by Paul Henke
I was just cutting off a piece of pie when Zelda looked at the door and groaned. ‘Damn.’
‘What’s up?’ I asked, the spoon halfway to my mouth.
‘A couple of no-goods just came in. They’ll eat and drink and leave without paying.’
‘Can’t you stop them?’ I was looking at Zelda and not over my shoulder. Then I caught the reflection of one of them in the mirror and understood what she meant. It was Robbo Perini. I couldn’t see the other man but I guessed it was his cousin. ‘Don’t answer that. I know who they are.’
‘You do?’
‘Yeah. My two clients from this morning.’
‘Frank, that’s heavy duty, know what I mean?’
I shrugged. ‘Zelda, as far as I’m concerned they’re a couple of lowlifes. Actually, I’m indebted to them.’
‘You are? Why?’
‘I wouldn’t have quit if it hadn’t been for them.’
‘Oh, oh. I’d better go and serve them. They don’t like to be kept waiting.’
Zelda lifted the counter flap and stepped through, a pad and pen in her hands. She crossed to a nearby booth, stopped and started going through her routine.
I looked over my shoulder at Sonny Lamberti who looked straight back at me. I turned away but I was too late. I heard the two men say something though I couldn’t catch what it was. I was tempted to look again but instead kept my eyes on the mirror while I went on eating.
I saw Perini’s reflection first and then Lamberti’s. They were standing a couple of feet behind me. Perini was staring at my back. The hair on the back of my neck was beginning to stand on end. It was an uncomfortable feeling so I swivelled around on my stool and leaned back with my elbows on the counter.
‘Can I help you gentlemen?’ I asked politely.
Apart from Perini being an albino there was a certain resemblance in the two men. Both were about 5ft 10ins, 110lbs, with round faces, snub noses and big ears. The other thing they had in common was they carried guns in shoulder holsters under their left armpits.
‘You’re the dickhead from the lawyers’ office. The one who likes to draw funny pictures of people,’ said Perini.
I found his white eyes with their red rims disconcerting. He was staring and he obviously knew the effect he had on people.
I couldn’t think of a reply, so I said, ‘You do know it’s illegal to carry a concealed weapon in New York State, don’t you? Though you might not know that the great city of New York is also a part of the state and hence subject to the same law.’
The cousins looked at each other and then Sonny said, ‘Wise guy.’
‘Yeah, a wise guy. Let’s go out back,’ said Robbo, ‘I want a little private meeting.’
‘Why? Anyway, I charge $100 for an initial consultation and then $150 an hour.’
‘Huh?’ Robbo looked bewildered for a few seconds and then said, ‘Enough talk. Let’s go.’
Zelda was standing close by with a worried look on her face. She said, ‘Shall I call...,’
I interrupted her before she could complete the sentence. The last thing I wanted was her getting into trouble with the mob because she acted like a good citizen and telephoned the cops. Even if she did, they wouldn’t arrive in time to do me any good. ‘Don’t bother doing anything, Zelda. These gentlemen and I can have a private and civilised conversation out the back.’
I slid off the stool and led the way through the back door and out into the yard. The secret of success when it came to a brawl was to get your retaliation in first. As I stepped into the sunlight I glanced back in time to see Perini remove a nasty looking cosh from his pocket. I was expecting it. I’d already noticed the way his coat was hanging slightly to one side. That had meant either a pocket full of change or, as I’d surmised, a cosh.
As the heat and sunshine hit I turned and let loose with my right fist. My arm had been hanging loose but when I moved I moved hard and fast. The blow was a clean one and I knocked Robbo off his feet. I had hit him squarely on the chin. He went flying backwards and slightly to the left which resulted in him hitting the back of his head on the door surround. He went out like a light. Lamberti was just standing there, a dumb look on his face. I figured the two of them were so used to dishing out a beating that the last thing they’d expected was for me to hit them first. Before Sonny could react I reached forward, grabbed the lapels of his jacket with my right hand, pulled him forward and hit him with my left fist. The power behind my move wasn’t as great as the previous blow, but pulling him forward helped to add to the force and he collapsed, unconscious.
