I'm a fool to kill you

NINETEEN

They didn’t take me to their headquarters, as I’d thought they would. They took me to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

‘This is where the cab driver, Larry Carver, was taken after somebody worked him over,’ Reasoner said, as we got out of their car. ‘We understand he was waiting for you in the lounge?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Why?’ Crider asked.

‘He drove me there from the airport,’ I said. ‘I thought I’d need him, so I asked him to wait.’

‘Cabbies usually wait in the cab,’ Reasoner said, ‘with the meter running.’

‘I made a deal with him to come inside and wait,’ I said. ‘I was gonna use him for the rest of my errands.’

‘Your errands,’ Crider said, ‘we’ll get to those later, Mr Gianelli.’

‘Let’s go inside,’ Reasoner said.

We entered the hospital through the front door, not the emergency entrance. Just inside we stopped.

‘This is as good a place as any,’ Reasoner said. ‘You took the cab from the airport?’

‘That’s right.’

‘You mind tellin’ us where you came in from, Mr Gianelli?’

‘Las Vegas.’

‘Now we can get to your errands,’ Crider said. ‘What brought you to L.A.?’

I’d had time in the car to think about what my answer would be if they asked this question.

‘There are several high rollers living here who owe the Sands quite a bit of money,’ I said. ‘I came to collect.’

‘Does the Sands usually send pit bosses to collect their debts?’ Crider asked. Of course, they had checked me out already and knew half the answers I was giving them — the true half.

‘They do when the players are whales,’ I said, ‘my whales. See, I brought these guys into the casino, I OK’d their increased credit lines, so my boss is holding me responsible for their debts.’

‘And if we asked you who these whales were, would you give us their names?’ Reasoner asked.

‘Only if I had to, Detective,’ I said. ‘My boss at the Sands wouldn’t like it’

If they’d checked me out, like I thought they had, they knew who my boss was. They also knew he ran the Sands, and who he ran it for.

‘Let’s revisit that later,’ Reasoner said. ‘What do you think happened to your friend Larry, Gianelli?’

He had dropped the ‘Mister,’ so I said, ‘Why don’t you just call me Eddie, Detective?’

‘Maybe we’ll get friendly later, Gianelli,’ Crider said. ‘Why don’t you just answer our questions for now?’

‘From what I hear,’ I said, ‘I was paged in the Polo Lounge for a phone call. Larry picked it up. Then he got beat up. I’d say either a pissed off fare got to him, or somebody thought he was me.’

‘Ah,’ Crider said, ‘and why would somebody want to put you in the hospital, Eddie?’ I guessed we were friends now.

‘I don’t know, Detective,’ I said.

‘Could it have been somebody working for one of the whales you were talking about?’ Reasoner asked.

‘It could have been, but I haven’t talked to any of them yet,’ I said, ‘so they don’t know I’m in town.’

‘And what were you doing at the Beverly Hills Hotel?’ Crider asked.

‘Getting a room.’

‘Is that where you usually stay when you come to town?’ Reasoner asked.

‘No,’ I said, ‘but considering the caliber of people I’m here to talk to, my boss thought I should look the part.’

‘So that’s why you got a bungalow?’ Crider asked.

‘Exactly.’

‘But the bungalow is registered to Lucy Johnson,’ Reasoner said.

‘A lady friend of mine,’ I replied. ‘I called ahead and asked her to get the place, and meet me there.’

‘Killin’ two birds with one stone, Eddie?’ Reasoner asked.

‘So to speak, Detective.’

‘Let’s go upstairs and see your friend, Eddie,’ Crider said.

‘Are you guys thinkin’ there’s an off chance that I beat Larry up?’ I asked.

‘I guess that’s what he’ll tell us,’ Reasoner answered.

‘If he’s awake,’ his partner added.