Johnny and Sun Reporter, Freddie Jackson, are let in to Danny Alonzo’s meeting at the St. George hotel in Brooklyn Heights.
I was at the corner of Henry and Clark at 8:45 that next morning. Actually, I was just finishing up some bacon and eggs at Moshe’s Variety. Moshe’s Variety had been a Brooklyn Heights mainstay for more years than I can remember. They sold newspapers, candy, comics, aspirin, kites in the summer and umbrellas in the winter. Moe was the ‘chief cook and bottle washer’ at the five-seat counter Selma, his wife, managed the cash register. Vinnie and I used to demolish Moshe’s malted milkshakes when we had thirty-five cents. When we asked for two glasses—which we always did, Moe would look over his reading glasses, frown and set another glass in front of us.
“Someday you’re both going to order a malted for each of you,” he would invariably say, “but you probably won’t get them, since I’ll be having a heart attack!”
At this Selma would always say, “Moshe, don’t even say that, I’ll get too excited about closing this damn place.”
At five minutes to nine, Freddie walked in.
“Hiya Moshe,” Moshe took a cup and started to pour a coffee. Freddie raised his hand, “Thanks, but I’m just here to pick up Johnny.”
“No time for coffee?”
Freddie smiled, “Nope. Busy day.”
Selma chimed in, “Always busy, always moving. The big-time reporter”
Freddie leaned over kissed Selma on the cheek, “Got to bring the truth to the citizens of this great city.” Selma just stood there huffing and puffing. Freddie said, “Time to go, Johnny.”
I got up, threw a half dollar and a quarter on the counter. “Thanks Moshe,” I said. He picked up the change and tossed it into one of his apron’s four pockets. He gave me that over the glasses look, “From you, I’ll never get rich.”
The meeting started at 9:30am. Freddie and I were stopped at the door.
I knew the giant who stood in front of us.
“Hi Larry.”
Larry was one of the shift leaders, although never a foreman; they were picked by the mob. My old man knew Larry since he was a kid, as did I. Larry puffed his chest out, which still couldn’t cover his stomach.
“Can’t let you in Johnny, this is a closed meeting.”
Freddie piped in, “He’s with me Larry.”
Larry froze for two full seconds, my first thought was that he might be having a stroke, but then I realized he was just thinking. He looked back to see where Danny Alonzo was. Alonzo was in the front of the room, but yelled over.
“Let ‘em in Larry.” Larry came out of his thinking coma and stepped aside to let us in.
As I passed, he said, “Just doin’ my job. Nothing personal, Johnny.”
“No problem, Larry,” I said, but I did throw in a pretty sarcastic, “You’re doing a great job, Larry.” Larry didn’t get it. Instead in beamed, “Thanks Johnny.”
There were about twenty-five longshoremen packed into a meeting room that could have also been called a meeting closet. Danny was in front of a small table with his partner/bodyguard Jessie McDonald next to him. Using an empty coffee cup as a gavel he called the meeting to order.
“Okay everyone, settle down,” Danny looked around at the crowded room, already fogged in from the cigarettes and cigars that almost everyone in the room smoked. I noticed that Freddie hadn’t lit up. I guess there was enough smoke for him to just breath it in.
Danny began, “First order of business,” but was immediately interrupted by a cigar chomping longshoreman, “First order of business! How the fuck do we keep those mob creeps out of our business!”
A second guy followed Larry.
“Yeah. How long are we gonna put up with them?”
A third voice came from the back of the room.
“I don’t fuckin’ know, but they have guns and muscle!”
“We got muscle!” Someone shouted, “And we got guns!”
Danny rapped the table with his cup.
“Okay! Okay! Calm the fuck down!” he put both hands out as if he was a traffic cop slowing down traffic.
“Look, we’ve been in the same situation for as long as the oldest guy in the room can remember.” He looked around the room, which had quieted down.“Guns and violence are not going to do a God Damned thing except get good people killed.”
“Yeah, just ask Joey D. Oh that’s right, he’s dead,” said the cigar chomper.
That crack got everyone talking at once. It was coffee cup banging time again. Danny spoke in a voice so low that everyone shut up and listened.
“The only way we’re going to get anywhere is to get the goods on these guys and send ‘em up the river.” He walked around the table and stood in between two rows. He pointed to Freddie Jackson, “We need to get some people with some kind of clout, who aren’t on the take to help us.”
Cigar man said, “Hey Freddie you gonna help us? Before you leave let me take your measurements for your coffin, my brother-in-law runs a funeral parlor in Richmond hill. You’re gonna need it.”
