Chapter 8 04

When Michael Corleone came outside his Long Beach home, he found the narrow entrance to the boulevard chained off.The boulevard was brightly illuminated by the floodlights of eight houses, and the cars parked along the curved concrete sidewalk, at least ten cars, were also clearly illuminated. Two men he didn't know stood leaning on chains, and one of them asked in a Brooklyn accent: "What are you doing?" He answered their questions.A man came out of a house and looked at him for a while. "This is the old man's youngest son," he said. "I'll take him in."

Mike followed the man to his father's house. The house was full of people he didn't know.He entered the living room only to meet an acquaintance.Michael saw Tom Hagen's wife, Zirisa, sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette, with a glass of whiskey on the coffee table in front of her.At the other end of the couch sat big fat Clemenza.The commander of the corps had no expression on his face, but was sweating profusely. The cigar in his hand was soaked with saliva, and it looked black and black. Clemenza came up, shook hands with him in a consoling manner, and said: "Your mother went to the hospital to accompany your father. He is about to wake up now."

Paulie Gatto stood up and wanted to shake hands too.Michael studied him curiously.He knew that Paulie was his father's keeper, but he didn't know that he was sick at home today.But he could sense the nervous look on Paulie's face.He knew that Gatu had always been known as a general who "comes when he is called, and can fight when he comes".He acted decisively and quickly, encountered complex and delicate tasks, and knew how to solve them with a sharp knife, but today he failed his duty.Michael also noticed a few people in the corner, but he didn't recognize them.They were not Clemenza's men.After analyzing these phenomena together, Michael understood it in his heart.Both Clemenza and Gatto are suspects.Thinking that Paulie was there, he asked the oily young man:

"How's Freddie? Is he all right?" "The doctor gave him an injection," Clemenza continued, "and he fell asleep." Michael came over to Hagen's wife, bent down and kissed her on the cheek.Their relationship has always been close. He whispered, "Don't worry, Tom will be all right. Have you talked to Sonny?" Zirisa clung to him tightly.After a while, she shook her head.She is a slender, very beautiful woman. She was more American than Italian, easily startled.He took her hand and pulled her up from the sofa. Then he led her to his father's office in the great corner room.

Sonny was sitting in a chair behind his desk with his legs spread apart, a yellow pad in one hand and a pencil in the other.Another person in the room was Legion Commander Tessio.Michael recognized Tessio, and at the same time decided that the men who formed the new guard in the building must be his men.He also has a pencil and a pad in his hand. When Sonny saw the two of them come in, he came from behind the desk and hugged Hagen's wife. "Don't worry, Zirisa," he said, "There's nothing wrong with Tom. They just want him to pass on advice; they'll let him go. He's not in the enforcement system, just our lawyer, and nobody reason to hurt him."

He let Zirisa go.Then, to Michael's surprise, Sonny hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.Michael pushed Sonny away, grinned and said: "I'm used to being beaten by you, how can I be beaten by you now?" It was common for the two brothers to fight when they were young. Sonny shrugged. "Listen, brat, when I sent people to your country town and couldn't find you, I was still very worried. It wasn't that I would be sad if someone killed you, but that I couldn't bear to let the old lady Hearing such news, I have to tell her about my father. " "How did she hear it?" Michael asked.

"It's all right," said Sonny, "she's been through it before. I've been through it too. You were young and unreasonable; when you're older it gets better." He paused , and then said, "She went to the hospital to accompany my father. He is out of danger." "How about we go too?" Michael asked. Sonny shook his head, then said dryly, "I can't leave the house until it's over." The phone rang.Sonny snatched up the slip and listened intently.Michael wandered over to the desk and looked at the pad where Sonny was writing and drawing just now. There were six or seven people's names on it.The first three are: Sollozzo, Philip Tattaglia, John Tattaglia.Michael senses that Sonny and Tessio are drawing up a hit list, and his presence disturbs them.

