"Is Charles coming to the broadcast?" Bobbi asked.
"I talked him into it."
"Good! How did you manage?"
"I told him how hurt you"d be if he didn"t turn up."
"Oh, Jack, he should come to it because he wants to, not to keep from hurting my feelings."
"He knows better, honest-but this gives him an excuse to be persuaded. I think he"s practicing to be a quirky curmudgeon."
"Why is he so shy about having a good time?"
"I don"t know. Maybe it"s that British blood of his." And maybe he really was shy. He was sure of himself in lots of areas, from delivering a Shakespearean soliloquy to an audience of drunken lumberjacks to facing down a roomful of armed mobsters, but the idea of going to a party just might petrify him. Gordy would be there, though, so Escott would have someone besides me with whom he could talk shop.
By the time Bobbi had reached the dessert stage, I"d figured out how to get the dress off her. There was a line of tiny hooks going up one side-difficult, but not impossible. It would require a careful, light touch. The last thing I wanted was her having a conniption if I pulled a thread.
Wrong, I thought, looking up. The last thing I want is to see Ike LaCelle coming to my table.
Bobbi followed the direction of my frozen gaze. LaCelle had his hand out and a big grin on his mug. She smiled and I smiled, though it was probably rather fixed for us both.
"Well, if it isn"t Miss Bobbi Smythe lookin" like a million bucks," he declared loud enough to turn heads.
Bobbi murmured something gracious while he bowed and made a big deal out of kissing her hand. She"d already gone into her voltage routine, but keeping the power low, and put on her public face for him. He turned on me next, briefly. I stood to shake hands, but didn"t invite him to join us, hoping he"d get the hint. He didn"t, being content to keep me standing while he gave more greeting to Bobbi. If he was steamed about me taking on his boys and winning, he kept all signs of it to himself.
"I heard that the rehearsals for the show are going great," he said to her. His pitch was such as to let people know she was some sort of celebrity. "Think you"ll be all set to take America by storm tomorrow night?" Why didn"t he just say she"d be on Archy Grant"s Variety Hour and get the advertising out of the way?
"I think so. It should be fun."
"Fun! Sugar, this is going to put you on top. I wouldn"t be surprised if there was a movie deal at the end of it."
"That would be nice." From her expression I could see she was well aware he was laying it on with a trowel. Some of the people nearby seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He wasn"t doing Bobbi any favors now.
"What a beautiful dress, you need to show that off. Will you do me the honor of giving me one little dance before I go?"
The "before I go" was a good touch, implying that we would soon be rid of him if she complied. I wasn"t so sure, but gave a slight shrug to let her know it was all her decision. She managed another smile and said that would be lovely. It was delivered with a d.a.m.ning-with-faint-praise att.i.tude, but LaCelle ignored it. On purpose, I was sure. No one was that dense.
LaCelle was somewhat better at a slow waltz than a fast fox-trot, so Bobbi fared better on the dance floor with him tonight than at the Nightcrawler party. I watched them and boiled for a few minutes, since I"d been very blatantly ignored by him, but hauled it all in.
There was no point getting angry with LaCelle, not when I knew I could take care of him as easily as I"d done his goons. If I was in a really good mood I"d only send him off to Wisconsin; if not, then he"d wake up and find himself stranded somewhere in the Canadian wilderness with no topcoat.
The waltz faltered and stopped. Laughter rippled through the crowd, and I guessed what was coming before I saw it. The smiling orchestra leader was in the process of stepping down, having just given his baton over to a broadly grinning Archy Grant, who looked like he owned the place.
The dancers also faltered, first turning to see, then applaud as they recognized him. Grant called something to the musicians and they started up with the sprightly theme song to his show, confirming to one and all just who was in charge of things. The applause became more p.r.o.nounced, and Grant waved like he was having the time of his life. The good feeling spread throughout the crowd. To give the devil his due, he knew how to play to them.
He called something else to the musicians, they nodded back, and he returned the baton to the leader. Grant stepped up to a microphone and began singing a love song. LaCelle slow-danced Bobbi over close, allowing Grant to sing the song just for her. All they lacked was a spotlight, though it was hardly necessary. They were very much everyone"s center of attention.
If Bobbi felt unsure about the manipulation that was going on, she didn"t let it show. It looked like a crazy publicity stunt, and I might have approved but for knowing better. The whole romantic business was designed to bowl Bobbi right over, and might have worked a dream on any other girl but her.