I looked at the two bodies, crumpled in a heap and had the most ludicrous thought. Maybe it would have been better for me to have taken a beating and then let it go. As it was, when these two guys woke up they’d be after my blood. Or, if not them, somebody from their organisation. It was bad for moral and discipline to let a lawyer take you out. Although I was pretty sure they’d be unconscious for a while, I couldn’t be positive. Two hoods chasing me through Manhattan with loaded guns wasn’t a scenario I relished so I did the only thing I could. I relieved them of their weapons. Both carried snub-nosed Colt Cobra .38 revolvers. The guns were short barrelled, 6 rounds and useful only at close quarters. Hitting a target beyond about 10 yards was problematic. But then the mob liked to operate up close. For longer distances they used automatics and for real heavy duty their weapon of choice was a machine gun.
I said I was from the midwest. More accurately, the State of Indiana. I had been brought up using guns of all sorts, though I was more at home with a rifle. A snub-nosed revolver was something new to me but it had the same features as a Colt .45 which I’d used often enough. I wouldn’t be winning any trophies but I was still pretty useful with a gun.
Figuring it was impossible to be in any more trouble I decided to go for broke. I pulled off their jackets and removed their holsters, whilst at the same time pocketing Robbo’s cosh. I checked their wallets. Robbo’s was stuffed with cash while Sonny only had a few bills. Tempted though I was, I decided to leave the money. This was in spite of the fact that I’d already informed them of my consultation fee! I took off my jacket and fitted Sonny’s holster to my left side and slid a revolver into it. I dropped Robbo’s holster in the trash and his revolver in my left coat pocket. I flexed my hands. My left fist hurt more than my right. I rubbed the fingers of my right hand over my left knuckles, then I did it the other way. The damn things hurt. With a bit of luck, if I remembered to flex my hands, they wouldn’t stiffen. It had happened before, so I knew the drill.
I went back inside. Zelda gaped at me as I entered the diner.
‘You can close your mouth, it is me.’
‘Frank! I never expected to see you walk in here!’ Her surprise was obvious. ‘What happened?’
‘Let’s just say that when those bozos wake up they will have very painful headaches.’
‘Honey, I got some real good advice for you.’
‘What’s that?’ I asked as I sat at the counter and indicated my mug. ‘Fill it up, Zelda, please.’
Even as she lifted the pot she said, ‘Listen good Frank. You need to get out of town and get out fast. You know who those two are?’
‘Sure. Thanks.’ I acknowledged the refill. ‘Mafia scum.’
‘Maybe, but the albino is the big man’s son,’ her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, ‘and the other is his nephew.’
‘I know that. So tell me something new.’
‘Okay, Robbo is being groomed to take over the business and Sonny is being groomed as the number two.’
I thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. ‘In a family business what else would you expect?’
‘This ain’t no time for your smart alec remarks Mr. Clever Lawyer. They’ll come after you and come with a vengeance.’
I took a mouthful of coffee and almost burnt my mouth. I knew she was right. I had gone from having a nice quiet morning, with a peaceful and long life ahead of me to being a few ho
urs away from wearing a wooden overcoat.
I pursed my lips and looked at Zelda. ‘You know I’ll miss you, don’t you?’
‘Sure. And I’ll miss you. Come back and see me in about ten years when the heat has died down and the price on your head has been lifted.’
‘You think it’ll come to that?’
Zelda shook her head. ‘Nope.’ She paused and then added, ‘I know it will.’
I slid off the stool, managed a smile and headed for the door. I just wished she hadn’t emphasised the know quite so much.
3
On my way to the subway I ditched the .38 I had in my pocket after extracting the bullets. I took the subway home to my second floor apartment in the Bronx. It was not a very salubrious area, especially for an up-and-coming lawyer, but it suited my purpose. However, everything had changed. I was no longer up and I was certainly no longer coming as a lawyer. In fact, on further reflection, which my time on the subway had allowed, I knew I had to get away. I consoled myself with the notion that it would take a day or two before the Perinis found out where I lived and by then I intended being long gone. Indiana beckoned. Clean air, wide open spaces and as much steak and beans as a man can eat.
