Jake felt like he was about to get whacked. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve it, but that only unsettled him further. He’d been summoned to Sammy’s office, with no explanation, which couldn’t be good. Even the curvy secretary looked foreboding. Now he was sitting in a chair in front of Sammy’s desk, and no one was talking to him, and he was scared to ask why.
Then the door opened and Slythe came in, and he started saying his prayers.
Sammy picked up a newspaper from his desk and extended it to Slythe. “Show him.”
Slythe took the newspaper and thrust it in front of Jake’s face.
“What do you have to say about that?” Sammy demanded.
The newspaper was folded open to an article.
“‘Producer escapes deadly blaze’?” Jake read.
“That’s right.”
“What about it?”
“You tell me.”
Jake blinked uncomprehendingly. Getting no help from Sammy or Slythe, he looked back at the article. It read:
“Producer Billy Barnett, in town for a board meeting, nearly paid with his life. Mr. Barnett woke up in the middle of the night and smelled smoke. He was lucky he did. His house was gone minutes later.”
Jake looked up to find Sammy glaring at him.
“This is the out-of-town hitter you warned me about?”
“That’s his name.”
“I know it’s his name. Is it him?”
“Of course it’s him. Who else would it be? Billy Barnett, movie producer.”
“What studio was he with?”
“Oh, Christ, I don’t remember.”
“Centurion Pictures?”
“That’s the one! Centurion Pictures!”
“Who told you that?”
“Bambi.”
“Bambi?”
“One of Pete’s bar girls. Said she saw him on the set of a movie. She was an extra, he was a stuntman.”
“Stuntman? I thought he was a producer.”
“She said he’s working as a stuntman. She could have been wrong.”
“About seeing him or about what he was doing?”
“I don’t know. Could be either one. Could have been both.”
“How could it be both?” Slythe said scathingly.
Sammy put up his hand. “This is kind of important information. When did she see him?”
“I don’t know. It was before Pete hired him, because she gave him the idea.”
“And when was that?”
“Just last week.”
Sammy got up from his chair and came around the desk. Jake flinched, but Sammy got him to his feet and put his arm around him. “This is where you need to shine. You need to find out if Pete’s still counting on this Billy Barnett to come help him. If an assassin is coming to kill me, this is information I need to know. You understand that. I need to know if the hit is still on, if this Billy Barnett is still a danger. According to the studio, he is on vacation. This is very bad news, particularly since they won’t say where. So find out if the guy is here. Find out if Pete is expecting him.”
“If I try to find out all that, Pete is going to know something’s up.”
“Pete thinks you’re spying on me, right? So tell him I got a lot of firepower. Tell him you think he doesn’t have enough. See if he reassures you he’s taken steps to even the odds. You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure, Sammy.”
Sammy smiled, and stuck a finger in his face. “I’ve got big plans for you, Jake, you know that. As soon as Pete’s out of the way, you will have a crucial role in running his casino. So you see how important this is.”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
“Good man.” Sammy practically shoved him out the door.
“Well,” Slythe said, “you think he can find anything out?”
Sammy grimaced. “Not a prayer.”