Chapter 15 Section ten

The hospital was small, with only one door, and Michael looked down on the street from the window: there was a curved courtyard in front of the door, with steps leading to the street in front of the courtyard; the street was empty, not even a car.It seems that anyone who wants to enter this hospital has to go through this gate.Knowing that time was short, he ran out of the ward, down four flights of stairs, and out the wide door.Not far away is the ambulance parking lot. He saw that there were neither ordinary cars nor ambulances there. Michael stood on the sidewalk outside the hospital, lighting a cigarette.He unbuttoned his jacket and stood in the light of a street lamp.In this way, his face can be seen clearly and recognized.A young man came from Ninth Road, walking quickly, with a bag under his arm.The young man was wearing a military uniform and had thick, unkempt black hair.He walked under the light, and Michael saw that the face was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he met him.The young man stopped before him, and, extending his hand to shake Michael's, said in a strong Italian accent:

"Master Michael, do you remember me? My name is Enzo. I used to be Nazorin's assistant to the baker, and now he is his son-in-law. Your father managed to get the government to allow me to stay in the United States, which is tantamount to saving my life. " Michael held his hand, and he remembered who Enzo was. Enzo went on to say, "I'm here to pay respects to your father. Will they let me go to the hospital at this late hour?" Michael smiled and shook his head. "I'm not allowed to go in, but thank you anyway, I'll tell the old man later that you've been here."

A car rumbled down the street, and Michael immediately became alert.He said to Enzo: "Leave quickly, there may be trouble here, there is no need for the police to pester you." He saw the look of terror on the young Italian's face.Getting into trouble with the police could mean deportation or disqualification of citizenship.But the young man stood motionless and whispered in Italian: "If there is going to be trouble, I am willing to stay and help, and I should be grateful to the godfather for this." Michael was very moved.When he was about to advise the young man to leave quickly, he had an idea: why not let him stay?Two men in front of the hospital were enough to scare off a gang sent by Sollozzo, and one man was almost certainly helpless.He handed Enzo a cigarette and lit it for him.On a bitter December night, the two of them stood under the street lamps, the yellow glass of the hospital window broken by the green Christmas tree branches, and the dim light shone on them through the mottled glass.As they were finishing their cigarettes, a long, low black car turned from Ninth Avenue into Thirty Street and came toward them, almost touching the curb of the sidewalk.The car hadn't come to a complete stop yet, Michael opened his eyes wide, trying to see the people in the car, and he flinched involuntarily.The car seemed to come to a stop, but then sped forward again, evidently the occupants recognized him.Michael handed Enzo another cigarette and noticed that the baker's hand was shaking.To his surprise, his own hands did not tremble at all.

The two of them were smoking cigarettes on the street. They had been smoking for less than ten minutes when suddenly a police car whistle pierced the silent night sky. stop.Immediately behind were two police vehicles equipped with short-wave radiotelephones.Suddenly the hospital gates were filled with uniformed police officers and detectives.Michael breathed a sigh of relief, and he stepped forward to meet them. Two burly policemen grabbed his arms.Another policeman was searching him.A tall and bulky police officer, with a gold-rimmed cap, came up the steps, and his men deferentially moved out of the way to make way.In spite of his arrogance, with a ring of spontaneity peeking out from under his hat, he moves with vigor.His face was red and muscular, like beef.He walked up to Michael and said gruffly:

"I thought you gangsters were all locked up. Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" A policeman standing next to Michael reported, "Sir, he's unarmed." Michael ignored the officer's question, but looked at the officer carefully, his face and blue eyes calmly.An undercover detective said: "This is Michael Corleone, the old man's son." Michael said calmly: "Where did the detectives who were in charge of protecting my father go? Who turned them away?" The police officer was furious when he heard this: "You bloody rascal, what are you, you actually meddle in my business? I transferred them away. Italian gangsters killed each other, and how many people died is none of my business. According to I see, in order to protect your father from being knocked out, I would not lift a finger, now you go away. Damn! Get off this street, you little hooligan, don't come here when it's not visiting time Come to the hospital."

