We finished off our meal with coffee and Italian pastries. After that we walked outside, where the car was waiting. It was parked across the street, with the driver, Andy, behind the wheel. Dean stopped to light a cigarette, so I started across the street. I heard rubber squeal and turned to see headlights bearing down on me. I thought I was a goner when something hit me in the lower back and I went flying. The car missed me, but not by much.
Andy got out of the car and rushed over to me. ‘You guys all right?’
That’s when I realized Dean had saved my bacon. He’d tackled me from behind, knocking me out of the path of the car.
‘You OK, Dean?’ I asked. He was lying on the ground next to me.
‘I’m good,’ he said, pushing himself up to a seated positon. ‘You?’
‘I think I’m OK,’ I said, sitting up and taking stock. ‘That was a great tackle. Somebody’d think you played football when you were younger, instead of boxing.’
‘Let’s get out of the street,’ Dean suggested, ‘before somebody tries to run you down again.’
‘What do you mean, “tries”?’ I asked as we got up.
‘That was no accident,’ Dean said.
‘What?’
‘That guy deliberately tried to run you down, Eddie. You seein’ somebody’s wife?’
‘Not this week.’
We got into the back seat and Andy pulled the car away from the curb.
‘Police?’ he asked.
‘No,’ I said, leaning forward, ‘back to the Sands.’
‘But if Mr Martin is right—’
‘I’m not sure that he is,’ I said, cutting him off. ‘Back to the Sands, Andy.’
‘You’re the boss, Eddie.’
I sat back.
‘Eddie,’ Dean said, ‘I swear that guy was purposely headin’ right for you.’
‘But why?’ I asked. ‘I haven’t pissed anybody off all month. It’s more likely they were tryin’ for you, Dino.’
‘Not me,’ Dean said. ‘I was on the sidewalk lightin’ a cigarette.’
‘Maybe they got us mixed up.’
‘Uh-uh,’ he said. ‘I’m taller, and a lot better lookin’.’
‘I’m not gonna argue with you on that,’ I said, ‘but I can’t see why anybody would want to run me down.’
‘Come on, Eddie,’ Dean said, ‘you must’ve made some enemies in the past.’
‘The only time I seem to get in trouble,’ I said, ‘is when I’m tryin’ to help you guys out. The last time was earlier in the year when Eddie Robinson was here.’
‘Maybe Bennett?’ he asked.
‘I haven’t done anythin’ to piss him off … yet.’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘just to be on the safe side, you better watch your back.’
‘I will.’
‘And while I’m in town,’ he said, slapping me on the back, ‘so will I.’
THREE
I drove home to my house in the Caddy, made a pot of coffee and sat in the living room, thinking about what had happened. I hadn’t seen the car until I heard the tires squeal and saw the headlights. So how could I say that Dean was wrong? He’d obviously seen more than I had, but if I admitted he was right, then I had to ask myself who wanted me dead, and why?
When I woke the next morning, I stopped at a local diner for breakfast before driving to the Sands. Frank was due after three. The Sands would send a car for him, so there was nothing for me to do until he got there.
I went to the Garden Room for a second cup of coffee. My job as a casino host required only that I be on the premises, and my hours exceeded the ones I worked as a pit boss. As far as I was concerned, seated in the Garden Room with a cup of coffee, I was at work.
Over a third cup I decided that the incident the night before had been an accident. I didn’t have much choice. There was nobody I knew who was mad enough to try to kill me. And I’d given the matter enough of my time.
I asked the waitress to bring a phone over and I started making calls to get Harry Bennett his game, and his blonde.
I had just hung up the phone on the last player when Jack Entratter walked in. Resplendent as ever in one of his suits, tailored so his big shoulders wouldn’t quite bust the seams, he spotted me, came over and slid into the booth across from me. A waitress appeared immediately with a cup of coffee for him, and another for me.
‘I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday,’ he said, grudgingly. ‘That guy gets my goat.’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘He wanted to know if he was going to see you while he was here.’
‘What did you tell him?’
‘Not if you saw him first.’
