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

“Can I help you gents?” he asked.

“Yes, Officer,” Otash said, “I’m Fred Otash and this is Eddie Gianelli.”

“Yes, sir,” the cop said, turning to face us. His hands were empty. The part of his forehead I could see beneath his cap brim was smooth and unscarred. “They told me you were allowed in the room. Is something wrong?”

“We heard something tonight that led us to believe this man is in danger.”

“Here? In the hospital?”

“Yes, sir,” Otash said. “I suggest you call for backup.”

“I’ll have to check that with my watch commander, sir.”

“That’s okay, son,” Otash said, “and you better check with Detective Stanze, as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the cop left the room, I turned so the gun was still behind me. When he was gone I returned the gun to the back of my belt.

Otash turned on me and said, “I told you about that gun! You almost pointed it at a cop!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” I said. “And thanks for stopping me.”

“We’ll have to stay here while he’s checking on backup,” Otash said.

“I wonder why he was in here and not out in the hall?” I said.

“There was no scar on his forehead,” Otash said. “But still …”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I want to see where he went.”

I stayed at Jerry’s bedside until Otash returned. During that time the big guy didn’t move or make a sound. I wasn’t used to Jerry being so silent and still. It was unsettling.

When Otash came back in he said, “The cop’s on the level. He radioed for backup and then used the phone to call Stanze.”

“Still, what was he doin’ in here?” I asked.

“When Stanze gets here,” Otash said, “ask him to ask the cop. Meanwhile”-he lowered his voice-”why don’t you go out to your car and stash that gun before the room is crawling with cops.”

“That’s a good idea.”

When I left, Otash was at Jerry’s bedside while the cop had returned to the door.

Stanze made good time, arrived just before the extra officers did.

“What’s going on, Eddie?” he demanded.

“I have information that someone might try for Jerry again while he’s in the hospital.”

“And where did you get this information?”

“I’d rather not say, but I’m sure what I heard was legit.”

“So you’re asking me to act on information you overheard somewhere?”

“That’s exactly what I’m askin’ you to do.”

Stanze shook his head slowly. “You’re pushing it, Eddie.”

“I haven’t even started,” I said.

I told him about finding the cop in Jerry’s room, and wondering what he was doing there.

“I’ll ask him,” he said, “but I’ve known Officer Chester for five years. He’s legit.”

“Okay,” I said, “if you vouch for him, that’s okay with me.”

Stanze hesitated, then said, “I’ll ask him anyway.”

Stanze had a half a dozen officers search the hospital for a man with a scar on his forehead. Then he sat me down and convinced me to tell him what I had done. I told him about the matchbook cover, the strip club, the conversation I had heard in the back office, and what I’d seen in the basement.

“You know, your PI should’ve told you to come to me with the matchbook,” Stanze said. “We might have been able to do something. As of now I can’t get a warrant to go into that strip club. I have no probable cause.”

“Isn’t what I’m tellin’ you probable cause?” I asked.

“No, it’s not enough to move on,” Stanze told me. “All I can do is watch the strip club.”

“Well, if Danny was there and they moved him, what are the chances they’ll bring him back?”

“Probably slim.”

“So then what good does it do for you to watch the place?”

“It’s all you’ve left me,” Stanze said. “I’ll check out who owns it, and who runs it, but beyond that …”

“What about talkin’ to the maid?”

“I can do that, but for all we know she gave Otash a random matchbook and a line of crap for his twenty bucks.”

“Not after what I heard.”

Stanze gritted his teeth and whatever he was thinking about saying to me never made it past his lips. He stopped himself, blew out a frustrated sigh and finally said, “I’m going to check with my officers.”

We were in the hall outside Jerry’s room. When he left I went back in. Otash gave me a look.

“He can’t do anything,” I said.

“No probable cause,” Otash said, nodding.

“You knew that?”

“Of course.”

“Then why did we go into that joint? Why didn’t we just call Stanze to begin with?”

“Because,” Otash said, “he would’ve said the same thing. He never would’ve gone inside. By the way, that was a big chance you took. I was trying to send you a message to stay put.”

“I was never very good at reading sign language, or body language,” I said. “I acted by instinct.”

“Impulse, is more like it.”

“Whatever,” I said, “now we’ve got some information we can’t do anything about.”

“I’m going to check deeper into the Lavender Club’s ownership.”

“That’s what Stanze said he was going to do.”

“Good, the more the merrier,” he said. “You going to stay here?”

“For now, yes.”

“There’s not much we can do at this time of night,” he said. “I’m going to go home and get some shut-eye, get into my office early and start running down the club’s owners.”

“If you don’t find me here, I’ll be at the guesthouse.”

“Okay,” Otash said. He lowered his voice and put his hand on my arm. “Leave that gun where it is.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Otash left and I sat with Jerry for a while. Not only were Otash and Stanze running down the ownership of the club, but so was Jack Entratter. I had a feeling that Jack’s contacts might be able to go deeper than the other two. I was going to call him first thing in the morning.

I sat in a chair next to Jerry’s bed and dozed off.

I woke up to find Stanze shaking me.

“We haven’t found anybody in the building matching that description,” he said, “although the only thing you gave us is a scar on some guy’s forehead.”

“It’s supposed to be very noticeable,” I said, stretching.

“I’m leaving three officers here,” he said. “One downstairs, one out by the desk on this floor and one in front of the door.”

“I’m gonna stay all night, too.”

“I’ll tell them at the nurse’s station, so they don’t try to kick you out.”

“Good, thanks.”

“I’ll give you a call tomorrow, Eddie,” Detective Stanze said. “Meanwhile, try not to do anything else stupid, huh?”

“I’ll give it my best shot.”

Stanze stared at me for a long minute. “Stand up,” he said.

“What for?”

“I want to see if you’re doing something stupid right now … like carrying a piece.”

“I don’t have a gun on me, Detective,” I said.

“Humor me. Stand up.”

I stood up and he patted me down.

“Satisfied?”

“For now,” he said. “I should search your car, but …”

I took my car keys out of my pocket and tried a monumental bluff.

“Here ya go,” I said, holding the keys out to him.

“Never mind,” he said, as the keys dangled from my fingers. “Just stay out of trouble.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Make sure that’s good enough.”

As Stanze left I sat back down with a sigh of relief. I was thankful Otash had told me to stash the gun in the car, and even more thankful that Stanze had not called my bluff.

“You gotta wake up, big guy,” I said to Jerry. “I think I’m floundering more without you than I was with you.”