Hanging around here answering phones. OK? But don't tell anybody. I don't want
Newspaper photographers snapping pictures of us together. No kidding, Kay, it's
damned embarrassing, especially for your parents."
235
16 "All right," Kay said. "I'll be waiting. Can I do any Christmas shopping for you?
Or anything else?"
17 "No," Michael said. "Just be ready."
18 She gave a little excited laugh. "I'll be ready," she said. "Aren't I always?"
19 "Yes, you are," he said. "That's why you're my best girl."
20 "I love you," she said. "Can you say it?"
21 Michael looked at the four hoods sitting in the kitchen. "No," he said.
"Tonight, OK?"
22 "OK," she said. He hung up.
Clemenza had finally come back from his day's work and was bustling around
The kitchen cooking up a huge pot of tomato sauce. Michael nodded to him and
Went to the corner office where he found Hagen and Sonny waiting for him
impatiently. "Is Clemenza out there?" Sonny asked.
24 Michael grinned. "He's cooking up spaghetti for the troops, just like the
army."
25 Sonny said impatiently, "Tell him to cut out that crap and come on in here. I
have more important things for him to do. Get Tessio in here with him."
In a few minutes they were all gathered in the office. Sonny said curtly to
Clemenza, "You take care of him?"
27 Clemenza nodded. "You won't see him anymore."
With a slight electric shock, Michael realized they were talking about Paulie
Gatto and that little Paulie was dead, murdered by that jolly wedding dancer,
Clemenza.
29 Sonny asked Hagen, "You have any luck with Sollozzo?"
30 Hagen shook his head. "He seems to have cooled off on the negotiation idea.
Anyway he doesn't seem to be too anxious. Or maybe he's just being very careful
So that our button men won't nail him. Anyway I haven't been able to set up a top-
Notch go-between he'll trust. But he must know he has to negotiate now. He
missed his chance when he let the old man get away from him."
31 Sonny said, "He's a smart guy, the smartest our Family ever came up against.
Maybe he figured we're just stalling until the old man gets better or we can get a
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line on him."
32 Hagen shrugged. "Sure, he figures that. But he still has to negotiate. He has
no choice. I'll get it set up tomorrow. That's certain."
236
One of Clemenza's men knocked on the office door and then came in. He said
to Clemenza, "It just came over the radio, the cops found Paulie Gatto. Dead in
his car."
34 Clemenza nodded and said to the man, "Don't worry about it." The button
man gave his caporegime an astonished look, which was followed by a look of
Comprehension, before he went back to the kitchen.
The conference went on as if there had been no interruption. Sonny asked
Hagen, "Any change in the Don's condition?"
36 Hagen shook his head. "He's OK but he won't be able to talk for another
Couple of days. He's all knocked out. Still recovering from the operation. Your
Mother spends most of the day with him, Connie too. There's cops all over the
Hospital and Tessio's men hang around too, just in case. In a couple of days he'll
Be all right and then we can see what he wants us to do. Meanwhile we have to
Keep Sollozzo from doing anything rash. That's why I want to start you talking
deals with him."
37 Sonny grunted. "Until he does, I've got Clemenza and Tessio looking for him.
Maybe we'll get lucky and solve the whole business."
38 "You won't get lucky," Hagen said. "Sollozzo is too smart." Hagen paused.
"He knows once he comes to the table he'll have to go our way mostly. That's
Why he's stalling. I'm guessing he's trying to line up support from the other New
York Families so that we won't go after him when the old man gives us the word."
39 Sonny frowned. "Why the hell should they do that?" Hagen said patiently, "To
Avert a big war which hurts everybody and brings the papers and government
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Into the act. Also, Sollozzo will give them a piece of the action. And you know
How much dough there is in drugs. The Corleone Family doesn't need it, we have
The gambling, which is the best business to have. But the other Families are
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