by Debra Dunbar
Maria scowled. “I don’t like this.”
Hattie reached for her arm. “I’m going with my gut.”
Maria nodded. “I’ll…I’ll check that bath.”
As she left, Vincent faced Hattie to wrap his arms around her.
“No lectures?” she muttered.
“Just coming to this city meant taking risks,” he said. “What’s one more?”
“Do you think she’s salvageable?”
“I think you’re gonna try, no matter what I say.”
She peered up at him with a reproachful scowl. “Well, you could answer my question anyway.”
“She’s disturbed,” he said, pulling away. “Damaged… I don’t know how to put it. Something’s wrong with her, and if she were a regular person, she’d have gone to a doctor by now.”
“She doesn’t have doctors. All she has is us.”
Vincent nodded. “I hope you can help. I just know I’m not the one to do it.”
Hattie stepped up and kissed Vincent sweetly on the cheek. “Why don’t you go see how much damage Lefty did to that boy?”
A hefty crowd piled through Grand Central Station as the noon hour arrived. Hattie stood on tiptoes, trying to peer over the shoulders of the crowd in search of Betty Sharp. Sunlight poured through the high windows running in lines on either side of the barrel dome overhead, slanting like buttresses of light through the cigarette smoke that swirled through the open space above. A man nearly stepped on Hattie’s foot, lifting his hat with an apologetic nod as he swept past her.
This was as easy a place for Hattie to disappear as any. If need be, she could become anyone with a minimum of effort. Assuming, of course, that Catena’s trick to seeing through her illusions wouldn’t work in a place like this.
As the minute hand clicked past noon, Hattie became panicked. She couldn’t find Betty amid the travelers—if she was there at all. Had something spooked her? Did Vincent or Maria end up following Hattie to the train station against her specific demands to the contrary?
Or were they correct, and this was just a trap?
Hattie moved for the stairs leading to the street entrance, climbing to the top to gain a better view. It was a give-and-take. She’d be better equipped to see Betty, but at the price of being more visible for Masseria’s people. Surely, a train station would be high on their list of stakeouts.
Hattie squinted as she peered over the crowd. Nearly everyone wore a wide-brimmed hat, concealing their faces as she squinted through the hazy sunlight.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Hattie spun around to find Betty standing in front of her in a lavender floral-print dress and a cloche perched atop a short-bobbed mop of brunette curls.
“You came alone.” The woman grinned. “Thanks for that.”
Hattie nodded as she regarded Betty’s hair. “What happened to the blonde?”
“This is my idea of laying low.”
“You look rather glamorous for laying low.”
Betty shrugged. “Won’t matter much longer.”
Hattie shook her head. “What’s this about? What’s wrong?”
Even as Hattie asked the question, her gaze fell to the ground next to Betty, and the suitcase beside her feet.
Betty said, “I thought about what you said.”
“I’ve said lots of things. Only half of which I regret.”
“You’ll regret this one.” Betty tilted her head. “Seeing as I’m part of something, now.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Is it?” Betty turned away, looking at the travelers below. “And is it worth it?”
“Is freedom worth it? Through history, people have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of freedom. It’s the only thing that matters.”
Betty smirked. “That, and some quality gin.”
“You have a place with us. If you want it.”
Betty turned to Hattie. “I don’t want it.”
Hattie’s face drooped.
“I wanted everything. I wanted to take control. I wanted people to respect me. Now? I just want to disappear. Thing is, I do want to be part of something.” She gestured to the crowd below. “I want to be part of that. The faceless. There’s freedom there.”
Hattie shook her head. “There’s only fear, there. Fear of being found. If you run, you never stop.”
“I’ve spent my whole life fighting, Malloy. Look where it’s got me.”
“That’s because you were alone. But you have us, now.”
Betty smiled. “You’re adorable, you know that? You should run for office one day, if you get your free pincher state.”
“Please don’t go,” Hattie pleaded. “We need you.”