I sighed. I knew there was no chance of my returning to the midwest. I’d moved on. The past was gone, the future lay elsewhere. I poured myself a bourbon, even though it was only just after 3pm, added some ice and sat at the rickety table in the kitchen. There wasn’t much food as I usually ate out. I took a sip of my drink, grimaced and put it down. Maybe I’d finish it later.
The apartment wasn’t much. There was a bedroom, shower and toilet, a living room and a kitchen-cum-diner. It was clean enough, furnished and freshly painted the week before I took it over. The bed was comfortable, the sofa a pain in the backside - literally. It had too many loose springs.
So what to do? I’d paid the rent 3 months in advance and I still had 10 weeks to go. Damnation! I didn’t like the idea of running. Who the hell did the Perinis think they were? They didn’t run the city. There were laws. I was building myself up into a state of righteous indignation when common sense prevailed. They were gangsters with no regard for the rule of law and would think nothing of killing me. I sighed as I came back to earth. I had only one choice. I needed to get out of Dodge.
I rationalised that I could leave in the morning. So that gave me the night to work out where to go. I had a tin of baked beans in the cupboard as well as 2 day old bread and some milk. I also had coffee beans which I poured into the coffee maker and pressed the requisite buttons. I made some beans on toast, ditched the whisky down the sink and sat nursing a cup of coffee. It was just after 5pm and I had gone from returning to Indiana to getting lost in New York. But I wasn’t so sure about the latter. It would mean spending a long time looking over my shoulder. Fear is corroding. Enough of it can sharpen your senses and make you careful. Too much of it is soul destroying and debilitating.
So Indiana it would be. What was wrong with hanging up my shingle and helping the locals of my home town? There was a knock on the door and I stood up to answer it. I’d reached the door when I paused. The door was in the centre of the living room and opened straight on to the lobby. Nobody had ever visited me there before. Not even a neighbour. It was that sort of neighbourhood. We all kept very much to ourselves.
Could the Perinis have found me already? Surely not! My stomach turned. A quick call to the office and they’d have my address in about 30 seconds. I was still wearing the revolver, tucked under my left side with the grip pointing forward.
‘Hang on!’ I called out. ‘I’m coming.’
I stood to one side, with my back to the wall. I reached over to the Yale lock and twisted the catch, flipping the door open as I did, I snatched my hand away as the door smashed open and two men charged into the room. Both carried guns and were halfway to the kitchen when they stopped.
‘Where the hell....,’ began one of them.
‘Drop them,’ I yelled, the Colt .38 pointing at their backs. ‘Don’t turn around.’ To emphasise my order I fired a single shot into the sofa. The bang was loud and grabbed their attention as they froze. ‘Drop your guns.’
‘Listen kid,’ said one of them, ‘don’t do anything stupid. If you shoot us someone else will pay you a call.’
‘Why should that make me more scared than I am now?’ Even as I said the words I was examining my feelings. I wasn’t scared. I was angry. I was lusting for revenge. I wanted to kill somebody. But I definitely wasn’t scared.
‘We only came here to warn you. To tell you to leave town. That was all,’ said the second man.
‘Bull,’ I said. My voice was as steady as my aim. ‘You came here to kill me.’ I spoke matter of factly. ‘Are you denying it?’ I didn’t wait for an answer. ‘I said drop your guns.’
The man in front dropped his, the second man didn’t. The first man raised his hands to shoulder height, the second man began to turn. I shot him in the right leg, taking off his knee. He screamed and hit the floor, dropping his gun. I kicked it to one side and said, ‘What is it with you guys? You think you can do what you like? You, sit!’ I waved my gun at the nearest chair. He sat, his hands still in the air. The other man was groaning loudly, his hands clasped around his knee. I wondered what I should do with them. Killing wasn’t an option. I’d never get away with it. The police would track me down and the mob would kill me.
