"Ralphie D.?" the U.S. prosecutor asked.
The witness nodded."Yes. That would be me."
"You have a college degree, don't you, Mr. Denunziatta?" the prosecutor continued.
"Yes, sir, I do. In business. From LIU."
"But you never got a regular job? You chose to dedicate yourself to a life of crime?"
"That's correct." Denunziatta nodded again. Ralphie's father was one of Cavello's henchmen when Ralphie was growing up."My father wanted me to become a stockbroker or get a law degree. But things were changing. The family was in some legitimate businesses-restaurants, nightclubs, food distribution-so I got involved with them. I thought I could avoid things, you know, the things everyone talks about-the violence, the dirty work."
"But you couldn't, Mr. Denunziatta, could you?" Joel Goldenberger asked.
"No, sir." The witness shook his head."I couldn't."
"And one of those things you couldn't avoid was involvement in the murder of Sam Greenblatt?"
"Yes," he said, locking his thumbs.
"And you pleaded guilty to playing a part in that crime, is that not correct?"
"That's correct," the witness said."I pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree."
"Why, Mr. Denunziatta? Can you describe your actual involvement in Mr. Greenblatt's death?"
He cleared his throat."Thomas Mussina came to me. He was a captain then. He reported directly to Dominic Cavello. He knew some people who worked for me owed the family a favor. Jimmy Cabrule-he had gambling debts. Also Louis Machia-he was looking to be made. He figured this was an opportunity."
"By ‘opportunity,'" the prosecutor stated,"you mean that if Mr. Machia participated in killing Mr. Greenblatt, he would be rewarded with being formally inducted into the family? Is that correct?"
"That's correct, Mr. Goldenberger."
"So, go on, Mr. Denunziatta. Did Mr. Cabrule and Louis Machia carry out this hit?"
"Yes, they did. In front of Greenblatt's home in Jersey. On the sixth of August, 1993."
"You seem to know the date well, Mr. Denunziatta. Were you there?"
"I was in the area," Denunziatta replied.
"In the area…?" Goldenberger cocked his head.
"I was in a car driving around the neighborhood, maybe two blocks away. I heard the shots. I saw Louis and Jimmy C. speed by. Louie's friend Stevie Mannarino was driving the vehicle."
"Was anyoneelse driving around the neighborhood, Mr. Denunziatta? At the time Mr. Greenblatt was murdered?"
"Yes, sir." The gangster nodded."Tommy Moose was driving around. In a gray Lincoln."
"Okay, Thomas Mussina was there. In a Lincoln. Was there anyone else in this car with Mr. Mussina?" the prosecutor asked.
"Yes, there was." Ralphie sucked in a breath."Dominic Cavello was in the car."
"How could you be so sure, Mr. Denunziatta, that it was Mr. Cavello in the car with Thomas Mussina?"
"Because they stopped and waved to me. A few blocks from the hit."
"But it didn't surprise you, did it, Mr. Denunziatta? To see him, the Electrician, there?"
"No, sir," the witness said.
"And can you tell the jury why?"
"Because Tommy told me they were going to be there the night before. He and Mr. Cavello. He said Mr. Cavello wanted to make sure everything was done just right."
Denunziatta looked up, as if drawn almost magnetically toward the defendant.
Cavello met his gaze with the most chilling, mirthless smile. It had finality to it. Everybody saw it. It was as if the temperature in the courtroom had dropped twenty degrees in a few seconds.
Go ahead, Ralphie, Cavello's smile seemed to say.Do what you have to do. When this has all played out, I'll find you.
Dead man walking, Ralphie.
The prosecutor brought the witness back."So to the best of your knowledge, Mr. Denunziatta, Mr. Cavello knew about Mr. Greenblatt's murder before it took place?"
"'Course he knew about the murder, Mr. Goldenberger. Jimmy wouldn't tie his shoelaces without the Boss's say-so. Everybody knew that.Cavello ordered the hit."
Chapter 22
MIRIAM SEIDERMAN HAD SEEN the monstrous look, too. It almost brought the proceedings to a halt, as all eyes went to Cavello.
Up to now the mob boss had been on his best behavior, but she knew he was tethered by a slender thread. The first two witnesses had been damaging. She could read the jury on that. Only a complete fool would think Cavello had nothing to do with Greenblatt's murder.
Yet he just sat there, like he had it all planned out. His life was going down the tubes, and he was above it alclass="underline" You can't hold me here. I'm stronger than you. I'm stronger than the whole system. You can't judge me. It made her shiver.
After trial that day, she met her husband for dinner with a client. Ben was a partner at Rifkin, Sayles, one of the biggest law firms in the city. She listened, tried to laugh. The client, Howard Goldblum, was one of the most successful real estate developers in the city.
But inside, she was scared. She kept reliving the trial. It kept reverberating through her. Something about that man. That he couldn't be controlled by any system.
She and Ben got home around ten. The alarm was on. The housekeeper had gone for the night. She double-bolted the front door and went upstairs.
She knew she should tell Ben about today. But it was silly, and she wasn't a silly person. She'd been on a hundred trials. She'd seen plenty of brazen criminals who thought they were bigger than life itself. Why was this one different?He wasn't! To hell with him.
She watched Ben disappear into his walk-in closet to get undressed, then into the bathroom. She heard him brushing his teeth. She went over to their bed. She pulled off the pillows one by one. Then she stripped down the duvet.
Miriam Seiderman felt her heart slam to a stop.
"Ben! Ben, come out here, quick!Ben! "
Her husband ran into the room, his toothbrush in hand."What is it?"
Under the covers there was a newspaper, folded open to page two. The headline read, GANGSTER STOPS TRIAL DEAD.
She was staring at Dominic Cavello. An artist's sketch. The very moment in the courtroom that had stayed with her all evening.
That look.
She turned to Ben."Did you put that here?"
Her husband shook his head and picked up theDaily News."Of course not, no."
A chill started to creep down Miriam Seiderman's spine. The house had been locked, the alarms set. Her housekeeper, Edith, had left at four.
What the hell was going on? This was this evening's paper.
Someone had gotten in here tonight!
Chapter 23
AROUND THAT TIME, in a dimly lit Albanian café in Astoria, Queens, Nordeshenko sat reading a newspaper of his own.
A few customers were at the bar. A soccer game was playing on the satellite, piped in from the home country, and the local boys were drinking and cheering, occasionally shouting in dialect at the screen.
The café door opened. Two men stepped in. One was tall, with ice-blue eyes and long blond locks flowing over his black leather jacket. The other was short and dark, Middle Eastern-looking, wearing a green military jacket over camouflage trousers. The two men took a seat at the table next to Nordeshenko's. The Israeli never even looked up.
"It's good to see you, Remi."
Nordeshenko smiled. Remi was his Russian nickname. From back in the army, in Chechnya. A version of Remlikov, his real name. Nordeshenko hadn't used it in fifteen years.