It Was a Very Bad Year

THIRTY-EIGHT

The FBI had the phone tapped, but the call hadn’t lasted long enough to trace. They did, however, have a tape of the conversation.

Raggio and Rudin came back into the room, leaving the FBI agents in the hall.

‘Mr Sinatra,’ Raggio said, ‘you’ll have to keep them on the phone longer next time so we can get a trace.’

‘Look, pally,’ Frank said, ‘I don’t care about any damn trace. I want my boy back. I’m gonna pay them, get him back, and then, believe me, I’ll find them.’

‘Sir,’ Raggio said, ‘with all due respect-’

Jack Entratter stood up, towering over the DA and the lawyer.

‘Mickey, take the gentleman outside so Frank can finish eatin’. When the phone rings again, we’ll do our best.’

‘Jack-’ Rudin said.

‘Mickey,’ Jack said, ‘please.’ Jack’s tone was respectful, but the look on his face was murderous. Mickey Rudin took the hint and accompanied the DA out into the hall.

‘I didn’t even get a chance to ask to talk to Frankie,’ Frank said.

‘It’s gonna be OK, Frank,’ Jack said. ‘They’re not gonna hurt Frankie. If they do, they get no money.’

‘Jack’s right, Frank,’ Jilly said. ‘They got to keep him healthy, in case you do ask to talk to him, or see him.’

I knew they were trying to make Frank feel better, but none of that rang true to me. They could have killed Frankie already, and still be able to collect from Frank. I was worried because these guys sounded like amateurs. For one thing, they had left a witness alive who could ID them. And they hadn’t asked for money yet. It was as if they didn’t know how much to ask for and were trying to figure it out.

I wasn’t and never have been an expert on kidnapping, but this sounded messy to me.

‘All right,’ Jack said, ‘come on, let’s finish eating. You still got to keep your strength up. Next time they call they’ll ask for the cash and probably tell you where to deliver it.’

Frank let himself be coaxed into returning to the food, but he mostly played with it from that point on. Actually, it wasn’t very good spaghetti. It was way undercooked, and the sauce was watery. The meatballs kept falling apart. Finally we all gave up and pushed the table out into the hall. The FBI men eyed the food hungrily. I never knew if they ate the leftovers or not.

‘You guys mind givin’ me some time alone?’ Frank asked, sometime later.

Why not, I thought? We were just sitting around, doing nothing, anyway. We sure as hell weren’t making Frank feel any better.

‘Sure, Frank,’ Jack said. ‘Come on, guys.’

We left the room. The table with the remnants of our meal had been moved. Two FBI men stood there and nodded at us. I wondered what they thought they were guarding.

Jilly and Jack started down the hall to their rooms.

‘Hey Jack, I’m gonna go out for some air. I’ll be back soon.’

‘Yeah, OK, kid,’ he said. ‘Probably nothin’ will happen for a while.’

Even if Frank did get a call about delivering the money there was probably nothing could be done till the next day, anyway.

As I waited for the elevator one of the FBI men said, ‘Might not be a good idea to go anywhere.’

‘I’ll chance it,’ I said. ‘I just need to stretch my legs.’

‘Suit yourself,’ he said, with a shrug.

The elevator came and I took it down. In the lobby were the other two FBI men. As I passed, one of them started to speak into a small radio. As I left the hotel I noticed one of them fall into step behind me. Did they really think I was going to contact the kidnappers?

I walked along North Virginia Street past the casinos, beneath the Primadonna’s five-lady marquee — not lit up, yet. Foot traffic was brisk, and the FBI man was staying close, since there was no reason for him to try and disguise the fact he was following me.

I kept going until I was passing the Cal-Neva on North Virginia and 2nd Streets. Frank had a piece of the Cal-Neva and had also gotten Dino to invest, but Dean had since sold his interest in the place.

I made a left on 2nd Street and what happened next was probably my own fault. I wasn’t paying attention. Maybe I felt secure with an FBI man on my tail, but when a pair of strong hands grabbed me and pulled me into an alley I felt anything but secure.