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

by Joe Corso

  Trenchie went over behind Red’s desk, opened the bottom draw and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker Black. He poured himself a shot and gulped it down, then poured another and gulped that down too. Then he looked ominously at Red. “If I ever see that cocksucker I’ll squeeze his neck with one hand until his eyes pop out of their sockets. I’ll kill that mother fucker if I ever see him. I’m warning you, Red, keep that bastard away from me. Now you say you want peace. Fine, you’ll have peace . . . so long as I never see that little prick. Because I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself, and that’s a fact. Look at me, Red. Look straight at me and tell me something. Have you ever known me not to avenge a wrong that’s been done to me? Have you?”

  Red lowered his head. “No, Trench, I never have.”

  “Just so you know it. This guy’s alive because you want him alive and for no other reason. I don’t give a flying fuck about the commission or the mediator or anyone else except maybe you. And that’s the only reason he’s getting a pass from me. But don’t ever put him in the same room as me because, so help me God, I’ll kill the bastard. Do you understand how hard it is for me not to kill this guy? Do you?”

  All the guys in the room were quiet. They had all made their bones but no one had more scalps on their hands than Trenchie. He was a legend among all the families and no one would ever think of crossing him, unless they just didn’t know better.

  “I got it, Trenchie. I guess I have to cross him off my guest list for next month’s bash at the Starlight Club.” The guys all laughed, relieving the tension in the room. “Good, it’s settled then. Trenchie, I want you to bring your beautiful wife to our next party and all you guys are invited. Now all I have to do is to see who I can get on such short notice to entertain the guests.”

  Red rubbed his chin, feeling the heavy five o’clock shadow. “I had to put this off until the last minute because of all the problems we had, but now that Trenchie has eliminated those threats, I’d like to hire the best entertainer available to do a show for us. Hey, wait a minute, I just thought of something. You know what?” A chorus of “whats” spewed from the guys’ lips. “Frank gave me his private number. I’m gonna call him right now and ask him if he’ll do us a favor and put on another show at the Club for us. I don’t care what day, week or month it is. Whatever date he has free will be all right with me.”

  Sinatra told Red he had a free weekend in three months. “I’ll see if Dean, Sammy and Joey are free on that date. If they aren’t I’ll try to put something together where we can all do the show. You know, Red, the last time we were at the Starlight Club we had a great time entertaining your guests. The Starlight Club reminds me of Bill Miller’s Riviera, only your club is a lot more appealing and that’s saying something, because the Riviera was one of the nicest clubs I ever entertained in. Does it make a difference what date I can make it?”

  “No. Whatever date you can make will be fine with me. I’ll fix the schedule to suit. Of course, the rest of the guys would be icing on the cake.”

  Frank smiled into the phone. “Don’t worry about anything, Clyde, we’ll be there. I’ll make sure of that. I’ll get back to you in a few days with the date, okay?”

  “That’s great, Frank. I’ll wait for your call.”

  Then Red made another phone call, this time to Simone DeCavalcante in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After twenty minutes on the phone Red thanked DeCavalcante and, after hanging up, went out to the bar area. He gave the guys the good news about Sinatra, then caught Johnny Eight Finger’s eye and motioned with a slight tilt of his head for him to follow him to his office.

  “Trenchie told me what you did for him. You saved his life, and now you have a friend for life. And Trenchie is a guy you’d want as your friend, and not the other way around.”

  Johnny nodded, gave Red a sidelong glance and dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand, indicating that he did nothing that was worth discussing.

  Red furrowed his brow. “Look, Johnny, you did exactly what I asked you to do. You did real good, and that alone put you in solid with my crew. Word of what you did for Trenchie will travel fast in this organization, and I’m glad, because you found a home with us here in Queens.”

  Johnny ground his teeth. “Now if only I could get the Florida crowd off my back.”

  Red opened his humidor, took a cigar out, lit it and pointed it at Johnny. “That Florida thing is history. I just got off the phone with DeCavalcante. I explained that you’re working for me now, and I asked him to pull the contract on you. I think he was glad to do it, because he sounded relieved. He told me it wasn’t anything against you. You were always a good soldier. It was just business. He had to protect himself by tying up a few loose ends, and you were one of the loose ends.” Red took another puff of his cigar and then stood. “You can relax now. It’s over. Come on, let’s get a drink to celebrate the good news.”

  During the next few days Red got phone calls from Ernie in Las Vegas, bringing him up to date on the status of the two casinos. Ernie told Red that the renovation on the Double Seven Casino was completed and the place looked fantastic. “I sent a squad of people to the strip with circulars telling of our newly renovated casino, with an offer of twenty-five dollars worth of chips if they handed in the circular at the table.”

  “How’s it working out?”

  “The place is packed. It seems everyone wants to get a look at our casino; and of course the free twenty-five dollars in chips didn’t hurt any. It’s looking good, Red.”

  “Good, keep me posted.”

  “Hey, don’t hang up. I have something else to tell you.”

  “I hope it’s good news.”

  “Yeah it is. Artie told me this morning that it wasn’t necessary to tear down Nell’s Silver Spur and rebuild it from the ground up. He said he could renovate the existing place and add on another section for the casino.”

