“AND HOW DO you propose we get Mary Lou to step down?”
Alice sighed, the air in her lungs escaping from the truths she was about to utter.
“She won‘t volunteer because she isn‘t sufficiently aware of what is going on. So we need to agree which of us heads up the organization and let her think what she likes in her more lucid moments. In reality, she is the best consigliere this family could have - no disrespect, Bobby.”
“So we sideline her.”
“At this point, we don‘t have much choice that I can see. Mama wants to lead us into a bloody suicide mission against Markov and the mob will kill her in a matter of days if she fails. Now is the time for action. We leave our regrets for another day.”
“But I still don‘t like to hear you say those things. You‘re braver than me.”
Bobby glanced up at Alice who was wiping a tear away from her left eye. No-one was in a good place right now. To confront the reality of Mary Lou‘s difficulties took every fiber of strength and resilience in his body. Alice needed him to be stronger than he felt because she was right. They had to be there for each other if they were to get through this alive.
“WE CAN‘T DO this alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“We must include Frank. If we don‘t get him involved, he won't understand what‘s going on with Mary Lou. We‘d look like we were plotting a coup against your mom instead of saving her life.”
“Agreed.”
“Also, if you mean what you say, we could end up deciding he is the best person to lead the family.”
“That is possible. But I‘m telling you right now, I wouldn‘t be happy about it.”
“That‘s a discussion for another time. First, we need to get him here and away from his jaunt in San Francisco. Next, we agree on what to do to save Mary Lou‘s life. Succession can wait until the weekend.”
Bobby winked because of the absurdity of what he‘d just said. The idea such momentous events were occurring right here, right now and not in several decades time seemed ridiculous to him. This was never meant to happen. Bobby always banked on him being long dead before anything happened to his Mary Lou.
Alice‘s stomach was constricted to the point of agony. The dull ache in the rest of her body had conspired to a point in her belly that constituted a pure pinpoint of pain. She wanted to cry and never stop but she needed to hold it together. The tears wouldn‘t help Bobby, who must hurt too, and she didn‘t want to show him weakness because she was damn sure she should be the head of the family.
Now was not the time to throw her name into the ring but the idea lingered just as the emotional impact of Mama‘s situation rattled around her ribcage. The funny thing was it was easier to think about that than focus on Mama‘s mental state, even though it was the task at hand. Was she so wrapped up in herself or was it a displacement activity to avoid the awful truth she could barely bring herself to say in her head, let alone out loud?
“Let‘s send word to Frank it's time for a family conference.”
“Tonight. We can‘t afford to wait. He needs to haul ass.”
“I‘ll put Naldo on it. Worst case, he drives over to SF and brings him back.”
“Might need a conversation with you - not from me.”
“We‘ll see what happens. Either way, we need to get matters settled before we go to sleep tonight. The clock is ticking on Mary Lou‘s life.”
36
NALDO RETURNED FROM San Francisco with Frank in the passenger seat, not impressed with being instructed to come to Palm Springs. Again. To be dragged back by Friscetti was the icing on the cake. He was not in a good humor by the time he arrived and wanted everyone to know about it.
With Mary Lou resting, the other two were in the conservatory waiting for his arrival. The edges of Alice‘s eyes were red and Bobby sniffed more than usual. There had been raw emotions in the house earlier and even Frank could sense the stress oozing out of the others.
“I‘m here. Where‘s Mama?”
“Upstairs. She‘s asleep.”
“So we‘ll have to wait for her before this urgent meeting can take place.”
“Not really. We three need to talk - thanks for coming back so quickly.”
“Naldo was quite insistent for a goon.”
“He‘s more than a hired hand to us as you know, but that‘s not important right now. We must stay focused.”
“On what?”
“Mama got lost yesterday. Plain vanished and wound up in the Palace, not able to explain or remember how she arrived there.”
Frank listened but his expression implied he didn‘t believe what he heard.
“But you found her and all‘s good. I still don‘t see what I‘m doing here and why you are in a blind panic.”
Bobby told Frank about Mary Lou‘s visit to Little Italy and the clear and present danger provided by Vito. Two minutes later and Frank understood why he‘d been driven back to Oakcrest Drive. Alice remained silent because of how incendiary their conversations could be.
“So we must finish our business with Markov in the next couple of days.”
“Yes, in such a way that we‘re alive at the end of it.”
“I return to Bay City and kill the fucker.”
“That is still not viable. We need to agree a plan that will work - guaranteed.”
“Nikolay‘s death resolves the problem.”
“It would if we could kill him, but there is no meaningful way to be sure he will die.”
“As much as you want to assassinate him, now is not the time. Once we get over this hump, we can pick our moment and skin him alive if we choose. The war must end for certain in the next couple of days or Mama dies.”
Frank stared at Alice and tried to process the notion that they were going to allow Markov to breathe longer than he wanted.
“And that is the second item on the agenda. The first thing we have to deal with is the best way to get Mary Lou to step down as head of the family.”
“You have to be fucking joking.”
“If only. She is not in a fit state to do the job anymore. We need to be strong for her and help her move on to be our consigliere.”
