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breeze – трепаться, болтать /сленг/; breeze – легкий ветерок; новость, слух), talking
baseball, some of them sitting on the steps above the two writers and Carlo. Suddenly
the kids playing stickball in the street scattered. A car came screeching (to screech –
скрипеть, визжать) up the block and to a halt in front of the candy store. It stopped so
80
abruptly that the tires screamed and before it had stopped, almost, a man came hurtling
out (to hurtle – пролетать, нестись со свистом; сильно бросать) of the driver's seat,
moving so fast that everybody was paralyzed. The man was Sonny Corleone.
His heavy Cupid-featured face with its thick, curved mouth was an ugly mask of fury.
In a split second he was at the stoop and had grabbed Carlo Rizzi by the throat. He
pulled Carlo away from the others, trying to drag him into the street, but Carlo wrapped
his huge muscular arms around the iron railings of the stoop and hung on. He cringed
(to cringe – съеживаться /от страха/) away, trying to hide his head and face in the
hollow of his shoulders. His shirt ripped away in Sonny's hand.
What followed then was sickening. Sonny began beating the cowering Carlo with his
fists, cursing him in a thick, rage-choked voice. Carlo, despite his tremendous physique,
offered no resistance, gave no cry for mercy or protest. Coach and Sally Rags dared not
interfere. They thought Sonny meant to kill his brother-in-law and had no desire to share
his fate. The kids playing stickball gathered to curse the driver who had made them
scatter, but now were watching with awestruck interest. They were tough kids but the
sight of Sonny in his rage silenced them. Meanwhile another car had drawn up behind
Sonny's and two of his bodyguards jumped out. When they saw what was happening
they too dared not interfere. They stood alert, ready to protect their chief if any
bystanders had the stupidity to try to help Carlo.
What made the sight sickening was Carlo's complete subjection, but it was perhaps
this that saved his life. He clung to the iron railings with his hands so that Sonny could
not drag him into the street and despite his obvious equal strength, still refused to fight
back. He let the blows rain on his unprotected head and neck until Sonny's rage ebbed.
Finally, his chest heaving, Sonny looked down at him and said, "You dirty bastard, you
ever beat up my sister again I'll kill you."
These words released the tension. Because of course, if Sonny intended to kill the
man he would never have uttered the threat. He uttered it in frustration because he
could not carry it out. Carlo refused to look at Sonny. He kept his head down and his
hands and arms entwined in the iron railing. He stayed that way until the car roared off
and he heard Coach say in his curiously paternal voice, "OK, Carlo, come on into the
store. Let's get out of sight."
It was only then that Carlo dared to get out of his crouch against the stone steps of the
stoop and unlock his hands from the railing. Standing up, he could see the kids look at
him with the staring, sickened faces of people who had witnessed the degradation of a
fellow human being. He was a little dizzy but it was more from shock, the raw fear that
had taken command of his body; he was not badly hurt despite the shower of heavy
blows. He let Coach lead him by the arm into the back room of the candy store and put
ice on his face, which, though it was not cut or bleeding, was lumpy with swelling
bruises. The fear was subsiding now and the humiliation he had suffered made him sick
to his stomach so that he had to throw up (вырвать). Coach held his head over the sink,
supported him as if he were drunk, then helped him upstairs to the apartment and made
him lie down in one of the bedrooms. Carlo never noticed that Sally Rags had
disappeared.
Sally Rags had walked down to Third Avenue and called Rocco Lampone to report
what had happened. Rocco took the news calmly and in his turn called his caporegime,
Pete Clemenza. Clemenza groaned and said, "Oh, Christ, that goddamn Sonny and his
temper," but his finger had prudently clicked down on the hook so that Rocco never
heard his remark.
Clemenza called the house in Long Beach and got Tom Hagen. Hagen was silent for
a moment and then he said, "Send some of your people and cars out on the road to
Long Beach as soon as you can, just in case Sonny gets held up by traffic or an
accident. When he gets sore like that he doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Maybe
some of our friends on the other side will hear he was in town. You never can tell."
