by Jeff Noonan
He paused. Lee was silent, trying to absorb all of this. Tony caught his breath and went on, “Then you disappeared. I got worried and put some people on your tail. Traced you to a little town in Montana, but by then you were in the Navy. So I dropped it and just followed you through your uncle.”
Maggie was the first to react to all of this. She started laughing aloud. With absolute merriment in her face, she turned to Tony and said, “My God! I can’t believe it! You really are a godfather. The movies finally got something right!” Big Tony obviously didn’t like the comparison, even though everyone else at the table started laughing along with Maggie.
“That movie was crap!” But when Lee and Maggie kept laughing, even he had to grin.
The big man named Joe spoke up then. “Boss, we have to get going. Meeting is in fifteen minutes, and you know how Carlo is about being on time.”
“Yeah, Okay” Anthony glanced at his watch, looking thoughtful. “Lee, I’ll call you tomorrow morning, and we can set something up for dinner. I’m leaving the next morning, so it has to be tomorrow, if you can make it?” The last was almost an afterthought.
Lee answered, “We planned to be here two or three days. Dinner sounds good to me.”
With that, the three big men left the table, leaving Lee and Maggie staring at one another over their drinks. “Wow!” That was all that Lee could think of to say.
Maggie wasn’t as speechless. “Mr. Raines, exactly who in the fuck are you? One of the biggest mafia people in the world is your godfather? Who in the fuck are you and why haven’t you told me about this?” Lee’ mouth dropped open for the second time. Maggie never used that language. He tried to think of an answer, but Maggie was faster than he was. “I want the whole story and I want it now.”
Lee pulled himself together enough to reply, “Whoa, Maggie. I don’t have a lot of answers. This whole godfather thing was news to me.” He stopped for a moment, then went on, “I knew that my father did some work for Tony. Legal work - Dad was a lawyer. My mother was always on Dad’s case about Tony and his buddies. I remember her saying that she wanted those guys out of her life, but Dad would always talk about how they couldn’t just ignore the kids they were raised with. It was something they fought about all the time. As a kid, it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. Just a normal part of life.” He stopped and took a drink. Maggie was studying his face as if she had never seen it before. Nervously, he continued.
“I remember seeing Tony at the house a lot when I was just a little boy, but not much after that. When my folks died, there was some talk about the mob and that stuff. I remember that there were some people at the funeral that my Uncle Mike didn’t want there. But I just left after that, and I never thought twice about them until I got these orders to go back to Philly. Now the past is back, and I don’t know what to make of it any more than you do. That’s pretty much the whole story, as far as I know. I didn’t tell you about it before because it didn’t mean anything to me. But now that I’m going back to Philly, I have to confess that I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you.”
Maggie was honestly disturbed by what she had heard. She nodded her understanding, but still had nothing to say. Lee started with, “Maggie,”
But she stopped him. “Please Lee. I need to think for a minute.”
Lee nodded and held his comments. They both took drinks, and Lee signaled to the waiter for a second round. The waiter, still very respectful, brought them immediately, telling Lee, “The drinks are on the house today.” Lee thanked him and handed him a five-dollar tip. The waiter left, smiling.
Maggie didn’t say anything until the waiter was out of earshot. “Darn, there are some benefits to being the friends of a Mafia Don after all, eh?” She smiled at the thought. “But seriously, Lee, what happens if you have to cross swords with the mob in your new job? Have you thought about that?”
His answer was slow and thoughtful. “Yeah, but not enough to have made any kind of a plan. I can only take it one day at a time and see what unfolds. If worst comes to worst, I have the FBI and the whole Navy behind me. But somehow, I just don’t see it happening. I dunno why. I just don’t.”
It was Maggie’s turn to be thoughtful. After a long pause while she stared down into her drink, she looked up and made her position clear. “Lee Raines, you’re an asshole for not telling me about this, but I guess I do understand. Now we need a plan. I don’t do this one-day-at-a-time crap.”
