I'm a Fool to Kill You (27 page)

‘Yeah, well, they can't be very good men, can they? I mean, I'm just a casino pit boss, yet I have three of their rings right here.' I picked up the others, held them all in my palm and rattled them at him. I noticed there was a line of Momo's sauce down the side of the jar that had made a small pool on the desk.

‘Give them to me!' Napolitano said, his eyes flashing.

‘Yeah, sure, here ya go,' I said, tossing them to him.

He put his hands out to catch them. As he did I grabbed the jar of sauce, flipped the lid off and tossed the contents into Napolitano's face.

His two men were stunned by the move, didn't know where to look or what to do. They did release the girl's arms and she slid to the floor, unable to stand.

Jack had opened his top drawer when I moved and grabbed his gun. At the same time I pulled Ava's little gun out of my pocket.

Jack stood up, extended his gun and fired twice at Napolitano's men. The sound was deafening within the confines of the office.

I moved in on Napolitano, who was still wiping sauce from his eyes. I jammed the barrel of Ava's gun right under his chin.

‘Eddie! Don't!' Jack shouted. He obviously thought I was going to pull the trigger.

Napolitano dropped his hands and looked at me from behind a marinara mask.

‘Go ahead, pull the trigger. I am done, anyway. If you don't kill me I'll keep going after the woman, and you.'

‘I don't think so, Napolitano,' Jack said. ‘For one thing I don't think you've got many more men.'

‘For another, I'm still gonna prove that Ava Gardner didn't kill your son,' I said.

‘Then who did?'

‘That's what I'm gonna find out.'

‘As well as who the traitor in my house is,' Entratter said.

‘That I will not tell you,' Napolitano said. He licked some sauce from his chin. ‘What is this?' he demanded.

‘Sam Giancana's marinara sauce,' I said. ‘You owe me a new jar.'

SEVENTY-THREE

J
ack had to call the cops.

I had no choice but to stay and wait for them. Napolitano was sure to tell Hargrove I was there, and then he'd be looking for me – again.

Jack took his girl out to her desk, made her sit down and gave her a small brandy. She insisted she was fine and he told her she was a trooper.

I kept Napolitano company until Hargrove arrived with three uniforms and they took him into custody.

‘What is all this?' Hargrove asked, looking at the orange stains on Napolitano and the floor. ‘It doesn't look like blood.'

‘Marinara,' I said.

‘How the hell—'

‘We'll tell you the whole story,' Entratter said, coming back into the room.

‘You two?' Hargrove asked, folding his arms. ‘That will be a switch.'

‘Where's Ava Gardner?' Hargrove asked.

‘She's someplace safe.'

‘With your buddy Jerry?'

‘No, with my buddy Danny.'

‘Hmph, Bardini.' He was almost less of a fan of Danny's than he was of me. ‘Well, I'm going to have to talk to her.'

‘Have to, or want to, Detective?' I asked.

‘I ain't a starry eyed movie fan, Eddie,' he said. ‘I'm just tryin' to do my job.'

‘OK, but I can't tell you where she is. I'll bring her to your office.'

He was about to object, but I'm sure what went through his mind at that moment was having Ava Gardner show up at the police station, asking for him.

‘OK,' he said. ‘Today.'

‘Sure.'

‘I got a statement from your secretary, Mr Entratter,' Hargrove said. ‘She's pretty shook up. You might want to send her home.'

‘Yeah, I'll do that,' Jack said.

‘And I'll need you to come to headquarters with me,' he said. ‘As long as you're stickin' to the story that you pulled the trigger.'

‘I did pull the trigger,' Jack said.

Hargrove looked at me.

‘I threw the sauce,' I told him.

When I picked Jerry up he said, ‘You got sauce on your sleeve.'

Leave it to him to immediately recognize the red stuff for what it was.

‘Come on, I'll tell you about it in the car.'

By the time we arrived at Penny's I had filled him in. Now I was going to have to repeat it for Danny, Ava and Penny.

