You Make Me Feel So Dead (8 page)

That's when she said, ‘Billy Reynolds is – was – an old boyfriend …'

‘Showed up when?' I asked.

‘A couple of weeks ago.'

‘So you've been seeing him since then?'

‘No, no,' she said, ‘that's not it.' Penny was wearing a drawstring top and pulled it tightly around her slender frame. She shook her head so that her black ponytail kept bouncing up and down. ‘I wasn't seeing him at all. I mean, not like that.'

‘Then how?'

‘He was forcing me to see him.'

‘Forcing you how? And why didn't you just tell Danny about it?'

‘You know Danny, Eddie,' she said. ‘If I told him that Billy was blackmailing me, he would have killed him.'

‘Blackmail?' I asked. ‘What did he have to blackmail you with?'

She chewed her bottom lips, dug her hands into her pockets.

‘I can't say, Eddie,' she replied, ‘but if I had told Danny … he would have killed Billy, for sure.'

‘Well,' I said, ‘somebody killed Billy, anyway. What happened when you went into that house?'

‘Nothing,' she said. ‘I found him and I ran. That's when I bumped into Jerry.' She looked at Jerry. ‘And he saved me.'

‘For now,' I said.

‘What do you mean?'

‘They let Jerry go because he has no motive to want to kill Billy Reynolds,' I said. ‘He doesn't even know the guy. That means they're gonna be looking for somebody – somebody who lives in Vegas – who does know him.'

She bit her bottom lip again – chewed it, actually.

‘When they check into this guy's background, are they gonna come up with you, Penny?'

She turned abruptly and walked away from us, pacing around her living room.

‘Penny?'

She looked at me, her brow knitted, her eyes filling with tears.

‘Come on, Penny,' I said. ‘I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. When the police check into Billy Reynolds' background, are they going to come up with you?'

She stopped pacing and faced both of us, her hands still deep into her pockets.

‘If they check up on him,' she said, ‘they're gonna find out that we were arrested together – twice.'

‘A
rrested?' I asked.

‘Some of my best friends' been arrested,' Jerry said to her. ‘Ain't no shame in that.'

‘There's shame in what I was arrested for,' she said.

‘Was it murder?' Jerry asked.

‘What? No!'

‘Then there ain't no shame, miss.'

‘Penny,' I said, ‘for us to understand, you've got to tell us the whole story.'

She rolled her eyes, fought back the tears.

‘Starting with why you were arrested.'

She closed her eyes, which caused a large tear to slip from both. They quickly trickled down her face and dripped off her chin.

‘Can we sit down?' she asked, sounding exhausted.

‘Of course,' I said. We'd been standing right there in the middle of her living room since we entered.

‘Do you want somethin' to drink?' Jerry asked.

She sat on the sofa and touched her forehead. ‘Water, I guess.'

‘I could make you some tea,' he said. ‘Do you have tea?'

‘Yes, I have some.'

‘Would you like a cup?'

She took a deep breath and let it out. ‘That would be nice, Jerry.'

Her place had a kitchenette rather than a kitchen, so Jerry was able to make her the tea and still listen to her story.

‘Penny?' I prodded her gently.

She took another deep breath, one that made her shoulders rise all the way up and then down again.

‘I was seventeen,' she said, ‘and homeless. And I met Billy. He was older – maybe twenty-five at the time.' She stopped. ‘To make a long story short, he convinced me to do some things I didn't want to do. When we got arrested for stealing, I should have left him, but I couldn't. I still had nothing of my own. So I stayed. Then I got arrested for … soliciting.' She lowered her head, and her shoulders slumped. She was totally humiliated.

‘All right,' I said, ‘it goes without saying that you were not actually soliciting,' I said. ‘You did not actually do any hooking … did you?'

Her head came up and she said, ‘I didn't, I swear, Eddie!'

‘I believe you, Penny,' I said. ‘Danny would believe you, too.'

‘I know that,' she said. ‘Danny would never think badly of me.'

‘But you still didn't want to tell Danny about it.'

‘No,' she said. ‘He would have killed Billy for sure.'

