Fly Me to the Morgue (26 page)

Authors: Robert J. Randisi

Tags: #Suspense

BOOK: Fly Me to the Morgue

10.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Jerry and I pulled up in front, found Danny standing outside, leaning against the front of his Chrysler. We had driven way out on Highway 159, even going past the turn-off that headed out to Red Rock Canyon.

As soon as we pulled up I could see Jerry's head go up, his nostrils flaring. He smelled the place before I did.

âHam,' he said, as Danny walked over.

âYou said it,' Danny said. âHam omelets. It's their specialty.'

âHow's the pancakes?'

âOut of this world. Come in, I'm starving. Been workin' all night.'

We went inside and found a small, cramped empty space. A man came out of the back and he and Danny hugged like long-lost brothers.

âHam omelets for me and my friends,' Danny said, âand a couple of stacks of pancakes for the big guy.'

âComin' up, Danny.'

The guy â about Danny's age, which was a few years older than me â came back out with coffee, got us all filled up and then went to cook.

âWow,' I said. âGood coffee.'

âYeah,' Jerry said, nodding his approval.

âThat's just the beginning,' Danny assured us.

Danny's friend came out with all three omelets and the pancakes at the same time, and managed to deliver it all hot. He followed immediately with perfect toast.

âAnythin' else, guys, just let me know.'

We started to eat, and Jerry and I both heartily approved.

âIf the food's this good why is this place so empty?' I asked.

âOh, Lenny can't have too many people knowin' about this place,' Danny said. âHe's wanted.'

âWanted?' I said.

âIn about half a dozen states.'

âFor what?' Jerry wondered.

âWe don't talk about that,' Danny said.

âOK,' I said, âthen talk about our problem. Tell Jerry what you told me.'

âYou tell 'im,' Danny said. âI'm eating.'

I gave Jerry the description Danny had gotten from the fired cab driver.

âBy the way,' I asked Danny, âwhy'd he get fired?'

âHe loses too many fares.'

âWait a minute,' Jerry said, chewing his pancakes.

âWhat?' I asked.

âThat day out on the road, when that driver almost forced us off the road?'

âYeah,' I said, âthe killer.'

âI started to tell you I thought I saw somethingÂ .Â .Â .'

âWhat was it?'

âHere,' he said, waving his hand in front of his face. âI thought I saw likeÂ .Â .Â . a bigÂ .Â .Â . noseÂ .Â .Â .'

âLike a potato?' Danny asked.

âYeahÂ .Â .Â . I guessÂ .Â .Â . I thought I was justÂ .Â .Â . ya know, seein' things, what with all the dirt and dustÂ .Â .Â . damn it. I shoulda said somethin'.'

âWhy?' I asked. âIt's not like we've run into a guy with a nose like that. But at least now we know he's probably the Red Rock killer.'

âBut we were thinkin' the Red Rock killer wasn't also the killer of the trainer.'

âHe coulda been,' I said, âif he killed the trainer the day before.'

âWe don't know the time of death,' Danny said.

âNo, but the police do. It could've been potato nose, or whoever his partner was when they picked up the trainer at the airport.'

âWere there two guys in the car out in Red Rock?' Danny asked.

I looked at Jerry and he shrugged.

âSome pair of detectives you guys make,' Danny said.

âHe's the brains,' Jerry said, jabbing his fork toward me, âI'm the muscle.'

âAnd you're the detective,' I said. âSo what do we do now?'

SEVENTY

We couldn't very well search Las Vegas for a guy with a nose like a potato. At least, that was what Danny said.

âWe'll have to wait until he turns up.'

âThat could take a long time.'

âProbably not,' Danny said. âThey're still lookin' for the key.'

âWhat key?' Jerry asked.

âSafe deposit box key,' I said. âI forgot to tell you, somebody searched my house. They were lookin' for somethin' small enough to fit in a sugar bowl.'

âA key,' Jerry said, chewing. âMakes sense.'

âYou know,' Danny said, looking at Jerry, âevery time you come to town I gain weight. How come you don't?'

