I'm a fool to kill you

SIXTY-THREE

Giancana told me to get to a phone I felt secure with and call him back. To me that meant nothing in Jack’s office, and nothing in the Sands. In fact, nothing in any casino. I told him I’d get to a pay phone, hung up and left the casino. I walked a couple of blocks to a phone booth outside a gift shop. But before I called Momo back, I called Jerry.

‘No, Mr G., I didn’t call Mr Giancana. But I called some guys who work for him. They said the two dead guys wasn’t with any crew. They freelanced, but they wasn’t really good enough to be with a real crew.’

‘Well, somehow Momo heard about it,’ I said. ‘And he wants to talk to me about Danny.’

‘Did Danny go to Chicago?’

‘I don’t know, probably.’

‘Maybe he got himself in trouble again,’ he said, referring to Danny’s problems earlier in the year.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I guess there’s only one way to find out.’

‘Let me know what happens, Mr G.,’ he said. It sounded like Momo Giancana even made Big Jerry nervous.

I hung up and dialed Giancana, who I assumed was waiting by a secure line.

He picked up on the second ring.

‘What took ya so long?’ he asked. It wasn’t a demand, just curiosity.

‘I had to find a phone booth,’ I said. ‘What can I do for you, Mr Giancana?’

‘It has come to my attention that you’ve had some trouble with a couple of boys from Chicago.’

‘Um, well, that’s not really somethin’ I’d want to confirm, right now.’

‘Hey, Eddie,’ he said, ‘you’re talkin’ ta me, not the cops, Capice?’

‘Yeah, I understand, but-’

‘Lemme tell you what I know,’ he said, cutting me off. ‘You’re tryin’ ta help out Ava Gardner, who’s had some problems of her own, but now your problems and hers are the same. Hey, ya know what?’

‘What?’

‘We can’t be doin’ this over the phone. You come here to Chicago, we’ll go have some dinner, hit the Ambassador, and see if we can’t solve everybody’s problems. Maybe catch Sammy at the Chez Paree.’

‘You want me to come to see you?’

‘Sure. Is that a problem? Jack Entratter gives ya time off, don’t he?’

‘Well, sure-’

‘I mean, like when ya gotta help Frank and Dino?’

‘Yes.’

‘So ya fly out here and I’ll see ya tomorrow. Somebody’ll pick you up at O’Hare.’

‘Uh, Mr Giancana-’

‘Hey, just call me Momo, hah?’

‘OK, Momo, did you say something to the desk clerk about Danny Bardini?’

‘Oh, your buddy the P.I.? Yeah, he’s my guest. He was askin’ some questions and it got back ta me. Also, I heard Jerry Epstein was makin’ some calls and me, I talked to Jack Entratter. Ay, I’m gettin’ it from all sides. But you, you’re the horses mout’, so I figured I’d get the story straight from you.’

‘I see.’

‘So I’ll see ya tomorrow, Eddie G.,’ Momo said. ‘First flight inna mornin’, hah?’

‘If I can get on it I’ll-’

‘You try,’ he said, before hanging up, ‘real hard.’

I thought it over for a while before I finally called Frank in Tahoe. I didn’t know if he was still there, didn’t know if he was in his cabin, but I was leaving it up to fate. If he answered, I’d ask him what I was thinking of asking him.

He answered.

‘Hey, Frank, it’s Eddie.’

‘What’s up? Ava OK?’

‘So far,’ I said, ‘but I just got off the phone with Momo. He wants me to come to Chicago.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’ve been askin’ questions about some Chicago button men,’ I said.

‘There are some assholes from Chicago after Ava?’ Frank asked. ‘Is that what you’re tryin’ to tell me?’

‘I’m still lookin’ into it, Frank, but I’ve got a question for you.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Momo,’ I said. ‘He seems to have Danny. Do I have any reason not to go and see him?’

Frank hesitated before answering.

‘If he wanted Danny dead, he’s dead already, Eddie,’ he said. ‘If he wanted you dead, you’d be dead, too. I don’t think he’d invite you — he did invite you, didn’t he?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Yeah, well, I don’t think he’d invite you to Chicago to bump you off. Is that what you’re worried about?’

‘That’s it.’

‘I’d say go,’ Frank said, ‘but I’ve got some help for you, if you want it.’

‘I want it.’

‘OK,’ he said. ‘I’ll make a call. .’