“It has everything to do with you,” Vinnie said, vainly thinking that if he were up-front they might leave him alone. “Yesterday you said you just wanted to ask me some questions, and then, before you know it, you have me sending a threatening letter.”
“What did the letter say again? I know you told me when you called me back, but I can’t remember.”
“I said what you told me to say, that if she didn’t sign the case out as a natural death, she and her family would face serious consequences. I also said that if she went to the police about the warning, she and her family would suffer the same consquences.”
“Good, good,” Carlo repeated. “And you know she got your love letter?”
“As sure as I can be. I made it a point to check her office and saw it on her computer keyboard. It would have been hard for her to have missed it.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Do you know if she’s read it?”
“I assume she has, but I wasn’t hanging around to watch.”
“Has her behavior changed?”
“Not in the way you want. In fact, like I suggested yesterday, the letter seems to have made her more intent on investigating the case. She even mentioned this morning that she’d learned something particularly interesting last night.”
“Like what?” Carlo demanded, his tone changing from mockingly humorous to dead serious.
“I don’t know,” Vinnie said. “She said that she wanted to investigate a bit more. I think she believes she’s made some progress, and my guess would be that’s not in the direction of it being a natural death but rather a homicide.”
Vinnie then heard muffled conversation, as if Carlo was trying to cover the mouthpiece of his phone. Fighting the urge to hang up, Vinnie waited, but while he waited he came to acknowledge that he was allowing himself to be drawn progressively into a situation that would not end well. Next Carlo could and probably would ask him to do something worse than compose a threatening letter, which already had been bad enough.
Vinnie hung up the phone, realizing as he did that he could be putting himself and his family in even greater jeopardy. So great was his panic that he made the sudden decision to leave town. It was his only choice. He had plenty of sick leave and vacation time available. Although he knew admin liked more warning, Vinnie was confident they’d make an exception, especially if he pleaded a family emergency.
With sudden resolve, Vinnie quickly put in a call to his wife, Charlene, who worked for her brother’s moving company in Garden City, Long Island. He knew she’d be able to get the time off; their business had been slow. The real problem would be the girls and school, but such was life. As he waited for the call to go through, he ran up the rear stairs to head to the first floor, where the chief of staff had her office.
“Hastings Moving and Storage,” Charlene said when she answered.
Vinnie didn’t waste words. Charlene was aghast at first but was understanding when Vinnie explained that the situation involved Paulie Cerino and the Vaccarro organization. Having grown up with Vinnie in Rego Park, Charlene knew all about the Mob and the danger they represented. She also knew Vinnie was indebted to Paulie Cerino and what that meant.
“We’ve got to do this right away,” Vinnie anxiously insisted, “like today! Get the girls and we’ll be off. At least Florida is nice this time of year.”
“I’ve got to pack some things,” Charlene said, sensing Vinnie’s panic.
“Of course, but don’t make it your life’s work,” Vinnie urged. “And don’t tell anyone we’re leaving.”
“What about my aunt Hazel. We can’t just drop in on her in Fort Myers. And I have to tell my brother.”
“Tell your brother, of course,” Vinnie said, “but tell him not to let anyone else know. As far as your aunt is concerned, let’s call her en route. We might be better off staying at one of those cheap motels near the beach.”
“When will you be home?”
“As soon as possible, within the hour,” Vinnie said. “At the moment I’m just outside the chief of staff’s office. I have to get Twyla Robinson’s blessing. I don’t think there’ll be a problem. It was just a week ago that she was reminding me how much vacation time I’m owed.”
“I’ll try to get some schoolwork to take for the kids.”
“Good idea.”
“Don’t you think you should warn Dr. Montgomery?” Charlene questioned.
“I already did,” Vinnie said. “That’s why I have to leave. I don’t want them asking me to do anything else. I know in my bones that’s what they were about to do before I hung up on them.”
“How long do you think we’ll have to be in Florida?”
“Not long. Maybe a week or two. My sense is that all hell is going to break out here in the next day or so, and I want to be south of the Mason-Dixon Line.”
22
March 26, 2010
Friday, 10:35 a.m.
Try him again!” Louie said to Carlo, referring to Vinnie Amendola. Louie, Carlo, and Brennan were in Carlo’s car, heading into Manhattan to meet with Hisayuki Ishii. Brennan was driving, with Carlo in the front passenger seat and Louie in the back.
Although Louie had spoken to the oyabun on numerous occasions, he’d never met the man in person. After listening to Carlo’s conversation with Vinnie, he was really looking forward to it. Obviously Laurie Montgomery-Stapleton was acting as Paulie Cerino had warned: uncooperative, dogged, and too smart for her own good. Something had to be done quickly if Satoshi’s death was to remain an inconsequential natural death. Prior to learning this unpleasant exigency, Louie had assumed the conversation with the Yakuza leader was going to center on the lab books and how much money would be involved if they retrieved them. Now the conversation was going to be about Laurie Montgomery-Stapleton and how to get her to back off.
“The prick is not answering,” Carlo said, flipping his phone closed. He was twisted around, facing Louie.
“Well, give it a break for now,” Louie said. “I think we’re going to need his cooperation. You guys might have to make a second visit to OCME if he doesn’t answer over the next hour or so.”
When they reached the Four Seasons, all three men piled out, turning the car over to valet parking.
With Louie in the lead, they went though the revolving door and up the half-flight of steps to the reception area. Skirting the desk, they passed the elevators and then up more steps to the bar and dining level. Since only Louie had ever been in the hotel before, both Carlo and Brennan were impressed with the stone walls and soaring spaces. To Brennan, it reminded him of an ancient Egyptian temple.
As it was mid-morning, the bar to the left was empty, and even the dining side to the right was sparsely occupied. It was easy to spot Hideki and his crew, especially given the man’s sumo-wrestler proportions. He was hard to miss.
As Louie had dreaded, he had to go through the bowing and business-card ritual with Hisayuki Ishii while Hideki Shimoda made the introductions. Then they all sat down. Meanwhile, Carlo and Brennan wandered over to the left end of the bar. At the right end were Hisayuki’s lieutenants, one as large as Hideki but with muscle, not fat. There were no introductions among the enforcers, but it didn’t matter. They recognized one another other instinctively.
For a time Louie, Hideki, and Hisayuki engaged in mutually complimentary small talk, giving one another credit for the undeniable success of their business relationship, all admitting they had not imagined it was going to be so lucrative.
Then Hisayuki thanked Louie for his willingness to come to the hotel rather than making him travel to Queens. “It is a long flight from Tokyo to New York,” he said.