Sure, Jack.”

“See ya, Eddie.”

“Later, boss.”

I watched him as he wandered around the room. He stopped and spoke to some of the players, didn’t talk to any of the other employees he came across, except for a pretty waitress. Jack liked to keep the Sands stocked with waitresses, hatcheck girls and cigarette girls who looked like they belonged on stage.

Once Jack left the casino floor I relaxed a bit and was able to go back to work. Kind of. I guess I was also wondering what Dean wanted to show me in Tahoe.

Or who.

Dean had made the arrangements for a car to pick us up early the next morning and take us to the airfield. The chopper pilot was the same one who had flown me to Reno and Tahoe several times the previous year when I was trying, at Frank’s request, to help Sammy out of a jam. I had been successful, and had not seen the pilot since then.

He greeted us in a friendly manner, as if he had known us both a long time, calling us “gents,” and showing no surprise or awe that one of his passengers was Dean Martin.

In the chopper Dean told me that Frank had almost finished his refurbishment of the Cal Neva, but would not be there when we arrived.

“He’s flying into Vegas later today from Palm Springs. He’s still getting the guesthouse ready for JFK to stay there in March.”

“Is that gonna happen?” I asked Dean.

“Between you and me,” Dean said, “I wouldn’t hold my breath. JFK’s people are not gonna stand for it. Frank’s in for a big surprise.”

“Have you tried to tell him?”

“Once,” Dean said. “He insists that he and Jack are friends. He’s gonna have to find out for himself-and I hope I’m not around when he does. He’s even putting in a helipad.”

“Man, that’s gotta be expensive.”

“The whole project is costing Frank a fortune.”

At that point we were both tired of shouting over the noise of the rotating blades so we put our conversation on hold until we were on the ground.