âI have a fast metabolism.'

Then Danny looked at me.

âYou know sometimes I think you're right.'

âAbout what?'

âHe is smarter than he looks.'

We lingered over coffee.

âYou're gonna meet with Adrienne and see if she can get you another meeting with DeStefano, right?' Danny asked.

âRight.'

âWell, watch for the man with the potato nose,' he said. âIf he works for Vince, chances are Vince is behind the killings.'

âTryin' to get a horse?' Jerry asked.

âOr the key,' Danny said.

âIf he's got people lookin' for that key,' Jerry said, âthen who's got it?'

âIt was Philip's,' I said. âWho would he give it to for safe keeping?'

âNot Chris,' Danny said. âThey were at odds.'

âAnd he was at odds with Adrienne, so that leaves her out.'

âEric?' I asked.

âFrom what you tell me, Phil didn't trust Eric with important stuff.'

âSo if it ain't family,' Jerry said, âwho is it?'

The question hung in the air for a few moments, then Danny said, âUnless Phil had a really close friend, it would have to be family.'

âWellÂ .Â .Â .' I said.

âWhat?'

âThere's still one family member,' I said.

âThere is?' Danny asked.

I nodded. âAnother sister. Younger. Doesn't live in Vegas, doesn't gamble. Apparently, has a whole different life.'

âThat makes sense,' Danny said.

âI don't get it,' Jerry said. âIf she's got a whole different lifeÂ .Â .Â .'

âPhil might've mailed her the key,' I said.

âIf he did,' Danny said, âDeStefano might figure it out the way we did.'

âBut then he'd have to find her,' I said.

âAnd who knows where she is?' Danny asked.

âAdrienne,' I said, âand maybe Eric.'

âWell, you're already gonna talk to Adrienne,' Danny said. âWhy don't I talk to Eric?'

âYou ain't workin' on the killin' of the trainer anymore?' Jerry asked.

âAll three killings are connected,' Danny said. âRed Rock, Vegas, it don't matter. If it doesn't have to do specifically with the horse, it has to do with the key.'

âI can see Chris and Phil bein' killed over the key,' I said. âBut why Fred Stanley? If he was just a trainerÂ .Â .Â .'

âDidn't you say,' Danny said, âthat it was Stanley who took this horse idea to Bing Crosby?'

âDid I?' I asked. âI guess that's what he said.'

âThen talk to Bing again,' Danny said. âFind out if Fred Stanley had a connection to the Arnold family. And if not, how he came to hear about this horse.'

âOK,' I said, âyou talk to Eric, Jerry and I will go to Adrienne and Bing. But we all have to do this while avoiding Hargrove. If he puts us in a little room somebody can still get killed over this key.'

âIf that happens while we're in custody,' Danny said, âwe'll be in the clear.'

âThat's not the way I wanna get in the clear, Danny,' I said. âI don't want Adrienne â or her innocent sister â to get killed.'

âOK,' Danny said. âLet's move, then.'

âOK.'

Outside the diner Danny said, âDo me a favor, guys.'

âWhat?' I asked.

âNext time we meet, no food, huh?'

I grinned, looked at Jerry, who stared at Danny and said, âNow you're just talkin' crazy.'

SEVENTY-ONE

We split up.

Danny went his way, we went ours. We agreed to use Penny to pass messages, and if we were going to meet, it would be at her place.

I decided to see Adrienne before I saw Bing. She was the one whose life might be in danger because of a key.

âWhat if there ain't no key?' Jerry asked.

âWhat?'

He kept his eyes on the road.

âI said, what if there ain't no key? We're wrong, and they're lookin' for somethin' else.'

âSomething else that would fit in a cookie jar?' I asked.

Jerry shrugged.

âA piece of jewelry?'

âAll this forÂ .Â .Â . what? A ring? A watch?'

Jerry shrugged again.

âI'm just sayin' what if?'

âYou're right,' I said. âIt could be somethin' else. Let's see what Adrienne has to say about it.'

