The Starlight Club 6: Double Seven

by Joe Corso

  Swifty looked at each of the judges. “They’re sure taking their sweet time about it.” “Listen…no news is good news. We’ll hear the judges’ decision any minute now.”

  Chapter Thirty

  The classy announcer Jimmy Lennon reached for the microphone and brought it to his lips. He hesitated a moment before announcing the decision. “IT’S A SPLIT DECISION! PARKER THE WINNER!” Madison Square Garden erupted into a madhouse when the decision was announced as chairs were thrown and fights broke out among the paying customers. Swifty couldn’t believe it himself. How could a guy who was knocked unconscious have won the fight? The judges’ decision defied logic. Red knew how disappointed Swifty was in the decision, so he patted him on the back, trying to lift his spirits by making the judges’ decision seem like a temporary setback. “You did real good out there tonight, Swifty. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Next time, you’ll knock Parker out sooner, so don’t sweat the decision.”

  Swifty wiped his face with the towel that was around his neck. “It ain’t losing, Red. Everybody’s got to expect a loss or two in their career, but what gets me is I knocked the guy out and I still lost the fight. If I would have lost the fight decisively, I wouldn’t feel so bad. It’s just how it ended that bothers me.”

  Clancy rubbed the Vaseline off of Swifty’s face, telling him, “It’s just a loss, Swifty; that’s all it is, so don’t let it get you down. If you let this loss eat away at you, you won’t be worth a damn, so get over it, and when you heal, we’ll get back in the gym and go to work on beating this bum decisively. I saw what you were trying to do in grabbing Parker’s left arm as he went to jab you. Pretty slick move and I think we can improve on it in the gym. What gave you the idea?”

  “Henri did. His style is a lot like Parker’s and Henri drove me crazy the three times I fought him. He pointed out that little trick of grabbing hold of his left arm after he reached out and threw the jab a few times. I tried all night to get that move to work and the two times I did manage to do it right, I knocked him down the first time, and knocked him unconscious the second time.”

  “How long have you and Henri practiced that move?”

  Swifty shrugged. “A few hours; that’s all.” When Clancy finished cleaning Swifty’s face and attending to the cut above his eye, he locked his eyes on his. “I watched how you fought tonight and whether you believe me or not, you fought well. I’m making you a promise right now. The next time you fight Slick Parker, I’m predicting that you’ll knock him out before the sixth round.”

  Swifty had a sad little smile on his face as he looked hopefully at his trainer. “You really think so, Gill?”

  “I know so. And I’ll tell you why I’m so confident that you’ll knock him out. You found a chink in Parker’s style and you practiced the move for a few hours and you managed to knock him out. I’m gonna watch the film of this fight a number of times and when I’m finished, I’ll have an answer to his style and I’ll know how you can beat him. We’re gonna do what you did with Henri, only we’re gonna do it for weeks at a time until you have all the tools you need to walk right through this guy. Trust me on this, Swifty. The next fight you have with him will be a short one.”

  Swifty was feeling a lot better after talking to Clancy. That was what made Clancy the great trainer he was. He could spot a flaw in an opponent’s style and take advantage of it without the other guy knowing he had a weakness. Tonight, although it was late in coming, Swifty capitalized on Parker’s weakness, but he lacked the timing and the confidence to take full advantage of it. Next time, they fought, it would be very different.

  Swifty walked around the four corners of the ring, raising his hands to the crowd and each time he did it, the people in the audience gave him a standing ovation, recognizing that he was the true winner of tonight’s championship fight. As he stepped out of the ring, he noticed Cynthia and her friend still sitting there, so as he stepped down from the ring and headed to his dressing room, he walked past them, leaned over, and told Cynthia not to go anywhere. “I’d meet you outside the Garden after I shower and dress, but I’d be recognized and then I’d never get away. Supposing you follow me to my dressing room and wait there while I take a shower and get dressed.”

  This was exactly what Cynthia hoped would happen. “Mr. Card, this is my friend, Elaine.”

