Chapter 13 Section VIII

The first day after Don Corleone was shot was a busy day for the entire Corleone family.Michael waited on the phone to tell Sonny what he heard.Tom Hagen was on the run, trying to find a mutually satisfactory mediator and arrange a meeting with Sollozzo.The "Turk" was on the alert, too, perhaps aware that Clemenza and Tessio had dropped their nets all over the city in an attempt to track him down.But, like the top figures in the Tattaglia family organization, Sollozzo has been hiding in dark corners and dare not show his face.This was what Sonny had expected, and the enemy would have to take such precautions.

Clemenza was too busy with Paulie Gatto to let go.Tessio has been tasked with trying to find out what happened to Luke Brasi.Luke hadn't been seen coming home since the night before the shooting, which was a bad omen.But Sonny could not believe that Brasi had been a traitor or had been attacked by surprise. Mama Corleone stayed at a friend's house in the city to be closer and more convenient to the hospital.Carlo Rizzi, the son-in-law, offered to help, but he was told he could just mind his own business, which was the gambling registry Don Corleone had arranged for him in the Italian Quarter of Manhattan.Connie lived with her mother in the city so that she could also visit her father in the hospital.

Freddie remained in his room, sedated.Sonny and Michael had visited him once, and had been taken aback by his paleness, his obvious morbidity. "Christ!" After coming out of Freddie's room, Sonny said to Michael: "He looks like he's been hit harder than the old man." Michael shrugged.He had also seen some soldiers frightened like that on the battlefield back then, but he never expected Freddie to be like that.He remembered that when they were young, the second child was considered the strongest in the family, and he was also the most filial son in front of his father.Even so, everyone knew that the old man had given up on the second child a long time ago, thinking that he was not worthy of taking on important responsibilities in the family.He is not thoughtful enough, and besides, he is not cruel enough.He is an overly uncontested figure without enough courage.

Towards dusk, Michael received a call from Johnny Fontane from Hollywood.Sonny took the receiver and said: "No, Johnny, don't come and see the old man just now. He's very ill. If you come, it's going to be a mess for you, and I know the old man won't approve of it. Wait until he gets something." Well, we can visit him again when we can take him home. That’s it, I’ll be responsible for conveying your thoughts to him.” Sonny hung up the phone, turned back and said to Michael: "Papa will be happy to hear that. Johnny Fontane wants to fly from California to see him."

Late that afternoon, the man in charge of security called Michael to the kitchen to answer the phone.The phone in the kitchen is in the phone book, public.This is Kai calling. "Is your father's injury not serious?" she asked, her voice a little tense and unnatural.Michael knew it: she couldn't believe what had happened; his father was a gangster, as the papers said. "He'll be fine," Michael said. "When you visit him in the hospital, can I go with you?" Kay asked again. Michael laughed.She remembered that he had told her: If you want to get along with old-minded Italians, you should understand the importance of being cautious in the relationship between men and women.

"It was a special accident," he said, "and if the reporter knew your name and background, you would have reported it, and it would have been in the third page of the Daily News: Girl from Old-fashioned New England The gang leader's son hooks up with each other. Will your parents be happy to see such a report?" Kay said calmly, "My mom and dad never read the Daily News." Then he paused awkwardly for a moment before saying, "Mike, you're all right, you're not in any danger, are you? " Michael laughed again. "In the Corleone family, I was known to be a soft, big-girl boy who wouldn't threaten me. I was too much trouble to deal with, and they didn't want to waste their time on me. It's all calm now. , Kai, there will be no more problems. The whole process is purely accidental, and we will discuss it in detail next time we meet."

"So, when will we meet next time?" Michael pondered. "Just later tonight, how about? Let's have a few drinks and a late-night snack at that hotel of yours, and then I'll go to the hospital to see my old man by myself. It's annoying to be here to answer the phone all the time. Just Well, okay? But don't tell anyone, I don't want a photojournalist to sneak a picture of us together. It's no joke, Kay, if our picture together gets published in a newspaper , that would be too embarrassing. Especially for your parents, it would be even more embarrassing."

