Together and give them a mission of sufficient secrecy and importance

He would tell Paulie that their job today was to find an apartment in case the

Family decided to "go to the mattresses."

Whenever a war between the Families became bitterly intense, the opponents

would set up headquarters in secret apartments where the "soldiers" could sleep

On mattresses scattered through the rooms. This was not so much to keep their

Families out of danger, their wives and little children, since any attack on

Noncombatants was undreamed of. All parties were too vulnerable to similar

Retaliation. But it was always smarter to live in some secret place where your

Everyday movements could not be charted either by your opponents or by some

Police who might arbitrarily decide to meddle.

19 And so usually a trusted caporegime would be sent out to rent a secret

Apartment and fill it with mattresses. That apartment would be used as a sally

Port into the city when an offensive was mounted. It was natural for Clemenza to

Be sent on such an errand. It was natural for him to take Gatto and Lampone with

Him to arrange all the details, including the furnishing of the apartment. Also,

Clemenza thought with a grin, Paulie Gatto had proved he was greedy and the

First thought that would pop into his head was how much he could get from