by Joe Corso
“Yes, we understand,” the three men said in unison.
Trenchie stepped forward. The four Nazis looked up at the hulking, menacing form towering over them. He lifted Bud off his feet by his collar as if he were a feather. He held him steady and look directly into his eyes so there would be no mistaking his intentions. “If I ever hear of you cocksuckers bothering anyone or starting trouble in Queens again, I’ll personally rip you apart and feed you to my dog.” Then Trenchie threw him down hard to make a point.
Red walked over to Bud, patted him on the back, and talked to him as a father would. “Bud, you do like I tell you and instead of having me for an enemy, you’ll find I can be a good friend if you ever need one. But let me give you a word of caution. Get away from this Nazi bullshit, because if I hear that you’re still involved with it, I’ll find you and I’ll put one right here.” And he pressed his forefinger to the center of Bud’s head, making him flinch and leaving a white indentation in the center of his forehead. “Now what’s it going to be, Bud: friend or enemy?”
Bud looked like a drowned dog. “I’d like to say ‘friend,’ but I have seventy-eight followers to convince.”
“Well, Bud, either you convince them or we will and there are a lot more of us than there are of you, and my reach spreads around the world. There’s no place you could run or hide because wherever you go, I’ll find you. If you feel this is going to be hard for you, then I suggest you let me talk to your Nazi friends. You see the guys in the room here? They all served in the army and seen action in World War II and the Korean War. When they see Nazis, they want to kill them. If I asked any one of them to kill you right now at this very moment, it’d be over in a second and they wouldn’t lose a moment's sleep over it. Now tell me what I want to hear. Come on … I’m waiting.”
Bud took a quick look at his friends and shrugged his shoulders as if to say “it’s either we agree or we die.” Then he looked at Red, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I’ll do it. I’ll talk to my people.”
“And? …” Red asked.
“And I’ll tell them that we’re disbanding.”
“And? …” Red said again.
“And I’ll tell them we’re discontinuing our Nazi party and disbanding.”
“Good. Now, when you leave here, I want you to reassure Rabbi Liebowitz that he’ll have no further trouble with you boys. I think that’ll take a load off his mind. You will do that, won’t you?” It wasn’t a question; it was an order. Bud just nodded his head. “Rudy, will you ask Rabbi Liebowitz to come in here, please?” The rabbi entered the room. “Rabbi Liebowitz, sorry to have you wait out there, but Bud here has something he’d like to say to you. Go ahead, Bud, tell the rabbi what you just told me.”
Bud looked sheepishly at Rabbi Liebowitz and said quietly, “We won’t bother you anymore.”
“What else, Bud?” Red prompted.
Bud looked down at the floor, wishing he were anywhere but here. “We’re disbanding the Queens chapter of the Nazi party.”
Red said to him, “You didn’t mention how long you’re disbanding the Nazi party for, Bud. Go ahead and tell the rabbi.”
While Bud was squirming in his shoes, the rabbi was enjoying his discomfort.
“Well, go ahead. Bud, tell him.”
Bud took a few long moments to respond. When he finally did, he said, “We’re disbanding the Nazi chapter forever, Rabbi.” Rabbi Liebowitz smiled and put out his hand for the ex-Nazi to shake. Bud looked at it, then looked at Red, and decided with the friends the Rabbi had, it would be better to be friends with the Rabbi than to be his enemy.
After they shook hands, the rabbi said, “I hold no ill will against you, young man, and I thank you for reconsidering your actions. You look like an intelligent young man and I think if you put your efforts into something more constructive, you will go far in this world.”
It was as if Bud had all the energy sucked out of him when the Rabbi forgave him. He simply said, “Thanks, Rabbi. He looked around the room and stopped when Red’s eyes locked on him. All Bud could think of was getting the hell out of there. While he spoke to no one in particular, he was looking at Red. “Look, can we go now?”
Red said, “Sure. You can leave anytime you want.”
Trenchie walked them to the front door of the temple, but he grabbed Bud as he about to open the door. “Keep your word, Bud. Don’t give me a reason to kill you, you motherfucker.” With that, the door closed behind them. Trenchie walked back to the office.