Sonny hung up and said to Zarissa Hagen and Michael: "Can you two wait outside? Tessio and I have some things to hurry up on." Hagen's wife said, "Is that about Tom on that phone call?" Her tone was almost rough, but she was crying out of fear.Sonny put an arm around her waist and led her toward the door. "I swear, he'll be back soon," he said. "Wait in the living room. I'll come out and tell you as soon as I hear anything." As soon as she was out, Sonny closed the door behind him.Michael sat in a large leather armchair.Sonny gave him a stern glance, then went back behind the desk.

"You keep bugging me, Mike," he said. "If you're going to be here, you've got to hear things you don't want to hear." Michael lit a cigarette and smoked. "I can help," he said. "No, you can't," said Sonny. "If I let you get involved, the old man will be furious." Michael stood up and shouted loudly: "What are you, you're arrogant. He's my dad, I'm not supposed to help him? I can help, I don't have to go out and kill people, but I can help. Stop treating me like a young lady. I hit Battle, was injured, do you remember?

I also killed several Japanese devils.Do you think I'm going to faint with fright when you kill someone? " Sonny smiled. "You'll taste my fist right away. Well, don't go, just stay here, and you can guard the phone." After that, he turned back to discuss business matters with Tessio. "The call I just received gave me the inside information we need," he said verbally to Michael. "There must be an insider secretly pointing the old man to the assassin. This insider could be Clemenza, or it could be Bob. Rie Gatto. Paulie is sick today. It's very convenient to pretend to be sick. I know the answer now. We want to test you to see how shrewd you are.

