âBut Dean said you'd be having dinner with him.'
âWe're gonna have dinner
on
him,' Mack said. âIf he loses and has to buy two dinners, he sure ain't gonna wanna buy a third!'
SEVEN
W
hen I knocked on the door I was surprised when it was answered by a beautiful young girl of twenty-two. She was blonde, slender, wearing a mini-skirt and white boots.
âWell, hello,' she said.
âHello,' I said. âI was looking for Frankâ'
He came up behind her, cutting me off with his appearance.
âEddie!' he said. âI want you to meet my daughter, Nancy.'
âThe famous Eddie G.,' she said, with a smile. âThis is a pleasure.'
âI can see why your dad is so proud of you,' I said. âYou're beautiful.'
âAnd talented,' Frank said. âShe sings like an angel.'
âDaddy, I'm more interested in the fact that Eddie thinks I'm beautiful,' she said, boldly looking me in the eyes. I had the feeling this young lady was going to be a force to be reckoned with as she got older.
âMaybe we could have a drink some timeâ' she started, but her father cut her off.
âOh, no,' he said, pushing her out the door. I had to step aside to let her go. She smelled wonderful. âEddie's too old for you, little girl. You just run along. We have business.'
âOh, Daddy . . .'
âGo!' he said.
She took a few steps down the hall and when she was out of his sight held her hand to her ear and mouthed, âCall me.'
Frank was casually dressed and waved me in, a big welcoming smile on his face. I stepped into the suite, where it was safe.
âHey, my man Eddie,' he said, closing the door behind me. He pumped my hand. He was dressed casually, open collar shirt, grey slacks, and a pair of slippers. âGreat to see you, Clyde. What brings you here?'
âWhere's George?' I asked, looking around.
George Jacobs was to Frank what Mack Gray was to Dean.
âDown the hall,' Frank said. âI got a separate suite for Nancy and the kids. I'm having George look after them. You wanna drink?'
âNo, thanks,' I said. âI'm not gonna take up too much of your time, Frank. I just have a question.'
âOK.' He folded his arms and shrugged. âShoot.'
âDid you see Ava today?'
âAva?' He dropped his arms. âWhy? Is she here?' His blues eyes lit up as they always did when he spoke of her, or heard her name.
âI guess that means you didn't see her, then.'
âNo, no, I haven't seen her' He frowned. â
Was
she here?'
âI don't know,' I said. âThat's what I'm trying to find out. One of our valets said he saw her, but he could've been mistaken. I'm checking with the airport now.'
Frank walked to the bar, hesitated, then changed his mind about a drink. Instead, he just leaned on the bar with both hands.
âMaybe,' he said, âshe was here, and somehow . . .'
âSomehow what?'
âFound out that my family was here.' He turned to face me. âShe wouldn't have wanted Nancy to see her.' I knew he was talking about his ex-wife, not his daughter.
âWould she just run out?' I asked. âWithout even leavin' you a message?'
âRun?'
âThe valet said she came out in a hurry, got into a cab,' I explained. âI'm waiting to talk to the cab driver who might've picked her up.'
âWhen was this supposed to have happened?' Frank asked.
âJack came to me a little while ago.'
âSo this morning?'
âYes.'
âI was in the lobby this morning,' he said, âbriefly, but with my family, my ex. She could've seen me.' He scratched his head. âDamn it. You gotta find her for me, Eddie.'
âI'm lookin', Frank.'
âNo,' he said, âI know Entratter wants you to find her so that I won't worry. He's trying to protect me. But I mean you've got to find her
for me
, talk to her. Find out what's wrong. If she came here without calling first, then something's wrong. She wanted to see me for some reason.'
âSo maybe she saw you with Nancy, got jealous and ran out.'
âNo, Ava wouldn't get jealous of Nancy,' Frank said. âCome on, Eddie. I know you. If she's in town you can find her. Then bring her to me so I can find out what she needs.'
âAnd then what?'
âThen I'll give it to her,' he said, with a helpless shrug. âWhatever it is.'