‘That was pretty smart,' Jerry said, as we got out. ‘And lucky.'

‘I know,' I said. ‘About the lucky part, I mean.'

We went up to Penny's place and she opened the door.

‘Thank God,' she said. ‘We're losing all our money in gin.'

‘I shoulda warned ya not to play with her,' Jerry said.

‘Hey, look who's back!' Danny said, from the kitchen table.

‘How did everything go?' Ava asked.

‘Actually, it went pretty good,' I said. ‘We got Napolitano.'

‘How'd you manage that?' Danny asked.

I told them the story. Ava actually laughed when I got to the part about throwing the jar of sauce.

‘So that's what's on your sleeve,' Danny said.

‘I spotted it right away,' Jerry said, proudly.

‘You would,' Danny said.

‘So it's over?' Ava asked. ‘Napolitano is the one who's been trying to have me killed?'

‘He's the one,' I said, ‘but we still don't know who killed his son.'

‘How about Giancana?' Danny asked.

I frowned.

‘That would mean he was willing to let Ava take the blame,' I said. ‘Since Frank's his friend, would he do that?'

‘That animal always hated me,' she said. ‘Probably because I hated him. I can believe he'd let me take the rap.'

‘I guess that makes sense,' I said.

‘Can't prove it, though,' Danny said. ‘Maybe you can get Giancana to admit it to you, but you still wouldn't be able to prove it.'

‘You could tell Mr S.,' Jerry said.

They all looked at him.

‘I mean, then he'd have to explain himself to Mr S.,' the big guy said.

We all thought that over for a few moments, and then Ava broke the silence.

‘As much as I used to try to get Frank to dump Momo,' she said, ‘I don't like that idea.'

‘Why not?' I asked.

‘It would hurt Frank to know what Momo did,' she said. ‘And like Danny says, we don't have proof.'

‘OK' I said, ‘nobody says anything to Frank.'

‘So what do we do now?' Penny asked.

‘The cops want to talk to you, Ava,' I said. ‘They want me to bring you to headquarters.'

‘What should I tell them?'

‘Almost the truth,' I said.

‘How much is almost?' she asked.

‘I'll coach you on the way.'

SEVENTY-FOUR

H
argrove was a damned liar.

When Ava Gardner walked in he jumped to his feet and gushed.

‘We can use my Lieutenant's office,' he told us. ‘Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?'

‘No,' she said. ‘I'm fine.'

‘I'll have some coffee,' I said.

‘Forget it!' Hargrove said. ‘And you stay out here while Miss Gardner and I have a talk.'

She looked at me and said, ‘I'll be all right.'

There was no reason why she shouldn't be all right. We had all coached her on the way. I had left Danny and Jerry off at a bar down the block. I didn't remember if the two of them had ever spent anytime together, alone. I hoped they would get along.

Hargrove closed the door of his Lieutenant's office, leaving him and Ava alone. Entratter was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he had made his statement and gone home. Of course, he could have been in a cell. I had no idea if the gun he'd used in his office was registered or not. Meanwhile, Danny was going back to his office after dropping Jerry off at the Sands.

I sat in the chair next to Hargrove's desk. On the desk I saw a plastic evidence bag with the two silver snake rings, and the gold one.

If Entratter was back at the Sands he was probably already looking for the man Napolitano had somehow inserted in to his Sands staff. It was because of that man I still wouldn't be able to take Ava back to the Sands when Hargrove was done with her.

I spotted a coffee pot across the room, so I got up and poured myself a cup. Nobody tried to stop me. I went back to Hargrove's desk and sat down. His partner came over and sat at the desk closest to me.

‘So, what happened to Hargrove's other partner?'

‘The negro?' he asked. ‘He's moved on to other employment.'

I guess if I cared I would have asked what that meant.

‘You're supposed to be a pretty big shot in this town,' he said.

‘I'm just a casino pit boss.'

‘That's not what Hargrove says.'

