Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand)

Eight

I dropped the note on the table and said to Sammy, “This isn’t right.”

Sammy picked up the note, unfolded it and read it.

“How did they know?” he asked.

“That’s my question.”

He looked at it again then put it down.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Only you, me and Frank knew you were going to help.”

“And I only agreed yesterday,” I said.

“I should call Frank-” he said, starting for the phone.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because we can control this,” I said. “Only you and I know about this. Let’s keep it that way.”

“But … we can trust Frank.”

“Sammy who did you tell about this?”

“Only Frank.”

“Nobody else?”

“I told you that yesterday,” he said. “Only Frank.”

“And we can trust Frank, right?”

“I thought … I thought we-” Sammy looked confused, then distressed.

“I’m not saying Frank gave it away,” I told him, “not deliberately, anyway.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“There’s the driver, the copter pilot, his man George,” I said, ticking them off on my fingers. “Who knows how many other people were around when he said something on the phone-”

“To who?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe Dean. I’m just making a point for us to keep this between ourselves. We can tell Frank that you were contacted, got a note with instructions. Just not where … not yet.”

“Okay,” he said, backing away from the phone. “So now what do we do?”

I walked to the table and picked up the note. Instructions were neatly typed.

“The meeting place is in Vegas,” I said, “so the first thing I have to do is go back. Can you get your hands on this much money?”

“I can arrange for you to pick it up from a bank in Vegas. I can have Silber call-”

“Can you do it yourself, Sam?”

“You mean I can’t even trust-”

“Just you and me for now, Sammy. Okay?”

“Well, okay,” he said. “I’ll make the call.”

“I’ll get Henry to take me to the helipad,” I said. “Today’s Tuesday and the meeting is set for Thursday. I want to get set up.”

“Set up … how?”

“Well,” I said, “all of a sudden I don’t think I want to do this alone.”

“But you just said, only you and me-”

“I know, but I think I have just the man for the job, and I’d only have to tell him so much.”

“Who?”

“That’s okay,” I said. “I think I’ll keep that little tidbit of information to myself.”

I turned to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to Vegas,” I said. “I’ve got some arrangements to make, and a call. How long are you booked here for?”

“Until the end of next week.”

“Good. I’ll call you from Vegas.”

“Call me when you get there,” Sammy said. “And before you go to the meeting-and after.”

“Sammy, relax,” I said. “Concentrate on your shows. I’ll take care of this.”

“Eddie, wait,” Sammy shouted as I opened the door.

He came up to me and said, “You’re gonna have to look at the picture when you pay for it.”

“That’s right,” I said. “How will I know it’s the right one unless you tell me?”

“You’ll know,” Sammy said. “Just-yeah, you’ll know when you see it. Just promise me something.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t show it to anyone else,” he said. “Not anyone, under any circumstances, understand?”

“I understand, Sammy.”

“Give me your word.”

“I promise,” I said. “No one sees that photo except me.”

“Thanks, man,” Sammy said. “You’re solid.”

“I’ll talk to you, soon.”

I went back to Henry and the car, waiting for me outside of Harrah’s.

“Henry,” I asked, “can you call the copter pilot and take me to the helipad? I want to get back to Vegas right away.”

“We’ll have to stop back at the Cal Neva, sir.”

“You can call him from there?”

“He’s also in one of the cabins. We’ll just pick him up.”

“Good man.”

I sat back in the seat, took out the note and studied it again. The meet was set for a neighborhood that wasn’t normally one I’d go to alone. Since somebody already knew I was the go-between, that just added to my trepidation about doing this alone.

Normally, I would have called my buddy Danny Bardini, a Las

Vegas private eye with an office on Fremont Street, but I knew Danny was out of town on a case. That left me with only one other option, one other person I felt I could trust.

I only hoped he’d be able to get to Vegas from New York on such short notice.