Robert Randisi - Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand)

They watched me walk to the phone and lift the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Are you the go-between?” she asked.

“Hello, Caitlin.”

There was a pause, then, “How did you-what the-”

“I missed you the other morning, you left in such a hurry,” I said. “Of course, you did leave me a note.”

There was a long period of silence during which I became sure she had hung up, or pulled her phone out of the wall, but then a sexy chuckle tickled my ear.

“Eddie G,” she said, “you’re so smart.”

Behind her I heard a man start to speak, but she shushed him hard enough to make me deaf.

“Sounds like your boyfriend’s upset.”

“He’ll get over it,” she said. “You got our money?”

“I’ve got it,” I said.

“Seventy-five thousand?” Her voice got husky.

“Every penny,” I said, “but we’ve got to make sure of somethin’, Caitlin.”

“What’s that?”

“We’ve got to stay alive long enough to make the exchange.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she said.

“Oh, but I am worried,” I said, “more about you than myself.”

“That’s sweet.”

“If I’m readin’ the situation right, you’ve already lost one of your partners.”

She fell silent again.

“And I’m havin’ my own problems,” I added. “This is no big secret we have goin’ here, you know.”

She covered the phone and had an exchange with her boyfriend.

“There are too many people with guns runnin’ around, Caitlin,” I said. “This meeting place has to be a good one.”

“Agreed,” she finally said. “Do you remember where we met?”

Did I remember? We met at the Sands, in the lobby, where she was working behind the desk.

“Yes.”

“Meet me out where all the cars are.”

The parking lot?

“When?”

“Do you remember what time it was when you kissed me for the first time?”

Her code was a very personal one. Anyone listening wouldn’t be able to figure it out. This was probably overkill, but I continued to go along with it.

She came to my room to wake me up for my 6 A.M. wake-up call. So I must have kissed her at about six-oh-five.

“I remember.”

“Twelve hours later, plus four.”

It would be good and dark by 10 P.M. in the Sands parking lot. If you stayed away from the lights you could find some black corners to meet in.

“Okay,” I replied, “but when?”

I could hear her mind working, trying to come up with a way to tell me the day without actually saying it on the phone, but she was out of codes.

“Tomorrow night,” she said. “Don’t be late.”

“Don’t get killed,” I said, and she clicked off without comment.

“What was all that about?” Sammy asked.

I explained Caitlin’s attempt at communicating by code.

“So when are we meetin’?” Jerry asked.

“Tomorrow night at ten in the parking lot behind the Sands.”

“That’s pretty public.”

“There are some dark corners back there,” I said. “She only worked there for about a week, but she knows that.”

“And are we really gonna give her the money?”

“That’ll get us the roll of film-or prints of the roll-but it won’t guarantee we’ll get all the prints of the Kennedy picture.”

“Or mine,” Sammy said. “I mean, if this girl and her boyfriend are actin’ on their own and there are still others involved, there could be plenty of prints out there.”

“I guess there’s always that chance when you pay blackmail money,” I said.

“There’s only one way to make sure a blackmailer don’t come back,” Jerry said.

Sammy and I looked at him. We both knew what he meant by that.

“But you’ve got to make sure you get all the blackmailers,” I countered. “How do you do that?”

“You convince one of ’em to finger the others,” he said.

We all knew there was only one way to do that, too.

The phone rang at that moment. We all turned and stared.

“Answer it,” I said to Jerry.

“Maybe they’re gonna change the meet,” Jerry said, as he picked up the receiver.

“Hello? Yes. Hold on.” Jerry held the phone out to me. “It’s for you. Jack Entratter.”

“Hello, Jack.”

“Don’t hello me, Eddie. Where have you been?”

“Tryin’ to stay alive.”

“Is that supposed to be dramatic?”

“It’s supposed to be truthful, Jack.”

He hesitated a moment, then-in a tone not quite so aggressive-said, “Well, the cops were here lookin’ for you. Your old friend Detective Hargrove.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Seems he thinks you had somethin’ to do with killin’ four men.”

“Did he say that?”

“No,” Entratter said, “he insinuated it. But he was in your house and he said somethin’ about how clean your living room carpet was. In fact, he said it was still wet. Why’s he interested in your wet shag carpet?”

“Did he mention a bullet hole in the wall?”

“No.”

“Probably keepin’ that to himself.”

“There’s a bullet hole in your wall?”

“I told you, Jack,” I said, “I’m tryin’ to stay alive.”

“You got the big guy with you?”

“Yeah. Jerry’s here.”

“Hargrove was askin’ about him, too.”

“He’s okay.”

“How much longer is this gonna take you, Eddie?” he asked.

“Not sure, Jack.”

“Damnit-”

“I’m gonna wrap it up as quick as I can.”

He sighed heavily into the phone and said, “Okay, kid, but do me a favor, huh? Check in.”

“Sure, Jack. What are you gonna tell Hargrove?”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll string him along. Just be aware that he’s lookin’ for you. If you’re in Vegas, keep your head low.”

“Gotcha, Jack. Thanks.”

“Call me if you get in a real bind, Eddie.”

“You know it, Jack.”

He knew from experience that whatever happened I’d try to keep him out of it. But his offer was sincere.

I hung up and turned to face Sammy and Jerry.

“Cops?” Jerry asked.

“I guess Hargrove got his search warrant and went into my house.”

“There’s nothing there for him to find,” Jerry said. “Except for a wet carpet.”

“So when did it become a crime to clean yer house?” Jerry asked.

“The cops are lookin’ for you?” Sammy asked.

“Both of us,” I said.

“He ain’t gonna come here,” Jerry said.

“Yeah, but we’ve got to go back to Vegas for the meet,” I said. “We’ll have to time it right.”

“I’ll call for the copter, have it stand by tomorrow,” Sammy said.

“Tell the pilot it’ll be tomorrow night, but he better be ready at a moment’s notice,” I said.

“Will do.”

“Meanwhile, we don’t have much to do but wait,” I said.

“Anybody got a deck of cards?” Jerry asked.

“We’re in a casino town,” Sammy said, as he picked up the phone. “I’m sure we can get as many as we want.”

“You want to play gin?” I asked Jerry. “Or poker?”

“Nope,” he said. “I thought maybe you could teach me how to play blackjack.”

Jerry was a quick learner.

“I’ve never seen anybody catch on to strategy as fast as this guy,” Sammy said.

He was watching while I taught Jerry the rudiments of the game, and then played hands with him. Before long he was standing when he should, hitting when he should, and splitting when he should. He did everything by the book, never used instinct or a hunch.

“This game is easy,” he said after he’d won another hand.

“It’ll be different when you’re facing a house dealer,” I said.