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because Meli deserved what he got. He had no business trying to collect from the grocer. That had nothing to do with us. That was something he was trying to do on his own.”
    “Do you think it is possible that when Tangeleno sent his men after the person who shot Meli that the same person might have shot them?” Hennesy asked.
    De Luca laughed.
    “What is so funny?”
    “Do you know who you are talking about?”
    “I’m talking about the man who shot Meli.”
    “Do you really think that someone who plays piano in a whorehouse could have killed all three of Tangeleno’s men?”
    “I don’t know. But he did shoot Meli,” Hennesy pointed out.
    “It was a pure stroke of luck. Meli is a fool, and he wasn’t paying attention. He was lucky the piano player didn’t kill him.”
    “You hold no ill will toward the piano player?”
    “No,” De Luca said. “The piano player was at the grocers, buying groceries for the whores. When Meli shot the grocer, the piano player came to the grocer’s defense. That was a thing of honor. I do not kill men for acting in la questione di onore.”
    “I can understand that.”
    “Anyway, I do not think the piano player is the one who shot Tangeleno’s men.”
    “Then that brings me back to my original question. If you didn’t shoot Tangeleno’s men, and if the piano player didn’t shoot them, who did?”
    “I don’t know, I…” Stopping in midsentence, De Luca got a strange look on his face and snapped his fingers. “I’ll be damned,” he said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. I know who killed Tangeleno’s men.”
    “Who?”
    “Tangeleno did it.”
    “What?” Hennesy asked, surprised by De Luca’s suggestion. “Why would he do something like that?”
    “Because he wants to start a war,” De Luca explained. “Or at least he wants to push us to the brink of a war. He shot his own men so he could blame me for it, then he used that as an excuse to kill three of my men.”
    Hennesy shook his head. “I don’t know…That seems pretty far-fetched to me.”
    “Now he is going to make a big show of trying to make peace between us. He’ll send someone to talk to me, to try and convince me that the only way we can have peace is if I accept his offer to merge our organizations. The only question is: Who will he use to make contact with me?”
    Hennesy stroked his chin for a long moment. “Oh shit.”
    “What is it?”
    “The son of a bitch is using me,” Hennesy said.
    “What do you mean, he’s using you?”
    “Tangeleno came to see me. He asked me to bring you a message. He wants to send someone over to talk peace with you.”
    “Why would Tangeleno come see you, Hennesy? Are you working for him now?”
    “No, De Luca, no, I’m not,” Hennesy said quickly. “I guess he thought I was the best way to get through to you.”
    “That makes sense, I guess, since he knows that I am paying you money.”
    “What? How does he know that?” Hennesy asked, his face registering alarm.
    “I told him.”
    “De Luca, no! Why did you do that? It is not good that he knows. It’s not good for either one of us.”
    “You don’t understand the way things work with us, Hennesy. He needs to know that I have collegamenti potenti.”
    “I beg your pardon? I don’t speak Italian.”
    “I said he needs to know that I have powerful connections,” De Luca translated.
    “I don’t like it. I don’t like being pulled into the middle of all this.”
    “You are already in the middle of it. You got in the middle of it the first time you took money from me. Now, what is the message?” De Luca asked.
    “He wants to send Morello to set up a meeting between you and Tangeleno.”
    “Morello, huh?”
    “Yes.”
    “Morello is his number-two man. He must really think he has me where he wants me. All right, tell him he can send Morello,” De Luca said.
    “Can I tell him you will guarantee Morello’s safety?” Hennesy asked.
    De Luca looked at Hennesy.