Michael was not angry at the police officer's abuse.He is thinking about something.Could it be that Sollozzo was sitting in the car that passed earlier and saw him standing in front of the hospital?Could it be that Sollozzo questioned the police officer over the wireless phone, "I paid you to lock up all the Corleone family members. What did you do? There are Corleone people near the hospital? Is it all so ignorant?" Did my son say it was carefully planned? Everything fit perfectly. Michael still calmly said to the police officer: "I won't leave this hospital if you don't set up sentries to guard my father's ward."

The police officer didn't bother to answer Michael's question.He said to the detective standing beside him: "Phil! Lock up this hooligan." The detective said hesitantly, "Report sir, this boy is unarmed. He is a fighting hero and has never been involved in illegal activities. The horror stories in the newspapers are not credible." The officer, flushed with rage, glared at the detective.He roared: "Damn it, I said lock him up." Michael was still clear-headed, not angry, and said deliberately sarcastically: "Sir, how much did the 'Turk' pay you to sacrifice my father?"

The inspector looked back at him, and then said to the two stout patrolmen: "catch him!" Michael felt his arm was tightly grasped, unable to move.He saw the officer's massive fist swung toward his face.He struggled to get out of the way, but before he could, the fist hit him on the cheekbone like a grenade had exploded inside his skull.His mouth was full of blood and broken bones, which he knew were broken by his teeth.He felt the side of his head swell, as if filled with air.His legs felt so light that he would have fallen down if it hadn't been for the support of the two policemen.But he was still sane.The plainclothes detective stepped up to him, blocked the officer from hitting him again, and said:

"Jesus Christ, sir, you wounded him." The officer raised his voice and said, "I didn't touch him. He jumped at me to hit me, and he fell. Do you understand? He resisted arrest." Through the red mist, Michael saw several more cars coming to a stop close to the curb of the sidewalk, and everyone getting out of the cars.He recognized one of them as Clemenza's lawyer.The lawyer was speaking to the officer now, softly but firmly. "The Corleone family has hired a private detective company to protect Mr. Corleone's safety. Officer, these people with me have gun licenses, and it is legal for them to carry guns. If you arrest them, then you There must be a lawsuit tomorrow."

The lawyer winked at Michael and said: "Are you going to sue? No matter who hurt you, are you going to sue?" he said. Michael had trouble speaking, he couldn't keep his hips together.But he still managed to say: "I slipped," he said, "I slipped and fell." He saw the officer glance at him triumphantly; he barely smiled at the glance.In any case, he had to conceal the anger that controlled his mind and the cold hatred that permeated his body like winter.With his true feelings at this moment, he didn't want to announce it to anyone in the world.Just like the old man would not reveal his true feelings when he encountered a similar situation.He was then taken to the hospital where he passed out.