Betty clenched the railing, her jaw working side-to-side.
Hattie added, “Just think of how heartbroken Vincent would be.”
Betty bent over and laughed. “Oh, I’m sure. Who would he have to scare the wits out of him?”
“So, you’ll stay?”
Betty peered through the long, vaulted space, and the lines of ticket tellers. “What do they say? Go West, young man?”
The two stood in silence for a long moment watching as people bustled in and out of the station.
“We send people to Utah,” Hattie finally said.
“What’s in Utah?”
“We call it Eden.”
“A little obvious, isn’t it?”
Hattie turned to face Betty. “If you make it to Eden, Utah, ask for a man named Orson. Tell him the Charge sent you. No, tell him I sent you.”
“You know, that’s fine and all, but I think I’ll try Nevada.”
“What’s in Nevada?”
“Not Eden.” Betty grinned.
Hattie nodded. “I suppose this is it, then?”
Betty nodded, then reached for her suitcase. “I’m not hugging you.” Then she added with less sarcasm, “Good luck with your great plan. And tell Calendo I’m still coming for him.”
The woman turned and marched down the steps, quickly fading into the throng below as if light had pinched her into oblivion.
Chapter 30
Vincent grinned as Buddy stepped out of Floresta’s car with a wince. The youth lifted his hand to shield his eyes as they gathered by a corner delicatessen bearing a white sign with “Dominick’s” in wide red-and-green letters.
“You going to make it, kid?” Vincent chuckled.
“Shut…up,” Buddy mumbled.
“Hero of the day. That comes with certain responsibilities.”
“Shut…up.”
Lefty shouldered Vincent. “Knock it off. He’s doing you a favor, remember.”
As they approached the deli storefront, Buddy wheezed, “What was in that champagne?”
“Suffering, son,” Lefty replied as he held the door open.
They filed inside to find Luciano peering through the glass case at a slab of mortadella. The butcher handed over a paper-wrapped bundle, waving off Luciano as he tried to pay. When Luciano turned to spot the group, his eyes became razors.
“You,” he stated.
Floresta swept around the Baltimore men, pointing to the back for the butcher to make himself scarce. Once they were alone, Floresta returned to the door to lock it.
Luciano leaned against the glass case, setting his meat aside.
“So,” Vincent began. “Fifty percent success.”
Luciano’s face tightened. “You think this is a joke?”
“I do not.”
“Maranzano was easy,” Luciano snapped. “It was Masseria that was the task.”
“Hey,” Vincent grumbled. “We had everything set up. Things happen. The unexpected.”
“Si,” Luciano said, turning toward the case to distract himself. “This woman. She was unexpected. And she was not a part of the plan.”
“What plan?” Vincent countered. “You left everything up to us. We had to come up with the plan.”
“Exactly. A
nd your plan failed.”
Lefty lifted his chin. “What now?”
“Now,” replied Luciano. “You leave. Go home.”
“And Masseria?”
Luciano shook his head. “It is what it is. And there will be no second pincher for Baltimore.” He added with a lift of his finger at Buddy. “In fact, I think I keep this one.”
Vincent balled fists. “Like hell, you will!”
As Buddy paled, Lefty stepped forward.
“Vincent? Go watch the door.”
Vincent spun on Lefty, his blood boiling. But as he glanced at Lefty’s face, instead of the usual disdainful sneer he found a half-smile couched in a calm, confident face.
Vincent nodded and stepped away.
Lefty cleared his throat. “You’re disappointed, I see that. But you don’t get to make that sort of decision. I know you think very highly of yourself, but you’re essentially just a handler. Like me.”
Luciano scowled at Lefty.
“So,” Lefty added, “shall we speak as men?”
Luciano released a long breath from between his teeth. “Let’s.”
“If Masseria goes back on his offer to Corbi, there will have to be an explanation. No second pincher? I can see you selling that. Things are tight. There were losses. No one would blame you. But if you renege on Buddy?” Lefty shook his head. “That communicates something dangerous.”
