“If you help me now, I could offer you a piece of a casino, for example. Your kind indulgence in this matter doesn‘t need to be paid back with a case of bills. If you are willing, I am flexible in how I show my appreciation.”
“I have no doubt, but I still don‘t like the thought of losing good men and I wouldn‘t insult you by sending you greenhorns. Return to California and let me think on this some more.”
“I could stay in the city and we could speak further, if you liked.”
“I‘d like you to return to Palm Springs and leave me to consider my position.”
Mary Lou nodded, stood up and kissed his proffered hand. Old school mafia. Then she left the restaurant and grabbed a cab to LaGuardia and home.
34
TWO DAYS AFTER Mary Lou got back, there was a knock on the door and Irma led the gentleman into the living room. Then she popped into the summerhouse to let Bobby and Mary Lou know they had a visitor.
“Would you like a coffee?”
“No, thank you. I‘m not expecting to be here long enough to drink it.”
“Then let‘s not detain you any longer than you need.”
Bobby saw Mary Lou bristling and hoped she would remember who had sent Vito to their door.
“Mr. Gagliardi sends his regards and asked me to speak with you directly. He didn‘t want me to leave a message or note. He believes people he respects should hear news firsthand.”
“Do thank him for his courteous behavior.”
“Actually, I have changed my mind: a coffee would be most welcome.”
Bobby and Mary Lou glanced at each other and summoned Irma to issue instructions. A quick conversation meant bad news, but if the guy was settling in for a drink, perhaps things were looking up. Vito said nothing until Irma reappeared with his mug.
“Mr. Gagliardi thanks you for making the journey to see him in person. This impressed him greatly as a mark of respect on your part, dear lady.”
Mary Lou smiled and waited. Bobby sat back in his seat, letting the experience wash over him until he knew whether to be happy or sad.
“He also was impressed with your honest assessment of your situation and the way you conveyed that to him. Without gilding the lily, so to speak.”
More smiling. More waiting. If you removed the yada-yada, you were left with nada so far. Why the build up? Can‘t he get to the punchline?
“You requested the loan of up to thirty men and Mr. Gagliardi is forced to decline.”
Mary Lou stopped listening. Nothing Vito was going to say would improve her situation, so there was no point. Bobby was concerned to understand why because Mary Lou seemed optimistic when she came back.
“There are two issues he wishes to draw to your attention. First, your predicament is a problem of your own making. As he understands the situation, your bellicose approach infuriated the other party and after you reached a very reasonable settlement, you chiseled away at the territory.”
Bobby felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach. Frank‘s exploits had been visible from New York and they were paying for the consequences of his actions.
“We could put aside the cause of your problems under the right circumstances. But second, the interests of the Gagliardi and Lagotti families are not aligned. Certain business activities have been hindered by your ongoing disagreement with Markov and we need this interference in our revenue generation to end.”
Vito paused to consume some coffee. It felt as though he hadn‘t taken a breath since he told them how Gagliardi wasn‘t going to help. The feeling in Bobby‘s stomach got worse and his gastric wall tightened.
MARY LOU STARED out of the window as she saw no reason to hide her disinterest in what this olive-skinned excuse for a man had to say.
“Mrs. Lagotti: you have been given one week to resolve your local difficulties with Nikolay Markov. If you do not do so, we can assure you that your husband will have need of either an undertaker or a search party. Either way, you will be dead.”
Beat.
“My apologies for being blunt but I want to be certain you understand your situation. Mr. Gagliardi is more than happy to forge a relationship with you should you vanquish your foe. What concerns him most is that no business is being conducted while you two slug it out. There is no personal animosity in anything I have said and I hope you appreciate that.”
Vito stood up: clearly this was not a debate. He‘d conveyed what Gagliardi had instructed and now it was time to leave.
“Can we call you a taxi?”
“Most kind.”
Bobby popped his head round the kitchen door to speak with Irma and by the time he got back, Vito was standing on his own. The clang of the patio door told him Mary Lou had given up on social niceties with this prick. He had just threatened her life, after all, but he represented one of the most powerful gang bosses in America.
“Forgive my wife. She doesn‘t like hearing bad news, but obviously we recognize Mr. Gagliardi‘s respect to send you all this distance for such a short but clear message.”
“It‘s what I do. Pass on decisions whichever way the coin lands.”
“I understand. I used to be in the outfit.”
“Fine. When she calms down, let her know the clock is ticking. We need this resolved in seven days or less, one way or another. Between you and me, I think Gagliardi would rather work with you but the Russian has the network and we have the product. It‘s a marriage of convenience and no more, but it needs peace to thrive. Capiche?”
“Got it.”
BOBBY WALKED THROUGH the conservatory and out onto the patio to find Mary Lou in the summerhouse. He sat down and explained all that Vito had said and threatened.
“The mob will put a hit out on you in a week if we don‘t get matters sorted with Nikolay Markov.“
Her jaw sunk to the floor and the blood drained from her cheeks.
“Is there no leeway?”
