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“Cousin Pippi,” Giorgio said smiling, “what bonus do you expect on this?”

Pippi hated when Giorgio called him cousin. Vincent and Petie called him cousin out of affection, but Giorgio only did so when in negotiation.

“For Fuberta it’s my duty,” Pippi said. “You gave me the Collection Agency and I get wages from the Xanadu. But getting the money back is hard so I should get a percentage. Just as Vince and Petie if they get some from the hoods.”

“That’s fair,” Giorgio said. “But this is not like collecting markers. You can’t expect fifty percent.”

“No, no,” Pippi said, “just let me wet my beak.”

They all laughed at the old Sicilian idiom. Petie said, “Giorgio, don’t be cheap. You don’t want to chisel me and Vincent.” Petie now ran the Bronx Enclave, chief of the Enforcers, and he was always promoting the idea that the button men should get more money. He would split his share with his men.

“You guys are greedy,” Giorgio said with a smile. “But I’ll recommend twenty percent to the old man.” Pippi knew that meant it would be fifteen or ten. It was an old story with Giorgio.

“How about we pool it?” Vince said to Pippi. Meaning the three of them would share whatever money was recovered no matter from whom. It was meant as a friendly gesture. There was a far better chance of recovering money from people who were to live than people who were to die. Vincent understood Pippi’s value.

“Sure, Vince,” Pippi said. “I’d appreciate that.”

He saw Dante walking hand in hand with the Don far off at the edge of the garden. He heard Giorgio say, “Isn’t it amazing how Dante and my father get along? My father was never that friendly to me. They whisper to each other all the time. Well, the old man is so smart, the kid will learn.”

Pippi saw that the boy had his face turned up to the Don. The two looked as if they shared a terrible secret that would give them dominion over Heaven and Earth. Later Pippi would believe that this vision put on him the evil eye, and triggered his misfortune.

Pippi De Lena had gained his reputation over the years by his careful planning. He was not just some rampaging gorilla but a skilled technician. As such he relied on psychological strategy to help in the physical execution of a job. With Danny Fuberta there were three problems. First of all he had to get the money back. Second, he had to coordinate carefully with Vincent and Petie Clericuzio. (That part was easy. Vincent and Petie were extremely efficient in their work. In two days they tracked down the hoods, forced a confession, and arranged for compensation.) Then third, he had to kill Danny Fuberta.

It was easy for Pippi to run into Fuberta accidentally, to turn on his charm and insist the man be his guest for lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the East Side. Fuberta knew Pippi was a collector for the Xanadu, they had necessarily done business over the years, but Pippi seemed so delighted to run into him in New York that Fuberta could not refuse.

Pippi played it in a very low key. He waited until they had ordered and then he said, “Gronevelt told me about the scam.

You know you have a responsibility for those guys being certified for credit.”

Fuberta swore his innocence, and Pippi gave him a big grin and slapped him on the shoulder in a comradely way. “Come on, Danny,” he said, “Gronevelt has the tapes, and your four buddies already fessed up. You’re in big trouble but I can square things if you give back the money. Maybe I can even keep you in the junket business.”

To back up his statement, he took out the four photos of the hoods. “These are your boys,” he said, “and right now they are spilling out their guts. Laying all the shit on you. They told us about the split. So if you come up with your four hundred grand, you’re clear.”

Fuberta said, “Sure, I know these boys, but they’re tough guys, they wouldn’t talk.”

“It’s the Clericuzio who are asking,” Pippi said.

“Oh shit,” Danny said. “I didn’t know they had the Hotel.”

“Now you know,” Pippi said. “If they don’t get the money