The winter of Frankie Machine

65

“Your boy Machianno’s on quite a tear.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dave sits across the desk from the regional director. Called on the carpet, as it were.

“First Vena and Palumbo,” the RD says. “Now Pella. For Chrissakes, Dave, a witness in the program, gunned down in his own house! How’s that going to look?”

“Not good.”

“You have a gift for understatement.”

Dave doesn’t reply, proving hedoes have a gift for understatement.

“Anyway,” the RD says. “It looks like Machianno’s back at his old career. Find him, Hansen. Find him and stop him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dave gets up to leave.

“And Hansen? Machianno killed a federal undercover agent,” the RD says. “We don’t really want to provide this piece of shit with a lawyer, do we?”

Meaning, Dave thinks as he walks out the door, he’s not being ordered to find and stop Frank.

He’s being ordered to find him and kill him.