by Joe Corso
Red laughed. “You worry too much, Larry. Now, what about my girls?”
“Marla has been working with them and so far she’s satisfied with how they’re progressing. Don’t worry, the camera likes them and their screen tests look good. I have them scheduled for major pictures and, when they’re finished, the plan is to survey the audiences at the first few pre-opening screenings to assess their reaction to the girls. I have good feelings about them, but I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks, Larry.”
Now that that was out of the way, Red could concentrate on neutralizing the Boston crowd. Then he’d take on Lansky.
CHAPTER 23
Red’s private phone rang. Only a few people had this number so he picked up on the second ring.
“Red, is that you?”
“Yeah, this is Red, who’s this?”
“Red, it’s Tiffany and Iris. We’re calling from Hollywood. Our screen tests went well. Mr. Bernstein signed us both for three pictures. Iris is making a picture with Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra is directing it.”
“What about you, Tiffany?”
“I’ve been signed to do a picture with Walter Mathau and Jack Lemmon and guess who the director is?”
“I give up, who’s the director?”
“Billy Wilder. Can you imagine! We’re making a picture with two of the best directors in the world. I can’t believe it.”
“When are the pictures scheduled to start shooting?”
“In two weeks.”
“Good. I’ll fly out just to make sure nothing unforeseen happens.”
A couple of weeks later, Red was busy in his office going over some last minute details before leaving for California when he happened to glance at his monitor and spotted the door to the club open. A young lady entered and sidled up to the bar. She leaned over to say something to Tarzan, who was busy wiping down the bar. Tarzan nodded and pointed to the office. The young lady walked toward Red’s office with a pronounced limp, the result of infantile polio. The guys all called her Jeannie Leg and a Half, but never to her face. While she couldn’t be considered beautiful in the classic sense, she was a very attractive young lady with a full figure. She had taken over her father’s small printing establishment after he died, but she added a unique and profitable service to it. She happened to be a very talented forger and she used that talent to make phony passports and drivers’ licenses. If you had the right references and could pay her fee she would provide you with a new identity that no one could ever tell was fake.
Jeannie knocked on the office door.
“Come in.”
Red smiled. He liked this gal. She never asked anyone for anything and she provided an income for herself. Red always admired anyone who could make it on their own, especially a handicapped young lady.
“What brings you here this early in the morning, Jeannie?”
“Red, I have some information you need to hear.”
That got Red’s attention. His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, with his elbows resting on his desk. “Go ahead, Jeannie, I’m listening.”
“Red, I heard someone’s going to make a move on you.”
Red remained calm but attentive. “Go ahead. What makes you think that?”
“Well, I keep a very low profile, Red. Very few people know of my special services. But the other day Benny the Dip came in to have some business cards made up and he leaned over and whispered something to me. He knows he got off on the wrong foot with you because of the scams he pulled here in Queens, and he’d like to get back in your good graces. He told me to get word to you that things are happening fast, and he had information he hoped would square things with you. Told me to warn you that some guys from Boston are setting up shop here in Queens, looking to take over some of your action. Maybe all of it. He said they sent two teams to Queens. They figure that since you’re moving your family to California and Vegas they’ll take over Queens.”
The usually suave Big Red showed a momentary flair of anger, then caught himself and smiled. “Yeah, we took care of the first team but I didn’t know about this second team.”
“This is none of my business, Red. But Benny told me they know he’s still taking numbers and handling the ponies, and that the two of you aren’t talking, so they approached him and offered him a deal.”
Red raised his hand. “Wait a minute, you mean this second team approached Benny?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. These two guys rented an office near my store on Junction Boulevard, right next to the Boulevard Theatre, and called it ‘East Coast Property Acquisitions.’ They somehow found out that Benny has breakfast at the Airport Diner in Astoria every morning. They need local representation and information, so while he was having breakfast they paid him a visit. They talked to him about sensitive matters with an assurance bordering on arrogance, and they were so confident that they gave away more than they should have. That’s when they told him they were going to take over Queens, and it would be a peaceful transition since you were basically abandoning the lucrative action in this borough. They said they had the approval from one of the heads of the five families to make this move.”
Red just nodded. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
Jeannie looked down for a moment, trying to decide if she should continue. But Red was always good to her, so she took a deep breath and, in a soft voice, she said, “Benny told me that when he went to the men’s room he heard them mention that once Tarzan and Trenchie were out of the way, they would get rid of you. That’s all Benny told me.”
Red was fuming. So now he had two teams trying to take him out.
As Jeannie got up to leave she turned to Red. “You know, Red, the old story holds true, especially in this case.”
“And what story would that be, Jeannie?”
“‘Three men can keep a secret if two of them are dead.’ These two guys are alive, which tells you they couldn’t keep a secret.”
Red smiled. “You got that right. Those two morons gave the whole ball of wax away.”
Jeannie smiled, her white teeth shining like a row of strung pearls. “You can say that again. Well, I have to get back to my shop. Take care of yourself, Red.”
“I will, Jeannie. Tell Benny not to worry about anything. He’s back in my good graces. And thanks for coming here to let me know about this. You have my number if you need anything.”
