Chapter 24: That Sounds Like an Excellent Idea!

March 5, 2002, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio

🎤 Steve

“Hi, Dad,” I said when I walked into the diner on Route 50 in Newtown.

“Hi, Son, how was the drive?”

“Smooth. No traffic to speak of and no delays.”

The hostess sat us in a booth at the far end of the diner. We placed our orders, and she left to get our drinks.

“What brings you to Cincinnati?”

“A possible investment. Joyce’s sister, Connie, and her husband, Anthony, are looking to expand their restaurant to include an inn and a bar, and I’m sure you can imagine the decor a pair of Sicilians would choose, right?”

“1920s, with the bar turned into a ‘speakeasy’?”

“Exactly. I’m going to see the building this afternoon, then decide if SKJ Partners will make an investment.”

“Where is the property?” Dad asked.

“Newport, right next door to his current restaurant and nightclub.”

“You know they’re cleaning that up, so that it no longer puts the ‘sin’ in Cincinnati, right?”

“Yes, and I think that’s part of the draw — that it hearkens back to Prohibition, but will be completely aboveboard. When I spoke to Pete Carston, he jokingly suggested using George Remus’ name for the hotel.”

“The ‘King of the Bootleggers’ had a reputation as a generous host, so that actually makes sense. I doubt Anthony is going to give away new cars and diamond stickpins the way Remus did to his New Year’s Eve party guests in the early 20s!”

I laughed, “That might be a bit much!”

“I do have to ask about Anthony and Ed,” Dad said,

“Ed worked for Don Joseph the same as me,” I said. “And Don Joseph fired him for being a hotheaded idiot. When the Don, God rest his soul, died, Anthony gave Ed a second chance. Ed got tangled up with the gangs, and his hothead nature showed again. Anthony was the one who found the video that ended up clearing Ed.”

Of course, it was fabricated, but that was something my dad didn’t need to know.

“Do you know any more than what was in the papers about the corruption busts in Chicago?”

“No. Melanie has studiously avoided taking any of those clients. That might cause Pete real heartburn and the DOJ serious concern! Pete and Melanie already get enough grief when she defends against federal indictments. The closest we’ve come to anything like that was Hart-Lincoln, Brandon Littleton, and Lisa Glass. And that was straight up Outfit, not City Hall. To me, the strangest part of the corruption busts is that the Outfit isn’t involved in a significant way. That’s likely because so many of the top Wise Guys are in the hoosegow.”

Dad laughed, “Now there’s a word I haven’t heard for decades!”

“I heard it from YOU!” I chuckled.

“Son, you’re nearly four decades old!”

“As you’ve always said, it’s just a number. But going back to the investment, it’s completely legit. I checked, and Anthony and Connie pay their taxes, have a good relationship with the mayor and city council, and the only police involvement was a couple of years ago when a couple of guys got into a drunken fight in the nightclub over a girl.”

Of course, that was because the escort business was ‘outcall’ and run from a small office two blocks away, and that the casino was ‘protected’. The police had plenty of other busts they could make, so they could leave Anthony alone. The main risk was political, but so far that hadn’t come to pass. I’d need to ask Anthony about his plans for that eventuality.

“How are your other investments?”

“Everything is good,” I replied. “I’m going to see Lou and the Reynolds tomorrow. The new convenience stores in California are performing as I expected they would under new management, and the bed-and-breakfast has near-total occupancy year-round. Katy’s wife, Amy, did have a cancer scare, but she had a lumpectomy and will undergo a brief chemo regimen. Her prognosis is excellent, because they caught it at the earliest possible stage with a mammogram.”

“Your architect friends bought you out, if I recall correctly.”

“They did. Jackie and Jeremiah wanted to own their thing, free and clear. They paid me back as soon as they could, then paid back Jeremiah’s dad not long after that. Everyone else prefers not to pay back the capital and continue to pay dividends from the profits. I’m a silent partner, but they do ask for advice, and they have the right to return the capital at any point once the original terms are fulfilled. I have to give them notice six months in advance if I plan to liquidate, but we’ve set up SKJ Partners to be run by Jesse and Birgit, should anything happen to all three of us.”

My dad laughed, “Now there’s an image! A sixteen-year-old and fourteen-year-old managing the LLC!”

