by J. B. Reed
“You think he’s got her, Tommy?”
“Fuck, yeah. He’s her Prince Charming, remember? Why would he be coming after us if he hadn’t rescued her sweet little ass that night? Yeah, he’s got her, I can guarantee it. You know, that may be an idea. We may be able to flush him out by flushing her out.”
“How we gonna do that, Tommy?”
“From what I’ve heard around the Kitchen, her folks have been pretty upset about her just taking off like she did. Also heard they got a letter from her, said she told them she got married and is living in another state now. You and I know that is bullshit. It would be a shame, if, oh, I don’t know, say, there would be a death, in Vivian’s family, now wouldn’t it? I’m sure Vivian would be compelled to come to the funeral, the good girl that she is. And we both know that she would never come back to the Kitchen unless she was accompanied by her body guard.” An evil grin came across Tommy face.
“I get ya Tommy. Who do ya think, mama or papa?”
“We don’t want to hit mama, you stupid shit. Would you want someone to hit your mama? No, I think it should be papa. That old bastard is half-dead anyway. He’s no good to anyone. I remember one time, that old fucker hit me up side of my head when I was kid, just because I was sitting on his stoop. He didn’t want me sitting there because he didn’t want people to think I was there to see he precious Vivian. I guess I showed him, didn’t I?”
Tommy and Ryan laughed as they hoisted their glasses to each other.
“Okay, now normally I would ask Shane to handle this, but since he’s going to be in a fucking wheel chair, I’m going to have to trust this to you. Do you think you can do this without fucking it up?”
“Jesus, Tommy, you act like I’m an idiot sometimes. Don’t I do good for you with the drugs?”
“Yeah, Ryan, you do good for me with the drugs. Only sometimes, you come up a little short, and that’s because sometimes, my profit goes up your fucking nose.” Tommy slapped Ryan on the side of the head, knocking Ryan to the floor.
“Damn, Tommy, do you have to hit me like that?”
“I’ll do whatever I want to do to you. You need to remember, I’m your fucking boss.” Tommy leaned down and screamed into Ryan’s face.
“Now, get your ass up and get out on the streets, I need you to check on the whores and make some collections. I need to think about this papa plan.”
Ryan left Molly’s and Tommy lit another cigarette and poured himself a whisky from the bottle sitting on the table. Staring into space, Tommy started thinking of his plan to kill Vivie’s father. Yes, this is a grand plan. “Not only will I kill an old bastard that I’ve hated for years, but I will also get at Vivie again. And, as an added bonus, I’ll be flushing out the cocksucker that took one of my best guys out of action. Yes indeed. Tommy, my boy, this is a grand plan you’ve come up with. You should be proud.” Tommy reared back in his chair, smiling from ear to ear.
Uptown, Michael was meeting with Joseph, who was a little more than concerned about Michael’s involvement with Vivie. He had seen too many times what distractions would do to a cleaner’s focus. He had put too much time and money into Michael to let his investment go down the drain. Michael was like a son to Joseph, but he also knew that Michael’s life, as well as his own security, relied on Michael’s ability to maintain his edge.
“How’s the little girl doing, Lucky?”
“Much better Joseph. She’s almost back to her old self.”
“Then she’s about ready to move out of your place then, is that right?”
Michael dropped eye contact with Joseph for a moment, something that Joseph picked up on immediately.
“Just about. I’m not sure she’s at the point where she feels secure enough to be out on her own just yet.”
“You know, Lucky, the longer she stays with you, the more likely she is to find out who you are and what it is you do.”
“Yes, Joseph, I do know that. I think about that a lot.” Michael knew he should tell Joseph that Vivie already knew all about what he does, but he feared Joseph’s reaction.
“It’s a damn shame, what those animals did to her. If you want, we can have them taken care of, but I do not think you should be the one to handle the job. I think you’re too close to the situation; you agree?”
“Of course.” Michael again knew that he should go ahead and confess to Joseph, tell him that he had already become involved by taking Shane out of commission. But he sat in silence.
