The Starlight Club 5: Revenge: The Godfather, Goodfellas, Mob Guys & Hitmen (Starlight Club Mystery Mob)

by Joe Corso

  “Yes, I’m still at the same place. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

  Although Lansky was still respected by many of the mob guys, there were some who no longer trusted him. They felt he had cheated Lucky Luciano by holding back a large portion of Lucky’s monthly payment, which he usually sent to Italy. “Business is bad.” He would tell Lucky. But Lucky could see right through Lansky. The guy was holding back on him and he knew it.

  At 11 a.m. there was a knock on the penthouse door. Lansky himself answered it and escorted the mediator and Andrew Bernardi, his assistant, into the large penthouse suite. Lansky was a short man, standing just five feet, but he was tough as a kid. He’d take no shit from anyone and he’d fight guys a lot bigger than him, never backing away from them. But it was his brain that everyone respected. They called him the accountant because he was exceptional with numbers and percentages.

  After the coffee cups were taken away by one of Lansky’s men, Bernardi picked up his attaché case and placed it on the table, which made Lansky nervous, thinking that maybe he had a weapon in it. Lansky’s bodyguard caught it and had his hand in his jacket, resting on his gun just in case. Everyone relaxed when Bernardi pulled out a legal pad and laid it beside his attaché case. Lansky’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “To fly all the way out here from New York, you must have something important to tell me.”

  Angelo agreed with him. “I was sent here by the commission. They’re upset that you ordered a hit on a boss of one of the major families in the country and they want it rescinded.”

  Lansky was usually a reasonable man, but his face contorted into a grimace, as if he had swallowed poison, and the mediator saw it.

  “Did I say something to annoy you, Meyer?”

  Lansky dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “No, it’s nothing you said. It’s just that I’m powerless to do anything?”

  “What did you just say?” Torelli asked.

  Meyer lowered his head in resignation. “You know, Angelo, I lost millions when that lying bastard Castro took over the casinos. I put everything I had into Vegas and I was upset that a guy from Queens was muscling in on my territory. So without thinking things through I acted impulsively, which as you know is not something I would do. Later I tried to call off the hit on Big Red, but I no longer have control over it. Before I left Cuba I hired a Cuban hit team and gave them the contract on the three top men in Big Red Fortunato’s mob, Red, Trenchie and Tarzan. When I tried contacting the men to call it off they were no longer in Cuba. They’ve been paid in full for the job so they’re on their own, and I have no way of contacting them. Don’t you think I’ve tried to pull the contract? I’m a lot of things, but a fool isn’t one of them. The last thing I want is to get whacked by the same organization I helped create. Tell your people I’ll do anything they require of me. I’ll sit down with Big Red and his people. I’ll appear at the commission if they want to speak with me. I’ll do anything to make this right.”

  Torelli inclined his head. “You do realize, Meyer, that you have unleashed the devil, don’t you? Trenchie Savanola is the last person you want as your enemy. You saw what happened to those gang bangers who kidnapped his wife and baby. He’s taken care of the men who kidnapped his wife and now he’s out there hunting for you and the men you hired to whack him and his friends. He’ll die before he quits the hunt.”

  Torelli made a call to Red to bring him up to date on the situation. “Ted Williams, please.”

  Red stiffened. This couldn’t be good news. “Yes, this is Mr. Williams.”

  “I’m speaking with Mr. Greenberg, Hank Greenberg, and he has some unfortunate news.”

  Red quickly reached for his code book and checked for the name Greenberg. He was surprised to see that it was Meyer Lansky. “Sorry for making you wait but I had to check something.”

  “I understand. There are some friends of Mr. Greenberg from that little island we used to visit who are coming to see you. They’re planning a surprise party, but we lost their telephone number and can’t contact them; so it looks like we may have a scheduling problem. Do you agree?”

  Cuban hit men, Red realized. “Yes, I totally agree. How many did you say are coming?”

  Angelo cupped the phone and asked Lansky.

  “Three or four,” he whispered, “but I’m not sure.”

