before and we knew it.
But there was nothing we could do about it. She had the Bannerman pride of honesty and I had the sense to keep my mouth shut even though I felt like exploding.
At five minutes to midnight she excused herself to go to the powder room and I waved for another drink. Before it came I saw the big guy edging over to my table, smiling and talking to the others on the way until he reached me. His nose had been broken, he had one twisted ear and under his clothes you knew there were great chunks of muscle that could hurt you bad if he wanted to.
He nodded at an empty chair and said, "Mind?"
"No, sit down. Want a drink!"
"Thanks. I'm on duty."
"Bouncing?"
His shoulders moved in a massive shrug. "It ain't really necessary. I just speak to 'em generally."
"That's the only way."
The guy was getting to something. He waited until I had the drink and leaned back languidly. "You got a rod on you, ain't you?"
"Sure," I said, "but it ain't really necessary. I just speak to 'em generally."
The frown broke into a hoarse laugh and he shook his head. "Like my kid says, you're cool, man."
"Got to be in this business."
"Ain't why I came though. Les told me you was a Bannerman. That right?"
"Sad, but true."
"Couldn't be old Cat Cay Bannerman, could it?"
I looked at him, trying to get his point. I nodded.
"Maybe you don't remember me. I got my face busted up in the ring, but I was different when I was a kid. Petey Salvo's the name. We went to the Ringdale school together."
I let out a laugh and stuck out my hand. "I'll be damned," I said. "Woppo Salvo, the kid who got his head stuck in the fence posts."
"You remember that?" he grinned.
"Hell, yes, like I remember the times you and me had it out in the lots for something or other. It's been a long time."
"Too long." He let his eyes go over my face. "You do some fighting?"
"Some."
"You look it. Stupid racket. How long you gonna be around?"
"Few days, maybe."
"Suppose we get together some time? Plenty things changed around here. You want to meet anybody, let me know."
"Good idea."
Petey Salvo shuffled the chair back and got ready to leave. "When I first saw you come in here I thought I recognized you from somewhere. Guys I get to know are the ones shouldn't be here so I was gonna heave you until Les give me the nod. Then I figured you was like a bodyguard to Miss Bannerman."
"She need one?"
"Her? Hell, she's the only decent one. It's those kids who are bums. The night Chuck Maloney got knifed and everyone got questioned he paid off to get hustled out of here and didn't even get his name in the papers."
I picked up my glass. "Maybe he stuck him."
"Yeah, that'll be the day. Maloney was an ex-marine and had thirty-one fights in the ring and when that powderpuff can close in on him I'll eat his shoes. He's strictly yellow, you know that. I saw a dame beat the hell out of him one night." He stood up and held out his hand again. "I'm around all the time. Look me up."
"Sure will, Petey."
"Stay for the next show. Real specialty number. Chuck Maloney's wife is doing a strip. Les gave her the job to kinda help things along for her. She used to do a circuit in the east and swings pretty good."
"I'll catch it."
Anita came back then, saw Petey leaving and said, "Company?"
"We used to go to school together, Ringdale P. S. where the Bannermans joined the
The lights dimmed then and a spot hit the dance floor. From the band came a sharp chord that was sustained until the M.C. came out with a hand mike and got everyone's attention. His announcement was brief . . . the Cherokee Club was about to offer its feature attraction for the evening, a blazing redhead who had set fire to stages all over the country and was persuaded to visit the club for a two week showing. And introducing, Irish Maloney and her drumbeat rhythm!
The bongos and the base started their beat, were joined by a single clarinet and out of the wings came the redhead. She was good, no doubt about that. She had crazy muscular control of every part of her body and could start a ripple going in her thighs that worked its way up her belly to her breasts and undulate back down again. She stayed there working the perimeter of the floor with her body inches away from gaping eyes for a full half hour until the drums gave out and she ran off in a wild burst of applause from everyone in the room.
She was interesting, all right . . . but the most interesting part was that she was the same doll whose picture I had seen in Rudy's room, only then the red hair had photographed brunette.
Anita said, "She was beautiful, wasn't she?"
"I like you better. Ready to go?"
"Whenever you are."
I paid the tab, got her coat for her, said good night to Leslie Douglas on the way out and picked up the Ford myself. The kid in charge didn't seem anxious to tool anything less than a Caddie.
At the house I walked her to the door, turned her around and said, "Thanks for the night, honey."
She was crying. "Cat . . ."
"Look, I know. I know the reasons and the answers."
"Why does it have to be like this?"
"Because there's no other way. At least you're a real Bannerman. I'm still the bastard, remember."
"Please don't say that."
"Why fight the truth? There are two ends to the family . . . stay with the big one."
There was a funny light in her eyes when she said it. "I may at that."
Petey Salvo came out at three-thirty when the casino was empty. We drove a couple of miles to a drive in, ordered hamburgers and coffee and after a few minutes of old times I got to the point. "Petey . . . what's with this Maloney dish?"
"Ah, come on Cat, lay off her. She gave Chuck enough trouble. You don't want none of it."
"Who says I do?"
"Well, more guys get a stiff one for that broad than any I ever saw. She was always runnin' and Chuck was always belting some punk who went after her. She drove him nuts."
"Look . . . what about that guy the cops are after?"
"Him . . . Sanders? So he tried making a play for her and Chuck nailed him. He did it a couple more times and Chuck did the same thing. But the broad kept the guy coming back. She liked to see the action, that's what I think. Chuck should never've taken her out of show biz. He was better off without her."
"Rudy Bannerman."
"What about him?"
"He ever try for any of that?"
Petey bit into a hamburger and scowled. "You crazy? Chuck would've mangled him."
"So did he?"
"Ah, everybody tried one time or another. She used to hang around the tables a lot and you know how it goes. That Rudy makes like he's a wheel to all the dames and feels good when they play up to him, but he knew what would happen. Anyway, he's a damn drunk."
"So?"
"So when he gets loaded he's no good. I heard a couple of the kids he had out laughing about the guy. He's .