Jeannie smiled and walked out of the Starlight Club, knowing she might have just have helped save Big Red’s life.
As soon as the door closed behind Jeannie, Red stormed out of his office.
“Tarzan, get the boys and bring them to my office.”
Red sat behind his desk and looked into the faces of Tarzan, Joey Bones, Shooter, Petey D, Ziggy and Piss Clam, staring back at him.
Tarzan broke the ice. “Must be important, Red. What’s happenin’?”
“There’s another contract out on you, Trenchie . . . and me.”
“What? Who the hell is it this time?”
“The Boston mob, with, I’m guessing, the blessing of Vito Genevese.”
“Why, Red? Why would they put a contact out on us? We haven’t done a thing to warrant that.”
Red reached over, opened his humidor, took out a Cuban Montecristo and lit it. He took a satisfying drag on it and sat back in his comfortable, leather desk chair.
“Joey.”
“Yeah, Boss.”
“You’re gonna shadow Tarzan every moment of the day until we get to the bottom of this.” Red swiveled his chair and pointed to Tarzan. “Go home and pack a suitcase. You’re gonna stay in one of the rooms upstairs. I don’t want your family involved in this. Tell your wife you want her to go to her sister’s house. Say you have to stay away for a little while, and don’t tell her where you’re going. Tell her it’s business. You’re one of my captains and you’re involved in the family’s business. She’ll understand you’re doing it to protect her and the kids. Now, sit tight while I c
all Trenchie and tell him the news.”
When Red finally reached Trenchie he suggested it might be good for his health if he and his family took a holiday for a while, maybe California. Christ, was he ever going to be able to leave Queens and get to California himself to see his two girls make their first pictures? And then get to Vegas to visit his casinos?
CHAPTER 24
The boys looked up when Maria walked into the room.
“Excuse me, Mr. Swifty, but there’s a man asking for you.”
“I wasn’t expecting anyone. Did he give you his name?”
“No, Mr. Swifty, but he is with a lady.”
Swifty went to see who it could be, and standing there before him was the ponderous form of Trenchie. With him was his wife, Mary, holding little Jimmy. Swifty broke into a smile.
“Trenchie, Mary, what a nice surprise. It’s great seeing you two. Let me take Jimmy from you, Mary.”
The other two boxers came to see who Swifty was talking to.
“Hey, guys, look who came by for a visit. Come on in. Did you eat yet?”
Mary said, “We were going to have dinner but Trenchie wanted to stop by first to say hello, before it got too late.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Swifty said. Then he yelled for Maria without realizing she was standing behind him.
“I’m right here, Mr. Swifty. I know what you want to ask me. Don’t worry, I have plenty of food prepared. We Italians always cook more than we can eat.” She winked at Mary. “Just in case.”
Mary went with Maria to help to prepare the meal. She wouldn’t think of having this woman do all of the work by herself. That’s the kind of woman Mary was. Meanwhile, Swifty and the boys took Trenchie into the den. Swifty wanted to know what was happening back east, but he’d wait until Trenchie was ready to tell him. Trenchie pulled a cigar from his jacket and motioned with it to Swifty.
“All right if I smoke?”
“I don’t mind. Go right ahead, Trench.” Swifty watched as Trenchie lit his cigar, then asked him, “What are you and Mary doing in California?”
Trenchie grunted and pulled a piece of tobacco from his tongue. “I don’t spend enough time with Mary and the kid and I wanted to make it up to her, so I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere . . . Maybe take a vacation. And before I could finish my sentence she jumped up and said she loved the idea. ‘Trenchie, how thoughtful of you to want to take us on a vacation,’ she said. ‘What a wonderful suggestion. How did you know that I’ve been dying for the three of us—you, me and Jimmy—to visit Disneyland and take in all the sights.’ Disneyland? I looked at her as if she was crazy. But if that’s where she wants to go, then I’ll take her there, because nothing’s too good for her. I have plenty of money, and no one but her and the kid to spend it on, so if going to Disneyland makes her happy, why not?”
Trenchie pointed to the kitchen with his cigar. “I’m glad her and I found each other. Mary’s a great gal and I’m really lucky to have her. I never expected to meet a classy woman like her so soon after I got out of the joint. I hope one day you guys get to meet a woman you love and can trust and maybe even get to marry. A lot of guys have a cumada or broad on the side. Not me. I don’t need any other broad but Mary. She’s all I want. She makes me happy. And look at this little guy. Who ever thought a mug like me would have such a great family. Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.”
After speaking more words at one time than he said all week he became uncharacteristically preoccupied, and his face took on a look that sent a chill down their backs. He squeezed the cup of espresso with two fingers of his left hand, and in his other hand he held his cigar close to his chin with his thumb and forefinger, apparently deep in thought. Then he looked up at the three fighters and, whether he meant to or not, he pointed his cigar at them. In a menacing voice he said, “I pity anyone who ever tries to take what I have away from me.”
His words sent goose bumps up the arms of the three fighters, especially Swifty. He knew Trenchie would kill anyone who tried to harm Mary or his son.