“So? What do you think? Do you want me to send one of the boys down there to take out the trash?”
“No, Vivie said to me that she didn’t want anyone to do anything to them.”
“Why the hell not?”
“She thought I was going to try to avenge her. She was afraid that I would be arrested and they would go free.”
“If only she knew, right Michael?” Joseph smiled at Michael and tipped his cigar toward him.
“Right, Joseph.” Michael smiled sheepishly.
“Okay, then. We will handle it your way, but say the word and those rat bastards will be history. But Lucky, I am concerned about this girl living there with you. I do not have to tell you the need to stay focused. One mistake Lucky, that is all it takes. Tell me, you’re not letting yourself get involved with this girl, are you?”
“Getting involved with her? What do you mean, Joseph? The girl was beaten and raped. Do you really believe I am the type of fellow that would try to seduce a girl that had been through something like that? Jesus, man.”
“Holy shit, Lucky, don’t get your balls in a wad, that’s not what I was meaning. What I’m talking about, and what I’m asking is, are you starting to get a little soft for the girl?”
“I feel sorry for her Joseph, I can’t help myself. She has been through hell. She cannot go home because she is scared shitless those bastards will get at her again. She is not really up to living on her own yet. I have compassion for her, Joseph, that’s all.” Michael knew he was lying through his teeth and only hoped that Joseph could not see through him.
“Okay, Lucky, calm down. Christ. Listen, we need to talk about a job.” Joseph opened his top desk drawer and pulled out a photograph, pushing it over to Michael. “This idiot is Louis Bobak; he’s a polak, living over in Jersey. Mr. Bobak was supposed to deliver a briefcase full of coke that he brought down from our friends in Canada. Problem is, seems Mr. Bobak got what he saw as a better deal from the Westies. Not only did he sell our coke to the competition, but he skipped with the money. Jimmy and Little Tony spotted him at a motel, in Elmira. This stupid polak didn’t even have enough brains to get far enough away that we wouldn’t find him.”
“Elmira? Damn. What the hell is in Elmira?”
“Our friend, Mr. Bobak. Take care of it Lucky.”
Michael put the photo in his jacket pocket and stood up to leave.
“And Lucky, think about what I said, about keeping your focus. You’re a good man; I don’t want you taking any chances out there.”
“No problem, Joseph. I’ll call you when the job is finished.”
Michael left Joseph’s office. Sitting back down behind his desk, Joseph relit his cigar and took a few puffs, smoke rings circling above his head. Something was not right. Lucky was not coming clean with him about that girl. More is going on than Lucky was willing to tell him.
As Michael sat in his car, he was trying to decide if he should go ahead and drive to Elmira tonight or stop at the apartment and check on Vivie. He got out of the car and opened his trunk. He had what he needed for job with him, there would be no necessity to go home first. Still, there was nagging sense that he should go home and check on her. No, Joseph was right. He was letting his concern for Vivie cause him to lose his concentration. The drive to Elmira was only a four-hour drive. He could get there, do the job and be back home by dawn.
By 1:30 a.m., Michael had arrived at the Twin Oaks Motel. It was a typical motel, sitting on the outskirts of town. Looked more like a place one would b
ring a whore for a couple hours and then leave. Michael looked at the photograph again. Room 12 was on the second floor. Michael pulled his car around to the side of the motel and turned the engine off. He did not see any lights on in room 12. Michael sat in his car for a few minutes, surveying the area. Checking the cars on the lot, he also did not see Bobak’s car. Michael walked around to the back of the motel. He found room twelve. The bathroom window was left cracked open. “This guy really is an idiot”, Michael thought to himself. The bathroom window was small but large enough for Michael to get through it. Michael climbed a tree standing a few yards from the window. With the balance of a cat, Michael walked along the branches of the tree to the bathroom window. Michael could not hear any noise coming from inside the room. Gently, he slid the window the rest of the way open and went through. Michael began to toss the room, searching the drawers, closet, under the mattress; anywhere someone may hide guns or money. Michael came up empty.
