strategy to his play, he seemed to win all the time.
“Okay,” I said, “it would help.”
She looked around, then crooked her finger at me and leaned forward.
“He bets five hundred every time a pretty girl comes to the table or walks by.”
“What?”
“It’s true,” she said. “Any time a pretty young girl is around he tries to impress her by betting five hundred dollars.”
I stood straight up.
“That’s it? That’s his strategy?”
“That’s it,” she said. “Can you use that?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “If that’s all it is then it’s a matter of luck.”
“Can’t your dealer do something when they see a pretty girl? Deal from the bottom?”
“Sorry, Lisa,” I said. “That would be cheating.”
“Oh,” she said, “and the casinos don’t cheat, right?”
“Not while I’m in the pit,” I told her, and walked away … .
I watched Pete play a few hands and saw that he’d stopped betting five hundred, even when a pretty girl passed. I looked around for Lisa but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. Maybe she’d stopped coming with him to the casino. Not that I minded.
I nodded to Tom Huston, who was manning my pit in my stead, and moved on. I made a slow circuit of the casino floor, comparing it in my mind to the Riviera. All-in-all I preferred the ambience of the Sands to those of the Riv, the Sahara and some of the other properties. We didn’t have as many slots, since Entratter was on the same wavelength as me and didn’t think the one-armed bandits were going to become as popular as other people in the business were saying. Or maybe I was just more comfortable there after so many years. It was, after all, my home.
I stepped outside. The heat had relented a bit, but we were still in
the middle of the desert. The temperature didn’t drop significantly until after the sun actually went down.
I’d had a full day already, running around after Lou Terazzo and Carla, finding a dead body. I was tired. I decided to go home, maybe stop someplace for a bite to eat. Danny might have found something out during the day, or even Mike Borraco. One of them might call me and I thought I should be home if they did.
Twenty-five
I WATCHED MY REAR-VIEW mirror all the way home. I didn’t know if Ravisi and Davis had followed me home last night or had been waiting for me there, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Not that I knew what I was doing. Several times I thought I spotted a car following me, only to have it turn and disappear. When I got home I pulled into the driveway of my little house, then waited a few moments before I got out. When I got to my front door I fitted the key into the lock and opened it very carefully. When nobody grabbed me and pulled me inside I stepped through the doorway, then closed and locked the door behind me.
My house is small, and all on one level. It didn’t take me long to go through it and determine that I was alone. When I was reasonably sure I was safe I went to the kitchen, scraped the Chinese I’d brought home with me onto a plate, got myself a beer and sat down to eat. I went over the day again in my head and decided that if I was going to do Dean Martin any good I had to forget about finding the body of Misty Rose. Like Jack Entratter had said, I had to chalk it up to experience.
However, the fact remained that somebody out there didn’t want me helping Dino, and they had sent two gorillas to make their point. It seemed logical to me—not being a detective, and all—that whoever sent them was behind the threats. And I had two names, which
Danny Bardini and Mike Borraco also had. I decided to let those two keep their ears to the ground and wait for them to get back to me. Going out on my own to find some other contacts had not turned out so well today.
But there was nothing I could do about my curiosity. Why had Carla DeLucca run away when she heard I wanted to talk to her? What I had to find out from Verna was what
“Okay,” I said, “it would help.”
She looked around, then crooked her finger at me and leaned forward.
“He bets five hundred every time a pretty girl comes to the table or walks by.”
“What?”
“It’s true,” she said. “Any time a pretty young girl is around he tries to impress her by betting five hundred dollars.”
I stood straight up.
“That’s it? That’s his strategy?”
“That’s it,” she said. “Can you use that?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “If that’s all it is then it’s a matter of luck.”
“Can’t your dealer do something when they see a pretty girl? Deal from the bottom?”
“Sorry, Lisa,” I said. “That would be cheating.”
“Oh,” she said, “and the casinos don’t cheat, right?”
“Not while I’m in the pit,” I told her, and walked away … .
I watched Pete play a few hands and saw that he’d stopped betting five hundred, even when a pretty girl passed. I looked around for Lisa but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. Maybe she’d stopped coming with him to the casino. Not that I minded.
I nodded to Tom Huston, who was manning my pit in my stead, and moved on. I made a slow circuit of the casino floor, comparing it in my mind to the Riviera. All-in-all I preferred the ambience of the Sands to those of the Riv, the Sahara and some of the other properties. We didn’t have as many slots, since Entratter was on the same wavelength as me and didn’t think the one-armed bandits were going to become as popular as other people in the business were saying. Or maybe I was just more comfortable there after so many years. It was, after all, my home.
I stepped outside. The heat had relented a bit, but we were still in
the middle of the desert. The temperature didn’t drop significantly until after the sun actually went down.
I’d had a full day already, running around after Lou Terazzo and Carla, finding a dead body. I was tired. I decided to go home, maybe stop someplace for a bite to eat. Danny might have found something out during the day, or even Mike Borraco. One of them might call me and I thought I should be home if they did.
Twenty-five
I WATCHED MY REAR-VIEW mirror all the way home. I didn’t know if Ravisi and Davis had followed me home last night or had been waiting for me there, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Not that I knew what I was doing. Several times I thought I spotted a car following me, only to have it turn and disappear. When I got home I pulled into the driveway of my little house, then waited a few moments before I got out. When I got to my front door I fitted the key into the lock and opened it very carefully. When nobody grabbed me and pulled me inside I stepped through the doorway, then closed and locked the door behind me.
My house is small, and all on one level. It didn’t take me long to go through it and determine that I was alone. When I was reasonably sure I was safe I went to the kitchen, scraped the Chinese I’d brought home with me onto a plate, got myself a beer and sat down to eat. I went over the day again in my head and decided that if I was going to do Dean Martin any good I had to forget about finding the body of Misty Rose. Like Jack Entratter had said, I had to chalk it up to experience.
However, the fact remained that somebody out there didn’t want me helping Dino, and they had sent two gorillas to make their point. It seemed logical to me—not being a detective, and all—that whoever sent them was behind the threats. And I had two names, which
Danny Bardini and Mike Borraco also had. I decided to let those two keep their ears to the ground and wait for them to get back to me. Going out on my own to find some other contacts had not turned out so well today.
But there was nothing I could do about my curiosity. Why had Carla DeLucca run away when she heard I wanted to talk to her? What I had to find out from Verna was what
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