I'm a fool to kill you

FIFTY-SEVEN

I couldn’t go through the casino. Hargrove and his partner of the moment were busily looking for me. I guess there could have been a chance they weren’t, but come on, who else would they be looking for? There was access to other doors, but I’d still have to cross the casino floor. I had to move fast, but I didn’t want to run. My only way out was back through the lounge, but I didn’t want to raise a ruckus.

I backed into the lounge, then turned and moved briskly along the wall. There was a door behind the bar, so that’s where I headed. By the time I got to the end of the bar, though, Didi was there picking up some drinks.

‘Oh!’ she squeaked when she saw me. ‘You forget somethin’, Eddie?’

‘Didi, I need to use the back entrance here to get out,’ I said. ‘There’s somebody in the casino I don’t want to see.’

‘Oh, well, I guess that’s OK,’ she said. ‘Not that you need my permission.’

‘No, I don’t need permission, Didi, but I may need your help.’

‘My help? Sure.’

‘There may be a man in here lookin’ for me,’ I said. ‘And he may be a policeman.’

‘Police?’

‘And I need you tell him you haven’t seen me for a few days.’

‘You want me to lie to a policeman?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ I said, ‘Is that a problem?’

She stared at me for a minute, then her face lit up in a smile and she said, ‘Hell, no, Eddie. Me and my girlfriends used to lie to the sheriff all the time back home.’

‘Back home? Where was that?’

‘Hannibal, Missouri.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘the police are a little different here than in Hannibal, but the principle is the same.’

‘Don’t worry, Eddie,’ she said. ‘I can handle it.’

‘Can you get Lew the bartender to go along with you?’ I asked.

‘Eddie,’ she said, with a wink, ‘I can get Lew to agree to do anything.’

‘I’ll bet you can,’ I said. ‘Thanks, doll.’

I used the door behind the bar to get out of there.

‘Any trouble?’ Jerry asked as I got into the back seat of the car.

‘Maybe.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Ava asked. They both turned to look at me.

‘Did you get the key?’ Jerry asked.

‘I got it, but I saw an old friend of ours in the casino.’

‘An old friend of ours?’ Jerry asked.

I nodded.

‘Hargrove.’

‘What’s that sonofabitch want?’

‘Who’s Hargrove?’ Ava asked.

‘Detective Hargrove,’ I said, ‘Las Vegas Police.’

‘The police? Looking for you?’

‘That’s the only reason I can think of for him to be in the casino,’ I said.

‘We gotta find out for sure if he’s lookin’ for you, Mr G.,’ Jerry said. ‘And if he knows I’m in Vegas.’

‘Let’s get where we’re goin’, Jerry,’ I said, ‘and then I’ll call Jack Entratter and find out what’s what.’

‘OK, Mr G.,’ Jerry said, turning around and starting the Caddy’s. ‘Gimme some directions.’