It Was a Very Bad Year

TWENTY-FOUR

We picked Abby up at her room. Jerry acted like a shy kid when we met her, and she was very nice to him. She had put on a silk blouse, tight black skirt and heels.

‘I figured we weren’t going anywhere really fancy.’

‘Just downstairs,’ I said, ‘unless you want to go somewhere else.’

‘No, that’s fine,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to get out of my room.’

‘We could take in the show at the Copa Room, if you like,’ I said. ‘Tony Bennett.’

‘No, really, that’s all right,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I’d be able to enjoy it. Let’s just go and eat.’

‘OK.’

We took her down to the Garden Room and over dinner she asked Jerry a lot of questions about himself. He answered them as best he could, without really telling her what he did.

Over dessert I thought of a way to tell her how we got Irwin to part with the photos.

‘We should be able to get them for you tomorrow.’

‘Do you need more money?’

‘No’ I said, ‘he should take the five grand.’

‘I don’t know how to thank you.’ She looked at Jerry. ‘Both of you.’

‘Thank us tomorrow, when we hand you the photos,’ I told her.

She suddenly looked troubled by something.

‘Uh, Eddie. .’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re not going to. . oh, never mind.’

‘We’re not going to what?’ I asked. ‘Look at the photos before we bring them to you?’

She nodded.

‘I ain’t gonna look at ’em at all, Miss Dalton,’ Jerry said. ‘And Mr G. is only gonna look to make sure they’re the right ones.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean-’

‘It’s OK,’ I said. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Jerry,’ she said, ‘you can call me Abby, you know.’

‘No,’ I said, ‘he can’t.’

In the end he was calling her Miss D.

We talked a bit about JFK, his presidency, and his assassination, and then we walked her back up to her room. On the way I offered one more time to take her to see Tony Bennett.

‘Thanks,’ she said, ‘but I think I’ll just turn in early. When you hand me those pictures tomorrow I’ll head back to Hollywood. I need to get back to work or Joey might divorce me.’

‘Hey, that’s funny,’ Jerry said. He looked at me. ‘See, Joey’s got the same name on the show-’

‘I know, Jerry.’

When Abby closed the door and left us standing in the hall Jerry said, ‘You wanna go inside with her, Mr G.? I can go downstairs. .’

‘No, Jerry,’ I said, ‘Abby and me, we don’t have that kind of relationship. Let’s go check on Billy.’

‘OK, Mr G.’

Billy was gone.

‘Goddamnit!’ Jerry raged. He stormed around the suite. ‘What the hell-’

‘Maybe he just went downstairs.’

‘I thought I scared the hell outta that boy!’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘he’s your cousin. If he’s anything like you — and I mean, beyond the physical — then he doesn’t scare easy.’

That seemed to mollify him a bit. He stopped pacing and stared at me.

‘You might be right about that, Mr G.’ He sat down heavily on the sofa. ‘But where did he go?’

‘If he went downstairs he’s not going to be able to play,’ I reminded him.

‘But what if he goes somewhere else?’

‘They won’t give him any credit,’ I said. ‘What’s he going to play with?’

‘Oh shit!’ He sprang up off the sofa and ran into one of the bedrooms. ‘Crap!’ he shouted, and ran back out. ‘He took the five grand I stashed for you.’

‘Abby’s money?’

He nodded.

‘If he gambles five grand and loses, somebody’ll give him more on credit. And then I’ll have to tell Abby something.’

‘I gotta find him, Mr G.’

‘Before he spends Abby’s money.’

‘If he does,’ Jerry said, ‘I’ll make it good, Mr G. I’ll pay her back. But I gotta find ’im.’

‘OK,’ I said, ‘let’s go.’