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The Godfather :: Puzo Mario
Страница: 354 из 367But to his surprise none of the guards today were men he knew. They were all strangers to him. Even more surprising, the man in charge at the gate was Rocco Lampone, and Carlo knew that Rocco was of too high a rank is the Family to be pulling such menial duty unless something extraordinary was afoot.
Rocco gave him a friendly smile and hello. Carlo was wary. Rocco said, “Hey, I thought you were going an vacation with the Don?”
Carlo shrugged. “Mike wanted me to stick around for a couple of days. He has something for me to do.”
“Yeah,” Rocco Lampone said. “Me too. Then he tells me to keep a check on the gate. Well, what the hell, he’s the boss.” His tones implied that Michael was not the man his father was; a bit derogatory.
Carlo ignored the tone. “Mike knows what he’s doing,” he said. Rocco accepted the rebuke in silence. Carlo said so long and walked back to the house. Something was up, but Rocco didn’t know what it was.
* * *
Michael stood in the window of his living room and watched Carlo strolling around the mall. Hagen brought him a drink, strong brandy. Michael sipped at it gratefully. Behind him, Hagen said, gently, “Mike, you have to start moving. It’s time.”
Michael sighed. “I wish it weren’t so soon. I wish the old man had lasted a little longer.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” Hagen said. “If I didn’t tumble, then nobody did. You set it up real good.”
Michael turned away from the window. “The old man planned a lot of it. I never realized how smart he was. But I guess you know.”
“Nobody like him,” Hagen said. “But this is beautiful. This is the best. So you can’t be too bad either.”
“Let’s see what happens,” Michael said. “Are Tessio and Clemenza on the mall?”
Hagen nodded. Michael finished the brandy in his glass. “Send Clemenza in to me. I’ll instruct him personally. I don’t want to see Tessio at all. Just tell him I’ll be ready to go to the Barzini meeting with him in about a half hour. Clemenza’s people will take care of him after that.”
Hagen said in a noncommittal voice, “There’s no way to let Tessio off the hook?”
“No way,” Michael said.
* * *
Upstate in the city of Buffalo, a small pizza parlor on a side street was doing a rush trade. As the lunch hours passed, business finally slackened off and the counterman took his round tin tray with its few leftover slices out of the window and put it on the shelf on the huge brick oven. He peeked into the oven at a pie baking there.
Rocco gave him a friendly smile and hello. Carlo was wary. Rocco said, “Hey, I thought you were going an vacation with the Don?”
Carlo shrugged. “Mike wanted me to stick around for a couple of days. He has something for me to do.”
“Yeah,” Rocco Lampone said. “Me too. Then he tells me to keep a check on the gate. Well, what the hell, he’s the boss.” His tones implied that Michael was not the man his father was; a bit derogatory.
Carlo ignored the tone. “Mike knows what he’s doing,” he said. Rocco accepted the rebuke in silence. Carlo said so long and walked back to the house. Something was up, but Rocco didn’t know what it was.
* * *
Michael stood in the window of his living room and watched Carlo strolling around the mall. Hagen brought him a drink, strong brandy. Michael sipped at it gratefully. Behind him, Hagen said, gently, “Mike, you have to start moving. It’s time.”
Michael sighed. “I wish it weren’t so soon. I wish the old man had lasted a little longer.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” Hagen said. “If I didn’t tumble, then nobody did. You set it up real good.”
Michael turned away from the window. “The old man planned a lot of it. I never realized how smart he was. But I guess you know.”
“Nobody like him,” Hagen said. “But this is beautiful. This is the best. So you can’t be too bad either.”
“Let’s see what happens,” Michael said. “Are Tessio and Clemenza on the mall?”
Hagen nodded. Michael finished the brandy in his glass. “Send Clemenza in to me. I’ll instruct him personally. I don’t want to see Tessio at all. Just tell him I’ll be ready to go to the Barzini meeting with him in about a half hour. Clemenza’s people will take care of him after that.”
Hagen said in a noncommittal voice, “There’s no way to let Tessio off the hook?”
“No way,” Michael said.
* * *
Upstate in the city of Buffalo, a small pizza parlor on a side street was doing a rush trade. As the lunch hours passed, business finally slackened off and the counterman took his round tin tray with its few leftover slices out of the window and put it on the shelf on the huge brick oven. He peeked into the oven at a pie baking there.