The Last Don - Mario Puzo [193]
Rose Marie said to her father, “Jimmy was so horrified that you might think his family had anything to do with it. I know they didn’t. Jimmy promised me that his family would come to an agreement.”
Don Clericuzio had already convicted the Santadio Family of the murder. He did not require any proof. But mercy was another matter.
“I believe and accept you,” the Don said, and indeed he believed in Jimmy’s innocence, though that would make no difference. “Rose Marie, you have my permission to marry but not in this house, nor will any of my family be present. And Jimmy, tell your father that we will sit down together and discuss business after the marriage.”
“Thank you,” Jimmy Santadio said. “I understand. The wedding will be in our Palm Springs house. In one month all my family will be there and all your family will be invited. If they choose not to come then it’s their decision.”
The Don was offended. “So quickly after this?” He gestured toward the coffin.
And then Rose Marie collapsed into the Don’s arms. He could sense her terror. She whispered to him, “I’m pregnant.”
“Ah,” the Don said. He smiled at Jimmy Santadio.
Rose Marie whispered again. “I’ll name him after Silvio. He’ll be just like Silvio.”
The Don patted her dark hair and kissed her cheek. “Good,” he said. “Good. But I still will not attend the wedding.”
Now Rose Marie had recovered her courage. She lifted her face to his and kissed him on the cheek. Then she said, “Dad, somebody has to come. Somebody has to give me away.”
The Don turned to Pippi who was standing beside him. “Pippi will represent the Family at the wedding. He’s a nephew and he loves to dance. Pippi, you will give your cousin away and then you can all dance to the bottom of the ocean.”
Pippi bent to kiss Rose Marie’s cheek. “I’ll be there,” he said with false gallantry, “and if Jimmy doesn’t show up, we’ll run away together.”
Rose Marie gratefully raised her eyes and came into his arms.
A month later Pippi De Lena was on the plane from Vegas to Palm Springs to attend the wedding. That month had been spent with Don Clericuzio in the Quogue mansion, and in meetings with Giorgio, Vincent, and Petie.
The Don clearly instructed that Pippi was to be in charge of the operation. That his orders were to be treated as orders from the Don himself, no matter what the orders might be.
Only Vincent dared to question the Don. “What if the Santadio didn’t kill Silvio?”
The Don said, “It doesn’t matter, but it reeks of their stupidity, which will endanger us in the future. We will only have to fight them at another time. Of course, they are guilty. Ill will itself is murder. If the Santadio are not guilty then we must agree that Fate itself is against us. Which would you rather believe?”
For the first time in his life, Pippi noted that the Don was distraught. He spent long hours in the chapel in the basement of his house. He ate very little, and drank more wine, which was unusual for him. And he put Silvio’s framed photo in his bedroom for a few days. One Sunday he asked the priest saying Mass to hear his confession.
On the last day, the Don had a meeting with Pippi alone.
“Pippi,” the Don said, “this is a very tricky operation. There may be a situation when the question comes up if Jimmy Santadio is to be spared. Do not. But no one is to know this is my order. That deed must be on your head. Not on mine, not Giorgio or Vincent or Petie. Are you willing to take the blame?”
“Yes,” Pippi said. “You don’t want your daughter to hate you or reproach you. Or her brothers.”
“A situation may arise where Rose Marie is at risk,” the Don said.
“Yes,” Pippi said.
The Don sighed. “Do everything to safeguard my children,” he said. “You must make the final decisions. But I never gave you the order to kill Jimmy Santadio.”
“And if Rose Marie discovers it was . . .” Pippi asked.
The Don looked directly at Pippi De Lena. “She is my child and the sister of Silvio. She will never betray us.”
The Santadio mansion in Palm