A Gambling Man

Chapter 56

Archer drove back to Midnight Moods and was in the audience when Callahan made her formal debut later that night. To say she was a success would have been like saying the Allied countries had fought to a draw with their Axis counterparts.

The theater was filled to standing room capacity and Archer noted, with some surprise, that the number of women in the audience roughly equaled the number of males in attendance.

The curtains had parted and out had marched Callahan in the outfit she and Dawson had selected. Her long, dramatic strides bore the confidence of someone at home in the spotlight. Indeed, her smile seemed to outshine the stage lights. When she reached the microphone, Callahan motioned at the piano man to prime his fingers. He started to play and his skill was obvious; yet when Callahan opened her mouth and the sounds poured from it, Archer didn’t give the man tickling the black and white keys another thought.

One hour later the last note of her final song held in the air like cannon smoke after a twenty-one-gun salute. She took a bow, stood straight, and let the appreciation of hundreds of people rain down on her for holding them in luxurious captivity for the previous sixty minutes.

A man in his fifties seated next to Archer elbowed him and said, “Damn, son, is she a keeper or what?”

Archer smiled and nodded and concluded that Callahan was right where she was meant to be — in front of large crowds and sending them into a better existence than reality ever could.

As his gaze ran over the audience, Archer spotted him. He bent forward for a better look. Yes, it was definitely the man.

Douglas Kemper hadn’t grieved long for his campaign manager. He was in the front row, cigarette and drink in hand, and seemed to be fixated on Callahan.

Archer went backstage after the show to see her.

She was in her small dressing room WITH LIBERTY freshly stenciled on the door. There were baskets of flowers littering the floor, while she sat in front of her mirrored vanity table and reapplied her stage makeup.

“Well?” she said, looking at him in the mirror.

“I think you did okay.”

“Well, don’t give yourself a heart attack slinging out praise, Archer.”

“Do you want me to say you’re a star? Okay, you’re a star, Liberty. But you don’t need me to tell you what all those people already did. And you had as many ladies as gents in the audience. I’d say that’s something, all right.”

“You got your flask?” she asked, giving him a pretty smile.

He handed it across and she took a sip. “So, that was just the first act. I’ve got three more sets and then some hand shaking and drinks with some of the big players here, and the local rag is going to interview me and even take my picture.”

“You good with all that?”

“Hell, Archer, I was born for ‘that.’ ”

“Yeah, I guess you were.”

She lit up a Camel, blew smoke out, and swiveled around to look directly at him. “I heard someone else got killed here. That’s what Dawson was referring to, right?”

“Wilson Sheen. He worked for Douglas Kemper.”

“Kemper, huh? Someone told me he was in the audience tonight.”

“He was. In the front row looking very appreciative of your many talents.”

“Moneybags, right?”

“And married to a very lovely woman, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“So he has connections to Fraser and this Sheen guy. Is he a suspect in your book?”

“Everyone’s a suspect in my book, Liberty.”

“You wanted me to be your spy here. Should I start with Kemper?”

Archer hesitated. “You know, what I told you before probably wasn’t a good idea. It could be dangerous.”

“I can be dangerous, Archer, or have you already forgotten?”

“Yeah, well, you’re dangerous when someone is threatening you. These guys don’t wait around for that.”

“You’re worried about me, Archer. That’s very touching.”

“I am worried about you. Two people have bought it in this joint over a really short time.”

“Well, just so you know, I worry about you, Archer. And I’ve done a little snooping already since I’ve been here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m observant. I keep my eyes and ears open.”

“And what did you find out?”

“Oh, so now you’re okay with me spying?” said Callahan.

“Liberty!”

“Okay, okay. Anyway, I finished my dinner and took my cup of coffee and found a little room to just have some quiet time and get my nerves under control.”

“And?” said Archer expectantly.

“And I heard some noise in the room next door. And your name came up.”

Archer frowned. “Who was it?”

“It was those same two thugs that roughed you up before, Archer.”

“Hank and Tony? But how do you know what they sounded like? You only saw them before. They didn’t say anything.”

“Easy. When they mentioned your name, I snuck out and peeked through the keyhole.”

“Liberty, that was a big risk.”

“My whole life has been a big risk. Anyway, I saw them.”

“And what did they say about me?”

“Oh, that they were going to kill you.”

Archer sat back and dead-eyed her. “Thanks for saving the best part for last.”

“You can take care of yourself, Archer, I’ve seen that. And now that you’re forewarned? Well, my money’s on you over those two goons.”

“They say why they want to kill me?”

“I heard them mention you were snooping around an island?”

Archer told her about the architectural mockups he and Dash had found and their connection to the island. And then his suspicions about the death of Benjamin Smalls.

“A casino, huh? Makes sense. And dying in your bathtub, Archer? Puhleez. That’s mob stuff. They either machine-gun you or do the ankle grab in the tub and under you go.”

“How come you know so much about that stuff?”

“You think the mob passed Reno by for some reason?”

Archer looked at her closely. “Is Max Shyner part of the mob?”

“I got out, Archer. Read into that what you want to. You got a gun?”

“I do.”

“And you got your aluminum knuckles?”

He nodded. “And I’m wearing underwear, too,” he said with a grin.

“Really? I’m not.”

His features sagged and his cigarette drooped. “Not now, Liberty. For chrissakes.”

She smiled demurely. “What’s your next move?”

He rose and put his hat on. “And the room where you overheard them?”

“Go right down this hall, turn left, and then right again. Second door on the left.”

He tipped his hat. “You got great gams and a great voice, but you’ve also got a great brain. Don’t let anybody ever tell you otherwise.”

“You got style, Archer, don’t let anybody ever say you don’t.”