Chapter 6 Chapter Six
People have always admired the apparent close friendship between Constantin Demiris and his brother-in-law, Sparrows.
Sparrows was almost as rich and powerful as Demiris.Demiris owns the world's largest ocean-going fleet, putting Sparos' fleet in second place.Demiris monopolized newspapers, airlines, oil, steel, and gold mining, while Sparrows held insurance companies, banks, and a staggering amount of real estate, plus a chemical plant.It looked as if they were friendly business rivals, or better yet, like best fraternal friends.
"It's wonderful," people say, "that two of the most powerful men in the world are such close friends."
In fact, the two have hated each other for a long time, and they are a pair of incompatible rivals.When Demiris heard that Sparrows had bought a 100-foot-long luxury yacht, he immediately had someone buy him a 150-foot-long yacht built by four groups of General Motors. Ultra-luxury yachts powered by internal combustion engines.There are a total of thirteen characters on board, two small speedboats, and a freshwater swimming pool.
When the total number of Sparos and Lamboro tankers reached 12, with a gross tonnage of 200,000 tons, Constantine increased the total number of tankers to 23, bringing the total tonnage to 650,000 tons.Spargus bought a batch of racehorses, and he immediately had a pen of thoroughbred racehorses bred to compete with him, and he insisted on gaining the upper hand.
However, these two men usually come east and meet each other frequently.Because they both hold various titles on the boards of charities and various societies, and they also attend family gatherings together from time to time.
Their temperaments and upbringing were diametrically opposed.Konstantin Demiris was born in a slum, and for a long time he relied on his own strength to fight to the pinnacle of today's situation, while Sparos was born in a famous family, a slender, well-spoken noble gentleman.His usual attire has always been impeccable, and his speech and demeanor still retain a certain ancient aristocratic etiquette.His family is of royal blood, going all the way back to the Otto family of Bavaria.During Greece's early political uprisings, some oligarchs made fortunes in trade, shipping and land sales.Sparrows' father was one of them.Now he inherits his father's estate.
Over the years, though both of them had maintained a thinly veiled hypocrisy in their hearts, both had made up their minds to kill the other sooner or later.Demiris's motivation is purely a survival instinct, and Sparrows's main reason for doing this is that he cannot tolerate Demiris' abuse of his sister Marina.
Sparrows is a very superstitious person.He is grateful for the good fortune that life has bestowed upon him, but fears that he may inadvertently offend the gods.He often went to the wizard to ask the gods for advice, but he was smart enough to see through the lame charlatan tricks.There was only one witch, whose mysterious powers of prediction convinced him.She had predicted Marina's miscarriage and her unhappy married life in the future, and the final results of several other things all fulfilled her predictions.She lives in Athens.
People called her Mrs. Pierris.
Every morning, Konstantin Demiris used to arrive at his office on Rue Ashgiralda at exactly six o'clock.So by the time his opponents got to work, he was already doing a lot of business on the phone with his agents around the world. Demiris' office is magnificent.From here, you can have a bird's-eye view of the majestic appearance of the entire city of Athens.There are hard black granite floors, steel-framed leather-covered office furniture, and Regis, Braque, and half a dozen Cubist paintings by Picasso hanging on the walls.Behind a huge desk with a stainless steel frame and glass top sits a high-backed leather-covered antique armchair.On the table, there is a crystal-carved head of Alexander the Great.Inscribed below, "Alexandros, protector of mankind." Just this early in the morning, just as Demiris walked into the office, the phone rang.Only five or six people know the number of his private phone. His house picked up the receiver. "Good morning." "Good morning." The voice of Sparrows' personal secretary, Nikos Viritos, came on the phone.His tone sounded tense. "Excuse me for interrupting you. Didn't you tell me to call you immediately if something important happened so that..." "Yes. What's the matter?" "Mr. Lambero was recently trying to buy all of Aurora International, Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange. A friend of his on the Board of the Exchange told him that the company was going to make a big arms deal with the government. Of course, This is top secret at the moment. But as soon as it is announced, these stocks will be very bullish..." "I'm not interested in the stock market," Demiris interrupted. "Don't bother me easily in the future, unless there is something important." "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Demiris. I thought..." But Demiris hung up the phone.
At eight o'clock, when Demiris's assistant, Giannis Tekaros, entered the office, Demiris looked up and said, "There's a company called Aurora on the New York Stock Exchange. Immediately notify all the newspapers about it." , let's say that this company is currently under investigation for suspected fraud, and the news is sent out in the name of 'an unnamed person', and it must be known to everyone. You must release the news vigorously until the company's Until the stock goes down. Then, as soon as we get it under control, we eat it all." "Yes, sir. Any more?" "Also, after we succeed, let the newspapers issue another message, claiming that the Aurora company's alleged fraud case has been verified, and it is purely groundless rumors, etc. Oh, yes, we must also let The NYSE knows that Sparrows Lamboro has been buying and selling his stock through their insiders." Giannis Tekalos added subtly, "Mr. Demiris, this would be considered illegal in the United States." Demiris smiled triumphantly: "I know."
A mile away, in Cintama Plaza, Sparrows was busy with his various affairs.This office fully embodies the gentle, traditional aesthetic taste of the owner.The interior is furnished with rare French and Italian antique furniture.Three walls are covered with Impressionist paintings, and the remaining wall is lined with masterpieces by Belgian painters, ranging from Van Reiselbouffet to De Smet.The sign on the outside office read: Lambereau and Partners.But so far, he has never had a partner.The businesses that Sparrows inherited from his father were already very successful, and with his hard work over the years, he has expanded them into large multinational conglomerates. Sparrows should be said to be a very happy person.He is strong, his business is going well, and he is in the prime of life.But as long as Demiris is alive, it is impossible for him to be truly happy.His brother-in-law seemed to him a damned villain, a scheming and inhuman rogue.Lambero has always been extremely disgusted with him, especially Demiris's abuse of his sister Marina made his hatred unforgettable.But the cutthroat rivalry between them was born out of the life-and-death complexities of the business itself. The seeds of their feud were planted 10 years ago.One day at noon, Sparrows Lambero and his sister Marina were having lunch together.That day, Marina noticed a level of excitement and enthusiasm in her brother that she had never felt before. "Marina, do you know that the world is consuming a large amount of coal every day that requires thousands of years of geological evolution?" "No, Sparrows." "So people's demand for oil will increase in the future, but there will not be enough tankers to transport the oil." "Do you want to get a few tankers to do it?" He nodded and said, "It's not just some ordinary tankers. I plan to build the world's first large-tonnage tanker fleet. Their number will be twice the total number of existing tankers." His tone was full of enthusiasm . "I've been doing the math for months. Look, it costs 7 cents a gallon to ship crude oil from the Persian Gulf to ports on the East Coast. But if you ship it on a large tanker, you're only paying 7 cents per gallon. A fee of 3 cents. Do you know what that means?" "Sparos, where did you get the money to build the fleet?" he laughed. "That's just a hiccup in my brilliant plan." "what?" He leans over. "I plan to go to the United States next month to negotiate this deal with some big oil companies. I can provide them with crude oil transportation services at half the current freight rate." "But... where did you get such a big tanker?" He put away his smile and said seriously: "Yes, but if I can sign a long-term charter contract with those big oil companies, I can get a loan from the bank to build a fleet. What do you think?" "I think you're a genius. It's a brilliant plan."
Marina is excited about her brother's plans.She talked about it with her husband at the dinner table that night. After telling Demiristo all about Sparrows' plan, she asked cheerfully, "What do you think of his idea?" Demiris didn't answer right away.After a while, he said, "Your brother is such a dreamer. This is never going to work." Marina looked at her husband in amazement. "Why not, Coster?" "Because it's a fantasy plan. One, the demand for oil won't be as much as he thinks, so his fabulous tankers will sit around like crap. Two, the oil companies Wouldn't entrust their precious oil to his fleet of fleets that don't even exist. As for the third, he'll laugh the hell out of the bankers and get kicked out of their offices." Hearing this, Marina's face was full of disappointment and melancholy. "Sparos is very enthusiastic about his plans. You wouldn't mind talking to him?" Demiris shook his head decisively. "Let him have his dreams, Marina. It might be better if we don't let him know about our conversation." "Okay, Coster. I won't say anything to him."