Trenchie’s mood lightened up a bit after letting the boys know how he felt. If you didn’t know Trenchie you would never have guessed that his mood lightened, because his expression never changed.
He took a puff of his cigar, which cast an orange glow at its tip, then tapped the cigar with his forefinger and flicked ash into the ash tray beside him on the table.
“I thought Red might be coming out this way,” said Swifty.
“He has a few small problems that came up unexpectedly that he has to take care of. Said he’d shoot for next week or the following week at the latest.” Trenchie grunted. “I guess me and Mary will stick around until he gets here.”
“You can all stay here, Trenchie. Why take a hotel room? I’ll pull out the sleeper and you can use my bedroom.”
Trenchie shook his head. “Thanks, but we booked a room at the Marriott. But if you don’t mind, we’ll come by again tomorrow.”
Swifty nodded in agreement. “That’s great. And on Tuesday you, Mary, and little Jimmy can come and visit us at the studio.”
Trenchie liked that idea. “You know, Swifty, that’s the best thing I’ve heard since I got here. I don’t like being in crowds ’cause I feel exposed like I’m a target. I don’t say anything to her but I do it for Mary. I feel more relaxed being here with you guys.”
“It’s settled then. The three of us are off until Tuesday. Come early Tuesday morning and I’ll leave your names at the gate with security. You can come on the set and see us shoot the last scene in the picture. I really think Mary would enjoy that. She gets a chance to see how a movie is made and meet some of the studio’s top stars.”
“What’s early?”
“We’ll be at the studio about seven, but nine o’clock would be perfect.”
Trenchie’s face contorted a bit and Swifty knew he was happy with the idea. You wouldn’t recognize it unless you knew him, but that was a smile. Swifty loved these tough friends of his, who were more like uncles to him.
“Hey, Trench, why don’t you come with us tomorrow? We’re going to a Dodgers game. You can bring Mary and the kid if you want. Why don’t you go and ask her if she’d like to come?”
“Yeah, good idea. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a ball game.”
Trenchie left the table and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later he came out shaking his head. “She wants to stay here and visit with Maria, so it’ll just be me going with you. It’ll be nice getting out to see the Dodgers play. What time do you want us here?”
“It’s an afternoon game. It starts at 1 p.m., so why don’t you get here about eleven or eleven thirty. Meanwhile we’ll order the tickets.”
Trenchie was with friends. He could relax and not worry about some wise guy taking a shot at him. After all, he was in Hollywood, the land where dreams were made, and where there was no need for someone to watch his back. There was no danger here in Hollywood.
CHAPTER 25
The Dodgers and Giants were playing a day game with a one o’clock start. Moose, Trenchie and the three fighters left the house early to beat the heavy 101 traffic. They exited at the off-ramp which took them directly into Dodger Stadium.
Now that the men had left for the ball game the house seemed dead, and Maria was glad to have Mary and the baby to keep her company. Mary had just finished breast feeding little baby Jimmy and was changing his diaper when the doorbell rang.
Maria excused herself and went to answer the door. As soon as she opened the door three men burst in, brandishing guns. Maria screamed, but one of the men grabbed her from behind and put his hand over her mouth. He leaned so close to her that she could smell the garlic on his breath, and he whispered in her ear.
“Be quiet and I won’t hurt you. Make a sound and I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
Maria was frightened but she nodded.
“I’m going to take my hand away, and if you make a sound I’ll hurt you real bad. Do you understand?”
She nodded that she understood. He took his hand away and while she attempted to catch her breath she gasped, “What do you want from me?”
“Where is the other woman? The one with the baby.”
Just then Mary walked in to see what all the commotion was about and almost fainted.
“Oh my God. What’s happening? What are you doing here? What do you want with us?”
The ringleader smiled malevolently. He was pleased. This was going better than he thought. He’d exact his revenge on Trenchie for killing his men a few months back.
Earlier the three men, unobserved in their car, had watched the five men leave the house, get in their car and drive off, leaving the women alone. When they were sure it was safe, they left their car and rang the doorbell.
“Get your things. You’re coming with us.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Mary said defiantly.
The ringleader gave a short, coarse laugh. “Jose, go get the baby.”
Mary screamed. “No! Don’t touch my baby.”
“Relax,” the ringleader said. “We’re not going to hurt him—or you for that matter. Just co-operate with us and everything will be fine.”
Mary knew there was a hidden agenda in play here, but she didn’t know what it could be.
“What do you want from us?” she asked again.
“Come with us peacefully and no one will get hurt. Give us a hard time and I’ll kill this woman.” He pointed at Maria.
Mary was confused. “What could you possibly want with me and my baby?”
The ringleader smiled. “But it’s not you that we want, it’s your husband. Once we have you, he’ll come to us willingly. So you see, if you cooperate with us nothing will happen to you.” The ringleader turned to Maria. “Look, I’m leaving you here because you’re gonna give the big man a message for me. Tell him to stay by the phone and pick it up when it rings. Do you understand?”
Jose looked confused. “Aren’t you going to kill this woman?”