  “Hi, Elaine. Glad you could come to the fight tonight.”

  “It’s a shame what happened. You won that fight and they gave it to the other fighter.” Elaine was a full-figured brunette and she looked to be in her mid-twenties.

  “Let’s go or else I’ll never get out of here.”

  The girls followed Swifty through to his dressing room and they stopped by the door. “We’ll wait here for you.”

  “No, you won’t; you’ll both come into my dressing room.” Swifty opened the door and held it open for the two girls. Red was in the dressing room, waiting to talk to him, but when he saw the girls, he figured what he had to say could wait until later.

  “Who are these fine-looking women?”

  “Red, meet Cynthia and Elaine. Cynthia’s the airline stewardess that helped me get out of the terminal. We shared a ride in Paulie’s cab and I dropped her off at her home in Jackson Heights.”

  “Go on and take your shower and get dressed; I want to get back to the Starlight Club.” At the mention of the famous Starlight Club, the girls’ eyes lit up. Swifty noticed the look on their faces at the mention of the famous club. “Has either of you girls ever been to the Starlight Club?”

  They both answered NO in unison.

  “Do you have anything planned for tonight?”

  Again, they both answered NO at the same time, and then realizing how silly it sounded, they looked at one another and laughed.

  “Do you have room in the car for all of us, Red?”

  “Yeah. I told Vinnie to use the limousine tonight, just in case.”

  “Good; that settles that. Wait here while I get some clothes on,” he said to the girls.

  Fifteen minutes later, Swifty walked out of the inner dressing room, looking like the movie star he was. Except for the few bruises on his face, you would never take him for a prizefighter. Cynthia liked what she saw and Elaine was in awe, being in the company of the famous movie star. The girls were heading for the main exit, but Swifty stopped them. “Not that way, girls.” He pointed toward a side exit. “That’s the door we want. Follow me.”

  The two girls followed Swifty out the door to the waiting limousine. Vinnie held the rear door open and Cynthia, Elaine, and Swifty sat down in the comfortable leather seats. Cynthia had been in limousines in the past due to her work, but Elaine never had an opportunity to ride in one and she was in awe of the elegance of the vehicle.

  “It’ll take about a half hour to get to the Starlight Club, so if you care for a drink, the bar is right here.”

  He pulled open a compartment and a bar magically appeared. “Cynthia, I watched the way you mixed drinks on the plane so why don’t you mix one for you and Elaine?” He leaned over and said loudly to Red, “Red, you want a drink?”

  “No, I’ll have a drink when I get to the club.”

  After the girls had their drinks, Swifty looked at them and remembered the look they had on their faces when Red mentioned the club. Swifty wondered how they ever heard of the Starlight Club. “How did you girls hear of the Starlight Club?”

  Elaine spoke first. “Why, everyone has heard of the Starlight Club. It was featured in two of James Roman’s pictures.”

  “Did you see all of his pictures?”

  “Yes, we’ve both seen them. In fact, we went to the movies together to see them.”

  Swifty leaned closer to the girls. “Did you know that he worked for Red?”

  “Red?” Cynthia asked. “This Red? The one sitting up front?”

  “Yep. That Red. I also work for him. He made both of us movie stars.” Then he caught himself, realizing that these two women were complete strangers and with
what he just told them, they could cause him some grief. “Wait a minute, girls, I’m forgetting myself. Listen, I just met you and I don’t know you that well. So if you ever repeat anything I’m telling you or if you try to sell what I’ve confided in you to the rag sheets, I’ll deny everything and I’ll sue the both of you.”

  Cynthia could see her opportunity with the handsome movie star slipping away from her. “We would never betray your trust and I don’t know why you would think we would do such a terrible thing.”

  Swifty realized he came on strong to the girls, so he tamped his rhetoric down a notch. “I just wanted to make sure you understood the rules. Hey, look,” he said, pointing to the neon sign lighting up the street as Vinnie pulled the big car into the parking lot across from the Starlight Club. “We’re here.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Swifty led the girls to a table in the inner bar near the ballroom. Elaine pointed to the collapsible wall. “Is that where the main ballroom is?”

