I'm a Fool to Kill You (3 page)

‘Tell him you heard I went out to dinner with Dean Martin.'

FOUR

T
he next morning I drove up to the Sands, stopped to take in the marquee. The day before it had said FRANK SINATRA, DEAN MARTIN, SAMMY DAVIS JR. On this morning it said NAT KING COLE, and below that TONY LABELLA in the lounge. Later that morning I watched from my pit as Jack Entratter walked across the casino floor towards me. He had a determined look on his face, one that said he either had indigestion, or a problem. Or maybe one was causing the other. As usual, his shoulders were straining the seams of an expensive suit.

I stepped out to meet him, and to keep our conversation away from the tables.

‘What's up, Boss?' I asked.

‘Have you seen Ava Gardner?'

‘In which movie?'

‘Don't be a wise guy, Eddie,' he said. ‘Have you seen her in the casino?'

‘Ava Gardner? Here?' My heart started beating faster just at the thought. ‘If she was here I missed her, Jack. What the hell—'

‘Somebody said they saw her in the lobby of the hotel – twice,' he said. ‘Once coming in, and then going out. Very upset, apparently.'

‘When?'

‘This morning. Seems she came in and left within half-an-hour – if it was her.'

‘Who saw her?'

‘I don't know,' he said. ‘Word's gettin' around. You know how that works. Nobody ever remembers where something like that got started. That don't stop them from spreadin' it around, though.'

‘How are you gonna find out if she was actually here, Jack?'

He smiled at me and poked me in the chest with a thick forefinger. ‘I'm not, Eddie. You are. I'll be in my office. Let me know what you find out.' He started away, then stopped and turned. ‘Oh, and stop the word from going around. I don't want to hear it again.'

‘Why me?' I asked.

‘Because you're the guy, Eddie,' he said. Only he said, ‘
T
he
G
uy,' with capital letters. ‘You're my go-to-guy, right?'

‘But why, Jack.'

‘Why what?'

‘Why do you want to know if it was Ava?' I asked. ‘I mean, we get lots of celebrities here. It's Vegas.'

‘Because I'm the boss,' he said, ‘and I'm tellin' you to find out for me. Do you need more than that, Eddie?'

‘Ya know what, Jack?' I said. ‘I kinda do. I mean, after all this time workin' for you, doin' what you say without question—'

‘Ha!'

‘—I need an explanation for this one.'

He hesitated, then said, ‘OK, Eddie. This is not just a celebrity, this is Ava. Frank's Ava. If she came here it was to see him, but then she ran out. I wanna know why before it gets back to Frank. That enough?'

He was looking out for Frank, like always.

‘Yeah, OK,' I said. ‘That's enough.'

‘Thank you,' he said, and started to walk away.

‘Wait, Jack!'

He'd taken two steps, stopped and turned, frowning.

‘What about Frank?' I asked.

‘What about him?'

‘Well . . . can I just ask him if he's seen her?'

Entratter rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

‘I don't see why not, but he's got his ex-wife here, and his kids,' he said. ‘Tread lightly.'

‘I always do, Jack,' I said, ‘when it comes to the guys.'

‘Check with Dean first,' he suggested. ‘Maybe you won't have to bother Frank. Those guys usually know everything about each other.'

‘I'll do that,' I said. ‘I had dinner with him last night, but do you know where he is now?'

‘I can't do your job for you, Eddie,' he said. ‘You know Dino. Check the golf course. I heard Jack Benny's in town. They're probably playing.'

Entratter started to walk away, then stopped and turned, raising his arm like he forgot something.

‘What's with Rachel?' he asked. ‘She's in my office, sayin' you sent her home yesterday.'

‘She's got two left hands, Jack,' I said, scowling at him. ‘And she doesn't have the head for a dealer. And why the hell didn't you tell me she was some mob guy's
goumada
?'

‘You didn't ask,' he said. ‘Besides, I'm the boss. That means I don't have to explain everything to you. Right?'

‘But Jack . . . does she have to be a dealer?'

‘No, she don't,' Jack said. ‘Why don't you just find something else for her to do?'