Alice and Bobby said nothing more as Frank‘s eyes flitted left and right as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing. His first instinct was to strike out and punch the wall, hit Bobby or slap Alice, but he was aware enough to know that none of these options would get him anywhere. Denial seemed an excellent choice but an hour later Frank continued to receive the same message and it wasn‘t shifting. His views would need to change instead.
“HOW ARE WE doing this?”
“With respect to your Mama and as smooth a transition as possible.”
“Sure. I meant who will take over?”
“Doesn‘t have to be one person.”
“Yes it does, sis‘. No organization can be run by a committee. Nothing‘ll get agreed.”
“If all three of us had a vote then that would work fine.”
“Apart from the fact that you two would always vote against me.”
”Not necessarily, Frank. But we‘re getting ahead of ourselves. The question isn‘t about who should take over leading the family. I‘ll say it again: how can we get Mary Lou to step down, because I don‘t want to force her out - unless we have no other option.”
“I WILL NOT be the one to push her off her perch. That‘s plain wrong. Our Mama deserves better than that.”
“She does but we don‘t have the time to wait for her to agree. She doesn‘t think there is a problem - even though we three know there is. We owe her - and all she‘s built up over these years - to do what‘s best for the family even if it‘s not in her short-term interests.”
“Fine words sis‘, but it doesn‘t wash. I won't usurp our mother.”
“If you don‘t then I will. You kids might feel yourselves conflicted but I will do the right thing. I might not like it but there‘s more at stake than my feelings or your Mama‘s ego - as
much as that pains me to say it.”
Frank stood up, cheeks all red, and Bobby got out of his chair to square off against him.
“Cool it, guys. Stop acting like a pair of silver-backed gorillas.”
The two men were ten feet apart, separated by potted plants and occasional tables.
“No-one‘s pushing my Mama off the mercy seat.”
Frank pulled out a revolver from behind his back and within an instant, Bobby aimed his piece directly at Frank‘s heart. Alice watched the two for a second and grabbed her snub nose out of her bag. She stepped backwards one pace, both hands gripping her gun first pointing at Frank then switching to Bobby, repeatedly.
“We all need to put our weapons down or someone will get hurt.”
That was the moment when a bullet blazed through the conservatory followed by a shower of other slugs coursing into every surface in the room.
37
ALL THREE SLAMMED to the floor and elbowed their way near to some furniture.
“Where‘s it coming from?”
“Outside somewhere. I‘ve got no fix on it. Have you?“
“Nope. No idea. How the fuck did they get close enough to make the hit?”
“What about our men?”
The answer arrived as soon as the question left Frank’s lips. The sound of a separate wave of bullets from a different distance punctured the drone of the original onslaught. And still they were pinned to the floor with no way to fight back.
The glass in all the windows had all but shattered and bullet holes littered the walls. A woman screamed. Alice couldn't tell if it was Irma in the kitchen or Mama upstairs. The sheer volume of the gunfire made any analysis impossible. Bobby turned his face to look outside and, with a trained professional‘s eye, he reached a simple conclusion.
“Far end of the backyard at the tree line. Three maybe four shooters. Automatic rifles. Don‘t waste your bullets even if you‘ve got a clean shot: they are not nearly close enough to take out.”
Alice blinked and watched Frank grip his pistol more tightly as though paralyzed with anger at not being able to deliver immediate and bloody revenge.
“Just stay down for now. Either they leave of their own accord or our fellas will deal with them.”
“How much armory did they bring with them?”
“Enough to piss us off. If this is an assassination attempt, they fired way too early. Means somebody just wants to scare us.”
“Well it‘s fucking working.”
And still the slugs landed inside the conservatory. Bobby had maneuvered himself by a piece of solid wall either side of two broken windows. From there he‘d occasionally pop his head far enough out to get a glimpse of the world beyond the summerhouse. But he only gave himself half a second otherwise it would have been his last.
The twins sucked the tiled floor as though there was no tomorrow. Even Frank, despite his bravado, had the smarts not to raise his head too high, let alone try to fire back. He might be an arrogant son of a bitch but he wasn‘t stupid and understood that Bobby knew his way around situations like this. Frank, on the other hand, was a novice.
ANOTHER MINUTE AND everything fell silent inside but there was still the noise of shots in the backyard.
“Stay down. Nobody moves until I give the word.”
Alice intended to spend the rest of her life on the floor and had no intention of being the first up. Frank considered sitting up and firing two rounds but heeded Bobby‘s advice.
Thirty seconds later and no more shots or sounds until sirens appeared in the distance.
“The local cops took their time. Isn't the captain on our payroll.”
“He was.”
“Not any more it would seem.”
A shout came from the gloom. Naldo informed them that three of the four assailants were dead and a fourth was in the wind.
“How many of ours?”
“Two dead, one injured. The cops will be here any minute and we‘ve got weapons we need to hide.”
“Keep doing what you‘re doing. You‘re a life saver.”
“Prego.”