“Samantha took over Spurgeon at eighteen.”

“I wondered about that...”

“Yes, she turned him in. And she waited until all the paperwork had been signed, making her his successor.”

“Cold.”

“You have to be, in that business,” I said. “If you fall in love with an investment, you can lose your shirt.”

“True.”

The waitress brought our food, and we began eating.

“Is that burger really worth blowing your entire carb budget?” Dad asked,

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “These are still the best burgers I’ve ever had, anywhere. And it’s not nearly as much of a problem now that I’m taking low-dose propranolol. I cleared it with Mary.”

“But,” Dad asked with a sly grin, “did you clear it with Birgit?”

I laughed, “She does believe she is in charge of not just me, but the entire universe!”

“So true! And speaking of people who want to run the universe, when is the championship game for Jesse’s hockey league?”

“A week from Saturday, if they make it, which they should. They breezed through the group stage and now it’s knockout, but they’re seeded first, so they don’t play St. Rita, the toughest team in the city besides us until the finals, assuming they both make it.”

“I think I’ll come up. I’ll likely fly into Meigs, but I have to confirm with Patrick.”

“Call Kimmy, please, and make sure the apartment is available. Have her get you a car as well. I’d lend you one, but we just added a new driver who is making extensive use of the two BMWs.”

“He sent me an email to let me know he had his license. He suggested that Jennifer and Josie aren’t thrilled with the idea.”

“I discovered the root cause of that at dinner last night. Jesse let them know he was going to drive himself to hockey practice in the mornings before school. They both really enjoyed taking him, even at 4:30am. It’s not all that different from how Jessica and Kara feel about Birgit and Albert not having much use for their moms at the moment, though Birgit is trying, because she knows I want her to.”

“You didn’t have much use for your mother from about the time you met Jennie McGrath.”

“That’s true,” I replied, “but I don’t think there’s any comparison between Kara, Jess, and Mom. How is she?”

“The same. Your mother will never change.”

I nodded soberly, “I understand. And it’s why Stephanie behaves the way she does around the two of you.”

“How serious is the new man you mentioned?”

“Joel? I’d say it’s long term. He’s a good man and the kids really like him. He’s in what amounts to a no-stress job as a master carpenter, and treats Stephanie like the princess she believes she is!”

Dad laughed, “You know better than that!”

“True,” I agreed. “She’s not the ‘princess’ type. How is your health?”

“I can’t complain. My eyesight isn’t as good as it was, but I’m still OK to drive, though you know I don’t do much of that because of my hips, even after the replacements. My doctor says my heart is in great shape, and you know I walk every morning. You’re still running, right?”

“Either in the park or on the treadmill. Before I forget, Birgit is probably to test for her black belt in May.”

“Remind me not to upset her!” Dad laughed.

“I’m 6th Dan and I don’t want to upset her!”

“She’s OK after that incident?”

“This is Birgit we’re talking about! But joking aside, she’s handled it quite well. Being very mature, and almost fourteen, she’s attracting a lot of male attention.”

“She is almost the spitting image of Kara when you met her.”

“And Ashley looks a lot like Stephanie when she was a teenager.”

“You’ve done a good job raising them, son. Keep it up.”

“I intend to!”

About ninety minutes later, having finished lunch, and driven south, crossing the Ohio River on the ‘Big Mac Bridge’, as the yellow-arched Daniel Carter Beard Bridge was known from the time it had been built when I was in Junior High. I drove to 4th Street, and parked in the lot behind the restaurant, went up the wooden stairs to the office, which was on the second floor.

“Good afternoon,” a pretty young woman said. “Are you Steve Adams?”

“I am,” I replied.

“Mr. Cicilioni is expecting you. You can go right in. His office is the last door on the left down the hall. You can hang your jacket and fedora on the rack next to the door.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Sparkling water, if you have it.”

“I’ll bring it right in!”

“Thanks.”

I went down the hall and knocked on the open door where Anthony was sitting behind a desk, and Connie was sitting on a couch to the right.

“Don Anthony,” I said, nodding.

He laughed, “I think you’re the only one who calls me that anymore. Come in, take a load off.”

“Hi, Connie,” I said.