"Okay," Kay said, "I'm waiting for you. Can I buy you Christmas presents? Or do you want me to do anything else for you?" "No need," Michael said. "I just want you to be ready." She was so excited that she couldn't help but giggled. "I'm ready," she said, "and don't I always be?" "Yes, you are always ready, so you are the best girl in my mind." "I love you," she said, "can you say 'I love you' too?" Michael glanced at the four men sitting in the kitchen. "No," he said, "tonight, remember?"

"Remember." Clemenza returned from a busy day and was in the kitchen sautéing tomato sauce.Michael nodded to him and went to the corner office, where Hagen and Sonny were waiting impatiently for him. "Is Clemenza in the kitchen?" Michael smiled and said, "He's cooking spaghetti for soldiers, just like the regular army." Sonny said irritably, "Tell him to put down that time-wasting chore and come upstairs, I have more important work for him to do. Call Tessio up here with him." " After a while, they all gathered in the office.Sonny asked Clemenza straight to the point:

"How is the person in your care taking care of?" Clemenza nodded. "You'll never see him again." When Michael heard it, his whole body went numb like a slight electric shock.He realized that the "he" they were talking about was Paulie Gatto: little Paulie was dead. Sonny asked Hagen, "Have you connected with Sollozzo?" Hagen shook his head. "His enthusiasm for negotiating seems to have cooled down, and the urgency is less in general. Maybe he is very cautious, so as not to let our sentry stare at him. All in all, I have not yet found a matchmaker he would trust. senior people. But he must have understood that now he must negotiate. He let the old man slip out of his hands, and the chance of the old man being caught again is gone forever."