The rabbi was mystified. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing, Rabbi. We just had ourselves a nice little talk and I explained all the reasons why there shouldn’t be a Nazi party in this country, and especially here in Queens. You won’t have any more problems with him or his Nazi party. By the end of the week, they will cease to exist.”
“How can you be sure, Red?” the rabbi asked.
Red looked at him and said, “Teddy Roosevelt once said, ‘Speak softly, but carry a big stick.’ Well Rabbi, I carry a very big stick.”
The rabbi understood the context and meaning of Red’s words. He put out his hand. “Thank you, Red. I feel much better now.”
“Sleep well tonight, Rabbi, because since you have agreed to join our protection program, from now on your problems are my problems. You see, Rabbi, if Bud and his Nazi friends break their word and threaten you again, they will have me to contend with, and that’s the last thing they want to happen. So just put this behind you. It’s over and I promise you that you will have no more trouble from them.” Red pointed to the plastic tarp. “Wrap that up Rudy. It served it’s purpose.” The rabbi noticed the plastic sheet being picked up by Rudy for the first time, wondering why it was placed there.
CHAPTER 31
It was March 27th and Sinatra’s April 2nd Cal Neva opening date was quickly approaching. Marilyn was anxious to know when they’d be leaving for Nevada. Red couldn’t wait for the Nixon speech, which was scheduled for the week following Cal Neva’s opening. He gave his men strict orders to learn their parts for the job at the Garden. He explained how he had to leave town soon, but he’d be back the following week. He promised he’d be with them for the Nixon speech. Red was a hands-on leader, and when something big was about to happen, he always wanted to control the moves his men had to make.
When Red, Marilyn, and the boys arrived at the airport, no one recognized the famous movie star nestled among the four men checking in. But the new facial recognition system the government was using in airports placed a ninety percent probability that Marilyn was the dark-haired woman with the large sunglasses, wearing a bandana. Reynolds’ office was immediately notified and he hurriedly put together a six-man team and ordered a company jet made ready to take them to Nevada. Once he got there, he’d take the woman either by force or by consent; he didn’t care which it was.
When the limo stopped at the entrance to Cal Neva, the dark-haired woman with the large dark sunglasses who originally entered the car stepped out as the beautiful blond actress known throughout the world as Marilyn Monroe. She wore a green coat, a green scarf, and a stunning green dress that revealed an abundance of cleavage. Holding her head high and looking straight ahead, she strutted ahead of the boys toward the entrance to the lodge. She was in her element, aware of the stares that followed her when she passed by people like the wake of a large ship. She looked as if she didn’t have a worry in the world as she nodded and smiled to the surprised but happy patrons. As she walked toward the office, standing there waiting for her were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Phyllis McGuire, and Sam Giancana. Dean Martin didn’t care for gangsters, especially Giancana. Dean was a pretty tough guy himself having boxed for a living when he was young. When Dean discovered that Giancana was a silent partner in the Cal Neva, he gave Sinatra notice and said he wanted out of the partnership. Sinatra, unlike Martin, felt comfortable in the presence of gangsters or presidents. He considered himself a saloon singer who didn’t discriminate betw
een those whom he entertained.
Sinatra jumped to his feet when Marilyn walked through the open office door. “Marilyn, I’m so glad to see you. I thought you might not make the opening tomorrow night.” Then Old Blue Eyes got serious for a moment. “I heard you had some trouble in Washington.”
Marilyn gave him a look as if to say, “Who told you that?”
“Yeah. I heard about it.”
Marilyn pointed to Red. “I would have been killed if it wasn’t for Red here. He saved my life and protected me. He didn’t want me to come here but I insisted, so he was nice enough to come with me. He wanted to be sure that nothing happened to me. Red, meet Frank Sinatra.”
Red smiled and put out his hand. “I was looking forward to meeting you, Frank.”
“Yeah, and why was that?"
“I want to hire you to entertain at the grand opening of the Starlight Club.”
“The Starlight Club. Is that your place?”
“It sure is.”