Lee was relieved at her remark. “OK, beautiful person. What do you think we should be planning?”
“Tomorrow, Lee. We should be planning tomorrow. We’re going to have dinner with the guy that could be your best friend or your worst enemy. Let’s figure out where he stands. We may not have another opportunity.”
Lee was astounded by this side of Maggie. She was making her position perfectly plain. If this was going to be a war, she was all in - and she was not planning on losing any battles. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon talking about Big Tony and the Navy’s Philadelphia problems. By dinner time they had done away with several free drinks, put a plan in place, and were ready to continue their vacation and enjoy the tables.
After a quiet evening that found them spending more time watching the other players than they spent playing, they retired for the night. Lee soon discovered that the previous evening’s lovemaking had stirred something that wasn’t easily satisfied. But he didn’t complain.
The invitation was relayed by a harried desk clerk who found them having a late breakfast in a little restaurant close to where they’d talked with Tony the previous day. The clerk relayed that that they should meet for dinner in Mr. Bruno’s suite on one of the hotel’s top floors at 7 p.m.. They asked the desk clerk to reply that they would be there, assuming that they would meet at the suite for cocktails, then go out to one of the many fine restaurants in the area.
They spent the day wandering around the town, seeing the sights, playing slot machines, buying silly souvenirs, and just having fun with each other. Neither of them could remember the last time they were this relaxed. Maggie put their thoughts into words with, “It’s as if I was still a girl - as if Viet Nam never happened.” Lee had to agree.
They appeared on time at Tony’s suite, dressed in the best clothes they could dig out of their suitcases. Maggie had hoped for a more formal night somewhere on this vacation, so she was stunning in a dark blue gown that showed off the deep blue of her eyes as well as a generous amount of cleavage. Lee was wearing linen slacks and a nice open-collared shirt. Together they turned heads as they made their way to the private elevator that took them to the upper suites.
Tony was waiting for them when they arrived. He was wearing another dark blue pin-striped suit, apparently his normal attire. He was effusive in his praise of Maggie, complimenting her until she blushed. Lee was told several times to “never let this beauty out of your sight.” Tony even offered to stand up with them if they decided to take advantage of the services of a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Lee laughingly declined, although not before darting a glance to Maggie to see how she received the thought.
Moving on into the room, they were greeted with another surprise. The suite was huge. They were standing in a large living room and there was a group of servers bustling around a dinner table in an adjoining dining room. The bedroom was nowhere in sight, apparently hidden behind one of the closed doors off the living room. It was a luxuriously appointed room, with crystal flower vases on the tables and carefully selected paintings on the walls.
Big Tony took control of the conversation in his rapid-fire manner. “I hope you don’t mind eating here? I thought we could talk more freely here than in one of the local restaurants. I’m afraid my competitors all like to hear what I am saying. Besides, if you are going to be living in Philadelphia and working with the Navy, it’s probably better that you don’t advertise that you’re my friend, if you know what I mean.” He chuckled at that, but Lee didn’t see the humor.
&nbs
p; “Yeah. You’re absolutely right. The Navy wouldn’t appreciate this relationship, and that is a fact”.
Maggie calmed the immediate tension with, “This room is great, Mr. Bruno. We can relax and talk without worrying about anything. Besides, this place is beautiful. I love it.”
Tony replied, his slight accent betraying his Italian birthplace. “Not Mr. Bruno, dear. I’m just Tony to any friend of Lee’s. Come. Let’s sit and have a glass of wine.” With that, he led them to the dining table, where he sat at the head of the table after seating Lee and Maggie on either side of him. Without ceremony or fanfare, he poured wine from a bottle that Lee knew cost more than he made in a month. Their host raised his glass and toasted them. “To old friends and new ones. I’m very happy to be here with you.”
Maggie reflected on this turn of events as she sipped her wine and listened with half an ear to the two men as they talked of the old days and people they had both known. She was watching and learning. This Tony Bruno was a gentleman of the old school. He opened doors for ladies and always had a good thing to say about everything. He did have a slight accent, but it wasn’t overpowering. But there was a kind of velvety firmness about him that told her he should not be taken lightly.
