Worst Fears Realized

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps it might be possible for me to help you, instead of Dino.”

“You must understand, Mr. Bianchi, that Dino is my closest friend, that I owe him my life, quite literally.”

“Of course. I know all about that, and I understand completely. I am not suggesting that you should do anything to violate that friendship.”

“Good.”

“I am merely saying that there may arise information that Dino would not wish to be privy to, and that our sometimes awkward relationship prevents me from offering him.”

“What sort of information?”

“Then you will accept this from me?”

Stone was uncomfortable. “I’m not certain what I would be accepting.”

“I understand that this Mitteldorfer, on being released from prison, has disappeared.”

“That is correct.”

“Perhaps I can help you find him.”

“How can you do that?”

Bianchi shrugged. “Let us just say that I have… acquaintances who have acquaintances who have friends who might be able to help. If I should request it.”

“I must tell you, I am uncomfortable with this.”

Bianchi held up a hand. “I understand completely.” He reached into the ticket pocket in his jacket, produced a card, and handed it to Stone.

Stone examined it. It contained only a Manhattan telephone number.

“If you should feel you need my… advice, please telephone this number and leave a recorded message. Someone representing me will be in touch.”

Stone pocketed the card and gave Bianchi his own, which seemed only courteous, in the circumstances.

“I will wait to hear from you before making inquiries,” Bianchi said. “Shall we join the others?” He replenished their glasses, and they walked slowly toward the door. “Perhaps, if you will permit me, I will just speak a name to you. The name is Judson Palmer.”

“It doesn’t ring a bell,” Stone said.

“Mr. Palmer is a minor theatrical producer,” Bianchi said, taking Stone’s arm.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“It was he who was having an affair with Mitteldorfer’s wife when she was murdered.”

“Does Mitteldorfer know who he is?”

“That is uncertain.”

“Thank you.”

Bianchi stopped walking. “Stone – may I call you Stone?”

“Of course.”

“And please call me Eduardo.”

“Thank you.”

“I have very much enjoyed our evening together. I don’t go out much since my wife’s death, but it would please me if you would accept another invitation to dinner here.”

“Thank you, Eduardo; I’d be very pleased to come.”

The two men walked back to the small sitting room and joined the others. A large woman in an old-fashioned black dress had joined the group.

“Allow me to introduce my sister, Rosaria,” Bianchi said.

Stone took her hand. “Dinner was a wonderful experience,” he said. The woman blushed. Bianchi sat next to her.

Stone chose a seat as far as possible from Dolce Bianchi.

30

DINO SLAMMED THE CAR DOOR. “ALL right, what went on in that room? You came back arm in arm with him; I’ve seen that before, and it means he wants something from you. What did he want? What did you give him?”

“Dino,” Stone said, starting the car and driving away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What did Eduardo talk about? That’s what I want to know.”

Stone shrugged. “He seemed to want to get to know me a little. Maybe that’s why he invited me to dinner.”

“Eduardo never has reasons as simple as that for doing anything. In all the time I’ve known him, you’re the first person I’ve ever seen sit at that table who wasn’t family.”

“Speaking of family, why did you never tell me that Mary Ann had such a beautiful sister?”

“You knew she had a sister.”

“But I never had an inkling that she was so…”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she? Stay away from her; she’s dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Well, for a start, she has a real snake for an ex-husband.”

“Who is he?”

“His name is Johnny Donato.”

“That has a familiar ring.”

“It should; he was a capo under Big Paul Castellano, before Gotti had him capped. Word is, he was supposed to be driving the Paul that night, which means he would have got it, too, but Paul sent him on some errand or other, so he survived. He disappeared after that and didn’t turn up again until Gotti and Sammy Gravano were in jail. Now he’s running a supposedly legit concrete business, taking up where Sammy left off.”

“And how did a girl as elegant as Dolce end up with a guy like that?”

“Pretty much the same way Mary Ann ended up with me. He was a guy from the neighborhood, working for a bookie and running his own little protection racket on the side. He tried to get a weekly paycheck out of my old man for not burning down his candy store, but when I heard about it I took him aside and discussed it with him.”

“You mean, you beat the shit out of him?”

“Something like that.”

“So why didn’t he and his friends retaliate?”

“I made sure I got him alone, made it personal; nobody saw it, so he didn’t have to salvage his pride. Besides, by that time I was a cop, so he didn’t want to mess with me.”

“Dolce looks too smart to get mixed up with somebody like that, let alone marry him.”

“She is smart, but she was eighteen, nineteen, and for a while, she was stupid. He was a very slick item, drove a convertible, dressed well, flashed money around. Eduardo had her on a tight leash, and she didn’t like it. By the time he got a handle on the situation, they were in Miami on their honeymoon.”

“So Eduardo brought her back?”

Dino shook his head. “That’s not his style. He gave her some rope, and Donato hung himself. They hadn’t been married a month before he was fucking around. She got smart and went home.”

“What’s she doing now?”

“She’s Eduardo’s right-hand man, and I use the gender advisedly. She’s got more balls than any four guys I know.”

“An Italian of Eduardo’s generation makes a business associate out of a daughter?”

“What’s he gonna do? He’s got no sons, and it’s fifteen years before Ben could step up to the plate.”

“You think he wants to bring Ben into his business?”

Dino shrugged. “He’ll try like hell, but the kid has an independent streak. Anyway, it might not be a bad thing, if he wanted it. Eduardo will have the whole thing scrubbed clean before then. It’s a generational thing: Eduardo’s grandfather was an out-and-out, leg-breaking extortionist and pimp; his father was up-to-his-ears Mob, but he had