EIGHT
I
left Frank's suite and went back downstairs. I'd left word at the desk to hold the cab driver if he came in while I was with Frank. He hadn't. But as I was standing there a driver came in and I recognized him immediately, though not by name. I knew him the way I knew a hundred cab drivers in town: by face. This one was particularly memorable, because it looked like a map, with peaks and crevices earned over years of hard working and living.
âMr Gianelli?' he said. âKenny said you wanted to see me?' I was groping for his name when he saved me. âI'm Leo Rossi.'
âOf course, Leo,' I said. âThanks for coming in. Leo, did you have Ava Gardner in your cab today?'
âYou know,' he said, âI thought that was her, but I wasn't sure. I mean . . . this broad gets in my cab and she's a looker, ya know? But they look different when they're not up on the screen, ya know? And she had dark glasses, and . . . I think she mighta been cryin'. What reason would a big movie star have to cry? They got it all.'
âYeah, I know,' I said. âWhere'd you take her, Leo?'
âThe airport.'
âDid she say what flight she would be on? Or where she was going?'
âGeez, Mr G., I didn't . . . I mean, we didn't talk, other then her tellin' me where ta take her, ya know? I mean . . . geez, Ava Gardner. Wait till I tell the wife. I mean, I get stars in my cab all the time, ya know, but . . . geez . . .'
âOK, Leo, OK,' I said. âI've got eyes at the airport. Maybe I'll get something from them. Thanks. Wait, I owe you tenâ'
âThat's OK, Mr G.,' Leo said. âYa don't got to pay me. I'm glad ta help.'
âLeo, would you and your wife like to see a show? Frank, Dean and Sammy?'
âGeez, Mr G., my wife'd love it,' Leo said, eyes wide. âThat'd be great.'
âI'll leave tickets for you,' I said. âJust mention my name.'
âThanks, Mr G.'
He hurried back to work.
âEddie?'
I turned. One of the desk clerks was holding his phone out.
âCall for you.'
âThanks, Sean.' I accepted the phone. It smelled like the clerk's Hai Karate. âHello?'
âEddie? Ted Silver.'
âWhataya got for me, Ted?'
âAva Gardner came in on a Hughes Air Line shuttle from L.A. this mornin',' Ted said.
âAnd?'
âAnd it looks like she just went back the same way.'
âAnd then what?'
âI don't have any way of knowing that,' Ted said. âYou'd have to check with the airport in L.A.'
âYeah, you're right,' I said. âYou got a name for me there?'
âHang on.' He came back on and gave me the name of somebody at LAX who could help me.
âOK, Ted. Thanks. I'll leave tickets for you, as usual.'
âSure thing, Eddie. Thanks.'
I hung up, then dialed the number he'd given me and asked for Ben Hoff.
âThis is Hoff,' a gruff man's voice came on the phone.
I told him who I was, who'd given me his name, and what I needed.
âYou're the guy who gets Teddy tickets to shows, right?' Hoff asked.
âThat's right.'
âWill I get tickets for this?'
âAny time, Ben,' I said. âYou just tell me when you're in town.'
âOK,' he said. âAva Gardner. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Where do I call you back?'
I gave him the number of the hotel.
âOK, Mr Gianelli,' Hoff said. âI'll get back to you as quick as I can.'
âI appreciate it, Ben,' I said. âAnd just call me Eddie.'
I hung up, glad I was going to be able to figure this out without having to actually go to L.A.
I had to go to L.A.
Ben called me back and said, âMiss Gardner came in on a flight from Vegas, didn't go out on any other flights.'
âAre you sure?' I asked. âDid you check international flights? She lives in Spain.'
âI checked all flights, local and domestic,' he said. âI promise you, Eddie, she's still someplace in L.A.'
I thought fast. I could have asked my P.I. friend, Danny Bardini, to go to L.A. and check on her, but the last time I did that â earlier in the year with Marilyn â Danny had a rough time of it and almost got killed. I also could have called Fred Otash, the Hollywood P.I. who had helped me find Danny, but that didn't mean I trusted him. Not completely, anyway. After all, he did work in Hollywood.