Luciano pursed his lips, then nodded. “You understand such things. Perhaps you should join us?”
“I have a job, thanks.”
Luciano waved his hand at Buddy. “Fine. Keep him. But you leave. Today.”
“Are you sure?” Lefty asked. “You’ve come so close. I refuse to believe that a man like you doesn’t have a backup plan.”
“Perhaps I do. Perhaps it does not involve you.”
Lefty shrugged. “So be it. Throw away an opportunity like this when you have pinchers at the ready. Your call.” He turned to the others. “Let’s go, boys.”
Floresta eyed them all, waiting for some cue that never came. They lined up in front of the door, and finally Floresta unbolted the storefront.
“Unless,” Luciano said.
They froze, and Vincent caught a triumphant smirk on Lefty’s face.
“Unless, you have a way to deal with Catena.”
Lefty turned back to face Luciano. “Giving up on Masseria, then?”
“Catena is a porco,” Luciano spat. “Without him, I can take my time.”
“He’s clearly smarter than you,” said Lefty. “That’s not an insult, just a statement of fact. You need him gone. Then you’re second in line and Masseria won’t have anyone watching his back.”
Luciano grinned. “So it is.”
Lefty glanced back at the others, then said, “If we take care of your Catena problem, you’ll take care of Masseria on your own time. And you’ll leave Baltimore to us.”
“Is this a question?” Luciano asked.
“It’s terms.”
Luciano thought it over. “Then, I accept these terms.” He stood. “Masseria has a meeting tomorrow with the families to declare his title. Catena will be left behind to do the, uh…the accounting. There will be little guard. You will have this one chance.”
Lefty sighed, then nodded. “In which case, we’ll meet again in two days.”
The Baltimore boys filed out of the deli, Floresta bolting the door once again behind them as they stepped into the sunlight.
“What just happened?” Buddy muttered.
“Lefty kept us alive.” Vincent glanced back to Lefty as they walked up the street to hail a cab. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Clearly,” Lefty answered. “But if you think I’m leaving you in Luciano’s tender graces, you’re exactly as stupid as you look.”
“I hope you have a plan.”
“When don’t I?”
Vincent chuckled. “Sometimes I wish you were in charge of the Crew. You’d make a fantastic Capo.”
Lefty grumbled, “That’d be the day. Watch the kid, will you? I gotta make a call.”
Vincent nodded as Lefty withdrew to find a phone.
It almost felt like old times, the two of them. And Buddy makes three. How long would that last, Vincent wondered. When they got back to Baltimore, everything would change forever.
Chapter 31
“I know this isn’t what we wanted,” Vincent said as he and Hattie stood one last time at the Red Hook wharf overlooking the bay. “It’d be easier if it was a sure thing.”
“And if we had help,” she added.
“So, Betty’s gone for good?” he asked.
“I believe so. She found what she wanted. Well, maybe what she needed.”
Vincent nodded. “You were right about her, I think. Maybe she’ll turn into a human being one of these days.”
“I wonder if we’ll live long enough to see that?”
He turned her to face him. “Let’s not assume the worst. Masseria’s going to survive this. It’s Catena we’re after now.”
Hattie frowned. “But what good will it do us? The gangs will still be in power.”
“It helps to think of Masseria as another Vito Corbi. It hadn’t occurred to me until I saw his gang in action, but he’s no better than Vito. He relies on the men behind the throne. If we chisel away at them, he’ll be another stuffed shirt whose name means more than he does.”
“I hope you’re right. And I hope this isn’t some elaborate ruse from Luciano.”
He squinted. “I thought we weren’t assuming the worst.”
“What about Lefty?” she asked, guiding Vincent back onto the street to walk back into Brooklyn. “Hasn’t this pushed him too far?”