Grant came to a stopping point in the song lyrics, but signaled for the music to keep going. "Ladies and gentlemen, I"m Archy Grant. I just had to stop in and say h.e.l.lo and introduce you to my beautiful guest for tomorrow night"s Variety Hour-Miss Bobbi Smythe!"
Several photographers appeared out of nowhere and flashbulbs went off, freezing the moment. I had no doubt some of those pictures would find their way into tomorrow"s paper.
She gave a bow, and people cheered like they knew who she was, and maybe some did if they"d been to see the club show.
As though he"d rehea.r.s.ed it, LaCelle bowed and stepped away from Bobbi, applauding. Grant bounded lightly off the orchestra steps and caught her up in his arms, taking her for a smooth spin around the floor. Other dancers fell back to give them room, like it was a Fred and Ginger movie. Bobbi looked delighted with things, but that was still her public face. She played along with Grant"s game as they danced, but I knew the difference between her real smile and the one she used for a performance.
Too bad Grant didn"t.
I heard someone approach and looked up. Gil Dalhauser slid his long form uninvited into Bobbi"s chair. It was shaping up to be a perfect evening. He didn"t say anything for a while, just watched me steadily with those soulless arctic-blue eyes.
"Yes," he said to my unasked question. "Ike arranged all this."
"Just to get Grant next to Bobbi?" I supposed the rehearsals weren"t as good a setting for romance as a pricey restaurant.
"It"s gonna happen whether you like it or not, kid," he said with a minimal nod toward the dancers.
"What about whether Bobbi likes it or not?"
"She"ll like it well enough. Archy can boost her up the ladder a lot faster than you ever could."
"That"s nothing to do with this."
"It"s everything to do with it. All she has to do is make Archy happy and he gives her a hand up. Happens all the time."
"And she"s got no say in it?"
"She"ll know what"s good for her and say yes."
"She"ll tell Archy to go to h.e.l.l."
"Not before the broadcast she won"t."
He had a point there. Bobbi would be able to hold Grant off for that long, but afterward he could make a nuisance of himself. "If he gets insistent, she"ll let him have it between the eyes. I"ve seen her in action."
He was amused. "That would be a career killer."
"She can survive it. Archy Grant"s big, but not that big."
"But Ike LaCelle is. He knows everyone in show business, kid, who hires, who fires. If that girl makes the wrong move, he"ll put the word out against her. She"ll be lucky to end up as a singing waitress in a chophouse."
"Why should Ike go to so much trouble for Archy?"
"They"ve made each other a lot of money. Archy"s been a good investment for Ike, so Ike"s gonna keep him happy."
"Regardless of what Bobbi thinks of the deal?"
"She"s just another broad. There"s more where she came from. When Grant gets tired of her, he"ll give her a diamond bracelet and say good-bye. But I guarantee you she"ll be better off than she was before. He always leaves them happy. He"s nice that way."
"A real saint, I can see it from here."
"And if you know what"s good for you, you"ll just back off until it"s over. You"ll get your girl again. And she"ll be a lot more rich and famous."
"Or Ike"ll send more goons like Shep Shepperd and his boxing friend after me?"
Dalhauser"s cold eyes flickered.
I"d hit him square with that one. They were probably still wondering how I"d managed that little gag. "Maybe you should have a talk with Gordy, then instead of wasting time warning me, you can be telling Ike and Archy to lay off."
"Think you"re hot stuff, do you?"
I didn"t bother to answer. He wasn"t the only one who could stare for effect.
He blinked once, slowly. "I got news for you, Ike"s already spoken with Gordy. He said you were trouble and not to mess with you, but I wouldn"t put much stock in his protection. Ike"s got a lot more friends, and they"re pretty powerful. You wouldn"t stand a chance."
"Did Gordy make it clear that he didn"t want Miss Smythe to be bothered by Archy?"
"He did. But if she"s willing to go along, that"s her business, isn"t it? I heard she"s done it before with Slick Morelli, so this won"t be anything new to her."
"She"s changed. And Slick"s dead, you know."
"I think you"re getting the wrong message out of this," he said, leaning forward on his elbows. "I"m still trying to do you a favor."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Mostly to cover things with Gordy. That way he can"t say I didn"t warn you."
"I"m touched."
He snorted, all contept. "Listen up: I"ve seen hotshots like you trying to go up against Ike. He looks soft, but he isn"t. They always lose and they lose bad. Those two mugs he sent before are Boy Scouts compared to the real muscle he can call in."
"I"m sure they are. It only means I need to talk with Ike myself, then we can all avoid having problems."
He sat back. "Okay. Go ahead. He"s not against a little payout to the boyfriend if it makes everyone happy."