‘What? I never—’
‘Relax,’ I said, ‘I only thought that. I told him I was sure he’d see you.’
‘Oh, well, OK. So, what’s he want so far?’
‘Just a private game and an even more private blonde,’ I said.
‘Eddie,’ he said, ‘you’re not a pimp—’
‘It doesn’t matter. The girl will make a pretty penny and won’t kick any back to me.’
‘Not much of a pimp, then, are you?’
‘I don’t have the flair.’
‘Did you hear that Frank’s comin’ in today?’
‘I heard from Dean,’ I said. ‘He’s stayin’ around to see him.’
‘Any idea what it’s about? Frank ain’t playin’ here for a while.’
‘I’ve got no idea,’ I said, ‘but I’m sure he’ll clue me in when he gets here.’
‘I got a car pickin’ him up at McCarran at three thirty,’ Jack said. ‘Anythin’ else goin’ on?’
I decided not to tell him about the car the night before. After all, if I was accepting it as an accident, what was there to tell? ‘No, nothin’,’ I said. ‘It’s quiet.’
‘Too quiet,’ Jack said. ‘But maybe with Bennett here, and Frank arrivin’ today, that might change.’
‘But not too much, I hope,’ I said.
My Caddy was in the rear parking lot that day, because I didn’t expect to have to use it until I went home. But it turned out one of the players I’d lined up for Harry Bennett backed out, and I needed to find another one fast. I had a guy in mind, but he wasn’t answering his phone.
I used a house phone in the lobby to call Jack’s office. His new girl put me right through. She was the second one since his long-time secretary had been killed earlier in the year.
‘Jack, I’ve got to go off the premises for a while,’ I said. ‘I need to hunt down my last player for Bennett’s game.’
‘Don’t forget Frank’s gettin’ in at three thirty. He’ll be in his room by four.’
‘I’ll be back by then,’ I said, checking my watch. ‘I’ve got an hour and a half.’
‘OK, Eddie,’ Jack said, ‘but make it fast.’
‘You got it.’
I hung up and went out the back way. I had the door open and was about to get in when somebody took a shot at me.
Not so quiet anymore.
FOUR
‘One shot?’
‘Do you need more?’
Jack rubbed his jaw. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about the car this mornin’?’
‘I didn’t think it was important,’ I said. ‘I thought it was just an accident.’
‘Still could’ve been,’ Jack said, ‘but a shot – that’s somethin’ different. What’ve you been up to lately?’
‘Nothin’,’ I said. ‘My new job keeps me so busy I’ve been behavin’ myself.’
‘OK, next question. What about contacting the police?’
‘Who do you suggest I call?’ I asked. ‘Hargrove?’
‘There are other cops.’
‘The story would get back to him,’ I said, ‘and he’d love it.’
‘So what do you intend to do?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. For now, I’ve still got to find another player for Bennett’s game.’
‘Well,’ Jack said, ‘do it from the premises. I don’t want
you out and about, where somebody can try again.’
‘I can’t stay here forever,’ I said. ‘I’ve got to go home sometime.’
‘Maybe we need to get you a bodyguard.’
‘I don’t want some gunsel followin’ me around.’
‘How about your buddy, Bardini?’
Now I rubbed my jaw. ‘That’s an idea.’
‘Good,’ Jack said, ‘then call him.’
‘I will,’ I said, standing up, ‘after I get Bennett’s fifth for poker – and I’ll do that after a good stiff drink.’
‘You can have that here.’
‘I’ll have it downstairs, and use the phone at the bar.’
‘Well, be careful, Eddie,’ Jack said. ‘Watch your back – and don’t go outside.’
‘I won’t,’ I said. ‘Not today, anyway.’
I grabbed a stool at the Silver Queen Lounge, ordered a bourbon and asked the bartender for the phone. I still had an hour before Frank arrived.
I tried my poker player again and, thankfully, got him. With the game set, I called Danny Bardini’s office.
‘Bardini Investigations,’ Danny said.
‘Answerin’ your own phone?’