Sonny said, "He's a smart guy, the smartest guy our family ever met. Maybe he figured we were saving our energy. No action until the old man got better or heard about him." action." Hagen shrugged. "I'm sure he figured that out. But he still has to negotiate, there's no other option. I'll set up the lines of communication tomorrow, and that's settled." One of Clemenza's men knocked on the office door, came in and said to Clemenza: "Just now the radio said that the police found the body of Paulie Gatto, dead in his car." "Don't worry about that." The military worker first looked at his commander with surprise, then with understanding, and then went back to the kitchen. As the meeting continued in the office, seemingly without end, Sonny asked Hagen: "Has there been any changes in the old man's condition?" Hagen shook his head. "Stable, but unable to talk, and will be like this for another two days. He's exhausted, just had an operation, and still recovering. Your mother's with him nearly all day, and Connie. There are cops all over the hospital; Tessio's men are running around there just in case. He'll be much better in two days and we'll know what he wants us to do. Here During this period, we must try to stabilize Sollozzo to prevent him from doing rash things again. This is the fundamental reason why I urge you to negotiate with him." Sonny snorted. "I've put both Clemenza and Tessio in charge of finding him. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll cut through the mess and fix it all at once." "You won't have that kind of luck, Sollozzo is too smart." Hagen paused for a moment, then added, "He understands that once he gets to the negotiating table, he will have to go our way. So he deliberately Delay. I presume that he is currently linking up with other great families in New York to support him. That way, if the old man says a word to us, we won't have any trouble with him." Sonny frowned and said: "What are the other big families in New York supporting him for?" Hagen patiently explained: "The idea is to avoid a major war, because when it breaks out, everyone will suffer, and the press and the government will have to take action. Also, Sollozzo will give them some sweetness. You know There is a lot of money in the drug business. There is no need for the Corleone family to get involved. What we take care of is gambling, which is also the biggest way to make money, but other big families can’t get enough. Sollozzo is a proven expert. They believed in his ability to make the business big. He was money in their pockets when he was alive, and trouble when he was dead." Sonny looked odd.Michael had never seen his eldest brother look like that, and the cupid-shaped lips and bronzed face suddenly turned gray. "We won't give an inch, and they better stay out of this fight." Clemenza and Tessio were sitting on pins and needles, moving uneasily.They looked like infantry generals who, hearing the gibberish of their commander, were about to charge desperately toward the impregnable hill.Hagen said a little irritably: "Calm down, Sonny, your papa won't let you think of that. You know one of his catchphrases: 'That's not good.' Of course, if the old man says he wants us to get Solo Zoe, then we will not allow anyone to tie our hands. But this is not a small personal matter, but a big business matter. If we want to catch the 'Turk', and other big families want to interfere, then we will do what we can Come to negotiate. If the other big families find that we are determined to get Sollozzo, they may acquiesce. The old man will also make some concessions in other areas so that things can be settled. But don't be reckless in such matters. Hacking and killing. It's a business, and even your dad being shot is a matter of business pros and cons, not personal love or hate. It's about time you figured it out." Sonny's eyes were still murderous. "Well, I understand all this. As long as you understand it, no one will hinder our arrest of Sollozzo." Sonny asked Tessio again, "Does Luke have any clues?" Tessio shook his head. "No clue at all. I guess Sollozzo must have taken him." Hagen said calmly: "Sollozzo is not worried about Luke, which makes me feel strange. Sollozzo is a cunning man, and he will not be wary of a character like Luke. I think he may use some way to make Luke in the current situation. in the struggle." Sonny muttered, "Christ, I hope Luke won't go against us just now, that's what I'm afraid of. Clemenza, Tessio, what do you two estimate?" Clemenza said slowly, "Anyone can go astray. Paulie was an example. But when it came to Luke, he was a man who could only go down one road. The Godfather was the only one he believed in." God, the only sage to fear. Not only that, Sonny, you must understand that your father has earned the respect of everyone as godfather, but Luke respects your father above all people. No, Luke will never Betrayed us. And I find it hard to believe that a man like Sollozona, despite his cunning, was able to surprise Luke with such success. Luke was on the alert, wary of anyone and everything. He's always expecting the worst. I think he's probably gone somewhere, and he's going to be delayed for a few days. We might hear from him any minute now." Sonny looked back at Tessio.The corps commander shrugged. "Anyone can mutiny. Luke is an impulsive man, and perhaps the old man has pissed him off. It's possible. I think, on the face of it, that Sollozzo, despite his little surprise attack on him, It may also be a feeling of being in the middle of one's arms, willing to be a prisoner. This kind of analysis fits with what the staff said. We have to mentally prepare for the worst." Sollozzo said to them all, "Sollozzo will find out about Paulie Gatto in a moment. What effect is it likely to have on him?" Clemenza said grimly, "It will make him think twice first. He'll see that the