In the early morning of the next day, Constantine Demiris flew to the United States, preparing to immediately contact the American oil consortium on the large tanker business.He knew that the world's oil reserves were almost monopolized by the "Seven Sisters" except for the United States and the Soviet Union and the Eastern European bloc.They are: Standard Oil of New Jersey, California Petroleum, Gulf Oil, Texas Petroleum, Saucony-Vulcan, Royal Dutch Shell, and Anglo-Iranian Oil.He knew in his heart that if he could manage to hold any one of them down, the rest would follow.
The first breakthrough that Constantine Demiris chose was the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.The company's fourth vice chairman, Owen Curtis, met him in the general manager's office. "What can I do for you, Mr. Demiris?" "I now have an idea that will benefit your company in no small way." "Yes, you have already mentioned this on the phone." Curtis immediately glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting in a few minutes, if you can keep it as brief as possible..." "Pretty brief. You're currently paying seven cents a gallon to haul crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the East Coast of the United States, right?" "Completely correct." "What would you think if I could guarantee your company's crude oil shipments at a low freight rate of 3 cents a gallon?" Curtis smiled disapprovingly. "The question is how do you plan to create this miracle?" Demiris replied calmly, "Large tanker fleet. Its storage capacity is exactly double that of the existing general tankers, so as to ensure that your crude oil will be shipped as soon as it comes out of the ground." Curtis looked at him thoughtfully. "Then where did you get this fleet?" "I plan to build it myself." "Sorry, we are not interested in investing..." Demiris chimed in and said, "I don't need a penny from you. All I want from you is a long-term contract that will save you half the cost of shipping. Then, I'll try to Get a loan from the bank." A long pause, obviously meaningful.Owen Curtis cleared his throat, "I think you'd better go upstairs with me and talk to our chairman."
This is just the beginning of success.After that, the remaining six companies rushed to sign a long-term transportation contract with Demiris.By the time Sparrows Lambolo knew all this, it was too late.Although he later went to the United States to make a few deals with other small companies, the richest layer of cream on this big cake has been licked off by his brother-in-law. "Even though he's your husband," Lambero raged, "I swear, sooner or later, I'll make him pay for what he did." Marina was in excruciating pain.She felt as if she had betrayed her brother. However, when Demiris faced her questioning, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, "It's not that I went to talk to those companies, but they came to me to do this business with me. Could it be Can I keep them out?" That's all Demiris concluded on the matter. In fact, in Lambero's opinion, Demiris hurt Marina far more than he hurt himself in business. Demiris was already a notorious playboy, so Lambero might have shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off—and men need to have fun, after all.However, Demiris actually flaunted his romantic affairs with other women to the outside world, which made Lambero feel that Demiris was not only insulting Marina, but also insulting them. A kind of bad reputation for the Luo family.His romantic history with the actress named Noel Patch is enough to illustrate his intention to fear drugs, and the pornographic news about them has already appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.One day, he swore secretly, one day...
Nikos Viritos, Sparrows' personal secretary, entered the office.He has followed Sparrows for fifteen years.He's good at his job, but rather lacks the aggressive imagination.He is past sixty years old, has no future at all, and never appears in public.In his view, the contest between his master and Demiris provided him with a golden opportunity.He had already bet on Demiris, so he sold his master's secrets to Demiris again and again in the hope of getting some kind of reward in the future. He walked up to Lambero and said, "Excuse me. A man named Tony Rezzoli has asked to see you." Lamboreau yawned. "Let's deal with him now," he said lazily. "Let him in." Tony Rezzoli was about forty, with black hair, a thin hooked nose, and brown eyes set deep in their sockets.He walks with a graceful, disciplined boxing stance.He was wearing a beige suit, well made.Inside was a yellow silk shirt.The leather of the pair of leather shoes on the feet looked quite soft.He spoke politely, but there was an intimidation about him that one couldn't quite articulate. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lamborough." "Sit down, Mr. Rizzoli." He sat down. "What can I do for you?" "Yes, I have just spoken to Monsieur Viritos about this. We would like to charter a boat from you. I have a factory in Marseilles, you know, and I need to transport some heavy machinery from there to The United States, if this business can be concluded, then we can cooperate in many transactions in the future.” Zipalos Lambero leaned back in his chair and began beating the man sitting across from him.What a nuisance. "Is that the sole purpose of your charter, Monsieur Rizzoli?" he asked. Tony Rizzoli leaned forward. "What? I don't quite understand what you mean." "I think you should understand," Lambero said. "That means my boat is not suitable for your needs." "Why not? I really don't know what you're talking about." "Drugs, Mr. Rizzoli. You are a drug dealer." Rezzoli narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "You must be crazy! I never thought you would listen to the rumors outside." In fact, those guys are more than as simple as the rumors say.Sparos Lamboro had known this guy for a long time, Tony Rezzoli was one of Europe's leading drug lords and a member of the Italian Mafia.There was news recently that there was trouble in Razzoli's drug-trafficking pipeline, which was why he was so eager to find him today. "I'm afraid you'll have to find another master." Tony Rezzoli sat staring at him coldly.Finally he nodded and said, "Okay." He took a business card from his coat pocket and threw it on the table. "If you change your mind, you can contact me at the address there." Then he got up and left. Sparrows Lambero picked up his business card: Import-Export Corporation - Anthony.The address and telephone number of a hotel in Athens are printed on the bottom of the business card. Urkos Viritos sat by and listened to their conversation with wide-eyed eyes.When Tony Levy walked out of the office, he asked, "Is he really..." "Yes. Mr. Rezzoli is in the heroin business. If he is allowed to use our ship, the government will immediately seize our shipping company."
Tony Rezzoli stormed out of Lamboro's office building.The damned Greek is playing me for a bumpkin!How did he know?It would be a big deal if it was shot this time, it would be worth at least tens of millions of dollars.But the question is how to smuggle them to New York?Now the whole city of Athens is full of those damn narcotics cops.Looks like I'll have to make a long call to the Sicilian guys.Tony Rezzoli has always been successful in every drug trafficking, so he did not want to lose to the police this time either.He has always considered himself a born winner. He grew up in New York's "Hell's Kitchen," on Manhattan's West Side between Eighth Street and the Hudson River.It runs from Twenty-third Street in the south to Fifty-ninth Street in the north.From a psychological point of view, "Hell's Kitchen" is a city within a city, an independent kingdom where all the people are soldiers, and all the blocks here are controlled by gangsters from various gangs.Such as: Minnesota's gang of thieves, or Rhode Island's gang of thugs, etc.Here, you can buy a killing contract for as little as $100.If it is necessary to mutilate other people's limbs, the price will be reduced as appropriate. Residents of "Hell's Kitchen" generally live in tenements populated by lice, dwarfs and cockroaches.This kind of cheap apartment usually has no bathroom, so the local boys use their own methods to solve the problem of bathing.They usually like to jump naked from the edge of the dock into the Hudson River, even though the river is polluted with sewage from the city sewer and some bloated and smelly dead cats and dogs floating on the water. Smoked. The streets in this area have all kinds of lively scenes for people to watch every day.A fire truck with sirens blaring races down a crowded street... two gangs of gangsters fighting each other on the roof of an apartment building... a wedding procession swaggering through the streets... a great baseball game on the sidewalk... A guy was chasing his frightened horse like hell... Suddenly there was a burst of gunfire somewhere nearby.The children in this area never had their own playground.They have no place for entertainment other than playing on the street, on the top of an apartment building, or in a dump.In summer, they spend all day soaking in the stinking Hudson River.In short, everything in "Hell's Kitchen" exudes a strong smell of poverty, and it is in this atmosphere of poverty that Mr. Rezzoli grew up. Mr. Tony Rezzoli was once knocked to the ground when he was very young, and even the money for milk was stolen.This tragic encounter later became his first memory of childhood.He's been bullied by older kids since he was seven; the path to school is like no man's land.To make matters worse, the school itself is a world of the jungle.Until he was fifteen years old, he finally grew into a great boy, and he was also a master fighter.He likes to fight, that's because he is good at fighting.He found himself experiencing a sense of superiority in every fight, and he and his mates started boxing at the local Stillman Gym to make ends meet. Mob figures also frequent the Stillman Coliseum to watch their favorite hands-off games.Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, and Lucy Luciano come to the stadium for a game or two every month.In their view, boxing is a very stimulating entertainment, but it is a means of earning a living for the participating boys. Take a bet.Tony Rezzoli is a constant victor in the field, so he is very popular with those gangsters. One day, while Rizzoli was changing clothes in the cloakroom, he accidentally caught a conversation between Frank Costello and Lucy Luciano. "This kid is a gold mine," Luciano said. "I made a whole thousand dollars on him last week." "He's going to play against Lou Dominique this time, are you still going to bet on him?" "Why not, I'm going to bet ten big sums on it this time." "What bet?" "Just bet ten to one. It's nothing, the boy Rezzoli will win in all likelihood." Tony Rizzoli wasn't sure exactly what the words meant.So he told his brother Gino about it. "Jesus," Gino exclaimed, "those guys are betting big money on you." "But why is that? I'm not a professional boxer." Gino thought for a moment and said, "You've never lost a match, have you, Tony?" "yes." "It might be like this. At first they just bet some small bets for fun, and then when they discovered your strength, these guys started to get serious." The young man just shrugged his shoulders after hearing this: "I still don't see what this has to do with me." Gino took him by the hand and told him seriously: "It has a lot to do with you, or with us. Listen to me, boy..."
