Robert Randisi - I'm a fool to kill you

Frank Sinatra, yeah.

Dean Martin, definitely.

Jack Entratter, logically.

But not Tony.

In the back seat of my Caddy I remembered Tony talking about his cabin on Lake Mead.

‘It’s usually empty when I’m doing shows,’ I remembered him telling me.

Well, Tony was booked into the Sands lounge for the week. That meant his cabin was empty.

When I called Tony and asked him about using his place he immediately said, ‘Anything for you, Eddie.’

‘You talked to Frank?’ I asked, judging from his tone.

‘Yep, he gave me the go ahead. I owe it to you. I might never have asked him.’

‘I’m glad it worked out.’

He had a key on him and told me to come and get it; he’d be rehearsing in the lounge.

I instructed Jerry to drive to the Sands and park behind the building, in the lot.

‘Stay here,’ I told both of them. ‘I’ll be right back.’

I went in through a back door, made my way to the casino floor, and then along to the lounge. Tony was up at the piano with his arranger, going over a song. If I just walked up to him and got the key the whole room would see.

A little redheaded waitress came within arm’s length, so I reached.

‘Sweetie, excuse me.’

She turned, saw me and smiled instantly. What a sweet looking kid, I thought.

‘Hello, Mr G.,’ she said.

‘Oh, you know me?’

‘Well, of course,’ she said. ‘I’m new, but the other girls have pointed you out.’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Didi.’

‘Well, Didi, can you do me a favor?’

She took a deep breath which caused her cleavage to swell and said, ‘Sure.’

‘Would you go up to Mr LaBella, up there on stage, and tell him I sent you for his key?’

‘His key?’

‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘I’ll give you ten bucks-’

‘Oh, that’s OK, Mr Gianelli,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to tip me. The girls have all told me what a right guy you are.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘You’re very popular with the girls.’

‘That’s good to know,’ I said. ‘Thanks.’

‘Oh, sure, don’t mention it.’

She stood there staring at me with wide, green eyes and a big smile.

‘Honey? Could you go and do it? Like now?’

‘Huh? Oh, sure. Sorry.’

She turned and walked right up to the stage. I saw Tony turn as she called his name, then listen, then look around the room. When he spotted me I just nodded, hoping he wouldn’t wave. He nodded back, and handed the girl his key. She said something else to him, then turned and came back to me.

‘Geez, that’s the first time I ever talked to Mr LaBella. He’s sweet.’

‘Yeah, he’s great.’

‘And so famous!’

‘Didi?’

‘Huh?’

‘The key?’

‘Oh.’ She smiled, reached between her breasts and came out with the key. ‘For safe keepin’.’

She dropped it into my palm with a saucy wink. I closed my hand. The metal hadn’t had time to get warm.

‘Thanks a lot, Didi.’

‘Any time, Mr Gianelli.’

‘Just call me Eddie.’

‘OK,’ she said, ‘and you can just call me. . any time.’

I left the lounge and started back through the casino when I saw somebody I didn’t want to see. Detective Hargrove, who disliked me even more than Jack Entratter’s girl did. Every chance he got he tried to throw me in jail — and Jerry, too, if he happened to be around.

There was no way anybody could connect me and Jerry to the shooting of the two Chicago button men, and yet, there was Hargrove. And what other reason could he have to be there?

I had to get out of the building without running into him.

I couldn’t go through the casino. Hargrove and his partner of the moment were busily looking for me. I guess there could have been a chance they weren’t, but come on, who else would they be looking for? There was access to other doors, but I’d still have to cross the casino floor. I had to move fast, but I didn’t want to run. My only way out was back through the lounge, but I didn’t want to raise a ruckus.

I backed into the lounge, then turned and moved briskly along the wall. There was a door behind the bar, so that’s where I headed. By the time I got to the end of the bar, though, Didi was there picking up some drinks.

‘Oh!’ she squeaked when she saw me. ‘You forget somethin’, Eddie?’

‘Didi, I need to use the back entrance here to get out,’ I said. ‘There’s somebody in the casino I don’t want to see.’

‘Oh, well, I guess that’s OK,’ she said. ‘Not that you need my permission.’

‘No, I don’t need permission, Didi, but I may need your help.’

‘My help? Sure.’

‘There may be a man in here lookin’ for me,’ I said. ‘And he may be a policeman.’

‘Police?’

‘And I need you tell him you haven’t seen me for a few days.’

‘You want me to lie to a policeman?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ I said, ‘Is that a problem?’

She stared at me for a minute, then her face lit up in a smile and she said, ‘Hell, no, Eddie. Me and my girlfriends used to lie to the sheriff all the time back home.’

‘Back home? Where was that?’

‘Hannibal, Missouri.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘the police are a little different here than in Hannibal, but the principle is the same.’

‘Don’t worry, Eddie,’ she said. ‘I can handle it.’

‘Can you get Lew the bartender to go along with you?’ I asked.

‘Eddie,’ she said, with a wink, ‘I can get Lew to agree to do anything.’

‘I’ll bet you can,’ I said. ‘Thanks, doll.’

I used the door behind the bar to get out of there.

‘Any trouble?’ Jerry asked as I got into the back seat of the car.

‘Maybe.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Ava asked. They both turned to look at me.

‘Did you get the key?’ Jerry asked.

‘I got it, but I saw an old friend of ours in the casino.’

‘An old friend of ours?’ Jerry asked.

I nodded.

‘Hargrove.’

‘What’s that sonofabitch want?’

‘Who’s Hargrove?’ Ava asked.

‘Detective Hargrove,’ I said, ‘Las Vegas Police.’

‘The police? Looking for you?’

‘That’s the only reason I can think of for him to be in the casino,’ I said.

‘We gotta find out for sure if he’s lookin’ for you, Mr G.,’ Jerry said. ‘And if he knows I’m in Vegas.’

‘Let’s get where we’re goin’, Jerry,’ I said, ‘and then I’ll call Jack Entratter and find out what’s what.’

‘OK, Mr G.,’ Jerry said, turning around and starting the Caddy’s. ‘Gimme some directions.’

Tony LaBella had given me directions and advice on the phone. I read them to Jerry, and when we got within a mile of the cabin I took Tony’s advice. We stopped at a small convenience store and stocked up on some groceries.

When we reached the cabin I realized that it was nearly perfect. It stood alone on the Lake, the nearest neighbor at least half a mile away. It was rustic, built on stilts, with a deck running completely around it. Jerry and I grabbed the groceries and followed Ava up the steps to the front door. She took a bag from me while I unlocked the door, and we entered.

We found ourselves in the living room; Ava pulled the drapes so we’d have some light to look the place over. We left her to it while we went out and got the bags.

‘Two bedrooms, and a nice couch,’ she said. ‘All three of us can stay here comfortably. And it doesn’t smell musty.’

‘No, Tony was here recently, before his Sands engagement,’ I said. ‘But we can open some windows and air it out, anyway.’