“None. We must end this nonsense now.”
Mary Lou rummaged around for a cigarette but her hands were shaking and she couldn‘t get her lighter to work. Bobby bent over and lit one for her.
“A hit on me.”
He nodded as she inhaled on her smoke, letting a plume of exhalation form a cloud in front of her face.
“Good news is that if we succeed against Markov, we have a guaranteed deal with Gagliardi.”
“For what?”
“Vito was willfully vague, but they way he talked made it sound like narcotics. Don‘t know for sure.”
“Perhaps they have a new pipeline into the east or from Colombia.”
“... A hit.”
Mary Lou‘s attention drifted in and out of focus until Bobby was no longer certain she was taking in anything he was saying.
THE DEATH OF Charlie Pentangelo was a pivotal moment after Mary Lou‘s twins were kidnapped and then rescued. But the speed with which his body was discovered and she was chased across the city startled her. It had always been a dangerous mission but her single-minded desire to kill the man, who‘d caused her so much pain, had kept her focused on the act of assassination. The minute his corpse hit the ground, Mary Lou woke from her death-trance and smelled the coffee.
The thought of the mob giving her seven days before a hit sent her into a flat-spin panic. There was only one intelligent action for her to take: flee. She went into the conservatory and Bobby wasn‘t there. Into the living room and she heard a clattering in the kitchen. Without making a sound, Mary Lou grabbed her bag, hopped into her car and sped away, acknowledging her protective detail at the entrance to the property before bursting onto the road - and out of town.
Ten minutes later, Bobby came downstairs and tried to find Mary Lou. Irma hadn‘t seen her for a while either. A quick conversation with the fellas outside revealed what had happened. Alice returned from the Country Club with Naldo in tow after an hour and Bobby filled her in on the day‘s events.
“We need to find Mama.”
“She‘s in the wind for now.�
�
They sent word out to their guys in Palm Springs to report back if they saw her. After a further hour there were no reports and Alice was worried.
“Where do you think she‘s gone?”
“No idea. She didn‘t pack: she just ran away. Could be anywhere, but we‘ll find her. We might have hit the mattresses but we‘ve eyes and ears all over town and across the state. She‘ll be okay.”
“I hope you‘re right.”
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS later and they still hadn‘t found Mama. If she was holed up somewhere in Palm Springs, Bobby reckoned they‘d have found her. This meant she was further afield and therefore going to be harder to find: where would be the first place she‘d go? No-one was too sure.
With Naldo watching their backs, Bobby and Alice began a road trip while Frank carried on his San Francisco exploits oblivious to the misery in his family. They kept him out of the loop because he had enough to worry about on the front line against Markov. Truth was, telling him didn‘t even flash across either of their minds. Frank had spent so many years apart from the rest, they forgot he was a member of the family.
As Alice had set up a crib in Bakersfield, they tried the printers first but Mary Lou hadn‘t surfaced there at all. Then off to Malibu in case she‘d visit Alice‘s home but again they drew a blank.
“The Palace has a suite. We should try there next.”
THREE HOURS LATER, they pulled into the Palace and headed inside. It was quiet. Four hookers hung near the reception in the hope of a john while the second floor was devoid of human life. Up to the penthouse in search of Mama. The living room was empty but there were crockery and utensils out. The manager said no-one had been up there since Milton was killed, apart from the cleaning service.
Alice and Bobby checked the bedrooms and Naldo stayed near the entrance, always alert to external danger. Bobby heard Alice scream and rushed in to see what she had found, passing Naldo who had already drawn his weapon.
“Wait here.”
Bobby feared the worst and steeled himself to find her corpse. When he ran through the doorway, Mary Lou was huddled on the bed, naked, and mumbling to herself. He couldn‘t tell how long she‘d been there, but the chances were she‘d come straight here, judging by the acrid smell in the room and the mess on the floor.
Alice backed away unable to deal with the state of her mother. This once great strong woman reduced to a ball of humanity on a bed. Bobby felt the pain of seeing his lover, friend and confidante at an all-time low. And it was his job to look after her: in sickness and in health.
He held Mary Lou in his arms until her mutterings ceased and she looked at him and smiled.
“I‘m glad you‘re here. I got lost and didn‘t know where you were. I was scared.”
“Sure but we‘re here now.”
“We?”
“Alice is with me.”
“Alice?”
“Yes, see?”
Mary Lou peered over Bobby‘s shoulder at her daughter and Alice raised a smile from beneath her tears. Mama smiled back.
“We don‘t live here. I‘ll help you get yourself sorted out and then we‘ll take a ride home.”
“That‘d be nice. I‘d like to eat first though.”
35
THE JOURNEY FROM the Palace was filled with silence in between awkward pauses. Alice was beside herself, unsure how to respond to her mother who appeared unaware anything unusual might have happened. Naldo drove with Bobby in the front passenger seat, leaving the women in the back.
“Would you like us to stop at a diner so you can have a break?”
