Robert Randisi - I'm a fool to kill you

‘OK.’ I grabbed my suitcase and started to get out.

‘You want me to wait?’ he asked. ‘You’re gonna need wheels, right?’

‘Yeah, I might,’ I said. I paid the fare, gave him the extra twenty, and then another ten. ‘OK, wait. And keep the meter running.’

‘Sure thing!’

I got out of the cab, hesitated, then decided to leave my overnight bag. Even if Larry took off on me, there wasn’t anything of value in there anyway.

I walked up to the front door and entered, crossed the lobby to the front desk.

‘Can I help you, sir?’ a polite, impeccably dressed desk clerk asked.

‘Yes, could you tell me what room or bungalow Miss Ava Gardner is in?’

‘Sir?’

‘Ava Gardner.’

‘I don’t believe Miss Gardner is in the hotel, sir,’ the man said.

‘I think she is,’ I said. ‘I just spoke to a cab driver who brought her here from the airport.’

‘Sir,’ the clerk said, ‘even if she was here it’s against hotel policy-’

I was tempted to invoke Frank’s name, but five minutes after I spoke it, it probably would have made it into the newspaper.

If Ava was registered under an assumed name, and I knew that name, maybe that would have gotten me further.

‘OK,’ I said, ‘thanks.’

I searched the lobby and found the public phones. I called Jack Entratter in Vegas.

‘You in trouble already?’ he asked.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I just need you to ask Frank something for me.’

‘What’s that?’

‘If Ava used an assumed name to register at a hotel, what does he think it would be?’

‘That’s what you want to know?’

‘That’s it.’

‘Where are you?’

‘Beverly Hills Hotel, but I’m on a pay phone. Here’s the number.’

‘I’ll call you back the minute I find out somethin’,’ he said.

‘OK. I’m gonna check the bungalows, but I should be in the lobby or the bar when the phone rings.’

‘Frank’s in the building,’ he said. ‘It shouldn’t be long.’

‘Thanks Jack.’

My plan had been to go out to the bungalows and look around, but that could have gotten me arrested as a peeping tom.

Instead, I decided to go into the bar, have a drink, and wait. But first I went back out to the cab.

‘I’m gonna be longer than I thought,’ I told Larry. ‘You want to come in and have a drink in the bar?’

‘In there?’ he asked. ‘Where the movie stars drink? Sure thing!’

‘OK,’ I said, as he got out of his cab, ‘but turn off the meter.’

‘Aw, Mr Gianelli,’ he said, ‘you didn’t think I’d leave it runnin’, didja?’

‘No, of course not,’ I said, ‘and my name’s Eddie G., Larry.’

‘OK, Mr G.,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

We went into the building, entered the Polo Lounge and sat at the bar. Right off the bat I spotted Debbie Reynolds having lunch with somebody. Howard Duff and Ida Lupino were at a corner table, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme in a booth. I had to keep Larry rooted to his stool so he didn’t charge anybody.

‘You’re a cab driver in Hollywood,’ I said. ‘I would think this was old hat to you.’

‘You kiddin’?’ he asked. ‘A star’s a star, man.’

‘Eddie?’

I turned and saw Joey Bishop walking toward me. There was a woman behind him, but all I could see was blonde hair and a shapely figure.

‘Hey, Eddie G.,’ he said. ‘What’re you doin’ out of Vegas?’

I got off my stool and shook hands with him.

‘They let me out once in a while, Joe.’

‘What are ya doin’ here?’ he asked.

‘I’m here on some Sands business, Joe,’ I said.

‘Trackin’ down some bad debts?’

‘You got it. Oh, this is my friend, Larry.’

‘Hey, Larry,’ Joey said, shaking hands. He stepped aside so we could see the woman behind him. I found myself looking at the second most beautiful overbite I’d ever seen this side of Gene Tierney.

‘This is my TV wife, Abby Dalton. We were just gonna have lunch. Honey, this is Eddie Gianelli, and his friend, Larry.’

‘Geez,’ Larry said, staring at Abby.

‘The famous Eddie G.,’ Abby said, with a dazzling smile. ‘I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’

‘Miss Dalton-’

‘Oh, no,’ she said, ‘any friend of my TV husband’s is a friend of mine. You call me Abby. In fact, you can call me any time you want.’

‘Hey, hey,’ Joey said, ‘no fair flirtin’ right in front of your husband.’

Joey pulled Abby away from me.

‘Can you have a bite with us?’ she asked.

‘I’m sorry, no,’ I said. ‘I’m, uh, waiting for somebody.’

‘It was good to see you, Eddie.’

‘You too, Joey,’ I said. ‘Hey, Abby, if you ever get to Vegas-’

‘I was born in Vegas, Eddie,’ she said. ‘Next time I come to see my folks I’ll look you up.’

‘You do that.’

As they walked away to a table Larry said, ‘Damn, that babe was comin’ on to ya. That happen a lot?’

‘Once in a while,’ I said.

‘Maybe,’ he said, when we had our drinks — a couple of beers — ’we should go look by the pool? Maybe Miss Gardner’s there? Or some other movie stars?’

‘Relax, Larry,’ I said. ‘It’s lunch time. They’ll be flocking in here pretty soon.’

‘I could just go up to Debbie Reynolds and ask-’

‘No,’ I said, ‘leave her alone. She’s doin’ business. Like most of these people.’

‘Hey, Eddie!’

I turned and got a quick kiss on the cheek from Eydie Gorme.

‘We’ve got to run, Eddie,’ Steve Lawrence said, ‘but we wanted to say hi.’

‘Hey, Steve,’ I said, ‘I love Go Away Little Girl .’ He had a number one hit that year with that song.

‘Thanks a lot, Eddie.’

I gave Eydie a squeeze and shook Steve’s hand and they went on their way.

‘Geez, everybody know you?’ Larry asked.

‘No,’ I said, ‘just some.’

I was starting to feel dumb about using the pay phone. There was no guarantee I’d hear it, or that anyone would pick it up when it rang. And if someone did answer it, would they come looking for me? I should have had Jack call me at the front desk. Then they could have paged me, which might have given me some credence with the desk clerk.

‘If a movie star walks in,’ Larry said, ‘maybe they can help ya find her?’

‘You think all movie stars know each other, Larry?’ I asked.

‘Hell, Mr G.,’ he said, ‘Hollywood’s a small town. Yeah, everybody knows everybody. Look how many know you? And you ain’t from here.’

‘Wait here,’ I told Larry. ‘Have another beer. I’m gonna make a phone call.’

‘Sure.’

I put money on the bar to cover the drinks, then went back out into the lobby.

I was walking towards the pay phone to call Jack again when it rang. I stepped in, closed the door and answered.

‘Eddie?’

‘Hey, Jack.’

‘Frank says when Ava was first put under contract the studio wanted to call her Lucy Johnson, but she wouldn’t go for it. She insisted on using her real name. But she uses Johnson sometimes as an alias.’

‘OK,’ I said. ‘I’ll try that. Listen, if you don’t hear from me in twenty minutes call me at the hotel and have the desk page me.’

‘What for?’

‘I’m just trying to raise my profile here, Jack,’ I said. ‘Being paged in the Polo Lounge will do that.’

‘I didn’t know you went in for that sort of thing, Eddie.’

‘Just call me.’

‘I’ll have my girl do it.’

‘She won’t,’ I said. ‘She hates me.’

‘We’ll take care of it,’ Jack said, and hung up.