“How about Union Square in front of the Barnes and Noble bookstore,” Brennan said. “There are always enough people loitering around the area.”
“That’s settled,” Louie said, taking another bite of his pasta. “What time should we say for them to be in Union Square?”
“Well,” Brennan said. “If we’re supposed to be breaking into a Midtown Fifth Avenue office building, it shouldn’t be too early.”
“I don’t think the time matters,” Carlo said. “I mean, we’re not going to be actually doing the break-in.”
“Well, then just pick, for chrissake,” Louie snapped. “Where do you have in mind to do the hit?”
Again Carlo and Brennan looked at each other as if waiting for the other to decide.
Louie looked skyward in frustration. “This isn’t rocket science,” he complained. “What about at the pier.” The Vaccarro organization in the past had had a fruit import company as a cover in Maspeth on the East River just south of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The warehouse and the pier were still there but in sad shape. They hadn’t been able to sell them. They used the warehouse for storage.
“That’s fine,” Carlo said. Brennan nodded in agreement. The whole area was deserted, especially at night.
Louie looked at Arthur and Ted. “You guys in agreement? Because I want all of you in on it so there’s no trouble, as wild as these Japs are supposed to be.”
Arthur and Ted nodded.
“All right,” Louie continued. “We got the pickup place, we got the location of the hit, but we still don’t have the pickup time. What about eleven o’clock. What do you say?”
“That’s fine,” Carlo said, looking over at Brennan, who nodded.
“Jesus,” Louie said. “Must I come along and be the band leader? You guys can be pathetic.”
“How are we going to get them to come to the pier?” Carlo asked.
“Do I have to tell you everything?” Louie said, shaking his head in despair. “Tell them that’s where the explosives are stored for the distraction during the break-in. I don’t know. You figure it out.” Louie paused. “Are we okay now? We have the pickup location and hour, and we have the hit location, and what you’re going to do with the bodies. Of course you’ll remove all identification. I mean, that’s a given.”
Everyone nodded.
“Now let’s go back to the morgue issue. Carlo, you and Brennan head over there right now.” Louie glanced at this watch. It was almost three-thirty. “Go in and ask for Vinnie Amendola. Say you’re family. When you talk to him, say that you’re working for Paulie and that you know what Paulie did for his father.”
“What was it?”
“I’m not sure of all the details, but Paulie said it had to do with the father having embezzled a couple hundred bucks in union funds, nothing huge. For that Vinnie’s father was supposedly going to be iced unless he came up with the money, plus fifty percent. Since he had done some work for Paulie, Paulie lent him the money, saving his life.”
“What if he refuses to talk to me?”
Louie stared at Carlo with disbelief. “What is this, a new Carlo? Usually when I tell you to do something, you do it, no questions asked. What should you do if he refuses to talk to you? Threaten to kill his dog. You’re a professional. Plus, all you want is some information about Satoshi. Of course, you can’t use Satoshi’s name. Call him ‘the body from the subway.’ And don’t threaten Vinnie right away. Be calm and reasonable. Don’t let them know who you are. Tell him you heard Laurie Montgomery was good at what she does. Be creative.”
“Okay,” Carlo said. “I get the picture.”
“If it turns out she has been assigned the case and she’s still working on it, and if Vinnie seems favorably inclined, meaning he’s not going to blab to the authorities about our questions, then ask if he has any suggestions as to how she might be encouraged to get off the case. Without being too obvious, suggest there might be money in it for him and for her. If that doesn’t work, then have Vinnie convey some threat. Got it?”
“I got it,” Carlo said.
“Then get your ass out of here!”
Carlo slid out from the table, tossed the cards that he’d been holding since Louie’s arrival, picked through the cash to extract what he thought he’d contributed to the pot, and motioned for Brennan to follow suit. When the men were halfway to the door, in walked Hideki Shimoda, flanked by Susumu and Yoshiaki.
The saiko-komon was the size and shape of a sumo wrestler, with a bloated, florid face whose features seemed lost in folds of skin. As he walked he swayed from side to side.
Carlo and Brennan had to quickly move aside to avoid a collision. Susumu and Yoshiaki stuck by their saiko-komon’s side, slightly behind the immense man, causing the group to move like a wedge. As if detached from the world about them and with slight sneers on their faces, they didn’t even acknowledge Carlo and Brennan, despite spending the previous afternoon and evening with them.
In contrast to the apparent camaraderie between Louie and his minions, the relationship between Hideki and his soldiers was impersonal, almost martial. Their attire was also strikingly different, with the Japanese wearing what they had had on the previous day: sharkskin suits, white dress shirts, black ties, and dark glasses, while the Americans, for the most part, wore casual sweaters and jeans. Only Carlo was smartly dressed, with his gray silk jacket, black silk turtleneck, and black gabardine pants.
As Louie got up from the table Hideki halted, bowed slightly. “Hello, Barbera-san.”
“Welcome, Shimoda-san,” Louie said, feeling awkward as he tried to imitate Hideki’s bow. Louie stepped back and gestured for Hideki to sit at a clean booth, uncluttered by coffee cups and pasta dishes.
Hideki and Louie settled into the booth while Susumu and Yoshiaki walked to the bar and sat stiffly on a pair of stools, their arms crossed. They did not speak but continued to stare at their boss.
“Thank you for coming out to visit my humble restaurant,” Louie began. While he spoke he wished it was going to be Hideki who was going to be whacked, or better yet, all three instead of just the impudent soldiers sitting at the bar with their stupid dark glasses and their spiky hair.
“It is my pleasure,” Hideki replied in passable English. “And it is my pleasure to thank you for your gracious help, especially for tonight. It would be hard for us to do it alone, as it is on such a famous avenue.”
“It is my pleasure to help, and you are correct that the location makes the task more difficult. It would be the equivalent for us to rob an office on the busiest street in the Ginza district in Tokyo.”
“Not easy.”
“Not easy,” Louie agreed. “Excuse me, Shimoda-san,” Louie said before calling out to Carlo and Brennan, who had backed up against the wall opposite the bar to keep an eye on Susumu and Yoshiaki. “Why don’t you two go ahead with what we discussed, and call me as soon as you finish?”
They nodded and quickly left the room.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt, Shimoda-san,” Louie said. “I’m sending my two men to the city morgue to make sure that what you said about your hit was as you promised. I want to be certain it is being considered a natural death and not a professional homicide.”
“You have contacts in the city morgue?” Hideki asked. He was clearly impressed.
“A resource we rarely tap,” Louie answered.
“I would appreciate hearing what they learn.”
“Getting back to what we were talking about,” Louie said, “I want you to know it will not be easy to break into the offices of iPS USA. It can be done, but it will have to be done quickly. To be as safe as possible, we will have only minutes to be in the office. My understanding is we will be looking for lab books. Is that correct?”