Vincent chuckled. “I think I wore him down. He’s too tired to fight us on this. All the same, I’d rather keep him at a distance, if just to make sure we’re not putting his neck on the block.”
“What about the kid?”
“I think the past few days have served to dismantle some of the Ithaca doctrine. He’s getting a healthy dose of the real world. With any luck, he’ll choose to stick with the people who stuck with him.”
Hattie lifted a brow. “And if he doesn’t?”
“Well,” Vincent sighed, “I guess we’ll see.”
They returned to the Monarch Hotel to find Lefty, Buddy and Maria huddled together over a table, the brilliant smell of bread, herbs, tomato and cheese filling the air.
Hattie’s stomach grumbled. “What is that?”
“Pizza,” Lefty told her. “Not the most elegant food, but it reminds of when I was a kid in Naples. I grabbed a couple in Manhattan, thinking everyone might be hungry.
Maria kicked a chair toward Hattie. “I keep telling you to eat. Now, you have no choice.”
Hattie took a seat as Buddy handed her a half-folded slice. Vincent stood behind Lefty, who exchanged glances with Maria. Vincent lifted a brow at the two of them.
“Everyone playing nice?” Vincent asked.
Buddy pointed to Maria. “Did you know she’s from Cleveland?”
“I did, actually,” Vincent replied. “What, are you from Cleveland too?”
“Akron,” he said. “Originally.”
“Well, there you go,” Vincent declared.
Hattie chewed, closing her eyes as she indulged in food for the first time in almost a day. The strain of the soul trap had eased over the past few hours as she spent time with Vincent. Her body responded by demanding sustenance and sleep.
As they ate, Hattie glanced back and forth at the faces too busy eating to talk, and a gloomy thought crossed her mind.
“Here, now,” she muttered. “I do hope this isn’t some Last Supper.”
“Any of you planning to betray me for thirty pieces of silver?” Vincent quipped.
“Oddly messianic of you,” Lefty said.
The others grinned at Vincent, who replied, “I have no intention of getting crucified today, thank you very much.”
Buddy dropped a
length of crust onto the table, leaning back with a thoughtful glance. “I have a question.”
They turned to look at Buddy.
“Why’re we doing this? This Catena fella. He’s the number two, right?”
Vincent nodded.
“So, where’s this comin’ from? Corbi? Or Masseria? Because that mook at the deli didn’t look like either of them.”
Vincent lifted a hand. “Relax, it’s all above board.”
Lefty shook his head. “Don’t lie to the kid.”
Hattie straightened a little.
Lefty said, “We’re taking out Catena to give Luciano a leg up. That’s all.”
Buddy’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not why we’re here. Is it?”
“Long run, kid?” Lefty said. “It’s exactly why we’re here.”
“The Capo didn’t give us specific—”
“The Capo relies on us to be his eyes and ears. Sometimes you gotta take the shot before being told to. That’s real life, kid. You can’t be sure all the time.”
Buddy glanced down to his lap, frustration painted on his face.
Vincent sighed. “Look. I don’t think you or Lefty should get involved with this.”
“Oh,” Lefty grumbled, “we’re involved already.”
“It’s a simple hit. I can do this easier on my own.”
Lefty rolled his eyes. “Would you shut up with this? If it was gonna be easy, Luciano would’ve done it himself. Right?”
Vincent thought about it. “I guess so.”
“The three of us will go together. You’ll want the kid there if things go south.”
Hattie said, “Us, too.”
Maria nodded. “All hands on deck.”
Vincent fought off a lump in his throat as faces beamed at him. This was what famiglia was supposed to feel like.
“Okay, then,” he said.
The Bank looked quiet from the street. Only a few lights were on downstairs, with the second floor dark. The usual cars parked in front were gone. The meeting to install Masseria as Capo di tutti Capi had drawn most of the muscle away, if not all. Vincent nodded to himself with satisfaction. The needling thought that Luciano was somehow setting him up was hard to shake.