It wasn’t fair to blame Beth, Frank reasoned. It wasn’t her fault Anna Maria had caught them together. Beth was a good kid, genuinely sweet and concerned. He’d called her a whore. She was probably destroyed. He regretted his phone call telling her to get out. It was stupid. He needed her now, more than ever. The children needed her. How many girls like Beth were there around? Not many, he could vouch for that. The day of the innocent girl was over. They were all hookers and hustlers out for what they could get.
He wanted Beth back. But how was he supposed to find her when he couldn’t even remember which employment agency had sent her? He had all of them checked out, but none of them seemed to remember her. At her interview she’d brought references. References he hadn’t bothered to check, because he’d liked her at first glance. Now he found himself in the frustrating position of not knowing where she was, or any more about her than that her name was Beth.
He put people in charge of tracking her down, knowing she would have to register with the employment agencies if she wanted another job. Meanwhile, because of his own stupidity, he could only sit and wait. And sitting and waiting meant thinking, and he did not like the thoughts that crowded his head. So he drank, and drinking meant a sweet oblivion that only hit him after a full bottle of Scotch, and being drunk meant he couldn’t work.
Enzio gave strict orders to Segal and Golli not to let Frank out of their sight, and to keep him at home. There would be time enough after the funeral to pull Frank back into shape.
In the meantime Enzio took over. First he met with an old friend, Stefano Crown. Stefano was sympathetic; he too was having trouble with new organizations trying to muscle in.
‘What’s your solution?’ Enzio asked.
Stefano Crown shrugged. He was younger than Enzio by fifteen years and still kept complete control of his business empire. ‘Maybe I give ’em a piece of action, bring some of ’em in,’ he said.
Enzio spat his disgust on the floor. He’d experienced trouble with Stefano Crown before. The prick was getting soft. ‘You give ’em some, they want more. You give ’em more, they want it all.’
‘I run legitimate businesses,’ Stefano said, stroking his chin. ‘Last week they blew up two of my supermarkets. Whaddaya think that means? I can’t have the ordinary jerks too shit-scared to drag their asses to work in the mornings. Last week thirty-three of my employees quit—thirty-three. Word gets around. Soon I’ll have ’em all takin’ off. Then what’ll I do, when there’s no one to run the beauty parlors, garages, supermarkets, huh, Enzio, my friend?’
Enzio spat again. All Stefano Crown was concerned about was his legitimate front. Fuck that. Things were so different from the old days.
‘You go with ’em, you get no help from me,’ he said roughly. ‘I have other plans, better plans.’
Stefano shook his head. ‘I don’t want no more trouble. I can’t afford it. I’m a man who pays my taxes. A businessman. What does Frank want to do?’
‘Frank,’ Enzio sighed. ‘Frank has other things on his mind. You heard about Anna Maria?’
Stefano nodded. ‘Shockin’ tragedy. I feel for you an’ the family,’
‘The funeral’s tomorrow. It would be a sign of respect if you attended.’
‘Of course I’ll be there.’ Stefano extended his hand. ‘No hard feelings, Enzio?’
‘Not at all,’ Enzio replied evenly. ‘You do it your way. I do it mine.’
* * *
Later that day Stefano Crown was shot in the head as he was about to enter an apartment building on Riverside Drive.
‘It’s a terrible thing when a man can no longer move freely in this city,’ Enzio said with feeling when he heard.
Alio Marcusi, who was with him at the time, merely nodded.