Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand)

Nineteen

I never should have said anything about Jerry being able to cook, because that reminded him that he was hungry. Again, true to his word, he had made breakfast for us earlier in Vegas. But several hours had passed, erasing all memory of a full stomach.

“When’s the last time you ate?” I asked Sammy.

“I don’t remember.”

We called room service and ordered three full breakfasts and a pot of coffee. Jerry and I didn’t finish our drinks, but Sammy did. In fact, booze was probably all he’d had since the night before.

“Sammy, why don’t you go take a shower,” I suggested. “By the time you come out the food’ll be here.”

“Yeah,” Sammy said, rubbing one hand over his face. “Yeah, okay.” He stubbed out the cigarette. “I’ll be right back.”

I hoped he wouldn’t light another butt in the shower.

“We gonna stick around today?” Jerry asked.

“Might as well. They didn’t get their money last night, so somebody’ll probably make contact today, right?”

“I would.”

I grabbed the three drink glasses, went to the bar, emptied Jerry’s and mine into the sink, and left all of them there.

“He don’t look so good, Mr. G.,” Jerry said.

“I know. Let’s see if we can get some food into him, and then maybe we can get him to lie down.”

“We could slip him a mickey.”

I stared at him. Did he just happen to have a pill in his pocket?

“Forget it,” I said. “He’s so tired he’ll fall right to sleep.”

“Or I could just give him a little love tap, ya know, to put ’im out?”

“No love taps on Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry,” I said.

“Yeah, okay.”

I sat back down and waited for either Sammy or room service, whichever came first.

“I don’t hear a shower running,” Jerry said.

“Maybe’s it’s too far away.”

“This suite ain’t that big.”

“I better check.”

I got up, went down the hall and into the bedroom. Sammy was lying on the bed, fast asleep. He’d never made it to the shower.

Jerry finished off both breakfasts before I finished mine.

“I think I’ll call down for some sandwiches,” I said. “That way Sammy can eat something when he gets up.”

“Sandwiches are good,” he said. “Get some extra.”

I shook my head.

I called down and ordered the food, then hung up and walked to the window. There wasn’t much to see. The suite’s window overlooked the back parking lot.

“If the phone rings we’re gonna have to wake him up,” Jerry said.

“Maybe not,” I said. “They know I was the go-between. They’ll probably talk to me.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Jerry gathered the plates and trays together so room service could take them away when they came with the sandwiches. I lifted the coffeepot and shook it. Maybe one cup left.

“You want some coffee?” I asked him.

“Naw, you have it.”

Why do people do that, I wondered? Offer someone else the last of something when they really want it themselves? I poured myself the cup, glad that he’d turned it down.

When the sandwiches showed up they looked good-so good that Jerry asked, “Mind if I have one now?”

“Just leave one for Sammy,” I said.

“No problem.”

As the guy left with the tray from breakfast, I thought I should have ordered another pot of coffee.

“Jerry, any soft drinks behind the bar?”

“Some Coke, I think. You don’t want another bourbon?” he asked.

“I didn’t finish the first. Too early.”

“I could mix it with the Coke.”

“Bite your tongue.”

I got a bottle of Coke from the fridge behind the bar and used the opener attached to the underside of the bar. Jerry and I got back in our chairs.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“We wait,” I said, “for Sam to wake up, for the phone to ring, for a note to be delivered … we just wait.”

“And if they don’t make contact today?”

“We’re going back to Vegas tonight,” I said. “Sammy can call us.”

“Call you about what?”

We looked up and saw Sammy walking into the room. He looked a little rested, and fresh from a shower, but he was still dragging.

“A new meeting place,” I said. “If they don’t call or make contact today. You got a show tonight, Sam?”

“No, not tonight,” he said. “We’re goin’ to Dino’s show tonight, right? With Frank?”

“I forgot about that,” I admitted.

“I’ll get dressed,” Sammy said, “and we’ll all go to Vegas.”

“Slow down,” I said. “Have a sandwich. We’ll stick around here a while longer, give them a chance to call, and then we’ll head to Vegas.”

Sammy sat down on the sofa and accepted the sandwich Jerry retrieved from the fridge. He unwrapped it and took a bite.

“Anybody else want some coffee?” he asked, with his mouth full.