The Way You Die Tonight (28 page)

Oh yeah, I had one more visitor that week …

I was in my pit when he walked up.

‘Can we talk?'

‘Sure,' I said. I waved at somebody to take my pit for a few minutes, then walked Robert Maheu over to the lounge.

‘What's on your mind?' I asked.

‘Look,' he said, ‘Mr Hughes had nothing to do with the men who … assaulted you.'

‘Uh-huh.'

‘In fact, I didn't, either,' Maheu said. ‘That was all the attorneys. They were trying to impress Mr Hughes. Needless to say, they've been fired.'

‘And?'

‘And Mr Hughes has left Vegas,' he said. ‘I'll be leaving today.'

‘Good,' I said. ‘Tell him not to come back.'

I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. I stopped and he took it away.

‘You came out on top this time, Eddie,' Maheu said. ‘Mr Hughes doesn't want to push it, but he'll be back. Maybe next year, maybe two.'

‘So you're blaming the lawyers. You'll let some time go by, and then try again?'

‘And you won't know a thing about it,' Maheu said.

I smiled at him.

‘My town, Maheu,' I said. ‘If you or Hughes put one foot into it, I'll know. Count on it.'

I walked away …

Howard Hughes did come back to Vegas in 1967, and he started buying. But that's another story.