When Somebody Kills You

by Robert J. Randisi

  ‘Hargrove, I’m sorry about Holliday.’

  He didn’t reply, just left, slamming the door behind him.

  I could see how controlled his anger was. He was vibrating with it; for some reason, though, he was keeping it in check.

  I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad.

  When the door opened again, I expected to see Hargrove. I’d been cooling my heels for another two hours. They were either questioning Jerry first or making us both wait.

  But it wasn’t Hargrove.

  It was Amico. ‘Let’s go,’ he said. ‘You’re out of here.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You want to stay?’

  ‘Hell, no!’

  ‘Then hurry up, before Hargrove finds a reason to keep you.’

  I stood up and rushed to the door.

  I signed my statement and then we went outside. Amico had a car there, and Jerry was already in it.

  ‘How’d you get us out?’ I asked. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘A friend,’ he said.

  ‘Is Amico your real name?’ I asked. ‘It means “friend”.’

  ‘I think we should talk about this somewhere else,’ he suggested.

  I looked up at the police station, then said, ‘Yeah, OK, let’s get out of here.’

  SEVENTY-SIX

  We went to the Sands. Amico waited while Jerry and I both showered in Jerry’s suite.

  ‘The first thing I wanna ask you is, are you working for Jack Entratter? Because if you are, I’ll get him up here,’ I said.

  Jerry wasn’t in the room yet, and Amico studied me for a minute.

  ‘Not working for Entratter,’ he finally said.

  ‘Who are you workin’ for, then?’

  Jerry walked in and said, ‘I’d like to know the answer to that, myself.’

  ‘Well, at the moment I’m working for you two, trying to keep you out of jail – which is not easy, given what Jerry did with his forty-five.’

  ‘He defended us,’ I pointed out, ‘and tried to save Detective Holliday.’

  ‘A point I made myself,’ Amico said.

  ‘So, you’re … what?’ I asked. ‘A lawyer instead of a hitman?’

  Amico frowned. ‘When did you think I was a hitman?’

  ‘The thought occurred to me when we first met.’

  ‘Maybe that’s flattering,’ Amico said. ‘I don’t know, but no, I’m not a hitman. I do, however, happen to be a lawyer … among other things.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I’m a little like you, Eddie,’ he said. ‘I guess you could say I’m a fixer, only my arena is a little bigger than yours.’

  ‘Well, if you can fix this,’ I said, ‘I’ll bow to your superior abilities, believe me.’

  ‘Wait,’ Jerry said, ‘what are we talkin’ about? Fixin’ it with the cops? Or takin’ care of this open contract?’

  ‘Both,’ Amico said. ‘Actually, the open contract isn’t even the tricky part.’

  ‘How’s that?’ I asked.

  ‘It’s gone,’ he said, ‘done. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.’

  ‘Did the guy we grabbed talk?’ I asked.

  ‘He didn’t have to,’ Amico said. ‘You should be getting a phone call about it later on. No, what we have to worry about is the local law. They’re pretty upset about their man getting killed.’

  ‘Not our fault,’ Jerry said.

  ‘Well, Hargrove is holding Eddie responsible,’ Amico said. ‘He says if it wasn’t for you, Detective Holliday would still be alive.’

  ‘He’s probably right about that,’ I said.

  ‘Nah, he ain’t,’ Jerry argued.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Amico said. ‘I got you out of there. It remains to be seen if they want you back for an investigation, or if they’ll simply bring charges. Personally, I don’t think they’ll do either.’

  ‘And how involved will you stay?’ I asked.

  He smiled and said, ‘I’m in till the end, Eddie.’

  I didn’t know who was paying the freight on Amico, but I was glad they were.

  After Amico left, Jerry and I hit the bar to try to decompress.

  ‘I don’t know where this guy came from,’ Jerry said, ‘but I’m glad he did.’

  ‘I’d still like to know who he works for,’ I said, ‘and who put up that contract.’

  ‘He said you’d be gettin’ a phone call,’ Jerry said. ‘Maybe we should check for messages.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Jerry picked up the phone and called down to the desk. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I got it.’ He hung up. ‘The only message is for you, from Danny.’ He pushed the phone over to me. ‘Says to call him in Judy’s room.’

