Page 45

That evening, Gennaro was counting the daily take from his bookies when the gate intercom buzzed.

A few of his bet collectors had yet to get their envelopes in, so he assumed it was a runner from one of them.

Knowing Rosa would handle it, he let his thoughts drift to the new life he would begin in less than forty-eight hours.

He was in the middle of imagining his dream house, when someone cleared their throat nearby.

He jerked in surprise and looked toward the noise.

Miguel Montes, Pinkie’s right-hand man, was standing at the entrance to the dining area.

Gennaro plastered a smile on his face, then hurried over, hand extended.

“Mr. Montes, what an unexpected pleasure.”

After they shook, Montes said, “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing. It’s been a while.”

“Glad you could stop by,” he said.

“Something to drink? A beer, perhaps? Rosa, why don’t you grab Mr. Montes one of those IPAs you picked up.”

Montes held up a hand.

“It’s okay, Rosa. I’m not thirsty.”

Rosa gave him a nod, then headed down the hall toward her bedroom.

Montes motioned to the cash on the table.

“I see I’ve caught you in the middle of something.”

“Just closing the books for today.”

Montes walked over and picked up a handful of twenties.

After thumbing through them, he set them back down and said, “How’s business?”

Gennaro shrugged.

“It’s an average week.”

“That’s always better than a down one, right?”

“Yes, sir. It is.”

Montes walked behind the chair Gennaro had been using and glanced at Gennaro’s laptop.

He nodded and moved around the other side of the table, running a finger along its edge.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Gennaro asked.

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Montes was here.

Gennaro always sent Pinkie’s cut on time, and he never skimmed enough off the top to be noticed.

“Actually, there is.” Montes looked over at him.

“We’ve heard a crazy rumor, and I thought maybe you might know something about it.”

“What kind of rumor?”

“You remember Johnny Fratelli?”

Gennaro hid the sudden panic he felt by pretending to think.

“Fratelli?”

“He was Eduardo Buono’s cellmate at Sing Sing. I know you know who Buono was.”

“Of course I know who he was. And now that you mention it, yeah, I remember Fratelli. He’s the guy who disappeared with Buono’s cut of the JFK heist, right after he left prison. I haven’t thought about him since then.”

“You haven’t?”

“I’m sure you know I tried to find him when he first vanished,” Gennaro said.

“When I couldn’t, I had no choice but to move on. Why are you bringing him up now?”

Montes regarded him for a moment.

“Someone claiming to be him has been calling around, asking questions.”

Gennaro did not have to fake his surprise at this.

“What kind of questions?”

Something in Montes’s expression seemed to shift without shifting.

“He said he’d heard someone was trying to find him, and he wanted to know who. I take it he didn’t call you?”

“No.”

“Did you know him from back in the day?”

Gennaro shook his head.

“Never met him.”

“I see. That’s probably why he didn’t call you. I think he’s only been contacting people he knows.”

“Yeah, that must be it.”

“You don’t happen to know who was asking about him, do you?”

“Not a clue. Like I said, I haven’t thought about Fratelli in years. I wouldn’t even know why someone would look for him.”

“That’s easy. Whoever it is thinks he still has Buono’s money and wants to get their hands on it.”

Gennaro felt a trickle of sweat running down the back of his neck.

“I guess that makes sense. Sorry, Mr. Montes. I wish I could help you more.”

“No worries, Ricky,” Montes said as he walked over to him.

“But I do have a favor to ask.”

“Anything.”

“If you do happen to find out who the person is, give me a call.”

“Sure, sure. I can do that.”

Montes put a hand on Gennaro’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Ricky. It’s good to know we have loyal people like you in the organization.”

“I’m always happy to help.”

“I won’t keep you any longer.”

Montes flashed him a smile, then headed out.

As soon as the front door shut, Gennaro slumped into his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

He was pretty sure he’d done enough to keep Montes—and by extension Pinkie—from thinking he was the one trying to get his hands on Fratelli’s money.

They’d figure it out eventually, but by then, he would be long gone.

Finding out Fratelli had been calling around had been a shock, but now that he thought about it, it didn’t change anything.

There were only three people including himself who knew what he was up to, and Dominic and Manny wouldn’t risk losing their cuts by talking to anyone.

He was just starting to feel relaxed when a thought hit him.

What if Montes talked to Dominic and Manny?

They didn’t work for Pinkie’s syndicate anymore, but they had been part of Buono’s crew.

Montes reaching out to them would be a logical step.

Dominic might hold up under questioning, but there was no way Manny wouldn’t say something he shouldn’t.

“Oh, shit.”

Before Montes’s visit, forty-eight hours had felt like it was just around the corner.

Now, Friday seemed years away.

And so much could go wrong between now and then.

Knowing what he had to do, he headed to his office at the back of the house.

He didn’t notice Rosa pressed against the wall, just outside the dining room as he walked by.

Nor was he later aware of her listening in on every call he made.

Montes waited until he’d driven a few blocks from Gennaro’s place before he called his boss.

“Well?” Pinkie asked.

“No question in my mind,” Montes said.

“Gennaro’s the one who was looking for Fratelli.”

“Just like you thought.”

Montes grinned at that.

“Something interesting, though. He didn’t realize Fratelli had been trying to find out who he was.”

“Is that a fact?”

“You should have seen his face when I dropped that on him.”

“He’s always thought he’s smarter than he is. Were you able to find out what he’s got planned on Friday?”

“No. I wanted him to think that I didn’t suspect him, so I didn’t press. But he’s scared now, so I’m sure he’ll do something stupid.”

“You have anyone watching him?”

“Got a crew covering the house. If he makes a move, we’ll know.”

“I want that money.”

“Don’t worry, boss. It’s as good as yours.”