sk.theshining-第40部分

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s　a　key　club　for　wealthy　executives　of　both　foreign　and　domestic　breeds。　Now　informed　sources　say　that　High　Country　is　headed　by　Charles　Grondin；　53；　who　was　the　head　of　California　Land　Development　Corp。　until　1959；　when　he　resigned　to　take　the　position　of　executive　veep　in　the　Chicago　home　office　of　Derwent　Enterprises。
　　This　has　led　to　speculation　that　High　Country　Investments　may　be　controlled　by　Derwent；　who　may　have　acquired　the　Overlook　for　the　second　time；　and　under　decidedly　peculiar　circumstances。
　　Grondin；　who　was　indicted　and　acquitted　on　charges　of　tax　evasion　in　1960；　could　not　be　reached　for　ment；　and　Horace　Derwent；　who　guards　his　own　privacy　jealously；　had　no　ment　when　reached　by　telephone。　State　Representative　Dick　Bows　of　Golden　has　called　for　a　plete　investigation　into　。　。　。
　　
　　That　clipping　was　dated　July　27；　1964。　The　next　was　a　column　from　a　Sunday　paper　that　September。　The　byline　belonged　to　Josh　Brannigar；　a　muck…raking　investigator　of　the　Jack　Anderson　breed。　Jack　vaguely　recalled　that　Brannigar　had　died　in　1968　or　'69。
　　
　　MAFIA　FREE…ZONE　IN　COLORADO？
　　
　　By　Josh　Brannigar　It　now　seems　possible　that　the　newest　r&r　spot　of　Organization　overlords　in　the　U。S。　is　located　at　an　out…of…the…way　hotel　nestled　in　the　center　of　the　Rockies。　The　Overlook　Hotel；　a　white　elephant　that　has　been　run　lucklessly　by　almost　a　dozen　different　groups　and　individuals　since　it　first　opened　its　doors　in　1910；　is　now　being　operated　as　a　security…jacketed　〃key　club；〃　ostensibly　for　unwinding　businessmen。　The　question　is；　what　business　are　the　Overlook's　key　holders　really　in？
　　The　members　present　during　the　week　of　August　1623　may　give　us　an　idea。
　　The　list　below　was　obtained　by　a　former　employee　of　High　Country　Investments；　a　pany　first　believed　to　be　a　dummy　pany　owned　by　Derwent　Enterprises。　It　now　seems　more　likely　that　Derwent's　interest　in　High　Country　（if　any）　is　outweighed　by　those　of　several　Las　Vegas　gambling　barons。　And　these　same　gaming　honchos　have　been　linked　in　the　past　to　both　suspected　and　convicted　underworld　kingpins。
　　Present　at　the　Overlook　during　that　sunny　week　in　August　were：　Charles　Grondin；　President　of　High　Country　Investments。　When　it　became　known　in　July　of　this　year　that　he　was　running　the　High　Country　ship　it　was　announced…considerably　after　the　fact…that　he　had　resigned　his　position　in　Derwent　Enterprises　previously。　The　silver…maned　Grondin；　who　refused　to　talk　to　me　for　this　column；　has　been　tried　once　and　acquitted　on　tax　evasion　charges　（1960）　。
　　Charles　〃Baby　Charlie〃　Battaglia；　a　60…year…old　Vegas　empressario　（controlling　interests　in　The　Greenback　and　The　Lucky　Bones　on　the　Strip）。
　　Battaglia　is　a　close　personal　friend　of　Grondin。　His　arrest　record　stretches　back　to　1932；　when　he　was　tried　and　acquitted　in　the　gangland…style　murder　of　Jack　〃Dutchy〃　Morgan。　Federal　authorities　suspect　his　involvement　in　the　drug　traffic；　prostitution；　and　murder　for　hire；　but
　　〃Baby　Charlie〃　has　only　been　behind　bars　once；　for　ine　tax　evasion　in　1955…56。
　　Richard　Scarne；　the　principal　stockholder　of　Fun　Time　Automatic　Machines。
　　Fun　Time　makes　slot　machines　for　the　Nevada　crowd；　pinball　machines；　and　jukeboxes　（Melody…Coin）　for　the　rest　of　the　country。　He　has　done　time　for　assault　with　a　deadly　weapon　（1940）；　carrying　a　concealed　weapon　（1948）；　and　conspiracy　to　mit　tax　fraud　（1961）　。
　　Peter　Zeiss；　a　Miami…based　importer；　now　nearing　70。　For　the　last　five　years　Zeiss　has　been　fighting　deportation　as　an　undesirable　person。　He　has　been　convicted　on　charges　of　receiving　and　concealing　stolen　property　（1958）；　and　conspiracy　to　mit　tax　fraud　（1954）。　Charming；　distinguished；　and　courtly；　Pete　Zeiss　is　called　〃Poppa〃　by　his　intimates　and　has　been　tried　on　charges　of　murder　and　accessory　to　murder。　A　large　stockholder　in　Scarne's　Fun　Time　pany；　he　also　has　known　interests　in　four　Las　Vegas　casinos。