‘Hargrove isn't the detective he thinks he is.'

‘I'll tell him you said so,' he said, with a grin.

‘Please do.'

He applied himself to some paperwork on his desk and I drank my coffee, staring at his right hand.

After about half an hour the office door opened and Hargrove came out with Ava.

‘Thank you for your statement, Miss Gardner.'

She smiled at him and said, ‘Always my pleasure to spend time with a handsome man.'

I could see by the look on Hargrove's face that he had been totally charmed.

He walked over to me and said, ‘Your turn.'

I saw Holman getting Ava a cup of coffee as Hargrove closed the office door.

‘How's your new partner workin' out?' I asked Hargrove.

‘What's that got to do with anything?' he asked.

‘I noticed his right hand,' I said.

‘What about his right hand.'

‘Used to have a ring on it,' I said.

‘Let's just get on with the statement.'

‘Sure,' I said. ‘Anything you say.'

It took me twenty minutes, probably because Hargrove wasn't flirting with me the whole time.

‘Don't leave town,' Hargrove said. ‘Any of you. Remind Entratter of that.'

‘Jack never leaves town,' I said.

‘Fine. See that you and Miss Gardner don't. Not until I tell you.'

I looked around.

‘Where is she?'

He did the same.

‘I don't know.'

I looked at Holman's desk. He was gone too.

‘Where's your partner?' I demanded.

‘Beats me,' Hargrove said, with a shrug. ‘He's supposed to be here.'

‘Ask somebody,' I said.

‘What?'

‘Find out where they went!'

‘Who do you think—'

‘Unless you want to be held responsible for the death of Ava Gardner,' I said, ‘ask!'

SEVENTY-FIVE

H
argrove came back into the squad room.

‘An officer saw Holman leaving with Miss Gardner.'

‘Does he know where they went?'

‘No.'

‘Damn it!'

‘What's this about, Eddie?' he demanded.

‘Come on,' I said, ‘I'll explain on the way.' I headed for the door.

‘On the way where?' he asked, trailing after me.

‘I don't know!'

We were in Hargrove's car, driving around aimlessly, trying to see if Holman had stopped somewhere close by with Ava.

‘You think Holman works for Napolitano?' he asked. ‘That's crazy.'

‘You have never seen the ring he wore on his right hand?'

‘Well, sure . . .'

‘What does it look like?'

Hargrove thought.

‘Damn it, I can't remember!' he said, finally.

‘Come on, Hargrove,' I said, ‘a trained observer like you? You can't tell me you can't—'

‘It was silver!' he said, suddenly.

‘Ah,' I said, ‘silver like the ones on your desk in the evidence bag? Like Napolitano's gold one?'

‘But Napolitano's in jail,' Hargrove said. ‘Why still go after Ava?'

‘Because,' I said, ‘with Napolitano's lawyers he'll probably be out by morning.'

‘So even if we manage to save her he'll be after her again.'

‘I don't think so,' I said, thinking of Giancana.

‘Why not?'

‘Wait,' I said, suddenly struck by a thought. ‘Head for the Sands.'

‘Why?'

‘Is Holman a killer?'

‘Yesterday I would've said no. But that ring . . .'

‘Maybe it doesn't mean what we think it means,' I said. ‘Maybe it's not made guys that wear it, just . . . guys who have worked for Napolitano for a certain amount of time.'

‘What's your point?'

‘If he's not gonna kill her himself, he's got to take her to someone who will.'

‘And where do we find that guy?'

‘At that Sands.'

SEVENTY-SIX

W
e pulled up in front of the Sands. There was some commotion, people complaining, valets running around. I spotted Kenny, and Hargrove spotted the car.

‘That's Holman's,' he said.

‘Kenny! What's happening?' I asked.

‘Some guy drove up and ran inside with Ava Gardner,' the valet said. ‘Just left his car here with no key in it. Now we're blocked.'

‘I'll take care of it,' I said.