‘Why do I have to—' I started to ask, again.

‘Because I foisted her off on you,' he answered, cutting me off. ‘You don't want her? Foist her off on someone else. But don't let it interfere with finding out about Ava.'

‘You got it, Boss.'

Since I was going to have to leave the casino floor – and probably the building – I needed somebody to cover my pit for me. One of my floormen was just weeks away from becoming a pit boss himself, so I asked him to take my place for the day.

‘Just today, Eddie?' he asked.

I grinned and said, ‘I'm hoping it won't be much longer than that, Phil, but if it is you'll be the first to know.'

‘Anythin' you wanna tell me before you leave?' he asked.

‘Yeah,' I told him, ‘just don't piss off any of my regulars.'

Then I went in search of Ava Gardner.

FIVE

T
he last film I'd seen Ava in was
On The Beach
, with Gregory Peck. That had been in fifty-nine, three years ago. She'd done an Italian film with Dirk Bogarde in sixty,
The Angel Wore Red
, but I hadn't seen it yet. Since then she'd been off the screen, living in Madrid and supposedly trotting around the globe. Only a few months back I'd heard that she'd started production on a new film called
Fifty-Five Days at Peking
, with Charlton Heston and David Niven. I didn't know if that movie had wrapped or not, but if not what would she be doing in Las Vegas?

The answer was obvious. She would have been looking for Frank. They had been divorced since fifty-seven, but being friends with Frank I knew that he stilled loved her, and she still loved him. They tried to stay friends, but they mixed like dynamite and fire. Frank had once said to me, very sadly, ‘I love her, and God damn me for it.'

I went to the hotel lobby to talk to the staff, hoping to find out who had actually seen Ava in the building. But there had been a shift change. If a bellman or desk clerk had seen her, they had gone home. I decided to go outside and talk to the valets. That's where I lucked out.

‘Yeah, I saw ‘er,' a valet named Kenny said. He had enough acne to make him look like Howdy Doody. ‘Got out of a cab, went inside, came running out again a little while later.'

‘Where'd she go?'

‘Got into another cab.'

‘Did you hear where she told the cabbie to take her?' I asked.

‘I didn't hear, but I figured it must be the airport,' Kenny said.

‘Which cab was it?'

‘It was an Ace cab.'

‘You know which one?'

‘I don't know the number,' he said, ‘but the cabbie's name is Leo.'

‘Is he in line now?' I asked.

Kenny looked over at the line of cabs waiting for fares and said, ‘No, he's not back yet.'

I thought about going to the airport to find him, but he might have been on his way back.

‘Kenny, if he comes back in the next ten or fifteen minutes I'll be in the lobby,' I told the valet. ‘Tell him there's a ten in it for him if he comes in and talks to me.'

‘What's it about, Eddie?' he asked.

‘Just do it, Kenny. OK? As a favor?'

‘Sure thing, Eddie.' I gave him a five spot and went back into the hotel.

SIX

I
used one of the phones behind the front desk to call Ted Silver, who worked in Security at McCarran Airport. I had to wait a while for him to come on the line. In those days the airport – named for Senator Pat McCarran – was pretty small, so he came on the line quick.

‘Eddie G., my man,' Ted said. ‘What can I do for you, brother?'

‘Ava Gardner.'

‘Sign me up.'

‘I need to know if she flew in or out of Vegas in the past couple of hours.'

‘You're kiddin', right?'

‘Not kidding, Ted,' I said. ‘In fact, she may be in the airport right now. Or stepping out of a cab.'

‘Jesus,' he said, ‘what the hell am I doin' on the phone with you?'

‘Find out for me, Ted.'

‘And whataya want me to do with her if she's here?' he asked. ‘You want me to hold ‘er here? She run out on a marker?'

Good question. What did I want? Entratter didn't say anything about bringing her back to the Sands.

‘No, no,' I said, ‘don't detain her. I just need to know if she was here. And where she goes.'

‘That's it?'

‘That's it.'

‘What's it about, Eddie?' he asked. ‘Did she run out on a debt?'