　　Vittorio　Gienelli；　also　known　as　〃Vito　the　Chopper；〃　tried　twice　for　gangland…style　murders；　one　of　them　the　ax…murder　of　Boston　vice　overlord　Frank　Scoffy。　Gienelli　has　been　indicted　twenty…three　times；　tried　fourteen　times；　and　convicted　only　once；　for　shoplifting　in　1940。　It　has　been　said　that　in　recent　years　Gienelli　has　bee　a　power　in　the　organization's　western　operation；　which　is　centered　in　Las　Vegas。
　　Carl　〃Jimmy…Ricks〃　Prashkin；　a　San　Francisco　investor；　reputed　to　be　the　heir　apparent　of　the　power　Gienelli　now　wields。　Prashkin　owns　large　blocks　of　stock　in　Derwent　Enterprises；　High　Country　Investments；　Fun　Time　Automatic　Machines；　and　three　Vegas　casinos。　Prashkin　is　clean　in　America；　but　was　indicted　in　Mexico　on　fraud　charges　that　were　dropped　quickly　three　weeks　after　they　were　brought。　It　has　been　suggested　that　Prashkin　may　be　in　charge　of　laundering　money　skimmed　from　Vegas　casino　operations　and　funneling　the　big　bucks　back　into　the　organization's　legitimate　western　operations。　And　such　operations　may　now　include　the　Overlook　Hotel　in　Colorado。
　　Other　visitors　during　the　current　season　include。　。　。
　　
　　There　was　more　but　Jack　only　skimmed　it；　constantly　wiping　his　lips　with　his　hand。　A　banker　with　Las　Vegas　connections。　Men　from　New　York　who　were　apparently　doing　more　in　the　Garment　District　than　making　clothes。　Men　reputed　to　be　involved　with　drugs；　vice；　robbery；　murder。
　　God；　what　a　story！　And　they　had　all　been　here；　right　above　him；　in　those　empty　rooms。　Screwing　expensive　whores　on　the　third　floor；　maybe。　Drinking　magnums　of　champagne。　Making　deals　that　would　turn　over　millions　of　dollars；　maybe　in　the　very　suite　of　rooms　where　Presidents　had　stayed。　There　was　a　story；　all　right。
　　One　hell　of　a　story。　A　little　frantically；　he　took　out　his　notebook　and　jotted　down　another　memo　to　check　all　of　these　people　out　at　the　library　in　Denver　when　the　caretaking　job　was　over。　Every　hotel　has　its　ghost？　The　Overlook　had　a　whole　coven　of　them。　First　suicide；　then　the　Mafia；　what　next？
　　The　next　clipping　was　an　angry　denial　of　Brannigar's　charges　by　Charles　Grondin。　Jack　smirked　at　it。
　　The　clipping　on　the　next　page　was　so　large　that　it　had　been　folded。　Jack　unfolded　it　and　gasped　harshly。　The　picture　there　seemed　to　leap　out　at　him：　the　wallpaper　had　been　changed　since　June　of　1966；　but　he　knew　that　window　and　the　view　perfectly　well。　It　was　the　western　exposure　of　the　Presidential　Suite。
　　Murder　came　next。　The　sitting　room　wall　by　the　door　leading　into　the　bedroom　was　splashed　with　blood　and　what　could　only　be　white　flecks　of　brain　matter。　A　blank…faced　cop　was　standing　over　a　corpse　hidden　by　a　blanket。　Jack　stared；　fascinated；　and　then　his　eyes　moved　up　to　the　headline。
　　
　　GANGLAND…STYLE　SHOOTING　AT　COLORADO　HOTEL　Reputed　Crime　Overlord　Shot　at　Mountain　Key　Club　Two　Others　Dead
　　
　　SIDEWINDER；　COLO　（UPI）…Forty　miles　from　this　sleepy　Colorado　town；　a　gangland…style　execution　has　occurred　in　the　heart　of　the　Rocky　Mountains。
　　The　Overlook　Hotel；　purchased　three　years　ago　as　an　exclusive　key　club　by　a　Las　Vegas　firm；　was　the　site　of　a　triple　shotgun　slaying。　Two　of　the　men　were　either　the　panions　or　bodyguards　of　Vittorio　Gienelli；　also　known　as　〃The　Chopper〃　for　his　reputed　involvement　in　a　Boston　slaying　twenty　years　ago。
　　Police　were　summoned　by　Robert　Norman；　manager　of　the　Overlook；　who　said　he　heard　shots　and　that　some　of　the　guests　reported　two　men　wearing　stockings　on　their　faces　and　carrying　guns　had　fled　down　the　fire　escape　and　driven　off　in　a　late…model　tan　convertible。
　　State　Trooper　Benjamin　Moorer　discovered　two　dead　men；　later　identified　as　Victor　T。　Boorman　and　Roger　Macassi；　both　of　Las　Vegas；　outside　the　door　of　the　Presidential　Suite　where　two　American　Presidents　have　stayed。
　　Inside；　Moorer　found　the　body　of　Gienelli　sprawled　on　the　floor。　Gienelli　was　apparently　fleeing　his　attackers　when　he　was　cut　down。　Moorer　said　Gienelli　had　been　shot　with　heavy…gauge　shotguns　at　close　range。
　　Charles　Grondin；　the　representative　of　the　pany　which　now　owns　the　Overlook；　could　not　be　reached　for　。　。　。　
　　
　　Below　the　clipping；　in　heavy　strokes　of　a　ball…point　pen；　someone　had　written：　They　took　his　balls　along　with　them。　Jack　stared　at　that　for　a　long　time；　feeling　c