CHAPTER SIX
Just like Ray said, the two extra people were welcomed for dinner in the Vecchio house. Paulie, having grown up in a similar family, fit right in, but for Stan it was rather like being thrown in the deep end of the pool. Fraser noticed his discomfort. "Don't worry - as Ray once told me, they only attack the ones they love."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"I felt the same way myself the first five or six times."
"Are they always this... lively?"
Fraser smiled. "Actually, this is quiet - Francesca is gone."
"You're kidding."
"So tell me, Paulie, have you got any family in New York?" Ma Vecchio was asking.
"No, Mrs Vecchio... well, not exactly - I've got three sort-of foster sons at the moment; when I get back I think I'm going to look into becoming their legal guardian. And frankly, the thought of it scares the hell out of me." It surprised Paulie to actually say it out loud, but the more he thought about it the more it seemed exactly like what he should do. It surprised Stan as well, but everyone else took it right in stride.
"Three? How did you get three foster sons? And what do you mean by sort-of?" Maria asked.
So Paulie told everyone how the three Collier brothers had come into his life, and his doubts about taking them on permanently as a single parent.
"Nonsense - you'll do just fine. Just remember, your time with them is short - treasure every minute. Being a parent is the hardest job on earth, but it's also the most rewarding. You'll come back and visit sometime and bring your boys. You're family now. Both of you are," Ma Vecchio said in a voice that would not take 'no' for an answer.
"I'll do that - thanks for the invitation. And for the dinner. Ray, I think we'd better discuss this transfer before Stan and I fall asleep; we're still on Eastern time. And what is a Mountie doing working with the Chicago PD, anyway?"
Fraser opened his mouth to answer; Ray looked at him and said, "Readers Digest Condensed version, Benny; we've got other things to discuss tonight too."
"Understood."
Across the street and a few doors down from the Vecchio house a man sat in a dark, nondescript car. He picked up a cell phone and dialled a number in Eastbridge, New York. "Yeah?"
"They're meeting with the cops in Chicago. Artie ain't with 'em."
"Keep on 'em and keep me informed. When they move Artie, hit 'em. I want that little snitch dead, and if you have to take out a cop of two as well..."
"Whatever you say. It's your money." He hung up and kept watch.
The next morning Stan and Paulie arrived at the station at 9:00. They met with Lt Welsh and various representatives of the State's Attorney's office to get all the paperwork in order for their return trip to Eastbridge the next day with Artie. All involved were surprised at how smoothly things went; Chicago was eager to get rid of Artie and Eastbridge, while not exactly eager to get him back, was eager to find out how good his information was. They were finished by 2 pm. That gave Stan and Paulie the chance to 'talk' to Artie about the whole thing.
"OK, Artie - talk to me. Tell me why we should waste the Eastbridge taxpayers' money to take your sorry ass back. Tony seems to think you can help us bust Collette, but I ain't so sure. So convince me, or I swear I'll leave you here in Chicago." Paulie sat one-legged on the table in Interview 2.
"C'mon, Pentangeli, you think I would have run if it wasn't serious?"
"I don't know, Artie - you tell me."
"Collette don't mess around - if he knew I witnessed a hit and can finger the shooter I'd be a dead man by now. You know that!"
Paulie snorted. "Yeah? And here I thought Collette was just another of Eastbridge's fine upstanding citizens. Go figure."
"I swear on my mother's grave, Paulie, I heard Dominic Battaglio that night down on the docks. I heard him say Collette was gonna make Ribisi an example! I swear!"
"Think you can make a grand jury believe you? Your record isn't exactly spotless, you know."
Ray, Fraser and Stan were watching from Interview 1.
"I take it they have a history," Fraser said.
"Yeah, Paulie gets a lot of good tips from Artie. He's known as 'Smartie Artie' back at the shop. Has his fingers in lots of pies."
"How much goes on in Eastbridge, anyway?" Ray asked. "I mean, it isn't that big."
"We may not be big, but we're close to the City so we get a lot of spillover - guys tryin' to escape the heat there sometimes wind up in Eastbridge. And we get the occasional 'wannabe' tryin' to make a name for himself. We've got plenty, believe me."
"City?" Fraser looked confused.
"New York City - the Big Apple. We're about an hour up the Hudson."
"Ah."
Paulie came in from the other room. "I don't know how worthwhile this is gonna be after all. The grand jury might not consider him to be a reliable informant. But, we've got a one-way ticket back to New York... either of you guys want to come to New York? No? Well, I guess we'll just have to take Artie back tomorrow, then."
A dark, nondescript car drove past the parking lot near the 27th District station house. The driver was checking to see if a particular rental car was still parked where it had been 15 minutes earlier. Satisfied that it was, the car moved on. He was still watching when, an hour later, two men left the station and drove off in the rental car, minus Artie. He figured the move would be tomorrow, but he kept an eye on the two anyway.