“Not at all, dear. There‘s no need to fuss - I‘m fine.”
“Do you remember why you went to the Palace?”
“Did I? Don‘t think I did, dear. You might be mistaken about that.”
“Leave it, Alice. We won't get very far asking her those sort of questions.”
She stared out the window and held Mama‘s hand. It felt weak and feeble, like a child‘s and Alice wondered how she had become an adult. Didn‘t seem right. Not at all. The view from the freeway was pure tedium, but it gave her the opportunity to run through what had happened to Mama.
The woman was confused - far more so than Alice had ever imagined possible. To not be aware of your whereabouts or how you got there... A stream of tears left her eyes as the impact of the meaning of that hit home. But Mama wasn‘t old. That kind of senile confusion was reserved for much older people. Try telling that to Mama‘s addled mind.
Forty minutes later, Naldo pulled off the road and stopped at a diner. Despite her protestations, Mary Lou chowed down on a burger and fries while the other three had coffee and cake.
“My Frank and I spent one summer eating in diners. Lots of burgers, gallons of soda. They were good times.”
Bobby eyed Alice who looked back at him and glanced at her mother.
“Weren‘t you fleeing the scene?”
“I guess so, yes. But they were happy days before the darkness set in.”
“Darkness?”
“When I was on my own and you kids were born. Canada was a lonely time for me.”
“We were babies, right?”
“Little ones. Babes in arms. Cute.”
Alice smiled at the idea of being small and cuddled by Mama. Comfort from invented memories. Then the reality of the current situation slammed into her head and another tear rolled down her cheek.
WHEN THEY ARRIVED back at Oakcrest Drive, the family sat down in the living room and Naldo remained on duty outside, the Markov threat ever present. He was as constant as the Northern Star. Inside, Mary Lou announced she was going upstairs for a rest, maybe to take a nap. This left Alice alone with Bobby and the unspoken problem of her mother‘s mental health. Until Bobby punctured the silence.
“We can‘t leave her by herself anymore. She‘s run off once which means she could do it again.”
“You‘re talking about keeping her prisoner.”
“No. Just that we need to get a companion for her otherwise you or I will have to stay with her the whole time. And that‘s not practical.”
“A companion? You make her sound like an old maid.”
“Someone with medical training who can keep an eye on her and help tend to her needs, health-wise.”
“You mean if she loses her mind again.”
“She got confused and forgot where she was, but most of the time she is lucid and functions brilliantly. Be careful to remember she is still your mom and deserves your respect.”
“Don‘t talk like that. I am aware exactly who she is. This isn‘t easy for me. I know I questioned her decision-making because I disagreed with her conclusions. The idea that was the start of something else plain hurts right now because we've done nothing to help her. We focused on ourselves. Never considered that she might have been hurting.”
Bobby fumbled around with a cigar and lighter to take his mind off Alice’s insights. He poked three holes in one end but the flint wouldn‘t spark even after six attempts. Alice walked over, sat beside him and used hers instead.
“We have to work with each other on this. We are both in pain now, but we have to acknowledge we will be stronger together than if we lash out at the other.”
“This is a shit sandwich, for sure.”
“And you‘re right. We need a nurse so if she goes off the rails, there‘s someone there to catch her who is experienced in these things.”
“In the meantime, I‘ll get Naldo to call in one of his most trusted guys, who can be a bodyguard until we find someone better qualified. As much as I‘d like Naldo to do the job, we need his talents elsewhere at the minute. We are at war with Nikolay Markov and must put that to bed.”
“And soon, otherwise Mama‘s forgetfulness will be the least of our problems.”
Bobby puffed on his stogie and let himself vanish in the moment. Alice watched him and tried to find solace in the fact that they‘d reached a decision and from now on, at least, Mama would remain safe.
“SHE‘S ASLEEP AGAIN.”
“Did you tell her about the companion?”
“Yeah. She‘s not happy because she can‘t see it‘s necessary. To her, there are blanks in her life: she is unaware of what is going on.”
“That‘s a blessing. Knowing you were losing your memory would be far worse.”
“Devastating for Mary Lou, for sure, but easier for us because we could talk to her about it and she might see the sense in what we say. As it is, she believes we‘re crazy and over-obsessed.”
“She won‘t like the next thing we have to do, will she?”
“What‘s that?”
“She can‘t be head of the family any more.”
Bobby looked at his lap and his shoulders drooped. Alice was right, but he didn‘t want to deal. This was the woman he‘d spent twenty-five years living with, loving and who had turned his dismal life around. Now he needed to be her rock as she had been for him. And it hurt.
“I suppose you‘re right.”
“S‘pose? We have seen the choices she‘s made and the consequences of her actions. We cannot allow her to keep control. Mama must pass the responsibility over to someone else - or more than one of us. I don‘t want you to see this is some kind of power grab by me. All I‘m asking is to make sensible decisions that‘ll mean we survive this week and have sound leadership after that. Who does it is less important right now than the fact it needs to be done.”
The Lagotti Family Series Page 85