‘Just do it for me, Ted. OK?'

‘OK, Eddie,' Ted said. ‘I'll give ya a call back at the Sands, right?'

‘Right. Thanks, Ted.'

‘Tickets to a show, right?'

‘Whenever you want.'

‘I'll be talkin' to ya.'

I hung up, nodded my thanks to the people behind the desk and got out of their way.

I decided not to bother Dean Martin with this. Frank had told me on more than one occasion that we were friends, and that I could talk to him anytime. On the other side of the desk I found a house phone and asked for Frank Sinatra's suite, made arrangements to see him.

But in the end I decided to go ahead and check with Dean before seeing Frank. I knew how volatile Frank's relationship with Ava had always been. Maybe I could avoid throwing wood on that fire.

I found out Dean had arranged for a tee time at the Desert Inn Golf Course. The last time I bothered him there he'd been playing a round with Bob Hope. This time – according to Jack Entratter – I might've been interrupting a round with Jack Benny.

I found Mack Gray, Dean's Man Friday, in the clubhouse bar. After we shook hands he confirmed that Dean was on the course with Jack Benny.

‘You want I could drive ya out there?' he asked.

‘You know what hole they'll be on?'

‘We could probably figure it out,' he said. ‘Come on.'

We got a golf cart and after Mack wedged his bulk behind the wheel, we took off. Several times as he executed a bend I thought Mack's weight was going to overturn us. But somehow he managed to keep the cart upright.

As we drove I asked Mack if he knew anything about Ava Gardner, any recent news.

‘I know what I hear the boss talk about,' he said. ‘She took some time off from movies, but just made one recently. I think she finished last month.'

‘Where did they shoot?'

‘Spain. I think that was the only reason she did it. She ain't made a Hollywood movie since nineteen sixty.'

Some of that I already knew.

‘There they are,' he said.

They were on the tee for the eighth hole. As we drove toward them Dean noticed us, must have recognized Mack behind the wheel. He said something to the other men – presumably Jack Benny – and walked towards us.

‘What's goin' on, Eddie?' he asked, as I got out of the cart. With my weight gone the thing almost tipped over on Mack, but he quickly got out before that happened.

‘I just wanted to ask you a couple of quick questions before I bother Frank with them,' I said.

Jack Benny looked over at us, and then checked his watch.

‘I won't keep you long, Dean,' I said. ‘I don't want to get Mr Benny mad.'

‘Don't worry,' Dean said, ‘He'll sulk a bit, but when I beat him he's going to blame you.' He put his right hand in the pocket of his white pants, leaned on the golf club with his left. ‘What's this about Eddie?'

‘Word's goin' around the hotel that Ava was there this morning.'

‘Ava? I thought she was in Spain.'

‘That's what I thought. So you didn't see her? Or hear anything?'

‘No.'

‘Nothin' from Frank?'

‘Nope,' he said, shaking his head. ‘If he saw her he hasn't told me.'

‘Would Frank bring Ava to Vegas while his kids were here?' I asked.

‘Maybe,' he said. ‘After all, she was their step-mother for a while.'

‘But would he bring her while their real mom was here?'

‘No,' Dean said, shaking his head, ‘that'd be looking for trouble.'

‘Well,' I said, ‘I guess I'm gonna have to ask him if he's seen her. Entratter wants me to find out if she was really here.'

‘Well, ask him, then,' Dean said. ‘Maybe he did see her, but he sure wouldn't mix her with Nancy.'

I nodded.

‘Thanks Dean.'

‘Anything else?' he asked ‘Or can I get back to my game?'

‘How's it goin', Boss?' Mack asked.

‘You and me are gonna eat in style tonight, Big Guy,' Dean said, ‘on Mr Benny's dime.'

‘That'll make ‘im cry,' Mack said.

‘Let me know what happens, Eddie,' Dean said, and returned to his game.

As we drove back to the clubhouse I said to Mack, ‘It should be interesting to have dinner with Jack Benny, huh?'

‘Oh, Mr Benny won't be there.'