“It’s been a pleasure...”
Johnny went out and climbed into the car. Mulligan remained in the house for a minute or two. When he came out he climbed in behind the wheel. He began driving without looking at Johnny and the latter, sensing that Mulligan was through talking, remained quiet.
Mulligan pulled up in front of the hotel entrance, let Johnny out and drove off without saying a word.
Johnny entered the casino and found Sam Cragg at a nickel slot machine. He grinned foolishly.
“I never saw dice so cold in my life.”
“You mean you’re broke?”
“I got these nickels left.”
He exhibited a handful of nickels. Johnny struck the hand and the nickels scattered over the floor.
“Leave them for the birds,” he said loftily. “And come watch me warm up the dice...”
They came up to the crap table just as a woman player threw a twelve and used some unladylike language. She threw down another dollar.
“If I crap again,” she said angrily, “I’m throwing these dice away...”
“Double up, lady,” Johnny said, cheerfully. “I’m betting with you and you can’t lose...”
The woman gave him a contemptuous glance and shook up the dice. Johnny dropped eight yellow chips on the pass line. The dice came up seven and the woman shot Johnny a quick glance.
“I’ll shoot it,” she exclaimed.
Johnny, already betting the limit, was compelled to draw back his two hundred. He handed the checks to Sam Cragg and gave him a signal to bet them all.
The little lady who had been throwing nothing but craps before now began throwing nothing but naturals — sevens and elevens. She made seven passes, then Johnny shifted his money to “No Pass” and the woman promptly sevened out.
“Hey — what gives here?” she cried. “The minute you get off me, I seven out...”
“You’ve got some yellow checks now,” said Johnny. “Be satisfied.”
Gilbert Honsinger came out of his office and seeing Johnny, strolled over. Johnny bet with a player for two passes, then went against him and so the dice came to him.
“How much can you spare?” he said mockingly to Honsinger.
Honsinger shook his head. “We’re having a little game right after dinner.”
Johnny dropped the dice on the table. “In that case I think I’ll get rested up.”
“About seven.”
Johnny nodded and was about to start off when a bellboy came into the casino and called out, “Paging Mr. Fletcher...!”
Johnny signalled to the bellboy.
“My name’s Fletcher, son.”
“Telephone call for you.”
“I’ll take it in my room,” said Johnny. “Here...” He tossed the boy a yellow check and the boy almost fainted.
Johnny went ahead of Sam, hurrying to their room in the cabana. He wasted a couple of seconds trying to unlock the door, then discovered that it was already unlocked. Inside his room the phone began ringing.
He slammed open the door and stopped when he saw Jane Langford seated in an armchair.
“Hello,” he said and crossed to the phone. He picked it up. “Yes?”
“Mr. Fletcher,” said the voice of Walter Cobb. “Beeler just called again.”
“What is it?”
“He was unable to get a thing on Halton — no one by that name was ever All-American.”
“What else?”
“He got some things on the Bloss family.”
“Forget them!”
Cobb’s voice protested. “But, Mr. Fletcher, this is quite interesting...”
“Forget it,” Johnny repeated, looking at Jane Bloss Langford.
“You mean you don’t want anything more from Beeler?”
“That’s right.”
“...Or is it that you can’t talk?”
“No — I got my information about them right here,” said Johnny and hung up.
Sam Cragg appeared in the doorway.
“Molly just called,” Johnny told him. “She wants you to come over and have a cocktail...”
Sam was pleased. “Where is she — at the bar?”
“No, she’s in her room...”
Sam grinned foolishly and went off. Johnny crossed the room and closed the door.
“I heard about... Jim...” said Jane Langford. Johnny nodded and made no reply. “I suppose it’s horrible,” Jane went on, “but he had it coming, didn’t he...?”
“Yes.”
“Was he the one...?”
“...Who killed your uncle?”
“Yes.”
Johnny nodded. Jane looked at him steadily for a moment, then exhaled wearily. “You’ve been looking for someone named Nick.” She paused. “When I was a little girl in Chicago, my uncle used to visit us... before he went off and became a professional gambler... He used to call me... Nikki...”
She reached into a pocket of her suit and brought out a box of playing cards.
Johnny went to her and took the cards. He glanced at them, then looked inquiringly at Jane.
“I found them here in the drawer last night.” She gestured to the door that connected Johnny’s room and her own. “Your side isn’t locked...”
Johnny took the cards out of the box and fanned them out. “You’ve looked at these?”
She nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with them.”
“Yet I have reason to believe that your — that Jim Langford was killed because of these cards.”
She looked up at him miserably. “I seem to be the pivot in all this... my uncle, then my husband...” She broke off as Johnny stooped suddenly and kissed her.
At that moment Sam Cragg slammed open the door. “Hey!” he cried, “she ain’t in her room...” Then he whistled. “Oh-oh!”
Johnny stepped back from Jane Langford and glowered at Sam. “Sometimes, Sam, I wonder why I ever put up with you...”
Jane Langford got up. “It’s all right.” She smiled wanly at Sam and without looking at Johnny, went out. Johnny stepped to the connecting door, saw that the latch on his side was open and tried the knob. It turned but the door didn’t give. It was locked on her side.
He let go of the knob and turned to Sam.
“Aw, gee, Johnny... how was I to know...?”
Johnny said, “I just remembered I didn’t have lunch... and it’s dinner time.”
Chapter Twenty
Gilbert Honsinger, wearing a black tie, came into the dining room as Johnny and Sam were eating their pie a la mode.
“Well, gentlemen,” he said, “are you ready for that game?”
“Tiddledy-winks, parcheesi or lotto,” said Johnny. “You name the game.”
“Poker.”
“I cut my eyeteeth on poker,” said Sam Cragg.
“Then shall we go?”
“Go?” asked Johnny.
“Chatsworth’s invited us to his place.”
Johnny pushed back his chair.
The three men left the casino by the rear door, where a large limousine was waiting. A pasty-faced man of about thirty sat behind the wheel.
Honsinger held open the tonneau door for Johnny and Sam and when they had stepped inside, followed. He seated himself in the middle.
“All right, Tod,” he said to the driver, “Chatsworth’s Ranch.”
The car leaped forward, swung into the drive beside the hotel and zoomed to the highway. It was doing sixty within a hundred yards.
“Heard about Mrs. Langford’s husband?” Johnny asked casually.
Honsinger nodded. “He had it coming.”
“How much did his boys nick you for?”
Honsinger smiled thinly. “Not me, Fletcher.”
“I heard they got two hundred thousand from you and some of the other fellows.”
“Riley Brown’s going to be at Chatsworth’s,” Honsinger said.
Johnny shrugged. “The more players the more money I’ll win.”
It was still daylight, although the sun was touching the mountains in the west. It was the best time of the day and Johnny leaned back and enjoyed the scenery. The limousine swished past El Rancho Vegas, The Last Frontier and after a couple of miles turned off on a good graveled road that dipped into a dry-wash a half mile from the main highway. It ran beside the dry-wash for a mile or so, then turned right through a field of huge boulders.