  “That’s great news, Ernie. What kind of time frame are we looking at?”

  “Artie figures a few months and he should have the place up and running.”

  The following day Red received a call from Sinatra and a date was set for him and the Rat Pack to appear at the Starlight Club in the third weekend of September.

  Swifty called a short time later. His latest movie was completed and was now in the hands of the post production people.

  “Good. Now put aside the third weekend in September. I want you, Henri and Gonzo to come to New York for that weekend. And tell Iris and Tiffany I want them here too.”

  “Okay, Red, I’ll call them as soon as we hang up.”

  “How are they doing in the movie they’re in?”

  “Good. They’re doing real good. The picture will be finished in another two weeks and Bernstein told me he wants an early release. So maybe the picture will be in movie theaters by the time the girls get to see you in September.”

  Red called the construction company, Tullo and DiMarco. He wanted an update on their section of the Long Island Expressway. He also wondered about the two buildings at the Flushing Meadows site of the World’s Fair. Frank Tullo picked up the phone.

  “Tullo and DiMarco Construction. Frank Tullo speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Frank, it’s Red. How’s the Long Island Expressway coming. I haven’t had a chance to come out to see how you’re doing.”

  “It’s coming along fine, Red. We’ll complete it on time. And we finally got the go ahead to start construction on the two buildings for the World’s Fair. We plan on starting next Monday.”

  At the meeting with his captains, Red laid out his plans for the family. He would remain in Queens, much to the relief of his men. Now that his lawyer Bennett William finally got Red’s name cleared, through contacts close to Lyndon Johnson, the rackets in Queens would continue as before. And, according to Red’s rule and Yip’s before him, there would be no trafficking in drugs by any of his men. The consequences would be a death sentence if they ventured into the lucrative area of drugs.

>   Red told Piss Clam to make a pot of espresso and bring it and a bottle of sambuca to him in the ballroom. Red wanted some time alone to think about everything that had transpired since he began making inquiries into buying a Las Vegas casino. He pressed the button which opened the telescoping doors to the grand ballroom, went to his favorite table and sat down. He pulled a cigar from his inside jacket pocket, lit it, then leaned back and waited for Piss Clam to bring his coffee.

  “Here’s your coffee, Boss. Can I get you anything else?”

  “No, just the coffee.”

  After Piss Clam left, Red sighed. He was surrounded by his good friends and yet he was alone. He missed Jimmy the Hat. He missed the time they were forced to flee to Florida. Although he’d had no choice in the matter, he’d found he needed a vacation. He enjoyed the freedom it allowed him. There were a lot of women he could have met but fate—or, as Yip would say, destiny—placed Iris and Tiffany between him and Jimmy. He’d enjoyed his time with Iris and would have liked to have spent a lot longer in Fort Lauderdale; but he had to get back to Queens, so he had put the beautiful Iris out of his mind, at least until he bought a movie studio. That was when he thought of her as the possible female star he was lacking.

  He thought of the cop Creighton who had been on his payroll. The guy was a greedy motherfucker but he was also reliable and . . . he was a friend. A friend with a lot of guts. He looked cancer straight in the eye and met it head on. He lost the battle, but won the respect of all the guys.

  Red poured some of the strong Italian coffee in the cup and filled it the rest of the way with sambuca. He dipped the unlit part of his cigar in the shot glass with the sweet liquor and took a puff on his cigar. He sighed again, lost in thought. Yip flashed before him and he wished he could have another five minutes with his uncle. He thought of something he read or heard; he couldn’t remember which. But the words were clear in his mind: “While you still can, take a minute to talk to someone you love. Someday they’ll be gone, and you’ll spend the rest of your life wishing that you had five more minutes with them, to tell them all the things you were too busy to say to them while they were still alive.” He thought of all the things he wanted to say to Yip, but it was too late now. He should have spent more time with him while he was alive. Well, he would change then. When Iris came to the club for the show, he would take a week off and do something enjoyable with her. Maybe go to the Bahamas or the Hamptons. He was free, rich and needed a woman to love him and he her. He saw how happy Trenchie was and that gave him the confidence that he too could be happy; happy, that is, if he met the right woman. And that was a big if. He considered himself a good judge of character. He had to be if he were to survive in his kill or be killed world. And he had good feelings about Iris. He did miss her and he had thought of her frequently after he and Jimmy left Florida. But was that feeling he had for her love? He didn’t know, but he intended to push it to the limit; and if it was love, he would ask her to marry him. The thought of marrying Iris made him feel better.

  He remained in the ballroom until he finished his coffee and his cigar, then he went up front to be with his men, his friends.

  CHAPTER 36

  Red sent out notices to his friends on his private mailing list, informing them that the Rat Pack would be the September entertainment at the Starlight Club. Swifty, Henri and Gonzo had nothing to do since they completed filming Legionnaires, so they decided to take a vacation and leave a few weeks early, to spend some time with Red and the boys.

  Swifty called out to Moose. “Moose, ya got a minute. I have to talk to you.”

  “What’s up, Swifty?”

  “Me and the boys are taking a vacation and going to Queens, and before I make reservations I want to know if you wanna come with us?”

