Chapter 3: Little Tony, Part II

July 8, 1987, Milford, Ohio

"Alfonso?!" Anthony spluttered. "What the fuck?!"

"Anthony, stay calm and nobody will get hurt," I said evenly. "We're going to end this between you and me once and for all. And Connie, you be quiet or I'll start talking. Understand? Just nod if you do."

She nodded.

"Now, Anthony, the game has changed. Alfonso works for Chicago now. He has a good union job that I helped him get. He is also in tight with the right people. So you should forget about him for now. I'm here for two reasons. First, you and I are done. I mean that. After today, you will never contact me ever again, and neither will Connie. If I need you for any reason, Alfonso will act as the go-between. This is all sanctioned by Chicago. Second, I want the straight scoop on Ed Krajick and why you think you can help him. Your girlfriend's life depends on me believing that you're telling the truth."

My entire plan depended on him not realizing that I was bluffing. There were no rounds in the gun. It had taken a bit of work to convince Alfonso, and we'd agreed that he'd have a full magazine in his pocket, though he wasn't to take it out unless something went terribly wrong. It was a risk, but 'Little Tony' wasn't likely to be armed for this meeting.

"The pistol to your girlfriend's head is simply to focus your attention. Do I have your full, undivided attention?"

"Yes," Anthony said.

"Good. I am not, under any circumstances, going to work for you again," I said. "I don't care what you threaten or what you offer. Do you understand this? I hope so, because I'd hate to have to tell someone in Chicago that you were trying to poach one of their people. Do you understand?"

Anthony's eyes flicked to the gun.

"I understand," he said grudgingly.

"Good. Now, I'll tell Alfonso to put the piece away, and we'll talk about Ed. And you'll tell me the whole truth. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"Alfonso, go sit on the couch, please. Just put the gun on the cushion next to you."

He nodded and went to sit on the couch.

"Spill it," I said to Anthony.

"It was a collection gone bad," he said. "Ed wasn't even supposed to take his piece with him."

"If you want me to believe that, then you're going to have to convince me about what you were going to do to get Ed off."

"It was a bluff," Anthony said. "And a poor one, apparently."

"You really believe that he did it?" I asked.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. Obviously, I didn't see what went down, but it was his collection, his car, and his gun. You add it up and come up with a different answer. If it was just a witness, I could fix that, if you get my drift. But the gun? I only WISH I had that kind of power. Connie's grandfather paid street cops to look the other way with regard to whores, but something like this? You knew him. If somebody got stupid, he'd get them a very good lawyer, but he would never have tried to fix evidence or bribe a judge like you guys do in Chicago."

"Something still doesn't add up," I said. "Ed swears that he didn't do it, and that the guy was alive when he left the shop. Is there something else going on here? I mean, something against you? I get you trying to parlay Ed's arrest into getting me back, but if it was just a convenient hook, then who really set the hook?"

"You think somebody set Ed up to send ME a message?" Anthony said.

"It's possible. Is somebody moving in on your territory?"

"Not that I've noticed. I have had some guys who were regular payers start refusing, though."

"Ed said this guy paid regularly, and never complained."

"You know, that's true. Holy shit! Maybe something IS going on."

"Steve," Connie said, speaking for the first time since saying hello. "Would you really have had Alfonso shoot me?"

I chuckled, "Alfonso, show her."

He ejected the magazine and pulled the slide back. No round was ejected, showing that the pistol hadn't been loaded.

"You were bluffing?" Anthony said angrily, but then he started laughing. "Shit!"

"Yeah, we both ran our bluffs. And neither of us got what we expected. I figured YOU had framed Ed to get me. Now what?"

"You asshole!" Connie said, but she was laughing, too.

"It was business, not personal," I said. "You thought I might, and that's all that mattered. Now we both know I won't. But, you know Chicago well enough that somebody there WILL if you mess with their guy. But forget that. I suggest an alliance. I won't work for you, but I'll sure as hell work with you to figure this out. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, holding out his hand.

I shook his hand.

"OK. Now that we agree that Ed was framed, how the hell do we prove it? That gun is seriously damning evidence and even if the witness recants or disappears, the gun is enough for a conviction. We'd need proof positive that it was planted and who did that, along with who actually killed this shop owner."

"I'm going to personally go talk to the guys who've stopped paying. Maybe that will shed some light on this."

"OK. I'm going to talk to Ed's lawyer and let him know that I'm sure that Ed was framed, and that he needs to get a private investigator working on this. The cops sure as hell aren't going to lift a finger. They have their man."

"We share information," Anthony said.

