Robert Randisi - I'm a fool to kill you

‘I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘Jerry, did you make some calls to Chicago?’

‘Yeah, Mr G., but I got no answers yet. I should be gettin’ some answers tomorrow.’

I didn’t think there was any danger in his making those calls from Tony’s cabin, so I didn’t protest.

‘Since those two guys were from Chicago, somebody should know somethin’, right?’

‘Don’t worry, Mr G.,’ he said.

‘OK. I’m gonna stick around the Sands tonight, but I’ll be out there tomorrow.’

‘See ya then. And watch your back.’

‘I think I’m starting to get pretty good at that, Jerry.’

I called Jack Entratter’s suite next.

‘Where the hell are you now?’ he asked.

‘In your office,’ I said. ‘I just got back from talkin’ to Hargrove.’

‘What the hell does he want?’

‘He didn’t tell you?’

‘No, all he said was that he wanted to talk to you.’

‘Well, he’ll probably talk to you next.’

‘About what?’

I told him how two guys from Chicago had been killed in their car, and why Hargrove was trying to connect me to the killings.

‘That sounds like a half-ass reason to suspect you of murder,’ he said. ‘And he doesn’t even know that Jerry’s in Vegas?’

‘No. He’s gonna track him to L.A., but the trail will stop there.’

‘Eddie,’ Entratter said, ‘you and Jerry didn’t have anythin’ to do — no, wait, don’t tell me. If you don’t tell me then I won’t be lyin’ to Hargrove when I tell him I don’t know nothin’.’

I didn’t comment. I didn’t really want to lie to Jack, either.

‘You got Ava stashed someplace safe, right?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, with Jerry. And I’ll be there tomorrow.’

‘You want me to make some calls to Chicago?’

‘Jerry’s makin’ calls, but it wouldn’t hurt if you did too.’

‘My calls will be a little further up the food chain,’ Entratter said. ‘Where can I get in touch with you?’

‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ I said. ‘How about one?’

‘I’ll be at my desk,’ he said. ‘Watch your ass, Eddie. Hargrove’s had a hard-on for you for a couple of years now.’

‘Don’t I know it.’

I hung up, remained seated at the desk. With Jerry and Entratter both calling Chicago we should have word soon on who sent the two goons to Vegas. Once we knew that, we should also know who was after Ava. What we still had to find out was why.

I started to get up, then slapped my forehead. I hadn’t checked with Penny to find out if she’d heard from Danny. But at this time of night? And if he had tried to get me during the day, I had no idea who to check with about a message. Just on the off chance, though, I called the front desk of the hotel and asked if there were any messages for me. The clerk on duty said he didn’t see anything.

I left the office and went up to the room I used when I slept at the Sands. As soon as I walked in I stepped on something and looked down. It was a pink message slip. I closed the door and picked it up. It was from the front desk, which explained why the clerk hadn’t known about it. It had already been delivered.

I sat down on the bed and unfolded it, figuring it was from Danny. It wasn’t. It read: ‘You ain’t out of the woods yet, Eddie.’

It wasn’t signed.

I slept fitfully. I didn’t like the idea that someone knew which door to slide a message underneath — a threatening one at that. I probably should have changed rooms, but I was tired — so tired.

I got up early the next morning, had breakfast in the coffee shop, then went to the front desk.

Sean was working and I asked him about the message.

‘I swear, Eddie, it wasn’t me. I didn’t take a message, or slide one under your door.’

‘OK, then somebody grabbed a sheet of your paper,’ I said. ‘Who? Did you see anyone hangin’ around the desk yesterday?’

He thought a moment, said, ‘No, not really.’

‘OK, what do you mean “not really”?’

‘Well, there was somebody hangin’ around the desk, but he wasn’t suspicious.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because he was flirting with Rose.’

We both looked over at Rose, a stunning blonde who worked behind the desk and had a jealous husband. Who wouldn’t flirt with her? And what better ruse to not seem suspicious, waiting for your chance to grab a slip?

‘You can ask her about him, but I know for a fact that she never remembers guys who flirt with her. She puts them out of her mind.’

‘I’ll ask her anyway,’ I said. ‘Maybe there was something memorable about this one.’

‘There was something memorable about him,’ Rose said, moments later.

‘What was it?’

‘He was a creep,’ she said. ‘He wasn’t charming at all. He was smarmy and made me feel dirty.’

‘Why didn’t you have him tossed out?’

She lowered her eyes.

‘I can’t have every man who flirts with me thrown out, Eddie,’ she said.

‘No,’ I said, ‘we wouldn’t have any men in the place. Can you tell me what he looked like?’

‘I guess some women would think he was good-looking. He had strong features, an almost hawk-like nose, slicked back black hair — oh, and he had a pinky ring on, with a big diamond. I think I was supposed to be impressed.’

‘OK, Rose. Thanks.’

‘Have I gotten myself in trouble, Eddie?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘You didn’t do anythin’ wrong. Don’t worry about it.’

She’d just described every would-be wise guy who ever came out of Chicago and New York.

Damn it, what had Ava gotten herself into?

I was wishing Danny would call with some information or, at least, Jerry, when Sean called my name.

‘I got a call for you.’

‘Who is it?’ I asked, hoping it was Danny.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘but he says it’s important. About somebody named Danny Bardini?’

With a cold feeling in the pt of my stomach I grabbed the phone and put it to my ear.

‘Hello?’

‘Eddie?’

‘That’s right.’

‘’ey, how you doin’?’ the voice asked. A familiar voice, too, one I wasn’t expecting to hear. ‘You know who this is?’

‘Yeah, I know, Mo-’

‘No names!’ Sam ‘Momo’ Giancana growled.

Giancana told me to get to a phone I felt secure with and call him back. To me that meant nothing in Jack’s office, and nothing in the Sands. In fact, nothing in any casino. I told him I’d get to a pay phone, hung up and left the casino. I walked a couple of blocks to a phone booth outside a gift shop. But before I called Momo back, I called Jerry.

‘No, Mr G., I didn’t call Mr Giancana. But I called some guys who work for him. They said the two dead guys wasn’t with any crew. They freelanced, but they wasn’t really good enough to be with a real crew.’

‘Well, somehow Momo heard about it,’ I said. ‘And he wants to talk to me about Danny.’

‘Did Danny go to Chicago?’

‘I don’t know, probably.’

‘Maybe he got himself in trouble again,’ he said, referring to Danny’s problems earlier in the year.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I guess there’s only one way to find out.’

‘Let me know what happens, Mr G.,’ he said. It sounded like Momo Giancana even made Big Jerry nervous.

I hung up and dialed Giancana, who I assumed was waiting by a secure line.

He picked up on the second ring.

‘What took ya so long?’ he asked. It wasn’t a demand, just curiosity.

‘I had to find a phone booth,’ I said. ‘What can I do for you, Mr Giancana?’

‘It has come to my attention that you’ve had some trouble with a couple of boys from Chicago.’