  “Sure I wanna come. Where you go I go, capisca? I’ll call Red and ask him if it’s all right to take Sophia with us.”

  Swifty thought for a moment then nodded. “I’m sure Red won’t object. You know him, the more the merrier, especially when it comes to one of the bashes he throws. But just to be sure, give him a call and ask him.”

  Moose had a grin like the Cheshire cat. “Man oh man, will Sophia be surprised. She always asks me about the Starlight Club and how she’d like to go there sometime. I got a feeling I’m gonna get real lucky tonight.”

  Swifty laughed as he watched Moose skip out of the room. Swifty snapped his fingers. “Damn I forgot to call Iris and Tiffany and tell them of our change in plans. Moose!” Swifty called out again.

  Moose cupped the phone. “Yeah, what is it Swifty?”

  “Are you still on the phone?” Moose cupped the speaker with his hand. “Yeah, I’m on with Red.”

  “Let me know when you’re off the phone. I have to call Iris and Tiffany and ask if they would like to come with us. Let Red know they may also be coming with us.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell him.”

  When Moose was finished, Swifty telephoned Tiffany and Iris and asked if they’d like to fly to New York with them. The girls were exhausted from their arduous filming schedule of the past few months and jumped at the chance of a vacation in New York, especially since they would be staying at the Starlight Club in the suite of rooms Red kept for his special guests.

  Red made a special call to Larry Bernstein and John Morgenstein to invite them and their families to his annual bash at the Starlight Club. “Frank and the Rat Pack will be there,” he said, with a hint of pride in his voice.

  Neither man would miss out on the fun and excitement of one of Red’s parties.

  “Red, I remember how I was totally unprepared for the surprise I got when I attended the first of your extravaganzas,” remarked Bernstein. “I agreed to go when you invited me just to fulfill the obligation I had to you; but when that night was over my wife who, as you know, attends all the Hollywood affairs, told me she had never had a more entertaining evening than that night. And each party we attended only got better. Sure we’ll be there. I’m going to clear my schedule right now. Give me the time and date so I can mark it on my calendar.”

  Legionnaires had been released to rave reviews, but Bernstein wanted to introduce his two new female stars to the public early, so when they went to New York they would be recognized as movie stars. So he leased Pantages Theatre from Universal because of its 2812 seating capacity and set an early release date for Love’s Child.

  Their picture also opened to rave reviews and the movie was booked to run in that theatre for a minimum of sixty-one weeks. At the premiere, when the picture ended, the two women were brought onstage and introduced to the audience, who gave them a standing ovation. When they walked out of the theatre they were both fully fledged movie stars.

  Red hired a limousine to meet the Hollywood contingent at LaGuardia airport. There were plenty of Oos and Aahs as Swifty, who was a big name in film by this time, and the two lesser known but still popular movie stars, Henri Valezques and Gonzo, which was the only name Bernstein put on the theater’s marquees, were recognized. Iris and Tiffany were recognized too, because of the mountain of pre-release publicity Bernstein had put into Love’s Child, and before they could stop it an avalanche of star-hungry autograph seekers inundated them, until Moose and Gonzo stepped in and cleared a path to where Swifty was standing next to the limo driver, who was holding a sign saying “Starlight Club”. The entourage was hurried to the waiting limousine and whisked away to the Club.

  Anytime Swifty came into town was a cause for Red to celebrate. He loved the kid like he was his own son. He was proud he had made something of himself, even if it was with Red’s help. Red now knew what it felt like to be a proud father, even though he never married.

  That was something else he intended to change. He wasn’t about to rush into anything, but if Iris showed an interest in him, and if love blossomed, well then maybe he’d consider marriage. Iris was the only woman he felt this way about. He had known many women in his life, but they were just playthings who would never be part of his life
. He often thought about what it would be like to have a wife and maybe a couple of kids, but as quickly as he thought about it he shoved it from his mind. How could he consider having a woman with the life he led? He was afraid that an enemy would harm his wife, and he could never allow that to happen. But then he thought of Trenchie and Mary and, against all odds, that marriage was working. If a guy like Trenchie could find and then love a girl like Mary, then maybe there was an outside chance it could work for him too. But only if he found the right woman. She had to be streetwise. She had to recognize what his job entailed. And she had to be smart enough to keep her nose out of his business. Maybe Iris was that woman. Well, he’d find out soon enough.

  CHAPTER 37

  Piss Clam, whom Red had stationed at the front door, spotted the limo pulling into the lot across the street. “They’re here, Boss. The limo just got here.”

  Red sat at his usual table by the window near his office, with his ever ready Medaglia D’Oro Expresso coffee sitting on the table, filling the area near and around the table with the appealing, aromatic smell of coffee. Red, who never showed emotion, was having a hard time controlling it now. He always had to appear strong and in control, for if he ever showed weakness he would run the risk of being devoured by a pool of piranhas. So he remained stoic and composed on the outside, even though on the inside he couldn’t wait to welcome Swifty home.

  The door burst open and Swifty, then Moose and Sophia, followed by Iris and Tiffany, and finally Gonzo and Henri, poured into the club.