“I saw it in a movie. Nice place, but I heard it burned down.”
“Blown up by the feds, you mean. But it’s been rebuilt and it’s good as new. Even better than it was before.”
“Hi, Red,” a voice said from behind him. Red turned and spotted a smiling Giancana. Red smiled broadly and embraced him as old friends would. Sinatra watched as this ritual took place. He knew that if Sam embraced him as an equal, then Big Red Fortunato was a man of honor and a man to be respected.
“It’s good to see you, Sam.”
“Same here, Red. Introduce me to your boys.”
“Sam, say ‘hello’ to some friends of ours. Trenchie, Tarzan, Shooter, and Joey Bones. Marilyn, you know.” They all laughed.
“Nice to meet you, boys,” Sam said sincerely. Frank turned to the men. “Come on. I’ll order us some drinks and while we have a little time, there’s something I want to show you. You too, Marilyn. You’ll be interested in this.”
When Sinatra bought the Cal Neva, he began to renovate it at a breakneck speed, adding a helicopter pad on the roof to make it easy for the heavy gamblers to fly from Vegas to the Cal Neva Lodge and he completely renovated the circular lounge. The most fascinating thing he did was to remodel the tunnels beneath the property so that he and some of his friends could move underneath the resort without being seen. The lodge also had tunnels that led to the lake where booze was secretly brought in to the Cal Neva without being seen by lawmen during Prohibition. Sinatra had many guests and some of them included Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and members of the Kennedy family. Acutely aware of the personal privacy that many performers and socialites crave, Sinatra ordered the secret tunnel re-built beneath the lodge so certain guests could travel between the showroom and the bungalows behind the hotel without being seen. Sinatra and other celebrities frequently used the secret underground passageway to avoid paparazzi and autograph hunters. Lined with brick walls and carpeted, the tunnel ran beneath the kitchen, casino, and Circle Bar. Entrances to the tunnel were located at Sinatra's office, in the closet of his small lake view cabin and at his private heliport atop the resort's showroom.
Sinatra was a great host, and so with drink in hand, he opened the closet in his office and pushed a button. The back of the closet opened to a set of stairs leading down into the tunnel. He explained to his guests why he had the tunnel re-built. “The celebrities I hire shouldn’t have to be bothered by autograph hunters or paparazzi and with the tunnel they could finish their act and head to their cabins without being bothered by anyone.” The tunnel ended at Sinatra’s Cabin Number Five. He stepped outside and pointed to Cabin Number Fourteen. “That cabin is Sam’s. Mine, you know and Cabin Number Three, that one over there is yours, Marilyn,” he said, pointing to it. “Go ahead, check it out.”
Monroe was struck by how very small it was. Marilyn Monroe was a superstar and yet this cabin was such a tiny space. But she loved it, and because she loved the outdoors, she loved the million-dollar view it had. She loved coming to Tahoe for its natural beauty.
“Whenever you visit Cal Neva, you will have your own cabin and a secret way of getting to it. Tonight though, you’re going to be my guest. I have a large suite reserved for you. I don’t want you to worry about her, Red, so I put you in the room next to hers. I gave your men rooms near yours on the same floor. Are the arrangements okay with you?”
Red nodded and said, “They’re fine, Frank.”
Sinatra grabbed Red by the arm and pulled him aside. “How much danger is Marilyn in?”
“Enough to where some people want her dead.”
“Do you have any idea who these people are?”
“I do.”
Sinatra’s famous temper was beginning to rise. “Well, are you going to tell me who they are or aren’t you?”
Red looked at Sinatra with an amused look on his face. “Frank, I’d tell you, but you wouldn’t like it.”
Sinatra’s temper died down a little and he looked at Red with a confused expression on his face. “Do I know these people, Red?”
Red was undecided if he should tell him. “Look, Frank. If I told you their names, your life would be in danger. All I can tell you is that you know the people who want Marilyn dead.” Then Red thought about it for a moment and said, “Wait a minute, Frank. I’ll tell you a little more. She threatened to take down the presidency. You can guess the rest.”
Sinatra sat down and looked around the room. “Where’s my drink? I need a stiff one after that bombshell.”
