Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime

Fifty-four

The nurses were very attentive, but when I told them I didn’t need anything they left me alone. That gave me some time alone before Danny or Jack Entratter arrived. When Danny did get there I’d thought it out pretty well. Now all I needed to do was talk it through with someone and have them point out all the mistakes I was making. Danny Bardini was perfect for that.

“Well, well,” he said, when he walked in, “I thought I’d find you all bandaged up from head to toe.”

“I was pretty lucky.”

“I know,” he said, shaking my hand and then holding onto it. “I talked with your doctor. Apparently the blast picked you up and tossed you a good distance. It also threw you clear of flying debris.”

“See any cops on your way up?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” he said. “There are still some sheriff’s deputies around, and I saw your buddies, Hargrove and Smith. Apparently, the sheriff’s office has handed your case over to them completely, given their previous experiences with you.”

“I guess that’s okay,” I said. “Maybe they’ll actually figure out who did this. Can I have my hand back now?”

Abruptly, as if he didn’t know he’d been holding it, he let it go. He grabbed a chair, pulled it over to the bed and sat down.

“You were lucky, Eddie,” he said, seriously. “Whoever wired the car knew what they were doing. Hargrove can’t explain it, but there was a hesitation when you turned the car key and the blast didn’t go off right away. What happened? Why weren’t you in the car?”

“I realized I forgot my wallet,” I said. “I was walkin’ back to the house when it went off.”

“Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “You gonna give this up now and hand it over to the police? Rat Pack and all?”

“I had a woman with me last night, Danny.” I didn’t tell him it was Judith Campbell. “I called her a cab this morning. If I’d offered to drive her home she would’ve been in the car.”

“More good luck,” he said.

“Well, bad for somebody,” I said, “because now I’m pissed off.”

“Eddie …” he said.

“What?”

“You’re a long way from the streets of Brooklyn,” he said. “You got out of there, went to college, became a CPA and somehow ended up in the pit at the Sands.”

“Your point being?”

“You may work for some hard guys, my friend,” he told me, “but you ain’t a hard guy. Let the cops handle it, or let the boys handle it.”

“I wish I could, Danny,” I said, “but this ain’t right. Too many people have died already, and for what?”

“I don’t know.”

“And I don’t know,” I said, “but I wanna find out. This must have to do with something other than some threats against Dean Martin.”

“Did you ask them all about threats?”

“I asked,” I said. “Dean’s the only one.”

“The threats, them dead girls, Mike Borraco, and now this,” Danny said, shaking his head.

“You get that list from Marcia?” I asked.

“I got it, but it’s gonna take a while to go through all those people.”

“Too long,” I said. “We’ve got to come up with something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I wish Jerry and I coulda found out who hired Ravisi and Davis.”

“Wishin’ ain’t gonna do you any good, bud,” Danny said.

“I know.”

“Why don’t you spend a quiet night here and think about it in the mornin’,” he suggested. “You want me to come and pick you up?”

“No, I’ll have someone from the Sands do it. They’re gonna cover my bill.”

“Okay, then.” He stood up, reached out to touch my arm, then stopped. “Take it easy.”

“Don’t forget you have a date tonight,” I said. “Enjoy the show.”

“I will,” he said, then added with an evil grin, “and I’m gonna enjoy your girl.”

“She’s not my-” I started, but stopped because he was already out of the room.

I didn’t know I had fallen asleep until I woke up to find Jack Entratter standing by the bed.

“Hey, Jack.”

“Eddie,” he said. “How you feelin’?”

“Got a headache,” I said. “Doc said I had a concussion.”

“I thought they weren’t supposed to let you fall asleep with that?” he said.

“I dunno,” I said, hoarsely. “Guess I’ll have to ask the doc. Is there any water here?”

“Water?” He picked up a pitcher from the table next to the bed. “Yeah, here’s some.” He poured it into a cup and handed it to me.

“Thanks.” I drained it and handed it back.

“When you gettin’ out?” he asked.

“Tomorrow mornin’.”

“You wanna go home from here?”

“I dunno,” I said. “Guess I’ll decide that in the morning.”

“I’ll have somebody from the Sands come and pick you up.”

“I appreciate that, Jack.”

“No problem, Eddie,” he said. “You’re here because I made you talk to Frank. I feel bad about it.”

“Don’t, Jack,” I said. “I coulda pulled out any time. I didn’t.”

“But you are now, right? I’ll talk to Frank, and Dean-”

“No,” I said. “I want to see this through.”

“Eddie … whatayawanna get killed?”

“No,” I said, “but I don’t want to run, either. I want to do what I said I was gonna do, help find out who’s threatenin’ Dean.”

“Frank and Dean ain’t gonna think any less of you if you quit,” he assured me. “Not after this.”

“Jack,” I said, “I think it’s too late to pull out, don’t you? I mean, somebody obviously wants me dead. They might come for me, anyway.”

“You got a point,” he said. “I hate to say this … never thought I would … but maybe you should go to the cops.”

“I still have to think about it.”

“Can’t get rid of that tough Brooklyn guy inside you, huh, kid?”

“I was never that tough, Jack,” I said. “Just kinda stubborn.”

“I’m gonna get you all the help you need, Eddie,” he said.

“You bring in some muscle, Jack, and we may never find out who was behind this.”

“Why would that be so bad?” he asked. “Let’s just scare ’em off.”

“No,” I said, “I want to know who put a bomb in my car.” I wanted to know who had almost killed Judy Campbell, too. If she had been in my car I would have had to live with that all my life.

“Okay,” Jack said, “okay, we’ll play it your way. I’ll still have you picked up in the morning.”

“No argument.”

“If you come to the Sands make sure you stop by and see me first.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I already spoke with the hospital,” he said. “Don’t worry about the bill.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I thought I blinked, but my eyes must have been closed longer than that because when I opened them Jack Entratter was gone.