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“You still…working with the Castellini clan?”
“Yeah. Up in Jersey. I run one of the family casinos.”
“Treasure Cove?” Phil asked.
“That’s the one.”
“Been there before. They have decent blackjack tables.”
“Next time you’re in the area, look me up. I’ll hook you up with the best dealer in Jersey,” Vinnie promised.
“I’ll be sure to do that.” Phil changed the subject. “What can I help you gentlemen with?”
“We’re looking for a couple of guys new to town. Their names are Enzo and Costanza,” Luigi said. “Have you heard of them or seen them around?”
Phil repeated it. “Yeah. They work for some guy named Danny Lombardo, fresh off the plane from Sicily, if I recall correctly. They’ve been by a couple of times. Why?”
“Because they’re trying to collect on a debt belonging to my old man,” Vinnie said. “He’s dead and my mother is left holding the bag.”
“What a shame. I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. Some of those guys play hardball,” Phil said.
“We’re trying to figure out what went down. We heard the debt in question is a dump over on Morton Street.”
“Morton Street. Not the best area, although not the worst either.”
Luigi leaned his elbows on the bar. “You’ve been around for a long time. From what we’ve been told, the place got firebombed. We’re trying to figure out what happened.”
“Are you talking about the old Finch building?”
“I have an address.” Vinnie pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “It’s 8807 Morton Street.”
“Yeah. That’s the place,” Phil said. “Rumor has it the owner set it on fire to collect on the insurance.”
“My father set the building on fire?” Vinnie asked. “It doesn’t make sense. From what we can figure out, he didn’t own it for very long when the vandalism occurred.”
Phil shrugged. “I dunno. I heard somebody came in, bought it for a steal, insured it, torched it and tried to collect the insurance.”
“Is there anything else you can remember?” Vinnie asked.
“Nope. That’s all I know. Do you want me to give you a buzz if these two guys show up again?”
“Nah. They’ll be back around tomorrow to cut a deal,” Vinnie said. “I appreciate the info. Remember what I said about Jersey.”
“You got it. I’ll look you up.”
Luigi and Vinnie finished their drinks and exited the bar.
“Well?” Luigi held the door for Vinnie. “What do you think?”
“Something smells fishy. I don’t believe my father torched the place to collect the insurance. I think someone set it on fire. For all we know, it could have been Danny Lombardo.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Enzo and Costanza are showing up tomorrow to collect their money,” Vinnie said. “I’ll be waiting for them.”
Chapter 12
Carlita woke early the next morning, having barely slept the night before. All she could think about was what Luigi and Vinnie had told her. People believed her husband had vandalized the Morton Street property to collect the insurance.