“He must have the money on him. Maybe he’s already skipped town.”
Michael noticed a small refrigerator in the corner, beside the bed. He opened the door and found a paper bag in the freezer compartment. Michael removed the bag and opened it. “Hello, what do we have here?" Flipping through the stacks of bills Michael counted what he thought to be at least fifty grand. “Guess he hasn’t left town just yet.”
The lights of a car flashed against the window. Michael closed the refrigerator door and took his place behind door to the room. A key turned the lock of the door and the door opened. No lights were on but Michael saw the shadow of a rather large man come into the room and shut the door behind him. As he started to walk over to the bedside table, Michael walked up behind him, placed a knife at the large man’s neck, and whispered to him.
“Mr. Bobak, I presume?”
“Yeah, I’m Bobak.” The large man nervously answered back, sweat immediately started pouring down his face.
“Mr. Bobak, you’ve been a naughty man. You had a business deal with a nice Italian fellow but you did not come through on that deal. Instead you made your own deal, didn’t you?”
“It’s okay, I have the money, I’ll give it to you, it’s all here.”
“Surely you made more than fifty grand on that deal. Where’s the rest?”
“It’s in my car, in the trunk. Here, here’s the key.” Bobak held the key out in his hand for Michael to take from him.
“How much did you get for the coke, Mr. Bobak?”
“Two hundred fifty, I swear. It’s all there. I swear to you.”
“Why did you not bring the money to the nice Italian fellow? Why did you run away? See, I think you were trying to cheat this nice Italian fellow out his coke and, his money, Mr. Bobak.”
“No, no, I swear to you. I was going to bring him the cash.”
“Now see, Mr. Bobak, you’re just not convincing me. However, I do have a message from that nice Italian fellow. Would you like to know what it is?”
“Yeah, sure, what is it?
At this, Michael slit the large man’s throat from ear to ear. Bobak grabbed his throat and fell to the floor, the blood rushing from his body, causing him to drown in his own blood. “The message is, no one double crosses Don De Luca.” Michael picked up the paper bag with the money as well as the keys to Bobak’s car, and left the motel room. He opened the trunk of Bobak’s car and found that he had been telling the truth. The rest of the money was in his trunk in a suitcase. Michael removed the suitcase from the trunk of the car and placed the paper bag inside. He then placed the keys to Bobak’s car in the trunk and closed the lid. Michael then walked over to a phone booth, called Joseph to let him know the job was finished and that he had recovered the money for the coke and was on his way back home.
Michael’s thoughts returned to Vivie. He would be home by 7:00 a.m. Maybe he would pick up some bagels for breakfast. Vivie had not been feeling well for a couple of days but maybe she would be feeling better this morning.
The sun was attempting to peak through the gray clouds in the skies overlooking Hell’s Kitchen. Patrick Fergus Clancy was preparing for another hard day at the shipyards. Hard days were all there were at the shipyards, but Patrick Clancy was thankful to have the work. He was supporting his wife Mary and five children. Since his beloved Vivian had ran away and gotten married, it was up to Patrick to feed, clothe and shelter the Clancy clan. How he missed his Vivian. She was the apple of his eye. If she was happy, that was all that mattered. If only she would come home for a visit, maybe tell him he was going to be a grandpa. The thought of being a grandpa to Vivie’s child brought a smile to Patrick’s face.
“Your lunch is ready my dear, don’t forget to take it with you today.” Mary handed the big lunchbox to her husband with a broad smile on her care worn face.
“You act as if I’m a forgetful old man, Mary. I’ll have you know I’m as sharp as I ever was. As a matter of fact, I’m a lot sharper than some of the men half my age down at the yard.” Patrick reached out and placed an arm around Mary’s shoulder.
“That you are my dear. I have no doubt. You have a good day and we’ll be seeing you at the usual time.”
Patrick kissed Mary on the cheek and walked out of their tenement door. Mary walked into the kitchen and started clearing away the breakfast dishes. Suddenly she felt something was wrong. In the old country they called it a burden, a feeling of impending doom, that something bad was about to happen. Mary made the sign of the cross, dropped to her knees, and began to pray.