“Look, Frank, don’t tell anyone. I’m serious when I tell you that they’d kill you in a New York minute if they thought you knew about this.”
“What about you? Aren’t you afraid they’ll kill you?”
“They already have. They shot me five times and left me for dead. They still don’t know that I’m alive. A word of caution, Frank. If I find out that you told anyone what I just told you, I’ll kill you.”
Sinatra looked at him and said, “Yeah, I bet you would.”
Red smiled. “You can make book on that, Frank.”
That night, Sinatra gave a great performance to the lucky customers who came to the Cal Neva grand opening. Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. came on stage and joined Frank. He and Dean sang duets in harmony and Sammy Davis Jr. joined them for a few songs, then he did his impersonations of famous celebrities. During a break in the show, Frank introduced Marilyn to the crowd. She received a standing ovation. She was everyone’s sweetheart and the crowd loved her. As soon as the show ended, Red pulled Marilyn aside and told her he was taking her out of there. He was uneasy earlier at the airport. That sixth sense of his told him something wasn’t right. He felt she might have been spotted. He told her of his feelings, but she just laughed it off.
“I’m not leaving tonight, silly. Nobody knows I’m here except the people in this room.”
Red nodded his head, tilting it slightly. “And you don’t think any of them might have called their friends and told them about you being here,” Red said sarcastically. “Could be they might have even called the newspapers too?” As they were discussing this, a group of men walked hurriedly into the room just as the Rat Pack was finishing their act.
Joey Bones grabbed Red. “Look who just walked in.” It was Reynolds and a team of agents. Red grabbed Marilyn by the arm and pulled her towards Sinatra’s office. Reynolds’ eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness of the room as Red slipped out the other side and cautiously entered Frank’s office. He opened the secret door leading to the tunnel and he, Marilyn, and the boys rushed to the exit in Frank’s Number Five Cabin. As soon as Marilyn was safely in Cabin Number Three, Red instructed his men to sit by the tables and relax. If Reynolds happened to find his way back here, they’d confront him and, if necessary, kill him and his men. Reynolds approached Sinatra and asked him where Marilyn Monroe was.
Sinatra said, “She was here earlier, but she left right after my performance. You can look around if you want, but I’m telli
ng you she’s not here.” Reynolds ordered his men to look around.
While they were doing that, Red decided that the best place for them was in the secret tunnel. So, he ferried Marilyn into Frank’s cabin and into the secret opening, down the steps, and into the expensive brick tunnel. “We’ll be safe here. I told Shooter to let me knew when Reynolds leaves. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll protect you from all of them.” She looked into his eyes, reached for his face with both of her hands, and kissed him passionately.
“I thank God every day, that I met you, Red. I feel safe with you beside me.”
Red’s men were all upstairs. Some were in the lounge and others were in the back near the cabins. Red and Marilyn were all alone in the romantic ambiance of the tunnel. They sat down with their backs against the tunnel wall. Red had his arm around Marilyn’s shoulder. She leaned her head on his chest and looked up at him. He kissed her tenderly and the laws of attraction took over. Even though it was unintended, they made passionate love on the mauve-colored carpet in the solitude of the brick-lined hidden tunnel. After what must have been an hour, Joey Bones came down and told them that the coast was clear; Reynolds and his men had just left.
Red and Marilyn walked through the tunnel and met Sinatra in his office. Dean Martin was there as well as Sammy Davis Jr. Red asked him if he knew of anyone with a private plane he could use to get back to Queens. Sinatra smiled and said, “Look no further. You can use my Lear jet. Come on, We’ll drive you to the airport.”
Red stopped Frank at the door. “Look, Frank. I got to get this off my chest. I’m having a grand re-opening of the Starlight Club and I’d like you to be the entertainer for the evening. Name your price and it’s yours, but just say that you’ll do it.”
Sinatra looked at Dean and Sammy. “What do ya think, fellas? You wanna do a benefit for my friend Red here?” The three of them smiled and agreed to do a one-night show for free. Red insisted on paying them, but no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn’t hear of it.