I paused when I saw Jerry coming over with her tea. The delicate cup and saucer looked incongruous in Jerry's huge hands.

‘Here ya go,' he said, setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. ‘You want some sugar or milk?'

‘Just sugar.'

He ran to the counter and came back with a sugar bowl. I noticed he had not made a cup for himself, or me.

‘Thanks, Jerry.'

There were two armchairs that matched the sofa. I was in one, and Jerry settled his bulk into the other.

She sipped the tea and set it down.

‘Is that OK?' Jerry asked.

‘It's wonderful,' she said, ‘thank you.'

‘Penny.'

She looked at me.

‘What's been going on since Billy showed up in Vegas?' I asked.

‘I've been fending him off,' she said. ‘When I ran into him on the street I thought it was a coincidence.'

‘How long since you had seen him?'

‘Oh … must be ten years.'

‘What happened?'

‘He told me he had changed, gone legit. But his fortunes still hadn't changed. He was broke.'

‘Did he ask you for money?'

‘Not that first time, but later he called me and asked me to meet him. He was nervous, edgy, and asked me for money.'

‘How much?'

‘Five thousand.'

‘But you didn't give it to him.'

‘I didn't have five thousand dollars, Eddie,' she explained.

‘But you gave him something, right?'

She looked down, ashamed again.

‘Yes.'

‘How much.'

‘Twelve hundred,' she said. ‘It was all I had in the bank.'

‘Why did you empty your bank account?'

‘I thought he would go away.'

‘Oh, Penny,' Jerry said.

We both looked at him. I'd never heard that soft tone of voice from the big guy before. I can't even describe it, but it made me look at him.

‘Givin' him anythin' just made sure he'd come back,' Jerry said.

‘I know that now, Jerry.'

‘Why didn't you just go to Mr G.?' he asked. ‘He woulda helped you.'

She looked at me. ‘I knew you'd help me, but … I didn't want you to think badly of me, either.'

‘So Billy came back for more?'

‘And I told him I didn't have more, but he didn't believe me,' she said. ‘He didn't want to believe me.'

‘So he kept insisting.'

‘Yes.'

‘And what did you decide to do?'

‘I thought I could get a loan,' she said, ‘but it would only be one time.'

‘And did he agree to that?'

‘That's what I was meeting him about,' she said, ‘only he was dead when I got there.'

‘Did he say anything to you about somebody threatening him?'

‘No,' she said. ‘He told me he'd gone straight.'

‘But you didn't really believe him, did you?' Jerry asked.

‘No.'

‘So are you surprised that somebody killed him?' I asked.

‘Kind of,' she said. ‘Everything he's ever been into has been petty, nothing to get killed over.'

‘Well,' I said, ‘somebody thought it was bad enough to kill him.'

‘How do we find out who?' she asked.

‘Why do we have to?' I asked. ‘I mean, it's up to the cops, and unless they decide that you're a suspect, we can just sit tight. If we start asking questions now we might attract attention.'

‘Mr G.,' Jerry said, ‘they're gonna find her name in this guy's known associates file.'

‘You're probably right, Jerry,' I said, ‘but I still say let's wait and see. There's always the possibility that Penny won't have to deal with the police.'

Jerry gave me a look that clearly asked what I was smoking, but I figured Penny deserved the chance to stay out of the whole thing.

‘What about Danny?' Penny asked.

‘What about him?' I asked.

‘Does he have to know?'

‘I think that's up to you, Penny.'

‘But … what will you tell him?'

She still didn't know that Danny had asked me to check up on her,
and
she still hadn't asked why Jerry was where he was when she ran into him. That was good, because I hadn't had time to think up an answer for her. But she was going to come up with that question sooner or later.

‘I'm not gonna tell him anything,' I said. ‘Like I said, it's up to you.'

B
ut I had to tell Danny something, didn't I?

Jerry and I left Penny's apartment, assured by her that she was not leaving.

‘But I'll be at work tomorrow,' she added.

‘That's fine,' I said.

‘If you talk to Danny will you let me know, Eddie? I don't want any surprises.'