"Agreed," I said. "When are you two getting married?"

"As soon as I graduate," Connie said. "We'll send you an invitation now that we're friends again."

"And so long as we stay friends, not business associates, I'll be happy to be there."

"Can we buy you dinner?" Anthony said.

"No. I have plans. I'm sorry. Next time I'm in town. I'll touch base in a few days."

"OK," he said.

We got up and Anthony and I shook hands and Connie and I hugged. I let them out the door, shut it behind them, turned and leaned against it and blew out a long breath. My knees were shaking now that the confrontation had ended. I'd been supremely confident right up to the point that Alfonso had come out of the bathroom. That's when the nerves had hit.

"You did great, Steve," Alfonso said. "You were completely cool and calm. That makes it MUCH scarier than if you're ranting and raving."

"Yeah. Anthony got control of himself pretty quickly, too. Maybe he's learning that being a hothead isn't a good plan for a long life. It's something he could have learned from Don Joseph, if the Don had lived longer."

"What's the scoop now?" he asked.

"I'll drop you at the hotel, or wherever you want. I need to head to Indian Hill for dinner. I can pick you up later if I drop you somewhere."

"No, the hotel is good. There are a couple of bars within walking distance. Maybe I'll find some company! If you get back early enough, check the two closest bars and see if I'm there. You might find some company as well."

"I'll probably just turn in as soon as I get there."

We checked the apartment to make sure everything was in order, then went to the car. After I returned the key to Andreas, I drove to Eastgate and Alfonso and I checked into our rooms. I left immediately for Indian Hill, arriving a few minutes early. Becky greeted me at the door with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and before we could even get inside, I saw Ben's BMW pull into the driveway.

"Becky, do you mind if I talk to your dad privately before dinner? I have some business I need to take care of. That way, after dinner, I'm all yours."

"I wish!" she giggled. "But sure, that's OK."

When her dad came into the house, he greeted me, and I asked if we could speak privately before dinner. He led me into his study.

"What's up?" he asked.

"The attorney you recommended for Ed Krajick; how good is he?"

"The best in the city, but I'm not sure that it matters. I spoke to him and the evidence is damning and conclusive. An eyewitness, plus the alleged murder weapon being found in Ed's car? The jury will take about a minute to convict him. Shane Wator is suggesting Ed try to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence that has a possibility of parole. And remember, Ohio has the death penalty. The current law was enacted in 1981, and it's been tested a few times. The prosecutor hasn't decided whether to try this as a capital case or not. Why are you asking?"

"I'm pretty sure that Ed was framed," I said.

"Well, assuming that's true, and I'm not sure I believe it, it's a perfect frame. The weapon was found in Ed's trunk, and ballistics matched it to the bullets in the victim. There were no prints on the gun. Add in an eyewitness, and it's perfect. I'm not a criminal defense attorney, but the evidence against your friend is ironclad. Why do you think that he was framed?"

"I know Ed pretty well and he said that he didn't do it. Then, I received a call from someone I've known for a long time who knows a bit about the situation and he agreed that Ed was framed. Of course, he can't prove it, and doesn't have first-hand information, but is absolutely sure that Ed didn't do it."

"And how does he know this?"

"I can't say," I said. "But he's going to look into it and feed me any information he finds. I think Mr. Wator should hire a private investigator. The police sure aren't going to do any more investigating. Maybe he'll turn up some new information."

"That's a real long-shot, but I'll pass this on to Shane Wator. Don't get your hopes up, though. Overcoming the evidence is a pretty tall order, even if we're talking F. Lee Bailey!"

"Thanks. If I hear anything else, I'll pass it on to you."

"You're welcome! Now, let's go see what Lois has for dinner."

She had a very nice roast with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and homemade bread. Dessert was homemade apple pie and Graeter's vanilla ice cream. When we finished dinner, Becky and I went to her father's study to talk and play chess.

"Same rules as that first time?" she said with a smirk, sitting down behind the black pieces.

"Somehow I don't think that your dad would be happy if he walked in here and saw us half naked, or worse!"

I opened with Queen's pawn.

"Worse? Oral sex would be worse?" she giggled, matching my move.

"Your dad catching us? Absolutely! I don't mind the teasing, but I don't have permission, and asking Kara would probably be a bad idea."

"So last time you lied? You wouldn't have done it?"

"I would have, but I also would have gotten a lot of grief from Kara, for obvious reasons. She has some bad memories of you."

Becky sighed, "Understandably so. That was such a huge mistake. I guess in her position, I wouldn't forgive me."

The game was developing along lines that indicated it was going to be a draw.