Bobby indicated it was okay to breathe again. Frank went to see if Irma had been hit and Alice ran upstairs to check on Mama. She was hiding under the bed, sobbing.
“It‘s all over, Mama. We‘re all safe.”
“The mob‘s come to kill me.”
“We've no idea who‘s responsible right now. Could be New York but I‘m not sure that makes sense. Why warn you and then go back on their word?”
“They‘ve done much worse, dear.”
“I‘m sure.”
Alice helped Mary Lou scurry out from her hiding place and brushed her clothes with her hand to make her look less bedraggled.”
“We need to get you a bodyguard.”
“Definitely. They‘ve failed once and they‘re sure to try again.”
THE COPS CAME into the house and spent the rest of the night bagging and tagging corpses, taking statements and following procedures that made them a general nuisance. The lieutenant in charge of the investigation knew the score: complete the paperwork fast and get out of the residence quick. As he was leaving, Bobby shook his hand and planted five C-notes in the guy‘s palm. They‘d wait until Bobby gave the go-ahead before they identified bodies or poking their noses into Lagotti family business.
Once the uniforms and detectives had departed, Bobby put Mary Lou back to bed. Then he locked the door between the conservatory and living room. Naldo had already doubled the guard on the perimeter as soon as the police had finished interviewing him. For a man in the middle of all that gunfire, he sure saw and heard nothing.
“Who did it? Anyone got any ideas?”
“Mama said it was New York but why would they?”
“Perhaps Markov. Or somebody else trying to move in on us. There‘s been heat in Chicago, Las Vegas and Boston recently. Some bright spark might have thought to attack us while our attention was on Markov.”
“True. Does Markov have the balls to lay on tonight‘s treat?”
“Yes. That man‘s ego is limitless and he has the resources to pull it off.”
“Doesn‘t answer how the hell they got so close. Like one of ours turned rat.”
“If we have a traitor in our midst, Naldo will find them, extract all the information we need from them and dispose of the body afterwards.”
THE CRACK OF the gun sent Alice spinning, just as the speck of Mama‘s blood landed on her cheek.
Ten minutes later after the initial Sturm und Drang was over, Alice‘s stomach felt heavy like a weight had been added to her body. And she experienced that weight as a dull ache masquerading as an unvoiced scream. As though a fractured yell was about to erupt from deep inside her. Only she knew that she would not - or could not - release that primal scream. It was bound, coiled inside. A cobra that would never leap on its prey. An agony that would never fade.
Ten hours later and the initial shock had abated and that first pang of hurt was less intense. Still noticeably there inside her, but now Alice could walk around without experiencing the jagged edges of her sorrow. She sat in the church listening to the priest eulogizing over her Mama. The ground glass of her sadness eked into every pore and the abject misery of her world permeated all her being.
FEBRUARY 1997
38
NEXT MORNING, MARY Lou padded downstairs with one thought rattling in her head.
“Whoever attacked us last night must die.”
Bobby, Alice and Frank all nodded agreement at the sentiment but knew there was no action to be taken at present because they still had no clue who‘d done it. Naldo said the hit men were from out of town and he‘d never seen than before. That almost ruled out New York because Naldo remained connected to the fellas back east.
“When we find out who it is then they‘ll get theirs.”
“Must be the Russian. Let‘s kill the Russian.”
“We‘ve been over this, Mama. The guy can‘t be whacked that easil
y. Frank‘s spent a week in the same city as that mook and the fella still breathes. Do you think your son would have let him live if he‘d had the opportunity of killing him?”
“I see. Why didn‘t you kill him, Frank?”
“Too closely guarded and by fierce dudes too. Mean fuckers and professional: knew what they were doing.”
“If Frank can‘t take him out, who are we going to get to do the job?”
Alice and Bobby glanced at each other like they were living through their own Groundhog Day. Frank witnessed for himself Mama‘s grasp of the complex situation they found themselves in. Mary Lou could not see what all the fuss was about. It was as plain as the nose on her face that the what’s-his-name Russian must die.
“WE MUST END the war, Mama. So that means we need to make a peace instead.”
“Peace? I thought you said we end the war. And you do that by fighting harder than the other side.”
“Not always. We can win against Nikolay Markov by beating him to the punch. If we negotiate the peace well, we get better access to his territories.”
“And lull him into a false security so we can whack him at our leisure later on.”
“That‘s my boy. Let's snare us a Russki.”
“But first sit down and agree a deal. That‘ll get the outfit off your back and we all breathe safer then.”
“The mob: I‘ve tangled with them before.”
After an hour, the family got Mary Lou to focus more on a peace accord and less on whacking Nikolay.
“Let‘s send Naldo over with a message that we want the violence to end and to sit down and talk terms - again.”
“Good idea, Mama.”
NALDO HAD GROWN tired of the constant trips to Fog City: too many hills and no-one knew how to cook a bowl of pasta properly. Always soggy, never al dente. The first order of business was to speak with Isaak Vasilev and keep him in the loop. If Vasilev was as good as Frank claimed, he would know Naldo was in dialog with Markov and might draw the wrong conclusion.
The Lagotti Family Series Page 86