  “Mr. Greenberg thinks that only three or four of his friends will be arriving here soon.”

  “Thank you for calling. I’ll be sure to keep my eye out for them.”

  “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Williams.”

  “I’m looking forward to your call, Mr. Mantle.”

  CHAPTER 32

  The next few months passed by quickly and Red, knowing that a contract was still out on him, took his bodyguards with him wherever he went. He was free to concentrate his energies on building the modern Long Island Expressway extension over the old obsolete Horace Harding Boulevard, but he was still very careful whenever he left the protection of the Starlight Club.

  Construction began on the LIE, and the Tullo and DiMarco Construction Company turned out to be a good investment for Red. They proved they could handle the big jobs. Soon construction on the World’s Fair began too. Tommy DiMarco, the president of Tullo and DiMarco, assigned his brother Charlie to oversea the construction of the Spanish Pavilion, and he delegated his younger brother, Sonny, to orchestrate the construction of the Ford Building. When Red was sure that Tullo and DiMarco had everything working smoothly, he flew to LA, always with his bodyguards. This time he made a point of visiting his two growing movie production companies.

  Starlight Productions made the “A”, big budget pictures, while Black Storm made the lower budget “B” pictures. His two new female stars were preparing to make their first big budget picture together, tentatively titled Love’s Child. They would be starring in the picture as sisters who fell in love with the same man. Because of their successful screen tests with the handsome and charismatic William Holden, he was given the part of the male love interest in the picture. Red joined the girls for dinner at the studio’s cafeteria.

  The girls couldn’t help noticing the rough looking men who accompanied Red to the cafeteria. The men stayed at another table, but their eyes continually darted everywhere as if they were expecting trouble. Between bites of his roast beef sandwich Red asked them lots of questions, and he listened carefully to their answers. After finishing his sandwich, he gulped down the last of his beer and stood to leave. He embraced each girl and wished them luck.

  “Don’t worry about anything. You girls are gonna do just fine. Listen to Marla and Larry. They’re the best in the business.”

  Tiffany quickly added, “William Holden is a great guy. He told us what to do while we were filming our screen test, without the camera seeing him doing it.”

  Red hadn’t heard about that and it gave him a new respect for the actor. “Well, I have to be going. I’m leaving for Queens on tonight’s redeye.”

  “What’s your hurry, Red? You just got here. Why don’t you stick around and see us do our scenes?”

  Red thought sadly how much he would love to do that, but it was impossible. “I can’t stay here. Swifty is fighting for the championship this coming Saturday night, and I have to be in his corner. But don’t worry. There’ll be plenty of pictures to come and I’ll be there for most of them. At least for a little while,” he quickly added. He kissed both girls on the cheek and left with his men.

  Johnny Eight Fingers laughed. “Hell, if that was me who kissed those two gorgeous gals, nothing would have made me leave them.”

  Moose let the men in when they got back to Swifty’s place. “You staying here, Boss?”

  “No. We’ll be leaving in a little while for LAX. We’ve got tickets on tonight’s redeye. I want to be in Swifty’s corner when he fights the champ at the Garden on Saturday night.”

  Trenchie pulled Red aside. “I’m not going with you. I decided to stick around here a little while.�
��

  Red raised an eyebrow and his eyes narrowed. “Why? Swifty’s in New York getting ready to fight the champ. Don’t you want to be there?”

  “Yeah I do. But I have other business to take care of, and it can’t wait.”

  Red didn’t ask him any questions. He already had an idea what he intended to do. Besides, the tight lipped Trenchie would never have told him.

  “Okay, Trench. If you need any help I could leave a few of my men here with you.”

  “No, I don’t need any help, but thanks for asking.”

  When Red and the boys were outside, Red turned to Johnny Eight Fingers and handed him a paper bag.

  “What’s this?”

  “Take it. It’s a gun. You’re staying here, Johnny.”

  Johnny’s face twisted into a grimace of confusion. “Why do you want me to stay here, Red?”