  I dialed the number. He picked up on the first ring.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’ he demanded.

  ‘It’s a long story,’ I said. ‘Let’s just say things heated up, and have since cooled down.’

  ‘You mean …’

  ‘The contract has been lifted,’ I said, ‘or so I’ve been told. Apparently, I’m waiting for a phone call to confirm it.’

  ‘Well, that’s good news.’

  ‘Have you got something for me?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘and I think you’re gonna like this. I tracked down the owner of the house where you found Jacks and the girl.’

  ‘Make it easy on me,’ I said.

  ‘I had to wade through a bunch of dummy companies, but finally found the one that owns it.’

  ‘It’s owned by a company?’

  ‘A real estate company with several partners.’

  ‘And they would be?’

  ‘Only one should concern you,’ Danny said.

  ‘OK,’ I said, ‘don’t milk it. Let me have it.’

  ‘One of the partners is David Begelman.’

  SEVENTY-SEVEN

  Danny let us into Judy’s suite.

  ‘Have you told her?’ I asked.

  ‘No,’ he said, ‘I figured I’d leave that to you.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘I’ve already said goodnight,’ he told me. ‘I’m going home to take a shower and get some sleep.’

  I shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks, Danny.’

  Jerry slapped him on the back as he went past us into the hall. We found Judy sitting on the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap. As usual, she wore a white blouse, black pants and slippers. She looked for all the world as if she was going to a dance rehearsal.

  ‘Judy.’

  ‘Are you both all right?’ she asked. ‘I was so worried.’

  ‘We’re fine,’ I said. I sat next to her, Jerry across from her.

  ‘But you have some news for me,’ she said. ‘Bad news?’

  ‘News,’ I said.

  She looked at Jerry, then back at me.

  ‘Judy, I don’t believe anyone has been watching you, or following you, or breaking into your house.’

  ‘You … you think I’m paranoid, then? Like everyone else?’

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘you and Sid are right about one thing.’

  ‘David and Freddie?’

  ‘Well … David,’ I said. ‘He’s definitely not on the up-and-up. I think you should go ahead with your lawsuit. Fire them as your managers.’

  ‘I knew it!’ she said. ‘H–How much have they stolen?’

  ‘Not sure,’ I said.

  ‘That Bagel-Man is driving a Caddy that should’ve been yours,’ Jerry said.

  ‘What about the blackmail?’

  ‘We believe Begelman set that up and kept the money,’ I said.

  ‘And the people who were killed?’ she asked. ‘That private detective and the girl?’

  ‘That’s for the cops to solve,’ I said, ‘but we found out one thing we can pass on to them. Begelman is a partner in a real estate company that owned that house.’

  ‘Oh my God.’

  I touched her arm. ‘That doesn’t mean he’s involved in their death. Like I said, that’s gonna be for the cops to
find out. All you have to do is sue him and get what’s comin’ to you.’

  ‘I can go back home?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But, what about the … hitman?’

  ‘That’s been taken care of,’ I assured her. ‘There’s no longer any danger.’

  ‘I’ll call Sid,’ she said.

  ‘And,’ I said, ‘now you can go ahead and marry Mark Herron.’

  ‘If you still want to,’ Jerry added.

  She looked at both of us and asked, ‘Is there something you found out about Mark?’

  ‘No,’ I said.

  ‘We just don’t like him,’ Jerry said.

  She covered her face with both hands, then dropped them into her lap and sat back. ‘I’ve been making more problems for myself,’ she said. ‘In my head. I have been paranoid.’

  I was about to tell her she was wrong, but believing it actually seemed to make her feel better.

  ‘All because of David,’ she finished.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘because of David.’

  Jerry leaned forward and said, ‘Sue his ass off.’

  SEVENTY-EIGHT

  Jerry and I went back to his room. Mine was not a suite and was too small for us.

  ‘I’m starved,’ he said.

  ‘Order room service.’

  ‘Anything?’

  ‘Anything.’

  While he called down, I got two cans of beer from the refrigerator.

  ‘Steaks. I ordered steak dinners.’

  ‘Fine.’ I sipped my beer.

