“I’m sure he’ll be glad to help you with that when he can,” the doctor said.
The two detectives left, Smith tossing me one last hard stare. The doctor approached the bed and looked at me curiously. He was in his forties, with steel-gray hair and eyes and a strong jaw. I was sure he made all the nurse’s knees weak when he walked the halls.
“You’ll have to talk to them eventually, you know,” he told me.
“I will,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Experience,” he said. “Let me take a look at you.”
He used a light to check my ears and eyes.
“You have a concussion,” he said. “We’re gonna keep you here all day and overnight just to be on the safe side.”
“Fine with me,” I said. “Can I have visitors?”
“Who’d you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Frank Sinatra?”
He laughed.
“If Frank Sinatra walks into this hospital I’ll let him visit you,” he said, going along with what he thought was a joke.
“Fair enough,” I said.
“My name is Montgomery,” he said. “If you need anything that a nurse can’t give you ask for me. I’ll be on until six. I’ll look in on you before I leave.”
“Thanks, Doc. And thanks for not tellin’ the cops I can hear.”
“Well, I wasn’t really sure, was I?” he asked. “I assume you’ll be ready to cooperate with them tomorrow? I mean, you do want to find out who did this to you, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah,” said. “I just need some time to think.”
“I don’t believe I’d need time to think if someone had put a bomb in my car,” he said, “but it’s your call.”
I looked at the phone on the table next to me.
“Can I use that?”
“Why not?” he asked. “You’re going to be paying for it.”
As he left the room I leaned over, picked up the phone and set it on my chest. I dialed Danny’s number, and when Penny answered I didn’t tell her what happened. I just asked for Danny. When he came on I gave him the news.
“What the hell,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“I was deaf for a while, but it’s comin’ back to me,” I explained. “I scammed the cops, though, into thinkin’ I was still deaf.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I guess I’ll have to think about that.”
“Well, I’ll come over and help you think,” he said. “You want anything?”
“Just don’t bring any flowers.”
After I hung up on him I dialed the Sands and asked for Jack Entratter. When I told him what had happened, he exploded.
“What the fuck is goin’ on?” he demanded. “Somebody put a fuckin’ bomb in your car?”
“Looks that way.”
“You stay put,” he said, “and do what the doctors tell ya. Don’t worry about nothin’. The bills’ll be paid for.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
“I’ll be there in a little while,” he said. “I got some calls to make. You’re done with this, Eddie. You hear me? You’re done.”
“No, Jack, wait-” I started, but he hung up.
Physically, I felt pretty good. I had a few aches and pains, but nothing was broken. And I knew a concussion wasn’t life threatening. I’d known enough football players who’d gotten five or six during their careers. And boxers. One wasn’t going to kill me.
My hearing was getting better by the minute, which was a relief. I probably could have gotten out of that bed and walked out of the hospital, but I didn’t want to-not just yet. I needed someplace quiet and safe to think, and this was as good a place as any. If I wasn’t going to back off, then I needed to plan my next move.
Fifty-four
The nurses were very attentive, but when I told them I didn’t need anything they left me alone. That gave me some time alone before Danny or Jack Entratter arrived. When Danny did get there I’d thought it out pretty well. Now all I needed to do was talk it through with someone and have them point out all the mistakes I was making. Danny Bardini was perfect for that.
“Well, well,” he said, when he walked in, “I thought I’d find you all bandaged up from head to toe.”
“I was pretty lucky.”
“I know,” he said, shaking my hand and then holding onto it. “I talked with your doctor. Apparently the blast picked you up and tossed you a good distance. It also threw you clear of flying debris.”
“See any cops on your way up?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he said. “There are still some sheriff’s deputies around, and I saw your buddies, Hargrove and Smith. Apparently, the sheriff’s office has handed your case over to them completely, given their previous experiences with you.”
“I guess that’s okay,” I said. “Maybe they’ll actually figure out who did this. Can I have my hand back now?”
Abruptly, as if he didn’t know he’d been holding it, he let it go. He grabbed a chair, pulled it over to the bed and sat down.
“You were lucky, Eddie,” he said, seriously. “Whoever wired the car knew what they were doing. Hargrove can’t explain it, but there was a hesitation when you turned the car key and the blast didn’t go off right away. What happened? Why weren’t you in the car?”
“I realized I forgot my wallet,” I said. “I was walkin’ back to the house when it went off.”
“Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “You gonna give this up now and hand it over to the police? Rat Pack and all?”
“I had a woman with me last night, Danny.” I didn’t tell him it was Judith Campbell. “I called her a cab this morning. If I’d offered to drive her home she would’ve been in the car.”
“More good luck,” he said.
“Well, bad for somebody,” I said, “because now I’m pissed off.”
“Eddie …” he said.
“What?”
“You’re a long way from the streets of Brooklyn,” he said. “You got out of there, went to college, became a CPA and somehow ended up in the pit at the Sands.”
“Your point being?”
“You may work for some hard guys, my friend,” he told me, “but you ain’t a hard guy. Let the cops handle it, or let the boys handle it.”
“I wish I could, Danny,” I said, “but this ain’t right. Too many people have died already, and for what?”
“I don’t know.”
“And I don’t know,” I said, “but I wanna find out. This must have to do with something other than some threats against Dean Martin.”
“Did you ask them all about threats?”
“I asked,” I said. “Dean’s the only one.”
“The threats, them dead girls, Mike Borraco, and now this,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“You get that list from Marcia?” I asked.
“I got it, but it’s gonna take a while to go through all those people.”
“Too long,” I said. “We’ve got to come up with something else.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I wish Jerry and I coulda found out who hired Ravisi and Davis.”
“Wishin’ ain’t gonna do you any good, bud,” Danny said.
“I know.”
“Why don’t you spend a quiet night here and think about it in the mornin’,” he suggested. “You want me to come and pick you up?”
“No, I’ll have someone from the Sands do it. They’re gonna cover my bill.”
“Okay, then.” He stood up, reached out to touch my arm, then stopped. “Take it easy.”
“Don’t forget you have a date tonight,” I said. “Enjoy the show.”
“I will,” he said, then added with an evil grin, “and I’m gonna enjoy your girl.”
“She’s not my-” I started, but stopped because he was already out of the room.
I didn’t know I had fallen asleep until I woke up to find Jack Entratter standing by the bed.
“Hey, Jack.”
“Eddie,” he said. “How you feelin’?”
“Got a headache,” I said. “Doc said I had a concussion.”
“I thought they weren’t supposed to let you fall asleep with that?” he said.
“I dunno,” I said, hoarsely. “Guess I’ll have to ask the doc. Is there any water here?”
“Water?” He picked up a pitcher from the table next to the bed. “Yeah, here’s some.” He poured it into a cup and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I drained it and handed it back.