The walk to the shipyard was an eight-block walk. For a man of 56, sometimes it seemed like a long walk indeed, especially on cold, windy, mornings. Patrick stopped to adjust his scarf and hat and again started on his way. Two blocks from the shipyard, he noticed the street had been blocked off.
“What on earth? When did they start working on this street? I’ll have to go down another block in order to get to the yard. Anything to cause a man aggravation.” Patrick turned down the street and walked another block south of the shipyard. As he was coming to the crosswalk to turn to get back onto the street that led to the shipyard, he heard a car coming up behind him. He stopped to let the car pass before crossing. As the car approached him it started to slow down, he recognized the driver as Ryan Kelly, one of Tommy Flannery’s hoodlum friends, and a known drug addict.
“Good morning to ya Mr. Clancy.” Ryan smiled at Patrick as he rolled down his window.
“Go on with you Ryan Kelly. I have no time for the likes of you.” Patrick waved his hand, motioning for Ryan to keep his car moving so he could cross the street.
Ryan raised a 9mm Luger and fired at Patrick, hitting him on his mark, right between his eyes. Patrick’s body was knocked back four feet, from the impact of the shot, landing in the middle of the side street. Ryan hit the gas and sped away. “Tommy is going to be so fucking happy with me.” I told him I could handle this. That’s one old
bastard we won’t have to be worrying about anymore. Good riddance I say.”
5.
VIVIE’S DELICATE CONDITION
7:45 a.m. Vivie had just finished her shower and was brushing her teeth. Staring into the mirror, gazing at her own reflection, her thoughts wondered to the possible reason she may have been feeling so ill lately. Vivie had never been a person to suffer poor health. Her papa told her she had been born strong as a mule, and just as stubborn. How she missed him. She missed mama too, but she and papa had a special connection. Maybe it was because she was the eldest, and he relied on her, maybe it was because she listened to him when mama did not have time. Whatever the reason, the connection between Vivie and her papa was strong and would always be, even if she would never see him again. Why was, she feeling so bad? She had not vomited so much in her entire life, as she had these past three days. One possible reason for Vivie feeling so sick horrified and disgusted her.
“Could I be pregnant? Dear God in heaven, please do not let me be carrying Tommy’s child in my womb. What if I am pregnant, what will Michael d
o? How will he react when I tell him that I have Tommy’s child inside me? He has said to me that he is falling in love with me. How can he continue to love me if I am pregnant with Tommy’s child? I need to see a doctor. I need to know for sure if this is what is wrong with me. Maybe I have the flu; yes, that is probably it. Vivie, you’re letting yourself get upset for nothing.”
“Vivie, darlin, are you up?” Michael came through the kitchen door, announcing his arrival, so as not to frighten Vivie.
“Yes, I’ve been up for hours. Did you have a successful night?”
“I did, indeed.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Nothing to talk about, really. A Polak from Jersey was supposed to deliver some coke to Joseph but instead, he decides to sell it to the Westies. He then takes off with the cash. Tracked him down in Elmira, he still had the cash on him. Made the hit, brought the money back to Joseph and now I am home. Ready for breakfast? I brought some bagels.”
Michael knew he should not be talking about business with Vivie, but still, it felt good to have someone he could talk to. It was a release of sorts. Having Vivie in his life was turning his life inside out. He never had a need to be this close to anyone. He never had a desire to be this close to anyone. He was always a loner that was the way he liked it. That was the way it had to be.
“I don’t believe I’ll have breakfast this morning, Michael.”
“Still not feeling well, darlin?”
“Not really. I think I may need to see a doctor.”
“Vivie, is it that serious? What do you think is ailing you?”
Michael’s concern was written on his face. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking down into her face.
“I don’t believe it’s anything that serious, I just think I should see the doctor to be safe. Maybe I need a shot, just give me a little pick up, to help me along the way. You understand, don’t you, Michael?
