The Chainmakers (34 page)

His mother stood up as if to leave, but was stopped by a stern glance from his father. 'Stay, Anna, if you please. We will get to the bottom of this.' James took a seat opposite, and waited.

His father was making a business of lighting his cigar, but eventually it was done. He looked James in the eye. 'Where,' he said carefully, 'Where have you been this afternoon?'

So that was it. James swallowed. For a moment he was tempted to lie, but then knew he could never lie to his father.

'I... I went to see Freddie's new car,' he said, truthfully.

'And then?'

'I went to Jacksons for tea.'

'With Freddie?'

'No.' It was obvious he knew.

'Who did you go with?' His father asked calmly.

'Uncle Paolo.'

His father turned towards his mother. 'You see? Uncle! He calls him Uncle!'

James felt himself becoming angry. 'Father, Paolo is my uncle... not really of course, more like an older brother.'

'A brother now is it? Heaven preserve us!' His father's face was flushed and angry. 'James, you know perfectly well what I feel about Paolo Vetti and his family, don't you?'

'I know you don't like his uncle Vittorio, but you're fond of Auntie Jennie aren't you?'

His father gave a snort of disgust. 'Don't try to wriggle out of it young man, you are well aware I don't want you to associate with Paolo Vetti, are you not?'

'But Paolo is my friend, father, he's great fun and...'

'I'm not asking for your opinion!' his father roared. 'Will you answer the question? Do you know I don't want you to associate with Paolo Vetti?'

James flushed, and looked at the floor. 'Yes father.'

'How often have you been seeing him?' His father asked.

'Not very often. I'm at school and he's very busy.'

'How often?' His father persisted.

'Well, always for my birthday, he takes me for a treat usually. And Christmas of course, and in the summer holidays.'

James looked up. His father looked quite shaken. 'This... this deception,' he said slowly. 'It has been going on for years, hasn't it?'

'It wasn't intended as deception father.'

'No? What would you call it? I suppose you thought that what I didn't know wouldn't hurt me, was that it?'

James remained silent. When he spoke again, his father's voice was scathing. 'I am ashamed of you James. You have deliberately flouted my wishes, so you have, and shown very bad judgment in your choice of friends.'

'There's nothing the matter with Paolo,' James burst out, his eyes filling with tears in spite of himself. 'You can't make me hate him just because you do.'

'Quiet!' His father roared. 'You will not see him again. Ever. Do you hear me?'

James did not reply.

'Do you hear me James?'

'Yes.' James said sullenly. The tears were now running freely and he despised himself for his weakness.

'Go to your room.' His father ordered.

James turned. His relief at being dismissed was almost overpowered by the sense of injustice. At the door he stopped, and flicked back his fair hair with a truculent toss of his head. 'You hardly know Paolo,' he said. 'How can you know what he's like?'

'Go to your room James.' His father snapped.

James tried to remember what Paolo had said to him at the teashop
...You're sixteen
now and can be your own man...

‘
I'm going father,' he said. 'But you can't cut me off from my friends, just because you don't like them. You can't make me study either, and I'm not going to University no matter what you say.'

'As he left the room Clancy turned to Anna. 'I hope you're satisfied,' he said.

'You have brought this on yourself,' Anna replied. 'There was no need to be so hard on him, he was only being loyal to his friend after all.'

'Friend? You think Paolo Vetti is a suitable friend for our son?'

Anna sighed. 'Clancy, let us please try to talk about this without... without shouting at each other.' She came across the room and sat down opposite her husband. 'Do you remember when James was small? Paolo used to play with him and take him to the park for me? They became friends then. Paolo is a lot older than James but they have always been friends, they are very close.'

'Thanks to you.' Clancy said shortly.

'I agree with you that if we lived in an ideal world James would perhaps not be friends with Paolo. But it is not an ideal world, and James has lots of other friends too.'

Clancy's expression showed no sign of softening. 'Have you known they were keeping in touch all these years?' he said accusingly.

'I... I suppose I turned a blind eye.' Anna confessed. 'I suspected it...'

'You suspected our son was friendly with a gangster... thought of him almost as a brother... and you turned a blind eye?' Clancy was incredulous.

'No!' Anna said vehemently. 'I didn't think my son was friendly with a gangster. I thought he was friendly with a nice young man who happens to be married to a close friend...'

'And happens to have an uncle who is a gangster, a racketeer and a pimp,' Clancy retorted angrily. 'And don't say Paolo isn't a gangster, he's running cargoes of bootleg liquor all over this city so he is.'

Anna sighed and got up. 'If we're back to that again there's obviously no more to say,' she said. 'But be careful Clancy, that you don't drive James away completely. You have probably made him even more determined not to go to University.'