Clemenza said doubtfully, "By the time I could get anybody on the road, Sonny will be
home. That goes for the Tattaglias too."
"I know," Hagen said patiently. "But if something out of the ordinary happens, Sonny
may be held up. Do the best you can, Pete."
Grudgingly Clemenza called Rocco Lampone and told him to get a few people and
cars and cover the road to Long Beach. He himself went out to his beloved Cadillac and
with three of the platoon (взвод; полицейский отряд [pl∂’tu:n]) of guards who now
garrisoned his home, started over the Atlantic Beach Bridge, toward New York City.
One of the hangers-on (hanger-on – прихлебатель, приспешник) around the candy
store, a small bettor on the payroll of the Tattaglia Family as an informer, called the
contact he had with his people. But the Tattaglia Family had not streamlined (to
streamline – придавать обтекаемую форму; хорошо налаживать, подготовить) itself
for the war, the contact still had to go all the way through the insulation layers before he
finally got to the caporegime who contacted the Tattaglia chief. By that time Sonny
Corleone was safely back in the mall, in his father's house, in Long Beach, about to face
his father's wrath.
Chapter 18
The war of 1947 between the Corleone Family and the Five Families combined
against them proved to be expensive for both sides. It was complicated by the police
pressure put on everybody to solve the murder of Captain McCluskey. It was rare that
operating officials of the Police Department ignored political muscle that protected
gambling and vice operations, but in this case the politicians were as helpless as the
general staff of a rampaging (to rampage [rжm’peıdG] – неистовствовать,
буйствовать), looting army whose field officers refuse to follow orders.
This lack of protection did not hurt the Corleone Family as much as it did their
opponents. The Corleone group depended on gambling for most of its income, and was
hit especially hard in its "numbers" or "policy" branch of operations. The runners who
picked up the action were swept into police nets and usually given a medium
shellacking (полное поражение; основательная порка) before being booked. Even
some of the "banks" were located and raided, with heavy financial loss. The
"bankers,".90 calibers in their own right, complained to the caporegimes, who brought
their complaints to the family council table. But there was nothing to be done. The
bankers were told to go out of business. Local Negro free-lancers were allowed to take
over the operation in Harlem, the richest territory, and they operated in such scattered
fashion that the police found it hard to pin them down.
After the death of Captain McCluskey, some newspapers printed stories involving him
with Sollozzo. They published proof that McCluskey had received large sums of money
in cash, shortly before his death. These stories had been planted by Hagen, the
information supplied by him. The Police Department refused to confirm or deny these
stories, but they were taking effect. The police force got the word through informers,
through police on the Family payroll, that McCluskey had been a rogue cop
(продажный полицейский; rogue [r∂ug] – жулик, мошенник).
Not that he had taken money or clean graft (взятка, подкуп), there was no rank-and-
file onus to that (за это бы никто не бросил в него камень; rank-and-file – члены
какой-либо организации /исключая руководителей или офицеров/, рядовые члены;
onus – бремя; ответственность, долг ['∂un∂s]). But that he had taken the dirtiest of
dirty money; murder and drugs money. And in the morality of policemen, this was
unforgivable.
Hagen understood that the policeman believes in law and order in a curiously
innocent way. He believes in it more than does the public he serves. Law and order is,
after all, the magic from which he derives his power, individual power which he
cherishes as nearly all men cherish individual power. And yet there is always the
smoldering resentment (тлеющее, теплящееся негодование, возмущение, чувство
обиды [rı'zentm∂nt]) against the public he serves. They are at the same time his ward
(опека, подопечный) and his prey (добыча). As wards they are ungrateful, abusive
(оскорбительный, бранный; /здесь/ оскорбляющие [∂'bju:sıv]; to abuse [∂'bju:z] –
оскорблять, ругать) and demanding. As prey they are slippery and dangerous, full of
guile (обман, хитрость, вероломство [gaıl]). As soon as one is in the policeman's
clutches (когти, лапы) the mechanism of the society the policeman defends marshals
(выстраивать /войска/) all its resources to cheat him of his prize. The fix is put in by
politicians. Judges give lenient (мягкий, снисходительный [‘li:nj∂nt]) suspended
sentences to the worst hoodlums. Governors of the States and the President of the
United States himself give full pardons, assuming that respected lawyers have not
already won his acquittal (оправдание /юр./ [∂'kwıtl]). After a time the cop learns. Why
should he not collect the fees these hoodlums are paying? He needs it more. His
children, why should they not go to college? Why shouldn't his wife shop in more
expensive places? Why shouldn't he himself get the sun with a winter vacation in
Florida? After all, he risks his life and that is no joke.