  ‘What’s botherin’ ya, Mr G.?’

  ‘Jimmy Jacks.’

  ‘You wanna find out who killed him?’

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘it bothers me that I don’t care who killed him.’

  Jerry shrugged. ‘Me, neither.’

  ‘And you don’t wonder why?’

  ‘No,’ Jerry said. ‘It ain’t our job. Let the cops find out who did it.’

  ‘And the girl?’

  ‘That’s too bad,’ he said.

  After we ate, I decided to head back to my room. No amount of discussion made me feel any better. I let Jerry eat both desserts himself.

  ‘It ain’t such a bad thing, Mr G.,’ he told me at the door. ‘Sometimes it’s just better if you don’t feel nothin’.’

  ‘Goodnight, Jerry.’

  I was lying awake in my bed when the phone rang. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Gianelli?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘This is Agent Seagrave.’

  ‘What the hell do you want?’

  ‘I have instructions to call you.’

  ‘Instructions from who?’

  ‘Never mind. I assume you’ve told Miss Garland about her manager?’

  ‘She’s gonna sue his ass,’ I said.

  ‘That’s good,’ he said. ‘Maybe we’ll get to him after that.’

  ‘Is that what you called to tell me?’

  ‘No,’ he said, ‘I was told you’d be expecting my call.’

  ‘Expectin’ your—’ I sat up in bed. ‘Wait. You mean …?’

  ‘You’re aware that the contract on you has been lifted?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘but by who? Giancana?’

  ‘I’m sure Mr Giancana has passed the word,’ he said, but it sounded as if it wasn’t Momo who lifted it.

  ‘Was it lifted by the same person who put it out on me?’

  He hesitated, then said, ‘Yes. It came from the source.’

  ‘Who?’ I asked. ‘Who was it?’

  ‘Are you familiar with the name Maheu?’

  EPILOGUE

  2008

  I settled into my seat in the second row, the band tuning up practically in front of me. As people were milling about around me, finding their seats, the seat to my right remained empty. I still didn’t know who had sent me the ticket to the Judy Garland tribute show. I was looking forward to finding out, though.

  To this day I’m convinced that the open contract on my life had come either from Howard Hughes, because I’d kept him from moving in on Las Vegas a few months earlier during Edward G. Robinson’s stay in town, or from his man Robert Maheu, who might have taken the decision upon himself to try to appease his boss.

  Whichever it was, though, there was no danger from that day forward, after my short conversation with FBI Agent Seagrave.

  Hargrove was never able to bring charges against me and Jerry for what happened to Detective Holliday that night. They put away the guy we caught, and he gave up his other two partners.

  Judy and Sid Luft sued David Begelman for royalties she had coming to her. Freddie Fields was kept out of it. As far as I know, the FBI never got to Begelman. He and Fields went on to bigger and better careers – separately – in Hollywood. Maybe they all deserved each other. The murders of Jimmy Jacks and his girlfriend were never solved. I never saw or heard from Agent Seagrave or the man I knew as Amico again. Never found out who they actually reported to.

  Judy performed a few concerts after returning home, including a triumphant appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall – twenty-six songs in two and a half hours. It was amazing. She never made another film, though. She was cast in the movie version of Jackie Susann’s Valley of the Dolls, but was replaced soon after shooting began by Susan Hayward. The complaints were that she was difficult and constantly late to the set.

  She called me a few times over those last years, usually late at night. Sometimes she slurred her words, sometimes not. Usually it was just to talk, not about anything in particular. She did marry Mark Heron, but they separated six months later. He went back to his actor lover. On June twenty-second, 1969, her fifth husband, Mickey Deans, found her dead in their bathroom of a drug overdose. It was ruled an ‘incautious self-overdose’. The medical examiner’s opinion was that there was no intent on her part to commit suicide; nevertheless, Judy Garland’s sad story was over.

  As for Howard Hughes, he eventually came back to Las Vegas with his wallet in 1966 … but that’s a story for another time.

  The appearance of someone on my right brought me back to the present. She settled into her seat and, just as the lights were going down for the show to start, leaned over and whispered into my ear, ‘Hello, Eddie, my darling.’

  I took her hand in mine and said, ‘Hello, Liza.’