mp.godfather-第24章

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　and　glanced　down　at　the　yellow　pad　Sonny　had　been　writing　on。　There　was　a　list　of　seven　names。　The　first　three　were　Sollozzo；　Phillip　Tattaglia；　and　John　Tattaglia。　It　struck　Michael　with　full　force　that　he　had　interrupted　Sonny　and　Tessio　as　they　were　making　up　a　list　of　men　to　be　killed。
　
　When　Sonny　hung　up　the　phone　he　said　to　Theresa　Hagen　and　Michael；　〃Can　you　two　wait　outside？　I　got　some　business　with　Tessio　we　have　to　finish。〃
　
　Hagen's　wife　said；　〃Was　that　call　about　Tom？〃　She　said　it　almost　truculently　but　she　was　weeping　with　fright。　Sonny　put　his　arm　around　her　and　led　her　to　the　door。　〃I　swear　he's　going　to　be　OK；〃　he　said。　〃Wait　in　the　living　room。　I'll　e　out　as　soon　as　I　hear　something。〃　He　shut　the　door　behind　her。　Michael　had　sat　down　in　one　of　the　big　leather　armchairs。　Sonny　gave　him　a　quick　sharp　look　and　then　went　to　sit　down　behind　the　desk。
　
　〃You　hang　around　me；　Mike；〃　he　said；　〃you're　gonna　hear　things　you　don't　wanta　hear。〃
　
　Michael　lit　a　cigarette。　〃I　can　help　out；〃　he　said。
　
　〃No；　you　can't；〃　Sonny　said。　〃The　old　man　would　be　sore　as　hell　if　I　let　you　get　mixed　up　in　this。〃
　
　Michael　stood　up　and　yelled。　〃You　lousy　bastard；　he's　my　father。　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　kid　brother。　I　was　in　the　war。　I　got　shot；　remember？　I　killed　some　Japs。　What　the　hell　do　you　think　I'll　do　when　you　knock　somebody　off？　Faint？〃
　
　Sonny　grinned　at　him。　〃Pretty　soon　you'll　want　me　to　put　up　my　dukes。　OK；　stick　around；　you　can　handle　the　phone。〃　He　turned　to　Tessio。　〃That　call　I　just　got　gave　me　dope　we　needed。〃　Hd　turned　to　Michael。　〃Somebody　had　to　finger　the　old　man。　It　could　have　been　Clemenza；　it　could　have　been　Paulie　Gatto；　who　was　very　conveniently　sick　today。　I　know　the　answer　now；　let's　see　how　smart　you　are；　Mike；　you're　the　college　boy。　Who　sold　out　to　Sollozzo？〃
　
　Michael　sat　down　again　and　relaxed　back　into　the　leather　armchair。　He　thought　everything　over　very　carefully。　Clemenza　was　a　caporegime　in　the　Corleone　Family　structure。　Don　Corleone　had　made　him　a　millionaire　and　they　had　been　intimate　friends　for　over　twenty　years。　He　held　one　of　the　most　powerful　posts　in　the　organization。　What　could　Clemenza　gain　for　betraying　his　Don？　More　money？　He　was　rich　enough　but　then　men　are　always　greedy。　More　power？　Revenge　for　some　fancied　insult　or　slight？　That　Hagen　had　been　made　the　Consigliere？　Or　perhaps　a　businessman's　conviction　that　Sollozzo　would　win　out？　No；　it　was　impossible　for　Clemenza　to　be　a　traitor；　and　then　Michael　thought　sadly　it　was　only　impossible　because　he　didn't　want　Clemenza　to　die。　The　fat　man　had　always　brought　him　gifts　when　he　was　growing　up；　had　sometimes　taken　him　on　outings　when　the　Don　had　been　too　busy。　He　could　not　believe　that　Clemenza　was　guilty　of　treachery。
　
　But；　on　the　other　hand；　Sollozzo　would　want　Clemenza　in　his　pocket　more　than　any　other　man　in　the　Corleone　Family。
　
　Michael　thought　about　Paulie　Gatto。　Paulie　as　yet　had　not　bee　rich。　He　was　well　thought　of；　his　rise　in　the　organization　was　certain　but　he　would　have　to　put　in　his　time　like　everybody　else。　Also　he　would　have　wilder　dreams　of　power；　as　the　young　always　do。　It　had　to　be　Paulie。　And　then　Michael　remembered　that　in　the　sixth　grade　he　and　Paulie　had　been　in　the　same　class　in　school　and　he　didn't　want　it　to　be　Paulie　either。
　
　He　shook　his　head。　〃Neither　one　of　them；〃　he　said。　But　he　said　it　only　because　Sonny　had　said　he　had　the　answer。　If　it　had　been　a　vote；　he　would　have　voted　Paulie　guilty。
　
　Sonny　was　smiling　at　him。　〃Don't　worry；〃　he　said。　〃Clemenza　is　OK。　It's　Paulie。〃
　
　Michael　could　see　that　Tessio　was　relieved。　As　a　fellow　caporegime　his　sympathy　would　be　with　Clemenza。　Also　the　present　situation　was　not　so　serious　if　treachery　did　not　reach　so　high。　Tessio　said　cautiously；　〃Then　I　can　send　my　people　home　tomorrow？〃
　
　Sonny　said；　〃The　day　after　tomorrow。　I　don't　want　anybody　to　know　about　this　until　then。　Listen；　I　want　to　talk　some　family　business　with　my　brother；　personal。　Wait　out　in　the　living　room；　eh？　We　can　finish　our　list　later。　You　and　Ctemenza　will　work　together　on　it。〃
