Peter Clemenza slept badly that night. In the morning he got up early and
211
made his own breakfast of a glass of grappa, a thick slice of Genoa salami with a
Chunk of fresh Italian bread that was still delivered to his door as in the old days.
Then he drank a great, plain china mug filled with hot coffee that had been lashed
With anisette. But as he padded about the house in his old bathrobe and red felt
Slippers he pondered on the day's work that lay ahead of him. Last night Sonny
Corleone had made it very clear that Paulie Gatto was to be taken care of
Immediately. It had to be today.
Clemenza was troubled. Not because Gatto had been his protй gй and had
turned traitor. This did not reflect on the caporegime's judgment. After all,
Paulie's background had been perfect. He came from a Sicilian family, he had
Grown up in the same neighborhood as the Corleone children, had indeed even
Gone to school with one of the sons. He had been brought up through each level
In the proper manner. He had been tested and not found wanting. And then after
he had "made his bones" he had received a good living from the Family, a
percentage of an East Side "book" and a union payroll slot. Clemenza had not
Been unaware that Paulie Gatto supplemented his income with free-lance
Stickups, strictly against the Family rules, but even this was a sign of the man's
Worth. The breaking of such regulations was considered a sign of high-
Spiritedness, like that shown by a fine racing horse fighting the reins.
And Paulie had never caused trouble with his stickups. They had always been
Meticulously planned and carried out with the minimum of fuss and trouble, with
No one ever getting hurt: a three-thousand-dollar Manhattan garment center
Payroll, a small chinaware factory payroll in the slums of Brooklyn. After all, a
Young man could always use some extra pocket money. It was all in the pattern.
Who could ever foretell that Paulie Gatto would turn traitor?
What was troubling Peter Clemenza this morning was an administrative
Problem. The actual execution of Gatto was a cut-and-dried chore. The problem
was, who should the caporegime bring up from the ranks to replace Gatto in the
Family? It was an important promotion, that to "button" man, one not to be
|
|
Handed out lightly. The man had to be tough and he had to be smart. He had to be
Safe, not a person who would talk to the police if he got in trouble, one well
saturated in the Sicilians' law of omerta, the law of silence. And then, what kind of
A living would he receive for his new duties? Clemenza had several times spoken
212
To the Don about better rewards for the all-important button man who was first in
The front line when trouble arose, but the Don had put him off. If Paulie had been
Making more money, he might have been able to resist the blandishments of the
Wily Turk, Sollozzo.
Clemenza finally narrowed down the list of candidates to three men. The first
Was an enforcer who worked with the colored policy bankers in Harlem, a big
Brawny brute of a man of great physical strength, a man with a great deal of
Personal charm who could get along with people and yet when necessary make
Them go in fear of him. But Clemenza scratched him off the list after considering
His name for a half hour. This man got along too well with the black people, which
Hinted at some flaw of character. Also he would be too hard to replace in the
Position he now held.
The second name Clemenza considered and almost settled on was a hard-
Working chap who served faithfully and well in the organization. This man was the
Collector of delinquent accounts for Family-licensed shylocks in Manhattan. He
Had started off as a bookmaker's runner. But he was not quite yet ready for such
An important promotion.
Finally he settled on Rocco Lampone. Lampone had served a short but
Impressive apprenticeship in the Family. During the war he had been wounded in
Africa and been discharged in 1943. Because of the shortage of young men,
Clemenza had taken him on even though Lampone was partially incapacitated by
|
|
His injuries and walked with a pronounced limp. Clemenza had used him as a
Дата добавления: 2018-10-26; просмотров: 143; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!