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

The voices were simply a buzz. I had to get closer to hear what was being said. I wondered if the bouncer who had walked Otash out would come back and catch me from behind. I had Otash’s last word in my head, about not drawing the gun. If I’d paused to think, I probably would not have rushed across the room in the first place and through this doorway, but the decision had been made so I had to come out of it with something.

As I crept down the hall toward the open door I passed several other doorways. I checked them quickly, hoping none of them would creak. Two closets, a bathroom, and a stairway heading down. I was tempted to go see if Danny was being held down there, but I decided to try to hear some of the conversation first. In fact, I could already hear some of it.

As soon as the voices became clear enough I stopped.

“In the hospital, still hasn’t woke up,” one voice said.

“Well, he better wake up,” a second said. “They’re not gonna like it if a homicide investigation gets started.”

“There’s already a homicide investigation, remember? Johnson?”

“Nobody cares about Johnson, but this guy got hit in Monroe’s house. That’s news.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the first man said.

Apparently there were only two men in the room. I wondered if one of them had a scar down the center of his forehead. I could hear, but I couldn’t see. For that I’d have to get even closer. Most of the room was out of sight. But getting closer would put me in a totally defenseless position if someone entered the hall from the other end.

“Where the hell is your partner?” the second man asked.

“Still at the hospital,” the first man said. “He’s keepin’ an eye out.”

“For what?”

“Whatever,” the first man said. “A chance to finish the guy, news that he died, whatever.”

“Do they know about that? Jesus, you’re gonna kill a guy in the hospital? You know, you freelancers kill me.”

“Yeah,” the first man said, “that could be arranged.”

“Very funny. Why don’t you go out and look at some of the girls? Let me get back to work.”

“I was just checking in for orders.”

I heard a chair creak, and then the sound of somebody walking. I turned to hotfoot it back up the hall, but at that moment the door at that end started to open. I was seconds from being discovered from both ends. Use my bathroom story, or duck behind one of those other doors?

I made up my mind quickly, opened a door and stepped in, closing it behind me as gently as I could.

It was dark and I almost took a header down the stairs. I caught myself at the last second, then stood there quietly as the two men met in the hallway.

“Leavin’ already, Harris?”

“Gonna check out some of the girls.”

“You wanna go home with one just let me know,” the bouncer said. “I got a few of ‘em on a string.”

Harris said, “I’m sure the feds would be happy to know they got a string of whores bein’ run out of here.”

Both men laughed and kept going in their respective directions. I waited a few more moments, then opened the door to peer out. That was taking a chance, because I could only see one way, up the hall toward the club. I opened it a little more, stuck my head out further and looked at the office door, which the bouncer had closed behind him.

This was my chance to get out of there, but I hesitated and looked behind me. The light from the hall illuminated the basement stairs. If there was the slightest chance that Danny was being held down there, I had to take it.

I closed the door and stood there long enough for my eyes to adjust to the dark. Enough light came from beneath the door to allow me to see the stairs. I started down, taking my time since I had no idea how many steps there were.

I wondered what had happened to Otash. Had he been kicked out of the place? Was he waiting for me outside? Or was he still inside?

I kept going down the stairs one at a time, keeping my hand on the wall because there was no banister. The stairs creaked, but I didn’t think anyone upstairs could hear them.

Finally, I got to the bottom, wishing I had a flashlight. I looked around for a light switch. I didn’t find one.

I started swatting the air, looking for a pull string attached to a lightbulb. I found one and grabbed it.

I looked up the steps. From my vantage point I could not see the light under the door. I wondered if anyone on the other side could see my light.

I pulled down on the string, intending to snap the light on for a second or two, just to get a look around. As the bulb came on it bathed the room in yellow light. I always hated yellow bulbs, and this one was about forty watts. By the dim light I saw a wooden chair in the center of the room. There were some stains on the floor in front of and next to the chair. In the yellow light I couldn’t be sure, but I thought it was blood. Was it Danny’s blood? There wasn’t a lot of it, not as much as if someone had had their throat cut. But somebody had definitely been hurt.

I realized I’d left the light on too long, so I yanked on the string-and it snapped, leaving the light on. I dropped the string onto the floor, and tried to reach the small part that was still hanging from the light, but it was too high. I thought about using the chair to stand on, but the idea that it might have some of Danny’s blood on it kept me from doing it.

Instead, I began to look for a way out. I just hoped somebody would think they had left the light on.

I found a door in another part of the basement. It was a loading double door, and I hoped it wasn’t locked from the outside. It wasn’t. I was able to open one side, go up the stairs, and then close the door without dropping it. The metal would have rang out loud and clear.

I looked around quickly. I was behind the building. I worked my way around to the front and found Otash sitting in his car. When I knocked on the window he just about jumped out of his skin.

I opened the passenger door. “Did that guy come out?”

“Yeah. I would have followed him, but I was worried about you,” he explained. “I did get his plate number, though.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here. I’ll meet you back at the hospital.”

“What the hell happened-”

“Later,” I said, getting out of his car. “The hospital.”

“But why?” he asked. “Why don’t we go back to Miss Monroe’s, or somewhere-”

“Otash!”

“What?”

“The hospital!”

“Okay,” he said, “okay, the hospital.”

He started his engine and backed up. I ran to my Caddy, got in, fired her up and got out of there.

Danny had been in that basement. I felt it in my bones. But at that moment I was intent on getting back to the hospital to make sure Jerry was all right.

When we got to the hospital parking lot I got out of the Caddy and ran to Otash’s car.

“Come on, we’ve got to get inside.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you on the way!”

While we ran into the hospital I tried to tell him what I found in the basement. He wasn’t following me, so I said, “Somebody’s going to make another try at Jerry.”

We ran past the front desk, the nurse shouting after us. Jerry was on the second floor. Instead of waiting for the elevator I took the stairs adjacent to them. When we got to the second floor I led the way to Jerry’s room. Nobody was on duty in front of it.

“There’s no cop on the door!” I shouted.

I drew Jerry’s gun and ran into his room. There was a cop in uniform standing next to his bed, looking down at him. I started for him with Jerry’s gun, but Otash grabbed me from behind and pulled my gun hand behind my back as the policeman turned to look at us.