Laughter. Freddie countered, “Beware the power of the press.”
“You got balls, Freddie, I’ll give you that,” came from somewhere in the room.
Danny walked over to Freddie.
“Listen, we don’t want anyone measured for a coffin, so each one of you needs to be zipped up about Freddie being a part of this meeting. I’m serious, if this starts leaking someone in here is going to be in the shitter, or I might say, in their own custom-made coffin.”
Danny walked back and sat on the edge facing the group.
“Moving the mob out of Brooklyn is going to take a lot of time and work. What we’re looking for here is for the powers that be to initiate an investigation, and right now, I’m not sure that we have enough good guys running the state and city to make that happen.”
Cigar man asked, “So what do we do? Just take the shit they give us,” the big man looked around, “Hey Maxie when was the last time you got picked at shape up? What about you Joe? How’s the work thing going?”
Danny began, “Yeah, those of us who’ve complained, spoke up, gotten in a fight with a Dock foreman, are getting punished left and right. And since it’s everybody’s food and rent, nobody with any sense wants to join in the fun. But if we keep putting just a little pressure,” he looked at Freddie again, “maybe a little story that puts a darker light on things, and maybe if we here in this room can stay united, they might just lighten up a little.”
From the back of the room, “Take their crumbs you mean?”
“I mean try to loosen things up a little, and keep working on the politicians. I know it’s a lousy deal, and I know there’s more on the take than not these days, but those are the cards we have to play with right now. And if anyone’s gonna make noise, it’s gonna be me,” said Danny.
“And why’s that Danny?” asked Cigar man.
“Because we need someone to irritate them. Someone to take the heat off you guys. Listen, I’d sooner give this role to anyone who wanted it, but I’ve already stuck my head out.”
“Ya better send you measurements to Gerry over there!”
Danny laughed, “Hey, I ain’t no hero. I figure they knock me off, they put the heat on themselves. This ain’t 1925. Those kinds of hits just cause trouble.”
He looked around.
“I’ve been working beside most of you for a long time, ever since Stone’s old man got me into the union. We’ve stayed pretty much a family for the most part. We’ve seen marriages, births, deaths, Thanksgivings all the things that come with a close knit community. But life isn’t getting any easier or any cheaper. Everything costs and the mob’s squeezing us to the breaking point. So, we gotta start somewhere.”
There was silence for a minute, then Cigar Man stands up and says “We’re with you Danny. And each man here will bring in another man who can’t take it anymore. I mean it’ll help if there’s a lot of us? Right Danny?
Danny smiled, “Right. But be careful guys. We’re only twenty-five here, the larger we get, the more risk of a rat among us. Okay, let’s break. Some of you got to get to work, others have to get some sleep. We’ll decide where the next meeting will be and be in touch.”
It’d been an hour plus in a very hot room and people were glad to get out.
I asked Freddie, “Why do you think Danny wanted to meet in such a public place?”
Freddie laid down his pad and pencil and turned around to face me.
“Well, it wasn’t a very well -kept secret, I’ll give you that, but I think Danny wanted the mob boys as well as the guys to know that he wasn’t going to quiet down and there were more and more people to listen.”
Meanwhile Danny walked over to us and put his hand on Freddie’s shoulder, before I could make my comment about him having a death-wish.
“Thanks for coming Freddie,” he then looked over at me, “Hi Johnny, to what do we owe this honor?
“I’m working on a case,” I said, “the murder of Vinnie Santelli.”
“Yeah, I heard. Sorry I missed the funeral; I was out of town. Vinnie was a good guy. Did a lot of work for the home team. Is that what got him killed?”
“I don’t know yet, Danny, but I’m gonna find out,” I told him.
Jessie came up with Danny’s coat and we all headed out.
Outside there were a couple of men from the meeting standing smoking by the front entrance. It had started snowing. Jessie took off to get the car for Danny. We three, Danny, Freddie and me, stood under the awning.
Danny asked “Can I give anybody a ride?”
Freddie and I both waved our hands to signal that wasn’t needed. Danny put his hand out to shake mine.
It happened fast.
A black sedan pulled out from a parking spot near the entrance, it wasn’t Danny’s car. I saw the gun muzzle flash from the passenger side window. Danny’s face had instantly become a bloody hole. Both Freddie and me hit the deck. I had my gun out before I hit the ground, but the car was already a block away. Danny lay half in half out of the awning’s shield. The falling snow turning pink on his bloody head.