  “I want you to watch Trenchie like you watched me and Jimmy the Hat, when Yip ordered you to follow us in Fort Lauderdale. Trenchie is about to do something rash. I think he’s gonna kill a few guys, and if that’s his plan, I want someone to watch his back. As soon as it’s done and he’s safe, I want you back east with me. From now on you’re on my payroll and you’re part of our organization. What do you have to say about that?”

  Johnny rubbed his chin. “That came out of left field, Red, and it’s the last thing I expected. But sure, I’d love to be part of your organization. At least then I’ll be under your protection. That should give the Florida mob something to think about before they whack me.”

  Red patted Johnny on the shoulder. “As soon as I take care of my personal business I’m going to have a sit-down with those boys and get this mess of yours straightened out. I don’t want you to have to keep looking over your shoulder, wondering when you’re going to get it.”

  Johnny smiled, gave Red a sidelong glance and nodded. “Thanks, Red. And don’t worry about Trenchie. I’ll follow him and he’ll never know I’m there. That’s my specialty. I’m like a ghost when I’m on the job and you won’t know I’m there until you see the flash of my gun. That’s what I do best, and don’t think I’m bragging.”

  Red nodded. “I know you’re not bragging. Yip hired you and he would never have hired anyone less than the best. I knew that the moment I had that little talk with you, and you told me why you were following us.” Red looked at his watch. “We have to leave now. Rent a car and do what you do best. I feel better now knowing Trenchie has someone watching his back.”

  CHAPTER 33

  The doctor examined Swifty, wrote something on his clipboard and walked out of the sweat-smelling room into the smoke-filled arena.

  While Gil Clancy talked to Swifty, Ray O’Connell, his ex-manager and now his trainer, rubbed him down. “Listen to me, Swifty, Red worked hard to get you this fight. I know with this guy’s style you can beat him. He’s not slick like Parker. This guy comes straight at you and that’s fighting into your strength. You can hurt this guy early on with either hand. Watch for the opening and when you see it, let your fists fly. I watched the films of O’Neil’s fights and I like what I saw. His main strength is his left hook. He has only one punch and that’s his devastating left hook. He paws with it like a cat, and when you least expect it he tags you with it. So I want you to keep your right hand high to protect your face, and when you get in close bang him with both hands. From what I’ve seen I’m convinced you can end this fight early if you have patience and wait for the opening. It will come and when it does, let your fists go and bang away. Remember, this guy doesn’t have much of a right hand, but he does have one. While it’s not very effective, he will use it occasionally. But it’s his left hand you have to worry about.”

  The semi-final bout finished, and it wasn’t long before the door to their dressing room opened and they were told they had five minutes. This was the fight Swifty had waited for all his life. If he won this fight he’d be the middleweight champion. He was so grateful to Red for having organized this fight ahead of the rematch with Parker.

  Before Red took over his contract he had been fighting four rounders for chump change, using his meager winnings to party with. Red told him he was wasting his life and warned him that when his youth was gone, he’d be nothing and he’d have nothing. He’d be nothing but a bum. It was Red who instilled the belief in him that he had the potential to be a champ someday. Swifty always knew he had power in either hand, and if he hit someone solidly with either one, he’d knock them out. Red hired Gil Clancy to train him. Gil was the best. He was famous for training many champs, and Red was determined to have Clancy train his man to be a champ.

  When Swifty left the army he was accompanied by two other fighters, one of whom was Henri Valesques, who fought him to a draw three times, and who he met again while stationed in Japan. The other fighter was Gonzo, a heavyweight brawler Swifty met in the induction center at Whitehall Street, when they were inducted into the army. Since his two fighter friends had no managers, Swifty convinced them to sign on with Red, who swore he would make them all champions.

  Henri was already the welterweight champ, and now Swifty was on the threshold of becoming the world middleweight champ. If he was successful tonight that would only leave Gonzo, and Red was grooming him for a heavyweight championship fight. That wouldn’t happen before next year. First Gil Clancy had to rid him of his bar room brawling style. Clancy spent an inordinate amount of time re-training Gonzo to be the type of fighter who picked his spots before letting his fists fly. For the most part he was successful. It was only when Gonzo had been staggered by his opponent’s punches that he forgot himself and reverted to his bar room style of fighting. He did this whenever he was in trouble. Clancy was working on this at present.