The bout with Lou Dominique is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Stillman Coliseum.Almost every gangster figure was there that day: Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, Albert Anastasia, Lucy Luciano, and Meyer Lansky.They were thrilled by these great lads fighting in the ring, but mostly because they found a way to make money in these lads. Lo Dominique was seventeen, a year older than Tony and five pounds heavier.But he is far from Tony's opponent in terms of technique and quality. There are a total of five rounds in this game.Tony handily won the first round.In the second round, he also had a fairly easy job.The guys under the stage have already started counting the money happily. "This kid will become a world champion sooner or later." Lucki Luciano stepped forward and said. "How much did you bet on him?" "Ten big numbers," Frank Costello replied. "I think it could go as high as fifteen to one. The kid seems to have a hit." However, something unexpected happened.In the fifteenth round of the fight, Lou Dominic suddenly knocked Tony to the ground with a beautiful uppercut.The referee began to count... very slowly, very slowly, while looking anxiously at the stunned audience off the court. "Stand up, you bloody little bastard," Joe Azonis yelled desperately. "Get up and fight!" The counting was still going on, but even though the referee had reported very slowly, he still counted to ten in the end.Tony Rizzoli still lay there motionless. "Bastard. His punch is really worth it!" Those guys calculated after the game, and their loss this time was really appalling.Gino dragged his brother from the stage to the locker room.At this point, Tony glanced at him without daring to open his eyes.Because if anyone found out that he was actually fully sane, it would be hell for him. After waiting until he got home safely, Tony finally breathed a sigh of relief. "We made it!" exclaimed his brother excitedly. "Do you know how much we made this time? Nearly a thousand dollars." "I don't understand. I..." "I just borrowed the usury from them themselves and staked it on the Dominican at fifteen to one. Now we have money at last." "Then won't they be mad?" Tony asked worriedly. "They'll never know," Gino said with a smile.
The next day, when Tony Rezzoli came out of school, he saw a large black car parked by the side of the road.Lucki Luciano, who was in the back seat, called him over to the car and said, "Come on in." Tony Rezzoli's heart suddenly tightened. "I can't, Monsieur Luciano, I have to..." "Come in." Tony Rezzoli had no choice but to get into the car obediently.Lucki Luciano told the driver, "Just do a few laps around the block." God bless, I hope they are not going to kidnap and kill. He cut to the chase and said to Tony, "You play dead on the field." Tony's face turned red uncontrollably. "No, sir. I..." "Don't fool me. How much did you gain from that game?" "Nothing, Monsieur Luciano, I..." "I'll ask you again: How much did you get?" He hesitated for a while and said, "A thousand dollars." Lucy Luciano laughed. "That's just enough to feed the chickens. But I want to do a... How old are you?" "It's almost 16." "Not bad for a 16-year-old kid, I guess. But you know you can make a lot of money for me and my friends." "sorry, I……" "Forget about it. You're a bright boy, and you're sure to have a future." "Thank you. I appreciate the compliment." "I'll keep it a secret from you, Tony. Or my friends will cut off the thing under you and make you swallow it yourself. But I want you to see me on Monday. From now on You and I are in the same boat."
A week later, Tony Rizzoli started working for Lucy Luciano.At first, he was just an errand runner under Luckey, but because of his dexterity and diligence, he was soon promoted to be a law enforcement gunman in the gang group, until he finally became Luciano's deputy. When Lucy Luciano was arrested by the police and found guilty, Tony Rizzoli remained in Luciano's gang.
While gang families typically turn to casinos, loan sharks, brothels, and a variety of other illegal businesses to make huge profits for themselves, they have always kept the drug business at a distance.However, with some family members insisting on joining the lucrative business, others have reluctantly agreed to let their men set up their own clandestine drug trafficking network. Tony Zori was obsessed with the idea.Because as far as he knows, all drug dealers have almost no coordination and organization in the process of drug trafficking.Just let those fools go about their business.The real masters are in the back... He decided to go big.
Tony Rizzoli likes to be methodical.He first read everything about heroin. Heroin is fast becoming the king of narcotics.Marijuana and cocaine can give a person a "high" high, but heroin can put the whole body into a state of extremely pleasurable anesthesia, without pain or other troubles.If a person is addicted to heroin, he will sell all his property, even steal everything he can, and he will not hesitate to do anything illegal as long as it can satisfy his drug addiction.In any case, heroin seemed to him to be God, the reason for his existence. Turkey is one of the world's largest poppy growers.Heroin is extracted from this plant. The family also has frequent ties with the Turkish side.So Rizzoli went to Peter Luca, one of the heads of the family. "I've decided to get involved," Rizzoli said. "But everything I do is for the family. I hope you understand that." "You're a nice fellow, Tony." "I want to go to Turkey first, can you try to arrange a size 1 for me" The old man hesitated. "I'll have someone say hello to them. But they're not like us. Those guys have no humanity at all. They're brutes. If you don't gain their trust, they'll kill you." "I'll be careful." "You must be careful." Two weeks later, Tony Rizzoli was on the road.
He visited the three poppy producing areas of Izmir, Afyon and Eskisehir.In the beginning, Rezzoli was always suspected by those guys, because he was a stranger to them after all, and that kind of place never welcomes strangers. "We will have a lot of business to cooperate in the future," Rezzoli said, "Can I see your poppy plantation?" The other just shrugged. "I had no idea there was a poppy plantation here. You're wasting your time. Go home." But Rezzoli was not discouraged.After numerous phone calls and coded telegrams, they finally allowed him to go to Kilis on the Turkish-Syrian border to inspect a large field of thriving poppies.It was grown by a large estate owner named Calella. "I still don't understand," Tony said, "how on earth do you get heroin out of these poppies?" A technician in a white coat next to him explained to him: "It needs to go through several processes, Mr. Rezzoli. Heroin is synthesized from opium. Opium is obtained by treating morphine with acetic acid. The poppy plant contains opium. Academically known as poppy-like narcotic substances. After they are separated and refined, they become heroin. The word opium is derived from the Greek word. Its original meaning in Greek is 'juice'. " "understood."