‘Penny’s out shopping,’ he said. ‘You know, since this couple thing, she doesn’t do what I tell her anymore – at least, not as much. It’s your fault.’ Like it was my idea for Danny to finally consummate a relationship with his secretary, Penny. Well, maybe it was … but it was for his own good.
‘What’s up, Eddie?’ Danny asked. ‘Rat Pack trouble?’
‘No,’ I said. Not yet, anyway. ‘I’ve got some trouble of my own.’
‘What kind?’
‘There have been two attempts on my life since last night.’
‘What? What kind of attempts?’
I told him about the car and the shot.
‘Are you sure about the car?’ Danny asked. ‘Couldn’t have been an accident?’
‘I thought it was,’ I said, ‘but Dean thinks it was deliberate.’
‘Dino was with you? What if he was the target?’
‘That was a possibility, until somebody shot at me.’
‘Any damage?’
‘Driver’s side mirror,’ I said.
‘You haven’t called the police, have you?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t want Hargrove knowing about it. It would make him too damn happy.’
‘What do you want me to be?’ he asked. ‘Bodyguard or detective?’
‘Jack wants me to have a bodyguard,’ I said, ‘but I think I need a detective.’
‘OK,’ Danny said. ‘I’ll get right on it. I’ll start with the car.’
‘Talk to Dino,’ I said. ‘He’ll be able to tell you more than I can. All I saw was some headlights.’
‘He’s still in town? At the Sands?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘He’s waiting for Frank, who gets in’ – I checked my watch – ‘just about now.’
‘I’ll be in touch,’ Danny said. ‘Meanwhile, watch your back.’
‘I intend to.’
I hung up and gave the phone back to the bartender. I finished my drink. It was nearly four, time to go to Frank’s suite and see what was on his mind. I was about to turn and get off my stool when something heavy fell on my shoulder.
‘Mr G.!’ Jerry Epstein said. ‘Am I glad to see you!’
‘Jerry,’ I said, turning to face him, ‘you scared the crap out of me.’
FIVE
‘What are you doin’ here?’ I asked Jerry. The big guy usually didn’t leave Brooklyn unless I asked him to. He was wearing a brown, lightweight sports coat and beige slacks, and a pair of loafers that would have looked like skis on me. His shirt, open at the collar, was an odd shade of purple.
‘I came to protect you.’
‘Protect me? How’d you know I’m in trouble?’
‘You mean … it’s already started?’
‘What started?’
‘The attempts.’
‘What attempts? Come on, Jerry, make sense. Frank’s waitin’ for me.’
‘Mr S. is here?’
‘And Dino.’
‘What’s goin’ on?’
‘I don’t know yet,’ I said. ‘Frank just arrived. But don’t change the subject. How did you know I was in trouble?’
‘I heard things,’ he said, ‘and as soon as I did, I got on a plane.’
‘Heard what?’
‘About the hit.’
I hesitated, then asked, ‘What hit?’
‘I thought that was what we were talkin’ about, Mr G.,’ Jerry said. ‘Somebody put out a hit on you.’
I took Jerry with me up to see Frank. In the elevator I asked, ‘What goddamned hit? Who put out a hit on me?’
‘I don’t know who,’ Jerry said. ‘I just heard that the word went out.’
‘Who has the contract?’
‘That’s just it,’ Jerry said. ‘It’s an open contract.’
‘Open?’
‘If I knew one guy had the contract, I’d take him out for you,’ Jerry said. ‘But this … anybody can pick this one up.’
‘Jerry,’ I said, ‘what’s the price tag?’
‘Ten G’s.’
‘That’s high, isn’t it?’
‘That’s way high,’ Jerry said. ‘You musta really pissed somebody off, Mr G.’
The elevator stopped and I said, ‘We’ll talk about this later.’
‘Hey,’ he said, as we started down the hall, ‘maybe Mr S. can help with this.’
‘No,’ I said, ‘don’t mention it to him. For now, I just want to see what’s on Frank’s mind.’
‘Mr S. knows lots of people.’
‘I get it, Jerry,’ I said. ‘Just do it my way, for now. OK?’
‘Sure, Mr G.,’ Jerry said. ‘Whatever you say.’