âOK, look, Ben, find out for me if she took a cab. I'm flying in as soon as I can get a flight.'
âNeed help with that?'
âI can get help on this end, but thanks.'
âNo problem. Call me any time, Eddie.'
âYou let me know when you're in Vegas, Ben,' I said, and hung up.
I had options: take a flight, get Jack to set it up for me, pay for the ticket; get Frank to do it; call Ted Silver at the airport, have him do it; use the Sands helicopter.
I decided to let Jack do it. I didn't want to bother Frank anymore while he had his kids with him, while Ted Silver probably could have gotten me on a flight, I'd still have to pay for it and then get the money back from Jack. So, cut out the middle man, let Jack get me the ticket.
I waved thanks to the desk clerk for the phone again and headed for Jack's office.
NINE
I
had to see Jack and Frank before I left. Jack's girl gave me a disapproving look as I breezed past her into his office. I had come to terms with the fact that she didn't like me and never would, so I just stopped trying.
âYou got somethin' for me already?' Jack asked as I sat across from him.
âI need you to get me on a flight to L.A.,' I said.
âWhy are you goin' to L.A.?' he asked. âLast time you went there you almost got killed.'
âAccording to both airports, Ava Gardner flew to Vegas and back, but didn't fly out of L.A. So she's still there.'
âWhere?'
âThat I don't know,' I said. âI've got to go and find out.'
âWait, wait,' he said. âHold your horses. So Ava was here this mornin'?'
âYes.'
âAnd did she see Frank?' âNo.'
âWell, then . . .' Jack said, sitting back and spreading his hands.
âWell then . . . what?'
âWhy are you going to L.A.?' he asked. âYou did what I asked you to do. You found out if it was her, and it was. And she's gone. Go back to work.'
âI can't do that, Jack.'
âWhy not?'
âFrank wants me to find her, and see what she was doing here.'
âSo you had to talk to Frank?' he asked.
âYes,' I said, âdon't worry, I trod lightly, as you suggested.'
âI'm sure you did.'
âI'll go talk to Frank now,' I said. âWould you call him and see if he's in his suite?'
âAnd if he isn't I'll locate him for you,' he said. âAnd I'll get you your flight.'
âWhich the Sands will pay for?'
âOf course,' he said, with the phone in his hand. I heard a buzz from the outer office and then he said, âSee if you can locate Frank Sinatra for me. Thanks.' He hung up without saying his girl's name. I wondered if I'd ever heard it, then decided I didn't care enough to ask.
âI'll get packed,' I said, rising from my chair. âI'll check in with you to see where Frank is.'
By the time I packed an overnight bag, using just what I had in my locker, Jack had found Frank and arranged for me to meet him for a drink in the Silver Queen Lounge. Frank was sitting at the bar, having just signed autographs for a couple of middle-aged broads. There was a drink on the bar in front of him.
âGlad to see you, Clyde,' he said. âDo you know that most of the time, if I'm sitting with somebody, folks don't bother me for autographs? It's when I'm sittin' alone they think they can come over.'
âGuess they figure they're not interruptin' anything, Frank,' I said.
âYou wanna drink?'
âJust a beer,' I said. âI'm headin' for the airport.'
âThis about Ava?' he asked, after waving at the bartender to bring me a beer.
âYeah,' I said, âI'm goin' to L.A. Apparently she stopped there and didn't catch another flight to, well . . . anywhere.'
âNot to Spain?'
âNo.'
âSo where is she now?'
âI don't know,' I said. âThat's what I'm goin' there to find out.'
âEddie, I didn't mean for you to miss workâ'
âDon't worry, the Sands will pay me, and take care of my expenses.'
âYou sure Jack will do that?' Frank asked. âI mean, if you need moneyâ'
âNo, I'm fine, Frank,' I said. âJust a quick flight to L.A. and a little talk with Ava, once I find her.'