Harvest time came, and Tony went to Calera to see the harvest in some of the main poppy fields.Calella's family members are almost in full force at such times.Ripe poppies are carefully and neatly harvested with a sharp knife shaped like a scalpel.Carrera explained to him: "Once these things are ripe, they have to be harvested within 24 hours. Otherwise, they will be ruined." The nine members of Calella's family worked almost like crazy to ensure that the harvest could be completed in time.A drowsy, pungent aroma pervades the surrounding air. Rezzoli felt a little swaying when he walked. "Be careful," Carrera warned him. "You must keep a clear head, and if you lie down, you can't expect to wake up again." During the harvest, all the doors and windows of the houses on the estate are tightly closed. After the intense harvesting, Rezzoli followed him up the mountain to visit the "laboratory" where heroin was produced.There, he watched them process and refine the white morphine slime through various procedures until the heroin was finished. "So that's what happened." Calera shook his head and said, "No, my friend. This is just the first step. Manufacturing heroin should be said to be the easiest thing in this business. The important thing is how to sell the produced heroin without being caught by the police." live." Tony Rizzoli felt a thrill inside.This is his specialty.So far, this kind of work has been done by some idiots, and now he wants to show these guys how a master does it. "How are you going to get this thing out?" "There are many ways. Trucks, coaches, trains, cars, mules or road camels and..." "camel?" “我们以前常把它们装进铁盒子后再塞进骆驼的肚子里——直到那些检查人员后来使用金属探测仪为止。以后我们就改用橡胶袋装运。到了目的地后，我们就杀了骆驼取出袋子。可是这种办法有时也会出漏子。因为橡胶袋在骆驼的肚子里很容易破裂，而且这些该死的骆驼肚子里塞了东西后走起路来就像醉鬼似的。这样一来，过边境关卡时就会露馅。” “一般你们都走哪条路线？” “有时候我们从的阿勒颇、贝鲁特或者伊斯坦布尔直接到马赛。还有条路线是从伊斯坦布尔到希腊，从希腊再到西西里，然后从那里穿越科西嘉和摩洛哥，最后翻越大西洋。” “我很感谢你的合作，”托尼说，“而且我会让我的伙计们知道这一点。不过我还有一件事需要你的帮助。” "yes?" “我想你们下次运货时能让我跟着走一趟吗？” 对方并没有马上回答。“这种差使是很危险的。” “就让我碰碰运气吧。”
第二天下午，托尼·雷佐里被安排同一个又大又笨的家伙见了面。这人一脸的匪气，蓄着漂亮平整的小胡子，身材壮得像一条牛。“这是从阿菲永来的莫斯塔法。在土耳其语里，'阿菲永'这个词的意思就是'鸦片'的意思。他是偷运这一行的好手。” “我们不得不干得巧妙点儿，”莫斯塔法好像还挺谦虚的，“否则会惹大麻烦的。” 托尼微微一笑，说：“不过这种冒险很值得，你说呢？” 莫斯塔法觉得这话似乎有辱于他的职业的尊严，“你所谈的只是钱而已。可对我们来说，鸦片并不仅仅意味着金钱。它是一种神秘的东西。这种含有白色物浓的植物是神赐予人类的万应灵药，只要能不超过一定的剂量。它既可以口服，又能直接涂抹在皮肤上。所有的小毛小病——胃病、感冒、发热以及各种病痛或者跌打扭伤都能保证药到病除。不过你得当心。要是你服用过量过猛，那就不仅会搞乱你的神经系统，而且还会丢了床上的功夫。在我们土耳其，这对男人来说是最丢脸的事儿。” “是啊。你的话句句在理。”
他们选在半夜从阿菲永动身。卡莱拉庄园的伙计们排成一路纵队在漆黑的夜幕下悄悄地向前穿行着。他们将在指定地点同莫斯塔法会合。骡子的屁股上共捆绑着350公斤的海洛因，也就是700多磅。鸦片所散发出来的那种像湿草一样的刺鼻的芳香朝他们一阵阵地扑鼻而来。这些伙计们绝大多数已经跟莫斯塔法干过几趟。他们每人身上都带着步枪。 “如今，我们得小心点，”莫斯塔法告诉雷佐里说。“到处都有国际或者国内警察在注意我们。要在以往，可真够有趣的。我们通常把货物装在棺材里，上面蒙上一块黑布之类的。然后出我们穿过一个个城市和乡村时，那番场景可感动人了：我们同警察们相互都脱帽表示敬意，同时，那鸦片棺材就大摇大摆地从他们身边抬过去了。” 阿菲永属于土耳其西部的一个三流的小城。它位于高原地区的苏丹山脚下。这里远离土耳其的那些大城市，而且一向人烟稀少。 “地方的地理环境对我们是再也适合不过了，”莫斯塔法说。“我们在这一带一般不容易被人发现。” 骡队走得很慢，经过三天三夜的翻山越岭，他们终于在第四天的深夜到达了土－叙边境。等在这里同他们接头的是一个身穿黑衣服的女人。她牵来了一匹马，马背上驮着一袋面粉，马鞍上系着一根麻绳。这根绳子约有200英尺长，它远远地拖在马后，但并不着地，因为绳子的那一头被莫斯塔法和他的伙计们抓在手里。他们一行16人，每人手中抱着一麻袋35磅重的海洛因，另一只手抓着绳子。他们一个个蹲伏着身子，几乎就像站着地面似地跟在那个牵马女人的后面悄悄地向边境摸去。边境的开阔地带一般都布有对付偷越的杀伤地雷。可是在这以前，他们已经把一群羊赶过了布雷区，从而就为他们自己开辟出一条安全的羊肠小道。假如他们手里的绳子突然松了下来落在地上，那就是在向他们暗示前面的那个女人肯定撞上了边防警察。要是那个女人被他们带去审问的话，那么躲在后面的莫斯塔法一行人在他们离开后就能稳稳当当地穿越国境了。 越过边境后，他们又穿越了布满地雷和巡逻警的边境站基里斯，接着进入了三英里宽的缓冲地带，然后直奔约定的交货点。叙利亚的同行们早已在那里迎候，当他们把一袋袋海洛因卸在地上，叙利亚人给他们开了一瓶拉基酒。他们拿来后就一人呷一口地相互传递着。下一步就是过秤、堆放以及捆扎等。最后，再把货装到那些肮脏的叙利亚驴子鞍背上，这趟差使就算大功告成了。 行了，雷佐里心想。下面该看看泰国那帮小子的好戏了。
雷佐里下一站到了曼谷。到那里后，他很快便取得了对方的信任并被允许跟着一起上了一条泰国渔船。他们的办法是用聚乙烯薄膜把“白面”封好后装进带有金属环的空煤油桶里。当船靠近香港水域时，他们就把船上的煤油桶以整齐的“一”字形抛入利马岛和兰德罗尼岛一带的浅海之中。日后，香港的同行只需派拖船到那一带海域用抓钩器把那些油桶钓上来就行了。 “干得不坏，”雷佐里说。“不过有些事儿还可以干得再漂亮点儿。”
那些种罂粟的家伙都把海洛因叫做“H”或者“马”，但对托尼·雷佐里来说，海洛因就是黄金。它所带来的利润真让人咋舌，罂粟种植主把他们的鸦片原材料卖给毒品贩子时，每10公斤的价格仅350美元，可是它们经过加工后在纽约街头成交时，它的价格竟能涨到250，000美元。 这钱太容易赚了，雷佐里想。卡莱拉是对的。重要的是如何躲过警方。 可现在不是十年前刚开始的那阵了。如今，这买卖越来越难做了。国际警察组织已经把贩毒列入了他们的首要任务。在他们的一些主要的走私港口，任何船只只要稍露可疑迹象，即刻就会遭到警方的登船检查。这就是雷佐里去找斯帕洛斯·兰伯罗的原因，兰伯罗的船队一向信誉很好，所以警方一般不可能对他的货船进行检查，但是这狗娘养的竟使他大为失望。看来我要另找出路了，托尼·雷佐里琢唐着。但是罢快。
“凯瑟琳——我打扰你了吗？” 这已经是午夜了。“不，科斯特。我很高兴能听见你的声音。” “一切都好吗？” “是的。谢谢你的关心，我很喜欢自己的工作。” “那就好。过几个星期我要来伦敦。我真想见见你。当心，别太心急。我打算到伦敦来处理一下有关人事方的问题。” "Ok." “那么晚安。” "Good night."
