Introducing author Charlie Crane who shares an exclusive excerpt of crime thriller book ‘Mobbed Up in Suburbia’.
Junior found Hot Nose standing out on the veranda, watching the late night closing in on another morning. Junior had stood just inside the house for a time, watching Bill sip his whiskey, looking out at yesterday and tomorrow. Melancholic was how it had struck Junior, which was out of character for Bill, so it could be a moment of opportunity. A rare time when Bill’s sentiment allowed him to drop his guard.
Bill pushed a clean glass Junior’s way. “Join me, kid. It’s good to have the company.”
Junior poured himself a whiskey and took a belt and Hot Nose said,
“It’s a beautiful night out, ain’t it, kid?”
“It is. I miss these autumn nights. LA’s got two seasons. Hot and not so hot.”
“Sounds miserable. I don’t know how you do it.”
It had taken Junior some time to adjust—he’d spent countless nights in his first few months searching for environs that would make him feel more at home. He’d finally given up and realized that LA had a charm of its own, and if he were going to stay, he’d have to learn to appreciate it for what it was. “It has its upside.”
“Yeah,” Bill said, watching the night, “I guess everywhere does. Good and bad.”
Junior faced Bill’s formidable profile. “You’re gonna have to talk to me, Bill. You know that, right? You’re gonna have to give me what I need. Bill?” Bill faced him. “Otherwise, tell me what the hell I’m doing here.”
Bill turned away. “You’re just here, that’s all. Your father wants you here. Tell ya the truth, I was against it. I didn’t see the need. We been doing battle with the Costellos for thirty fuckin’ years. Off and on, we have. This ain’t nothin’ new.”
“No? Well, something’s new, Bill, something’s changed. The Don’s not a guy who overreacts, is he? I know he trusts you. I know he talks to you. There’s a lot you’re not telling me. Tell you the truth, I’m beginning to feel a little offended. I heard about the girl, Bill. I heard somethin’ bad happened. And I heard it was The Don who was to blame.”
Bill whipped his head in Junior’s direction. “The Don! To blame! You don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about. The Don never wanted that!”
“Then what did he want, Bill? You tell me. Set me straight, so I do know what the fuck I’m talking about. So we don’t have to keep playing this game with each other. You don’t want me here? I understand. And I don’t want to be here. So do us both a favor and tell me what the hell we’re working with so I can get out of your hair!”
Bill turned back to the night. “It got out of hand. The Don likes this girl. He knew her when she was a kid.” Bill glanced at Junior. “I did, too. A sweet kid. She grew up around here. An Italian girl, but nothin’ to us, nothin’ to any family. Not even her own. They’d been looking out for her none of this would have happened.”
“Who is she, Bill? What is she to The Don?”
“Who knows? Your father’s got a soft spot for these wayward girls. He always has. He sees them on the street, he sees un peccato, una parodia. He’s gotta save ‘em, you know.” Bill turned to Junior, and said, in a shrugging way, “It’s a weakness.”
Junior nodded and said, “So the girl? This girl The Don wanted to save? She got turned out?”
“Si, she got turned out. By one of Costello’s guys. The one who thinks he’s a lover. The one they call The Gent. But he’s got no respect for women. His mother was a whore.”
“So who’s the guy who blinks?”
Bill looked at Junior with surprise. His nod said he was impressed. “What’s it matter? He’s in the wind. We had to save him. Now they’re all over looking for him. But he’s a ghost. They’ll never find him. Only The Don knows. There are some things, you know, kid, that The Don keeps to himself.”
Junior topped off his whiskey and let it lay. It was about all he was gonna get out of Hot Nose Bill tonight. They sat back and stared at the moonless night together now. Nothin’ but empty blackness swallowing weakly flickering stars.
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