But usually he draws the line against accepting dirty graft. He will take money to let a
bookmaker operate. He will take money from a man who hates getting parking tickets or
speeding tickets. He will allow call girls and prostitutes to ply their trade; for a
consideration. These are vices natural to a man. But usually he will not take a payoff for
drugs, armed robberies, rape, murder and other assorted (смешанный) perversions. In
his mind these attack the very core (сердцевина) of his personal authority and cannot
be countenanced (countenance [‘kauntın∂ns] – выражение лица; to keep one’s
countenance – не показывать вида; to countenance – терпеть, одобрять,
санкционировать).
The murder of a police Captain was comparable to regicide (цареубийство
['redGısaıd]). But when it became known that McCluskey had been killed while in the
company of a notorious narcotics peddler, when it became known that he was
suspected of conspiracy to murder, the police desire for vengeance began to fade. Also,
after all, there were still mortgage (заклад, ипотека; закладная ['mo:gıdG]) payment to
be made, cars to be paid off, children to be launched (to launch – бросать, метать;
запускать /ракету/) into the world. Without their "sheet" money (деньги, получаемые
по списку /с нарушителей закона, кормящихся на их участке/); sheet – простыня;
84
лист бумаги, печатный лист), policemen had to scramble (карабкаться, продираться,
бороться за обладание) to make ends meet. Unlicensed peddlers were good for lunch
money. Parking ticket payoffs came to nickels and dimes (nickel – монета в 5 центов;
dime – монета в 10 центов). Some of the more desperate even began shaking down
suspects (homosexuals, assaults (assault – нападение; изнасилование [∂'so:lt]) and
batteries (battery – побои, оскорбление действием /юр./) in the precinct squad rooms
(в полицейских участках; squad [skwod] – /воен./ группа, команда /здесь – на
дежурстве/). Finally the brass relented (начальство смягчилось; brass [brα:s] –
латунь, желтая медь; начальство, старший офицер /воен. жарг/). They raised the
prices and let the Families operate. Once again the payoff sheet (список выплат) was
typed up by the precinct bagman (странствующий торговец; коммивояжер /здесь
имеется в виду (насмешливо) полицейский, собирающий свою «долю»/), listing
every man assigned to the local station and what his cut was each month. Some
semblance of social order was restored.
It had been Hagen's idea to use private detectives to guard Don Corleone's hospital
room. These were, of course, supplemented by the much more formidable soldiers of
Tessio's regime. But Sonny was not satisfied even with this. By the middle of February,
when the Don could be moved without danger, he was taken by ambulance to his home
in the mall. The house had been renovated so that his bedroom was now a hospital
room with all equipment necessary for any emergency. Nurses specially recruited and
checked had been hired for round-the-clock care, and Dr. Kennedy, with the payment of
a huge fee, had been persuaded to become the physician in residence to this private
hospital. At least until the Don would need only nursing care.
The mall itself was made impregnable. Button men were moved into the extra houses,
the tenants sent on vacations to their native villages in Italy, all expenses paid.
Freddie Corleone had been sent to Las Vegas to recuperate and also to scout out
(разведать) the ground for a Family operation in the luxury hotel-gambling casino
complex that was springing up. Las Vegas was part of the West Coast empire still
neutral and the Don of that empire had guaranteed Freddie's safety there. The New
York five Families had no desire to make more enemies by going into Vegas after
Freddie Corleone. They had enough trouble on their hands in New York.