When he awoke the next morning, he found that his jaw was in wire and four of his left teeth had fallen out, and Hagen was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Did they drug me?" Michael asked. "It was done," said Hagen. "They had to get a few bone fragments out of the gum; they said it was too painful. Besides, you passed out right then." "Is there any other wound on my body?" "No," said Hagen, "Sonny wants you to go back to Long Beach, do you think you can hold it?" "Insurance is fine," Michael said. "Is the old man all right?" Hagen beamed brightly. "I think we have settled the matter now. We have hired a private detective company and set up guard posts in this area. I will tell you more about the situation in the car later." Clemenza drove, Michael and Hagen sat in the back, and Michael felt his head buzzing. "What happened last night, have you found out?" Hagen said calmly, "Sonny has an insider named Phillips, the detective who tried desperately to protect you, and he gave us an inside tip. Officer McCluskey has been greedy since he became a patrolman, and he has a big appetite." Big. Our family has stuffed him quite a lot, but he's a greedy man. He's ruthless in his dealings. But Sollozzo must have stuffed him with more. So McCloskey put the hospital All of Theo's men were arrested. Some of them had guns too, but to no avail. Then McDosky removed the official guard detectives from the old man's door, saying they had other tasks and Said to send another policeman to replace them, but the policeman messed up by accident, and McCloskey was telling lies. He took bribes and deliberately put the old man in a vulnerable position. Effortless Puth said McCloskey was a man of one mind. Sollozzo must have paid him a lot of money at the beginning and promised to pay him countless more in the future once it was done. the benefits of." "Will it be reported that I was injured?" "No," Hagen said. "We're keeping quiet about it. No one wants to make it public. The police don't want to, and neither do we." "That's good," Michael said. "Is that Enzo boy all right?" "Nothing happened," Hagen said. "He was smarter than you. He disappeared when the police came. He claimed he was standing right next to you under the street lamp when Lozzo's car went by." .is this real?" "It's true," said Michael, "he's a nice boy." "He'll be taken care of," Hagen said. "Are you feeling all right?" There was a look of concern on his face. "It looks serious." "No problem," Michael said, "what's the officer's name?" "McCloskey," said Hagen, "by the way, I have some news that may brighten your day that we, the Corleone Family, are finally moving up the competitive scoreboard. Bruno Tattaglia, it's dawn today." Four o'clock before—'. "What's the matter? I thought we'd just sit and talk." Hagen shrugged and said: "Sonny's been hardened ever since that strange thing happened at the hospital. There's a general mobilization of the Armed Forces, covering both New York and New Jersey. Last night we drew up a list. Mike, I'm going to try to convince you Sonny, hold back. Maybe he'll take your word for it. The whole thing can still be settled in other ways without fighting." "I'm in charge of talking to him," Michael said. "Is there a meeting this morning?" "Go ahead," Hagen said. "Sollozzo finally got in touch with us and said he was going to sit down and negotiate with us. A contact was making the arrangements. That would mean we won. Sollozzo knew he He miscalculated, he wanted to save his dog's life." Hagen paused for a moment. "Maybe he thought we were weak because we didn't fight back immediately. Now that one of Tattaglia's sons died suddenly, he thought we were serious about it. He broke ground on the old man's head, which was tantamount to carrying out a terrible war. By the way, the whereabouts of Luke have been confirmed. They killed your father the night before the assassination. The place was in Bruno's nightclub, think about what it was like at that time!" Michael said, "Must have caught him off guard." At the entrance to the boulevard between the houses in Long Beach, a long black car was parked sideways, blocking the road.Two men stood leaning against the hood of the car.Michael looked up and saw that the windows on the upper floors of the buildings on both sides were wide open.Christ, Sonny is really getting down to business. It was Clemenza who parked the car at the entrance to the mall; the two sentries were Clemenza's men, and Michael and Hagen walked around the car and into the mall.Michael greeted them with a raised eyebrow, which took the place of the military salute.The two men nodded in return.There were no smiles or pleasantries on either side.Clemenza led Hagen and Michael Corleone into the house. Before they could ring the bell, the door was opened by a sentinel.The sentry was apparently staring out the window.They entered the corner office and found Sonny and Tessio waiting for them.Sonny went up to Michael, took his brother's head in both hands, and teased him: "Very beautiful." Michael opened his brother's hand, went to the desk, and poured some scotch, hoping the drink would ease the pain in his wired jaw. The five of them sat in a circle, but the atmosphere was different from the previous meetings.Sonny seemed happier, more lively; Michael knew what