'It's all my fault now is it? Have you thought that his friend Paolo may have put the idea in his head?'

'Hardly,' Anna snapped. 'James has views of his own. Anyway, I happen to know Paolo advised him to go to College. He went to University himself you know...'

'How do you know what Paolo advised?' Clancy queried. His tone was sarcastic.

'I know because I asked him to talk to James,' Anna responded hotly.

It was a mistake. Clancy flushed with anger. 'Are you telling me you discussed our son's future with that... that hoodlum?'

'He's not a hoodlum. And yes, I did, and I'm not ashamed of it.' Anna cried. 'Can't you accept that Paolo is actually very fond of James? That he was concerned about his education?'

Clancy gave an incredulous laugh. 'I don't believe what I'm hearing...'

'Well you had better believe it. I wanted to support you in this, but you are too prejudiced to see anything clearly. I had to talk to someone Clancy, and let's face it, I can't talk to you any more.'

She left the room, and Clancy, thoroughly disconcerted, went to his club.

~

Paolo's mood was black. Nothing was simple, he reflected, no matter how hard you tried to make it so. Just when he had thought the demarcation lines were accepted, when he thought his uncle was coming round to his ideas, Tony Cavellini had to appear on the scene and begin to throw his weight around.

Paolo had thought he was making progress. His uncle was growing older, and his hold on the rackets and brothels was weakening, and added to that was the simple matter of economics. Thanks to much hard work and a little doctoring of the accounts Paolo had managed to convince Vittorio that crime did not pay so well these days, and that perhaps the risk was hardly worth taking when the legitimate businesses and the bootlegging were bringing in such a good return.

Paolo sighed as he reached the large van. He unlocked the door and climbed up into the driver's seat. He could have done without this trip, but with one driver in hospital and another running scared he had no alternative. Damn Cavellini. If he'd only waited a few months more he could perhaps have picked up some of Vittorio's business for the asking. But then perhaps not, he reflected. It was one thing for Vittorio to give up his activities in response to a reasoned argument from himself, but quite another for him to be forced out by a rival gang. Even as he considered it Paolo knew his uncle would never give in to threats. He had seen off predators before of course, but he was younger then, and Cavellini wasn't simply out for the rackets and the girls. Much as he hated to admit it, Paolo knew Cavellini's real target was the lucrative liquor business, upon which he himself had spent so much time and effort.

Paolo started up the engine. He did not want to confront the issues which now weighed so heavily on him, but he knew he must. For the first time he questioned the instinct which had persuaded him so readily to defy the Prohibition laws. He still felt that the law was wrong, that people should be entitled to take a drink if they wished, but suddenly things were getting out of hand. An incident the previous week, when a driver was beaten up, had thoroughly shaken Paolo, and he did not want to think of the consequences if Tony Cavellini decided to meet his uncle Vittorio head on. Who knows, perhaps that stiff necked Clancy Sullivan was right after all, Paolo thought, perhaps he foresaw all this mayhem, although it was not as bad in New York as in Chicago by all accounts...

Paolo grinned to himself, perhaps it was a pity that Capone had moved to Chicago after all, he would have seen Tony Cavellini off quickly enough.

Paolo drove the van towards the yard gate. There was only one thing he was sure of. When his son was born he must not be brought into this situation, he would not have the childhood his father had suffered. If Vittorio would not agree to give up all but the legal businesses, he would take Jennie and the baby and move away to a new life, anywhere... California perhaps...

Paolo swerved suddenly as a figure sprang into the road, waving. He recognised the slight form and boyish fair hair immediately, and pulled into the verge. James dashed up as Paolo wound down the window.

'Hello little brother! What brings you here?' Paolo was delighted to see him.

'Looking for you, I was coming to the yard, I have to talk to you.'

Paolo frowned. 'Alright, but it will have to be tomorrow, I have to go somewhere now and I'm late already.'

'No Paolo, now.' James opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat. 'I have to talk to you, it's important.'

'But I told you, I have to go...'

'I'll come with you, we can talk on the way.' James said firmly.

Paolo hesitated. 'It will be better not James, I shall be a couple of hours at least.'

'That's all right,' James said lightly. 'I'm not expected home until dinner.' Seeing that Paolo was still hesitant, he added quietly, 'If you're worried because you're going to collect booze, don't be. I know all about it and I shan't be in the way, I can help you load the van.'

Paolo's face darkened. 'I'm not happy about it, little brother, but if it's important you can come. It will perhaps get rid of those schoolboy ideas you have about running liquor. You will see it is not exciting at all, just rather boring hard work.'