Dr. Kennedy had forbade any discussion of business in front of the Don. This edict
was completely disregarded. The Don insisted on the council of war being held in his
85
room. Sonny, Tom Hagen, Pete Clemenza and Tessio gathered there the very first night
of his homecoming.
Don Corleone was too weak to speak much but he wished to listen and exercise veto
powers. When it was explained that Freddie had been sent to Las Vegas to learn the
gambling casino business, he nodded his head approvingly. When he learned that
Bruno Tattaglia had been killed by Corleone button men he shook his head and sighed.
But what distressed him most of all was learning that Michael had killed Sollozzo and
Captain McCluskey and had then been forced to flee to Sicily. When he heard this he
motioned them out and they continued the conference in the corner room that held the
law library.
Sonny Corleone relaxed in the huge armchair behind the desk. "I think we'd better let
the old man take it easy for a couple of weeks, until the doc says he can do business."
He paused. "I'd like to have it going again before he gets better. We have the go-ahead
from the cops to operate. The first thing is the policy banks in Harlem. The black boys
up there had their fun, now we have to take it back. They screwed up the works but
good, just like they usually do when they run things. A lot of their runners (runner –
/здесь/ руководящий бизнесом) didn't payoff winners. They drive up in Cadillacs and
tell their players they gotta wait for their dough or maybe just pay them half what they
win. I don't want any runner looking rich to his players. I don't want them dressing too
good. I don't want them driving new cars. I don't want them welching (to welch, to welsh
– скрыться, не уплатив проигрыша) on paying a winner. And I don't want any free-
lancers staying in business, they give us a bad name. Tom, let's get that project moving
right away. Everything else will fall in line as soon as you send out the word that the lid
is off («крышка открыта» = секретность снята, можно работать спокойно)."
Hagen said, "There are some very tough boys up in Harlem. They got a taste of the
big money. They won't go back to being runners or sub-bankers again."
Sonny shrugged. "Just give their names to Clemenza. That's his job, straightening
them out."
Clemenza said to Hagen, "No problem."
It was Tessio who brought up the most important question. "Once we start operating,
the five Families start their raids. They'll hit our bankers in Harlem and our bookmakers
on the East Side. They may even try to make things tough for the garment center outfits
we service. This war is going to cost a lot of money."
86
"Maybe they won't," Sonny said. "They know we'll hit them right back. I've got peace
feelers (feeler – щупальце; разведчик) out and maybe we can settle everything by
paying an indemnity for the Tattaglia kid."
Hagen said, "We're getting the cold shoulder (нам оказывают холодный прием) on
those negotiations. They lost a lot of dough the last few months and they blame us for it.
With justice. I think what they want is for us to agree to come in on the narcotics trade,
to use the Family influence politically. In other words, Sollozzo's deal minus Sollozzo.
But they won't broach (broach – вертел; to broach – делать прокол, отверстие;
почать /бочку вина/; /здесь/ огласить; начать обсуждать) that until they've hurt us
with some sort of combat action. Then after we've been softened up they figure we'll
listen to a proposition on narcotics."
Sonny said curtly, "No deal on drugs. The Don said no and it's no until he changes it."
Hagen said briskly, "Then we're faced with a tactical problem. Our money is out in the
open. Bookmaking and policy. We can be hit. But the Tattaglia Family has prostitution
and call girls and the dock unions. How the hell are we going to hit them? The other
Families are in some gambling. But most of them are in the construction trades,
shylocking, controlling the unions, getting the government contracts. They get a lot from
strong-arm and other stuff that involves innocent people. Their money isn't out in the
street. The Tattaglia nightclub is too famous to touch it, it would cause too much of a
stink. And with the Don still out of action their political influence matches ours. So we've
got a real problem here."