They finished a lobster appetizer and moved on to a dinner of filet mignon that was exquisite. Finally the men were pausing in their conversation, and Maggie decided that it was time for her to do some of the probing they had discussed last night. “Tony, what can you tell us about the base where Lee is going to be stationed?”
Bruno thought for a moment and then opened with a physical description of the place. “It’s a huge piece of land at the foot of Broad Street, just past the stadiums. It’s actually only about a mile or so from where I live, but I haven’t been on the base for a few years. From all reports, it’s doing a lot of work on ships. The shipyard, where Lee will be working, occupies about half of the base’s land. The shipyard overhauls eight or ten ships at a time and it has both drydocks and piers for the ships. There’s a bunch of big industrial buildings there that you can see from a boat on the Delaware River, but I don’t know anything about them. I’ve heard that the yard employs about fifteen thousand civilians. There are a couple of dozen Navy people stationed in the shipyard itself and a lot more on the adjoining base. Plus, there are a lot of shipboard sailors. There’s some other organizations on the base, I understand. Mostly Navy engineering organizations, I think. They probably employ a couple of thousand more civilians. That base is Philly’s largest employer by far.”
Tony thought for a moment, then continued, “I don’t really know much more than that. I stay clear of the military mostly.” That caused both Lee and Maggie to look at him.
Lee took the lead with, “Why’s that Uncle Anty?”
“I just do, Lee. There’s two things that my people all know about me. I don’t touch anything that has to do with drugs, and I love the United States of America. Those kids out there on those ships are there to protect me. I don’t screw with them. Neither do my boys. That is one of the most important of the Laws of Bruno.” He laughed at the description, but there was no mistaking his sincerity.
Lee smiled at Anthony’s comment. “Yeah. I can’t imagine anyone trying anything on a Navy base. Besides, there probably wouldn’t be much to be gained from doing anything there anyway. Just a bunch of yard-birds, sailors, and engineers. Doesn’t sound like much of a gold mine.”
At that, Anthony put his fork down for a moment and leaned back in his chair, looking directly at Lee. “I dunno about that,” he said. “I’ve been hearing rumors, and there’ve been some incidents lately that worry me a bit.” Both Lee and Maggie stopped eating and looked at the old don as he gathered his thoughts.
“There’s some rumors around about a gang of thieves working on the base. An independent bunch that no one knows much of anything about. I’ve heard that the FBI has been there, but didn’t find anything. But the rumors are still out there and I think there’s something to them.”
He paused and Lee interjected, “What are they stealing, Tony?”
“Money, but I don’t know how - or how much. Like I say, I stay clear of the military, so I don’t know very much about this.”
He paused, obviously struggling with his thoughts, marshalling his words. Lee and Maggie stayed silent, watching him. “But there is one thing that I do know. There’s been three of the shipyard’s civilians killed in the past few months. The first one fell into a drydock. That was called an accident. But my neighbors that work in the shipyard don’t agree. They say the guy had worked in the shipyard for more than twenty years and his workplace was over a mile from the nearest drydock.”
Startled, Lee spoke up. “That does sound suspicious.”
“I think so. Anyway, then there was a shipyard worker shot dead in South Philly. The cops put a lot of heat on my friends over this one, but none of us know anything about it. Nobody’s been arrested yet on it. The rumor is that it was a dump job, with the killing taking place somewhere else. Then the body was dumped close to my home in South Philly.”
“Then another shipyard guy was found about a week later with his throat slit. That happened across the river in Camden. They say that he was robbed and killed by a streetwalker. It’s possible, I guess. But I don’t like coincidences. All three of these guys worked in the paperwork end of the shipyard, something to do with getting the machinery and parts for the ship-overhauls. Now, I don’t know what any of this means. But if I was you, Lee, I’d watch my back in that shipyard. Something smells bad.”