这一次是她打给他的电话。“科斯特，我不知该说什么好。这个小金盒太精致了。你不应该把……” “这无非是一个小小的纪念品。伊芙琳告诉我你对她的工作上的帮助真是太大了。我仅仅想借此表示一下我的心意罢了。”
竟是那么容易，德米里斯暗自高兴。只需一些小礼物和几句恭维话就行了。 下一步该说的是：我和妻子正分居着。 再下一步就该说：我感到很孤独。 然后就含糊其词地对她谈些婚姻苦恼之类的话，她就会乖乖地坐上游艇跟他一起去那个可爱的小岛。这办法用在女人身上每次总能奏效。那将是多么让人兴奋，德米里斯想象着。因为这一次将会有一个独特的结尾：事后她将死去。
他挂通了拿破仑·乔塔斯。大律师显然很高兴接到他的电话。“有一段时间没听到你的声音了，科斯特，一切还好吧？” “还可以，谢谢。我有件事儿要你帮个忙。” "No problem at all." “诺埃尔·帕琦在拉芬那有一幢小别墅。我要你用其他人的名义为我买下这幢房子。” “当然可以，我们所里正好有位律师在这方面……” “我要你亲自去办。” 稍稍一阵沉默后，“那好吧。我会把这件事办好的。” "thanks."
拿破仑·乔塔斯坐在那里怔怔地望着电话机。那幢别墅曾经是诺埃尔·帕琦向拉里·道格拉斯的鸳鸯巢，康斯坦丁·德米里斯要它做什么？
Every morning, Konstantin Demiris used to arrive at his office on Rue Ashgiralda at exactly six o'clock.So by the time his opponents got to work, he was already doing a lot of business on the phone with his agents around the world. Demiris' office is magnificent.From here, you can have a bird's-eye view of the majestic appearance of the entire city of Athens.There are hard black granite floors, steel-framed leather-covered office furniture, and Regis, Braque, and half a dozen Cubist paintings by Picasso hanging on the walls.Behind a huge desk with a stainless steel frame and glass top sits a high-backed leather-covered antique armchair.On the table, there is a crystal-carved head of Alexander the Great.Inscribed below, "Alexandros, protector of mankind." Just this early in the morning, just as Demiris walked into the office, the phone rang.Only five or six people know the number of his private phone. His house picked up the receiver. "Good morning." "Good morning." The voice of Sparrows' personal secretary, Nikos Viritos, came on the phone.His tone sounded tense. "Excuse me for interrupting you. Didn't you tell me to call you immediately if something important happened so that..." "Yes. What's the matter?" "Mr. Lambero was recently trying to buy all of Aurora International, Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange. A friend of his on the Board of the Exchange told him that the company was going to make a big arms deal with the government. Of course, This is top secret at the moment. But as soon as it is announced, these stocks will be very bullish..." "I'm not interested in the stock market," Demiris interrupted. "Don't bother me easily in the future, unless there is something important." "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Demiris. I thought..." But Demiris hung up the phone.
At eight o'clock, when Demiris's assistant, Giannis Tekaros, entered the office, Demiris looked up and said, "There's a company called Aurora on the New York Stock Exchange. Immediately notify all the newspapers about it." , let's say that this company is currently under investigation for suspected fraud, and the news is sent out in the name of 'an unnamed person', and it must be known to everyone. You must release the news vigorously until the company's Until the stock goes down. Then, as soon as we get it under control, we eat it all." "Yes, sir. Any more?" "Also, after we succeed, let the newspapers issue another message, claiming that the Aurora company's alleged fraud case has been verified, and it is purely groundless rumors, etc. Oh, yes, we must also let The NYSE knows that Sparrows Lamboro has been buying and selling his stock through their insiders." Giannis Tekalos added subtly, "Mr. Demiris, this would be considered illegal in the United States." Demiris smiled triumphantly: "I know."
A mile away, in Cintama Plaza, Sparrows was busy with his various affairs.This office fully embodies the gentle, traditional aesthetic taste of the owner.The interior is furnished with rare French and Italian antique furniture.Three walls are covered with Impressionist paintings, and the remaining wall is lined with masterpieces by Belgian painters, ranging from Van Reiselbouffet to De Smet.The sign on the outside office read: Lambereau and Partners.But so far, he has never had a partner.The businesses that Sparrows inherited from his father were already very successful, and with his hard work over the years, he has expanded them into large multinational conglomerates. Sparrows should be said to be a very happy person.He is strong, his business is going well, and he is in the prime of life.But as long as Demiris is alive, it is impossible for him to be truly happy.His brother-in-law seemed to him a damned villain, a scheming and inhuman rogue.Lambero has always been extremely disgusted with him, especially Demiris's abuse of his sister Marina made his hatred unforgettable.But the cutthroat rivalry between them was born out of the life-and-death complexities of the business itself. The seeds of their feud were planted 10 years ago.One day at noon, Sparrows Lambero and his sister Marina were having lunch together.That day, Marina noticed a level of excitement and enthusiasm in her brother that she had never felt before. "Marina, do you know that the world is consuming a large amount of coal every day that requires thousands of years of geological evolution?" "No, Sparrows." "So people's demand for oil will increase in the future, but there will not be enough tankers to transport the oil." "Do you want to get a few tankers to do it?" He nodded and said, "It's not just some ordinary tankers. I plan to build the world's first large-tonnage tanker fleet. Their number will be twice the total number of existing tankers." His tone was full of enthusiasm . "I've been doing the math for months. Look, it costs 7 cents a gallon to ship crude oil from the Persian Gulf to ports on the East Coast. But if you ship it on a large tanker, you're only paying 7 cents per gallon. A fee of 3 cents. Do you know what that means?" "Sparos, where did you get the money to build the fleet?" he laughed. "That's just a hiccup in my brilliant plan." "what?" He leans over. "I plan to go to the United States next month to negotiate this deal with some big oil companies. I can provide them with crude oil transportation services at half the current freight rate." "But... where did you get such a big tanker?" He put away his smile and said seriously: "Yes, but if I can sign a long-term charter contract with those big oil companies, I can get a loan from the bank to build a fleet. What do you think?" "I think you're a genius. It's a brilliant plan."
Marina is excited about her brother's plans.She talked about it with her husband at the dinner table that night. After telling Demiristo all about Sparrows' plan, she asked cheerfully, "What do you think of his idea?" Demiris didn't answer right away.After a while, he said, "Your brother is such a dreamer. This is never going to work." Marina looked at her husband in amazement. "Why not, Coster?" "Because it's a fantasy plan. One, the demand for oil won't be as much as he thinks, so his fabulous tankers will sit around like crap. Two, the oil companies Wouldn't entrust their precious oil to his fleet of fleets that don't even exist. As for the third, he'll laugh the hell out of the bankers and get kicked out of their offices." Hearing this, Marina's face was full of disappointment and melancholy. "Sparos is very enthusiastic about his plans. You wouldn't mind talking to him?" Demiris shook his head decisively. "Let him have his dreams, Marina. It might be better if we don't let him know about our conversation." "Okay, Coster. I won't say anything to him."
In the early morning of the next day, Constantine Demiris flew to the United States, preparing to immediately contact the American oil consortium on the large tanker business.He knew that the world's oil reserves were almost monopolized by the "Seven Sisters" except for the United States and the Soviet Union and the Eastern European bloc.They are: Standard Oil of New Jersey, California Petroleum, Gulf Oil, Texas Petroleum, Saucony-Vulcan, Royal Dutch Shell, and Anglo-Iranian Oil.He knew in his heart that if he could manage to hold any one of them down, the rest would follow.
The first breakthrough that Constantine Demiris chose was the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.The company's fourth vice chairman, Owen Curtis, met him in the general manager's office. "What can I do for you, Mr. Demiris?" "I now have an idea that will benefit your company in no small way." "Yes, you have already mentioned this on the phone." Curtis immediately glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting in a few minutes, if you can keep it as brief as possible..." "Pretty brief. You're currently paying seven cents a gallon to haul crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the East Coast of the United States, right?" "Completely correct." "What would you think if I could guarantee your company's crude oil shipments at a low freight rate of 3 cents a gallon?" Curtis smiled disapprovingly. "The question is how do you plan to create this miracle?" Demiris replied calmly, "Large tanker fleet. Its storage capacity is exactly double that of the existing general tankers, so as to ensure that your crude oil will be shipped as soon as it comes out of the ground." Curtis looked at him thoughtfully. "Then where did you get this fleet?" "I plan to build it myself." "Sorry, we are not interested in investing..." Demiris chimed in and said, "I don't need a penny from you. All I want from you is a long-term contract that will save you half the cost of shipping. Then, I'll try to Get a loan from the bank." A long pause, obviously meaningful.Owen Curtis cleared his throat, "I think you'd better go upstairs with me and talk to our chairman."
