Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand)

Thirty-three

I went to my room, thinking about the guy who’d been trying to find me. A gambler, maybe a regular who needed something from me? Or another man involved in the Sammy Davis Jr. fiasco.

That’s what it had turned into, a fiasco. Four men dead, and I didn’t know exactly what was going on. If Sammy was holding something back I was going to get it out of him tomorrow.

I undressed and got into bed. I found myself wondering what the cops had been doing on my block the night before and, if they were at my house, why they hadn’t come to the Sands looking for me. My old friend-and I use the term very loosely-Detective Hargrove would love to get something on me. Maybe he was trying to make his case before coming for me.

I made a mental note to stop in and see Jack Entratter before heading to Tahoe the next morning. Which meant I was going to have to get up early so I could see Entratter and still meet Jerry in the lobby at nine. I picked up the phone and dialed.

“Front desk.”

“Caitlin?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Eddie Gianelli.”

“Oh, hello, Eddie.” Was there was a warm tone in her voice or was I imagining it?

“What can I do for you?”

“I’d like an early wake-up call,” I said. “Like … six.”

“That doesn’t give you much time to sleep,” she said. “It’s almost one.”

“Five hours should be plenty,” I said.

“Okay, then,” she said. “A six A.M. wake-up call for Mr. Eddie G.”

“Thank you, Caitlin.”

“Don’t mention it, Eddie.”

I hung up, turned off the light, pulled the sheet up over me, and wondered again if I was messed up enough that I had met this girl and didn’t remember?

I woke when there was a knock on the door. In a fog, I got to my feet, clad only in boxers, and went to the door. When I reached it I suddenly came awake and wondered if there were cops outside.

I looked out the peephole and, instead of a cop, I saw a girl.

Caitlin.

I opened the door a crack. “Caitlin.”

“Good morning, Eddie,” she said. A sweet smell came off her, as if she’d just recently put on some perfume. “I thought I’d personally deliver your wake-up call.”

“Is it six already?”

“Yes, it is,” she said. “Time to get up. Or …”

“Or what?” I asked.

She smiled enigmatically, making me wait, then said, “Or time to let me in.”

“Wha-”

She pushed on the door abruptly, catching me by surprise, and I was forced back far enough for her to come in.

“Caitlin, I’m in my underwear….”

“I know, Eddie,” she said, “so I guess it’s only fair that I get down to mine.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes as she unbuttoned the white blouse all the front desk girls were supposed to wear.

“Caitlin, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing, Eddie?” she asked, removing her blouse to reveal firm, peach-sized breasts in a lacy white bra. “I’m waking you up.”

We both looked down at the same time and saw that she certainly was.