  Gonzo watched his two stable mates fight championship fights and he wanted in on that action. He knew that with his style of fighting he would never be more than a decent club fighter. Clancy was right, and if he wanted to fight for the championship he would have to learn what Clancy had to teach him. He devoured everything Clancy showed him. Clancy in turn liked Gonzo’s perseverance. Because Gonzo was so anxious to learn, he rose in the rankings with each progressive fight. At present he was the number four ranked heavyweight fighter in the world, and he was positioned so close to the top that Red had thought he could convince Frankie Carbo to bypass the second and third ranked heavyweights and schedule Gonzo for a fight against the heavyweight champ.

  For Carbo it was all about money and control. No one could get a fight at the Garden unless he had Frankie Carbo’s okay. But Red had helped Carbo out when a hit was put on Richard Nixon at the Garden during the Republican National Convention. Red and his men prevented it from happening. So Carbo owed Red. But unless he saw a lot of green in his future he wouldn’t allow that fight to happen. Red had told him to work out the mechanics of the deal and present it to him. In the end Red got what he wanted, a title fight for Gonzo in June of the following year.

  It was during these negotiations that Red also persuaded Carbo to postpone Swifty’s rematch with Parker. Parker himself liked the idea of postponing the rematch. If Swifty won the championship, then if Parker defeated Swifty, he would be the new champ. If Swifty didn’t win the championship, it was agreed that whoever won the rematch between Parker and Swifty would have a shot at the champ. Red wasn’t keen on the rematch with Parker because he was afraid an injury to Swifty’s face could ruin his movie career, but in the end he agreed to Carbo’s demands.

  Red didn’t think that Lansky’s hit squad would dare try to whack him during the boxing match, but just to be sure he had twenty of his men spread out around the ring, sitting in the front rows, and another twenty spaced out around the outer perimeter of the Garden, with two men stationed up in the crow’s nest, just to make sure no one tried taking him out with a rifle shot to the head. Red took the threat to his life with a grain of salt. This was the life he had chosen and he wasn’t one to complain of bad breaks. He had been fortunate during his career. He had survived t
he bombing of his club, and had recovered from being shot five times by one of the federal agents who was ordered to take him in, dead or alive. He turned the tide on the assassin who took a contract to kill him and Jimmy the Hat while they were vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The only thing he regretted was not updating his will to include Swifty as his only heir. If he survived tonight, and he had every confidence he would, he’d call his lawyer tomorrow and take care of that little matter.

  Red always liked Swifty, even as a teenager when he was training to be a pro fighter. There was something about the kid that was genuine and honest. In the mornings, Red would watch Swifty run down 111th street toward Flushing Meadows Park, wearing a hoodie and shadowboxing as he ran. Without Swifty knowing it, Red followed his career. When he needed money he lent it to him, with the stipulation that, if he fought again, it would be for him and no one else. Red finally grew tired of seeing Swifty fighting, getting paid, and then going on a bender, partying all weekend. So he stepped in and bought Swifty’s contract from Swifty’s manager, Ray O’Connell.

  Once Red controlled Swifty he made him train harder, booking him in six and eight round fights. But it was the three fights he had with Henri that brought him out of his shell and gave him the motivation to do better. He was a famous movie star now, but tonight being a movie star wasn’t important to him, because tonight he was going to fight Kevin O’Neil for the middleweight championship of the world. This night was a dream come true for Swifty.

  O’Neil’s record was good. He had fifty-seven wins and only four losses, with one draw. He was thirty-four years old and had reached his peak a year ago; but he was still at the top of his game and Swifty knew he couldn’t take this guy lightly. Clancy cautioned him to keep his right hand higher than usual and watch out for his left hook.

  “When he throws it block it with your right hand and he’ll be open for a counter left. So remember, when he throws his left hook, you block it with your shoulder and immediately throw your right hand with all the power you have. You’ll catch this guy coming in, which will double the power of your punch.”