SIXTY-TWO

I couldn’t see it.

It looked to me like granny was just lucky. It was odd but she just kept hitting jackpots. I recommended we take her in the back and sweat it out of her.

‘That’s what we’d do to somebody we thought was cheatin’ at one of my tables, right?’ I asked him.

‘We can’t do that to an old lady, Eddie,’ Jack said. ‘Believe me, I thought about it already.’

‘Well, I don’t know what she’s doin’,’ I said. ‘I’ve gotta go.’

‘Where are you off to?’

‘I’m gonna drop in on Adrienne again and see if I can squeeze the truth out of her,’ I explained. ‘I’ve got more of a handle on her now that I know she’s a blackjack player.’

‘You takin’ Jerry with you?’

‘Not this time.’

‘OK, I’ll put him and Mack Gray together. Let them work out their song and dance.’

As I starred from the room he said, ‘Work out your alibi first; and let me know!’

I called Dino’s suite and Mack answered. I told him what we needed and he said if it was OK with Dino it was OK with him. He checked with his boss and got the OK. He said he’d be right down.

I met him in the lobby and took him to the horse book. We figured he and Jerry would stay there a few hours, play some horses, have a few drinks. When the cops asked around in there, people would say yeah, they saw the two big guys in there playing horses. Maybe they’d be a little vague about the time.

I called Danny’s office from a desk phone and Penny answered.

‘He’s been in and out since you left yesterday, Eddie,’ she said. ‘He’s still working on the murder of that trainer.’

‘Has he found anything yet?’

‘He went back to the hotel. He’s working the building and the area. What do you need? Can I help?’

I told her what had happened because I trusted Penny. She listened without comment, then said, ‘So you want Danny to alibi you?’

‘That’s it.’

‘Hargrove won’t buy that,’ she said. ‘He’ll just think your friend is covering up for you.’

‘My other choice is Dean Martin, but the cops’ll think the same thing.’

‘You have another choice.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Me.’

‘Penny,’ I said, ‘Danny’ll kill me . . .’

‘I’ll clear it with him,’ she said. ‘And I only come into play if and when the cops ask.’

‘Oh don’t worry,’ I said. ‘They’ll ask.’

‘OK, then,’ she said. ‘Just tell me what we were doing all night and all day . . . as if I don’t know . . .’

Alibi set up, I left the Sands and got to drive my own car, for a change. I drove to Adrienne’s building first and talked to the same doorman.

‘Hey, man,’ he said. ‘You find her?’

‘I did, thanks,’ I said. ‘She told me to drop by later, though, so here I am.’

‘You’re in luck,’ he said. ‘She came in about an hour ago. I think she’s gonna recharge her battery and then get back to it.’

‘What apartment is she in?’

‘She didn’t tell you?’

‘She did,’ I said, ‘but you know us gamblers.’ I pointed to my head. ‘Lots of numbers.’

‘Tell me about it.’

‘If you don’t wanna tell me her apartment just call her and tell her I’m here.’ I took out a ten, folded it up and held it out to him. ‘But I really would like to surprise her.’

‘I thought you said she told you to come by?’

‘She did,’ I said, ‘but I didn’t call ahead to say when.’ I took out a second ten.

‘OK sure, man,’ he said, taking the money. ‘Six F.’

‘Thanks.’

In the elevator I started to worry. If there was a body waiting for me in her apartment, I had just hung myself out to dry. The doorman would definitely remember me and Jerry from earlier today, and remember me and my twenty dollars now.

I just had to hope she was alive.

I knocked on her door and held my breath. I released when she opened the door. She was wearing a robe, and her hair was wet, so she was fresh from a shower or bath.

‘Come on in,’ she said. She didn’t seem surprised I was there. I wondered if she had already heard about Philip? If not I wondered if I should tell her and then question her, or question her and then tell her.