"She's forgiven you, believe it or not. And that allows me to have you as a friend. But beyond that? No."

We continued the game, and it did end in a draw. We switched colors and began a new game. Becky won that one, and then I won the third game with white.

"How late can you stay?" she asked.

"All I have is an empty hotel room waiting for me," I grinned.

"I have a VERY warm bed with an even warmer girl!" she giggled.

"Trust me, I remember!" I grinned. "I plan to have breakfast with Joyce and my dad in the morning, and then I have to drive back to Chicago, so I can't stay too late. And despite how attractive the offer is, I can't stay."

"I could come!" she giggled.

"Nice," I chuckled.

"Let's go get some popcorn," she suggested.

We went to the kitchen and made some popcorn, and got a couple of Cokes from the fridge. While we were sitting at the kitchen table eating our snack, Ben came in to say goodnight. I shook his hand, thanked him for dinner, and for helping Ed, and said goodnight. Becky kissed him goodnight, calling him 'Daddy' as she had ever since I'd known her.

"Thanks for spending time with me tonight," Becky said when we finished our popcorn.

"You're welcome. I very much enjoy playing chess with you and talking with you."

"Did you want to play some more chess or maybe play some pool?"

"How about a couple of games of pool, and then I need to get back to the hotel?"

We went to the basement and I beat Becky in three straight games. When I sank the eight ball for the third time, Becky walked me out to my car. I turned to give her a hug, and she stretched up and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thanks for coming to see me," she said, pressing against me.

I gave her a light hug, kissed her forehead, and got into my car. She waved as I put the car in gear and I waved back, and pressed the gas and released the clutch, and headed down the driveway.

July 9, 1987, Milford, Ohio

"Morning, Dad," I said.

"Good morning, Son!" he said.

"Hi, Steve!" Joyce said.

"Hello, Mrs. Tarrance!"

"Smart ass!" she laughed.

I sat down at the table with them and we ordered our breakfast. The waitress brought coffee, and we talked shop.

"What brought you to Ohio?" my dad asked.

"A meeting with Ben van Hoek," I said. "I did stop at the Hamilton County Courthouse to talk to Ed."

"How is he holding up?"

"OK, I guess. He swore up and down that he didn't do it."

"Well, he has a tough job to create enough doubt to be acquitted."

I nodded, "Very true."

The conversation turned to business, and we talked about everything from Tom's impending departure to the potential new customer, DP Engineering. My dad and Joyce received regular reports from Julia, as well as financial reports from Elyse, but talking things through was always better than written reports. When we finished, my dad paid the check, and the three of us walked outside. I shook hands with my dad, then he got into his car. I waved as he drove away, and then turned to Joyce.

"Coffee?" I suggested.

"Sure," she said.

We went back inside and ordered coffee.

"What the hell happened?" she asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said neutrally.

"Connie said that you and Anthony are partners? Trying to clear Ed's name? That's all she would tell me. What happened?"

I chuckled, "Do you remember when Michael was talking to Kay, and told her about Luca Brasi?"

"What? You?"

"Oh hell no! That's not my style. But I have a friend like Luca Brasi. In fact, he used to work for Anthony. But not any more. HE held the gun to Connie's head."

"Bullshit!" Joyce said, laughing hard. "You did not! Tell me what actually happened."

"My friend held a gun to Connie's head to keep her quiet and get Anthony's attention. We came up with a modus vivendi and agreed to work together on a mutual problem."

"You're serious!"

"The gun wasn't loaded. I ran a bluff. But Anthony was running one, too. He didn't set up Ed. Somebody else did. Somebody who is trying to muscle in on Anthony's territory. Whoever THAT is, set up Ed. Anthony tried to use it to get me, but I called his bluff. He didn't call mine."

"Does he know the gun was empty?"

"Yes. But please don't say anything about it. Don't humiliate him. He learned a valuable lesson. I may regret saying this, but Anthony may turn into a good Don in the end. He just has to stay alive long enough to learn. I did make it clear that the next time he messed with me, he'd have a visit from someone else from Chicago who wouldn't be bluffing."

"You ran a huge risk!" Joyce said.

"Not really. I had the entire thing figured out before I got to the meeting, and several contingencies. I was pretty sure that Anthony would let his guard down because it was me. He won't do THAT again. He got a very cheap lesson, considering what could have happened."

"He could have killed you!" Joyce hissed.

"No. The worst-case scenario is that he called my bluff. But there was no way he was going to let Connie get hurt. He loves her too much to allow that. It's his weakness, if you will."

Chapter 4 »