  “Yes. Red opens the room up when he throws his special parties. He only opens a small portion of the ballroom for his dinner patrons.”

  The two girls looked at one another and, apparently answering the question they asked each other with their eyes, Cynthia asked Swifty, “Do you think Red would open the doors so we could see the room? We always wanted to come here, but never had the opportunity…that is, until now.”

  “I’m sure Red will do it for you. Wait here and I’ll go and ask him.” Swifty returned a few minutes later. “Red said to enjoy your drinks and wait a while until the last few customers from the late dinner crowd left and he’d be glad to show you the room.”

  About thirty minutes later, Red walked over to the ladies. “Come with me, girls.” The two women followed Red into the open part of the room to the closed wall where dinners were usually served. He pushed a button and the collapsible wall began to separate in halves and fold in upon itself until the partitions slid smoothly into a concealed compartment on either side of the room. The large, cavernous room was pitch black and until the lights were turned on, there was nothing for the girls to see. Red walked over to a console and pushed some buttons and as the lights ignited and the room sprang to life, it was a wonderful sight to behold.

  “My God!” Elaine exclaimed. “This room is magnificent…even better than when I saw it in the movies.”

  “I feel that way too,” Cynthia echoed.

  Tarzan entered the room and he stood by as Red interrupted Swifty and the girls. “Excuse me, ladies, but why don’t you go to the bar with Tarzan and we’ll join you shortly. I need a few moments alone with my fighter.” Red made sure to emphasize to the ladies that Swifty was his fighter. After the ladies left, Red sat down at his table in the specially constructed lead-lined nook at the back of the room and he motioned for Swifty to join him. Red studied Swifty for a moment, trying to determine his state of mind after losing a close fight that everyone thought he won. “How are you feeling, Swifty?”

  “I’m feeling a lot better now, Red. I was really upset when I heard the decision, but I realize now that everyone who watched the fight knows that I really won it. And Gill Clancy told me in the dressing room that in our third fight, he predicted I’ll knock Parker out before the eighth round.”

  Red smiled and said, “Did he, now? He actually predicted that you’d knock him out before the eighth round, eh? He must have spotted something in Parker’s style, right?”

  Swifty had a tight-lipped smile on his face. “He watched the move me and Henri practiced yesterday and used in the ring tonight and he liked it. Gill told me that the move was right on, but my timing was off. He’s convinced that when I get back in training, he’ll get me to perfect that move for the third fight…and I have no doubt that with his help, I’ll perfect the move. Of the three fights me and Parker will have had, Clancy thinks the upcoming third fight will be my easiest against him, and I trust Gill’s instincts.”

  Red nodded. “Yeah, me too. Well, you told me what I wanted to know and now I feel a whole lot better. I’m gonna call Benny Spinoza at the Garden and ask him to contact Parker’s manager to schedule the grudge match.”

  Swifty grabbed Red by his arm as he stood to leave and he cautioned him, “Red, when you call Benny, make sure that we have a different set of rules for the third fight. No more being saved by the bell like we had in this fight. If I knock him out again, which I intend to do, then I don’t want to have to worry about the bell saving him again.”

  Red’s eyes narrowed as he answered Swifty. “Don’t worry, kid. They won’t rob you a second time. I’ll see to that.” But Red needn’t have worried about Swifty being cheated again with a bad decision. In the second fight, the rules were the rules and the way the fight ended and because of the unpopular decision, those rules, for the most part, were about to be changed. Parker won that fight fair and square according to the rules. But because the decision caused such a public outcry, those same rules were about to be changed and the bell could no longer save a fighter. As it turned out, the rules weren’t changed and although the rules remained in effect, they were hardly ever used again. There were some instances where those same rules were applied in fights, but those fights were far and few between.

  “One more thing, Red.”

  “What is it, Swifty?”

  “Could you have Vinnie drive the girls home? I’m in no mood to celebrate.”

  “Sure. I’ll take care of it for you.”