Corleones are not weak. He'll see that his plot yesterday was a fluke." Sollozzo said decisively, "It wasn't a fluke. Sollozzo had been planning this for weeks. The old man must have been following him every day at work, watching his daily activities, and then they would buy Paulie over, and then maybe Luke was also bought. At the juncture, Tom was arrested again. Everything he had to do beforehand was done. It should be said that they were unlucky, and the few gunmen they hired were useless; the old man responded So fast, they're a little caught off guard. If they kill him, then I'll have to make a deal, and Sollozzo wins. For now, I'll wait and see, maybe five years, ten years , to catch him. But don't say he was lucky, Peter, to say that is to underestimate him. And lately, we have suffered from underestimating him too much." A member of the martial arts team brought a large bowl of thin noodles from the kitchen, and several dishes, as well as knives and forks and wine.They ate and talked.Michael looked on in amazement, he did not eat.Tom didn't eat either, but Sonny, Clemenza, and Tessio gobbled it up, breaking off a piece of bread, dipping it in ketchup and nibbling it like a comedy show.They continue their discussion. Tessio thought that the loss of Pauli Gatto would not disturb Sollozzo; on the other hand, he thought that the "Turk" might have expected this move, and actually liked it.A now useless man who gave information by word of mouth was removed from the payroll.It wouldn't surprise him at all.However, is the situation they are facing really as analyzed by Tessio? Michael spoke up and expressed a different opinion. "I know I'm a layman on this subject, but from the analysis you've all made of Sollozzo, and the fact that he's lost contact with Tom, I suspect he may have something else up his sleeve. He's likely to come suddenly." If one is really powerful, then he will gain the upper hand again. If we can deduce what his tricks are, then we will take the initiative and reverse the situation." Sonny said reluctantly, "Yes, I thought of that too, and all I can infer is Luke. The word has already been let out that he was brought here as soon as he saw him. The privileges enjoyed by the family can be put aside for the time being. In addition, it also occurred to me that Sollozzo has made deals with several large families in New York. We will be informed tomorrow that if war breaks out, they will almost Everyone's going to be against us. So we're going to have to agree to the 'Turk' offer. Isn't that right, Tom?" Hagen nodded. "I think the situation is like this. Without your father, it is impossible for the few of us to withstand this united opposition force. Only he has the ability to deal with these big families. He has great achievements in politics. Backdoors, they have always wanted to use him to get through these backdoors. Also, he is good at using political backdoors for business at critical moments.” Clemenza spoke, his tone a bit arrogant for a man whose top officer had just betrayed his chief. "Sollozzo will never come near this house. Don't worry about that, boss." Sonny looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then said to Tessio, "How's the hospital? Are your people well guarded?" For the first time in the entire interview, Tessio appeared absolutely sure of his point. "Inside and out," he said, "twenty-four hours a day. The police keep the hospital under strict guard. Detectives are waiting at the door of the ward to question the old man. It's ridiculous to talk about it. How can you question him when he can't even speak? The old man still relies on needles for nutrition and doesn’t eat at all, so we don’t have to worry about food problems. Originally, the ‘Turks’ love poisoning, and the kitchen should be guarded against. Now they can’t get close to the old man, no matter what.” Sonny leaned back in his chair and said to himself: "It's not going to be me that they're after next: they have to deal with me, and they need the Corleone machine to work." He grinned at Michael and said: "I think it might be you. Maybe Sollozzo wants to hold you hostage and force us to agree to some deals." Michael's expression was a little helpless: his date with Kai was up.Sonny would not let him leave the house.But Hagen said to Sonny impatiently: "Not necessarily. Mike could have been taken at any time if he wanted a hostage. But everyone knows that Mike is outside the family business. He's a common man; if Sollozzo took an outsider like him, he would lose The support of other big families in New York. Even the Tattaglias will help hunt him down, it is obvious. Tomorrow we will have an interview with a general representative of a big family, and he will tell us: Be sure to fight with the 'Turks 'To do business together. That's what he dreamed of, that's his trump card." Michael let out a long sigh. "Why," said he, "I must go to town to-night." "To what?" asked Sonny. Michael smiled and said: "I'm planning to go to the hospital to see my father, and my mother and Connie as well. I have other things to do." Like the old man, Michael had never spoken of his real intentions, and now he didn't want to tell Sonny about his date with Kay Adams.There was no reason not to tell Sonny, but it was everyone's temper. There was a commotion from the kitchen.Clemenza went out to see what was going on.He came back holding Luke Blasi's body armor with a large dead fish wrapped in his hands. Clemenza said flatly, "The 'Turk' apparently knew what happened to his agent, Paulie Gatto." Tessio said calmly, "We finally know the whereabouts of Luke Brasi now." Sonny lit a cigar and took another swig of whiskey.Michael felt baffled and asked: "What the hell does that fish mean?" Hagen explained his question: "The fish means that Luke Brasi is at rest at the bottom of the sea." He said: "It's an old Sicilian message."