For just a moment I wondered if Frank had heard about the hit, and that’s what was on his mind. But as I knocked on the door, I doubted it.
SIX
‘Eddie!’ Frank said, opening the door himself. ‘And Big Jerry. How ya doin’, boys?’
‘Good, Frank,’ I said. ‘We’re good.’
‘Hello, Mr S.,’ Jerry said.
‘Come on in,’ Frank said. ‘Dino’s here. Get yourselves some drinks.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Jerry said, heading for the bar. ‘Anything for you, Mr S.?’
‘Jack Daniels, Jerry,’ Frank said.
While Frank liked martinis, Jack Daniels had been a favorite of his ever since Jackie Gleason introduced him to it back in the forties.
‘Same for me, Jerry.’
Dino was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee in front of him. He stood up and we shook hands. Both he and Frank were dressed casually, looking as if they were headed for the links any minute.
‘I’m glad you’re both here,’ Frank said.
‘Dean said it was important, Frank,’ I said.
‘It is,’ Frank said. He accepted the drink Jerry brought him, and then the big guy handed me mine. ‘Do you want a drink, Mr Martin?’
‘No, Jerry, coffee’s fine for me.’
He went back behind the bar and made himself one.
‘So, OK,’ Frank said, standing in the center of the room. Dino was still on the sofa, Jerry behind the bar, me in front of it. ‘We’re all here – more of us than I expected’ – he gestured toward Jerry – ‘but I’m glad you’re here, Jerry.’
Jerry was smart enough to stay quiet.
‘You all may or may not know about my … friendship with Judy Garland,’ he said. ‘Dean knows, of course. He and I did Judy’s television show a couple of years ago.’
‘Yeah, we did,’ Dean said, sitting back. ‘It was a big hit.’
‘It was,’ Frank said, ‘but Judy … Judy’s life hasn’t been going the way she’d like it to.’
‘How so?’ I asked.
‘Well, after that special they gave her a show of her own. It didn’t last very long, for some reason. And her r
ecent shows in Australia were … well, disastrous.’
‘Why?’ Dean asked.
‘Judy still has certain problems with … booze, drugs. She showed up for performances in less than perfect condition.’
‘Didn’t she just come back from London after doing a show with Liza?’ Dean asked.
‘Yes,’ Frank said, ‘and that went well – so well that they filmed it and are gonna show it on television next month.’
‘Well, that’s good,’ I said.
‘Yes, it is,’ Frank said, ‘but there’s something else going on.’
‘Like what?’ I asked.
‘Beats me. She can’t talk to me about it.’
‘But you’re friends,’ I said.
‘Well,’ Frank said, ‘we had a relationship in the fifties, and since then I suppose you could say we’ve been friends, but not …’
‘Close?’ Dean asked.
‘Intimates?’ I said.
‘Confidantes?’ Jerry asked.
We all looked at him.
‘Well,’ Frank said, ‘that’s it, exactly. I’m not really in her confidence.’
‘Who is?’ I asked.
Frank looked at me.
‘Ex-husband? Daughter? Any other friends?’
‘Nobody that I know of,’ Frank said. ‘We’re friends enough that she called me, told she was having trouble and asked me to …’
‘To what?’ Dean asked.
‘To recommend somebody.’
‘To do what?’ Jerry asked.
‘To help her.’
‘So what’d you tell her?’ Dean asked. ‘Did you give her Fred Otash’s number?’
Otash was the best-known private eye in Hollywood.
‘No, Fred’s too high profile,’ Frank said.
‘What about Eddie’s friend?’ Dean asked. ‘Bardini. He’s pretty good.
‘No,’ Frank said, ‘she said she didn’t really need a detective.’
‘Then what does she need?’ Dean asked.
‘A fixer,’ Frank said. ‘Somebody who can see when something’s wrong, and figure out how to fix it.’
‘So,’ Dean asked, ‘did you recommend somebody?’
‘I did.’
‘Then why are we all here?’ I asked.
‘Because,’ Frank said, looking at me, ‘I recommended you, Eddie.’
When Somebody Kills You Page 2