that happiness meant.There was no longer any doubt in his brother's mind.He made up his mind, and nothing could shake him.Sollozzo's last night's trick had been Sangji's last reassurance; there was no longer any question of a truce. "While you weren't home, we got a call from a contact," Sonny said to Hagen. "The 'Turk' wanted to talk." Sonny laughed. "That son of a bitch," he said appreciatively, "had just lost a bet last night and asked for negotiations today or tomorrow. Meanwhile, they think we're just sitting there waiting for them to serve us. Eat whatever you want. It's crazy for them to think like that." Tom asked worriedly, "How did you answer?" Sonny grinned and said: "I said, of course, any time is fine. I'm not in a hurry. I have a hundred military workers patrolling the streets twenty-four hours a day. If Sollozzo shows a hair on his buttocks, he will Immediate death. Let people think about it as long as they want." Hagen asked, "Any specific suggestions?" "Yes," Sollozzo said, "he wants us to send Mike to talk to him and hear his plans. The contact keeps Mike safe. Sollozzo didn't ask us to keep him safe; he knew that couldn't be asked, so The meeting will be held at the place they decide. His people will pick up Mike and send him to the meeting place. Mike listens to Sollozzo's plan, and then let Mike go home by himself. But the meeting place is confidential. It seems that this It's a good deal, and we can't refuse it." Hagen asked, "What about the Tattaglias? How did they deal with Bruno's death?" "That's part of the deal, and the contacts say the Tattaglias have agreed to go with Sollozzo. They're going to forget about Bruno Tattaglia. Bruno paid for what they did to my father. If it is offset, the account will be cleared." Sonny laughed. "What a deranged bastard." Hagen said cautiously, "We ought to hear what people have to say." Sonny shook his head and said: "No, no, staff, at least not this time." There was still a hint of Italian in his accent.He was deliberately imitating his father's tone as a joke. "No more talks, no more arguments, no more machinations by Sollozzo. Next time the contact contacts us, I ask you to send him a message, just say: I want Sollozzo, If we don't give it, it will be like an all-out war. We need to prepare mattresses and concentrate manpower; I plan to put all the military workers on the street. Of course, business will suffer." "No other big family would approve of a war," said Hagen. "It would piss everybody too much." Sonny shrugged. "They have a solution to this problem, and that's to hand over Sollozzo to me, or fight the Corleones." Sonny paused for a moment, and then said firmly: "Stop suggesting tinkering, Tom, now that I've made up my mind, it's your job to help me win, understand?" Hagen thought for a moment with his head down, and then said: "I'd like to say a few words about what the insiders in the police department have provided," he said. "Officer McCloskey's name must be on Sollozzo's payroll, and he gets a lot of money. Not only that, McCloskey agreed to serve as Sollozzo's bodyguard. Without McCluskey, Sollozzo would not be there." Dare to poke the dog's head out of his dog hole. McCloskey was sitting next to Mike when he was talking to Mike. In civilian clothes, but with a gun. One thing you have to understand, Sollozzo To be so closely guarded is to have a talisman. Never before has a man been seen to have shot and killed a police officer in New York City and still got away with it. If so, the whole city would be furious and no one could stand it, plus the newspapers, the police The bureau, the church and all kinds of societies will also shout and shout. If this is the case, it will be a disaster. The major families will also attack together, and you will become the target of public criticism. The Corleone family will also face At that time, even the political background of the old man will have to protect himself wisely. This has to be considered.” Sonny shrugged. "McCloskey can't stay with the 'Turk' forever, we'll just have to wait and see." Both Tessio and Clemenza puffed uneasily on their cigars, not daring to intervene.If a wrong decision is made here, the two of them will be on the front line throwing their heads and blood. Michael spoke for the first time, and he asked Hagen: "Can you move the old man out of the hospital and into the avenue?" Hagen shook his head and said: "That's the first question I wanted to ask. It's impossible, it's very serious. He'll be out of danger, but he's going to need all sorts of care and maybe surgery at the moment. Moving home, at the moment. impossible." "Then you have to get rid of Sollozzo immediately," Mike said. "We can't sit still. This guy is too dangerous, and he will come up with new tricks at any time. Remember, the key now is still whether he can get rid of him." Old man. This, he knows it well. Yes, he understands that it is very difficult at the moment, so he is willing to admit defeat for the time being in order to save himself. But if he finds that he will be killed sooner or later, he will do it again to the old man. Sudden attack. He had the help of the police officer, and the officer knew what might happen next. We can't try our luck on this one, we must get rid of Sollozzo immediately." Sonny scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You're right, kid," he said. "You're getting to the heart of the matter. We can't let Sollozzo make another surprise attack on our old man." Hagen said calmly, "What about Officer McCloskey?" Sonny looked back at Michael with an odd smile on his face. "Hey kid, how do you deal with that difficult police officer?" Michael said unhurriedly: "Yes, it is a last resort. But sometimes it makes sense to take the last resort. We have to get rid of McCloskey, and now let's figure out how. His method should be this: To make a big splash, say that he is not a good and honest police officer, but an unruly police officer caught up in a hooligan who deserves what he deserves like any hooligan. We There are also people from the newspaper on the salary list, and we can provide these people with specific plots with sufficient evidence, so that they can cooperate with each other and echo each other. In this way, social sentiment will be weakened. What do you think of this method?" After all, Michael looked around with a respectful attitude.Tessio and Clemenza were both sad and silent, and Sonny said, with the same strange smile just now: "Little devil, go on, you are amazing. Just like the mantra that the old man often said, the child speaks the truth. Mike, go on, tell us your thoughts in more detail." Hagen smiled, but turned his head away at the same time.Michael blushed. "Well, they want me to go to a meeting with Sollozzo, and it's me, Sollozzo, and McCluskey, and it's voluntary. Schedule the meeting for two days, and then we'll mobilize intelligence agents to snoop on the meeting Location. We must insist that the meeting place must be in a public place; do not let them choose any apartment or private house, preferably a restaurant or bar; the best time is the most crowded time when eating. In this way, I will feel Safe; they'll feel safe too. It wouldn't even occur to Sollozzo that we dared to shoot a police officer. When I meet them they're sure to search me, so I must never carry a weapon. But we've got to figure out a way, You can send me a gun while I talk to them. That way I can kill two birds with one stone." The four people sitting there all turned their heads and stared at him dumbfounded.Both Clemenza and Tessio were shocked.Hagen was worried, but not surprised.He began to speak, thinking that this approach has merit.But Sonny beamed with joy and laughed aloud.It's a genuine laugh, not a fake one.He laughed so hard his stomach hurt like he was going to explode.Pointing at Michael with a finger, he gasped and said: "You're a college student who didn't want to get involved in the family business. Now you're killing the police officer and the 'Turk' because McCluskey bruised your face. You're emotional. It's pure It's business, and you're emotional. You want to kill these two guys because you got punched in the face. It's all farce, and it's been farce for years." Both Clemenza and Tessio, completely misunderstood, thought that Sonny was laughing at his younger brother to recommend himself, so they laughed too, and looked at Michael with a little elder sympathy.Only Hagen carefully maintained his usual expression of indifference. Michael looked everyone around, then stared at Sonny, who still couldn't help laughing. "You're going to kill them both?" Sonny said. "Hey, kid, instead of giving you a medal, they're going to put you in the electric chair. That, you know? It's not a hero thing." Boy, you don't shoot at people from a mile away, you shoot where you can see the roll of their eyes, like hand-to-hand combat we learned in school, remember? You stand next to people Come on, knock people's heads off, and the splattered brains might splash all over your beautiful prestigious university uniform. How about it, kid, just because a stupid police officer slapped you, are you uncharacteristically trying to kill ?” He still couldn't help laughing. Michael stood up abruptly. "Stop laughing," he said, in an unusual manner.The smiles on both Clemenza's and Tessio's faces disappeared instantly.Michael was not tall and not strong, but his fierce appearance seemed to exude frightening power.For a split second, he was Don Corleone himself.His eyes had turned gray-brown, and his face had turned gray-white.At any moment, he might pounce on his older and stronger brother like a tiger.There was no doubt that Sonny's life would have been in danger if he had had a weapon in his hand, and Sonny stopped laughing.Michael said in a cold tone: "You bastard, do you think I can't do it?" Sonny's urge to laugh had passed. "I know you can do it," he said, "and it's not what you say that I laugh at, it's how miracles happen. I always say you're the toughest man in the family, tougher than the old man. You're The only one who can beat the old man. I still remember how you were when you were a child. You were so hot back then! Hey, you even hit me often, and I am much older than you. Now Sollozzo Thinks you're a pussy in our family just because you let McCloskey beat you and you don't want to get involved in family feuds. He thinks meeting you is nothing to worry about. Also, McCluskey is right You think the same way, he even treats you as a wimp." Sonny paused for a moment, then said softly: "But you don't deserve your name Corleone, you bastard. I'm the