Part 45 (2/2)
”You don't mean you want to go there, Mr. S.,” Paulo said in surprise.
”I think that would be best, under the circ.u.mstances,” Savarese said. ”I would like to personally hear what he has to say.”
”What I meant, Mr. S., is that you don't want to go there, there, do you? I mean, I can have him at the garage, for example, or anyplace else, thirty minutes after you give me the word.” do you? I mean, I can have him at the garage, for example, or anyplace else, thirty minutes after you give me the word.”
Mr. Savarese poured wine in two gla.s.ses and handed one to Paulo.
”Salute,” he said. he said.
”Salute,” Paulo repeated. Paulo repeated.
Mr. Savarese took a small, appreciative sip of the wine.
”That would involve moving him,” he said. ”I would rather that he not be moved. I think that would be better.”
”Whatever you say, Mr. S.”
”Paulo, he is in a certain state of mind after having been where he has been, under those circ.u.mstances, for twenty-four hours. If we move him, that would, I think, break the spell, so to speak.”
”You're right, Mr. Savarese. I didn't think about that.”
Paulo was frequently reminded, when dealing with Mr. S., that if he was one and a half times as smart as Pietro, Mr. S. was like five times, ten ten times as smart as he was. times as smart as he was.
”There'll be no problem, nothing to worry about,” Paulo said. ”I'll get enough people to guard that place like f.u.c.king Fort Knox!” When he saw the pained look on Mr. S.'s face, his own colored quickly. ”Sorry about that, Mr. S.”
Mr. S. did not like either profanity or obscenity.
Mr. S. accepted his apology with a curt nod of the head.
”This man is strong and dangerous. Paulo?”
”No, Mr. S. He's not. Not at all.”
”And there is no question in your mind that you and Pietro can deal with him in any circ.u.mstance that you can think of?”
”I don't even need Pietro, Mr. S.”
”Nevertheless, I want Pietro to go along with us.”
”Right, Mr. S.”
”I don't want this man to see me, for obvious reasons,” Mr. S. said. ”Or to hear my voice.”
”No problem, Mr. S.”
”Although I doubt it very much, he may have had nothing to do with the problems my granddaughter is having. I don't want to close any doors that might have to later be opened, you understand?”
”Absolutely, Mr. S.”
”And, of course, we don't want to be interrupted while we are talking with him.”
”I understand.”
”I wondered if someone saw the vehicle you previously used there if it might not cause curiosity.”
”I see what you mean, Mr. S. Let me think a minute.”
Mr. Savarese waited patiently.
”How about a Chevy station wagon, Mr. S.? We got a couple of them. At a big funeral, we use them to haul flowers ahead of the procession, you know, enough to cover the phony gra.s.s by the grave-”
”They are black, like the Suburban?” Mr. Savarese interrupted him.
Paulo nodded. ”And they don't have any signs painted on them or anything.”
”I was thinking of something more on the order of a utility vehicle.”
Again he waited patiently for Paulo to give that some thought.
”What we do have is a Ford pickup, Mr. S. We keep it around with a jack and a couple of spare wheels and tires in the back, in case a hea.r.s.e or a flower car has a flat.”
”Does that happen often, Paulo?”
”No, Mr. S. But sometimes, you know, you get a bad tire or pick up a nail.”
”Yes,” Mr. Savarese said, understanding. Then he gave a dry chuckle. ”The final indignity of life, Paulo, a flat tire on your way to your last resting place.”
”Yeah, I see what you mean, Mr. S.”
”Is there room for the three of us in this flat-tire truck?”
”You know, it's a regular pickup truck. It would be a tight squeeze. And it's sometimes dirty.”
”The upholstery, you mean?”
Pietro finally came to the table and sat down.
”You heard what we have been talking about, Pietro?” Mr. Savarese asked.
”We could put a blanket or something on the seats, if they're dirty, Mr. S.,” Pietro said.
”You understand, Mr. S.,” Paulo explained, ”we get a call there's a flat, one of the mechanics drops whatever he's doing and jumps in the pickup-”
Mr. Savarese held out his hand in such a manner as to indicate that a further explanation was not necessary.
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