This is just the beginning of success.After that, the remaining six companies rushed to sign a long-term transportation contract with Demiris.By the time Sparrows Lambolo knew all this, it was too late.Although he later went to the United States to make a few deals with other small companies, the richest layer of cream on this big cake has been licked off by his brother-in-law. "Even though he's your husband," Lambero raged, "I swear, sooner or later, I'll make him pay for what he did." Marina was in excruciating pain.She felt as if she had betrayed her brother. However, when Demiris faced her questioning, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, "It's not that I went to talk to those companies, but they came to me to do this business with me. Could it be Can I keep them out?" That's all Demiris concluded on the matter. In fact, in Lambero's opinion, Demiris hurt Marina far more than he hurt himself in business. Demiris was already a notorious playboy, so Lambero might have shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off—and men need to have fun, after all.However, Demiris actually flaunted his romantic affairs with other women to the outside world, which made Lambero feel that Demiris was not only insulting Marina, but also insulting them. A kind of bad reputation for the Luo family.His romantic history with the actress named Noel Patch is enough to illustrate his intention to fear drugs, and the pornographic news about them has already appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.One day, he swore secretly, one day...
Nikos Viritos, Sparrows' personal secretary, entered the office.He has followed Sparrows for fifteen years.He's good at his job, but rather lacks the aggressive imagination.He is past sixty years old, has no future at all, and never appears in public.In his view, the contest between his master and Demiris provided him with a golden opportunity.He had already bet on Demiris, so he sold his master's secrets to Demiris again and again in the hope of getting some kind of reward in the future. He walked up to Lambero and said, "Excuse me. A man named Tony Rezzoli has asked to see you." Lamboreau yawned. "Let's deal with him now," he said lazily. "Let him in." Tony Rezzoli was about forty, with black hair, a thin hooked nose, and brown eyes set deep in their sockets.He walks with a graceful, disciplined boxing stance.He was wearing a beige suit, well made.Inside was a yellow silk shirt.The leather of the pair of leather shoes on the feet looked quite soft.He spoke politely, but there was an intimidation about him that one couldn't quite articulate. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lamborough." "Sit down, Mr. Rizzoli." He sat down. "What can I do for you?" "Yes, I have just spoken to Monsieur Viritos about this. We would like to charter a boat from you. I have a factory in Marseilles, you know, and I need to transport some heavy machinery from there to The United States, if this business can be concluded, then we can cooperate in many transactions in the future.” Zipalos Lambero leaned back in his chair and began beating the man sitting across from him.What a nuisance. "Is that the sole purpose of your charter, Monsieur Rizzoli?" he asked. Tony Rizzoli leaned forward. "What? I don't quite understand what you mean." "I think you should understand," Lambero said. "That means my boat is not suitable for your needs." "Why not? I really don't know what you're talking about." "Drugs, Mr. Rizzoli. You are a drug dealer." Rezzoli narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "You must be crazy! I never thought you would listen to the rumors outside." In fact, those guys are more than as simple as the rumors say.Sparos Lamboro had known this guy for a long time, Tony Rezzoli was one of Europe's leading drug lords and a member of the Italian Mafia.There was news recently that there was trouble in Razzoli's drug-trafficking pipeline, which was why he was so eager to find him today. "I'm afraid you'll have to find another master." Tony Rezzoli sat staring at him coldly.Finally he nodded and said, "Okay." He took a business card from his coat pocket and threw it on the table. "If you change your mind, you can contact me at the address there." Then he got up and left. Sparrows Lambero picked up his business card: Import-Export Corporation - Anthony.The address and telephone number of a hotel in Athens are printed on the bottom of the business card. Urkos Viritos sat by and listened to their conversation with wide-eyed eyes.When Tony Levy walked out of the office, he asked, "Is he really..." "Yes. Mr. Rezzoli is in the heroin business. If he is allowed to use our ship, the government will immediately seize our shipping company."
Tony Rezzoli stormed out of Lamboro's office building.The damned Greek is playing me for a bumpkin!How did he know?It would be a big deal if it was shot this time, it would be worth at least tens of millions of dollars.But the question is how to smuggle them to New York?Now the whole city of Athens is full of those damn narcotics cops.Looks like I'll have to make a long call to the Sicilian guys.Tony Rezzoli has always been successful in every drug trafficking, so he did not want to lose to the police this time either.He has always considered himself a born winner. He grew up in New York's "Hell's Kitchen," on Manhattan's West Side between Eighth Street and the Hudson River.It runs from Twenty-third Street in the south to Fifty-ninth Street in the north.From a psychological point of view, "Hell's Kitchen" is a city within a city, an independent kingdom where all the people are soldiers, and all the blocks here are controlled by gangsters from various gangs.Such as: Minnesota's gang of thieves, or Rhode Island's gang of thugs, etc.Here, you can buy a killing contract for as little as $100.If it is necessary to mutilate other people's limbs, the price will be reduced as appropriate. Residents of "Hell's Kitchen" generally live in tenements populated by lice, dwarfs and cockroaches.This kind of cheap apartment usually has no bathroom, so the local boys use their own methods to solve the problem of bathing.They usually like to jump naked from the edge of the dock into the Hudson River, even though the river is polluted with sewage from the city sewer and some bloated and smelly dead cats and dogs floating on the water. Smoked. The streets in this area have all kinds of lively scenes for people to watch every day.A fire truck with sirens blaring races down a crowded street... two gangs of gangsters fighting each other on the roof of an apartment building... a wedding procession swaggering through the streets... a great baseball game on the sidewalk... A guy was chasing his frightened horse like hell... Suddenly there was a burst of gunfire somewhere nearby.The children in this area never had their own playground.They have no place for entertainment other than playing on the street, on the top of an apartment building, or in a dump.In summer, they spend all day soaking in the stinking Hudson River.In short, everything in "Hell's Kitchen" exudes a strong smell of poverty, and it is in this atmosphere of poverty that Mr. Rezzoli grew up. Mr. Tony Rezzoli was once knocked to the ground when he was very young, and even the money for milk was stolen.This tragic encounter later became his first memory of childhood.He's been bullied by older kids since he was seven; the path to school is like no man's land.To make matters worse, the school itself is a world of the jungle.Until he was fifteen years old, he finally grew into a great boy, and he was also a master fighter.He likes to fight, that's because he is good at fighting.He found himself experiencing a sense of superiority in every fight, and he and his mates started boxing at the local Stillman Gym to make ends meet. Mob figures also frequent the Stillman Coliseum to watch their favorite hands-off games.Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, and Lucy Luciano come to the stadium for a game or two every month.In their view, boxing is a very stimulating entertainment, but it is a means of earning a living for the participating boys. Take a bet.Tony Rezzoli is a constant victor in the field, so he is very popular with those gangsters. One day, while Rizzoli was changing clothes in the cloakroom, he accidentally caught a conversation between Frank Costello and Lucy Luciano. "This kid is a gold mine," Luciano said. "I made a whole thousand dollars on him last week." "He's going to play against Lou Dominique this time, are you still going to bet on him?" "Why not, I'm going to bet ten big sums on it this time." "What bet?" "Just bet ten to one. It's nothing, the boy Rezzoli will win in all likelihood." Tony Rizzoli wasn't sure exactly what the words meant.So he told his brother Gino about it. "Jesus," Gino exclaimed, "those guys are betting big money on you." "But why is that? I'm not a professional boxer." Gino thought for a moment and said, "You've never lost a match, have you, Tony?" "yes." "It might be like this. At first they just bet some small bets for fun, and then when they discovered your strength, these guys started to get serious." The young man just shrugged his shoulders after hearing this: "I still don't see what this has to do with me." Gino took him by the hand and told him seriously: "It has a lot to do with you, or with us. Listen to me, boy..."