âWhere we gonna find her? She's probably gonna be casino hoppin' again.'

âIf she is we'll track her down,' I said, âbut let's start at her apartment.'

âOK, Mr G.'

The same doorman was on duty.

âHey, you're back,' he said. âShe's in. She ain't gone to the casino today. What'd you do, cure her?'

âI don't think so,' I said. âWe're gonna go up.'

âWell, Iâ'

I gave him a ten and he waved us to the elevator.

When she answered her door she looked worried, and scared.

âI've been trying to find you,' she said.

âWhy?'

âSomebody broke into my house.'

âThis place?' I asked.

âNo, my house,' she said. âIn Henderson. My cleaning lady called. The place is a mess. It's like they wereÂ .Â .Â .'

âLookin' for something?' I asked.

âYes,' she said, âlike the place was searched.'

âThey searched my house, too. Nobody's been here?' I asked. âMaybe while you were out?'

âIt's not generally known that I own this place,' she said. âI use itÂ .Â .Â . I only use itÂ .Â .Â .'

âI know,' I said. âWhen you need to get to the casinos.'

âYes.' She averted her eyes. Her gambling made her ashamed.

âWell then, that's good,' I said. âMeans the three of us are safe here.'

âSafe?' she asked. âFrom who?'

âLet's sit down, and we'll explainÂ .Â .Â .'

âSo you think Phil has a safety deposit box at City National and some people are looking for the key?'

âThat's what we think,' I confirmed. âUnless you can think of something else that small, someone might be looking for.'

âLike what?'

âWell, Jerry suggested a piece of jewelry.'

âI don't know of a piece of jewelry worth killing for that I own, or Phil owned.'

âWhat about Eric?'

âForget it. He's the worst gambler of all of us. He's got nothing.'

âThere's one more person I can think of,' I said.

âWho?'

âYour sister Elizabeth.'

âWhat? Elizabeth? Sheâs in her own little world, butâ'

âPhil might've mailed the key to her, that's all I'm sayin',' I told her. She really couldn't accept the idea that her sister might be involved. âShe probably has no idea what's goin' on.'

âW-what do you want me to do?'

âJust call her and ask.'

âBut what do I tell her?'

âNothing,' I said. âAs little or as much as you want, Adrienne. Just ask her if Phil mailed her a key.'

âA-all right.'

âDid you ever tell her that Chris was dead?'

âYes, I called and told herÂ .Â .Â .'

She paused, her words catching in her throat.

âJerry, get her somethin' to drink, will ya?'

âSure, Mr G.'

I was surprised when, out of everything she had available, he chose to bring her a glass of brandy. We got her seated with the glass.

âWhat's happening to my family?' she asked. âWhat did they get themselves into?'

âWhatever it is,' I said, âI feel it has to involve Vince DeStefano.'

âOh, God.' She put the glass down and buried her face in her hands. âI did it,' she said, her voice muffled.

âWhat?'

She raised her tear-streaked face to us and said, âI did it. I brought Vince into our lives.'

Up to that point I had been under the impression that Phil had brought Vince into their lives.

âI met him in a casino and started toÂ .Â .Â . to see him. It was exciting at first, and I introduced him to Phil. By the time Vince and I were done with each other, he and Phil wereÂ .Â .Â . friends.'

âWhat about Eric?' I asked.

âPhil introduced them.'

âWell, if I was you, Adrienne, I'd call Eric and warn him to stay out of sight until this is all over. That is, if you know where he is.'

âA-all right,' she said. âI'll call Elizabeth and Eric.'

âAnd Vince,' I added. âWe still wanna have that meeting.'

âOK. I'll do it in the bedroom, and then fix my face.'

âFine,' I said. âIf your sister has the key have her send it to you as quickly as possible.'

âAll right.'

She stood and took the glass of brandy with her, heading for her bedroom.

âOh, and one other thing.'

She turned to look at me.

âYou were gonna get me some other names of people Phil might've been in business with. Somebody else who might have had a reason to want him dead.'