  Swifty walked slowly to the bar where Tarzan had placed two beers on the counter for the girls to sip while waiting for Swifty to return. Swifty sidled up to the bar and motioned to Tarzan for a beer. As Tarzan placed the beer on the bar, Vinnie appeared. “Drink up, girls. I’m taking you home.”

  Both girls looked at Swifty, waiting for him to say something, but he just shrugged. “Sorry, ladies. I’m just not in a good mood tonight and I’d rather be alone.”

  Cynthia didn’t know what to say. She thought she would stay, have a few drinks, and then maybe the two of them would get to know one another better. Swifty walked the girls to the door and when Vinnie opened it, Cynthia stood on her toes and whispered in Swifty’s ear, “Are you sure you want me to leave? I promise you if I stay, I’ll make you feel better.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks, Cynthia, but I’d rather be alone tonight.”

  She was disappointed, but she smiled and said, “Well, you have my number in case you ever need someone to talk to.”

  Swifty nodded but wouldn’t promise to call her. “Yeah, I still have your number and thanks for the offer. I appreciate it.” He closed the door behind him and went to the bar where Red was waiting for him.

  “That broad really wanted you tonight, didn’t she?”

  “She’s a nice kid and she helped me out at the airport.”

  Red stood there with a shit-eating grin on his face, waiting for more. Swifty’s face got red from embarrassment. “Yeah, you’re right. She practically threw herself at me. Said if she could stay, she’d make me feel a whole lot better.”

  Red put his arm around Swifty’s shoulder. “Tarzan, pour us two drinks.”

  Swifty was about to wave him off as Tarzan poured two shots of Jack Daniels. “Pick up your glass, Swifty, and let’s toast to the future champ. Benny Spinoza called while you were at the bar with the girls. You fight for the championship in two months.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Bull pulled into Nell’s Silver Spur’s Parking lot. He stood a moment by his car, watching the construction crew working on the building. He was impressed with how much they had accomplished in so short a time. Satisfied with what he saw, he and Joey Bones walked over to the line shack where the foreman in charge of construction’s office was. Bull opened the door and walked in, expecting to see Ernie behind the desk and some of the guys standing around, but to his surprise, a stranger was seated behind the desk. Two rough-looking guys who Bull didn’t recognize were sitting in chairs on either side of him. It appeared that they
were as surprised to see Bull and Bones as Bull and Joey Bones were to see them. Bull didn’t waste time with formalities. “Who the hell are you guys? And where are my men?”

  The man behind the desk didn’t appear nervous and was very relaxed when he answered Bull. He was a dapper, refined, nice-looking man who seemed a little out of place in this setting.

  “I’ll ask you for the last time. Who are you guys?”

  The gentleman sitting behind the desk smiled and said, “I’m Moe Dalitz and this is my casino. At least it will be when it’s completed. I happen to own a number of casinos in Vegas and this one is my latest acquisition.”

  Bull took a step closer to the desk and both of Dalitz’s men reached into their jackets, their hand’s resting on their guns. Bull looked at the closest one. “Pull that gun and I’ll make you eat it.”

  The guy almost had his gun out, but Bull hit him in the gut hard and he followed it with a hard right hand to the sweet spot on the guy’s jaw. When he dropped to the floor, Bull picked up his gun. The other man had been so preoccupied watching Bull clobber his friend before he snapped out of his stupor and realized what just happened. He reached for his gun, but Joey, with his fast draw, got the drop on him and he motioned for the guy to hand him his gun. Dalitz sat behind the desk, acting as if nothing had happened. “Why did you go and do a stupid thing and rough up my men? Can’t we discuss this misunderstanding like gentlemen?”

  Bull’s eyes were like laser beams as they bored down on Dalitz. “Do you have any idea who owns this casino?”

  Dalitz smiled. “Of course I know who owns this casino…I do.”

  “Wrong!” Bull replied. “This casino belongs to Big Red Fortunato from New York and he ain’t gonna like it when I tell him some two-bit hood had his goons work over his men and then took over his casino.”