Dino said. “I don’t give a shit about the blonde, I want to know who put a bullet in you.”
“Yeah? Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t want the local hit men running around taking potshots at retired police officers. The best way to stop ’em is to catch ’em. Why do I have to explain that to you?”
“What do you want, Dino? I already finished my Jell-O, so you can’t have that.”
“I told you what I want, give it to me.”
Donnelly sighed. “I was looking into an old case of mine, and I guess I got too close to somebody. Funny thing, the only guy I’ve talked to about it is your old buddy StonefuckingBarrington. Then somebody takes a shot at me. Go figure, huh?”
“Stone had nothing to do with this,” Dino said, “so don’t try and fob it off on him. Whose toes did you step on?”
“Eddie Buono’s, I guess.”
“Buono’s dead.”
“His pal Johnny Fratelli ain’t, and he just got out.”
“I hear somebody took a shot at Fratelli, too,” Dino said. “Would that be you?”
“Me? Why would I want Fratelli dead? He never did nothing to me.”
“Maybe he wants the same thing you do, and he got there first.”
“I want to solve a cold case—you think Fratelli wants that?”
“Why do you, all of a sudden, want to solve your cold case? You didn’t do anything about it for the fifteen years you’ve been retired.”
“Personal satisfaction,” Donnelly said.
“You think the money’s still out there, don’t you?”
Donnelly turned a little red in the face. “I fucking
know
the money’s still out there! We got Buono’s crew and most of their money, but Eddie never spent a dime of his cut, and he got half! He got busted and sentenced, less than a year after the airport job, for offing Paddy Riley, who ratted him out on an earlier gig. He weaseled out of that one, but not the Riley beef. He went up for Riley.”
“And you think Johnny Fratelli knows where the money is?”
“Look, Dino, Eddie Buono was scared shitless about getting raped in the joint. He was a pretty boy, and he just knew somebody was going to climb on him, so he hired Fratelli, who’s a big, tough guy, to keep the fags off his back. And he did, too—I talked to one of the guards on their cell block. They were cellmates for twenty-two years! Everybody was too afraid of Fratelli to make a pass at Eddie.”
“So, for that, Buono passed on the money to Fratelli?”
“He knew he was dying, what’s he gonna do, give it to the Salvation Army, in the hope of cracking the pearly gates? Them wops stuck together, or at least they did in the old days.”
Dino ignored the Italian slur. “So, where’s Fratelli? We’ll have a word with him.”
“He was in town, now I hear he’s out of town, nobody knows where. Except, maybe, StonefuckingBarrington. Fratelli was seen in his neighborhood. I guess he needed legal advice, and StonefuckingBarrington had a street rep as a standup guy, who wouldn’t rat him out.”
“And that’s why you went to see Stone? To get him to do something you knew he wasn’t going to do?”
“I thought maybe he’d do it for a cut.”
“Stone’s up to his ass in money. He had a rich wife who lost an argument with a shotgun from an old lover.”
“So he told me,” Donnelly said. “Who knew?”
“I thought everybody did,” Dino said. “I guess you lead a sheltered life.”
“I guess.”
“Sean, who shot you?”
“Somebody who wants the same thing I do.”
“And who might that be?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far in my investigation before I got plugged.”
“No idea at all?”
“None. Hey . . .” He pointed at the windowsill. “Find out who sent me them flowers—maybe that’s the guy.”
Dino suppressed a laugh. “What, there was no card?”
“Dino, if I could get outta this bed, I’d kick your ass. Maybe when I do, I will, just for the fun of it.”
Dino stood up to go. “Not on your best day, Sean.”
“Go see some of your guinea
“Yeah? Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t want the local hit men running around taking potshots at retired police officers. The best way to stop ’em is to catch ’em. Why do I have to explain that to you?”
“What do you want, Dino? I already finished my Jell-O, so you can’t have that.”
“I told you what I want, give it to me.”
Donnelly sighed. “I was looking into an old case of mine, and I guess I got too close to somebody. Funny thing, the only guy I’ve talked to about it is your old buddy StonefuckingBarrington. Then somebody takes a shot at me. Go figure, huh?”
“Stone had nothing to do with this,” Dino said, “so don’t try and fob it off on him. Whose toes did you step on?”
“Eddie Buono’s, I guess.”
“Buono’s dead.”
“His pal Johnny Fratelli ain’t, and he just got out.”
“I hear somebody took a shot at Fratelli, too,” Dino said. “Would that be you?”
“Me? Why would I want Fratelli dead? He never did nothing to me.”
“Maybe he wants the same thing you do, and he got there first.”
“I want to solve a cold case—you think Fratelli wants that?”
“Why do you, all of a sudden, want to solve your cold case? You didn’t do anything about it for the fifteen years you’ve been retired.”
“Personal satisfaction,” Donnelly said.
“You think the money’s still out there, don’t you?”
Donnelly turned a little red in the face. “I fucking
know
the money’s still out there! We got Buono’s crew and most of their money, but Eddie never spent a dime of his cut, and he got half! He got busted and sentenced, less than a year after the airport job, for offing Paddy Riley, who ratted him out on an earlier gig. He weaseled out of that one, but not the Riley beef. He went up for Riley.”
“And you think Johnny Fratelli knows where the money is?”
“Look, Dino, Eddie Buono was scared shitless about getting raped in the joint. He was a pretty boy, and he just knew somebody was going to climb on him, so he hired Fratelli, who’s a big, tough guy, to keep the fags off his back. And he did, too—I talked to one of the guards on their cell block. They were cellmates for twenty-two years! Everybody was too afraid of Fratelli to make a pass at Eddie.”
“So, for that, Buono passed on the money to Fratelli?”
“He knew he was dying, what’s he gonna do, give it to the Salvation Army, in the hope of cracking the pearly gates? Them wops stuck together, or at least they did in the old days.”
Dino ignored the Italian slur. “So, where’s Fratelli? We’ll have a word with him.”
“He was in town, now I hear he’s out of town, nobody knows where. Except, maybe, StonefuckingBarrington. Fratelli was seen in his neighborhood. I guess he needed legal advice, and StonefuckingBarrington had a street rep as a standup guy, who wouldn’t rat him out.”
“And that’s why you went to see Stone? To get him to do something you knew he wasn’t going to do?”
“I thought maybe he’d do it for a cut.”
“Stone’s up to his ass in money. He had a rich wife who lost an argument with a shotgun from an old lover.”
“So he told me,” Donnelly said. “Who knew?”
“I thought everybody did,” Dino said. “I guess you lead a sheltered life.”
“I guess.”
“Sean, who shot you?”
“Somebody who wants the same thing I do.”
“And who might that be?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far in my investigation before I got plugged.”
“No idea at all?”
“None. Hey . . .” He pointed at the windowsill. “Find out who sent me them flowers—maybe that’s the guy.”
Dino suppressed a laugh. “What, there was no card?”
“Dino, if I could get outta this bed, I’d kick your ass. Maybe when I do, I will, just for the fun of it.”
Dino stood up to go. “Not on your best day, Sean.”
“Go see some of your guinea
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