‘I will,' I promised.

Outside Jerry asked, ‘What are you gonna tell the Dick?'

‘I don't know yet.'

‘You gotta tell him the truth, right?' Jerry asked. ‘I mean, he's your friend and he asked you to check up on his girl.'

We reached the Caddy and he got behind the wheel. I walked around and got in.

‘Penny's my friend, too.'

‘Yeah, but,' Jerry said, ‘he's really your friend, right? From when you was kids in Brooklyn? That's gotta mean more, right?'

‘Why? Because we were kids? Or because it was in Brooklyn?'

‘Well … both.' He started the car. ‘Where to?'

‘The Sands,' I said. ‘Time to get you settled in your suite. Give you a chance to breathe. Know the way?'

‘I think so.'

We pulled away from the curb and he handled the big Caddy with a sure hand.

‘She's right, ain't she?' Jerry asked.

‘About what?'

‘The Dick,' he said. ‘He woulda killed the guy.'

‘Probably.'

‘Maybe …' he started, then stopped.

‘Maybe what?'

‘I was thinkin',' he said, ‘maybe he did find out, and maybe he did kill 'im.'

‘If I thought that,' I said, ‘then I'd have to look into it, wouldn't I?'

‘Well, Mr G.,' he said. ‘We'd have to look into it. I'm in this, too. After all, I was there.'

‘Right, you were.'

We drove in silence and then he asked the other question that was on his mind.

‘Mr G.?'

‘Yeah?'

‘What if she
did
do it?'

‘Just keep drivin'.'

I
t was late when we got to the Sands – late, that is, for anyplace but Vegas. I took Jerry directly up to his suite.

‘Your suitcase is in the bedroom,' I said. ‘Do you want to turn in?'

‘No,' he said, ‘I want somethin' to eat. Gettin' grilled makes me hungry.' He had no idea he'd made a joke.

‘OK,' I said. ‘We can get something downstairs.'

‘I wanna take a quick shower and change first.'

‘Take your time,' I said. ‘I'll make a call.'

‘To the Dick?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Know what you're gonna tell 'im yet?'

‘No.'

‘Good luck.'

He went into the bedroom and in moments I heard the shower running. I sat on the sofa, moved the phone from the end table to the coffee table, and dialed Danny's number.

‘Eddie,' he said when he realized it was me, ‘you got somethin' for me?'

‘I've got some things,' I said, ‘but I don't know how much to tell you.'

‘What?' he said. ‘Why wouldn't you tell me everything you've found out, Eddie?'

‘I guess I should,' I said, ‘but not right now, Danny. Let's have breakfast tomorrow.'

‘Did something happen?' he asked. ‘Is Penny OK?'

‘Penny's fine,' I said.

‘Then what's goin' on?'

‘Danny—'

‘Never mind breakfast,' he said. ‘I'm comin' over there – as soon as you tell me where you are. Where are you? The Sands?'

‘Yeah,' I said. ‘OK, look, Jerry and I will be in the Garden Room. Meet us there.'

‘OK,' he said. ‘I'm on my way.'

‘See you soon.'

I hung up and jumped when Jerry came into the room.

‘That was a quick shower,' I said.

‘That's what I said it was gonna be, Mr G.,' he said. ‘Who you gonna see soon?'

‘Danny,' I said. ‘He's gonna meet us downstairs.'

‘You gonna tell him now?'

‘I couldn't put him off,' I said, ‘and you're right. He deserves to know everything.'

‘I like bein' right.'

‘Yeah, well,' I said, ‘don't make a habit of it. You ready?'

‘Ready and hungry.'

‘Yeah,' I said, surprising myself, ‘me, too.'

J
erry and I had plates in front of us when Danny showed up.

‘I'll have the same,' he told the waitress, as he took a chair at the table. Sitting in a booth with Jerry was just too confining. I didn't have much of a choice at the Horseshoe, but the Garden Room had tables as well as booths.

He flipped over the cup on the table in front of him and poured some coffee from the pot next to it.

‘OK, guys,' he said, ‘what's up?'