　
　〃Sure；〃　Tessio　said。　He　went　out。
　
　〃How　do　you　know　for　sure　it's　Paulie？〃　Michael　asked。
　
　Sonny　said；　〃We　have　people　in　the　telephone　pany　and　they　tracked　down　all　of　Paulie's　phone　calls　in　and　out。　Clemenza's　too。　On　the　three　days　Paulie　was　sick　this　month　he　got　a　call　from　a　street　booth　across　from　the　old　man's　building。　Today　too。　They　were　checking　to　see　if　Paulie　was　ing　down　or　somebody　was　being　sent　down　to　take　his　place。　Or　for　some　other　reason。　It　doesn't　matter。〃　Sonny　shrugged。　〃Thank　God　it　was　Paulie。　We'll　need　Clemenza　bad。〃
　
　Michael　asked　hesitantly；　〃Is　it　going　to　be　an　all…out　war？〃
　
　Sonny's　eyes　were　hard。　〃That's　how　I'm　going　to　play　it　as　soon　as　Tom　checks　in。　Until　the　old　man　tells　me　different。〃
　
　Michael　asked；　〃So　why　don't　you　wait　until　the　old　man　can　tell　you？〃
　
　Sonny　looked　at　him　curiously。　〃How　the　hell　did　you　win　those　bat　medals？　We　are　under　the　gun；　man；　we　gotta　fight。　I'm　just　afraid　they　won't　let　Tom　go。〃
　
　Michael　was　surprised　at　this。　〃Why　not？〃
　
　Again　Sonny's　voice　was　patient。　〃They　snatched　Tom　because　they　figured　the　old　man　was　finished　and　they　could　make　a　deal　with　me　and　Tom　would　be　the　sit…down　guy　in　the　preliminary　stages；　carry　the　proposition。　Now　with　the　old　man　alive　they　know　I　can't　make　a　deal　so　Tom's　no　good　to　them。　They　can　turn　him　loose　or　dump　him；　depending　how　Sollozzo　feels。　If　they　dump　him；　it　would　be　just　to　show　us　they　really　mean　business；　trying　to　bulldoze　us。〃
　
　Michael　said　quietly；　〃What　made　Sollozzo　think　he　could　get　a　deal　with　you？〃
　
　Sonny　flushed　and　he　didn't　answer　for　a　moment。　Then　he　said；　〃We　had　a　meeting　a　few　months　ago；　Sollozzo　came　to　us　with　a　proposition　on　drugs。　The　old　man　turned　him　down。　But　during　the　meeting　I　shot　off　my　mouth　a　little；　I　showed　I　wanted　the　deal。　Which　is　absolutely　the　wrong　thing　to　do；　if　there's　one　thing　the　old　man　hammered　into　me　it's　never；　to　do　a　thing　like　that；　to　let　other　people　know　there's　a　split　of　opinion　in　the　Family。　So　Sollozzo　figures　he　gets　rid　of　the　old　man；　I　have　to　go　in　with　him　on　the　drugs。　With　the　old　man　gone；　the　Family　power　is　cut　at　least　in　half。　I　would　be　fighting　for　my　life　anyway　to　keep　all　the　businesses　the　old　man　got　together。　Drugs　are　the　ing　thing；　we　should　get　into　it。　And　his　knocking　off　the　old　man　is　purely　business；　nothing　personal。　As　a　matter　of　business　I　would　go　in　with　him。　Of　course　he　would　never　let　me　get　too　close；　he'd　make　sure　I'd　never　get　a　clean　shot　at　him；　just　in　case。　But　he　also　knows　that　once　I　accepted　the　deal　the　other　Families　would　never　let　me　start　a　war　a　couple　of　years　later　just　for　revenge。　Also；　the　Tattaglia　Family　is　behind　him。〃
　
　〃If　they　had　gotten　the　old　man；　what　would　you　have　done？〃　Michael　asked。
　
　Sonny　said　very　simply；　〃Sollozzo　is　dead　meat。　I　don't　care　what　it　costs。　I　don't　care　if　we　have　to　fight　all　the　five　families　in　New　York。　The　Tattaglia　Family　is　going　to　be　wiped　out。　I　don't　care　if　we　all　go　down　together。〃
　
　Michael　said　softly；　〃That's　not　how　Pop　would　have　played　it。〃
　
　Sonny　made　a　violent　gesture。　〃I　know　I'm　not　the　man　he　was。　But　I'll　tell　you　this　and　he'll　tell　you　too。　When　it　es　to　real　action　I　can　operate　as　good　as　anybody；　short…range。　Sollozzo　knows　that　and　so　do　Clemenza　and　Tessio；　I　'made　my　bones'　when　I　was　nineteen；　the　last　time　the　Family　had　a　war；　and　I　was　a　big　help　to　the　old　man。　So　I'm　not　worried　now。　And　our　Family　has　all　the　horses　in　a　deal　like　this。　I　just　wish　we　could　get　contact　with　Luca。〃
　
　Michael　asked　curiously；　〃Is　Luca　that　tough；　like　they　say？　Is　he　that　good？〃
　
　Sonny　nodded。　〃He's　in　a　class　by　himself。　I'm　going　to　send　him　after　the　three　Tattaglias。　I'll　get　Sollozzo　myself。〃
　
　Michael　shifted　uneasily　in　his　chair。　He　looked　at　his　older　brother。　He　remembered　Sonny　as　being　sometimes　casually　brutal　but　essentially　warmhearted。　A　nice　guy。