The bout with Lou Dominique is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Stillman Coliseum.Almost every gangster figure was there that day: Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, Albert Anastasia, Lucy Luciano, and Meyer Lansky.They were thrilled by these great lads fighting in the ring, but mostly because they found a way to make money in these lads. Lo Dominique was seventeen, a year older than Tony and five pounds heavier.But he is far from Tony's opponent in terms of technique and quality. There are a total of five rounds in this game.Tony handily won the first round.In the second round, he also had a fairly easy job.The guys under the stage have already started counting the money happily. "This kid will become a world champion sooner or later." Lucki Luciano stepped forward and said. "How much did you bet on him?" "Ten big numbers," Frank Costello replied. "I think it could go as high as fifteen to one. The kid seems to have a hit." However, something unexpected happened.In the fifteenth round of the fight, Lou Dominic suddenly knocked Tony to the ground with a beautiful uppercut.The referee began to count... very slowly, very slowly, while looking anxiously at the stunned audience off the court. "Stand up, you bloody little bastard," Joe Azonis yelled desperately. "Get up and fight!" The counting was still going on, but even though the referee had reported very slowly, he still counted to ten in the end.Tony Rizzoli still lay there motionless. "Bastard. His punch is really worth it!" Those guys calculated after the game, and their loss this time was really appalling.Gino dragged his brother from the stage to the locker room.At this point, Tony glanced at him without daring to open his eyes.Because if anyone found out that he was actually fully sane, it would be hell for him. After waiting until he got home safely, Tony finally breathed a sigh of relief. "We made it!" exclaimed his brother excitedly. "Do you know how much we made this time? Nearly a thousand dollars." "I don't understand. I..." "I just borrowed the usury from them themselves and staked it on the Dominican at fifteen to one. Now we have money at last." "Then won't they be mad?" Tony asked worriedly. "They'll never know," Gino said with a smile.
The next day, when Tony Rezzoli came out of school, he saw a large black car parked by the side of the road.Lucki Luciano, who was in the back seat, called him over to the car and said, "Come on in." Tony Rezzoli's heart suddenly tightened. "I can't, Monsieur Luciano, I have to..." "Come in." Tony Rezzoli had no choice but to get into the car obediently.Lucki Luciano told the driver, "Just do a few laps around the block." God bless, I hope they are not going to kidnap and kill. He cut to the chase and said to Tony, "You play dead on the field." Tony's face turned red uncontrollably. "No, sir. I..." "Don't fool me. How much did you gain from that game?" "Nothing, Monsieur Luciano, I..." "I'll ask you again: How much did you get?" He hesitated for a while and said, "A thousand dollars." Lucy Luciano laughed. "That's just enough to feed the chickens. But I want to do a... How old are you?" "It's almost 16." "Not bad for a 16-year-old kid, I guess. But you know you can make a lot of money for me and my friends." "sorry, I……" "Forget about it. You're a bright boy, and you're sure to have a future." "Thank you. I appreciate the compliment." "I'll keep it a secret from you, Tony. Or my friends will cut off the thing under you and make you swallow it yourself. But I want you to see me on Monday. From now on You and I are in the same boat."
A week later, Tony Rizzoli started working for Lucy Luciano.At first, he was just an errand runner under Luckey, but because of his dexterity and diligence, he was soon promoted to be a law enforcement gunman in the gang group, until he finally became Luciano's deputy. When Lucy Luciano was arrested by the police and found guilty, Tony Rizzoli remained in Luciano's gang.
While gang families typically turn to casinos, loan sharks, brothels, and a variety of other illegal businesses to make huge profits for themselves, they have always kept the drug business at a distance.However, with some family members insisting on joining the lucrative business, others have reluctantly agreed to let their men set up their own clandestine drug trafficking network. Tony Zori was obsessed with the idea.Because as far as he knows, all drug dealers have almost no coordination and organization in the process of drug trafficking.Just let those fools go about their business.The real masters are in the back... He decided to go big.
Tony Rizzoli likes to be methodical.He first read everything about heroin. Heroin is fast becoming the king of narcotics.Marijuana and cocaine can give a person a "high" high, but heroin can put the whole body into a state of extremely pleasurable anesthesia, without pain or other troubles.If a person is addicted to heroin, he will sell all his property, even steal everything he can, and he will not hesitate to do anything illegal as long as it can satisfy his drug addiction.In any case, heroin seemed to him to be God, the reason for his existence. Turkey is one of the world's largest poppy growers.Heroin is extracted from this plant. The family also has frequent ties with the Turkish side.So Rizzoli went to Peter Luca, one of the heads of the family. "I've decided to get involved," Rizzoli said. "But everything I do is for the family. I hope you understand that." "You're a nice fellow, Tony." "I want to go to Turkey first, can you try to arrange a size 1 for me" The old man hesitated. "I'll have someone say hello to them. But they're not like us. Those guys have no humanity at all. They're brutes. If you don't gain their trust, they'll kill you." "I'll be careful." "You must be careful." Two weeks later, Tony Rizzoli was on the road.
He visited the three poppy producing areas of Izmir, Afyon and Eskisehir.In the beginning, Rezzoli was always suspected by those guys, because he was a stranger to them after all, and that kind of place never welcomes strangers. "We will have a lot of business to cooperate in the future," Rezzoli said, "Can I see your poppy plantation?" The other just shrugged. "I had no idea there was a poppy plantation here. You're wasting your time. Go home." But Rezzoli was not discouraged.After numerous phone calls and coded telegrams, they finally allowed him to go to Kilis on the Turkish-Syrian border to inspect a large field of thriving poppies.It was grown by a large estate owner named Calella. "I still don't understand," Tony said, "how on earth do you get heroin out of these poppies?" A technician in a white coat next to him explained to him: "It needs to go through several processes, Mr. Rezzoli. Heroin is synthesized from opium. Opium is obtained by treating morphine with acetic acid. The poppy plant contains opium. Academically known as poppy-like narcotic substances. After they are separated and refined, they become heroin. The word opium is derived from the Greek word. Its original meaning in Greek is 'juice'. " "understood."