Mike, you are a college student.Who do you think has taken refuge in Sollozzo? " Michael sat down again, lounging back in the leather armchair, and considered one thing after another very seriously: Clemenza was the commander of the regiment within the Corleone family organization, Don Corleone had made him a millionaire, and they had been close friends for over twenty years.He occupies the most powerful position within the organization, what profit can he get by betraying the old man?For extra money?He has enough money.But it's hard to say, people are always greedy.For greater power?Could it be that this act of vengeance was taken out of fantasies of being humiliated or slighted?Could it be that he resented Hagen's promotion to the staff?Or, according to the belief of the businessman, Sollozzo will rise to the sky?No, it was impossible to make Clemenza a traitor.This big fat man often gave Michael this and that when he was growing up, and took him out to play when the old man was too busy.Michael never believed that Clemenza had committed treason. But, on the other hand, Sollozzo needed Clemenza more than anyone else in the Corleone family. Michael turned his thoughts back to Paulie Gatto.Paulie has not yet made a fortune.He was highly regarded and would rise in the Corleone family, that was also certain.But like everyone else, he has to grind for a while.Also, like young people today, he will be more fanciful when it comes to power.The best friend must be Paulie.Michael also remembered that he and Paulie were in the same class in the sixth grade of high school, so he didn't want to believe that Neimei was Paulie. He shook his head. "Neither of them," he said.But he said it because Sonny had said he knew it already.If there had been a vote, he would have voted that Paulie was guilty. Sonny smiled at him. "Don't worry," he said, "Clemenza's fine. The mole is Paulie." Michael could see that Tessio was relieved by Sonny's words.As the commander of the same regiment, his sympathy would of course be on Clemenza's side.There is another reason: if it wasn't for someone with such a high status to betray, the situation would not be too serious.Tessio cautiously said, "Then I can send my people home tomorrow?" Sonny said, "Till the day after tomorrow. Don't let anybody know about it. Keep it a secret until disarmed. Listen, I want to talk to my brother about the house, in private. You go out in the living room and wait." , eh? We'll come back and decide on the list. You'll work with Clemenza." "Yes." Tessio said and backed out. "How can you conclude that Paulie is a good friend?" Michael asked. Sonny said, "We've got people at the phone company, and they've found out all the calls Paulie made and received. During the three days he was sick this month, he got a call from our old man's office. A call from the public phone booth across the building, again today. He was called to find out if Paulie was at work or if someone would replace him, or whatever. It was the same thing anyway. .” Sonny shrugged. "Thank God the mole is a little Bory. We need Clemenza so badly." Michael asked in a tentative tone: "Will this develop into an all-out war?" Sonny watched him intently. "I'm going to go on doing it like this as soon as Tom gets back, unless my father tells me to make other arrangements." Michael asked again: "Then why don't you wait until I wake up and can talk to you?" Sonny eyed him curiously. "You have won so many battle hero medals, how did you get in here? We are under gunpoint now, boy, we have to fight. I am only worried that people will not release Tom. " Michael was a little puzzled by Sonny's last words. "Why not?" Sonny's tone was still patient. "The reason why they arrested Tom was because they thought that after killing our old man, they could directly make a deal with me, and Tom was the negotiator who could bring their plan back. And now the old man is still alive. They understand me He couldn't make his own deal, so Tom was of no use to them. They could release him or kill him, depending on how Sollozzo saw the matter. We showed that they were serious and desperately trying to intimidate us." Michael asked calmly, "On what basis does Sollozzo think he can make a deal with you?" Sonny blushed and was at a loss for words.After a while he said: "A few months ago, we had a meeting where Sollozzo proposed a partnership to do business. The old man refused. But during the meeting, I lost my word and showed that I wanted to do that deal. I Absolutely wrong. If there's one thing the old man taught me that I'll never forget, it's that you never do stupid things like that, which means never let outsiders know that there are differences of opinion in our family. So Solow Zuo made a wishful thinking: If he knocks the old man out, I will definitely partner with him in the drug business. Once the old man dies, our family's strength will be cut in half. To keep the family business created by the old man, I will have to suffer no matter what. Fight for life. Drugs are a big business in the future, and we should join in. He knocked the old man out purely out of business considerations, not personal grudges. In terms of business, I would rather partner with him. Of course Luo , he will never let me have too much inside information. But he also understands that once I agree to partner, other families will never allow me to start a war purely for revenge after a year or two. Besides, Tatagli The Ya family is his backing." "If they do kill me, what are you going to do?" Michael asked. Sonny said it very simply, "Then Sollozzo's a bunch of dead meat. Then I'll go all out, even if we have to go to war with the Five Great Families of New York. I won't hesitate. The Tattaglias, Sooner or later, it will be the same. Even if everyone dies together, I will not hesitate." Michael softly said, "Dad wouldn't make a bet like that." Sonny shook his hand sharply. "I don't have his human qualities. However, what I say to you now may be what he wants to say to you. When it comes to the critical moment of real swords and guns, I will not be inferior to anyone. Not afraid. Sollozzo knows that, and so do Clemenza and Tessio. I passed the "hard test" when I was nineteen—the time my family fought another family—I'm the old man Therefore, I am not guilty now. In this kind of struggle, our family is absolutely right. I just hope to get in touch with Luke as soon as possible." Michael asked curiously: "Is Luke really as powerful as the legends say? Does he really live up to his reputation?" Sonny nodded. "He is a unique character. I intend to send him against the Tattaglias. I will deal with Sollozzo myself." Michael moved uneasily in the chair a few times, looking at his brother.He thought of Sonny as being irascible, but still a good guy at heart.It sounded a little out of character to come out of his mouth; to see his list of those executed was so chilling that Sonny looked like the newly crowned Roman emperor.To his relief, he had no part in any of this.Now that his father was alive, there was no need for him to get involved in revenge.He can help out from the sidelines, run errands, deliver letters.Sonny and Lao Tzu can each take care of their own affairs, especially when they have Luke as their backing. Just at this moment, they heard a woman screaming suddenly in the living room.Oh, God Jesus, Michael thought, that sounds a little like Tom's wife.He rushed over, opened the door and saw that everyone in the living room was on their feet.Tom Hagen hugged Zirissa tightly, with a look of embarrassment on his face; Zirissa was sobbing and teary.As soon as Michael saw this scene, he understood that it was she who was ecstatically calling for her husband just now.At this moment Tom Hagen was wrenching his wife from his arms and putting her down on the sofa to sit her down.He smiled icily at Michael and said: "It's nice to see you, Mike, really nice." Then he strode straight to the office.The ten years he had lived with the Corleones had not been in vain, Michael thought.He blushed with an inexplicable pride.Some of Lao Tzu's qualities had been transferred to Hagen by osmosis, just as they had been transferred to Sonny.At the same time, he was surprised to find that it had even transferred to himself.