“Steve,” she acknowledged.

I sat down in a comfortable chair across from Anthony.

“You should cultivate the whole ‘Don’ thing when you open your new place. Have you picked out a name?”

“Marble Palace Inn,” he replied.

“Interesting. Why that?”

“‘Marble Palace’ was the nickname of the mansion that George Remus owned. I thought Pete’s suggestion was good, but it just didn’t have the ‘ring’, if you know what I mean. But then I did some research and discovered the nickname for his place. We’ll put up a plaque explaining the history by the front door.”

“That’s a great idea. How do you plan to make the ‘speak’ work?”

“Let’s go take a look at the building and I’ll show you. The agent works just down the street and can be here in five minutes.”

He made a call, and the three of us left his office and walked to the building next door. The exterior needed work, but I was sure Anthony’s plan involved a new façade. The agent arrived, Anthony introduced us, then the agent let us into the building.

“There are thirty rooms on three floors, not including the penthouse floor,” the agent said,” and the restaurant area seats a hundred, though I understand your plan is to turn that into a bar, and use your restaurant next door for guest meals.”

“That’s the plan,” Anthony agreed. “Steve, we’d add a door and enclosed walkway from the hotel to the restaurant, so guests don’t have to go outside. There’s room, because we’d remove the kitchen, which also gives us more space for the bar.”

“What’s the plan to make it like a speakeasy?”

“A hidden door that can only be opened by a buzzer. I talked to a contractor who can build it. To comply with code, we’ll need emergency exits, but we can make them almost invisible on the lobby side, but with the usual crash bars on the speakeasy side. There will be an entrance from the alley as well, disguised as a florist. That’ll be the main entrance for guests who aren’t staying at the hotel.”

“Nice,” I said.

“Let’s do a walk-through,” the agent suggested.

Overall, the building looked to be sound structurally, though the inside, like the outside, would need quite a bit of work. Most of it would have to be replaced anyway due to the 1920s theme, so that wasn’t a concern in my mind.

“We’ll put in modern elevator mechanicals, but the cab will be like those old-fashioned ones with gates.”

“I take it you’re going to have replica uniforms?”

“Yes. There’s actually a supply company that can provide authentic uniforms, bed coverings, sheets, and so on. The same goes for fixtures, though code won’t let me install gas lamps. There are replicas that are decent.”

“What about the electrical plant and plumbing?”

“The building was rehabbed in 1979, so all the old wiring was ripped out and replaced due to the code changes for rehab that came about after the Beverly Hills fire.”

“I don’t see smoke alarms or fire alarms,” I said.

“No, but we’ll put those in, of course. Code requires it. I’ve talked to a contractor about a sprinkler system, but the costs are pretty high.”

“Do that,” I said. “I’ll shave a point off my usual rake if necessary to make it doable. Your fire insurance and liability insurance savings will be substantial. I discovered that when Katy O’Connor built the new building at her bed-and-breakfast in Vermont.”

“What else do you need from us?” Anthony said. “You received the summary business plan from Connie by email, right?”

“Yes. I read through it last night. You said you were OK with my usual arrangement — fixed dividends for five years, then a percentage of the profits. I get a financial report every month, and can see the books whenever I want, or send a professional to look at them.”

“No problem. We follow your theory on reporting all income and paying taxes on the restaurant and nightclub. We’ve been audited once and came up clean. They haven’t bothered us since.”

“That is the best way to avoid ‘Imperial entanglements’. Let’s go back to your office and go over the numbers.”

We thanked the agent and left the building and walked through the alley that Anthony had mentioned.

“We’ll put in plate glass and display silk flowers,” Connie said.

“Name?”

“Schofield’s Flowers.”

“Of course,” I chuckled. “The florist shop Dean O’Banion muscled his way into, and which later was controlled by Bugs Moran and Hymie Weiss when Moran took over the North Side Gang. Sadly, the building was torn down in 1960 and there’s a parking lot there now. You might consider giving a local flower shop a concession for a small flower cart operation. It can give the customers coming through the chance to buy a flower for their ‘moll’!”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Anthony declared.

“Are you involved at all in Chicago?” Connie asked.

