Robert Randisi - I'm a fool to kill you

‘Does the Sands usually send pit bosses to collect their debts?’ Crider asked. Of course, they had checked me out already and knew half the answers I was giving them — the true half.

‘They do when the players are whales,’ I said, ‘my whales. See, I brought these guys into the casino, I OK’d their increased credit lines, so my boss is holding me responsible for their debts.’

‘And if we asked you who these whales were, would you give us their names?’ Reasoner asked.

‘Only if I had to, Detective,’ I said. ‘My boss at the Sands wouldn’t like it’

If they’d checked me out, like I thought they had, they knew who my boss was. They also knew he ran the Sands, and who he ran it for.

‘Let’s revisit that later,’ Reasoner said. ‘What do you think happened to your friend Larry, Gianelli?’

He had dropped the ‘Mister,’ so I said, ‘Why don’t you just call me Eddie, Detective?’

‘Maybe we’ll get friendly later, Gianelli,’ Crider said. ‘Why don’t you just answer our questions for now?’

‘From what I hear,’ I said, ‘I was paged in the Polo Lounge for a phone call. Larry picked it up. Then he got beat up. I’d say either a pissed off fare got to him, or somebody thought he was me.’

‘Ah,’ Crider said, ‘and why would somebody want to put you in the hospital, Eddie?’ I guessed we were friends now.

‘I don’t know, Detective,’ I said.

‘Could it have been somebody working for one of the whales you were talking about?’ Reasoner asked.

‘It could have been, but I haven’t talked to any of them yet,’ I said, ‘so they don’t know I’m in town.’

‘And what were you doing at the Beverly Hills Hotel?’ Crider asked.

‘Getting a room.’

‘Is that where you usually stay when you come to town?’ Reasoner asked.

‘No,’ I said, ‘but considering the caliber of people I’m here to talk to, my boss thought I should look the part.’

‘So that’s why you got a bungalow?’ Crider asked.

‘Exactly.’

‘But the bungalow is registered to Lucy Johnson,’ Reasoner said.

‘A lady friend of mine,’ I replied. ‘I called ahead and asked her to get the place, and meet me there.’

‘Killin’ two birds with one stone, Eddie?’ Reasoner asked.

‘So to speak, Detective.’

‘Let’s go upstairs and see your friend, Eddie,’ Crider said.

‘Are you guys thinkin’ there’s an off chance that I beat Larry up?’ I asked.

‘I guess that’s what he’ll tell us,’ Reasoner answered.

‘If he’s awake,’ his partner added.

He was awake.

‘Naw, it wasn’t him,’ Larry said when the cops asked him if I did it, ‘it was two guys, jumped me from outta the bushes.’

‘Did they say anything?’ Crider asked.

‘No,’ Larry said, ‘they just started whalin’ away on me.’

‘They use anything other than their fists?’ Reasoner asked.

‘I think they had blackjacks,’ Larry said. ‘One of them may have been wearin’ knucks. Oh, one had a big silver ring on his, uh, right hand. Right hand?’ He thought a moment. ‘Yeah, right. Had, like, a snake on it.’

From the bruises on his jaw I figured he was right about the brass knuckles.

‘I’m sorry this happened, Larry,’ I said.

‘Wasn’t yer fault,’ he said, then asked, ‘was it?’

‘Could be you got beat up because you took that phone call for Mr Gianelli, Larry,’ Crider said. ‘Maybe those two guys thought you were him.’

‘Jeez,’ Larry said, ‘I been rackin’ my brains tryin’ ta figure out who’d wanna work me over.’

‘Any bad fares?’ Reasoner asked.

‘Naw,’ he said, ‘well, yeah, sure, but not this bad.’

‘Angry boyfriends or husbands?’ Crider asked.

‘I wish.’

‘Bookie?’ Reasoner asked.

‘I don’t bet.’

‘You got a wife that’s pissed at you?’ Crider asked.

‘Exes,’ Larry said, ‘two of ’em, but if they have me put in the hospital they don’t get no alimony.’

‘We better talk to them, anyway,’ Crider said. ‘Be good if we could figure out who the real target was.’

Larry gave them the names and addresses of his ex-wives.

‘OK,’ Crider said, ‘I guess that’s it for now.’

‘We’ll talk to the two of you again,’ Reasoner said.

‘How about a ride back to the hotel?’ I asked.

‘Sorry,’ Crider said, ‘no can do.’

‘Yeah,’ Reasoner said, ‘you’ll have to take a cab.’

Not so friendly anymore.

‘He can take mine,’ Larry said. ‘They tol’ me they brought it here and put it in the parking lot. Keys are in the drawer, here.’

‘That’s up to you, Larry,’ Reasoner said. ‘That cab’s your business. Up to you if you wanna let a stranger drive it.’

‘We’ll talk to you later,’ Crider said.

They started for the door, then Crider turned and said, ‘Hey, Larry. Did you know what Eddie here was doin’ in the Beverly Hills Hotel?’

We all waited for the answer.

‘Far as I know,’ Larry said, ‘he was getting’ a room.’

‘Yeah,’ Reasoner said, ‘far as you know.’

The two detectives left.

I walked to the door to make sure they weren’t loitering outside the room, then returned to Larry’s bedside.

‘Thanks for not mentioning Ava Gardner, Larry,’ I said.

‘Cops,’ Larry said, ‘can’t stand ’em. I really get beat up because I took that call?’

‘I don’t know, Larry,’ I said, ‘but I’m gonna try to find out. Meanwhile, your hotel bills here are gonna be covered, so don’t worry about that.’

‘I was wonderin’ how I rated a private room,’ he said. ‘You payin’?’

‘No,’ I said, ‘Frank Sinatra is.’

His face was bruised and scraped, one arm was in a cast, and there was a bandage on his head, but his eyes bugged out and he looked excited.

‘For real?’

‘For real.’

‘Jeez. .’

‘That call you took for me, Larry,’ I said. ‘Who was it from?’

‘Your boss,’ he said. ‘Sounded pissed off.’

‘He always sounds like that.’

‘He wanted you to call him when you got a chance.’

‘I will. Listen, about your cab. . you don’t have to do that. I can catch-’

‘What the hell, ain’t doin’ me no good in the parking lot.’

‘I tell you what I’ll do,’ I said, ‘when I use it I’ll keep the meter running.’

His eyes bugged again.

‘You gonna pay for that?’

‘No,’ I said.

‘Not Frank Sinatra, again.’

‘No, the Sands casino, in Vegas,’ I said. ‘That’s where I work.’

‘Vegas!’ he said. ‘I love Vegas.’

‘Well, you’re gonna love it even more when you get out, because you and a guest are gonna have a free week at the Sands.’

‘Jesus,’ he said, ‘that’s almost worth gettin’ pounded on.’

‘Larry,’ I said, ‘if you really did get worked over because somebody thought you were me, I’m gonna damn well make it worth your while, believe me.’

I left Larry’s room with the keys to his cab in my pocket. I stopped at the front desk to talk to a doctor about Larry, found out he’d probably be ready to leave the hospital in about a week. The doctor said he was urinating blood on top of everything else. I told the doctor that the bills would be taken care of, to just send them to the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, addressed to Eddie Gianelli. I also told him where I’d be and to call me if anything happened.

I left the hospital, found Larry’s cab and drove it out of the parking lot. I kept checking the rearview mirror to see if anyone was on my tail, cops or not.