I walked across to the guy on the chair. I moved my hand on the grip of the revolver and brought the base down on the back of his neck with all the force I could muster. It was one hell of a blow and for a second I wondered if I had killed him. He was unconscious but breathing steadily. The other man had stopped rolling around the floor and was looking at me with fear in his eyes. Which wasn’t surprising as I was now pointing the revolver at his head.
‘What should I do with you?’ I asked conversationally. ‘I know. I’ll just put a bullet in you and leave.’
The man gasped. ‘No! Please! Don’t kill me!’
He was about my age and my build, though he was as bald as a coot. He was nattily dressed in a three piece black suit and was wearing a tie. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a gangster film starring alongside Edward G. Robinson. His white fedora hat lay beside him.
‘You were sent here to kill me, so why don’t I return the favour?’
‘We weren’t, I swear we weren’t. We were told to just rough you up a bit. Scare you. Make sure you know your...your place in this town.’ He groaned. ‘Christ. Get me a doctor. An ambulance.’
‘I cocked the gun. It made a loud click and I had the satisfaction of watching the man begin to shake.
‘Don’t...Don’t...Please.’ He gasped and then closed his eyes.
I took three paces, bent over him and hit him on the side of his head. Hard. He went out like a light. I didn’t want him to bleed to death so I grabbed a sheet from the bedroom, ripped a strip off and bound up his knee. He’d live but he’d limp for the rest of his life.
I used the rest of the sheet to tie and gag both men. It didn’t take long. While I did so I pondered my next move. I was already having second thoughts about Indiana. After all, would they send someone after me? One thing I had learnt since joining the firm, the Mafia had a very long reach. Turf wars were pretty much a thing of the past. Organised crime was not only big business it really was well organised. In fact, some of our larger corporations could learn a lot about running a big business from studying the Mafia.
I packed a suitcase. Two suits, half-a-dozen shirts, underwear, a couple of ties and some running gear accounted for about half my wardrobe. That was all I’d take. The rest I would leave behind. I was about to walk out the door when I paused. What the hell. In for a cent in for a dollar. I searched both men and lifted $154 in total. I left the building by the backstairs. They might have had the front staked out. Or at least a car and driver waiting for them. Five minutes later I was on the subway heading to the south side of the city.
&n
bsp; I found a quiet hotel, registered under an assumed name and paid for a room for one night.
The following morning I had breakfast in the hotel. I was famished and laid in to eggs, bacon, waffles and syrup washed down by bad coffee. Much to my surprise I’d slept well. After the adrenaline rush had finally subsided I had slept the sleep of the dead. I doubt a bomb going off outside my window would have woken me.
After breakfast I took my case and wandered out into the hot and humid atmosphere. I’d only gone a couple of blocks when I decided I needed a coffee. A decent mug of java was called for and there was only one place. I headed back to see Zelda.
I took the subway and by 10am I was sitting at the counter with a mug in my hand.
‘You’ve got a nerve,’ Zelda had greeted me.
‘I figured they wouldn’t expect me to come back here so this is probably the safest place in town.’
‘There may be something in that. But man, the word is out. You’re to be found, stopped, hurt in any way necessary but under no circumstances are you to be killed. Know why?’
I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. ‘The Perinis want me. It’s personal.’
Zelda nodded. ‘Frank, the city is being turned upside down. Every low life they can muster is looking for you. There’s a reward of $5,000 on your head provided you’re taken alive.’
‘And dead?’
Zelda shrugged. ‘I heard it’s $2,500, but I could be wrong.’
‘I’d better get going. After,’ I hastily added, ‘I’ve finished my coffee.’
‘You’re a fool Frank but maybe that’s why I like you. You got someplace to stay?’
‘No. But I’ll find somewhere.’
‘You can stay at my place if you like.’ She smiled. ‘Provided there’s no hanky panky.’
‘Thanks Zelda, you’re an angel but you’ve done enough for me. I tell you what, I’ll send you a postcard when I get to wherever I’m going.’