I shook my head, “They locked up most of the top echelon, and the Hispanic and black street gangs have taken over. The Outfit still has a bit of pull in trucking, but that’s about it.”

“Same here. I had some joker come into the club and imply I needed protection. A quick visit from Peter Scuderi solved that.”

“Please tell me you didn’t...”

“No, of course not. But when a guy with a reputation like Luca Brasi’s shows up and explains life to you, you listen. They haven’t bothered me since.”

“I actually saw Scuderi in Chicago,” I said. “Just walking down the street. I was a bit concerned given what happened with my lawyer nemesis, but I haven’t seen him since.”

“He’s mostly retired,” Anthony said. “He will do me a favor when I need it, but murder? I’m a legitimate businessman!”

“Minus the escort service and gambling.”

Anthony laughed, “I am just a businessman, giving the people what they want. All I do is satisfy a public demand.”

“OK, Alphonse,” I chuckled, “though I do agree that you’re providing services that people want and are denied them by the government.”

“Every one of our girls earns over a thousand a week, not including tips,” Connie said. “That right there is more than the median household income in the US. And we don’t take any cut from the tips.”

“How many girls?” I asked as we climbed the steps.

“Fourteen who are what you would call full time and another five who are part-time. Three of the part-timers are college students, the other two are what you would call ‘bored housewives’ in their early thirties.”

“I thought it was mostly eighteen to twenty-five,” I replied.

“The full-time girls are all in that range; well, one is twenty-six. But there’s a small demand for women in their early thirties. Some of our clients need companions for business engagements, and a nineteen-year-old college girl doesn’t cut it. And if they’re in their fifties, a thirty-year-old fits the bill perfectly. I’m not suggesting this, but Kara could pull that off at thirty-eight!”

“Thirty-seven, at least for the next few weeks, but I’ll let her know,” I chuckled. “I think she’ll stick to teaching chemistry.”

We went to Anthony’s office and spent three hours going over all the details, including the building plans, which included some architectural drawings.

“I think we have a deal,” I said. “I’ll have my attorney send you the paperwork, and once you have it reviewed by your attorney and sign it, I can have the funds in the escrow account within three days. Your first dividend payment would be due sixty days after you open.”

“Then let’s shake on it,” Anthony said.

We shook hands, then went downstairs for a drink, then to a small private dining room.

“Steve, this is my niece Aurora,” Anthony said, introducing a gorgeous dark-haired girl who was, as things went in my life, a perfect ‘Steve type’. “She’ll join us for dinner.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Adams,” she said.

“Call me Steve, please,” I replied.

“Nice to meet you, Steve.”

“And you.”

I had no clue how old she was, because she was dressed and made up in a way that made her look about twenty-two, but I realized she could easily be as young as sixteen. I also wondered what Anthony intended. I knew it was common practice to provide a companion in situations like this, with any ‘arrangements’ left up to the girl, but Aurora didn’t give me the ‘escort’ vibe, though I wasn’t exactly sure I could pick up on that. I also doubted Anthony would allow a niece to work as an escort, even if I had to acknowledge it was possible. He ended my mental speculation and cleared things up immediately.

“Aurora is a Freshman at UC and works as a part-time hostess for us on weekends,” he said.

“What are you studying, Aurora?” I asked.

“Business, with a focus on hospitality.”

“She’s the only one interested in the business,” Anthony said. “So she’s going to get her degree and learn the restaurant and hotel business first hand.”

“Very cool. I suppose Felicity and Anthony, Jr., are a bit too young.”

Connie laughed, “She’s two and Anthony is one.”

“Two kids almost back to back, and you’re not even Irish!”

“Irish?” Aurora asked.

“The slang term ‘Irish twins’ means two kids within a year of each other. But I haven’t heard it in quite some time, so I suppose it’s falling out of use. Heck, I don’t even say ‘Please?’ when I don’t hear what someone says!”

“You haven’t lived in the Cincinnati area for over twenty years!” Connie replied. “But you don’t have a Chicago accent.”

“We live close to the University, and it’s mostly non-natives in the area. I hear more Boston or California than I do Chicago around where I live. And most of our employees are from those neighborhoods where that accent is common.”

A waiter came and took our drink orders.

“I hear you run your own computer company,” Aurora interjected.