Harvest time came, and Tony went to Calera to see the harvest in some of the main poppy fields.Calella's family members are almost in full force at such times.Ripe poppies are carefully and neatly harvested with a sharp knife shaped like a scalpel.Carrera explained to him: "Once these things are ripe, they have to be harvested within 24 hours. Otherwise, they will be ruined." The nine members of Calella's family worked almost like crazy to ensure that the harvest could be completed in time.A drowsy, pungent aroma pervades the surrounding air. Rezzoli felt a little swaying when he walked. "Be careful," Carrera warned him. "You must keep a clear head, and if you lie down, you can't expect to wake up again." During the harvest, all the doors and windows of the houses on the estate are tightly closed. After the intense harvesting, Rezzoli followed him up the mountain to visit the "laboratory" where heroin was produced.There, he watched them process and refine the white morphine slime through various procedures until the heroin was finished. "So that's what happened." Calera shook his head and said, "No, my friend. This is just the first step. Manufacturing heroin should be said to be the easiest thing in this business. The important thing is how to sell the produced heroin without being caught by the police." live." Tony Rizzoli felt a thrill inside.This is his specialty.So far, this kind of work has been done by some idiots, and now he wants to show these guys how a master does it. "How are you going to get this thing out?" "There are many ways. Trucks, coaches, trains, cars, mules or road camels and..." "camel?" “我们以前常把它们装进铁盒子后再塞进骆驼的肚子里——直到那些检查人员后来使用金属探测仪为止。以后我们就改用橡胶袋装运。到了目的地后，我们就杀了骆驼取出袋子。可是这种办法有时也会出漏子。因为橡胶袋在骆驼的肚子里很容易破裂，而且这些该死的骆驼肚子里塞了东西后走起路来就像醉鬼似的。这样一来，过边境关卡时就会露馅。” “一般你们都走哪条路线？” “有时候我们从的阿勒颇、贝鲁特或者伊斯坦布尔直接到马赛。还有条路线是从伊斯坦布尔到希腊，从希腊再到西西里，然后从那里穿越科西嘉和摩洛哥，最后翻越大西洋。” “我很感谢你的合作，”托尼说，“而且我会让我的伙计们知道这一点。不过我还有一件事需要你的帮助。” "yes?" “我想你们下次运货时能让我跟着走一趟吗？” 对方并没有马上回答。“这种差使是很危险的。” “就让我碰碰运气吧。”
第二天下午，托尼·雷佐里被安排同一个又大又笨的家伙见了面。这人一脸的匪气，蓄着漂亮平整的小胡子，身材壮得像一条牛。“这是从阿菲永来的莫斯塔法。在土耳其语里，'阿菲永'这个词的意思就是'鸦片'的意思。他是偷运这一行的好手。” “我们不得不干得巧妙点儿，”莫斯塔法好像还挺谦虚的，“否则会惹大麻烦的。” 托尼微微一笑，说：“不过这种冒险很值得，你说呢？” 莫斯塔法觉得这话似乎有辱于他的职业的尊严，“你所谈的只是钱而已。可对我们来说，鸦片并不仅仅意味着金钱。它是一种神秘的东西。这种含有白色物浓的植物是神赐予人类的万应灵药，只要能不超过一定的剂量。它既可以口服，又能直接涂抹在皮肤上。所有的小毛小病——胃病、感冒、发热以及各种病痛或者跌打扭伤都能保证药到病除。不过你得当心。要是你服用过量过猛，那就不仅会搞乱你的神经系统，而且还会丢了床上的功夫。在我们土耳其，这对男人来说是最丢脸的事儿。” “是啊。你的话句句在理。”
他们选在半夜从阿菲永动身。卡莱拉庄园的伙计们排成一路纵队在漆黑的夜幕下悄悄地向前穿行着。他们将在指定地点同莫斯塔法会合。骡子的屁股上共捆绑着350公斤的海洛因，也就是700多磅。鸦片所散发出来的那种像湿草一样的刺鼻的芳香朝他们一阵阵地扑鼻而来。这些伙计们绝大多数已经跟莫斯塔法干过几趟。他们每人身上都带着步枪。 “如今，我们得小心点，”莫斯塔法告诉雷佐里说。“到处都有国际或者国内警察在注意我们。要在以往，可真够有趣的。我们通常把货物装在棺材里，上面蒙上一块黑布之类的。然后出我们穿过一个个城市和乡村时，那番场景可感动人了：我们同警察们相互都脱帽表示敬意，同时，那鸦片棺材就大摇大摆地从他们身边抬过去了。” 阿菲永属于土耳其西部的一个三流的小城。它位于高原地区的苏丹山脚下。这里远离土耳其的那些大城市，而且一向人烟稀少。 “地方的地理环境对我们是再也适合不过了，”莫斯塔法说。“我们在这一带一般不容易被人发现。” 骡队走得很慢，经过三天三夜的翻山越岭，他们终于在第四天的深夜到达了土－叙边境。等在这里同他们接头的是一个身穿黑衣服的女人。她牵来了一匹马，马背上驮着一袋面粉，马鞍上系着一根麻绳。这根绳子约有200英尺长，它远远地拖在马后，但并不着地，因为绳子的那一头被莫斯塔法和他的伙计们抓在手里。他们一行16人，每人手中抱着一麻袋35磅重的海洛因，另一只手抓着绳子。他们一个个蹲伏着身子，几乎就像站着地面似地跟在那个牵马女人的后面悄悄地向边境摸去。边境的开阔地带一般都布有对付偷越的杀伤地雷。可是在这以前，他们已经把一群羊赶过了布雷区，从而就为他们自己开辟出一条安全的羊肠小道。假如他们手里的绳子突然松了下来落在地上，那就是在向他们暗示前面的那个女人肯定撞上了边防警察。要是那个女人被他们带去审问的话，那么躲在后面的莫斯塔法一行人在他们离开后就能稳稳当当地穿越国境了。 越过边境后，他们又穿越了布满地雷和巡逻警的边境站基里斯，接着进入了三英里宽的缓冲地带，然后直奔约定的交货点。叙利亚的同行们早已在那里迎候，当他们把一袋袋海洛因卸在地上，叙利亚人给他们开了一瓶拉基酒。他们拿来后就一人呷一口地相互传递着。下一步就是过秤、堆放以及捆扎等。最后，再把货装到那些肮脏的叙利亚驴子鞍背上，这趟差使就算大功告成了。 行了，雷佐里心想。下面该看看泰国那帮小子的好戏了。
雷佐里下一站到了曼谷。到那里后，他很快便取得了对方的信任并被允许跟着一起上了一条泰国渔船。他们的办法是用聚乙烯薄膜把“白面”封好后装进带有金属环的空煤油桶里。当船靠近香港水域时，他们就把船上的煤油桶以整齐的“一”字形抛入利马岛和兰德罗尼岛一带的浅海之中。日后，香港的同行只需派拖船到那一带海域用抓钩器把那些油桶钓上来就行了。 “干得不坏，”雷佐里说。“不过有些事儿还可以干得再漂亮点儿。”
那些种罂粟的家伙都把海洛因叫做“H”或者“马”，但对托尼·雷佐里来说，海洛因就是黄金。它所带来的利润真让人咋舌，罂粟种植主把他们的鸦片原材料卖给毒品贩子时，每10公斤的价格仅350美元，可是它们经过加工后在纽约街头成交时，它的价格竟能涨到250，000美元。 这钱太容易赚了，雷佐里想。卡莱拉是对的。重要的是如何躲过警方。 可现在不是十年前刚开始的那阵了。如今，这买卖越来越难做了。国际警察组织已经把贩毒列入了他们的首要任务。在他们的一些主要的走私港口，任何船只只要稍露可疑迹象，即刻就会遭到警方的登船检查。这就是雷佐里去找斯帕洛斯·兰伯罗的原因，兰伯罗的船队一向信誉很好，所以警方一般不可能对他的货船进行检查，但是这狗娘养的竟使他大为失望。看来我要另找出路了，托尼·雷佐里琢唐着。但是罢快。
“凯瑟琳——我打扰你了吗？” 这已经是午夜了。“不，科斯特。我很高兴能听见你的声音。” “一切都好吗？” “是的。谢谢你的关心，我很喜欢自己的工作。” “那就好。过几个星期我要来伦敦。我真想见见你。当心，别太心急。我打算到伦敦来处理一下有关人事方的问题。” "Ok." “那么晚安。” "Good night."
这一次是她打给他的电话。“科斯特，我不知该说什么好。这个小金盒太精致了。你不应该把……” “这无非是一个小小的纪念品。伊芙琳告诉我你对她的工作上的帮助真是太大了。我仅仅想借此表示一下我的心意罢了。”
竟是那么容易，德米里斯暗自高兴。只需一些小礼物和几句恭维话就行了。 下一步该说的是：我和妻子正分居着。 再下一步就该说：我感到很孤独。 然后就含糊其词地对她谈些婚姻苦恼之类的话，她就会乖乖地坐上游艇跟他一起去那个可爱的小岛。这办法用在女人身上每次总能奏效。那将是多么让人兴奋，德米里斯想象着。因为这一次将会有一个独特的结尾：事后她将死去。
他挂通了拿破仑·乔塔斯。大律师显然很高兴接到他的电话。“有一段时间没听到你的声音了，科斯特，一切还好吧？” “还可以，谢谢。我有件事儿要你帮个忙。” "No problem at all." “诺埃尔·帕琦在拉芬那有一幢小别墅。我要你用其他人的名义为我买下这幢房子。” “当然可以，我们所里正好有位律师在这方面……” “我要你亲自去办。” 稍稍一阵沉默后，“那好吧。我会把这件事办好的。” "thanks."
拿破仑·乔塔斯坐在那里怔怔地望着电话机。那幢别墅曾经是诺埃尔·帕琦向拉里·道格拉斯的鸳鸯巢，康斯坦丁·德米里斯要它做什么？