I went very still. Inside me something colder than death and full of abrupt rage twisted like a stung snake. I had to struggle to hold it in check or Dalhauser would have a broken neck before he took another breath. He must have seen it in my face, because he suddenly went pale and straightened, his hand going inside his coat. For the first time since I"d met him he seemed alarmed.
Then I remembered who I was dealing with and made myself calm down again. He was a mug, a little smarter than most, but still in the same club, and to mugs Bobbi was just a piece of goods to be bought, used, and sold. He didn"t know any better and never would.
"I want to talk to Ike," I said very softly. "Just talk. Go tell him."
Dalhauser didn"t relax one inch. Still staring at me, he slipped from the chair and went away.
Bobbi and Grant continued dancing. Whenever he turned her in my direction she shot me a serious look, the rest of the time she smiled. Holy Hannah, but even from here I could see she was mad enough to chew nails. It must be costing her one h.e.l.l of an effort to pretend to be having fun.
Ike sauntered over from wherever he"d been and looked down at me in a benevolent way. This time I didn"t bother to stand, but did motion for him to take the empty chair.
"Gil tells me you"re a little upset about the way things are going," he said with a sympathetic smile. We were such good friends now. "Did he explain it all fully?"
"Yeah. My girl sleeps with Archy and he gives her the world on a gold plate. Meaning you"re the pimp?"
He only hooked one side of his mouth in brief amus.e.m.e.nt. "I"m just doing a favor for a friend."
"Then do Archy another favor and tell him to back off."
"Hey, I don"t tell him what to do. If he happens to see something he likes, I just grease the wheels."
"Ike, look at me and listen hard: you"re going to tell Archy to back off."
LaCelle"s face went blank for a moment, then he shook his head, fighting my influence. "Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are, punk?" he demanded, but his words were slurring.
"I"m the son of a b.i.t.c.h who"s gonna turn your face inside out if you don"t fix things the way I want." I locked my gaze onto him again and stepped up the pressure until it felt like a rope was tied tight around my head. "You hear me, Ike? You hear my voice? You can only hear my voice now, can"t you?" His mouth sagged. Dead-fish time. And I had him hooked solid.
I gave him the works. Not too easy at first, because I"d gotten hot under the collar, but I kept it under control.
The more orders I gave to LaCelle, the better I felt; there wasn"t much danger of me driving him insane. That was a distinct problem if I hypnotized anyone while I was angry.
When I finished with him everything was crystal clear in his mind about talking Archy Grant into cutting short his Romeo act with Bobbi. He could be friends with her, joke and flirt if he liked, but anything more than that would only bring him grief. If Archy had any questions on this change of mind, he could come to me for answers. The same went for Dalhauser.
And the radio show would go on with Bobbi as scheduled.
I was skating close to the edge with that last one, considering the promise I"d made to her not to interfere. But in this case I was only making sure things stayed as they were, not changing them in her favor.
LaCelle was as primed as I could make him. I let him go and checked the dance floor. Bobbi and Grant weren"t there.
A wash of unease went through me because I wouldn"t put it past him to actually kidnap her. It changed to vast relief when she came back to the table from a different direction. Her color was high and she was seething so much she trembled.
"I"m ready to leave," she whispered, holding tight to a thin, unnatural smile. Her public face, because people were still looking on.
I tossed an outrageously generous ten on the table and escorted her out; we retrieved our coats, the valet brought my car around, and I got her inside. I didn"t say a word while driving, giving her a chance to work through things, to get calm enough to speak.
It took her a good five minutes, and when she did speak it would have made a marine blush. She had quite a few names for Archy Grant, and an equal number of things that he could do with himself after he went to h.e.l.l, along with several creative ways she would be glad to use to send him there. Her fury seemed to fill the whole car. I found an empty parking lot and pulled into the middle of it. Soon as we stopped, she said a terse thanks, then launched out and stalked up and down for a while, still cursing.
I held hard to the wheel and hunched down. She wasn"t mad at me-G.o.d help me if I ever worked her up into such a state-but the force of it was such that all my instincts said to take cover until the storm pa.s.sed.
Eventually the pacing in the cold April wind got her cooled down to the point where she could come back inside again. When she was settled in I shifted gears and drove toward her hotel at a sedate pace.
"Thanks," she said.
"You"re welcome," I returned, with a touch of uncertainty.
"That"s thanks for not asking anything obvious until I could talk without biting your head off."
"Am I safe now?"
She breathed in deep and let it out slow. "I think so."
I waited so she could draw in a few more gallons of air, then ventured to ask what had happened on the dance floor.