It Was a Very Bad Year

SEVENTY-FOUR

The anniversary party was in full swing in the Sands Ballroom when we got there. We’d taken the time to shower the desert off us, treat our cuts and bruises, and then dress for the party.

There was a band playing, and people dancing. Waitresses dressed like showgirls — or maybe they were showgirls — were working the room, carrying trays of hors d’oeuvre and drinks. Celebrities were also working the room, mixing with the guests. I spotted Dino and Joey, Jack Jones, Nat King Cole, Steve and Eydie, Tony Bennett, Richard Conte. . they had all turned out for the Sands’ eleventh anniversary.

We found Jack Entratter standing with a group of people, including Jilly Rizzo, Frank, and the Mayor of Las Vegas.

The Mayor was rambling on — as he was prone to do — which meant that Jack was scanning the room. He spotted us approaching.

‘What the hell happened to you?’ he asked.

I touched the band-aid above my left eye.

‘Oh, Jerry knocked me down.’

‘What?’

‘That’s OK,’ I said. ‘It was just to save my sorry ass.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Entratter said. He interrupted the Mayor just long enough to excuse himself, then grabbed my sore left arm and pulled me to the side. Jerry followed along, snagging a pig-in-a-blanket from a passing girl.

‘OK,’ he said, ‘now tell me what the hell happened with you two?’

I explained to him about finding out where Irwin was, and driving out there to get him. How we grabbed him, but Jerry had to shoot it out with the Rienza brothers while we were getting away.

‘Oh, Christ. Are they dead?’ he asked.

‘Oh, yeah,’ Jerry said.

‘Jesus. .’

‘Jerry pushed me out of the way, then turned on them — it was like somethin’ outta the Wild West, Jack. Guns blazin’, and those boys hittin’ the ground.’

Entratter looked at Jerry.

‘And you?’

‘A few scratches,’ he said. ‘I lost my footin’ and fell down.’

‘And then you just left?’

‘Naw,’ I said, ‘once the shootin’ was over we called the Sheriff’s Department, and when they came out we had them call the Las Vegas PD. They cuffed us all, but when Hargrove got there they let us go.’

‘Hargrove let you go?’

‘Hey, we gave him Irwin for murder, and kidnappin’. Believe me, he’s real happy.’

‘He’s gotta prove it all.’

‘I’m thinkin’ the other kidnappers won’t wanna take the rap without good ol’ Barney,’ I told him. ‘I don’t know about the murder, but that should put him away for a good long time. Besides, we also found out he’s been producing illegal porn. Believe me, he ain’t goin’ nowhere for a while.’

‘So you’re off the hook for murder?’

‘Looks like.’

‘And they ain’t gonna go after Jerry for killin’ the Rienza boys?’

I shook my head.

‘Self-defense.’

‘What about his gun?’

‘They took it away from me,’ Jerry muttered, mournfully.

‘And they ain’t gonna charge you?’

‘Hargrove said he’d see what he could do about that,’ I said.

‘Don’t worry. I ain’t gonna sweat a gun charge, Mr Entratter.’

‘You’ll have one of our lawyers, Jerry,’ Jack assured him. ‘So you won’t have to.’

‘Thanks, Mr E.,’ Jerry said. ‘Is there food here? I mean, other than this small stuff?’

‘There’s a buffet table on the other side of the room.’

Jerry took off.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that,’ Jack said, watching big Jerry bull his way to the other side of the room.

‘He would’ve found it, anyway.’

‘Come on, Eddie,’ Jack said, slapping me on the shoulder, ‘let’s get you a drink, and then you can tell Frank that the last motherfucker who kidnapped his kid is in custody.’