only one who understands that. I've been sitting here waiting for you to come out of the ivory tower of that prestigious university since my old man was shot. Jump out and break free from the shackles of your shit hero. I've been waiting for you to be my right hand man so we can take out the bastards who are trying to destroy our dad and our family .Punched in the jaw and cleared my head. Do you like this?" Sonny made a comic gesture, tried his fist in the face, and repeated: "Do you like this?" The tension in the room eased, and Michael shook his head and said: "Sollozzo, I had to do it. I can't bear to let Sollozzo attack me again. It seems that I'm the only one who can get close to Sollozzo. I thought it all over. I want to knock out a police officer. You There is no one else to be found. Sonny, maybe you can do it yourself, but you have a wife and children, and you have to take care of family affairs until the old man is well. So this task must be done by me and Freddie , and Freddie is in a state of shock and can't move. After all, this task is the most suitable for me. A punch in the jaw has nothing to do with this." Sonny came and embraced him, and said: "You've been with us so long that I've never thought of you. I'll just say this: You've been right. Tom, what have you got to say?" Hagen shrugged and said, "His reason is valid, and the reason it works is because the 'Turk' isn't serious about making a deal. I think he still wants to get rid of the old man, we His present must be judged by his past. So we have to try to get rid of Sollozzo, and if we have to get rid of the police officer, we have to get rid of him. But whoever completes this task will eventually get rid of him. It must be passionate. Does this task have to be completed by Michael?" Sonny said gently, "I can do that." Hagen shook his head hastily, and said, "Even if Sollozzo had ten police officers and bodyguards, he wouldn't let you come within a mile of him. Besides, you are the acting head of the family right now, so you can't take risks with me." .” Hagen paused for a moment, then said to Clemenza and Tessio: "Can the two of you find a truly outstanding military worker to accept this task? Whoever accepts this task will have no worries about money for the rest of his life." Clemenza spoke first: "Solozzo knows all my people. Whoever shows up will be arrested immediately. Even if I or Tessio accompany him, he will be arrested immediately." Hagen said, "How about finding someone unknown and recruiting a new recruit?" Both commanders shook their heads.Tessio smiled first, trying to remove the sting from what he was about to say, and said: "It's like putting a baby boy against the best boxers in the world." Sonny broke in bluntly, "Looks like Mike should go. There's a million reasons to go, but the main thing is that they think he's a douchebag. He'll get the job done, I'm sure; it's very Important task, because this is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill that 'Turk'. So we must think of the best way to fulfill him. Tom, Clemenza, Tessio, ask, look at Sollozzo I'm going to take him somewhere for a meeting. If I can find out, I will pay any price. When we find out the place of the meeting, we can imagine how to get the weapon to him on the way. Clemenza , you look for a real "safe" gun from your gun collection, the "coldest" unpopular item in your inventory, the kind that's impossible to track down. Short barrel and high explosive power , the accuracy doesn't have to be high, he shoots directly at his skull. Mike, as soon as you use it, throw the gun on the floor. Don't let someone grab you while you still have Gun. Clemenza, wrap the barrel and trigger with that special tape of yours so his fingerprints won't get on it. Remember, Michael, we'll get through anything, Witness Yeah what, but if you have a gun when they grab you, then we can't make sense. We have to prepare the delivery and cover, and then we will let you disappear for a considerable period of time, wait until the mood of the society You will reappear after fading away. Mike, you will be gone for a long, long time, but I will not allow you to say goodbye to your girlfriend or call her. When you have completed your mission and left the country, we can Send her a message that you are safe and sound. These words are orders. Sonny smiled at his brother and said: "Now you're with Clemenza, and you're going to learn to use the gun he chose for you. Practice maybe. We'll take care of everything else. Okay, kid?" Michael Corleone felt that sweet exhilarating pleasure rush over him again.He said to his brother: "You don't have to lecture me about not telling stories like this to your girlfriend. What do you think I'm calling her to say goodbye to?" Sonny said quickly: "Okay then, but you are still a novice with no experience, so I just blurted out and said some nasty things, don't take it to heart." Michael grinned and said: "What do you mean by 'inexperienced novice'? I used to try my best to obey our old man's words like you. Why do you think me so rebellious?" The two brothers laughed heartily. Hagen poured everyone some wine, looking a little sullen.Politicians desperately resort to war; lawyers desperately resort to law. “Okay, whatever it is, now we have a clear idea of ​​what to do next,” he said.