Class Act

21

Manny knew what the next call had to be, and that he should wait until the Big Guy, Antonio Datilla, had finished breakfast. He waited until ten o’clock. Then just as he reached for the phone, it rang. Shit! “Hello?”

“You know who this is.”

It was Sal, consigliere to Don Tony. This was bad.

“Sure, I do. I had my hand on the phone to call the Don with some news.”

“The Don has already heard the news,” Sal said. “All he needs to know now is who and why.”

“You remember Johnny Fratelli?”

“Big, scary guy, who took care of Buono in the joint?”

“That’s the one.”

“He gave Vinnie a mil to spread, for five points a week.”

“And?”

“After a while, I figured we had paid him enough, so I stopped the vig.”

“What about the principal?”

“Principal?”

“Johnny Fratelli’s mil. Did you give that back?”

“Yeah. I figured the Don would give it back to Fratelli, if he thought it was right.”

“Well, if he got his mil back, why is he blowing up our trailer?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Simplify it for me.”

“I told Vinnie to get it back. I sent Vinnie to New York to find Fratelli, but he couldn’t.”

“So Fratelli has kept his money? Why was he annoyed?”

“I guess he didn’t want to give it back to me again.”

“You know what I would do if you asked me for a mil back?”

“Ah, no.”

“I’d blow up your trailer. Okay, Manny, here’s what you’re going to do: you’re going to go down to the Airstream trailer lot on the Dixie Highway, and you’re going to purchase a brand-new trailer, a big one, with your own money.”

“If that’s what the Don wants.”

“If I had spoken to the Don about this, you would already be floating, facedown, in Biscayne Bay.”

“Okay, sure, glad to oblige.”

“And our books show a little under three million in those two safes.”

“About that.”

“Then you better pray the safes are found, intact, or you can add that to your bill.”

“Jesus, Sal, where am I going to raise three mil?”

“Vinnie will loan it to you, at the usual rate.”

“I’ll find the safes!”

“Good luck. I’ll hear from Vinnie about that later today.”

“You’ll hear from me.”

“Nah, you’re taking orders from Vinnie, now. He’s got your job. And you’ve got his, hustling down at the track. Tell me you understand me.”

“I understand you, Sal.”

“You do this right, and the Don won’t hear about it. You put a foot wrong, and you’re bait.” Sal hung up.

Manny hung up, too, and he was sweating heavily.