The waitress had cleared the table and we were all having coffee.
“I talked to the staff,” I said, “especially the people on the front desk.”
“Eddie,” Danny said, “somebody’s lying to you. Somebody saw somethin’ they’re not tellin’ you, or did somethin’ they’re not tellin’ you. What you have to do is find out who and what it is.”
“I can help with that,” Jerry said.
“How?” I asked.
“Just let me pound on some people until they talk.”
“I think I’ll save that as a last resort, Jerry,” I said.
“It usually works,” he grumbled.
“My guess would be it’s someone who was recently hired,” Danny went on. “Maybe because they knew that Frank and Dino and the others would be here. There have been no threats against the others? Sammy Davis? Joey Bishop? No Jew bashing? No bigots because Sammy’s a Negro?”
“Nothin’,” I said. “Just Dean.”
“If it was Peter Lawford it could even be political, since he’s part of the Kennedy clan.”
“Not a peep,” I said, “unless they’re not tellin’ me.”
We all sat there in silence for a few moments. The only sound was Jerry chewing the last of his pancakes, washing it down with the final swigs of coffee.
“Why would they not tell you?” Danny asked. “Why tell you about Dean Martin and not the others?”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Unless,” Jerry said, “the others have had threats and are clammin’ up about it.”
Danny and I looked at him.
“Why would they not say anythin’?”
Jerry shrugged.
“Maybe Sammy Davis is so used to threats he doesn’t mention them,” Danny offered.
“And maybe Lawford does think they’re political, and have nothin’ to do with Vegas,” I said.
“Have you met them yet?” Danny asked.
“No,” I said. “And I’ve been wanting to meet Sammy. I only know Joey, Frank and Dino, right now. I’ve been introduced to Richard Conte and Henry Silva-”
“Angie Dickinson?” Danny asked, hopefully.
“Not yet.”
“Well, Conte and Silva, they’re just actors, not really part of the Rat Pack.”
“Frank is the only one who was part of the original Rat Pack,” Jerry said.
“That’s right,” Danny said. “I read about that. It was Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall who started it. After Bogie died, Frank sort of took it over, changed some of the members-”
“He calls it the Summit,” Jerry said. Again, we looked at him. “The newspapers, they stuck them with the Rat Pack name. Frank even tried callin’ it the Clan.”
“That wouldn’t fly in the papers,” Danny said. “Not with Sammy as a member.”
I waved at the waitress and made a writing motion in the air, asking for the check.
“Seems like I suddenly have a lot to do,” I said.
“Do you know somebody in employment at the Sands?” Danny asked. “They could get you a list of recent employees.”
“And then I’ll have to interview all of them,” I said. I looked at Danny. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested-”
“I’ll interview Angie Dickinson,” he said. “Or even Shirley Maclaine. I hear she’s got a bit part.”
I stared at him.
“Look, I’ve done some work for you already on the house. Get me on the payroll and I’ll help out.”
“Well,” I said, “Frank did tell me to hire somebody if I thought I needed help.”
“There ya go,” Danny said.
Jerry stared at Danny, like how dare he ask for money to help Frank Sinatra.
“Hey,” Danny said, “I’m Italian, but I need to make a living. Capice?”
“I getcha,” Jerry said.
“I sure ain’t getting’ comped at the Sands,” Danny added.
Jerry raised a hand, as if to wave away any further justification from Danny.
“Okay,” I said, “you’re on the payroll.”
“Get me the names, addresses and phone numbers of any employee who were hired in … oh, say the last six months.”
“Okay.”
“You talk with the other Rat Packers-Lawford, Sammy, even Joey Bishop. See if any of them have received threats.”
“I better talk to Frank first.”
“Why?”
“I’ll have to see if he objects to me talkin’ to the others. It may be that only he and Dean know about Dean’s threats. If I spill the beans to the others what if they take a hike? Get scared off?”
“Well, Sammy Davis doesn’t strike me as the kind who scares,” Danny said, ‘but I don’t know about the others. Okay, do what you gotta do, talk with Frank, first. And while you’re at it, see if he’ll let you talk to all the guys in the movie. Somebody might know somethin’,and the only reason they’re not talkin’ is that nobody is askin’. It’s my experience that unasked questions don’t get answered.”
“Got it,” I said.
“You ain’t gonna write none of this down?” Jerry asked.
“I’ve got it all up here,” I said, tapping my temple.
“That’s okay,” the big man said. “I gotta write a lot of stuff down.”
I didn’t know if that was true, or if it was Jerry trying to act dumb, again.
“What’s good ol’ Jer gonna be doin’?” Danny asked.
“I’m gonna do my job,” Jerry said, before I could say anything. “I’m gonna keep yer friend, here, alive.”
“Suits me,” Danny said.
“Suits the hell out of me, too,” I said.
Forty-two
We parted company in front of the Horseshoe. Danny walked to his office while Jerry and I drove back to the Sands. This time I got behind the wheel of my own Caddy.
“That guy any good?” Jerry asked in the car.
“He’s very good at what he does,” I said.
Jerry nodded, but didn’t comment.
As I drove down the strip, Jerry craned his neck to look at all the marquees. Nat King Cole was in town, along with Alan King and Shecky Greene. Buddy Hackett and Patrice Munsel were at the Riv. Donald O’Connor was playing the Sahara.
The one he paid special attention to, though, was the big Sands marquee that said Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
“I don’t get it,” he said as I pulled the Caddy into the Sands lot.
“Get what?”
“The actor,” he said, “Lawford. What’s he doin’ up there with the rest of those guys?”
“He’s part of the group, isn’t he?”
“I guess,” Jerry said. “I don’t get it, though. He ain’t got no talent.”
“He’s an actor.”
“So what’s he doin’ on stage with those guys?” he asked again. “Ican even see Joey Bishop, he’s a comedian, he kibbitzes with them. What’s the actor do?”
“I guess you’ll have to take in the show and see for yourself.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
As we entered the casino Jerry asked, “Whatta we gonna do now?”
“You can take some time off,” I said. “I’ve got to talk to somebody in the employment department, get Danny that list of names he needs.”
“You don’t need me to watch your back?”
“I don’t think I need my back watched while we’re inside the Sands,” I said.
“And whatta ya gonna do after you get the list?” he asked.
“That’s when I’ll have to talk with Frank.”
“I can arrange that.”
I was about to say no, and then I thought, why not? He was working for Frank and could probably get in to see him easily.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay. See if you can set it up for later today.”
“Consider it done.”
“I’ll have to talk to Dean, too. Then Sammy and Joey Bishop.”
“Those guys I don’t know so good.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll set it up with Frank. I just need a few moments of his time tonight.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll meet you in the lounge in two hours,” I told him. “Can you get in to see him and be back by then?”
“No problem. He wants me to report to him each day, anyways.”
“On me?” I asked.
“Not on you,” he said, “just … about you. You know, whether you’re okay or not. How you’re holdin’ up.”
That was how Frank and Dean knew I’d been through something “intense.”