"It's my problem, Tom," Sonny said. "I'll find the answer. Keep the negotiation alive
and follow through on the other stuff. Let's go back into business and see what happens.
Then we'll take it from there. Clemenza and Tessio have plenty of soldiers, we can
match the whole Five Families gun for gun if that's the way they want it. We'll just go to
the mattresses."
There was no problem getting the free-lance Negro bankers out of business. The
police were informed and cracked down. With a special effort. At that time it was not
possible for a Negro to make a payoff to a high police or political official to keep such an
operation going. This was due to racial prejudice and racial distrust more than anything
else. But Harlem had always been considered a minor problem, and its settlement was
expected.
The Five Families struck in an unexpected direction. Two powerful officials in the
garment unions were killed, officials who were members of the Corleone Family. Then
the Corleone Family shylocks were barred from the waterfront piers (pier – волнолом,
дамба; пирс) as were the Corleone Family bookmakers. The longshoremen's union
(longshoreman – портовый грузчик) locals had gone over to the Five Families.
Corleone bookmakers all over the city were threatened to persuade them to change
their allegiance (верность, лояльность; вассальная зависимость [∂'li:dG∂ns]). The
biggest numbers (затраты; смета) banker in Harlem, an old friend and ally (союзник) of
the Corleone Family, was brutally murdered. There was no longer any option. Sonny
told his caporegimes to go to the mattresses.
Two apartments were set up in the city and furnished with mattresses for the button
men to sleep on, a refrigerator for food, and guns and ammunition. Clemenza staffed
one apartment and Tessio the other. All Family bookmakers were given bodyguard
teams. The policy bankers in Harlem, however, had gone over to the enemy and at the
moment nothing could be done about that. All this cost the Corleone Family a great deal
of money and very little was coming in. As the next few months went by, other things
became obvious. The most important was that the Corleone Family had overmatched
itself (to overmatch = to be more than a match for – превосходить /силой, умением/;
/здесь/ переоценить свои силы; match – ровня, пара; равносильный противник).
There were reasons for this. With the Don still too weak to take a part, a great deal of
the Family's political strength was neutralized. Also, the last ten years of peace had
seriously eroded the fighting qualities of the two caporegimes, Clemenza and Tessio.
Clemenza was still a competent executioner and administrator but he no longer had the
energy or the youthful strength to lead troops. Tessio had mellowed (смягчился; mellow
– спелый, сочный; to mellow – делаться спелым, созревать; смягчаться)with age
and was not ruthless enough. Tom Hagen, despite his abilities, was simply not suited to
be a Consigliori in a time of war. His main fault was that he was not a Sicilian.
Sonny Corleone recognized these weaknesses in the Family's wartime posture but
could not take any steps to remedy them. He was not the Don and only the Don could
replace the caporegimes and the Consigliori. And the very act of replacement would
make the situation more dangerous, might precipitate some treachery (спровоцировать,
вызвать какое-нибудь предательство, измену; to precipitate [prı’sıpıteıt] –
низвергать, повергать; ввергать; ускорять, торопить). At first, Sonny had thought of
fighting a holding action until the Don could become well enough to take charge, but
with the defection of the policy bankers, the terrorization of the bookmakers, the Family
position was becoming precarious (случайный; ненадежный, сомнительный,
опасный [prı’kε∂rı∂s]). He decided to strike back.
But he decided to strike right at the heart of the enemy. He planned the execution of
the heads of the five Families in one grand tactical maneuver. To that purpose he put
into effect an elaborate system of surveillance (надзор, наблюдение /напр. за
подозреваемым/ [s∂:’veıl∂ns]) of these leaders. But after a week the enemy chiefs
promptly dived underground and were seen no more in public.
The Five Families and the Corleone Empire were in stalemate (пат /шахм./; мертвая
точка, тупик; stale – несвежий /хлеб/; спертый /воздух/; выдохшийся /спортсмен/).
Chapter 18
Amerigo Bonasera lived only a few blocks from his undertaking establishment on
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