Lee was silent for a long moment, absorbing this information. Agent Wright had never mentioned anything about people being killed. Maybe he didn’t know, or maybe they hadn’t considered the deaths to be related to his shipyard investigation. But this was definitely a new twist. He let his surprise show as he commented, “Wow! Are the cops looking into any of this?”
“Probably, but I don’t think they’ve gotten very far. I’ll know more by the time you get to Philly. I called this morning and asked some of my people to look into this stuff. I’ve got some friends in high places in the Philly police force, and they’re gonna do some checking for me. When you get there, I’ll have more info for you. Can’t have you blindly walking into a meat grinder. After all, it wouldn’t look good for my godson to be whacked by some amateur on the Navy base, would it?”
Maggie had been silent through all of this. Now she spoke up. “Tony, anything that you can do to keep him safe would be very sincerely appreciated by me. I wasn’t worried about him before, but if there are murderers on that base, I’m worried now.”
Tony smiled and reached over, patting the back of her hand. “Don’t worry, little lady. I’ll watch over him. But he’s probably safe. None of the dead people have been in the Navy. All civilians - so far.”
She smiled at him, “Thank you, sir. I feel better knowing you’re on his side.” She meant it.
The subject changed, and the rest of the evening was uneventful. After dinner, the three moved to the living room as an army of waiters cleared away the remnants of the dinner. Tony enjoyed a cigar, seeming a bit hurt when Lee didn’t join him. But Maggie explained that Lee’s war wounds didn’t allow him to do any smoking. “But don’t worry. We both enjoy the smell of a good cigar.” They had several after-dinner drinks and were in a merry mood before it came time to say goodnight. Tony made a point to give Lee his private telephone number so he could “call anytime, especially if you run into trouble.” Then they said their goodnights.
Lee and Maggie rode the elevator down without speaking. Both were lost in thought. By mutual agreement, they walked across the casino floor and entered a bar where a tall lady was singing Diana Ross songs. Conversation was difficult, but Lee leaned over and tried anyway. “Tomorrow after we leave and get some miles behind us, I’m going to call Tom Wright. He needs to know about all of this.”
“Why not call tonight from the room, Lee?”
“Because I’m not su
re how private the conversation would be. You can bet that Tony’s friends, and his competitors, are watching our every move right now. I’d much rather make the call from some little desert pay phone.”
“You’re right. I hadn’t thought that out yet.” With that, they sat back and enjoyed the music for an hour or so.
The night brought more of that wonderfully tender, incredible lovemaking. But Maggie found that she had a hard time letting go tonight. She spent the night with her arms wrapped tightly around Lee, as if she never wanted him to leave. He didn’t mind.
Lee lay awake for a long time, thinking about Tony’s revelations. He had mixed feelings about what he’d heard. He was genuinely happy that he wasn’t going to have to fight Bruno when he got to Philadelphia, but he was also apprehensive. The conversation had revealed that he was in for a battle. Big Tony had said that his adversaries were dangerous and that they might already be murderers. Lee had been prepared to encounter bad people, but somehow, in the back of his mind, he had been assuming that they would be a known variety of thugs. Now he was facing a big unknown: a group of thieves, and possibly murderers, who were faceless. A gang that even the FBI hadn’t been able to unearth. This was not good news.
It was almost noon before Lee and Maggie left Las Vegas. They worked out in the hotel gym, then had a leisurely breakfast and took one last walk around town before leaving. Today they intended to get to the Grand Canyon or thereabouts, so it would be a relatively short day. The next day they planned to visit the Casa Grande cliff dwellings.
When they stopped for the night, Lee immediately went to a telephone booth outside a neighborhood drug store and put in a collect call to Agent Wright’s home phone number. Mrs. Wright answered, but she accepted the charges and put Tom on the line as soon as Lee told her who was calling.
Tom didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “What is going on, Lee? Is everything all right?
“Yeah, Tom. But last night we had dinner with Big Tony Bruno, and I thought that you would like to hear about it.”